| The Water Cycle |
|
The water in the world is constantly on the move. Three-quarters of the Earth is covered by oceans and the action of the Sun's warmth, makes ocean water evaporate to form vapour. The water vapour rises and, when it reaches colder layers of air, condenses to form water droplets which we see as clouds. When the droplets get large enough they fall as rain or snow, which drains into streams and rivers and eventually flows back into the oceans. This great circle of events is called the water cycle; because of it the amount of water on Earth does not change, it merely moves around. The amount of water involved is staggering. Fifteen million tons of water are evaporated every second. |
|
|
The Water Cycle: Water evaporates from the ocean in the form of vapour. Blown inland by the wind, it condenses and falls in the form of rain or snow. It then begins its journey back to the sea again in lakes, streams and rivers. Water Table |
