Water Cycle

evaporation

The process when the sun heats up the water in rivers, lakes, and oceans and turns it into vapor or steam. -changing a liquid to water vapor

condensation

Water vapor cools as it rises in the air. As it reaches the dew point, the water vapor will condense around dust particles and form clouds.- -Changing water vapor to a liquid

accumulation

also called storage; the water that falls from the sky is stored in rivers, lakes and oceans

precipitation

forms of water such as rain, snow, sleet, or hail that fall from clouds and reach Earth surface

infiltration

process where rain water soaks into the ground, through the soil and underlying rock layers

water cycle

the continuous process by which water moves from Earth's surface to the atmosphere and back, passing through living the living and nonliving parts of the environment -also known as the hydrologic cycle

transpiration

the process by which plants release water vapor through their leaves

sun

the source of all energy; it drives the water cycle

runoff

water that flows over the ground surface rather than soaking into the ground