Runoff, for instance, describes a variety of ways liquid water moves across land. Precipitation is one of many ways water is cycled from the atmosphere to the Earth or ocean.Įvaporation, condensation, and precipitation are important parts of the water cycle. Fog and mist are a part of the water cycle called suspensions: They are liquid water suspended in the atmosphere. The water in fog does not condense sufficiently to precipitate, or liquefy and fall to Earth. Precipitation includes rain, snow, and hail.įog is not precipitation. Precipitation describes any liquid or solid water that falls to Earth as a result of condensation in the atmosphere. Air pressure is also an important influence on the dew point of an area.Īs was the case with evaporation and condensation, precipitation is also a process. As water vapor cools, it reaches its saturation limit, or dew point. Like evaporation, condensation is also influenced by the sun. Clouds at ground level are called fog or mist. CCN can be specks of dust, salt, or pollutants. Water vapor condenses around tiny particles called cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). In the water cycle, water vapor in the atmosphere condenses and becomes liquid.Ĭondensation can happen high in the atmosphere or at ground level. Clouds form as water vapor condenses, or becomes more concentrated (dense). Evaporation is also influenced by wind, temperature, and the density of the body of water.Ĭondensation is the process of a gas changing to a liquid. As the sun interacts with liquid water on the surface of the ocean, the water becomes an invisible gas (water vapor). The water cycle's evaporation process is driven by the sun. Greenhouse gases such as water vapor and carbon dioxide insulate the Earth and keep the planet warm enough to maintain life as we know it. Water vapor is also an important greenhouse gas. Water vapor surrounds us, as an important part of the air we breathe. In the water cycle, liquid water (in the ocean, lakes, or rivers) evaporates and becomes water vapor.
The water cycle consists of three major processes: evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.Įvaporation is the process of a liquid's surface changing to a gas. Water always exists in all three places, and in many forms-as lakes and rivers, glaciers and ice sheets, oceans and seas, underground aquifers, and vapor in the air and clouds.Įvaporation, Condensation, and Precipitation The water cycle describes how water is exchanged (cycled) through Earth's land, ocean, and atmosphere.
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