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Hydrological Cycle
3 States of Water
Gas – Water
Liquid -water
Vapor
Solid – ice
The Hydrologic Cycle is a global cycle, involving the continuous circulation of water
in the Earth-atmosphere system. Of the many processes involved in the hydrologic
cycle, the most important are
▪ evaporation,
▪ transpiration,
▪ condensation,
▪ precipitation, and
▪ runoff.
The hydrological cycle is the system which describes the
distribution and movement of water between the earth and its
atmosphere. The model involves the continual circulation of
water between the oceans, the atmosphere, vegetation and
land.
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A closed system
➢ The hydrological cycle is a good example of a closed
system: the total amount of water is the same, with
virtually no water added to or lost from the cycle.
➢ Water just moves from one storage type to another.
➢ Water evaporating from the oceans is balanced by
water being returned through precipitation and
surface run off.
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Hydrologic Cycle Processes
Processes
Atmospheric water
Precipitation
Evaporation
Soil water Surface Water
Surface Runoff
Groundwater Recharge
Groundwater
Baseflow
Components of hydrologic cycle
Evapo transpiration
Precipitation
Stream flow
(Runoff)
Inter flow
Infiltration
Base flow
Groundwater flow
Stage 1 : Evaporation
Evaporation means to
turn water from a liquid
into a gas, or “vapor.”
Evaporation turns the
water that is on the
surface of oceans, rivers,
& lakes into water vapor
using energy from the
sun.
Stage 2 : Transpiration
When water evaporates
from plants it is a process
called transpiration.
Plants lose water through
their stems, leaves, and
roots.
A fully grown tree may
lose several hundred
gallons of water through its
leaves on a hot, dry day.
Stage 2: Condensation
Condensation is the process
by which water vapor in the
air is changed into liquid
water.
How does this happen???
The water vapor rises in the
atmosphere and cools, forming
tiny water droplets.
Those water droplets make
up clouds.
Stage 3: Precipitation
Those water droplets that CONDENSE make up
clouds. If those tiny water droplets combine with
each other they grow larger and eventually
become too heavy to stay in the air. Then they
fall to the ground as rain, snow, and other types
of precipitation.
Stage 3: Precipitation
Precipitation is water
released from clouds
in the form of rain,
freezing rain, sleet,
snow, or hail. It is the
primary way water is
delivered from the
atmosphere to the
Earth.
Stage 4A: Runoff
Runoff is the ways in
which water moves
across the land.
As it flows, the water
may seep into the
ground, evaporate into
the air, become stored
in lakes or reservoirs, or
be extracted for
agricultural or other
Stage 4B: Infiltration
Infiltration. is the
precipitation that soaks
into the ground and
becomes a part of the
groundwater.
Stage 5: Accumulation
Accumulation is the process in
which water pools in large bodies
(like oceans, seas and lakes) Most
of the water on Earth is in the
Ocean.
Did you know?
Water stays in certain places longer
than others. A drop of water may
spend over 3,000 years in the ocean
before moving on to another part of
the water cycle while a drop of water
spends an average of just eight days in
the atmosphere before falling back to
Earth.
Percolation-Vertical and lateral movements of
water through spaces between soil and rock
layers.
Collection-when water become part of the
“ground water” that plants and animals use to
drink or it may run over the soil and collect in
the oceans, lakes or rivers where the cycle
starts.
Groundwater flow
Under the ground
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How much of water is usable by humans?
Human Inputs to the Cycle
➢ Although this is a closed system there is a natural balance maintained
between the exchange of water within the system
➢ Human activities have the potential to lead to changes in this balance
which will have knock on impacts.
➢ For example as the earth warms due to global warming the rate of
exchange in the cycle (between land and sea and atmosphere) is
expected to increase.
Human Inputs
➢ Some aspects of the hydrologic cycle can be utilized
by humans for a direct economic benefit
➢ Example: generation of electricity (hydroelectric
power stations and reservoirs)
➢ These are effectively huge artificial lakes and this will
disrupt river hydrology (amount of water in a river)
Other Human Activities
Paving, compacting soils, and altering the nature of the vegetation
(including deforestation)
The mining of ground water for use in agriculture and industry
Large amounts of water vapour released into the atmosphere from
industrial activity
Large changes in vegetation by wildfire, logging, clearance for
agriculture
Impacts
These human activities can lead to increase chances of flooding
Increases in soil erosion
A cooling effect on the north west of Europe (climate change)
Possible higher precipitation levels in the Arctic but less in the Tropics
