The picture illustrates the way in which water passes from ocean to air to land during the natural process known as the water cycle.
Three main stages are shown on the diagram. Ocean water evaporates, falls as rain, and eventually runs back into the oceans again.
Beginning at the evaporation stage, we can see that 80% of water vapour in the air comes from the oceans. Heat from the sun causes water to evaporate, and water vapour condenses to form clouds. At the second stage, labelled ‘precipitation’ on the diagram, water falls as rain or snow.
At the third stage in the cycle, rainwater may take various paths. Some of it may fall into lakes or return to the oceans via ‘surface runoff’. Otherwise, rainwater may filter through the ground, reaching the impervious layer of the earth. Salt water intrusion is shown to take place just before groundwater passes into the oceans to complete the cycle.
The picture illustrates the way in which
water
passes from
ocean
to air to land during the natural process known as the
water
cycle.
Three main
stages
are shown
on the diagram.
Ocean
water
evaporates, falls as rain, and
eventually
runs back into the
oceans
again.
Beginning at the evaporation
stage
, we can
see
that 80% of
water
vapour
in the air
comes
from the
oceans
. Heat from the sun causes
water
to evaporate, and
water
vapour
condenses to form clouds. At the second
stage
, labelled ‘precipitation’ on the diagram,
water
falls as rain or snow.
At the third
stage
in the cycle, rainwater may take various paths.
Some
of it may fall into lakes or return to the
oceans
via ‘surface runoff’.
Otherwise
, rainwater may filter through the ground, reaching the impervious layer of the earth. Salt
water
intrusion
is shown
to take place
just
before
groundwater passes into the
oceans
to complete the cycle.