Physical Processes
Water Cycle
Also Known As Hydrological Cycle
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The water cycle is the continuous movement of water between the oceans, atmosphere and land through evaporation, transpiration, condensation and precipitation. Evaporation from the ocean supplies nearly ninety percent of atmospheric moisture, which condenses into clouds and falls as rain, snow or hail before running off to rivers, soaking into the ground, or returning directly to the sea.
Facts
Process Type TimescaleHighly variable by pathway: a given water molecule can complete evaporation to precipitation in days, while water bound in glacial ice can remain out of active circulation for a long, long time. 1 First Proposed Year Cross-Tradition Connections
Demonstrated By
The Amazon's river system and rainforest, the largest drainage system on Earth, is a defining working example of continental-scale evaporation, transpiration and runoff.
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationThe Water Cycle, Ocean TodayQuote, The Water Cycle, Ocean Today
At its most basic, the water cycle is how water continuously moves from the ground to the atmosphere and back again.
2. Water Cycle (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationHistory, Discovery of the correct theoryQuote, History, Discovery of the correct theory
The first published thinker to assert that rainfall alone was sufficient for the maintenance of rivers was Bernard Palissy (1580 CE)
New Study Shows How Amazon Trees Use Recent Rainfall (The Conversation)
The ConversationDemonstrated By: The Amazon Basin, Article bodyQuote, Demonstrated By: The Amazon Basin, Article body
the forest rapidly recycles the rain: it falls, infiltrates shallow soil, is absorbed by roots and is released back into the atmosphere, fuelling new rainfall.
Congo Basin (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationDemonstrated By: The Congo Basin, Climate sectionQuote, Demonstrated By: The Congo Basin, Climate section
The Congo Basin is a globally important climatic region with annual rainfall of between 1,500 to 2,000 millimetres (59 to 79 in).
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