what is the water cycle?
87965
We never get new water here on earth..it's just recycled. The water cycle defined is "Transition and movement of water involving evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, percolation, runoff, and storage."\n\nWater falls in the form of precipitation (snow, rain, etc). Some of it seeps into the ground that makes up our water aquifers (perculation), some is in the form of runoff (rivers, streams), eventually water makes its way to lakes, ponds, oceans, etc and is stored. Some water is taken up by plants and is stored there. It leaves "storage" when the water evaporates and through transpiration in plants (plants lose water through their leaves which is why they seem especially prone to wilting on a hot windy day).\n\nCondensation is when water goes from a gaseous state back to a liquid state. An example of this putting your breath on a cold window or mirror and watching the water droplets form.\n\nHope this helped. It's a simplified explanation, but it will get you started.
867542
In the water cycle, water falls to the earth in the form of precipitation.  Plant roots absorb the water, which is then transported through the xylem vessels to the leaves.  There, photosynthesis takes place.  Each water molecule is split up, forming hydrogen ions, oxygen, and electrons.  The electrons are used to create ATP for the dark reactions.  In end, a three-carbon sugar is formed, which combines with another three-carbon sugar to form glucose.  Besides photosynthesis, water seeps into the ground and bodies of water.  It stays there for organisms to use.  Much of it eventually evaporates.\nCO2 is used in photosynthesis to form glucose (the glucose's carbon is from CO2).  Glucose is eventually broken down to form ATP.  Animals store glucose in the form of gylcogen, whereas plants tore it in the form of starch.  Carbon is also present in the atmosphere in the form of other gases (including, I think, greenhouse gases).  It is also present in decaying organic matter, returning to the atmosphere in the form of gas.
786378
evaporation is when the liquid form of water eevaporates or becomes water vapor. evaporation is one part of the water cycle and is a very large one. evaporation puts water into the air as a gas called water vapor. this then condenses into tiny droplets, forming clouds. \n\nhope this helps
221627
Because it takes a tremendous volume of water to rise the oceans even by inches and much of the water will cycle, evaporating, forming clouds and comming back down as rain, with part of that being absorbed drunken by plants and other life forms.
291231
H2O...two parts hydrogen and 1 part oxygen in each of the water molecules.
65018
If you REALLY want to know about this take a look at my source.  But I can summarize it for you.  Think of water as something that assists chemical reactions in a cell.  Without it the cell is powerless.\n\nWater also acts as a transportation mechanism to "take out the trash", as well as "bring in the goods."  As far as energy goes, this is something that is driven by the Kreb Cycle in the Mitochondria of a cell. This process actually produces water.
86829
For all things water see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water
759317
The normal cycle is (very simplified): rain, transportation to sea, evaporation.\n\nThe main thing that mankind does to change this is after the rain has fallen and before it reaches the sea.  The main thing being irrigation which diverts water from the river into the surrounding land.  Obviously when water is soaked into the ground it cannot evaporate and so the 'residence time' in this part of the cycle is increased.\nBuilding damns and other structures (ie. cities) will also have similar effects by diverting the natural course of a river.\nWith global warming comes another problem.  Obviously the warmer something is the more energy it has.  This extra energy causes an unstable atmosphere leading to increased rainfall in some areas and less in others.  Rising sea temperature, which is also connected to global warming, will increase the rate of evaporation (which is why there are more hurricanes in the Atlantic).
834678
The water cycle is usually broken into 4 basic steps:\n1) evaporation / transpiration / sublimation\n2) atmospheric storage\n3) condensation / precipitation\n4) runoff/infiltration / surface storage\n\nThere is as much water on the planet today as there was when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. There will always be plenty of water.\n\nNow, if we are talking about useful water, we need to reexamine this. You may first want to look at NASA's global water map:\nhttp://www-surf.larc.nasa.gov/surf/pages/water.html\n\nNASA also has a page for global water distribution:\nhttp://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Library/Water/\nThis page illustrates the tiny portion of useful water on our planet.\n\nThere are two larger issues that NASA does not discuss in their global water distribution. 1) Keeping in mind that the US has just about the same amount of water available as it did 200 years ago, there are now 250 million to share with instead of the 4 million of 200 years ago. 2) Of the roughly 3/4% of fresh water in groundwater and lakes and streams around the world, much of that is too polluted to drink.\n\nWith regard to the coming urgency for "Thinking Globally - Acting Locally", check out Jonathan Harris' "infographics" poster:\nhttp://www.princeton.edu/~ina/infographics/water.html When our neighboring countries run out, they will be forced to do what you do when you run out of sugar in the middle of a recipe - run over to the neighbor's for some.\n\nWhen we waste water, we are not only using our drinkable water but we are also moving water to the undrinkable part of the water distribution. True, we aren't losing any water on this planet, but we are losing useful water and won't be getting any more new water, either.\n\nIf we do, it will be in the form of a large icy comet and we probably won't need water at all after that.
867028
Cohesion of water. Water that leaves through the leaves drags some water with it up from the roots.
111121
water's chemical description is H2O, one atom of oxygen bound to two atoms of hydrogen. \n\n1). Pure water has a neutral pH of 7, which is neither acidic nor basic.\n\n2). Water is called the "universal solvent" because it dissolves more substances than any other liquid.\n\n3). Water is unique in that it is the only natural substance that is found in all three states -- liquid, solid (ice), and gas (steam) -- at the temperatures normally found on Earth.\n\nTypes of water\nI). Hard & soft water\nSoft water - Any water that does not contain a significant amount of dissolved minerals such as salts of calcium or magnesium.\nHard Water - water containing a high level of calcium, magnesium, and other minerals. Hard water reduces the cleansing power of soap and produces scale in hot water lines and appliances.\n\nII). Ground water & Surface water\nGround water - In hydrologic terms, water within the earth that supplies wells and springs; water in the zone of saturation where all openings in rocks and soil are filled, the upper surface of which forms the water table. Also termed Phreatic water.\n\nSurface water - Precipitation which does not soak into the ground or return to the atmosphere by evaporation or transpiration, and is stored in streams, lakes, wetlands, and reservoirs is surface water.
82704
who needs the water cycle with out the sun. all living things would die without the sun.
417393
Earth's water is always in movement, and the water cycle, also known as the hydrologic cycle, describes the continuous movement of water on, above, and below the surface of the Earth. Since the water cycle is truly a "cycle," there is no beginning or end. Water can change states among liquid, vapor, and ice at various places in the water cycle, with these processes happening in the blink of an eye and over millions of years.\n\nAlthough the balance of water on Earth remains fairly constant over time, individual water molecules can come and go in a hurry. The water in the apple you ate yesterday may have fallen as rain half-way around the world last year or could have been used 100 million years ago by Mama Dinosaur to give her baby a bath.
1030234
The molecules in the water are in motion and as the move some of them move into the air and this is called evaporation.  The water will evaporate into the air until the air is as it can be at whatever the temperature is.  When the saturation is greater than the air can hold, condensation forms.
564266
G: The rock cycle.  See source.
470292
When sun shines on water, it warms it up and since heat is lighter, the water kinda floats up into the air. That's called evaporating. Then when it's high in the sky, many little water droplets come together and from clouds. When there's too many water droplets, the cloud becomes to watery and it rains. Then it starts all over again.
342414
Are you talking molecular level or physical process?\n\nWater is the bond between Hydrogen+ and two Oxygen- formulating H2O.\n\nWater as in the rain.  Evaporation is the water droplets from the sun heating up the water rising to the sky, also the plants perspire its water from the heating of the sun and rises to the sky, then condensation is the cooling of the droplets and condensing, weighs down the cloud with concentrated & heavier droplets and precipitation is the actually rain droplets falling to Earth.\n\nThe chemical process of cleaning the water to drink is the earthly cycle, but you want to go with human cleaning is the introduction of a sanitizing and killing bacteria in the water with chlorine and making it supposedly healthy with fluoride.  And a bunch of supposed microfilters to catch debris and bacteria.  Heating the water also helps clean it a little.