The water cycle is like a big circle showing how water moves all around the Earth.
How Water Moves
Think of it as water's adventure! The water cycle describes "the path that all water follows as it moves around Earth in different states." Water is always changing forms—liquid, solid (ice), and gas (water vapor). It’s everywhere!
- Liquid Water: We find liquid water in oceans, rivers, lakes, and even underground.
- Solid Ice: Ice can be found in glaciers, snow, and at the North and South Poles.
- Water Vapor: This is water in gas form, and it's found in Earth's atmosphere.
The Water Cycle Steps
Even though it's a cycle, let’s break it down into simple steps:
- Evaporation: The sun heats up water in lakes, rivers, and oceans, turning it into water vapor (gas), which rises into the air.
- Condensation: As the water vapor rises, it cools down and turns back into tiny liquid droplets, forming clouds.
- Precipitation: When the clouds get full of water droplets, they fall back to Earth as rain, snow, sleet, or hail.
- Collection: The water that falls to Earth collects in rivers, lakes, and oceans, or soaks into the ground, and the cycle starts all over again!
Why is it important?
The water cycle is super important because all living things need water to survive! It helps keep our planet healthy by constantly cleaning and recycling the water.
