Grades 6, 7 and 8 - Science - Middle School - The Water Cycle — Flashcards

The water cycle is involved in reshaping the geological features of the Earth, through such processes as erosion and sedimentation. Also, as it involves heat exchange, it exerts an influence on climate too. Only 3% of the Earth's water is fresh, and most of that is in the form of ice!  Luckily, the tiny percentage of water suitable for drinking and keeping plants and animals alive is continuously recycled in a series of processes known as the water cycle.  Through evaporation, water in the sea rises as vapor into the sky.  Condensation then causes droplets to form and these become clouds. Rain (precipitation) falls from the clouds and onto the ground.  Here the water runs downhill until it reaches a river.  It then flows along the river and into the sea, where the whole process starts again.  Rain, snow and sleet are part of the water cycle. Each year approximately 505,000 km^3 of water falls as precipitation on the world! Rain is liquid precipitation, as opposed to non-liquid kinds of precipitation such as snow, hail and sleet.