Water Cycle Expository Essay

Lydia Waybright

Mr. Sharpe

Earth Science

November 8, 2013

Water Cycle Expository Essay

        The water cycle is a vital part of our day to day life. We experience it every single day.  There are three phases of the water cycle—evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.  It is important to know about each phase of the water cycle and how they impact the world.

The water cycle does not occur in any particular order, but one phase to study is evaporation.  In evaporation, water changes from liquid to gas.  Water evaporates because the energy from heat breaks the bonds that hold water molecules together.  In this phase Latent Heat is absorbed.  Transpiration is the form of evaporation that comes from plants, and evapotranspiration is the process of water vapor being released into the atmosphere because of transpiration.  Evaporation is also useful in producing some consumer products.  For example, seawater is put in evaporation ponds so that salt and other minerals will be obtained when the water evaporates.  The evaporation process is constantly happening and is useful for all humans.

Another phase of the water cycle is condensation, where gas becomes liquid.  In this phase, Latent Heat is released.  Because of condensation, clouds are formed when vapor in the atmosphere becomes liquid, and clouds are formed to hold the water.  Fog is similar.  It is water droplets suspended in the atmosphere near ground level; fog is essentially clouds closer to the ground.  Contrails are man-made clouds.  When a jet flies by and leaves water vapor in the cold atmosphere, that is a contrail.  They can be used for weather forecasting.  If they go away quickly, there will be good weather.  That is how condensation is experienced every day.

The last phase of the water cycle is precipitation, which is when water is released from the clouds in the form of rain, snow, sleet, or hail.  The water in the clouds gets too heavy and drops back down to the Earth.  Once water hits the ground, it soaks into the ground and becomes groundwater.  Precipitation also feeds the oceans.  The water falls into lakes and rivers and eventually flows into the oceans.

These are details about each phase of the water cycle.  Evaporation, condensation, and precipitation happen every day.  Without the water cycle, things that occur normally every day would not be able to function.  The water cycle is extremely important to our world.