Water has been getting things wet for over 3 billion years. It is always moving through something called the water cycle or the hydrological cycle. The water cycle is the movement of water around Earth. The sun drives this cycle. It warms liquid water on Earth and changes it to a gas. This process is called evaporation. The thermal energy is also absorbed by plants. Plants store water in small openings in their leaves. When the sun warms plants, it causes the water to evaporate out of the leaves through the small openings. This process is called transpiration. When water vapor rises into the atmosphere, it cools and changes back into liquid form. This process is called condensation. Tiny water droplets form on dust particles in the atmosphere to form cloud droplets, which join together to create clouds. After a while, clouds become too heavy with water and so the water falls to the Earth. This process is called precipitation. Water can fall as rain, hail, sleet, or snow. This precipitation that falls to the Earth moves from high to low elevations. This water is called runoff. Runoff collects in flows into lakes and oceans. This process is called collection. Some water on Earth's surface penetrates into the ground. This is called infiltration. Water that is absorbed into the ground can be stored in the soil and then taken up by plant's roots. This is called absorption. Some water collects in pools underground. This water becomes groundwater.
Types of precipitation
Sleet- when precipitation falls from the clouds to the ground as half water/half ice. During a sleet storm, the temperature of the clouds is warm , so the precipitation begins to fall as liquid rain. But, the air around the surface is very cold so it begins to freeze the liquid into a slushy solid. This slushy solid which is half frozen falls to the ground as sleet.
Rain- when precipitation falls to the ground from the clouds as liquid water. During a rainstorm, the temperature is warm in the clouds and at ground level so the precipitation is in liquid form.
Snow- when precipitation falls from the clouds as cold, flaky solids. The precipitation is frozen solid in the clouds and stays frozen by the cold surface.
Hail- precipitation that falls from the clouds to the surface as balls of ice. A hail storm starts with warm surface temperatures. Very strong warm wind currents push upward toward the cold clouds. Precipitation in the form of ice begins to fall from the clouds but it gets pushed up by the strong winds back into the cloud. It joins with more ice and grows. The hailstones become so heavy the wind can't hold them up in the clouds and they fall to Earth as big balls of ice.
Types of precipitation
Sleet- when precipitation falls from the clouds to the ground as half water/half ice. During a sleet storm, the temperature of the clouds is warm , so the precipitation begins to fall as liquid rain. But, the air around the surface is very cold so it begins to freeze the liquid into a slushy solid. This slushy solid which is half frozen falls to the ground as sleet.
Rain- when precipitation falls to the ground from the clouds as liquid water. During a rainstorm, the temperature is warm in the clouds and at ground level so the precipitation is in liquid form.
Snow- when precipitation falls from the clouds as cold, flaky solids. The precipitation is frozen solid in the clouds and stays frozen by the cold surface.
Hail- precipitation that falls from the clouds to the surface as balls of ice. A hail storm starts with warm surface temperatures. Very strong warm wind currents push upward toward the cold clouds. Precipitation in the form of ice begins to fall from the clouds but it gets pushed up by the strong winds back into the cloud. It joins with more ice and grows. The hailstones become so heavy the wind can't hold them up in the clouds and they fall to Earth as big balls of ice.
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