Lecture 06 Hydrologic Cycle

Hydrologic cycle
The hydrologic cycle, also known as the water cycle is a way of describing the material flow of
water throughout the Earth. This series of steps describes how water moves across the Earth and
changes form. These specific steps result in the circulation of water between oceans,
the atmosphere, and the land. The water cycle involves natural phenomena that
include precipitation such as rain and snow, drainage from rivers, and the return of water to the
atmosphere through evaporation and transpiration. This natural cycling of water through a variety
of different locations on the Earth means that through the history of the Earth, the amount of water
has been relatively constant. Little has been added or lost over the years, and this water has been
continuously in motion.
Figure 1. A diagram showing the major components of the water cycle.[3]
The cycle has two primary components: storage and movement. Storage is where water in
the system resides or "rests" as it moves from one water reservoir to another. For example, water
enters a lake through some movement such as precipitation. After it enters the lake, it stays there
for some period of time in its storage phase. Eventually, the water moves back out through some
movement, such as evaporation into the atmosphere, discharge into a river, or migration into the
subsurface groundwater system. This continuous movement of water among the various storage
reservoirs is termed the hydrologic cycle.
It is important to note that water requires energy to change states - from solid to liquid is called
the enthalpy of fusion, and from liquid to gas is called the enthalpy of vaporization. The
evaporation of water from the oceans and evapotranspiration from continents is a particularly
important component of the hydrologic cycle that requires a change of state and input of energy.
Since nature follows the law of conservation of energy, the energy to fuel this cycle must come
from somewhere. In the hydrologic cycle, this energy comes from the Sun.
Response to global temperatures

The hydrologic cycle largely depends on the solar energy to the Earth, because
hotter temperatures result in more evaporation, precipitation and higher humidity. With the
concerning emissions of greenhouse gases, global warming will likely play a large effect on this
important cycle. Since a warming Earth means a moister atmosphere, the hydrologic cycle will
become more intense; precipitation and river flows are expected to increase by 10% to 40% in
certain tropical locations, while decreasing up to 30% in dry locations.[4] This means that floods will
become more likely in areas with more precipitation, while droughts will affect the drier places.
Other extreme weather events are also very likely to occur, such as hurricanes and typhoons.
Storage
The storage of water in the hydrologic cycle is vastly important on the Earth. Water can be stored
in three main places: the atmosphere, on the surface of the Earth, and underground. Specifically
these water storage areas are known as reservoirs and include oceans, glacier ice, groundwater,
lakes, soil moisture, living organisms, the atmosphere, and rivers. Collectively, all water storage
areas make up the hydrosphere. Most water on earth is found in oceans and seas, then in glaciers
and groundwater. ~97% of the world's water is stored in the oceans as saltwater. Because the
overwhelming majority of water is stored here, this can be seen as the start and end point of the
cycle. Water that starts here evaporates up into the atmosphere, where the majority of it falls back
into the ocean as rain, while a much smaller amount falls onto land.
Water moves from reservoir to reservoir through a variety of different transportation mechanisms,
but this water can stay in storage for varying lengths of time. The movement of water from place to
place can be fairly erratic, but there are trends for how long certain types of reservoirs maintain
their water for. The average length of time that water stays in any reservoir in the hydrologic cycle
is known as the residence time. Water the water in the atmosphere is renewed every 15 days,
while soil moisture lasts a couple of months. Lakes replenish their water every 50 to 100 years,
while groundwater can last anywhere from 100 to 10 000 years. Finally, ice caps hold water the
longest with residence times of up to 200 000 years.
The type of storage that occurs on the land surface and under the ground largely depend on the
geologic features related to the types of soil and the types of rocks present at the storage
locations.
Movements
There are numerous different ways that water moves across the planet in the water cycle. All of
these different types of movement are important in maintaining water levels in certain locations
around the globe.
Evaporation
Here, water is heated by solar radiation from the Sun. Water molecules on the surface of oceans,
rivers, lakes, ponds, and other bodies of water become energized by this. When sufficiently
energized, the water molecules are able to break free from the forces binding them together and
they evaporate, rising into the atmosphere as water vapour.[2] 97.5% of the earth's water is
contained in the ocean, so a large amount of water enters the atmosphere through evaporation at
the oceans surface.
Transpiration
This is the process of water vapour being emitted by plant leaves.
Evapotranspiration
In practical terms, when water vapour leaves a vegetated surface it is often difficult to distinguish
between evaporation from the soil surface and transpiration from plants. Therefore, these
combined processes are commonly referred to as evapotranspiration.
Sublimation
When water moves directly from a solid to a gaseous state without ever entering the liquid state.
This process allows water in snow or glaciers to enter the atmosphere directly.
Condensation
When water vapour rises, it cools slightly and condenses. Generally, the water condenses on dust
particles in the air and becomes liquid. Sometimes the water skips the liquid phase and turns
directly into a solid - in the form of ice, hail, or snow. In the liquid form the particles collect and
form clouds.
Precipitation
Water falls from the sky in numerous different forms of precipitation including rain, snow, and hail.
This precipitation comes from clouds, which are free to move around the world and are pushed by
air currents. This allows water to move around the globe easily.
Runoff
Rain or snowmelt can move water over land and form small creeks or collect in ditches. Runoff is
the visible flow of water in rivers or creeks as water, previously stored in a basin, drains.
Infiltration and Percolation
When precipitation falls on the ground, some of it moves downwards into cracks, joints, and pores
in the soil. The entry of water into the subsurface is termed infiltration. The process of percolation
refers to the subsequent movement of water through subsurface soil pores until it reaches the
water table. At this point it becomes groundwater. This is a slow process, which is why more water
flows back to the ocean through surface runoff than groundwater discharge.
Groundwater Flow
Groundwater is water that is held in cracks and pore spaces below ground. This water can be
tapped by water supply wells or continue moving below the ground until it eventually returns to the
surface. The process by which groundwater exits the ground is known as groundwater discharge.
This groundwater can either discharge directly into oceans, or more commonly, it discharges to
surface water (lakes and rivers) and then travels to the ocean as surface runoff.

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Hydrologic cycle

Figure 1. A diagram showing the major components of the water cycle.[3]

Response to global temperatures

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