{"id":2754,"date":"2024-09-15T12:40:44","date_gmt":"2024-09-15T12:40:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/blog\/?p=2754"},"modified":"2024-09-19T13:33:41","modified_gmt":"2024-09-19T13:33:41","slug":"hydrological-cycle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/blog\/hydrological-cycle\/","title":{"rendered":"Hydrological Cycle: Definition and its Component"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>The <strong>hydrological cycle<\/strong>\u00a0involves the continuous circulation of water in the Earth-Atmosphere system.\u00a0At its core, the water cycle is the motion of the water from the ground to the atmosphere and back again.\u00a0This article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the Hydrological Cycle: Definition and its Component.<\/em><\/p><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_56_1 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-transparent ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/blog\/hydrological-cycle\/#What_is_Water\" title=\"What is Water?\">What is Water?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/blog\/hydrological-cycle\/#Distribution_of_the_Water_on_the_Earth\" title=\"Distribution of the Water on the Earth\">Distribution of the Water on the Earth<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/blog\/hydrological-cycle\/#What_is_Hydrological_Cycle\" title=\"What is Hydrological Cycle?\">What is Hydrological Cycle?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/blog\/hydrological-cycle\/#Component_of_Hydrological_Cycle\" title=\"Component of Hydrological Cycle\">Component of Hydrological Cycle<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-0094a783efc82360a445acbacb6ab707\" style=\"color:#015aa7\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_Water\"><\/span><strong>What is Water?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Water, a substance consists of the chemical elements <strong>oxygen<\/strong> and <strong>hydrogen<\/strong> and exists in <strong>solid, liquid<\/strong> and <strong>gaseous<\/strong> states.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is <strong>abundant<\/strong> and <strong>crucial<\/strong> in nature. A <strong>odourless<\/strong> and <strong>tasteless liquid<\/strong> at room temperature, it has the important ability to dissolve many other substances.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-4e7b98be820aa01909636d617123e253\" style=\"color:#015aa7\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Distribution_of_the_Water_on_the_Earth\"><\/span><strong>Distribution of the Water on the Earth<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh7-us.googleusercontent.com\/cgOkxjnbVG9DjXd_2TIMiMnum1QIkXn_3MQ9mstEdG1YOZjMq6PWXz55OQKp8EvOdnFAROxaeZ_Q37R64JPPmBHnIrC5JUlRYvKstE8plxZYQmfxm-8X5WX71lTgEpTB3UFNSOZXA4KI-fA36eu1OQ\" alt=\"Distribution of the Water on the Earth\" style=\"width:590px;height:auto\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>Source:<\/strong> US Geological Survey<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-5da4e292c46e43b49feadb3a71744fab\" style=\"color:#015aa7\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_Hydrological_Cycle\"><\/span><strong>What is Hydrological Cycle?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The hydrological cycle encompasses the ongoing movement of water within the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/current-affairs\/13-10-2023\/daily-current-affairs-13-10-2023\/\">Earth-Atmosphere system<\/a><\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Essentially, the hydrological cycle involves the transfer of water from the ground to the atmosphere and its subsequent return.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh7-us.googleusercontent.com\/F9hD9zqMHIo1zAxAXGKryU5ir2gkWCfHaONaUe8cSUCJN20zbJjX9rAokrgR-Y0RthJb54-V5sC4xTyj1sVIUuCMTmF3L6KBz27K0BcGEcECZ7uMP2OtfGpXJLgstqcx9sWbXc5Ur2H1R2b54PyKKg\" alt=\"Hydrological Cycle\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>Fig: Diagram of <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Water_cycle\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hydrological Cycle<\/a><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-bef1814fb5936dc3377499556e602c33\" style=\"color:#015aa7\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Component_of_Hydrological_Cycle\"><\/span><strong>Component of Hydrological Cycle<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The component of the <strong>hydrological cycle<\/strong>, the following are of utmost significance:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#ebecf0\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Evaporation<\/strong><\/td><td>&#8211; It is the process by which a <strong>substance undergoes a change of state from liquid to gas<\/strong>. Water is the primary substance of interest in relation to evaporation.<br><br>&#8211; For <strong>Evaporation<\/strong>, energy is required thus the source of energy comes from the <strong>Sun,<\/strong> the <strong>Earth<\/strong>, the <strong>Atmosphere<\/strong>, and the objects of the Earth such as <strong>humans<\/strong>.<br><br>&#8211; For instance, it is a phenomenon that we encounter in our daily lives. It occurs when our bodies get warmer either because of the <strong>surrounding air temperature or physical activity<\/strong>, leading to sweating and the release of water onto our skin.\u00a0<br>1. The purpose of this process is to utilize the body&#8217;s <strong>heat to evaporate the liquid<\/strong>, effectively dissipating heat and cooling down the body.\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Transpiration<\/strong><\/td><td>&#8211; It refers to the <strong>process of water evaporation<\/strong> from plants through small openings called <strong>stomata<\/strong>.\u00a0<br><br>&#8211; These stomata are located on the underside of leaves and are connected to the plant&#8217;s vascular tissues.<br><br>&#8211;\u00a0In most plants, transpiration occurs passively and is mainly influenced by the <strong>humidity of the surrounding<\/strong> <strong>air<\/strong> and the <strong>moisture level<\/strong> in the soil.<br><br>&#8211; Only a small portion, around 1%, of the water transpired by a plant is utilized for its growth, while the remaining <strong>99%<\/strong> is released into the atmosphere.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Condensation<\/strong><\/td><td>&#8211; It is the process by which <strong>water vapour transforms into a liquid state.\u00a0<\/strong><br><br>&#8211; In the atmosphere, condensation can manifest as <strong>clouds or dew.<\/strong>\u00a0<br>1. For instance, it is also the process responsible for the <strong>formation of water droplets<\/strong> on the surface of a cold drink can or bottle that lacks insulation.\u00a0<br><br>&#8211; It is not solely dependent on a specific temperature, but rather on the <strong>temperature difference between two variables:<\/strong>\u00a0<br>1. Air temperature and\u00a0<br>2. Dew point temperature<br><br>&#8211; The <strong>dew point<\/strong> temperature is the point at which air becomes saturated and unable to hold any more water vapour, resulting in the formation of dew.\u00a0Thus, cooling causes the water vapour to condense.\u00a0When the air temperature and dew point temperature are equal, it often leads to foggy conditions.\u00a0<br><br>&#8211; <strong>Condensation<\/strong> is the opposite of <strong>evaporation<\/strong>. <br><strong>a.<\/strong> When condensation occurs, the higher energy level of water vapour compared to liquid water is released in the form of heat energy.\u00a0<br><strong>b.<\/strong> This release of heat contributes to the <strong>development of hurricanes<\/strong>.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Precipitation<\/strong><\/td><td>&#8211; It occurs when small particles of condensation <strong>collide and merge,<\/strong> becoming too large for the ascending air to sustain, and subsequently descending to the Earth&#8217;s surface.\u00a0<br><strong>a.<\/strong> This precipitation can manifest as <strong>rain, hail, snow, or sleet.\u00a0<\/strong><br><br>&#8211; The process of precipitation serves as the main mechanism through which <strong>Earth obtains freshwater<\/strong>.\u00a0<br><br>&#8211; In total, the planet receives an average annual precipitation of approximately <strong>38\u00bd inches (980 mm)<\/strong> across both its oceans and land masses.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Runoff<\/strong><\/td><td>&#8211; Runoff occurs when there is <strong>extreme precipitation<\/strong> and the ground is saturated i.e., cannot absorb water any more.\u00a0<br><br>&#8211; <strong>Rivers<\/strong> and <strong>lakes<\/strong> are the result of runoff. Some of the runoff water evaporates into the atmosphere, but most water in lakes and rivers returns to the oceans.<br><br>&#8211; If runoff water flows into a lake only with <strong>no outlet<\/strong> for water to flow out, then evaporation is the only means for water to return to the atmosphere.\u00a0<br><br>&#8211; As water evaporates, impurities or salts are left behind.<br><strong>a<\/strong>. As a result, the lake becomes salty like <strong>Great Salt Lake <\/strong>in Utah or <strong>Dead Sea<\/strong> in Israel.<br><br>&#8211; Evaporation of this runoff into the atmosphere begins the <strong>hydrological cycle<\/strong> over again.\u00a0<br><br>&#8211; Some of the water percolates into the <strong>soil <\/strong>and into the ground water only to be drawn into plants again for transpiration to take place.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The hydrological cycle\u00a0involves the continuous circulation of water in the Earth-Atmosphere system.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":2822,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67,833],"tags":[73],"class_list":["post-2754","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-geography","category-world-geography","tag-gs-1"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2754","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2754"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2754\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11561,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2754\/revisions\/11561"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2822"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2754"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2754"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2754"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}