Hydrologic Cycle Of Water

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Water is the most abundant, most accessible and one of the most studied chemical compounds. The fact that it is located throughout the planet, its crucial importance to man 's survival and its ability to exist in solid, liquid and vapour phases and transform between them readily has made this liquid uppermost in the thinking of man throughout time (Gelder., 2012). The name water typically refers to the liquid state of the compound. The solid phase is known as ice and gas phase is called steam. Water’s chemical name is identified by the name of Dihydrogen monoxide (Helmenstine, 2016). Water is a chemical compound consisting of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. (What is H2O formula? Add pics). Water possesses special properties because …show more content…

It’s a natural sequence through which water passes into the atmosphere as water vapour, precipitates to earth in liquid, gas or solid form, and ultimately returns to the atmosphere through evaporation (McMillian, 2016). The hydrologic cycle begins with sun, as wit is the energy that powers this remarkable process. The suns UV rays produce heat-causing water to evaporate from ocean lakes, rivers and puddles. “Evaporate” means it turns the water from a liquid to a gas, or “vapour.” Warm air currents rising from the earth’s surface lift this water vapour up into the atmosphere. When the air currents reach the cooler layers of the atmosphere, the water vapour condenses around and clings on to fine particles in the air. This step is called condensation. When enough vapour attaches itself to tiny pieces of dust, pollen or pollutants, it forms a cloud. Clouds do not last forever. Old clouds constantly re-evaporate and new ones form, creating ever-changing patterns in the sky. As the air gets more and more moist, the droplets that form the clouds grow larger and larger. Eventually they will get so big that the swirling atmospheric winds can no longer hold them up. The droplets then fall from the sky as precipitation. Precipitation can be in the form of rain, …show more content…

People manage this water to make sure we have a safe and reliable water supply. This is called the urban water cycle. The main source of drinking water for many people around the world comes from rivers which collect water from the land around them. This land is called the catchment Help Description. Some rain in catchments also sinks into the ground and is called groundwater Help Description. This can also be used by people who build wells or drill down to reach the groundwater. Dams Help Description are built across rivers to hold water for later use. Water is pumped from dams through pipes to water filtration plants Help Description and reservoirs Help Description. From there it is pumped to people’s homes, schools and businesses in pipes called water mains. Another source of water is recycled water Help Description which is made by treating (cleaning) wastewater in a wastewater treatment plant or water recycling plant. This water can have many uses and is an important water source. The structures that store water, the pipes that move water, and the plants that clean and treat water are all part of the urban water cycle Help Description (Parramatta, 2016). Wivenhoe Dam was built on the Brisbane River, approximately 80 kilometres from Brisbane. It was designed by the Water Resources Commission and built in 1984. The dam was built for the dual purposes of

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