Environmental Management

Assignment # 01

Submitted To:
Engr. Taimour
Submitted by:
Usama Ahmad
SAP ID:
70058831
Semester:
BSCET-4th
Topic:
The Water Cycle

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

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The Water Cycle:
The water cycle explains the continuous movement of water on, above, and
below the surface of the earth. It is also referred to as the Hydrological Cycle. The cycle describes
the properties of water that make it undergo the various movements on the planet. The water cycle
has nine main physical processes that create a continuous water movement on the planet. Intricate
sequences include the transition of water from the gaseous composition of the atmosphere; through
the water bodies such as oceans, lakes, rivers; passage through the soil, rocks and underground
waters; and later returns into the atmosphere. Simply put, the hydrological cycle has neither a
beginning nor an end, it’s an incessant process.
The water cycle processes involve evaporation, condensation, precipitation, interception,
infiltration, percolation, transpiration, runoff, and storage.

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1- Evaporation

Evaporation takes place when water changes from its liquid state to vapor or gaseous state. A substantial

heat amount is exchanged during the process, roughly 600 calories of energy per gram of water. In most

cases, the solar radiation and additional causes such as the wind, vapor pressure, atmospheric pressure, and

air temperature influence the amount of natural evaporation in different geographical regions.

Evaporation occurs over the surfaces of the water

bodies such as oceans, streams, and lakes. It can also

occur on raindrops, rocks, snow, soil or

vegetation. When evaporation happens, anything

present in the water such as salts and minerals is left

behind. Thus, evaporation purifies the water. The

evaporated moisture then rises into the atmosphere

from the evaporation sources as water vapor or in a

gaseous state. At any particular moment, some water

vapor is present in the atmosphere.

2- Condensation

Condensation is the process whereby the water vapor changes from its gaseous physical state to liquid or

crystal solid. The water vapor condenses on minute air particles due to the cooling of the air, freezing

temperatures, or increased vapor amounts to the point

of saturation in the upper stratospheres. The

condensed vapor then forms fog, dew or

clouds. When the condensed clouds, dew, and fogs

become too large and heavy to remain suspended in

the atmosphere, they fall back on earth as precipitation

due to gravity. The 600 calories of energy per gram of

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water needed during evaporations are released into the environment.

3- Precipitation
Precipitation takes place whenever any or all forms of water particles fall from the atmosphere and reach
the earth surface. Precipitation occurs when the liquid or
solid particles in the clouds, dew, and fog drops to the
ground because of frictional drag and gravity.
One falling particle leaves behind a turbulent wake,
causing faster and continued drops. The crystallized ice
may reach the ground as ice pellets or snow or may melt
and change into raindrops before reaching the surface of
the earth depending on the atmospheric temperatures.
Precipitation falls on water bodies or on ground surface
where it disperses in various ways. For some time,
precipitation can remain on the surface as runoff or
overland flow. It may be carried into waterways, intercepted by plants, or infiltrate into the soil. A good
percentage of precipitation goes back to the atmosphere as evaporation.

4- Interception
Interception is whereby the water movement is interrupted in the various paths during transportation events
over the land surface. Interception takes place when the water is absorbed by vegetation cover and trees,
absorbed into the ground, or stored in puddles and land formations such as furrows and streamlets. These
waters can either infiltrate into the soil or return to the atmosphere through evapotranspiration or
evaporation.

5- Infiltration
Infiltration is the physical process involving the slow passage of water through the soil. This phenomenon
is influenced by the soil surface conditions such as permeability and porosity of the soil profile. Other
factors include soil texture, soil moisture content, and soil structure. The infiltrated water is stored in the
soil and can later return to the atmosphere via evapotranspiration.

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6- Percolation
Percolation is the flow of water through the soil and
rocks by the influence of capillary and gravity
forces. All water on the earth’s surface move by the
forces of gravity and capillarity to rest beneath the earth
as groundwater. Once beneath the earth, below the
water table, the water mostly moves horizontally rather
than downwards based on the geologic boundary
formations.
This area normally acts as reservoirs for storing
water. Some geologic formations may conduct this
water back to the surface such as springs.
7- Transpiration
Transpiration is a process in all plants that normally takes
place during the day, giving off water vapor from the leaves
openings. Plants transpire to move nutrients to the upper
sections of the plant and to cool the plants. Most of the water
absorbed by the plants are transpired into the atmosphere
until a water deficit point is reached whereby the plant resorts
to releasing water vapor at a much slower rate. Transpiration
is important in the water cycle because plants absorb the
moisture from the soil and releases it into the atmosphere as
water vapor.

8- Runoff
Runoff is the occurrence of excess water from watershed or drainage basin that flows on the surface. The
flow is as a result of precipitation above waterways, groundwater runoff from deep percolations,
subsurface runoff that infiltrates the surface soils, and surface runoff that flows on the land surface. As the
water flows, it can be used for agricultural and domestic purposes, it may seep into the ground, stored in
reservoirs or water bodies, or evaporate into the atmosphere.

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9- Storage
Storage refers to the various water reservoirs in the planetary water or hydrological cycle. The water is
primarily stored in the atmosphere, the surface of the earth, and in the ground. Storage in the atmosphere
is in the form of water vapor. Storage on the surface of the earth includes lakes, oceans, rivers, glaciers,
and reservoirs. Storage in the ground pertains to the soils, rock formations, and aquifers.

The End

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