How does the water cycle affect the ocean?

How does the water cycle affect the ocean?

Not only do the oceans provide evaporated water to the water cycle, they also allow water to move all around the globe as ocean currents. Oceans are the storehouses of water nature uses to run the water cycle.

What are the effects of water cycle?

The water cycle shows the continuous movement of water within the Earth and atmosphere. It is a complex system that includes many different processes. Liquid water evaporates into water vapor, condenses to form clouds, and precipitates back to earth in the form of rain and snow.

Would the water cycle work without the ocean?

The oceans are gone, but we still have some water. (About 68.7 percent of Earth’s fresh water is frozen in glaciers, ice caps and permanent snow, mostly in Antarctica [source: USGS].) Without clouds forming over the ocean, rain would be incredibly rare, and the planet would become desert.

Does all water end up in the ocean?

Some of it evaporates, returning to the atmosphere; some seeps into the ground as soil moisture or groundwater; and some runs off into rivers and streams. Almost all of the water eventually flows into the oceans or other bodies of water, where the cycle continues.

Why are the oceans important to the water cycle?

Oceans are the storehouses of water nature uses to run the water cycle. Note: This section of the Water Science School discusses the Earth’s “natural” water cycle without human interference.

Where does the water go in the water cycle?

The Water Cycle. Water drops form in clouds, and the drops then return to the ocean or land as precipitation – let’s say this time, it’s snow. The snow will fall to the ground, and eventually melts back into a liquid and runs off into a lake or river, which flows back into the ocean, where it starts the process again.

What happens to the temperature of the ocean as depth increases?

The ocean naturally has different physical characteristics with depth. As depth increases, temperature decreases because the sun only heats surface waters. Warm water is lighter or more buoyant than cold water, so the warm surface water stays near the surface. However, surface water is also subject to evaporation.

How do water drops return to the ocean?

Air currents move these clouds all around the earth. Water drops form in clouds, and the drops then return to the ocean or land as precipitation – let’s say this time, it’s snow.