Why are clouds and wind important to the water cycle?

Why are clouds and wind important to the water cycle?

Sea surface temperature, surface winds, and air temperature influence the rate of evaporation at the ocean surface. Clouds and water vapor act as insulators in the atmosphere. Clouds help shield the Earth from the Sun and trap heat from below. When cloud particles grow large enough, they may fall out as rain or snow.

How is the formation of clouds important for precipitation?

Precipitation forms in the clouds when water vapor condenses into bigger and bigger droplets of water. Particles of dust or smoke in the atmosphere are essential for precipitation. These particles, called “condensation nuclei,” provide a surface for water vapor to condense upon.

What part of the water cycle do clouds represent?

Clouds are formed during the condensation stage of the water cycle.

Why is precipitation important to the water cycle?

Precipitation is needed to replenish water to the earth. Without precipitation, this planet would be an enormous desert. Precipitation supplies freshwater to estuaries, which is an important source of dissolved oxygen and nutrients. Droughts lower the freshwater input to estuaries and the water levels of inland lakes.

Which of these is important in the formation of clouds?

Condensation is the process by which water vapor in the air is changed into liquid water. Condensation is crucial to the water cycle because it is responsible for the formation of clouds.

How does the evaporation process work in the water cycle?

For the water cycle to work, water has to get from the Earth’s surface back up into the skies so it can rain back down and ruin your parade or water your crops or yard. It is the invisible process of evaporation that changes liquid and frozen water into water-vapor gas, which then floats up into the skies to become clouds.

How is rain related to the natural water cycle?

When the cloud droplets combine to form heavier cloud drops which can no longer “float” in the surrounding air, it can start to rain, snow, and hail… all forms of precipitation, the superhighway moving water… Earth’s water is always in movement, and the natural water cycle]

How is the water cycle powered by the Sun?

The water, or hydrologic, cycle describes the pilgrimage of water as water molecules make their way from the Earth’s surface to the atmosphere and back again, in some cases to below the surface. This gigantic system, powered by energy from the Sun, is a continuous exchange of moisture between the oceans, the atmosphere, and the land.

Why are clouds able to float in the air?

The key to why clouds float is that the density of the same volume of cloud material is less than the density of the same amount of dry air. Just as oil floats on water because it is less dense, clouds float on air because the moist air in clouds is less dense than dry air.