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THE WATER CYCLE
Water continuously moved in the earth’s surface in a process called water cycle. The water cycle has four processes. These are:
1. Evaporation The sun heats up bodies of water (such as lakes, rivers and oceans). Water turns to vapor when heated and goes up into the air. Plants help in putting water back to the air. Plants remove water from their bodies through transpiration. The water that leaves plant bodies goes to the
air too.
2. Condensation happens when cool air changes water vapor back to liquid water and form clouds in the sky. This is the opposite of evaporation.
3. Precipitation happens when too much water has condensed; clouds get heavy and water falls as rain. This is precipitation. In some countries water falls as sleet, snow or hail.
4. Collection When it rains, water goes back to the bodies of water. Some water also goes to the soil. The water in the soil is absorbed by the plants. Once collected, it goes to the bodies of water and undergoes the process of evaporation. On the other hand, water absorbed by the plants undergoes
transpiration and will start the cycle again.

THE IMPORTANCE OF WATER CYCLE

Water cycle is important because it is how water reaches
plants, animals and us. It provides people, animals and plants
with water. All life is dependent upon water. Water makes up
60 to70 percent of all living matter and humans cannot live
without drinking water for more than a week.
Although there is a continuous cycle of water, you might
wonder if there will come a time when we will run out of water.
This happens because about 97% of the water in our
surrounding is salty. Thus, only 3% of this water is fresh or
potable. This very small amount of fresh water is 67% locked in
the form of ice mainly found in Greenland and Antarctic.
Therefore, only a very small amount of freshwater is found in
rivers, lakes, ponds and in the atmosphere in the form of water
vapor.