The water cycle

• State the 4 stages of the water cycle

  • Evaporation
  • Condensation
  • Precipitation
  • Transpiration
• State what happens at the 1st stage (Evaporation)

  • Energy from the sun makes water evaporate from the land and sea, turning it into water vapour
  • Water also evaporates from plants (Transpiration)
• State what happens at the 2nd stage (Condensation)

  • The warm water vapour is carried upwards.
  • When it gets higher up, it cools and condenses to form clouds
• State what happens at the 3rd stage (Precipitation)

  • Water falls from the clouds as precipitation onto land, providing fresh water for plants and animals
  • Some of the water is absorbed by the soil and is taken up by the plant roots. Some water taken up by plants becomes a part of the plant's tissues and it passed along to animals in food chains.
• State what happens at the 4th stage

  • Animals return water to the soil and atmosphere through excretion (A process that gets rid of the waste products of chemical reactions)
• State what happens at the 5th stage

  • Water that doesn't get absorbed by the soil will run off into streams and rivers.
  • The water then drains back into the sea, before evaporating all over again
• How does the water cycle benefit plants and animals?

  By providing them with fresh water