Atmospheric Processes
• Atmospheric
the interaction
Earth’s with
water
• How much of
surface
water (oceans)?
processes –
of
land &
(oceans)
Earth’s
is covered by
• Oceans exchange & transport heat & moisture in the
atmosphere
Atmospheric Processes –
(Hydrological) Cycle
The Water
 Evaporation –
◦ The sun heats up water in rivers, lakes or the ocean
◦ Turns it into vapor or steam
◦ Water vapor or steam leaves rivers, lakes, or oceans & goes
into the atmosphere
 Transpiration –
◦ Plants lose water out of their leaves
◦ Transpiration puts water vapor back up into the atmosphere.
 So…you might ask…do plants sweat? Well, sort of.... people perspire
(sweat) and plants transpire.

 Condensation –
◦ Water vapor in the atmosphere gets cold & changes back into
liquid, forming clouds, in the atmosphere
Atmospheric Processes –
(Hydrological) Cycle
The Water
 Precipitation –
◦ Water has condensed to the point that the air in the atmosphere
cannot hold it anymore.
◦ Clouds get heavy & water falls back to the earth in the form of rain,
hail, sleet or snow
 Collection/Infiltration/Runoff –
◦ Water falls back to earth from the atmosphere as precipitation
◦ May fall into oceans, lakes or rivers or on land
 “Collection”
◦ On land, it will either soak into the earth or become part of the
groundwater that plants & animals use to drink
 “Infiltration”
◦ May run over the soil & collect in oceans, lakes or rivers where the
cycle starts all over again
 “Runoff”
Q: The water you are drinking
out of your water bottle may
have come from:
A.
B.
C.
D.
Groundwater stored in the pores and spaces in the
ground below you…also known as an “aquifer”.
Your great-grandmother’s spit
Water evaporated from Tempe Town Lake
All of the above
A: D. All of the above!
Atmospheric Processes –
Water (Hydrological) Cycle
The