Water Cycle

Evaporation is the slow escape of molecules from the surface of the liquid to the atmosphere. The process of evaporation can be explained by the kinetic molecular theory. At a given temperature, the molecules in a particular liquid do not have the same kinetic energy. The molecules with a higher kinetic energy will break away from the surface of the liquid and escape into the atmosphere as vapor. The remaining molecules that have lower kinetic energy have lower temperature, and therefore has a cooling effect.

Condensation is the change of state from a gas or vapor to a liquid. The figure shown above is a glass of ice cold water which changes the air around the glass from gas to liquid, so you will see the wet surface around the glass.

As the water vapor/clouds in the air condenses and become heavy enough it will be showered in the form of rain or percipitation. All liquid and solid water particles that fall from the clouds and reach the ground like rain, snow, hail, drizzle are examples of percipitation.

When water flows through land surfaces it dissolves the mineral content of the soil. The water that passes through swamps is usually somewhat acidic because it picks up organic acids generated by decomposed organisms. Running water is regarded as the most effective agent in shaping the surface of the earth. Trickling out of a hillside spring, the tiny brook flowing out of a pond, water flowing from a cliff, the overflow from a swamp, the runoff from meting ice and glaciers and a mountain torrent.