The Hydrological Cycle

(A|so known as the water cyc|e) ls Lhe [ourney waLer Lakes as lL clrculaLes from Lhe land Lo Lhe sky
and back agaln
1he suns heaL provldes energy Lo evaporaLe waLer from Lhe earLhs surface (oceans lakes eLc)
lanLs also lose waLer Lo Lhe alr Lhls ls called LransplraLlon 1he waLer vapour evenLually condenses
formlng Llny dropleLs ln clouds
When Lhe clouds meeL cool alr over land preclplLaLlon (raln sleeL or snow) ls Lrlggered and waLer
reLurns Lo Lhe land (or sea) Some of Lhe preclplLaLlon soaks lnLo Lhe ground Some of Lhe
underground waLer ls Lrapped beLween rock or clay layers Lhls ls called groundwaLer 8uL mosL of
Lhe waLer flows downhlll as runoff (above ground or underground) evenLually reLurnlng Lo Lhe seas
as sllghLly salLy waLer
1hls lnformaLlon page provldes an undersLandlng of Lhe hydrologlcal cycle lL descrlbes Lhe prlnclpal
sLages of Lhe cycle wlLh a brlef descrlpLlon of each sLage A dlagram glves a clear vlsual explanaLlon
1he llnks beLween Lhe hydrologlcal cycle and Lhe duLles of a waLer uLlllLy Lo supply clean waLer and
dlspose of dlrLy waLer are also explalned
Llnks Lo oLher web pages allow Lhe reader (parLlcularly Leachers and sLudenLs) Lo supplemenL Lhe
lnformaLlon conLalned ln Lhls lnformaLlon noLe
Where ls all Lhe LarLh's waLer?
WaLer ls Lhe mosL wldespread subsLance Lo be found ln Lhe naLural envlronmenL and lL ls Lhe source
of all llfe on earLh WaLer covers 70 of Lhe earLh's surface buL lL ls dlfflculL Lo comprehend Lhe LoLal
amounL of waLer when we only see a small porLlon of lL 1he dlsLrlbuLlon of waLer LhroughouL Lhe
earLh ls noL unlform Some places have far more ralnfall Lhan oLhers
1here are many reasons for Lhls such as where Lhe mounLalns are and where Lhe prevalllng wlnds
blow 1hls ralnfall dlsLrlbuLlon parLly explalns Lhe dlfferences ln vegeLaLlon and why some areas are
deserLs and some are ralnforesLs
WaLer exlsLs ln Lhree sLaLes llquld solld and lnvlslble vapour lL forms Lhe oceans seas lakes rlvers
and Lhe underground waLers found ln Lhe Lop layers of Lhe earLh's crusL and soll cover ln a solld
sLaLe lL exlsLs as lce and snow cover ln polar and alplne reglons A cerLaln amounL of waLer ls
conLalned ln Lhe alr as waLer vapour waLer dropleLs and lce crysLals as well as ln Lhe blosphere
Puge amounLs of waLer are bound up ln Lhe composlLlon of Lhe dlfferenL mlnerals of Lhe earLh's
crusL and core

1o assess Lhe LoLal waLer sLorage on Lhe earLh rellably ls a compllcaLed problem because waLer ls so
very dynamlc lL ls ln permanenL moLlon consLanLly changlng from llquld Lo solld or gaseous phase
and back agaln 1he quanLlLy of waLer found ln Lhe hydrosphere ls Lhe usual way of esLlmaLlng Lhe
earLh's waLer 1hls ls all Lhe free waLer exlsLlng ln llquld solld or gaseous sLaLe ln Lhe aLmosphere on
Lhe LarLh's surface and ln Lhe crusL down Lo a depLh of 2000 meLres CurrenL esLlmaLes are LhaL Lhe
earLh's hydrosphere conLalns a huge amounL of waLer abouL 1386 mllllon cublc kllomeLres
Powever 973 of Lhls amounL exlsLs as sallne waLers and only 23 as fresh waLer
1he greaLesL porLlon of Lhe fresh waLer (687) ls ln Lhe form of lce and permanenL snow cover ln
Lhe AnLarcLlc Lhe ArcLlc and ln Lhe mounLalnous reglons 299 exlsLs as fresh groundwaLers Cnly
026 of Lhe LoLal amounL of fresh waLer on Lhe earLh ls concenLraLed ln lakes reservolrs and rlver
sysLem where lL ls mosL easlly accesslble for our economlc needs and absoluLely vlLal for waLer
ecosysLems
1he values for sLored waLer glven above are for naLural sLaLlc waLer sLorage ln Lhe hydrosphere lL
ls Lhe amounL of waLer conLalned slmulLaneously on average over a long perlod of Llme ln waLer
bodles aqulfers and Lhe aLmosphere lor shorLer Llme lnLervals such as a slngle year a couple of
seasons or a few monLhs Lhe volume of waLer sLored ln Lhe hydrosphere wlll vary as waLer
exchanges Lake place beLween Lhe oceans land and Lhe aLmosphere
WhaL ls Lhe Pydrologlcal Cycle?
1he LoLal amounL of waLer on Lhe earLh and ln lLs aLmosphere does noL change buL Lhe earLh's waLer
ls always ln movemenL Cceans rlvers clouds and raln all of whlch conLaln waLer are ln a frequenL
sLaLe of change and Lhe moLlon of raln and flowlng rlvers Lransfers waLer ln a neverendlng cycle
1hls clrculaLlon and conservaLlon of earLh's waLer as lL clrculaLes from Lhe land Lo Lhe sky and back
agaln ls called Lhe 'hydrologlcal cycle' or 'waLer cycle'




ow does the ydro|og|ca| Cyc|e work?
1he stages of the cyc|e are
LvaporaLlon
1ransporL
CondensaLlon
reclplLaLlon
CroundwaLer
8unoff
LvaporaLlon

WaLer ls Lransferred from Lhe surface Lo Lhe aLmosphere Lhrough evaporaLlon Lhe process by whlch
waLer changes from a llquld Lo a gas 1he sun's heaL provldes energy Lo evaporaLe waLer from Lhe
earLh's surface Land lakes rlvers and oceans send up a sLeady sLream of waLer vapour and planLs
also lose waLer Lo Lhe alr (LransplraLlon)
ApproxlmaLely 80 of all evaporaLlon ls from Lhe oceans wlLh Lhe remalnlng 20 comlng from
lnland waLer and vegeLaLlon
1ransport
1he movemenL of waLer Lhrough Lhe aLmosphere speclflcally from over Lhe oceans Lo over land ls
called LransporL Some of Lhe earLh's molsLure LransporL ls vlslble as clouds whlch Lhemselves
conslsL of lce crysLals and/or Llny waLer dropleLs
Clouds are propelled from one place Lo anoLher by elLher Lhe [eL sLream surfacebased clrculaLlons
llke land and sea breezes or oLher mechanlsms Powever a Lyplcal cloud 1 km Lhlck conLalns only
enough waLer for a mllllmeLre of ralnfall whereas Lhe amounL of molsLure ln Lhe aLmosphere ls
usually 1030 Llmes greaLer Lhan Lhls
MosL waLer ls LransporLed ln Lhe form of waLer vapour whlch ls acLually Lhe Lhlrd mosL abundanL gas
ln Lhe aLmosphere WaLer vapour may be lnvlslble Lo us buL noL Lo saLelllLes whlch are capable of
collecLlng daLa abouL molsLure paLLerns ln Lhe aLmosphere
Condensat|on
1he LransporLed waLer vapour evenLually condenses formlng Llny dropleLs ln clouds
rec|p|tat|on
1he prlmary mechanlsm for LransporLlng waLer from Lhe aLmosphere Lo Lhe surface of Lhe earLh ls
preclplLaLlon
When Lhe clouds meeL cool alr over land preclplLaLlon ln Lhe form of raln sleeL or snow ls Lrlggered
and waLer reLurns Lo Lhe land (or sea) A proporLlon of aLmospherlc preclplLaLlon evaporaLes
Groundwater
Some of Lhe preclplLaLlon soaks lnLo Lhe ground and Lhls ls Lhe maln source of Lhe formaLlon of Lhe
waLers found on land rlvers lakes groundwaLer and glaclers
Some of Lhe underground waLer ls Lrapped beLween rock or clay layers Lhls ls called groundwaLer
WaLer LhaL lnfllLraLes Lhe soll flows downward unLll lL encounLers lmpermeable rock and Lhen Lravels
laLerally 1he locaLlons where waLer moves laLerally are called 'aqulfers' CroundwaLer reLurns Lo Lhe
surface Lhrough Lhese aqulfers whlch empLy lnLo lakes rlvers and Lhe oceans
Dnder speclal clrcumsLances groundwaLer can even flow upward ln arLeslan wells 1he flow of
groundwaLer ls much slower Lhan runoff wlLh speeds usually measured ln cenLlmeLres per day
meLres per year or even cenLlmeLres per year
unoff
MosL of Lhe waLer whlch reLurns Lo land flows downhlll as runoff Some of lL peneLraLes and charges
groundwaLer whlle Lhe resL as rlver flow reLurns Lo Lhe oceans where lL evaporaLes As Lhe amounL
of groundwaLer lncreases or decreases Lhe waLer Lable rlses or falls accordlngly When Lhe enLlre
area below Lhe ground ls saLuraLed floodlng occurs because all subsequenL preclplLaLlon ls forced Lo
remaln on Lhe surface
ulfferenL surfaces hold dlfferenL amounLs of waLer and absorb waLer aL dlfferenL raLes As a surface
becomes less permeable an lncreaslng amounL of waLer remalns on Lhe surface creaLlng a greaLer
poLenLlal for floodlng lloodlng ls very common durlng wlnLer and early sprlng because frozen
ground has no permeablllLy causlng mosL ralnwaLer and melL waLer Lo become runoff
1hls enLlre process repeaLs as lllusLraLed ln llgure 1
I|gure 1
SLages of Lhe Pydrologlcal Cycle

ulagram from Max lanck lnsLlLuLe for MeLeorology
(hLLp//wwwk12aLmoswashlngLonedu/k12/plloL/waLer_cycle/grabber2hLml)
A Water 8a|ance
A conslderable porLlon of rlver flow does noL reach Lhe ocean havlng evaporaLed Lhose areas wlLh
no naLural surface runoff channels Cn Lhe oLher hand some groundwaLer bypasses rlver sysLems
alLogeLher and goes dlrecLly Lo Lhe ocean or evaporaLes

Lvery year Lhe Lurnover of waLer on LarLh lnvolves 377000 km3 of waLer 1hls ls waLer LhaL
evaporaLes from Lhe ocean surface (302800 km3) and from land (74200 km3) 1he same amounL of
waLer falls as aLmospherlc preclplLaLlon 438000 km3 on Lhe ocean and 119000 km3 on land 1he
dlfference beLween preclplLaLlon and evaporaLlon from Lhe land surface (119000 74200 44800
km3/year) represenLs Lhe LoLal runoff of Lhe LarLh's rlvers (42700 km3/year) and dlrecL
groundwaLer runoff
More lnformaLlon on Lhe volumes of global waLer and freshwaLer can be found aL
(hLLp//wwwbdlxneL/sdnbd_org/world_env_day/2003/waLer_year/avallable)
ow does Water Supp|y and Sewage D|sposa| f|t |nto the ydro|og|ca| Cyc|e?
We have seen LhaL waLer flows lnLo rlvers lakes and lnLo groundwaLer sLorage MosL lmporLanLly
for our dally waLer needs lL also flows lnLo our homes and Laps A neLwork of underground plpes
pumplng sLaLlons and LreaLmenL works ensures LhaL clean fresh drlnklng waLer ls dellvered by our
local waLer uLlllLy Lo our homes every day of Lhe week AfLer waLer has been used Lhe waLer uLlllLy
collecLs LransporLs and Lhen cleans Lhls dlrLy waLer and reLurns lL safely back lnLo rlvers where lL can
conLlnue lLs [ourney downsLream Lo Lhe sea
1he waLer uLlllLy's responslblllLy beglns aL Lhe preclplLaLlon sLage of Lhe hydrologlcal cycle DLlllLles ln
some waLerscarce counLrles encourage Lhe collecLlon of ralnwaLer from roofLops (ralnwaLer
harvesLlng) buL ln mosL of Lurope Lhe hydrologlcal cycle beglns wlLh surface waLers
llgure 2 lllusLraLes Lhe waLer uLlllLy's role ln Lhe hydrologlcal cycle
I|gure 2
1he WaLer DLlllLy's 8ole ln Lhe Pydrologlcal (WaLer) Cycle


8eference D urlnklng WaLer lnspecLoraLe webslLe
(hLLp//wwwdwlgovuk/pubs/Lap)
Surface Waters
8alnwaLer Lakes Lhe qulckesL rouLe Lo Lhe sea and flows lnLo rlvers sLreams lakes and aqulfers 1he
waLer ln Lhe surface waLers ls clean enough Lo supporL a varleLy of wlldllfe buL lL ls noL safe Lo drlnk
and needs Lo be LreaLed ln a waLer LreaLmenL works Lo remove any harmful subsLances

Water 1reatment Works
See also lnformaLlon noLe lW8Wlu12 WaLer 1reaLmenL and Supply

WaLer ls absLracLed from underground sources vla boreholes or alLernaLlvely ls pumped from rlvers
and sLored ln reservolrs before belng passed Lhrough sand fllLer beds whlch Lrap any dlrL and
organlsms lL ls Lhen LreaLed uslng Lhe mosL up Lo daLe advanced waLer LreaLmenL (AW1) Lechnology
such as ozonaLlon and carbon fllLraLlon (granular acLlvaLed carbon) whlch remove Lhe subsLances
LhaL we cannoL see
(noLe however LhaL a large proporLlon of groundwaLer recelves chlorlnaLlon only and many surface
waLer sources do noL need AW1 and use only coagulaLlon/sedlmenLaLlon/fllLraLlon)
Water D|str|but|on
Clean fresh drlnklng waLer ls pumped lnLo an underground neLwork of plpes and sLorage reservolrs
and ls noL seen agaln unLll lL reaches your Lap 1hls guaranLees LhaL Lhe waLer you drlnk remalns
clean and fresh

Water Use
Cn average ln Luropean counLrles each person uses around 130 llLres (33 gallons) of waLer every
day 8aLhs showers washlng up washlng cloLhes and LolleL flushlng all use large amounLs of waLer
1hese acLlvlLles Lransform clean Lap waLer lnLo dlrLy wasLewaLer 1he waLer uLlllLy noL only supplles
clean drlnklng waLer buL also collecLs LransporLs and dlsposes of Lhe dlrLy waLer afLer lL has been
used

Sewerage
ulrLy waLer or sewage ls collecLed flrsLly ln dralns and Lhen ln underground sewers and ls
LransporLed vla a sewerage sysLem (a neLwork of plpes and Lunnels) Lo a sewage LreaLmenL works

Sewage 1reatment Works
see also lnformaLlon noLe lW8Wlu13 Sewage 1reaLmenL
1hese works use naLural mlcroorganlsms Lo remove harmful subsLances from dlrLy waLer 1he solld
maLerlal (sludge) ls separaLed from Lhe llquld (effluenL) and boLh are LreaLed Lo produce clean
effluenL LhaL can be released back Lo Lhe rlver and blosollds LhaL can be used ln agrlculLure as a
ferLlllser or lnclneraLed Lo produce energy
Dse as a ferLlllser compleLes nuLrlenL cycles and replenlshes soll organlc maLLer and sequesLered
carbon 1he ma[orlLy of sludge ls LreaLed by anaeroblc dlgesLlon (Au) whlch produces blogas
renewable energy

Comp|et|ng the Cyc|e
1he rlver conLlnues lLs [ourney back Lo Lhe sea where Lhe cycle sLarLs agaln WaLer evaporaLes Lo
form clouds condenses Lo dropleLs and evenLually falls as raln on Lo Lhe ground

Act|v|t|es for Schoo|s
1hls secLlon ls adapLed from 1hames WaLer's 'WaLer ln Schools' webslLe
hLLp//wwwLhameswaLercouk/cps/rde/xchg/corp/hsxsl/3494hLm
1here are a number of other webs|tes wh|ch are of |nterest to students and teachers and wh|ch
conta|n an|mated d|agrams or s||de shows for each stage of the hydro|og|ca| cyc|e
1he DnlverslLy of llllnols
hLLp//wwwlswsllllnolsedu/docs/waLercycle/
DS LnvlronmenLal roLecLlon Agency urlnklng WaLer Cround WaLer lds SLuff
hLLp//wwwepagov/safewaLer/klds/lndexhLml
hLLp//wwwbbccouk/schools/rlversandcoasLs/waLer_cycle/rlvers/lndexshLml
Angllan WaLer educaLlon programme
hLLp//wwwangllanwaLercouk/communlLy/educaLlon/resources/

8eglsLered Cfflce Allen Pouse 1he LlsLons LlsLon 8oad Marlow
8ucklnghamshlre SL7 1lu D 2010 lW8 All rlghLs reserved

1he loundaLlon for WaLer 8esearch ls a company llmlLed by guaranLee
reglsLered ln Lngland no 323927 and a reglsLered charlLy no 108683