The Water Cycle
The water cycle, continuously circulates the Earth's water. It is this cycle that produces many different weather conditions, such as clouds, rain, snow, sleet and fog.
Water takes on three different states in the cycle: liquid, solid and gas. The heat from the sun also plays a major role in the water cycle. It is the sun that heats the Earth and the water which creates the evaporation step in the cycle. Hot air is able to rise faster and higher than cold air. The sun's heat creates a warm vapour (water as a gas) which transports water into the atmosphere. You might have seen this process in a pot of boiling water.
Water takes on three different states in the cycle: liquid, solid and gas. The heat from the sun also plays a major role in the water cycle. It is the sun that heats the Earth and the water which creates the evaporation step in the cycle. Hot air is able to rise faster and higher than cold air. The sun's heat creates a warm vapour (water as a gas) which transports water into the atmosphere. You might have seen this process in a pot of boiling water.
Evaporation
The evaporation step in the water cycle involves the sun heating the water, in oceans, rivers, lakes and plants, which transforms the water into a vapour. This vapour rises into the atmosphere, just like the steam from a kettle, due to the heat from the sun. As the vapour rises it cools. This is how water enters the atmosphere and continues the water cycle.
Transpiration
Water vapour is also emitted from plants, through their leaves. This is water that plants have taken from the ground and used to help their growth cycle. Water not used by the plant is released back into the atmosphere as a gas, which rises, as in the evaporation step.
Condensation
Condensation follows the evaporation process in the water cycle. When water vapour cools it takes its original shape, as a microscopic water droplet. These droplets combine in the atmosphere to form clouds and fog. The more droplets that combine the bigger and heavier the cloud will be.
Precipitation
Precipitation refers to any form of water that falls from the atmosphere (rain, hail, snow, sleet). This water falls back to Earth and into waterways (oceans, rivers, lakes) to continue the water cycle.
Water in Australia
Australia is one of the driest continents on Earth, and receives less rain (precipitation) overall than any other place on Earth, except for Antarctica. As Australia is such a large country, the climates vary greatly across the land.