Water is always moving. Since the formation of the Earth, water has circulated endlessly through the cycle. This continuous cycle is a part of groundwater, as it evaporates into clouds and then returns to the earth as rain.
How Does the Hydrological Cycle Work?
The sun’s energy evaporates surface water. Water vapour forms clouds. It then condenses depending on temperature and weather conditions and falls as rain, snow, sleet or hail. Some precipitation flows from high to low spots on the Earth’s surface, and then into water bodies. Surface runoff is what we call this. The other precipitation that seeps down into the soil and becomes groundwater. For Groundwater Remediation, contact Soilfix, a Groundwater Remediation expert.
Evaporation is the process by which water in the soil, water, plants and other water bodies evaporates. The invisible vapour that comes mainly from oceans travels into the atmosphere, where it condenses to form clouds. This process is known as condensation. Cloud vapours condense until they become water droplets.
The water vapour and droplets continue to combine until the droplet is too heavy for it to remain in the air. Precipitation such as hail, rain, sleet and snow, is the form in which water falls.
Runoff
Runoff occurs when precipitation falls on the earth’s surface.
Recharge
Recharge is the term used to describe how the rest of water soaks into or percolates in soil. The water is then transported through the soil and stored in an aquifer.
Water doesn’t just stop once it has entered the aquifer. Groundwater moves slowly through the cracks and spaces between soil particles as it makes its way to lower elevations. This underground movement is known as groundwater flows.