Water Cycle Experiment

Water is undoubtedly the most precious and important component that nature has blessed us with. It can neither be created nor destroyed. The water on Earth today is the same water that had existed millions of years ago and will continue to exist in the same way in the future. Nearly 97% of the water on Earth is present in the form of oceans. A small fraction of the remaining 3% is the freshwater that is frozen in the form of glaciers and icebergs.

The same water has been circulating on the Earth for the last 4 billion years. The water we drink today or take a shower in might may have been recycled from the times of the dinosaurs to the apes and during different dynasties. The water on Earth has been revolving on the Earth’s surface in a constant cycle called the water cycle.

What Is a Water Cycle?

The whole process of the water cycle is also called the hydrologic cycle. It is a non-stop process in which water from the Earth’s surface goes to the atmosphere and then returns to the ground. It is a continuous process without any breaks for any reason. Thus, it is said not to have any starting or ending point. Therefore, all the water on Earth has been a part of the circulation cycle since the planet’s evolution. In this cycle, the water passes through all three states, solid-state, liquid state and gaseous state, during the process. Many factors are essential in the water cycle: the Sun flows air currents.

The stages that take place in a complete water cycle are explained below:

• First Stage: Evaporation and Transpiration – The energy from the Sun heats the ponds, lakes, rivers, swamps, seas, oceans, and all other big and small water bodies, which subsequently increase the temperature of the water present in these bodies. As a result, some of the water evaporates in the form of vapour into the air. The rising air currents carry the vapour up in the sky. On the other hand, plants and trees also lose some water to the atmosphere in the form of vapour which also rises to the sky.
  
• Second Stage: Condensation – As the vapours rise up high in the atmosphere, the cool temperatures make them cool down and turn them back into liquid form. This process is known as condensation. Wind and air currents move the moisture around, leading to the formation of clouds.
  
• Third Stage: Precipitation – The movements of wind also cause the clouds’ particles to collide with each other. As they become laden with water, they turn into rain-bearing clouds and fall onto the Earth’s surface. This process is known as precipitation. Precipitation occurs in the form of hail, rain, snow or sleet, depending upon the temperature of the given geographic and atmospheric location.
  
• Fourth Stage: Runoff and Infiltration- The precipitated water gets carried into the seas, rivers, oceans, and into the ground surface or is absorbed into the soil. This process is known as infiltration.

After the fourth stage, water is ready to go through stage one of the evaporation stage. The process by which the water cycle has been continuing for billions of years, thus providing fresh water to humankind, animals and plants, and other living beings, thus helping them survive all around the world.

Water Cycle Experiment

Below is a straightforward experiment to watch and learn the process of the water cycle at home. Students can perform this experiment with the help of items readily available in their homes. 

Items Needed for Water Cycle Experiment:

One large bowl, one mug or small cup, one plastic wrap, one string or a large rubber band, and water.

Keep the mug or the small cup in the center of the bowl. Now fill this bowl with water for about two-third to the way up the cup. Do not put water in the cup. Now cover the bowl with plastic wrap or you can either tie it with a string or tie a large rubber band around it to secure the plastic wrap.

Place it outside in the Sun for a few hours. After several hours, observe the bowl. The plastic wrap has water vapour or condensation; some of this must have dripped into the cup or mug.

This easy experiment demonstrates how the heat of the Sun turns the water-filled inside the bowl into vapour, causing evaporation. The vapour turns back in the form of water droplets on the plastic wrap, known as condensation. The water drops become too heavy and fall back, called precipitation, to the water in the bowl or mug. This last action represents a collection of water on the Earth.

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