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Understanding the Hydrologic Cycle

The document describes the hydrologic cycle and some human impacts on it. It explains the main processes in the natural water cycle: evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, interception, runoff, infiltration, and groundwater flow. It then lists three human activities that negatively affect the cycle: overharvesting water, deforestation, and increased impermeable surfaces from development. The conclusion calls for more sustainable water use, reforestation, and developing lands and rivers to mitigate harm to the hydrologic cycle from human activities.

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Sadman Rashid
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157 views3 pages

Understanding the Hydrologic Cycle

The document describes the hydrologic cycle and some human impacts on it. It explains the main processes in the natural water cycle: evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, interception, runoff, infiltration, and groundwater flow. It then lists three human activities that negatively affect the cycle: overharvesting water, deforestation, and increased impermeable surfaces from development. The conclusion calls for more sustainable water use, reforestation, and developing lands and rivers to mitigate harm to the hydrologic cycle from human activities.

Uploaded by

Sadman Rashid
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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ENV103: Elements of Environmental Science

ASSIGNMENT

DATE OF SUBMISSION : 23/6/2021

SUBMITTED BY: Sadman Rashid Abir


STUDENT ID: 20136004
SECTION: 05
Gsuite Email address: [email protected]
Hydrologic cycle is a process through which water from seas, rivers , lakes, trees evaporates and
then condenses in the clouds and then falls down again as rain. This cycle is spontaneous. There
are different processes of hydrologic cycle.
Evaporation: Heat from the sun heats up surface water like seas , rivers, and turns into water
vapor in the atmosphere.

Transpiration: Plants also release water through their leaves by a process called transpiration.
This water vapor remains in the atmosphere. Evaporation from surface water and transpiration
from trees together are called evapo-trasnpiration.

Condensation: Water vapors from evapo-transpiration is carried upwards and as the temperature
is cooled down water vapor which is gaseous is then condensed and forms water droplet or solid
ice.

Precipitation: The process through which condensed products fall down due to gravity is called
precipitation. In the case of hydrologic cycle rainfall or snowfall or hailstorm are different types
of precipitate.

Interception: When precipitation or rainfall occurs. Sometimes waters may be obstructed from
directly going in the ground and to water bodies by trees or built up objects by mankind like
roads and buildings. This is called interception.

Runoff: When rain water flows over the ground and falls directly into water bodies like seas and
rivers it is called runoff.

Infiltration: Rainwater that is directly absorbed by ground is called infiltration.

Groundwater Flow: Is the water that remains stored underground due to precipitation.

Some anthropogenic actions that negatively affect the hydrologic cycle are:

(i) By overharvesting groundwater, water from lakes and rivers causes water shortage for
agriculture purposes. Crops get damaged and the total ecosystem is affected due to this action.
(ii) Deforestation is one of the main reasons why hydrologic cycles are getting affected.Clearing
forest increases runoff and drastically decreases transpiration and the natural balance of
interception and infiltration is hampered.
(iii) over building of roads, building over ground surface is increased interception this is
hampering the total hydrologic cycle.
To mitigate these effects we need to be more aware of our environment and stop deforestation
and engage ourselves in planting trees. We should increase water sustainability and stop over
harvesting of fresh water for irrigation and personal use because if the total hydrologic cycle is
hampered then the storage of fresh water underground and on the surface would decline and we
would face scarcity of water. So by keeping our grounds free of concrete and our land full of
trees and our rivers free from dams and also trying to develop water sustainability we can surely
overcome such occurrences.

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