How does acidic water affect the water cycle?
The ecological effects of acid rain are most clearly seen in aquatic environments, such as streams, lakes, and marshes where it can be harmful to fish and other wildlife. As it flows through the soil, acidic rain water can leach aluminum from soil clay particles and then flow into streams and lakes.
How does the water cycle help in the formation of bodies of water on Earth?
Energy from the sun helped power the water cycle and Earth’s gravity kept water in the atmosphere from leaving the planet. When warmed by the sun, water on the surface of oceans and freshwater bodies evaporates, forming a vapor. Water vapor rises into the atmosphere, where it condenses, forming clouds.
How does the water cycle affect the water?
The water cycle on Earth The water cycle shows the continuous movement of water within the Earth and atmosphere. Liquid water evaporates into water vapor, condenses to form clouds, and precipitates back to earth in the form of rain and snow.
How does pollution enter the water cycle?
After precipitation, the rain picks up particles and washes into gutters or roads. Next, the water gets into streams, polluting them, and finally into big bodies of water getting polluted. Because water evaporates and condenses, pollutants become part of the water cycle.
Where does liquid water go in the water cycle?
Liquid water flows across land (runoff), into the ground (infiltration and percolation), and through the ground (groundwater). Groundwater moves into plants (plant uptake) and evaporates from plants into the atmosphere (transpiration). Solid ice and snow can turn directly into gas (sublimation).
How does the atmosphere contribute to the water cycle?
Downloadable Water Cycle Products (coming soon!) The atmosphere is the superhighway in the sky that moves water everywhere over the Earth. Water at the Earth’s surface evaporates into water vapor which rises up into the sky to become part of a cloud which will float off with the winds, eventually releasing water back to Earth as precipitation.
Where does acid rain originate in the atmosphere?
Although acid-rain gases may originate in urban areas, they are often carried for hundreds of miles in the atmosphere by winds into rural areas. That is why forests and lakes in the countryside can be harmed by acid rain that originates in cities.
How does the environment adapt to acid rain?
The environment can generally adapt to a certain amount of acid rain. Often soil is slightly basic (due to naturally occurring limestone, which has a pH of greater than 7). Because bases counteract acids, these soils tend to balance out some of the acid rain’s acidity.