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How does solar energy power the water cycle?
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hydrosphere
Earth's environment includes the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, the lithosphere, and the biosphere.
Solar energy is the primary driver of the hydrologic cycle, providing the power necessary to move water through the hydrosphere.12
The process functions as follows:
- Evaporation: Approximately one-third of the solar energy reaching Earth's surface is expended on evaporating water from oceans and land surfaces. This heating converts liquid water into atmospheric water vapour.132
- Circulation: Solar energy influences the patterns of moisture circulation in the air and currents in the ocean. Winds, driven by these energy gradients, transport this water vapour over land.24
- Precipitation: As the vapour cools, it condenses into clouds and returns to the surface as precipitation, such as rain or snow.14
While solar energy powers the evaporative phase of the cycle, gravity also plays a critical role by pulling precipitation downward, causing it to flow as runoff or infiltrate the soil to become groundwater, eventually returning to the oceans to repeat the process.42