The cycle of water travelling from one reservoir to another by certain physical processes during which the water changes its state.
There are four main processes in the cycle:
1) Evaporation - A water molecule in the ocean is heated by the sun and is evaporated into vapour in the atmosphere
2) Condensation - Once the molecule is in the atmosphere it is cooled to form into clouds.
3) Precipitation - The winds then move the clouds around the atmosphere. When the clouds are too heavy precipitation occurs
4) Run-off - When water molecules fall onto the land the water will run-off either into ground water or straight back into the ocean
Additional to the above different processes may be involved depending on the surface of the land the water molecule may fall upon e.g Canopy interception and snowmelt
Main facts to remember:
-The water cycle is a continuous closed loop system
-Water is held in 3 states; vapour, gas and solid (Ice)
-Majority of water held in oceans
Bullet points always work well for me as it offers a strong summary and easier to remember. When revising i always used them as triggers to remember each point in more detail
I like the website below which explains the water cycle using animation
This website has 3 levels of understanding building on the basics by including resevoirs and ending on residence times.
http://www.planetguide.net/book/chapter_2/water_cycle.html
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