Powered by the sun, the water cycle couples the living and non-living components of Earth into an evolving system. Human activity is an integral and inseparable part of the water cycle, impacting and impacted by both the quantity and quality of water. Let's take a closer look at the WES Paradigm . The global water cycle encompasses the flow of water, energy, and water-borne materials . Falling raindrops and flowing water possess kinetic energy that loosen and move surface materials.
Water can coexist in the Earth system as liquid, solid, and invisible vapor.
As the principal greenhouse gas, water vapor brings temperatures into a range required for life on Earth . Some of this energy absorbed by the water vapor is emitted to Earth's surface as infrared radiation. The sun powers the global water cycle . Solar radiation is absorbed at the Earth's surface and converted into heat. On a global annual basis, solar radiation is most intense in tropical and subtropical latitudes.