Based on USGS classification, there are 16 processes in water cycle : Water storage in oceans, Evaporation, Sublimation, Evapotranspiration, Water in the atmosphere, Condensation' Precipitation, Water storage in ice and snow, Snowmelt runoff to streams, Surface runoff, Streamflow, Freshwater storage, Infiltration, Groundwater storage, Groundwater discharge, Springs
It depends on your application. The location, time of year and day, depth below or height above the surface, history of rainfall, etc., all effect the magnitude of each of these components in the water balance. Are you interested in evaporation from irrigated crops during the month of July 2008, economic impact of subsidence on the Florida Panhandle, or the freshwater flux into the Arctic basin over the period 2020-2050, for example? The most important process depends on what it is you want to study.
- Badges
- Science topic