Earth Science — The Global Water Cycle
Evaporation, advection, condensation, precipitation, runoff and groundwater with global fluxes in 10³ km³ yr⁻¹ that balance, plus store sizes and residence times.
Rendering…
Make it your own.
{
"nodes": [
{
"id": "wc-sun",
"type": "sun",
"label": "Solar radiation — supplies the 2.26 MJ kg⁻¹ latent heat of vaporisation",
"x": 60,
"y": 60,
"width": 240,
"height": 117,
"fill": "#dcfce7",
"stroke": "#15803d"
},
{
"id": "wc-atmos",
"type": "cloud",
"label": "Atmosphere — 12 900 km³ of vapour, 0.001 % of all water",
"x": 340,
"y": 60,
"width": 240,
"height": 117,
"fill": "#dbeafe",
"stroke": "#1d4ed8"
},
{
"id": "wc-advect",
"type": "arrow-right",
"label": "Advection — winds carry the net 40 from ocean to land",
"x": 620,
"y": 60,
"width": 240,
"height": 117,
"fill": "#fef3c7",
"stroke": "#b45309"
},
{
"id": "wc-condense",
"type": "rain-cloud",
"label": "Condensation — cooling to the dew point on aerosol nuclei forms droplets",
"x": 900,
"y": 60,
"width": 240,
"height": 117,
"fill": "#fef3c7",
"stroke": "#b45309"
},
{
"id": "wc-precipland",
"type": "rain-cloud",
"label": "Precipitation over land — 113 × 10³ km³ yr⁻¹",
"x": 1180,
"y": 60,
"width": 240,
"height": 117,
"fill": "#dcfce7",
"stroke": "#15803d"
},
{
"id": "wc-oevap",
"type": "water-drop",
"label": "Ocean evaporation — 413 × 10³ km³ yr⁻¹, 86 % of the global total",
"x": 60,
"y": 235,
"width": 240,
"height": 117,
"fill": "#fef3c7",
"stroke": "#b45309"
},
{
"id": "wc-precipocean",
"type": "rain-cloud",
"label": "Precipitation over the ocean — 373 × 10³ km³ yr⁻¹",
"x": 340,
"y": 235,
"width": 240,
"height": 117,
"fill": "#dcfce7",
"stroke": "#15803d"
},
{
"id": "wc-et",
"type": "leaf",
"label": "Evapotranspiration from land — 73 × 10³ km³ yr⁻¹",
"x": 620,
"y": 235,
"width": 240,
"height": 117,
"fill": "#fef3c7",
"stroke": "#b45309"
},
{
"id": "wc-snowice",
"type": "snowflake",
"label": "Snow & ice — 68.7 % of all fresh water; glaciers turn over in 20–100 yr",
"x": 900,
"y": 235,
"width": 240,
"height": 117,
"fill": "#dbeafe",
"stroke": "#1d4ed8"
},
{
"id": "wc-runoff",
"type": "arrow-left",
"label": "Surface runoff & rivers — 40 × 10³ km³ yr⁻¹ back to the ocean",
"x": 1180,
"y": 235,
"width": 240,
"height": 117,
"fill": "#fce7f3",
"stroke": "#be185d"
},
{
"id": "wc-ocean",
"type": "ocean-wave",
"label": "Ocean — 97 % of Earth's water; residence time ≈ 3 200 years",
"x": 60,
"y": 410,
"width": 240,
"height": 117,
"fill": "#dbeafe",
"stroke": "#1d4ed8"
},
{
"id": "wc-baseflow",
"type": "arrow-left",
"label": "Baseflow — groundwater discharge keeps rivers running between storms",
"x": 620,
"y": 410,
"width": 240,
"height": 117,
"fill": "#fef3c7",
"stroke": "#b45309"
},
{
"id": "wc-ground",
"type": "cylinder",
"label": "Groundwater — 30 % of fresh water; deep aquifers reside 10³–10⁴ years",
"x": 900,
"y": 410,
"width": 240,
"height": 117,
"fill": "#dbeafe",
"stroke": "#1d4ed8"
},
{
"id": "wc-infil",
"type": "layers",
"label": "Infiltration & percolation through soil and fractured rock",
"x": 1180,
"y": 410,
"width": 240,
"height": 117,
"fill": "#fef3c7",
"stroke": "#b45309"
},
{
"id": "wc-balance",
"type": "note",
"label": "The budget closes: the ocean loses 413 and gains 373, a net −40; land gains 113 and loses 73, a net +40; runoff returns exactly that 40 × 10³ km³ yr⁻¹.",
"x": 340,
"y": 410,
"width": 240,
"height": 117,
"fill": "#fef9c3",
"stroke": "#ca8a04"
},
{
"id": "wc-sublime",
"type": "note",
"label": "Sublimation turns snow and ice straight into vapour and deposition reverses it — small globally, but the dominant term in polar and high-alpine budgets.",
"x": 60,
"y": 585,
"width": 520,
"height": 117,
"fill": "#fef9c3",
"stroke": "#ca8a04"
},
{
"id": "wc-residence",
"type": "note",
"label": "Residence time = store ÷ flux. Nine days in the atmosphere is why weather changes within a week; 3 200 years in the ocean is why sea level responds over centuries.",
"x": 620,
"y": 585,
"width": 520,
"height": 117,
"fill": "#fef9c3",
"stroke": "#ca8a04"
}
],
"edges": [
{
"id": "wc-e1",
"source": "wc-sun",
"target": "wc-oevap",
"label": "latent heat input"
},
{
"id": "wc-e2",
"source": "wc-ocean",
"target": "wc-oevap",
"label": "413"
},
{
"id": "wc-e3",
"source": "wc-oevap",
"target": "wc-atmos"
},
{
"id": "wc-e4",
"source": "wc-atmos",
"target": "wc-advect"
},
{
"id": "wc-e5",
"source": "wc-advect",
"target": "wc-condense",
"label": "net 40 crosses the coast"
},
{
"id": "wc-e6",
"source": "wc-condense",
"target": "wc-precipland",
"label": "113"
},
{
"id": "wc-e7",
"source": "wc-condense",
"target": "wc-precipocean",
"label": "373"
},
{
"id": "wc-e8",
"source": "wc-precipocean",
"target": "wc-ocean"
},
{
"id": "wc-e9",
"source": "wc-precipland",
"target": "wc-et",
"label": "73 returns straight to the air"
},
{
"id": "wc-e10",
"source": "wc-et",
"target": "wc-atmos"
},
{
"id": "wc-e11",
"source": "wc-precipland",
"target": "wc-snowice",
"label": "as snow above the freezing level"
},
{
"id": "wc-e12",
"source": "wc-precipland",
"target": "wc-infil"
},
{
"id": "wc-e13",
"source": "wc-precipland",
"target": "wc-runoff",
"label": "overland flow"
},
{
"id": "wc-e14",
"source": "wc-infil",
"target": "wc-ground"
},
{
"id": "wc-e15",
"source": "wc-ground",
"target": "wc-baseflow"
},
{
"id": "wc-e16",
"source": "wc-baseflow",
"target": "wc-runoff"
},
{
"id": "wc-e17",
"source": "wc-snowice",
"target": "wc-runoff",
"label": "seasonal melt"
},
{
"id": "wc-e18",
"source": "wc-runoff",
"target": "wc-ocean",
"label": "40 closes the budget"
},
{
"id": "wc-e19",
"source": "wc-sun",
"target": "wc-et"
}
]
}