hydrologic cycle
nounDefinition of hydrologic cycle
: the sequence of conditions through which water passes from vapor in the atmosphere through precipitation upon land or water surfaces and ultimately back into the atmosphere as a result of evaporation and transpiration
— called also hydrological cycle
Examples of hydrologic cycle in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Irvine's team set out to see whether a more plausible geoengineering scheme might minimize negative impacts on the hydrologic cycle. — Scott K. Johnson, WIRED, "The Side Effects of Solar Geoengineering Could Be Minimal," 15 Mar. 2019 Given the fact that this atmospheric water is constantly replenishing due to the planet's hydrologic cycle, the Venice Beach, California—company has created a system that is unlikely at the current moment to effect the atmosphere negatively. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "This Carbon-Negative Generator Makes Drinkable Water out of Thin Air," 22 Oct. 2018 In particular, there are worries deforestation will upset the hydrologic cycle in certain places, threatening water supplies and hydroelectric power generation. — The Economist, "Colombia’s national survey of its biodiversity is ambitious," 17 May 2018 In fact, Earth was previously Hoth-like as recently as 700 million years ago: Ice expanded all the way to the equator, and there was no hydrologic cycle because the oceans were frozen over. — Scott Denning, Washington Post, "May the 4th be with Earth, a perfect planet that’s not too Hoth or Tatooine," 4 May 2018 After Earth’s oceans froze over completely, the hydrologic cycle shut down, and C02 removal from the atmosphere stopped. — Scott Denning, Washington Post, "May the 4th be with Earth, a perfect planet that’s not too Hoth or Tatooine," 4 May 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hydrologic cycle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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