Hydrologic cycle as an ecological function

What is the hydrologic cycle?

The hydrologic -- or water -- cycle is the continuous movement of water between the earth and the
atmosphere. Water reaches land as precipitation such as rain and snow. Then the water evaporates,
condenses in the atmosphere to form clouds, and falls to the earth again as precipitation, continuing
the cycle.
When water falls to the ground it can collect on the land becoming streams, rivers, lakes, or soaks in
to the ground to become groundwater. Plants take up groundwater either using it or releasing it to
the atmosphere.

Why is the hydrologic cycle important?

The hydrologic cycle is important because it is how water reaches plants, animals and us! Besides
providing people, animals and plants with water, it also moves things like nutrients, pathogens and
sediment in and out of aquatic ecosystems.

Ways in which the hydrologic cycle is affected

One of the ways that water moves through the cycle is through its ability to permeate, or soak, into
the soil. There are four key areas that impact that part of the cycle:

1. changes in the ability of soil to soak up water through increases of impervious surfaces, like
roads and buildings, and removal of forest cover;
2. water withdrawals or impoundments (such as through wells or dams)
3. filling depressional wetlands;
4. and altering stream flows and beds.

References: Booth et al 2002; Reinelt and Taylor 1997 (Acrobat pdf files).
Vapor vs Gas
A gas refers to a substance that has a single defined thermodynamic state at room
temperature whereas a vapor refers to a substance that is a mixture of two phases
at room temperature, namely gaseous and liquid phase. This also means that a
vapor is a substance that has experienced some sort of phase change at room
temperature. A gas is a substance whose molecules are in constant free motion
past each other and can be compressed, which can also be referred to as a
compressible fluid. When no liquid or solid can form at the temperature of the
gas it is called a fixed gas.
It is worth noting that when referring to the four states of matter there is a ‘gas
phase’ which does not necessarily refer to a gas as a distinct element but rather
represents differences in interrelationships of molecules. A gas has its single gas
particles vastly separated, making a gas invisible to the eye.

When a substance is at a temperature below its critical temperature it is in a ‘gas

phase’ and therefore will be a vapour. A vapour can co-exist with a liquid or solid
when they are in equilibrium state. Therefore from this we can infer that a vapour
is a gas state of a substance at a temperature where it can co-exist with its liquid
or solid state so for a liquid or solid to become vapour it does not have to first
boil.

It is also of paramount importance to note that vapour is a result of the two types
of vaporization of a liquid which are boiling and evaporation, the transition from
liquid phase to ‘gas phase’. Evaporation occurs at the surface of the liquid when
its temperature is below the boiling temperature at a given pressure. Boiling
occurs below the surface of the liquid.
Summary:
1. A gas has one defined state at room temperature whereas a vapour is a
substance that is in gaseous and liquid equilibrium at room temperature, at a
given pressure. A gas can also refer to a single element of matter with its own
unique physical and chemical properties, for example oxygen, nitrogen and neon.
2. Because vapour is actually the gaseous state of an element, vapour particles
will be of a single element and may have a definite shape whereas gas particles
when observed under microscopic view do not have a definite shape and will be a
collection of atoms, ions, electrons and molecules. However both gas and vapour
particles are in a random motion, colliding with each other or the walls of the
containing vessel when observed under a microscope

Read more: Difference Between Vapor and Gas | Difference

Between http://www.differencebetween.net/science/difference-between-vapor-
and-gas/#ixzz50AGZSYHQ