The Hydrologic Cycle and Desert Landscapes

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Introduction
This paper is a two-part essay involving the hydrologic cycle and a desert landscape. First, the paper will discuss the hydrologic cycle and apply it to where I live, east Tennessee. Next, the paper will focus on a desert landscape. The discussion will center on how a desert forms as well as the features found within the landscape.
Hydrologic Cycle
The hydrologic cycle is a process that moves water throughout the Earth’s environment. “In terms of water, the earth is a closed system, so water isn’t added or removed from earth; it’s simply transformed, transported, and recycled” (Spooner, 2013). This process, driven by energy provided by the sun, cycles water in a never-ending cycle between the oceans, sky and land. The process begins with the sun causing evaporation of surface waters of the oceans. The vaporized water droplets attach themselves to dust particles and form clouds. In a relative short amount of time, the water vapor transforms into precipitation and falls in to Earth as rain, snow or other form of precipitation.
As the precipitation hits Earth, the soil absorbs some of this water. This water is for use by the various trees and plants on Earth. Precipitation not absorbed by the soil becomes runoff. This runoff water eventually finds its way into various streams, lakes and rivers, which eventually return the water to the oceans to repeat the cycle again.
After plants and trees absorb water through its root system, water not used for delivering minerals to the plant or tree returns to the atmosphere. “Transpiration is the process by which moisture is carried through plants from roots to small pores on the underside of leaves, where it changes to vapor and is released to the atmosphere” (U...

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