Water Cycle: How long does it take a drop of water to complete the cycle?
Paula Morillas, from 3B was wondering how long the water cycle takes. She looked up information on the internet and found that depending on where the drop of water goes the water cycle could last up to 3.000 years:
- In the atmosphere: Water is in the atmosphere for around 9 days, when it falls to the ground it could become underground water or it could make a river that goes to the sea or ocean.
- Underground: When the water falls to the earth, it can stay there for a month or two. If the soil absorbs this water it becomes underground water where it can stay for 200 to 300 years. Deep ground water can remain underground for 10.000 years.
- Ocean and sea: If water ends up in the ocean, it could stay there for over 3.000 years!
