The Water Cycle and Drainage Basin System
The water cycle, or the hydrological cycle, is a system. It therefore consists if inputs, outputs, flows and stores. These components are linked together by flows of energy and materials throughout the system, although it is important to remember that the water cycle is a closed system; this is because only energy transfers across the boundary. Energy from the sun enters and leaves the system, but the amount of water stays the same. In the water cycle, water is cycled from the land to the sky through the processes of evaporation, condensation and percipitation. However, within the water cycle, another system exists. This is called the drainage basin system, and it is an open system. Energy comes into and leaves the system but water, unlike the hydrological cycle, can also enter and leave. So how does the drainage basin system work? The drainage basin is an area of land drained by a river. In this system, rivers act as stores of water. Clouds also store water in the atmosphere as