Labs / Geography
Drive the Water Cycle
This little world runs the whole water cycle in front of you. Push the temperature up and the sun pulls vapor off the ocean; that vapor rises, condenses into clouds, and falls as rain that runs downhill, soaks into the ground, and drains back to the sea. Switch on "Tag a drop" and click the scene to follow one particle around the loop.
Ocean 50%Atmos 30%Ground 10%Ice 0%Evap 0.0/sRain 0.0/sDrop —Where off
What to try
- Crank the temperature to maximum. Where does all that ocean water end up — and how fast does the atmosphere fill?
- Pick the Polar preset and wait. Why does the ice reservoir keep growing instead of raining straight back to the sea?
- Set humidity near zero but leave the sun hot. Vapor rises, so why do so few clouds ever form?
- Tag a drop in the ocean. How many different phases does it pass through before it returns to the sea?
- Turn the rain slider all the way down. What happens to the atmosphere reservoir, and is that a stable state?