Water Drops Sustain Life

by Maria J.
(Photographer Credit: Jon Sullivan)

Dripping Rain

Have you ever considered how rain is an amazing phenomenon? We take it for granted because it’s so common, but it’s not a simple task at all.

First, in order to have rain, water has to get up into the air. How does that happen? Have you ever had to carry water for a hike? It’s heavy. So, in order to water from lakes and oceans to get up into the air, you need to make it really small so it’s lighter than air.

We call it evaporation, and every day, literally tons and tons of water goes up into the air one tiny water vapor particle by one tiny water vapor particle at a time.

Now, how to we get it back down? The same heavy water, if dropped all at once, would crush everything below it. Yet, rain has to be gentle enough to not damage the plants it waters.

Well, without getting into the science of it all, the water particles start attracting each other and become clouds. When the conditions are right, they join together more tightly around dusk particles as raindrops until they’re heavy enough to fall to the earth, but light enough to be that light touch on your skin as you frolic around in this amazing thing we call rain.

Tags: rain, water, drops, raining, photo, picture, raindrops