Where do puddles go when they dry up?

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Ask Eartha · Accepted Answer

Puddles don't really disappear, they just change! The sun warms up the water, and it slowly turns into invisible water vapour that floats up into the air. This is called evaporation. That water vapour joins clouds, and one day it might fall back down again as rain. When a puddle dries up, the water hasn't vanished. It has changed from liquid water into an invisible gas called water vapour, in a process called evaporation. Heat from the sun gives water molecules enough energy to escape from the puddle's surface and float away into the air. Warmer, sunnier and windier days make puddles dry up faster, while cool, shady spots keep puddles around longer. That water vapour doesn't just disappear either. It rises up into the sky and can join together with other water vapour to form clouds. Eventually, the water in those clouds can cool down, turn back into tiny droplets, and fall to the ground again as rain. This constant journey of water is called the water cycle, and it means the water in a puddle could one day end up in the ocean, a river, or even another puddle.

Where do puddles go when they dry up?

The longer story

Try this at home: Chalk puddle race

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For grown-ups: what is my child learning here?

Where do puddles go when they dry up?

The longer story

Try this at home: Chalk puddle race

Words to know

For grown-ups: what is my child learning here?

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