How does sunlight cause water to flow in rivers?

Question

This is for a science project that is due on Monday and its worth a lot of points. It would deffinetly keep me from failing the last quarter. Thanks

Answer 1

1. Sunlight makes water evaporate from the Earth's surface.
2. In the water cycle, the evaporated water forms clouds, condenses, and rains down onto the Earth.
3. Precipitation runs off into the rivers, keeping the rivers flowing.

Answer 2

Sun plays an important roll in the hydrologycal cycle (you should refer to water cycle when mankind interferes like water reservoirs, then water supply and waste water). Sun is needed for evapotranspiration. That is the value that soil losses from evaporation and plant transform into transpiration. These fenomena with other factors such as relative humidity, temperature, wind and altitude contribute to the cloud formation. Then the rain would make contribution to the river during rainy seasons.
The part of the water that was absorbed by earth form what is called base flow. It takes some time to that water to return to the cycle and go into the river. That's the water that feeds the river during dry seasons. The other that would flow directly into the river after a rain is called run off. That is the water that feeds the river in the rainy seasons

Answer 3

I'm curious of this answer myself. Sunlight itself does nothing but allow photosynthesis/life and evaporation. The Sun itself causes water flow in rivers by its' massive size and gravitation pull that keeps our planet and moon in orbit around it and both the moon and the sun controls tides and gravitational flows of rivers. Beyond evaporation and , in turn, the precipitation to follow, sunlight is more of a non event.

It does redistribute the water via evaporation but the flow is more the gravitational flows caused by the Suns' gravitational pull.

Answer 4

Uhm, I don't know the real answer but my idea is in temperature or artic regions, sunlight (or actually the heat from the sun) induced melting of glaciers in alpine mountains causing water flow to low, lying areas. Hope it gave you a good idea!!