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ESS Regents Practice Exam

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In the hydrologic cycle, which transition involves solid water turning directly into water vapor?
Correct Answer:
Sublimation
Explanation:
Sublimation is the process where a solid changes directly into a gas, skipping the liquid phase. In the hydrologic cycle, this happens when ice or snow is exposed to enough heat and certain atmospheric conditions, so the solid water transitions straight to water vapor. Evaporation is liquid to gas, occurring at the surface of bodies of water. Condensation is gas to liquid, forming clouds. Precipitation is water falling to Earth from the atmosphere, in liquid or solid form, and not a state change from solid to gas. So the transition described—solid water becoming water vapor directly—is sublimation. An example you might see is snow or frost rapidly disappearing on a sunny, windy, dry day.

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