What would happen if there was no condensation stage in the water cycle?

Question

Caleb Allen · Accepted Answer

What I expect would happen: First, there would be no clouds. Lack of clouds would mean there would be no rain and the average temperature of the Earth would increase, resulting in large areas of land becoming desert.

The water cycle is the process where water falls as rain, is transported via rivers and streams to lakes and oceans, evaporates into the sky, condenses into clouds, and falls as rain again. Here's a diagram:

So what would happen if there were no condensation stage?

The condensation stage is the one where water vapour gathers together into clouds (and when the clouds become heavy enough with vapour, release water as rain). So the first answer is that there would be no clouds.

Without clouds, I foresee a few things happening:

From clouds come rain. With no clouds, there would be no rain.
Clouds move moisture from lakes and oceans (where it evaporates up) to mountains and other places inland that spark rainfall. And so vast stretches of land would become desert.
Clouds reflect sunlight and help cool the Earth. With no clouds, the average temperature of the Earth would increase significantly.
And so to summarize what I expect would happen. First, there would be no clouds. Lack of clouds would mean there would be no rain and the average temperature of the Earth would increase, resulting in large areas of land becoming desert.

Cora Andrews · Answer

undefined Without the condensation stage in the water cycle, water vapor would not change into liquid water. This would result in a lack of precipitation, such as rain and snow, which are crucial for replenishing freshwater sources on land. Without precipitation, ecosystems would suffer from drought, leading to desertification, loss of vegetation, and impacts on agriculture. Additionally, without condensation, clouds would not form, affecting weather patterns and atmospheric dynamics. Overall, the absence of the condensation stage would disrupt the water cycle, leading to severe consequences for both natural systems and human activities.