Wondering Why?

Why do puddles dry up?

Puddles are small areas on the ground wherein water accumulates.  Most puddles are created because of rain while others are formed from irrigation systems.  Most people in the cities get to see puddles along roads after a rain shower.  Whenever there is an existing depression on the ground, water from the rain may accumulate and create small and shallow water basins.  After a few hours though, many of these puddles usually dry up.  The basic reason for this is that the accumulated water will eventually evaporate and therefore drying up the surface.  The evaporation is even made quicker when there the sun is shining bright immediately after the rain shower that created the puddle.

There are some puddles though that do not dry up through evaporation so easily.  Puddles that are created by natural means other than precipitation from the rain may take longer to dry out.  In the case of puddles that have some sort of spring water source from underneath the ground, some of them will dry up more slowly than the puddles that are created by rain.  With the water source from beneath the ground, some puddles will need to be exposed constantly to the rays of the sun in order to dry out.  The atmosphere must also be very dry in order to speed up the evaporation process.  With more soil getting dry over time, the puddle will also get smaller and will ultimately dry out.

Some kids love to play around in puddles for the simple reason that they do not appear all the time.  Puddles that are created in grasslands and in the forest may also attract some wildlife temporarily.  Some animals particularly like wet environments and some could also make use of the accumulated water for drinking.  The benefits of puddles are temporary though because they will sooner or later dry up and disappear.


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