Water cycle is vital for life – even during dry spell
Weather Watch by Keith Banks
Water is the only substance that is present in the atmosphere that exists in solid, liquid and gaseous states.
The water cycle is the process that moves water around the Earth, and is essential for sustaining all life on the planet.
If there was no condensation stage in the water cycle, significant impacts would occur. Without condensation and desublimation (also known as deposition), the processes that cause precipitation would cease and result in a lack of freshwater necessary to replenish groundwater, rivers, lakes, lochs, and ultimately the oceans.
Plants rely on rainfall. Without precipitation droughts would compromise fragile ecosystems, fertile land would become arid and vital agricultural yields would be diminished leading to global famine.
Condensation and desublimation are variables that play crucial roles in regulating temperature and weather patterns. If the processes were absent, the distribution of heat in the atmosphere would be disrupted, potentially leading to extreme or even catastrophic weather events.
Water vapour and ice crystals would accumulate exponentially in the atmosphere. However, cloud development would be precluded. Consequently humidity levels would increase that would not result in precipitation to balance the system.
The lack of fresh water would lead to radical changes in habitats, biodiversity, and almost certainly extinctions. The overall water cycle would be affected profoundly, and cease to function.
Evaporation, together with the process of sublimation (where water changes from ice or snow directly to vapour), would still occur, however without condensation or desublimation, there would be no return of water to the Earth’s surface, and as a consequence a net loss of water in the environment.
March 2025 was Wick’s mildest since that of 2012, and is currently the 5th most mild in a series of Marches commencing from 1910.
In terms of precipitation, March 2025 was Wick’s driest since that of 2022. Closer scrutiny of the town’s archive for rainfall for a series of Marches stretching back to 1910, revealed that it is presently the 46th least wet.
One “day of gale” was experienced during the month.
Wick’s mean air temperature for March 2025 was 6.93C (44.47F).
The long-term average for this variable, in terms of the averaging period 1991-2020, is 5.22C (41.40F).
Wick’s average daily maximum air temperature for March 2025 was 10.14C (50.25F). The long-term average in terms of the current 30-year averaging period is 8.14C (46.65F).
Highest daily maximum was 17.0C (62.6F), recorded on March 31. The lowest daily maximum was 6.0C (42.8F), observed on March 12.
The town’s average daily minimum air temperature for the month was 3.71C (38.68F), 1.42C higher than the current long-term average for the month.
Highest daily minimum air temperature for the month was 8.2C (46.8F), witnessed on March 5. Air frosts were recorded on five dates.
Lowest daily minimum air temperature for the month was minus 3.1C (26.4F), logged on March 19. The temperature fell to 0.0C (32.0F), or lower at 5cm over the grass on 10 dates. Lowest temperature over the grass was minus 7.0C (19.4F), noted on March 19.
Precipitation was measurable on 25 dates. The total amount recorded for March 2025 was 47.6mm (1.87 inches), or 83.9 per cent of the current long-term average for the month.
Wettest day was March 22. The total quantity recorded for the 24-hour period commencing 9am (GMT) was 11.2mm (0.44 of an inch).
A “day of gale” occurred on March 4. However, wind velocities reached or surpassed gale force 8 (39.0mph/33.9knots) on six other dates. The strongest wind velocity was observed on March 4 when a gale force 8 west-south-westerly wind gusted up to 63.3mph/55.0knots, storm force 10, on the Beaufort scale.
