Explain how human activity can modify the hydrological cycle.

... Geography Essay Question 7 A) Explain how human activity can modify the hydrological cycle. B) With references to examples, outline the results of such modification. Explain how human activity can modify the hydrological cycle. Human activity can modify the hydrological cycle in many ways. The cycle is made up of two components, stores and flows. Stores consist of the atmosphere, for example clouds, oceans, lakes, glaciers and ice caps, ground water and vegetation. The ground water phase of the hydrological cycle represents only 0.6 per cent of the world's water; 2.1 per cent of it is in glaciers and ice sheets, and 97.3 per cent is held in the oceans. Flows include evaporation (contains 453 million m2 per year) and evapotranspiration (contains 72 million m2 per year), condensation (contains 41 million m2 per year), precipitation (contains 525 million m2 per year), runoff (contains 41 million m2 per year) and infiltration. In general humans

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