Water Cycle
The continuous movement of water through evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and runoff.
Also: hydrological cycle · hydrosphere cycle
Definition
The water cycle (hydrological cycle) describes the continuous movement of water within Earth and its atmosphere. It includes evaporation from oceans and land, transpiration from plants, condensation into clouds, precipitation as rain or snow, surface runoff and infiltration into groundwater, and eventual return to the ocean. The water cycle regulates climate, replenishes freshwater supplies, and drives weather patterns.
Example
“Solar energy evaporates water from the Pacific Ocean, moisture condenses into clouds as it rises over the Rocky Mountains, falls as snow, accumulates in mountain snowpack, and eventually melts in spring to flow down rivers providing freshwater to cities and farms.”
Synonyms
- hydrological cycle
- water circulation
- hydrosphere cycle
Images
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Related Terms
- Evaporation
- Precipitation
- Groundwater
- Transpiration