It can then transpirate to gas directly through the leaves and return to the atmosphere. Or rain can seep into the ground and become groundwater, where it’s taken up by plants. Instead of snow melting and running off into a river, it can become part of a glacier and stay there for a long, long time. ![]() That’s just one path water can take through the water cycle. The snow will fall to the ground, and eventually melts back into a liquid and runs off into a lake or river, which flows back into the ocean, where it starts the process again. Water drops form in clouds, and the drops then return to the ocean or land as precipitation - let’s say this time, it’s snow. Air currents move these clouds all around the earth. This invisible vapor rises into the atmosphere, where the air is colder, and condenses into clouds. Energy from the sun causes water on the surface to evaporate into water vapor – a gas. Over 96% of total global water is in the ocean, so let’s start there. ![]() ![]() ![]() Water is the only substance that naturally exists in three states on Earth – solid, liquid, and gas. As it moves through this cycle, it changes forms. At its most basic, the water cycle is how water continuously moves from the ground to the atmosphere and back again. You may think every drop of rain falling from the sky, or each glass of water you drink, is brand new, but it has always been here, and is a part of the water cycle.
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