The Hydrological Cycle

The hydrological cycle describes how water moves around the Earth. It starts with evaporation, where the sun heats water in rivers, lakes, or oceans, turning it into vapor that rises into the sky. This vapor cools and forms clouds through condensation. When the clouds become heavy, water falls back to the surface as precipitation, like rain or snow. Some of this water soaks into the ground as groundwater, while the rest flows over land as surface runoff, eventually reaching bodies of water. This continuous cycle sustains life and shapes the planet's climate and environment.