Water Cycle
Water is always moving through Earth’s environment. Many processes carry water from one place to another. Evaporation is the process in which water turns from a liquid to a gas called water vapor. Transpiration is evaporation of water through tiny pores in plant leaves. When water vapor turns into liquid water, the process is called condensation. Water vapor that condenses in Earth’s atmosphere falls back to the surface as precipitation. Water flowing over the surface back towards the oceans is called runoff. Some water soaks into the ground to become groundwater, which can also flow slowing towards the ocean. Find where these processes occur on the diagram and think about how they contribute to the water cycle.
credit: Amy Todd