Water cycle: Quick Facts

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Last updated

Sep. 25, 2026

Facts

Also Known As	moisture cycle • hydrologic cycle

Photos and Videos

Diagram of the water cycle showing processes like evaporation, condensation, precipitation, transpiration, infiltration, and groundwater flow between land, vegetation, surface water, and the ocean, with labeled arrows and color-coded soil moisture and groundwater zones.

Group of elementary school children in red and white uniforms walk barefoot in heavy rain, sharing colorful umbrellas on a wet street in Indonesia.

Perito Moreno glacier

Plastic bottles, cups, and other trash litter the banks and surface of Ballona Creek in Culver City, California, after a rainstorm, with a bridge visible in the background.

Diagram of the surface hydrologic cycle showing water movement between oceans, atmosphere, land, lakes, rivers, ice, and groundwater, with arrows indicating evaporation, precipitation, vapor transport, and runoff. Volumes and fluxes are labeled in millions of cubic kilometers.

Illustrated cross-section of the hydrologic cycle showing land, vegetation, and ocean, with arrows indicating water movement through precipitation, evaporation, runoff, infiltration, groundwater flow, and outflow. Numbers on arrows represent relative water fluxes, highlighting major processes such as precipitation on land and ocean, evaporation from land and ocean, surface runoff, infiltration to groundwater, and groundwater outflow to the ocean. Soil moisture and groundwater zones are color-cod

Learn about the water cycle and how oceans act as the Earth's water reservoirs

The water cycle: From the ocean to the air

Follow water in its many forms, from glaciers and clouds to freshwater rivers and saltwater oceans

See how water transforms between liquid, ice, and vapour in the water cycle

Explore how interactions between the water cycle and landforms affect climate and weather

See All Videos and Images →

Topics

cloud formation sublimation nucleus infiltration interception Precipitation Condensation nucleus runoff evapotranspiration Freezing nucleus black water stream ocean current wave ocean acidification tide Nitrogen cycle Phosphorus cycle Carbon cycle Oxygen cycle Sulfur cycle lake

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Key People

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Pierre Perrault

French hydrologist

water glass on white background. (drink; clear; clean water; liquid)

Water and its Varying Forms

Iceland, Glacier lagoon (Jokulsarlon)

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