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How do lakes fit into the global water cycle?

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lake Lake Ann in North Cascades National Park, Washington, U.S., viewed from the park's Maple Loop Trail. The North Cascades National Park is a large wilderness area that preserves majestic mountain scenery, snowfields, glaciers, and other unique natural features.

Lakes serve as vital reservoirs within the global hydrologic cycle, acting as temporary storage points for water as it moves from rain to surface water, soil moisture, or groundwater, and eventually back to the atmosphere or the sea.1

Lakes participate in the cycle through several key processes:

Input: Lakes receive water through precipitation falling directly on their surfaces, inflow from streams and rivers, and discharge from groundwater.2
Storage and Transport: Larger, deeper lakes store significant volumes of water, which they may pass seaward through drainage systems or retain in closed basins. In exorheic regions, lakes act as temporary impoundments for water flowing toward the ocean.13
Output: Lakes lose water to the atmosphere through evaporation. Because of their high surface-area-to-volume ratio, lakes are highly effective evaporators. In endorheic (closed) basins, lakes serve as the terminal point of the cycle, where water is lost entirely through evaporation or seepage.13

Additionally, lakes influence local climates by storing and releasing heat, which modifies the temperature of surrounding air masses and affects regional precipitation patterns.4