The Water Cycle

The water cycle (also known as the hydrological cycle) is the continuous movement of water from the atmosphere to the earth and back again. The cycle is driven by the Sun's heat which causes the: evaporation of liquid water from: oceans, rivers and the ground surface into water vapour; transpiration of water vapour from plants' leaves. When water vapour in the air cools, it condenses and turns back into liquid water. This water vapour precipitates from the air as rain or snow.