The Water Cycle
The water cycle moves water between oceans, air, land and living things through evaporation, condensation, precipitation and run-off.
▶ Interact
Play with the controls to see the idea in action.
📘 Learn
The water cycle moves water between oceans, air, land and living things through evaporation, condensation, precipitation and run-off.
- Evaporation turns water to vapour
- Transpiration adds water from plants
- Groundwater flows slowly
🧠 Quick quiz
Three questions. Score 2 or more to complete the topic.
What is The Water Cycle?
Within Earth & Environmental Science, which covers our planet, its resources and ecosystems, and how people can protect the environment, this topic explains The Water Cycle. Earth and environment topics show how the planet’s systems shape landscapes, climate and life, with models that make these processes visible.
Check that you can explain The Water Cycle in your own words and give one example from everyday life. If you can do that, you have understood the core idea.
Understanding The Water Cycle helps you explain the environment around you and weigh up how people can protect it.
The Water Cycle in detail
The water cycle is the continuous movement of water through the atmosphere, land and oceans, powered by the Sun and gravity. Water evaporates from oceans, lakes and rivers, and plants release it by transpiration. Water vapour rises, cools and condenses to form clouds, and falls as precipitation.
On land, water may flow over the surface (runoff), soak into the ground (infiltration and percolation) to become groundwater, or be stored in lakes, glaciers and snow. It eventually returns to the sea. The cycle purifies water and distributes fresh water around the globe. Human activities such as damming, irrigation and deforestation alter it.
How the interactive helps you understand The Water Cycle
Watch the cycle in the interactive. Use any sliders or buttons it offers to change the values and see how the cycle responds.
Before you change anything, predict the result. Then change one value at a time and check whether your prediction was right. This is a quick way to build a correct mental model of The Water Cycle.
Real-life uses and examples
- Discuss how human activity changes The Water Cycle, using a named example.
- Explain how The Water Cycle affects the landscape or climate near you.
- Link The Water Cycle to a real environmental problem and a possible solution.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Presenting one cause as the only cause of an environmental change.
- Describing a process without the timescale it works over.
- Learning the definition without testing it. Use the quiz and the interactive to check that you can apply the idea.
Frequently asked questions about The Water Cycle
What is The Water Cycle?
The water cycle moves water between oceans, air, land and living things through evaporation, condensation, precipitation and run-off.
What are the most important points about The Water Cycle?
The main points are: Evaporation turns water to vapour; Transpiration adds water from plants; Groundwater flows slowly.
Why is The Water Cycle useful?
Understanding The Water Cycle helps you explain the environment around you and weigh up how people can protect it.
How can I practise The Water Cycle?
Open the interactive at the top of this page and change the controls one at a time. Predict the result before each change, then take the three-question quiz. A score of two or more marks the topic as complete on this device.
Which topics are related to The Water Cycle?
Related topics in Earth & Environmental Science include Rivers, Lakes and Groundwater, Ecosystems and Biomes, Threats to Biodiversity.