Precipitation, evaporation, and transpiration are all terms that

sound familiar, yet may not mean much to you. They are all
part of the water cycle, a complex process that not only
gives us water to drink, fish to eat, but also weather patterns
that help grow our crops.
Water is an integral part of life on this planet. It is an odorless,
tasteless, substance that covers more than three-fourths of
the Earths surface. !ost of the water on Earth, "#$ to be
exact, is salt water found in the oceans. We can not drink salt
water or use it for crops because of the salt content. We can
remove salt from ocean water, but the process is very
expensive.
%nly about &$ of Earths water is fresh. Two percent of the
Earths water 'about (($ of all fresh water) is in solid form,
found in ice caps and glaciers. *ecause it is fro+en and so far
away, the fresh water in ice caps is not available for use by
people or plants. That leaves about ,$ of all the Earths water
in a form useable to humans and land animals. This fresh
water is found in lakes, rivers, streams, ponds, and in the
ground. '- small amount of water is found as vapor in the
atmosphere.)
The Water Cycle (also known as the hydrologic cycle) is the journey water
takes as it circulates from the land to the sky and back again.
The Sun's heat proides energy to eaporate water from the !arth's surface
(oceans" lakes" etc.). #lants also lose water to the air (this is called
transpiration). The water apor eentually condenses" forming tiny droplets in
clouds. When the clouds meet cool air oer land" precipitation (rain" sleet" or
snow) is triggered" and water returns to the land (or sea). Some of the
precipitation soaks into the ground. Some of the underground water is trapped
between rock or clay layers$ this is called groundwater. %ut most of the water
flows downhill as runoff (aboe ground or underground)" eentually returning
to the seas as slightly salty water.