Snowmelt
type: Entity
type: Concept
broader: Water cycle

Groundwater recharge
type: Entity
type: Concept
broader: Water cycle

Phenomenon
type: Concept
narrower: Water cycle

Groundwater flow
type: Entity
type: Concept
broader: Water cycle

Precipitation
type: Entity
type: Concept
broader: Water cycle

Evapotranspiration
type: Entity
type: Concept
broader: Water cycle

Ice flow
type: Entity
type: Concept
broader: Water cycle

Surface runoff
type: Entity
type: Concept
broader: Water cycle

Streamflow
type: Entity
type: Concept
broader: Water cycle

def 588cc982
source: Water cycle
value: The water cycle, also known as the hydrologic cycle or the hydrological cycle, is a biogeochemical cycle that describes the continuous movement of water on, above and below the surface of the Earth. The mass of water on Earth remains fairly constant over time but the partitioning of the water into the major reservoirs of ice, fresh water, saline water (salt water) and atmospheric water is variable depending on a wide range of climatic variables. The water moves from one reservoir to another, such as from river to ocean, or from the ocean to the atmosphere, by the physical processes of evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, infiltration, surface runoff, and subsurface flow. In doing so, the water goes through different forms: liquid, solid (ice) and vapor. The ocean plays a key role in the water cycle as it is the source of 86% of global evaporation.

Water cycle
narrower: Ice flow
narrower: Groundwater recharge
narrower: Groundwater flow
narrower: Surface runoff
narrower: Snowmelt
narrower: Streamflow
narrower: Precipitation
narrower: Evapotranspiration
in scheme: ozcar-theia
created: 2022-02-07T17:00:00
type: Entity
type: Concept
broader: Phenomenon
modified: 2023-05-12T15:17:30
definition: def 588cc982