Water moves through the hydrosphere primarily through the processes of the water cycle, which includes evaporation, condensation, precipitation, infiltration, and runoff.
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Evaporation: Water from oceans, rivers, lakes, and even soil heats up due to sunlight and changes from liquid to vapor, rising into the atmosphere.
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Condensation: As water vapor rises, it cools and changes back into tiny droplets, forming clouds. This process is aided by particles in the atmosphere that act as nuclei for the water droplets.
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Precipitation: When the droplets in the clouds coalesce and grow heavy enough, they fall back to the earth as precipitation in the form of rain, snow, sleet, or hail.
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Infiltration: Once the water reaches the ground, some of it seeps into the soil and rock layers, replenishing groundwater supplies through a process called infiltration.
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Runoff: Water that does not infiltrate flows over the surface of the earth into rivers, lakes, and eventually back into the oceans, completing the cycle.
This continuous movement of water through these different states and locations helps to distribute heat, support ecosystems, and sustain life on Earth.