Question

The hydrologic cycle is the path of what substance?

Answer 1

The hydrologic cycle refers to the continuous movement of water on, above, and below Earth's surface through processes like evaporation, condensation, and precipitation; it enables the transportation of substances and is essential for life.

Step-by-step explanation:

The hydrologic cycle is the path of water, which encompasses its continual movement on, above, and below the surface of the Earth. It occurs through various processes such as evaporation, condensation, precipitation, infiltration, surface runoff, and subsurface flow. As part of the cycle, water transforms into different states—liquid, solid (ice), and vapor—and can also carry with it various substances, including dissolved minerals, gases, and organic matter.

The cycle is powered by solar energy and gravity, enabling water to move between reservoirs like oceans, rivers, and lakes into the atmosphere, eventually falling back as precipitation onto land and water bodies. The water cycle is an essential component of the Earth's system, providing a critical mechanism for supporting life, weather patterns, and the transport of natural contaminants.

Answer 2

The correct answer is water.

The hydrologic cycle refers to the sequence of conditions via which water mediates from vapor in the atmosphere via precipitation upon water surfaces or land and eventually back into the atmosphere as an outcome of transpiration and evaporation. This is also known as a hydrological cycle.

The prime constituents of the hydrologic cycle are an interception, precipitation, evaporation, depression storage, infiltration, and transpiration, moisture storage in the unsaturated zone, percolation, and runoff.