Final answer:
The water cycle, also known as the hydrologic cycle, is the process of continuous movement of water within the Earth's spheres, involving evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The process by which water moves throughout the Earth's spheres is known as the water cycle or hydrologic cycle. This cycle describes the continuous movement of water on, above, and below the surface of the Earth.
The water cycle involves various physical processes such as evaporation, condensation, precipitation, infiltration, surface runoff, and subsurface flow, allowing water to move from one reservoir to another, including rivers, oceans, the atmosphere, glaciers, groundwater, and the biosphere. The water cycle changes water between three states: liquid, solid (ice), and gas (vapor).
Water is a vital component of all living things, making up approximately 60 percent of the human body and more than 70 percent of our cells.
The energy from the Sun drives this cycle by warming bodies of water which leads to evaporation or sublimation that moves water into the atmosphere as vapor. Over time, this vapor condenses into clouds and falls as precipitation back to Earth's surface, where it can again evaporate, become surface runoff, or percolate into the ground as part of the ongoing cycle.