Final answer:
Water moves through the atmosphere by first evaporating and rising as vapor, then condensing into clouds, falling as precipitation, and finally re-entering oceans or groundwater.
Step-by-step explanation:
The process of how water moves into, through, and out of the atmosphere can be described with a sequence of at least four major events:
- Evaporation transforms liquid water from the oceans, lakes, and rivers into water vapor. The Sun's energy is the primary force driving this process.
- Water vapor rises and condenses into clouds, which is a transition from a gas to a liquid or solid state.
- As the clouds cool, the condensed water falls back to Earth's surface as precipitation, like rain, snow, hail, or sleet.
- Once the water reaches the ground, it can either re-evaporate, run off into bodies of water, or infiltrate the soil to recharge the groundwater and eventually flow into the ocean, completing the cycle.
This continuous process is known as the water or hydrologic cycle and is essential in sustaining life on our planet.