Describe and model processes involved throughout Earth’s hydrologic cycle.

Water is simply two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen bonded together. Despite its simplicity, water has remarkable properties. Water expands when it freezes, has high surface tension (because of the polar nature of the molecules, they tend to stick together), and others. Without water, life might not be able to exist on Earth and it certainly would not have the tremendous complexity and diversity that we see.

This section illustrates how water moves in, on, and above the Earth.

What You’ll Learn to Do

• Understand the basic outcomes of the hydrologic cycle.
• Describe the processes involved the hydrologic cycle.

Learning Activities

The learning activities for this section include the following:

• Reading: Phases of the Hydrologic Cycle
• Self Check: The Hydrologic Cycle

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