Surface Water

Water is extremely important. Without water on Earth, life would not exist. You rely on the Earth’s freshwater supply for drinking, eating, cooking, cleaning, and recreation. While most of the water on the surface of the Earth contains salt, huge volumes of water enters the hydrologic cycle, better known as the water cycle, and converts into fresh water as a result. The water cycle transports water all over Earth on a daily basis. As water travels through the cycle, it undergoes phase changes in response to natural temperature changes in the Earth’s atmosphere. These processes include condensation, evaporation, transpiration, precipitation, runoff, and infiltration.