The water cycle (hydro-logic cycle), explains the constant motion of water on, above and below the surface of the Earth. The mass of water on Earth stays equally constant over time, although the severe portion of the water goes into the major reservoirs of ice, fresh water, saline water and atmospheric water is variable depending on a wide range of climatic variables. The water moves from one reservoir to another, such as from river to ocean, or from the ocean to the atmosphere, by the physical processes of evaporation, condensation, precipitation, infiltration, surface runoff, and subsurface flow. In doing so, the water goes through different forms: liquid, solid (ice) and vapor.
