According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, water undergoes transformation and transit in different phases within the atmosphere, a phenomenon known as transport. Water, in its liquid state, moves across the land as surface runoff, seeps into the earth by infiltration and percolation, and migrates beneath the surface as subterranean water. This groundwater is taken up by plants and later released back to the atmosphere through evapotranspiration, a process that includes both evaporation from the ground and plant surfaces and transpiration from the foliage of plants. Additionally, water in its solid state, such as ice and snow, can morph directly into gas via sublimation, while gaseous water vapor can convert straight into a solid by deposition. This account emphasizes the initial segment of the water cycle that deals with the movement of water in its different states.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) describes how water changes and moves through different forms within the atmosphere, a process known as transport. Water travels over the land's surface as runoff, penetrates the soil through infiltration, and flows underneath the surface as groundwater. Plants absorb this groundwater, which is then returned to the atmosphere via evapotranspiration, combining both evaporation from the soil and plant surfaces and the release of moisture from plant leaves, known as transpiration. Moreover, water in its frozen form, like ice and snow, can transform directly into vapor through sublimation, and water vapor can turn back into ice without becoming liquid first, through the process of deposition. This explanation focuses on the initial aspect of the hydrologic cycle that pertains to how water in various forms moves and changes.
