Explain what is the driving force moving water through the hydrologic cycle.
The driving force behind the movement of water through the hydrologic cycle is primarily the energy from the sun. Solar energy causes evaporation of water from oceans, lakes, rivers, and other water bodies, turning it into water vapor. This water vapor rises into the atmosphere.
As the water vapor cools, it condenses to form clouds. When these clouds become saturated, the water droplets combine and fall back to the Earth's surface as precipitation in the form of rain, snow, sleet, or hail. Precipitation replenishes the water in rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water.
Once on the Earth's surface, water follows different paths. Some of it flows over the land surface as runoff, eventually reaching rivers and streams. Others infiltrate into the ground, becoming groundwater. Some of the water is taken up by plants through their roots and is transpired back into the atmosphere.
The continuous cycle of evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and runoff ensures that water is constantly circulated and redistributed across the Earth's surface. This cycle is driven by the sun's energy, which provides the heat needed for evaporation and causes changes in temperature that result in condensation and precipitation.