You have seen some examples of the phases of the water cycle. You know
that in the water cycle, water evaporates into the atmosphere where it
undergoes condensation and then returns to the earth's surface as precipitation
(rain, snow, or hail). The water can be stored temporarily in lakes, glaciers,
or underground. Water can also be stored in living things. The water then
moves from these storage places into streams and rivers and returns to
the oceans, or is evaporated directly back to the atmosphere.