The diagram below shows the water cycle, which is the continuous movement of water on, above and below the surface of the Earth. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant

The process illustrates the way in which

water

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passes from ocean to air to land during the natural process known as the

water

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cycle. Three main stages are shown on the diagram. Ocean

water

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evaporates, falls as rain, and eventually runs back into the

oceans

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again. Beginning at the evaporation stage, it is clearly seen that 80% of

water

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vapour in the air comes from the

oceans

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. The heat from the sun causes

water

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to evaporate, and

water

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vapour condenses to form clouds. In the second stage, labelled ‘precipitation’ on the diagram,

water

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falls as rain or snow. At the third stage in the cycle, rainwater may take various paths. Some of it may fall into lakes or return to the

oceans

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via ‘surface runoff’.

Otherwise

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, rainwater may filter through the ground, reaching the impervious layer of the earth. Saltwater intrusion is shown to take place just before groundwater passes into the

oceans

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to complete the cycle.