he diagram below shows the water cycle, which is the continuous movement of water on, above and below the surface of the Earth.

The aforementioned figure illustrates how water circulates across land and air in a cyclical process.

Overall

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, it is a natural occurrence with several stages but the 3 essential ones are evaporation, precipitation and surface runoff.

Moreover

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, it begins with evaporation and ends with saltwater intrusion.

Firstly

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, evaporation takes place, where approximately 80% of ocean water rises into the air to form steam.

This

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is

due to

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the heat from the sun.

In addition

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, during

this

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stage, transpiration may

also

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take place.

This

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is when plants release vapour into the atmosphere.

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, during condensation, the steam condenses to form liquid droplets, which combine to make clouds. As the clouds get full and heavy, rain droplets or snow, depending on the temperature, fall into the lakes.

This

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is referred to as precipitation.

After

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this

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, the liquid runs along the surface and can travel along various paths. Some of it could return to the oceans or lakes,

while

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the rest may go underground to the impervious layer of the Earth. If that occurs, the water trapped in the soil can be taken up by plant roots and utilised during transpiration,

thus

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linking back to the beginning of the cycle.

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, before it enters the ocean, it gets combined with saltwater in a process known as saltwater intrusion.

This

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cycle is a recurring phenomenon.