Environment in a bottle

All of the earth'-s water goes through a cycle in which the water changes its location or physical state through different processes. In accordance with the law of conservation of matter, water is not created or destroyed it just changes form. Water can be found in all three states of matter during the cycle: solid (ice caps), liquid (lakes) and gas (water vapor).

There are five processes by which water moves through the cycle. Water in oceans and lakes evaporates into the air. Cool air in the atmosphere causes this water vapor to condense into a cloud. Precipitation from the cloud falls to the ground as rain, sleet or snow. The water on the ground percolates through the soil and some of it is absorbed by plants. As the plants go through photosynthesis (converting sunlight, water and carbon dioxide for their own food), they absorbed water from the soil and release some of it back into the air through transpiration.

These patterns of change can vary, but the cycle occurs continuously. Water has been cycling by means of these processes since time began.