The water cycle, or hydrologic cycle, is the continuous circulation of water within the Earth–atmosphere system, driven primarily by solar radiation and gravity. It encompasses phase changes and fluxes such as evaporation and transpiration from surface and biotic reservoirs, condensation in the atmosphere, cloud formation, and subsequent precipitation as rain, snow, or other hydrometeors. Infiltration, percolation, and groundwater flow redistribute water within subsurface reservoirs, while surface runoff and riverine transport return water to oceans and lakes. The water cycle regulates climate, controls energy and mass exchanges, and governs biogeochemical transport across terrestrial, aquatic, and atmospheric compartments.
The "Asian Water Towers" (AWTs), a high-altitude region with a mean elevation exceeding 4,000 meters, serve as the primary freshwater source for nearly 2 billion people. While the Indian summer monsoon is well known for shaping ...
Earth Sciences
7 hours ago
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As future shifts in climate lead to more rain and less snow in the western United States, new research finds that water will move faster through a landscape, likely leading to negative impacts on summer water levels and water ...
Earth Sciences
Apr 16, 2026
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In Puerto Rico, drought doesn't always arrive slowly. Sometimes, it appears in days. That speed can leave producers scrambling, reservoirs dropping, and communities facing water restrictions before they can react. In a place ...
Earth Sciences
Apr 6, 2026
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This past winter, the Rocky Mountains experienced an historic snow drought, a worrying development for the tens of millions of people in the arid American West who depend on snowmelt for water. Now, a new study in the journal ...
Earth Sciences
Mar 25, 2026
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Arctic rivers wind through remote tundra and boreal forests, freezing solid in winter and surging each spring with snowmelt, eventually emptying into the ocean. Runoff—water that does not soak into the ground but instead ...
Earth Sciences
Mar 23, 2026
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A research team led by Professor Jonghun Kam from POSTECH (Pohang University of Science and Technology) has revealed that typhoons are a critical factor in mitigating global droughts by simulating a scenario where typhoon-induced ...
Earth Sciences
Mar 11, 2026
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In a first, a space mission led by NASA and France has tracked Earth's rivers swelling and shrinking from month to month over the course of a year and found significantly less of a swing than previous model-based estimates. ...
Planetary Sciences
Mar 4, 2026
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A key question in any discussion about climate is "How much rain fell?" But perhaps there is an even more important one. Like any household budget, the global water economy is based on "income," that is, water entering the ...
Earth Sciences
Feb 23, 2026
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Forest loss does more than reduce tree cover. A new global study involving UBC Okanagan researchers shows it can fundamentally change how watersheds hold and release water. The research, published in the Proceedings of the ...
Earth Sciences
Feb 19, 2026
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After weeks of relentless rain and flooding, and even more forecast, 2025's droughts and hosepipe bans feel like ancient history. But they shouldn't.
Environment
Feb 18, 2026
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