Hydrologic cyde

TABLE III Residence Times of Water Moiecuies in the Hydrologic Cyde... 

Land water comes from oceans through the hydrologic cyde (Figure 12-17). In this cycle, sunlight evaporates water from oceans, leaving the nonvolatile salts behind. The freshwater collects in the atmosphere as clouds, which eventually condense and fall as rain, most of it into the ocean. A small fraction of rain falls on land where it accumulates as snow, ice, lakes, streams, and ground water. In time, this water finds its way back to the ocean to complete the cycle. 

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