hydrologic cycle

American  

noun

1. the natural sequence through which water passes into the atmosphere as water vapor, precipitates to earth in liquid or solid form, and ultimately returns to the atmosphere through evaporation.

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hydrologic cycle British  

noun

1. another name for water cycle

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hydrologic cycle Scientific  

/ hī′drə-lŏj′ĭk /

1. The continuous process by which water is circulated throughout the Earth and its atmosphere. The Earth's water enters the atmosphere through evaporation from bodies of water and from ground surfaces. Plants and animals also add water vapor to the air by transpiration. As it rises into the atmosphere, the water vapor condenses to form clouds. Rain and other forms of precipitation return it to the Earth, where it flows into bodies of water and into the ground, beginning the cycle again.

2. Also called water cycle

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hydrologic cycle Cultural  

1. The continuous circular process in which the water of the Earth evaporates from the oceans, condenses, falls to the Earth as rain or snow, and eventually returns to the oceans through run-off in rivers or streams. Some water is absorbed by plants and returned to the atmosphere as vapor.

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Etymology

Origin of hydrologic cycle

First recorded in 1955–60; hydrolog(y) + -ic

Example Sentences

The Amazon rainforest also plays a vitally important role in the Earth's hydrologic cycle.

From Science Daily • Jun. 19, 2024

“Climate change has fundamentally altered the state’s hydrologic cycle, intensifying extreme weather and leading to longer, dryer periods. We all must do more to adjust and adapt.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 15, 2022

Tor me, this is a really nice conclusion of the hydrologic cycle.

From Salon • Aug. 8, 2021

It promised to explain how mountains form and fall, the hydrologic cycle, soil formation and erosion, minerals, the rock cycle, and why ocean sediments end up in weird places like the top of mountains.

From Scientific American • Sep. 21, 2019

The hydrologic cycle describes how water moves on, above, and below the surface of the Earth, driven by energy supplied by the sun and wind.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015