The process of the water cycle is known as "hydrologic cycle" or "water cycle." This cycle describes how water moves throughout the Earth and its atmosphere through various processes: evaporation, condensation, precipitation, infiltration, and runoff. Water from oceans, lakes, and rivers evaporates into the atmosphere due to solar energy, forming water vapor. This vapor condenses into clouds and eventually falls back to the Earth's surface as precipitation (rain, snow, etc.). Once on the ground, water either infiltrates the soil, replenishes aquifers, or flows into bodies of water, continuing the cycle.