An interactive diagram showing the path of water vapor condensing into clouds, falling as rain on land, and returning to the ocean via rivers and groundwater.
Learn MotionWhy Oceans Don't Drain Into the Ground
The Global Water Cycle Balance
Return Flow: Rain and Rivers
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Here is an interactive map of the water cycle. Click the clouds to start raining. Watch how the water hits the land, flows over the surface as rivers, and seeps into the ground as groundwater. Both paths eventually lead back to the ocean. This return flow balances the water lost to evaporation, keeping the total volume in check.
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