The diagram represents the natural water cycle, outlining the stages through which water circulates within the environment.
Overall, it is a continuously repeating sequence consisting of five main stages: evaporation, condensation, precipitation, infiltration, collection.
To begin with, surface water undergoes vaporization under the influence of solar energy, while simultaneously, water is released from plants through evapotranspiration. The expelled moisture is then condensed into droplets leading to the formation of clouds at higher altitudes.
Subsequently, precipitation occurs as rainwater falls to the ground, returning the water to the land surface. Some rainfall seeps into the soil through percolation, increasing groundwater levels as it accumulates above the bedrock layer, while the rest contributes to runoff, flowing over the land and eventually entering streams or rivers. Thus, overland flow carries liquid back to streams. As a result, the watercourse carries overland flow toward larger rivers. Ultimately, water returns to the oceans, completing the process.