The water cycle moves matter around the Earth. Liquid water from oceans, rivers and lakes and rises into the atmosphere. Plants can also release water into the atmosphere through
. Gaseous water in the atmosphere
into the clouds. If the cloud droplets become large enough, they fall to the ground as
, such as rain, snow or hail. Liquid water then moves into the ground, also known as
or it can return to rivers, lakes and oceans as
. In all cases, the water cycle is moving molecules of water from one place to another.