The water cycle, also known as the hydrologic cycle, describes the continuous movement of water on, above, and below the surface of the Earth. Solar energy evaporates water from oceans, lakes, rivers, and soil, which rises into the atmosphere as water vapor. Clouds form as air becomes saturated, and precipitation such as rain or snow returns water to Earth. Some precipitation falls back into oceans, but rain and snowmelt also replenish rivers, groundwater, and glaciers, sustaining the circulation of water in a balanced cycle with no beginning or end.