The hydrologic cycle is another name for which global process?

The hydrologic cycle is another name for which global process?

• A. Carbon cycle
• B. Nitrogen cycle
• C. Hydrologic cycle
• D. Biogeochemical cycle

Answer: (C)

The main idea here is the movement of Earth's water through the whole system. The hydrologic cycle is the water cycle, describing how water travels globally—from oceans and rivers into the atmosphere by evaporation, condenses into clouds, falls as precipitation, and then returns to land and bodies of water through runoff, infiltration, and collection. Plants also contribute through transpiration, a part of evapotranspiration. This cycle explains how water is stored, reused, and redistributed across the planet. That’s why it’s the best answer: it directly names the global process that governs the movement of water. The carbon cycle and nitrogen cycle describe how those specific elements move through air, water, soil, and organisms, not the planetary circulation of water. The biogeochemical cycle is a broader umbrella term for cycles of various elements that involve biological, geological, and chemical processes, but the hydrologic cycle specifically identifies the water movement itself.

The main idea here is the movement of Earth's water through the whole system. The hydrologic cycle is the water cycle, describing how water travels globally—from oceans and rivers into the atmosphere by evaporation, condenses into clouds, falls as precipitation, and then returns to land and bodies of water through runoff, infiltration, and collection. Plants also contribute through transpiration, a part of evapotranspiration. This cycle explains how water is stored, reused, and redistributed across the planet.

That’s why it’s the best answer: it directly names the global process that governs the movement of water. The carbon cycle and nitrogen cycle describe how those specific elements move through air, water, soil, and organisms, not the planetary circulation of water. The biogeochemical cycle is a broader umbrella term for cycles of various elements that involve biological, geological, and chemical processes, but the hydrologic cycle specifically identifies the water movement itself.