What are the three main states of water in relation to the water cycle?

Water exists in three primary states in relation to the water cycle: solid, liquid, and gas. Understanding these states is essential for grasping how water moves and changes throughout the cycle.

In its solid state, water forms ice and snow, commonly seen in glaciers and polar regions. As temperatures rise, ice melts into liquid water, which is essential for numerous ecosystems and human activities. The liquid state is the most prevalent form of water on Earth, found in oceans, rivers, and lakes.

The gas state of water is represented as water vapor, which is an integral part of the atmosphere. Through processes such as evaporation and transpiration, liquid water can change into water vapor, contributing to cloud formation and precipitation.

This understanding of the three states—solid, liquid, and gas—highlights the dynamic nature of water in the environment and is fundamental to studying the water cycle. The other options, while they include elements related to water, do not correctly capture the basic states in the context of the water cycle. For instance, plasma is a high-energy state that is not relevant to typical Earth processes involving water, and terms like "steam" and "vapor" both refer to the gaseous form of water but do not encompass the complete range