Reading 1 THE WATER CYCLE say that we should call we call our planet Earth, but many people Water is it Water. Water covers more than 70 percent of our planet. and essential to life on Earth. drink it, in it, clean with it, use it in many other ways. Surprisingly, the amount of water on Earth s does not decrease even though we use so much of it every day. This in a process called the water cycle (also called the hydrologic cycle). The water cycle is the movement of water from Earth into the atmosphere and back to Earth again. What are the steps of the water cycle? process that Eva tion is the step in the water cycle. This is the so changes wate a to a gas Energy from the sun produces evaporation. When the sun heats water, some the water a gas water i apor. Water evaporates anywhere there is sun and water. Most evaporation of water on Earth is from the oceans, but there is also evaporation from lakes, rivers, and even from wet skin and clothing.