Why is the water cycle important to living things?

The global water cycle is important because every living organism on earth depends on water to survive. Without water, all living organisms would die very quickly.

The water cycle is an important process that recycles water and nutrients. In doing so, it brings freshwater to people, animals and plants all around the world. The water cycle begins with the ocean, lakes, ponds and other bodies of water on earth. Water evaporates from these bodies of water, and as the evaporated water lifts into the sky, it is cooled rapidly and condenses to form clouds. These clouds act as storage compartments for water. As they become filled with water, precipitation occurs. Clouds travel all around the world by wind currents and can bring precipitation to every part of the world. Once the water reaches the ground in the form of rain, snow, sleet or ice, some of the water may evaporate back into the air to form clouds, while other parts of the water may penetrate the soil and become groundwater. The groundwater can either return to the atmosphere and form clouds via transpiration, or it can flow into oceans, rivers, streams and other bodies of water. The cycle then begins again, with water evaporating from earth's bodies of water.