Explain several ways water is stored during the water cycle.

Answer:

Student answers will vary. Possible answers include that water is stored as ice and snow on the ground during the water cycle. Water is also stored in clouds until precipitation occurs, which transfers water from the atmosphere to the ground. On the Earth’s surface, water can be stored in liquid form in streams, rivers, lakes, and oceans. Water stored below the surface is stored in aquifers. Animals and plants also store water. Plants release that stored water in the process of transpiration, which is another way that water is transferred back into the atmosphere.