THE HYDROLOGICAL CYCLE AND THE WATER BALANCE

Abstract

Even though water is a vital element for life and for the functioning of our planet, it retains an element of mystery. We have studied the vital role of water since ancient times, and can describe the structure of a single water molecule; yet we only possess a little over two centuries worth of information regarding its physical and chemical analysis, and many aspects of water are still poorly understood. Even today, we know very little about some of the properties of water.