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Only 30-40 percent of the rain or snow that we see hitting the ground goes directly to streams. Most of it, surprisingly, is taken up and used internally by plants. Some water penetrates soils and moves below as groundwater, feeding forests and replenishing aquifers. After infiltrating natural systems, water evaporates from rivers and wetlands, soils and plants. It returns to the atmosphere to fall again as precipitation. Water cycling cools the planet, cleans the air, and sustains life as we know it.
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