<P> Atmospheric circulation moves water vapor around the globe , cloud particles collide , grow , and fall out of the upper atmospheric layers as precipitation . Some precipitation falls as snow or hail , sleet , and can accumulate as ice cap s and glacier s , which can store frozen water for thousands of years . Most water falls back into the oceans or onto land as rain , where the water flows over the ground as surface runoff . A portion of runoff enters rivers in valleys in the landscape , with streamflow moving water towards the oceans . Runoff and water emerging from the ground ( groundwater ) may be stored as freshwater in lakes . Not all runoff flows into rivers , much of it soaks into the ground as infiltration . Some water infiltrates deep into the ground and replenishes aquifers , which can store freshwater for long periods of time . Some infiltration stays close to the land surface and can seep back into surface - water bodies ( and the ocean ) as groundwater discharge . Some groundwater finds openings in the land surface and comes out as freshwater springs . In river valleys and floodplains , there is often continuous water exchange between surface water and ground water in the hyporheic zone . Over time , the water returns to the ocean , to continue the water cycle . </P>
<P> Atmospheric circulation moves water vapor around the globe , cloud particles collide , grow , and fall out of the upper atmospheric layers as precipitation . Some precipitation falls as snow or hail , sleet , and can accumulate as ice cap s and glacier s , which can store frozen water for thousands of years . Most water falls back into the oceans or onto land as rain , where the water flows over the ground as surface runoff . A portion of runoff enters rivers in valleys in the landscape , with streamflow moving water towards the oceans . Runoff and water emerging from the ground ( groundwater ) may be stored as freshwater in lakes . Not all runoff flows into rivers , much of it soaks into the ground as infiltration . Some water infiltrates deep into the ground and replenishes aquifers , which can store freshwater for long periods of time . Some infiltration stays close to the land surface and can seep back into surface - water bodies ( and the ocean ) as groundwater discharge . Some groundwater finds openings in the land surface and comes out as freshwater springs . In river valleys and floodplains , there is often continuous water exchange between surface water and ground water in the hyporheic zone . Over time , the water returns to the ocean , to continue the water cycle . </P>
where is one place freshwater is stored in the water cycle
where is one place freshwater is stored in the water cycle
lakes
lakes