Which process is part of the hydrologic cycle?

• A. Condensation
• B. Oxygenation
• C. Sublimation
• D. Fermentation

Answer: (A)

Condensation is the process by which water vapor in the atmosphere cools and becomes liquid. This change of state is what forms clouds, fog, and dew, and it is a crucial step in the water cycle after evaporation and transpiration lift water into the air. As water vapor rises and cools, condensation combines the vapor into tiny droplets that grow and eventually fall as precipitation, returning liquid water to the surface and enabling the cycle to continue.

Oxygenation involves adding oxygen to a substance, which isn’t a phase change or a step in how water moves through the cycle.

Sublimation, a solid-to-gas transformation, can occur in certain environments but isn’t the standard mechanism for returning water back to liquid form or producing clouds in the typical description of the hydrologic cycle.

Fermentation is a biological process that converts sugars into alcohol or acids and is unrelated to the movement and phase changes of water in the cycle.