All fresh water on Earth ultimately comes from

• A. Precipitation
• B. Groundwater
• C. Runoff
• D. Ponds and lakes

Answer: (A)

The water cycle and the idea that fresh water on land comes from atmospheric processes. Water from the oceans evaporates, rises, and cools to form clouds, and when those clouds release water, it falls as precipitation. That precipitation provides the fresh water that eventually fills rivers, lakes, and groundwater, or runs off to streams. In other words, the water that ends up as usable fresh water on land originally comes from precipitation. Groundwater, runoff, and ponds or lakes are all parts of the cycle and stores that water, but they get their supply from precipitation.