Which process is NOT part of the water cycle?

Freezing is not typically considered a direct part of the water cycle. The water cycle primarily involves processes such as evaporation (when water turns into vapor), condensation (when vapor forms clouds), and precipitation (when water falls back to the Earth's surface as rain, snow, sleet, or hail).

While freezing can occur within the context of the water cycle—such as when liquid water freezes to become ice—it is more an event that can happen within the cycle rather than a fundamental process that drives the cycle itself. The core processes that contribute to the continuous movement of water through different states—liquid, gas, and solid—include evaporation, condensation, and precipitation. Thus, freezing, while relevant, does not function as a primary mechanism in the cyclical process of water movement in the environment.