Through which process does water reach the atmosphere from Earth’s surface?

Correct answer: Evaporation

Direct answer: C, evaporation. Evaporation is the process in which liquid water at the surface changes into water vapour and enters the atmosphere. Solar heating gives water molecules energy; some energetic molecules escape from the surface into the air. This occurs from oceans, lakes, rivers, wet soil, and other moist surfaces. A is wrong because condensation changes water vapour into liquid droplets or ice, so it removes vapour from the air rather than sending surface water upward. B is wrong because precipitation is water falling from clouds to Earth as rain, snow, sleet, or hail. D is wrong because leaching is the downward movement of dissolved substances through soil, not the movement of water into the atmosphere. In the water cycle, evaporation is followed by condensation and may later be followed by precipitation. Memory cue: evaporation goes up; precipitation comes down.