At just the right distance from the Sun—neither too far nor too close—the Earth is perfectly balanced to keep water in its liquid form. Water carves its own paths. They are like the veins of a body, the branches of a tree, the vessels that carry sap to nourish the Earth.
Rivers pull minerals from rocks and gradually deliver them to the fresh water in the oceans. And the oceans become saturated with salt.
The water cycle on Earth is an endless loop—waterfalls, water vapor, clouds, rain, springs, rivers, streams, seas, oceans, glaciers… The cycle is never broken. The amount of water on Earth remains constant. It’s the very same water that every species throughout history has drunk.
Water is an incredible substance—one of the most unstable of all. It takes the form of liquid water, gaseous water vapor, or solid ice. In Siberia, the frozen surfaces of lakes in winter bear the traces of the forces water exerts as it freezes. Lighter than water, ice floats, forming a protective layer against the cold beneath which life can continue.

Excerpt from the film Home by Yann Arthus-Bertrand
Co-written with Isabelle Delannoy and Tewfik Fares
With the kind permission of the GoodPlanet Foundation
© 2009 Europacorp - Elzevir Films

Water on the Move

In this photo, it’s winter in Siberia. The lakes are frozen. Ice floats, forming a blanket that shelters life beneath it, waiting for spring’s return.
When the weather warms, the ice will change. It will melt into flowing rivers. If it gets even hotter, it will rise as vapor, drifting into clouds.
Rivers shape the land as they flow. They carry tiny bits of rock, breaking them down and sweeping them all the way to the sea. That’s how the oceans became salty.
Water never stands still. It flows, evaporates, falls as rain, freezes—then starts again. It’s a never-ending journey. The water we have today is the same water the dinosaurs once drank. It never disappears. It just keeps traveling.

© Couleurs Grands Lacs – Text | © Armand Amar – Music