Water stored in oceans and glaciers plus subsurface stores are best described as which term?

• A. Hydrologic cycle
• B. Reservoirs
• C. Surface water
• D. Groundwater

Answer: (B)

Storage in the hydrologic system is captured by reservoirs. Water stored in oceans and glaciers, along with subsurface stores like groundwater, are all reservoirs—the natural storage components that hold water for long periods and can feed other parts of the cycle as needed. The hydrologic cycle describes how water moves through evaporation, condensation, precipitation, infiltration, runoff, and other processes, not where it is stored. Surface water refers to water on the land surface, such as rivers and lakes, and groundwater is the subsurface water specifically. So the term that best describes these storage components across the system is reservoirs.