What is the natural exchange of water between the earth and the atmosphere called?

The natural exchange of water between the earth and the atmosphere is best described by the term hydrologic cycle. This cycle encompasses all processes involved in the movement of water on, above, and below the surface of the Earth. It includes evaporation, condensation, precipitation, infiltration, runoff, and transpiration, illustrating how water continuously circulates through various phases and locations.

The water cycle is a broader term that is often used interchangeably with the hydrologic cycle, but when specifically considering the scientific processes involved, hydrologic cycle is the more precise term. Other terms like climatic cycle focus on atmospheric conditions and general climate patterns, while precipitation cycle specifically addresses the phenomena related to precipitation and does not encompass the full range of processes involved in water movement and transformation in the environment. Thus, using hydrologic cycle accurately captures the entirety of water's dynamic interactions between the Earth's surface and the atmosphere.