The water cycle and climate change

We hear a lot of how the carbon cycle impacts the climate, but the water cycle is just as important, if not more important in affecting the climate. How we use our land, what grows on it, how much our soils retain water, how much water the vegetation is transpiring into the air - these things all affect the amount of water of water vapor in the air, which in turn affects rain patterns, droughts, and floods. The evaporation of water from vegetation also cools the land, transferring heat from ground level up into the clouds. Water acts as a regulator of heat on our planet, and as such plays a role in whether our planet cools or heats up.