Water Cycle
What are the two main forces that move water through the water cycle?
Sun's energy and gravity
Which force pulls water downward and helps cause runoff and precipitation?
Gravity
What is an air mass?
A large body of air with similar temperature, humidity, and pressure.
Air moves from areas of ______ pressure to areas of ______ pressure.
High to Low
What type of front can change weather rapidly?
Cold front
What process happens when water gains energy from the Sun and changes into water vapor?
Evaporation
What is the process where plants release water vapor?
Transpiration
Which air mass is warm and moist?
Maritime Tropical
What type of pressure system is associated with rising air and precipitation?
Low pressure
What type of weather can a cold front bring?
Severe weather, thunderstorms, lots of precipitation
What happens to water vapor as it rises and cools?
It cools and condenses into clouds.
A glacier melts and water flows into a river. Which parts of the water cycle does this skip?
Evaporation and condensation
Which air mass is cold and dry?
Continental Polar
As barometric pressure decreases and humidity rises, what type of weather can you expect?
Heavy precipitation, thunderstorms
What is the jet stream?
A high altitude ribbon of fast moving air current. They can be from cold or warm regions of Earth.
What process causes water to fall back to Earth as rain or snow?
Precipitation
Explain how the Sun drives water from Earth's surface into the atmosphere
The sun provides energy that causes evaporation which starts the water cycle.
Which air mass is warm and dry?
Continental Tropical
What happens when a cold front forces warm air upward?
Sudden changes in the weather and precipitation, storms
In what direction does the jet stream generally move?
West to East
What would happen to precipitation if evaporation completely stopped?
There would be no precipitation.
Put these processes in the correct order:
Runoff Condensation Precipitation Evaporation
Evaporation
Condensation
Precipitation
Runoff
Which air mass is cold and moist?
Maritime Polar
Explain how the movement and interaction of air masses can change weather conditions.
When a cold air mass collides with a receding warm air mass, the cold air pushes the warm air up quickly which results in severe weather. When a warm air mass collides with a cold air mass, the warm air rises at a less steep angle over the cold air mass which results in warmer temperatures and a few days of slow rain.
How can the peaks and troughs of the jet stream affect temperatures?
They can cause extreme temperature variations.