Water Cycle
The process by which water molecules in liquid water escape into the air as water vapor
What is evaporation?
The temperature at which condensation begins
What is dew point?
This cloud type is fluffy and may indicate fair weather
What is cumulus?
This is the most common type of precipitation
What is rain?
The condition of Earth's atmosphere at a particular time and place
What is weather?
The process by which water vapor changes back into a liquid
What is condensation?
Clouds of all kinds form when water vapor in the air becomes ______
What is liquid water or ice crystals?
This cloud type covers all or most of the sky
What is stratus?
This type of precipitation falls as ice crystals
What is snow?
This is where most evaporation happens from
What is the ocean?
The process by which a form of water falls from clouds to Earth's surface
What is precipitation?
Water that condenses from the air onto a cold surface
What is dew?
This cloud type is wispy and feathery because it is made mostly of ice crystals
What is cirrus?
Ice particles smaller than 5 millimeters
What is sleet?
If the dew point is below the freezing point, the water vapor may change directly into this
What are ice crystals?
Water that flows over the surface of the land, eventually making its way to a body of water
What is surface runoff?
Ice that has been deposited directly from the air onto a cold surface
What is frost?
This cloud type often produces thunderstorms
What is cumulonimbus?
Round pellets of ice larger than 5 millimeters
What is hail?
As air does this, the amount of water vapor it can hold decreases
What is cools?
The path that a drop of water takes in the water cycle, starting with Evaporation
What is Evaporation --> Condensation --> Precipitation?
For water vapor to condense, tiny particles must be present so the water has a surface on which to condense. Most of these particles are:
What are salt crystals, dust from soil, and smoke?
As stratus clouds thicken, they may produce drizzle, rain, or snow. This new cloud type is called ____.
What is nimbostratus?
Drops of water less than 0.5 millimeters in diameter
Rank the 3 main cloud types by altitude from lowest to highest
What is stratus, cumulus, and cirrus?