Evaporation Rates
How does volume affect evaporation rates?
Volume has no impact on evaporation rates
What is the term for the amount of water vapor in the air?
Humidity
What type of precipitation will you get when the temperature remains below freezing from the cloud to the ground?
Snow
What is the process called when water changes from a liquid to a gas?
Evaporation
How does wind influence evaporation rates?
Wind moves moist air away, allowing more evaporation
Name two factors that can increase evaporation rates.
Wind, heat (temp), surface area
Relative humidity is expressed as a ____.
Percentage.
What type of precipitation consists of small, hard pellets of ice that bounce when they hit the ground?
Sleet
What is the process by which water vapor turns into liquid water in the atmosphere?
Condensation
What is the term for water released by plants into the atmosphere?
Transpiration
What happens to the rate of evaporation when the air's relative humidity is high?
It decreases because the air is already saturated.
What happens to the relative humidity of air as the temperature increases while the amount of water vapor stays the same?
The relative humidity decreases because warmer air can hold more water vapor.
What type of precipitation will leave the cloud frozen but warm before reaching the surface. When it makes contact with objects it refreezes.
Name two types of precipitation.
Sleet, freezing rain, rain, snow, hail
What type of weather is associated with high relative humidity?
Cloudy and possibly rainy weather
Which body of water would you expect to evaporate faster, the ocean or Lake Michigan?
Lake Michigan, ocean has dissolved salt in it thus slowing rate of evaporation.
What instrument is used to measure relative humidity?
Hygrometer
What is the main factor that determines whether precipitation falls as rain, snow, sleet, or freezing rain?
Vertical Distribution of Temperature
What is the primary energy source that drives the water cycle?
Solar Radiation
Why do coastal areas generally have milder temperatures compared to inland areas?
Water heats and cools more slowly than land, so coastal areas are moderated by the ocean’s temperature
Which region would likely experience more evaporation?
A desert with high temperatures and low humidity or a tropical rainforest with moderate temperatures and high humidity?
A desert with high temperatures and low humidity
If two cities have the same relative humidity but one has a higher temperature, which city will feel more humid, and why?
The city with the higher temperature will feel more humid because warmer air holds more water vapor, meaning there is more moisture in the air even at the same relative humidity.
What is the difference in the vertical temperature distribution between sleet and freezing rain?
Sleet has a shallow warm layer allowing it to have time to refreeze before hitting the ground. Freezing rain has a big warm layer not allowing any time for the rain to refreeze until it makes contact with the surface.
How do changes in temperature affect the rate of evaporation in the water cycle?
Higher temperatures increase the rate of evaporation, as warm air can hold more moisture than cooler air.
Explain why deserts often have high evaporation rates despite low precipitation.
High temperatures and low relative humidity increase evaporation.