7.E.1.2 | The Water Cycle

What are cumulus clouds?

Puffy, rounded clouds that are MIDLEVEL clouds

collection area

The process by which water gathers back into bodies of water such as rivers, lakes and oceans.

sun/heat

The sun is what makes the water cycle work. The sun provides what almost everything on Earth needs to go—energy, or heat. Heat causes liquid and frozen water to evaporate into water vapor gas, which rises high in the sky to form clouds...clouds that move over the globe and drop rain and snow. This process is a large part of the water cycle.

groundwater

Water that falls on land and sinks into the soil . It is stored below Earth's surface in soil and rock layers.

runoff

Water that lands on the ground and does not sink into the soil (impermeable). For example, it lands on sidewalks, driveways, parking lots, roads and will runoff and collect in other surface bodies of water like ponds lakes, or puddles.

What are cirrus clouds?

Wispy, feathery clouds that are HIGH clouds

water cycle

also known as the "hydrologic" cycle, this process describes the continual movement of water between the land, ocean, and the air. Water is constantly changing location and form/state of matter.

What are stratus clouds?

clouds that are layered clouds and cover much of the sky. They are LOW and blanket like

What are the four types of precipitation?

rain, sleet, snow and hail

What does a thermometer measure?

temperature

What are the five major components that make up the weather?

temperature, precipitation, wind speed and direction, air pressure, and cloud cover

What is weather?

the conditions of the air at a specific time and place (daily)

What is climate?

the expected weather conditions of a certain place during a specific time (month, year, season)

transpiration

the process in plants by which water is taken up by the roots and released as water vapor through stomata in the leaves.

evaporation

the process in which energy from the sun heats water, changing from a liquid to a gas, causing it to rise into the atmosphere.

precipitation

water that is released from clouds in the sky; includes rain, snow, sleet, hail, and freezing rain.

condensation

when water vapor turns from a gas into a liquid state forming clouds.

What does a weather vane measure?

wind direction

What does an anemometer measure?

wind speed

Accumulation

A mass or quantity gathered over time