EQ: Explain the steps of the water cycle. How are clouds formed?

Vocabulary Evaporation Condensation Cloud Precipitation Water cycle

WHERE DOES THE WATER GO? WATER IS ALWAYS CHANGING AS IT MOVES FROM EARTH’S SURFACE INTO THE AIR AND BACK AGAIN. LIQUID WATER CHANGES TO WATER VAPOR AND IT IS HAPPENING ALL OF THE TIME ON THE SURFACE OF EARTH. UNLIKE BOILING, THIS CHANGE OF STATE HAPPENS SLOWLY AND IS CALLED EVAPORATION. EVAPORATION IS WHEN A LIQUID SLOWLY TURNS TO A GAS. WATER VAPOR IS A GAS STATE AND YOU CAN’T SEE IT, BUT IT IS ALL AROUND YOU.

FROM THE SURFACE TO THE AIR WATER EVAPORATES FROM OCEANS, STREAMS, LAKES, RIVERS, AND PONDS. THE SUN’S HEAT CAUSES THE PARTICLES OF WATER TO MOVE RAPIDLY. THE MORE HEAT ENERGY THEY TAKE IN, THE FASTER AND FURTHER APART THEY MOVE. SOME PARTICLES RISE INTO THE AIR AS A GAS- KNOWN AS WATER VAPOR

FROM THE AIR TO THE SURFACE WHEN PARTICLES OF WATER VAPOR RISE INTO THE AIR, THEY COOL. THE PARTICLES LOSE ENERGY AND MOVE MORE SLOWLY. HIGH IN THE AIR, THE WATER VAPOR CONDENSES BACK TO LIQUID WATER. THIS IS CALLED CONDENSATION: GAS TO LIQUID DEW IS AN EXAMPLE.

Clouds Water vapor can condense on dust particles in the air. The tiny drops, or droplets, form clouds. A cloud is a group of water droplets in the air. Some water droplets join together in clouds and form larger drops. If it is very cold, some droplets freeze and form ice.

WHEN WATER FALLS TO EARTH Inside a cloud, the droplets and bits of ice grow larger and heavier. If they get too heavy, they fall to Earth’s surface. Precipitation is when water falls down from the clouds to Earth. Precipitation isn’t just rain, it has different forms (snow, freezing rain, sleet, hail).

Study Jams and Flocabulary http://studyjams.scholastic.com/studyjams/jams/science/ecosystems/water- cycle.htm https://www.flocabulary.com/unit/water-cycle/video/

What is the water cycle? Water moves between three different states (water, liquid, gas). Water always move from one place to another. The water cycle describes how water moves between Earth’s surface and the air. Evaporation, condensation, and precipitation help water move through the cycle.

The role of the Sun. The Sun is the energy source for the water cycle. Heat energy from the Sun causes evaporation. Water goes into the air from lakes, ponds, oceans, and other bodies of water. Water also evaporates from leaves of plants during transpiration. As water vapor condenses…..clouds form. The water falls as precipitation.

Runoff and Groundwater When is rains, water flows over Earth’s surface as runoff. Runoff gathers in lakes, oceans, rivers, and streams. Over time, it collects in glaciers and ice caps. Rainwater soaks into the ground. Plants take up some water from the soil and the rest collects in small cracks in rocks and soil. Groundwater can stay beneath Earth’s surface; flow into lakes, streams, and water wells; or slowly evaporate.

How are clouds different from each other? Clouds form at different heights above Earth’s surface. There are three main types of clouds: cumulus, stratus, and cirrus.

Cumulus Cumulus clouds are puffy, white clouds that look like cotton balls. They often have a flat bottom. If a cumulus cloud becomes dark and thick, called a cumulonimbus cloud. This kind of cloud causes precipitation.

Stratus Stratus clouds form in layers. The layers look like sheets or blankets. Stratus clouds are often the lowest clouds in the sky. What we call fog is really a stratus cloud near Earth’s surface. Stratus clouds can cause precipitation.

Cirrus Cirrus clouds look thin, wispy, or feathery. They are made of tiny bits of ice. Cirrus clouds are usually found very high in the sky.

What are other forms of precipitation? Water can change state as it moves through the air. Snow can happen when water reaches 32˚F, it freezes into ice. To freeze is to change from a liquid to a solid. Bits of ice can collect in a cloud. If it gets too heavy it falls to Earth. Snow may melt when it reaches the ground due to the melting from the sun. The heat makes the snow turn to rain.

Sleet and Hail Sometimes rain falls from clouds as a liquid, but freezes along way. The rain turns to small chinch of ice The ice that falls to the ground is called sleet. Hail is made of ice too. The ice chunks are much larger than sleet. Hail forms inside the tall clouds of thunderstorm. Most hailstorms are the size of peas (some can be as big as a baseball).