Water Cycle

The total amount of water on Earth is constant and probably has been for millions of years More then 97% of Earth’s water is saltwater Of the 3% that is fresh water, ¾ of this is frozen

Precipitation 4 main types – rain, snow, sleet and hail

Relative Humidity Air in the lower portion of the atmosphere always contains a little bit of water vapor This is called humidity The ratio of water vapor in a volume of air relative to how much water vapor that air is capable of holding is called relative humidity (expressed as a percent) Warm air can hold more moisture then cold

Wind In the lower atmosphere, air generally moves from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure Caused by unequal heating of the Earth’s surface

Orographic Lifting