WATER IN THE ATMOSPHERE

WATER CYCLE  Water  Water is always moving between the atmosphere and Earth’s surface.  This  This movement is known as the water cycle.  3  3 major processes of the water cycle –Evaporation –Condensation –Precipitation

Evaporation  When liquid water changes into a gas.  This is also known as water vapor.  Water vapor usually comes from a body of water, such as, oceans, ponds, lakes, stream, or even puddles.

Condensation  Water  Water vapor cools and condenses into liquid water.  These  These condensed water droplets clump together around tiny dust particles to form clouds.

Cumulus Clouds  Means  Means “heap or mass”  Forms  Forms less than 2 km above the ground and can extend 18km up.  Indicates  Indicates fair weather  Fluffy  Fluffy rounded piles  Cumulonimbus  Cumulonimbus – often produce thunderstorms.

STRATUS CLOUDS  Means “spread out”  Form flat layers  Cover all or most of the sky  As they thicken they may produce drizzle, rain, or snow

CIRRUS HHHHigh clouds WWWWispy and feathery MMMMade mostly of ice crystals CCCCirrocumulus: looks like a row of cotton balls OOOOften indicate a storm is on the way.

Precipitation  Water droplets that get heavy enough to fall to the Earth’s surface.  Forms of precipitation include: rain, snow, sleet, and hail.  Most water molecules spend about 10 days in the atmosphere.  Rain most common form of precipitation.  Snow is water vapor that freezes directly into ice crystals. The ice crystals will clump together and form snowflakes.  Sleet raindrops that freezes as they fall through the atmosphere.  Hail starts as an ice pellet, as it falls through the atmosphere is melts and refreezes forming a hailstone.

PRECIP. CONTINUE RRRRain needs to be at least.5mm in diameter FFFFreezing rain is rain that freezes when it hits the ground not in the air. PPPPrecipitation ALWAYS comes from clouds, but not ALL clouds produce precipitation.