Name ______________________ Class Period ______________ Date _____________________

The Water Cycle

Go to http://www.mbgnet.net/fresh/cycle/index.htm. Answer the following questions.
1. Define water cycle ______________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
2. What fraction of the earths surface is covered in water? _________________
3. What percentage of all of the Earths water is in a form that is usable to humans and land animals? ________

On the left side of the page, click on the words scientific concepts. Answer the following questions.
1. Evaporation is the process where a liquid changes from its _____________________ state to a ___________
state.
2. Why is evaporated water so clean? ___________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Condensation occurs when a ______________________ is changed into a _______________________.
4. Condensation is the opposite of ______________________.
5. When the _________________________ and ___________________________ are right, the small droplets
of water in clouds form larger droplets and precipitation occurs.

On the left side of the page, click on the words The Cycle. Answer the following questions.
1. What factor is most important in determining whether water is a solid, liquid, or gas? _________________
2. Is the amount of water on Earth always changing or is it a constant amount? _________________________

Cloud Types and Formation

On the left side of the page, click on the words, Cloud Formation. Fill in the following blanks.
1. Through the process of _______________ and ______________________, water moves into the atmosphere.
2. Water vapors then join with _______ _________________ to create clouds.
3. Cirrus mean ______________ or ______________.

Go to http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/cld/cldtyp/home.rxml . Answer the following questions.

1. Are cirrus clouds low or high? _______________________
2. Which root word tells us that a cloud brings rain? ___________________________

Go to http://www.fi.edu/weather/events/fog.html. Answer the following questions.

1. Fog is a ___________________ based on the ground, rather than in the atmosphere.
2. Fog forms when there is a lot of _______________ near the ground, or when the air near the ground cools to
the dew point.

Go to http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/cld/dvlp/cnvct.rxml. Complete the missing information.

1. As the earth is heated by the sun, bubbles of _____________ _____________ rise upward from the warm
surface.
2. If a thermal (vapor) is able to rise high enough to cool to its ________________ point, the moisture
condenses and becomes visible as a ______________________________.

Now click on the blue highlighted hotlink labeled fair weather cumulus or Go to:
http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/wwhlpr/fair_cumulus.rxml?hret=/guides/mtr/cld/dvlp/cnvct.rxml to answer
the following questions.

1. Fair weather cumulus have the appearance of __________ __________ and have a lifetime of
____________ minutes.
2. Known for their _________ ___________ and distinct ______________, fair weather cumulus exhibit only
slight ___________ ____________, with the cloud tops designating the limit of the rising air.

3. What can harmless fair weather cumulus clouds develop into? What type of weather are these clouds
associated with?

Now click on the blue highlighted hotlink labeled cumulonimbus or Go to:

http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/wwhlpr/cumulonimbus.rxml?hret=/guides/mtr/cld/dvlp/cnvct.rxml&prv=1
to answer the following questions.

1. Cumulonimbus clouds (Cb) are much ____________ and more ______________ developed than fair
weather cumulus clouds.

2. They can exist as individual towers or form a line of towers called a ___ _ ____ .

3. What is a squall line of clouds?

4. Fueled by vigorous ____________ ______________ (sometimes in excess 50 knots), the tops of

cumulonimbus clouds can easily reach ___________________ or higher.

*** When you finish answering the above questions and you have time left you may go to the following site to
play science games:
http://aim.hamptonu.edu/outreach/flash/clouds.swf
http://www.edheads.org/activities/weather/
http://www.scholastic.com/kids/weather/
http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/k4/online/Wonline1.html
http://spaceplace.nasa.gov//wild-weather-adventure/redirected/#/review/wild-weather-adventure/game.html