Investigating Temperature

• Describe how the sun's energy powers the water cycle and makes our weather.

• Explain how temperature and pressure work together to make the air move.

• Model how rising air cools to form clouds, leading to rain and snow.

• Analyze how temperature can affect how strong or severe a storm will be.

Key Vocabulary

Air Parcel

A specific chunk of air with uniform temperature and humidity used to model weather.

Troposphere

The lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere, where all weather on Earth takes place.

Energy Transfer

The movement of energy from a warmer object to a cooler one, like sun to Earth.

Evaporation

The process where liquid water heats up and changes into water vapor, a gas.

Condensation

The process where water vapor cools and changes back into liquid water droplets.

Water Vapor

Water in its gaseous form. It is invisible and is a component of the air.

Key Vocabulary

Precipitation

Water that falls from clouds to Earth's surface as rain, snow, sleet, or hail.

Weather

The state of the atmosphere at a specific time and place, including its temperature.

Air Pressure

The weight of the air pressing down on a certain area, which influences wind.

Cloud

A visible collection of tiny water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air.

Energy and the Troposphere

• The sun is the main source of energy that drives all weather on Earth.

• Its energy warms the planet’s surface, including both land and water.

• The heated surface warms the air in the troposphere from the ground up.

• The air is warmest near the surface and gets colder higher up.

Warm Air Rises

• An air parcel is a theoretical bubble of air that we imagine as a single unit.

• When an air parcel is heated, its molecules spread out, making it less dense than cooler air.

• This causes the warm, less dense air parcel to rise, similar to a hot air balloon.

Cool Air Sinks

• Conversely, the molecules in a cooler air parcel are packed more closely together, making it denser.

• This dense, cool air sinks towards the Earth's surface because it is heavier than the surrounding air.

• This constant vertical movement of air, known as convection, creates winds and weather systems.

The Water Cycle and Weather

• The sun's energy heats water, turning it into vapor that rises.

• Rising water vapor cools, condensing into droplets to form clouds.

• Heavy water droplets fall back to Earth as rain or snow.

How Do Clouds and Storms Form?

• As warm, moist air rises into the atmosphere, it starts to cool.

• This cooling causes water vapor to condense into tiny liquid water droplets.

• These water droplets gather together, forming a cloud that we can see.

• More condensation can lead to heavier rainfall and more powerful storms.

Predicting the Weather

• Weather is the state of the atmosphere at a certain time and place.

• It is shaped by winds, landforms, and the temperature of the oceans.

• Weather forecasts predict the chance of an event, not a definite outcome.

• Scientists use past data to help forecast the location of future hazards.

• The sun’s energy heats the Earth, causing warm air to rise.

• The water cycle, which includes evaporation and condensation, is a key part of weather.

• Rising warm air can lead to cloud formation and more severe storms.

• Weather is complex and can only be predicted with a certain degree of probability.