Weather Factors

Weather Factors: Weather is what is happening in the atmosphere at a specific time and place. The sun is source of heat and light, and energy for earth’s atmosphere. The sun is the ultimate cause of weather on earth. Air pressure, wind, temperature, and the amount of moisture in the air (humidity). Weather factors Air temperature: the molecules of air are always moving but as heat is increased the energy that the air molecule with is increased as well, which makes it feel warm. Air temperature can influence the pressure of the air and how much moisture it can hold. Wind: as the sun warms the air the air becomes less dense, warm air has low pressure, and rises, cooler air has high pressure and tends to sink creating high pressure, areas of high pressure move towards areas of low pressure creating wind. Scientists use different instruments to measure wind speed. The most common types of devices are windsocks and anemometers. /Wind socks and

weather vanes give the direction of the wind, anemometers give wind speed. Humidity is the amount of water that is present in the air. When heat evaporates water into the air it creates humidity. Relative humidity is the amount of water in the air compared to the total amount the air can hold at a specific temperature. The dew point is the temperature that water condenses out of the air. This is how clouds, fog and dew are created. It changes with the amount of water vapor in the air. The more water the higher the temperature needed to get it to condense. The water cycle: water is unique it is the only substance that can be in all three forms of matter at the same time, naturally on earth. It is necessary for survival of all the life forms on the planet. The water cycle starts with evaporation. The sun provides heat energy that causes water to turn into a gas. The water vapor rises with warm air molecules until it reaches cooler air higher above it. When the vapor cools it forms a cloud. This process is called condensation. When enough of the water droplets form and create

lager, heavier droplets, they fall to earth creating precipitation, completing the water cycle.

Weather Factors

by Canton Middle School on Sep 15, 2009

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Weather Factors — Document Transcript