Download Unit 3 The Water Cycle

Unit 4
Weather
Lesson 2
How Do the Oceans and
the Water Cycle Affect
Weather?
The Oceans Affect Weather
In the summertime,
the sun absorbs
the heat in the
oceans. This
results in the air
above the
oceans to be
cooler.
The Oceans Affect Weather
In the winter months,
the oceans release
heat into the air
above them. This
causes the air to be
warmer.
Warm Water Currents
Uneven heating in various
parts of the ocean results
in currents. Warm
currents flow like rivers in
the oceans. Two warm
currents include The Gulf
Stream Current and the
North Atlantic Current.
These warm currents
causes the weather in
these places to be warmer.
Cold Water Currents
There are also cold water currents such as the California
Current. This current creates cooler weather along
California’s Coast.
El Nino
Currents can also be deep in the ocean. These currents carry cooler
water. When warm air on the oceans’ surface is not blown away by
winds, the these cooler currents cannot reach the surface. This
results in El Nino. El Nino changes weather patterns over the
Pacific Ocean causing heavy rains in some areas and little rainfall in
others.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR5VPAqVQBw
Weather Patterns &
the Water Cycle
Global winds carry warm
vapor from the tropics
to cooler regions.
There, heat is released
to the atmosphere as
the water vapor
condenses.
Clouds
 Clouds form where there is high humidity.
 Clouds are made of dust and condensed
water.
 Water formed in clouds returns to Earth as
precipitation.
 There are three types of clouds: cumulus,
stratus, and cirrus.
Cumulus Clouds
 These clouds are puffy and indicate fair
weather, but as a cumulus cloud grows, rain
can develop.
Stratus Clouds
 Stratus clouds form low in the atmosphere.
They usually cover the sky. It is possible for
moderate rainfall or snowfall to fall from
stratus clouds.
Cirrus Clouds
 Cirrus clouds form high in the troposphere,
where the air is very cold. They are made
mostly of ice crystals.
Precipitation
 Light drizzle falls from stratus clouds.
 Rain and other forms of precipitation fall
from cumulonimbus clouds.
 Solid forms of precipitation are snow, sleet,
and hail.
Snow
 Snow is formed when water
vapor turns directly into ice
crystals.
Sleet & Hail
 Sleet & hail is formed when liquid water passes
through cold air and becomes frozen.
Other Forms of Condensed
Water Vapor
 Dew
 Fog
 Frost
Ocean Current Videos
Ocean Currents – Bill Nye the Science Guy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_8mw1HYFg&feature=related
Deep Ocean Currents – music video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_wLatK7sXg&f
eature=related