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Study Guide
Catastrophic Events
Define these terms:
 Air mass: Air that has the same temperature and humidity
throughout
 Front: a boundary that forms when different air masses
meet
 Evaporation: liquid water heats and changes into a gas
 Condensation: The process by which water vapor changes
from a gas to a liquid.
 Transpiration: The process by which plants release water
vapor into the air through their leaves.
 Precipitation: Water that falls from the atmosphere as rain,
sleet, snow or hail.
 Convection current: The movement or flow of air as it
changes temperature
 Cloud: Tiny water droplets, ice, dust particles grouped
together
 Barometer: an instrument used to measure changes in air
pressure
Questions:
 How does air flow? How does cold air move? How does
warm air move? Cold air sinks – warm air rises
 What type of weather forms where two different air
masses meet? Stormy weather
 Draw a picture and describe a land breeze:
At night the land cools faster, so the warm air over the sea
rises and the cooler air over the land moves in towards the
water.
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 Draw a picture and describe a sea breeze:
Air over the land heats up faster – this air rises – the
cooler air over the sea moves in over the land.
 Describe how clouds form
Water from the ground heats up and evaporates changing into
water vapor. The water vapor rises and meets cooler air. It then
changes back into a liquid through condensation. These water
droplets cling together and form clouds
 What type of weather occurs during a high pressure
system? Clear skies, calm weather
 What type of weather occurs during a low pressure
system? Clouds, precipitation, bad weather
Label the water cycle