Unit 7: Water Cycle and
Climate
On the white paper
complete questions
9, 12, 51, 52, 54, 75,
76,78, 79
1a) What is the water cycle?
Using the picture and the reading define
the following words:
• Hydrologic cycle= process by which water
travels from the air to the earth and returns
back to the atmosphere
• Water table= top level of groundwater
• Aquifer= water-bearing layer of rock
• Runoff= water running along the surface
• Condensation= from gas to liquid
• E) Transpiration= moisture entering the
atmosphere from plants and trees
Terms continued…
• Saturated zone= point where all pore spaces
of rock are filled with water (below the water
table)
• Transpiration= moisture entering the
atmosphere from plants and trees
• Infiltration= water soaking downward through
the soil
• Evapotranspiration= all moisture entering the
atmosphere regardless of the source
Terms continued…
• Saturated zone= point where all pore spaces
of rock are filled with water (below the water
table)
• Transpiration= moisture entering the
atmosphere from plants and trees
• Infiltration= water soaking downward through
the soil
• Evapotranspiration= all moisture entering the
atmosphere regardless of the source
2) Define porosity?
• It is the
percentage
of empty
space in a
rock (how
“holey” it
is).
2) How does porosity affect groundwater
movement?
• The higher the porosity, the faster the
movement of the groundwater.
•
3) What factors affecting porosity?
• A) shape of
particles
• B) the sorting
• C) their
arrangement
(packing)
• D)particle size
• E) cracks
• F) cementation
Which picture has the greater porosity? Why?
Which picture has the greater
porosity? Why?
Which picture has the greater
porosity? Why?
Which has the greatest porosity?
• If the shape, sorting and packing remain
the same the size of the particles can’t
change the porosity.
What other factors might change the
porosity?
• A) amount of cracks in a rock
(more cracks= higher porosity)
• B) particles cemented together
(if cemented=low porosity)
Capillarity
Capillarity
3) Define permeability:
• It is a measure of how fast water soaks
downward through the soil (infiltration rate).
• If the water moves through the soil quickly
then it has ___________ permeability.
If the water takes a long time to move or
doesn’t move at all then the soil has
___________ permeability.
How is porosity related to permeability (think of swiss cheese)?
Factor
How It Affects Permeability
Summary:
• A) Which column has the greatest
permeability? Why?
• B) Which column has the greatest capillarity?
Why?
1) Which heats up faster: a metal fork
or a wooden fork?
• A metal fork heats up faster because it
has a lower specific heat (amt of heat
needed to raise the temp.).
2) What is latent heat?
• This is heat energy absorbed or released
during a phase change.
3) What is a “phase change”?
•
•
•
•
Melting= solid to liquid= energy absorbed
Evaporation= liquid to gas= energy absorbed
Condensation= gas to liquid= energy released
Freezing= liquid to solid= energy released
4) What do the flat lines on a heating
curve represent?
• These represent when energy is being
absorbed or released and water is
changing phase.
5) What do the slanted lines on a
heating curve represent?
• These represent when water is in a
phase (solid, liquid or gas).
•
1) Where does earth get most of its
energy from?
• Most of our energy is
from incoming solar
radiation.
4) What is the electromagnetic spectrum?
• It is a chart which lists all forms of energy in order
of their wavelength
5) What kind of energy do we get
from the sun?
• We mostly get visible light, ultraviolet and
infrared radiation.
6) What is the relationship between the amount
of energy and the wavelength?
• The shorter the wavelength, the stronger the
form of energy.
Summary:
a) List the forms of energy from shortest wavelength to longest
Gamma, x-ray, UV, visible light, infrared, microwave, radio wave
b) Which is stronger: an x-ray or a microwave?
X-ray; it has a shorter wavelength
c) Which is stronger: light energy or heat energy?
Light energy; it has a shorter wavelength
d) List the visible light spectrum from longest to shortest
wavelength
ROYGBV
1) Insolation
• Incoming
solar
radiation
• Short
wavelengths
of visible light
• Mostly in the
yellow
portion
1) Terrestrial Radiation
• Energy emitted from the Earth
• Longer wavelengths of infrared radiation
2) Greenhouse Effect:
Transmitted
 Shorter
wavelengths of
visible light can
pass through the
atmosphere.
2)Greenhouse Effect:
Absorbed
Light energy hits the ground and is
absorbed and changed.
2) Greenhouse Effect:
Reradiation
Once light energy is changed into infrared
it is given off by the ground and absorbed
by greenhouse gases.
Think about it:Why can visible light
pass through but infrared cannot?
Visible light has a shorter wavelength.
3) What is the problem with
Venus?
 It has “runaway
greenhouse
effect” due to
too much carbon
dioxide
4) What are the major greenhouse gases and where do
they come from?
 Water vapor=
evapotranspiration
 Carbon dioxide=
burning of fossil
fuels and
deforestation
Aim: How is climate affected?
 Topic:
Water Cycle and Climate ( Unit 7)
 Main Idea: Factors Affecting Climate
1) How is climate different from
weather?
 Climate
is the long term condition of an area while
weather changes quickly.
2) Factors Affecting Climate
 Latitude
 Altitude
 Large
bodies of
water
 Mountain ranges
 Ocean
Currents/Prevailing
Winds
 El Niño/La Niña
 As
latitude
increases, the
temperature
decreases.
Latitude
 As
Altitude
altitude increases, climate temperature
decreases.
What temperature differences do you notice about these
locations?
Large Bodies of Water
 Since
water takes a
long time to heat up
and cool off (high
specific heat) we
have cool summers
and warm winters.
Mountain Ranges
 Orographic
effect: mountains make rain shadows
so one side becomes a desert.
Ocean Currents/Prevailing Winds
 Warm
currents bring warm air and cool currents
bring cool air.
El Niño
Warmer than normal
surface ocean water off
the west coast of S.
America.
 Every 3-7 years
 Wet winters, droughts,
flooding, and heat
waves

Aim: How do we read and analyze
climographs?
How do these two climates compare
to each other?
How do these two climates differ?
How do we calculate climate?
• P/Ep ratio
• P= average yearly precipitation
• Ep= potential evapotranspiration (depends on
the yearly average temperature)
• Less than 1 = arid climate
• Greater than 1 = humid climate
Aim: How do land and sea
breezes form?
Topic: Unit 6 Meteorology
Main Idea: Land and Sea Breezes
3) What is a sea breeze?
• It is a breeze coming from the ocean onto
land.
4)
• Hot air over
land=low
pressure;
Cold air over
water=high
pressure.
• Wind blows
from sea to
land
• DAY!!!!
5) What is a land breeze?
• It is a breeze blowing from the land to the
ocean.
6)
• Cold air over
land=high
pressure;
Warm air
over
ocean=low
pressure
• Wind blows
from land to
the ocean
• NIGHT!!!
Aim: What factors affect
insolation?
Topic: Water Cycle and Climates
Main Idea: Insolation
Angle of Insolation
The higher
the angle of
the sun the
more intense
it is.
Duration of Insolation
The longer
the length of
daylight the
more intense
the sun’s rays
are.
Surface That Is Struck
The darker the
color and
rougher the
surface more
light is
absorbed so
the greater the
intensity
.
Reflection
• Clouds, ice, snow and the ocean bounce
back many of the sun’s rays
Absorption
• UV radiation is absorbed by the ozone layer
and heat is absorbed by carbon dioxide and
water
Scattering
• Water droplets, ice crystals and dust
randomly reflect insolation
Conversion
• Dark, rough surfaces absorb some and
change it into heat.
How does latitude affect the angle of
insolation?
• The
higher the
latitude,
the lower
the angle
of
insolation.
Aim: Why is there a lag between
highest insolation and
temperature?
Topic: Unit 7 Water Cycle and Climate
Main Idea: Insolation-Temperature Lag
Highest Intensity
Day
Year
Highest Temperature
Lowest Intensity
Lowest Temperature
2) What is an insolationtemperature lag?
• This is a difference in time
between the most intense rays
of the sun and the highest
temperatures.
3) Why is there a lag
between the times?
• The earth takes time to heat up and
cool off.
Define the following:
Insolation:
Incoming energy
from the sun
Terrestrial
Radiation:
Outgoing infrared
energy from the
earth
Radiative Balance:
When the energy going out is
equal to the energy coming in
5) What would cause the
temperatures to change?
• A) When would the temperatures
increase?
insolation>terrestrial radiation
B) When would the temperatures
decrease?
terrestrial radiation>insolation
C) When would the highest and
lowest temperatures occur?
insolation=terrestrial radiation