Investigation 5: The Causes of Weather

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To learn more about main loop of the water cycle, visit the following web sites:

Water: A Never Ending Story, University of Washington
This web page is designed for students and teachers. It includes activities about different processes in the water cycle with some background material to help teachers.

Make a Water Cycle Wheel, Illinois EPA
Print out these pages and follow the instructions to make your own water wheel. See how the water moves from the ocean to the air to the land and back again.

Follow a Drip Through the Water Cycle, USGS
Read a story about a drop of water as it goes through the entire water cycle. To help, some of the terms are linked to their definitions in a glossary.

The Water Cycle, EPA
Learn more about how sunshine, evaporation, rain, snow, mountains, rivers and streams, and oceans are all involved in the water cycle processes.

The Water Cycle, Earth Observatory
A discussion of the water cycle and it's importance to life.


To learn more about evaporation and condensation, visit the following web sites:

Evaporation, USGS
Find out about evaporation in the water cycle.

Condensation, USGS
Find out about condensation in the water cycle.


To learn more about clouds and precipitation, visit the following web sites:

Cloud Classification, Plymouth State College
This site offers a boutique of different cloud photos and descriptions. It also explains how and why clouds form at different elevations.

Clouds and Precipitation, Online Meteorology Guide, University of Illinois
Topics covered on this site include:

IES Climate and Weather cover art
AGI/It's About Time
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AGI's professional development programs for teachers are supported by generous contributions from corporate contributors of the American Geosciences Institute Foundation and the American Association of Petroleum Geologists Foundation.