Weather Elements and Processes

Start with the atmosphere

Begin with The Atmosphere for a map of air pressure, atmospheric layers, heat transfer and winds. Its branches offer a way to see these ideas together before looking at individual processes. Follow it with Global Atmospheric Circulation, which connects uneven heating by the sun with temperature differences and air pressure.

For another look at pressure, read the notes on air masses, fronts and pressure systems. They describe an air mass as a large volume of air with similar temperature and moisture, and a front as the meeting point of air masses.

Trace heat and water

How Heat Connects to Water links heat to evaporation and condensation. Use it to follow what happens as water gains and loses heat. The Hydrological-Cycle mind map offers another view, with branches on clouds, heat and changes between ice, liquid water and water vapor.

To focus on cloud names, use the Clouds flashcards alongside the Weather mind map. The map describes cloud types, including cumulus and stratus, while the cards give you names to study.

Practice and connect

After reading a map or note, try the quiz in the collection. Use your answers to decide which resource to look at again, then return to the relevant map and trace its branches. The flashcards offer a different way to practice recalling terms without reading a full map each time.

These resources sit within the wider Climate and Climate Change unit in Geology and earth sciences. The Elements of the climate flowchart offers another format for studying material in the unit. Choose a resource that matches what you are studying and work through it at your own pace.