Dew

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/dew

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the ecological role?Provides essential water for small organisms and plants, particularly in arid regions
2. What is dew and how does it form on grass and leaves?Dew is tiny water drops that appear when surfaces cool by radiating heat to space. When the surface temperature falls to the dew point, water vapor in the air condenses into liquid droplets on the surface.
3. Why does dew appear more on grass and thin metal surfaces?These surfaces are poor conductors of heat and cool quickly through radiation, dropping below the dew point more easily than large, heat‑retaining objects.

Radiative Cooling: The process by which a surface loses heat by emitting infrared radiation into its surroundings.
Dew Point: The temperature at which air becomes saturated with water vapor, leading to condensation.
Condensation Nuclei: Microscopic particles in the atmosphere that provide surfaces for water vapor to condense upon.