Rain shadow

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/rain-shadow

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 scientific field?Climatology, Meteorology, Physical Geography
2. Why does the windward side of a mountain get more rain?When moist air rises over the mountain it cools, forms clouds, and drops water as rain before it reaches the other side.
3. How does the air become drier after it passes the mountain?As the air falls back down, it warms, can hold more moisture, and so it doesn't condense, leaving the leeward side dry.

Adiabatic lapse rate: The rate at which air temperature changes with altitude due to expansion or compression, without heat exchange.
Condensation nuclei: Tiny particles in the atmosphere (like dust or salt) around which water vapor condenses to form cloud droplets.
Xeric environment: An ecosystem characterized by a severe lack of available water, adapted by specialized plant and animal life.