---
title: "SM2: Energy Transfer and Precipitation (Georgia Science standard)"
code: SM2
cite_as: Georgia Standards of Excellence, Science, SM2
subject: science
grades:
  - high-school
language: en
canonical_url: https://georgiahomeroom.org/standards/code/SM2
md_url: https://georgiahomeroom.org/standards/code/SM2.md
alternate_language_url: https://georgiahomeroom.org/es/standards/code/SM2.md
source_url: https://case.georgiastandards.org/ims/case/v1p1/CFDocuments/27a08dc6-416e-11e7-ba71-02bd89fdd987
source_last_changed: 2025-05-29
data_built: 2026-09-18
publisher: Georgia Homeroom, a free public-interest project of Georgia Civic Data. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the Georgia Department of Education or any school district.
up: https://georgiahomeroom.org/standards/science/high-school.md
index: https://georgiahomeroom.org/standards/index.md
---

# SM2: Energy Transfer and Precipitation

Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about energy transfer and its role in precipitation, cloud formation, and air mass formation.

- Subject: Science
- Appears in: High School, https://georgiahomeroom.org/standards/science/high-school.md

## Expectations

- **SM2.a**: Ask questions to compare and contrast the relationships between air masses, source regions, fronts, and the changes associated with frontal passage (e.g., air density, temperature, dew point, wind direction, cloud types, precipitation.)
- **SM2.b**: Ask questions to identify major types of clouds and weather associated with each type. (Clarification statement: Cloud types should go beyond cirrus, stratus, and cumulus and may also include cirrostratus, altocumulus, cumulonimbus, etc.)
- **SM2.c**: Construct an explanation of how clouds and different types of precipitation develop. (Clarification statement: The convective loop processes should be addressed here.)
- **SM2.d**: Develop and use models to construct an explanation of the role that pressure differences have on energy transfer and the development of wind systems (e.g., sea breeze, land breeze, Hadley cells, Ferrel cells, prevailing winds, jet stream, ENSO, global scale winds). (Clarification statement: Inclusion of the Coriolis effect is appropriate at the global scale).

## Georgia Milestones coverage

No Georgia Milestones blueprint cites this standard.

Source: Georgia Standards of Excellence, published by the Georgia Department of Education at case.georgiastandards.org.