What is the function of condensation?
Condensation is crucial to the water cycle because it is responsible for the formation of clouds. These clouds may produce precipitation, which is the primary route for water to return to the Earth’s surface within the water cycle. Condensation is the opposite of evaporation.
What is precipitation in water cycle?
Precipitation is any liquid or frozen water that forms in the atmosphere and falls back to the Earth. Along with evaporation and condensation, precipitation is one of the three major parts of the global water cycle. Precipitation forms in the clouds when water vapor condenses into bigger and bigger droplets of water.
What is evaporation How does it work in the water cycle?
In the water cycle, evaporation occurs when sunlight warms the surface of the water. The heat from the sun makes the water molecules move faster and faster, until they move so fast they escape as a gas. Once evaporated, a molecule of water vapor spends about ten days in the air.
What is crystallization in the water cycle?
When the liquid in a cloud gets heavy enough, gravity will pull it down to the ground in the form of rain, hail, sleet, or snow. ​Snow is a special kind of precipitation sometimes called crystallization. Crystallization is the process by which a substance becomes a solid, sort of like freezing.
What are examples of condensation?
Common examples of condensation are: dew forming on grass in the early morning, eye glasses fogging up when you enter a warm building on a cold winter day, or water drops forming on a glass holding a cold drink on a hot summer day. Condensation occurs when water droplets form due to cooling air.
What happens to water when it evaporates?
Evaporation happens when a liquid substance becomes a gas. When water is heated, it evaporates. The molecules move and vibrate so quickly that they escape into the atmosphere as molecules of water vapor. Once water evaporates, it also helps form clouds.
What is the cycle of rain called?
Precipitation is water released from clouds in the form of rain, freezing rain, sleet, snow, or hail. It is the primary connection in the water cycle that provides for the delivery of atmospheric water to the Earth. Most precipitation falls as rain.
What three things are needed for condensation to occur?
Visible and Concealed Condensation Two things must be present for condensation to occur: warm moist air, and cool surface temperatures below the dew point. The proper control of these two factors can minimize condensation.
What do cumulus, stratus and cirrus clouds look like?
Cumulus, Stratus, and Cirrus. There are three main cloud types. Cumulus clouds are the puffy clouds that look like puffs of cotton. Cumulus clouds that do not get very tall are indicators of fair weather. If they do grow tall, they can turn into thunderstorms. The bottom of cumulus clouds are fairly close to the ground. Click on…
Why are stratus and stratocumulus clouds important?
Because stratus and stratocumulus clouds are so common and because they strongly reflect incoming solar radiation, these clouds are important for Earth’s radiative balance and therefore climate.
How tall do cumulus clouds have to be to turn into a thunderstorm?
Cumulus clouds that do not get very tall are indicators of fair weather. If they do grow tall, they can turn into thunderstorms. The bottom of cumulus clouds are fairly close to the ground. Click on the image to view the large version.
How does cirrus clouds affect the Earth’s climate?
Cirrus clouds affect Earth’s climate by reflecting incoming sunlight and inhibiting heat loss from the surface of the planet. It has been estimated that in certain heavy air-traffic corridors, cloud cover has increased by as much as 20 percent. (Source: National Weather Service: What is a contrail and how does it form?)