Chapter 16 Section One Questions
Question
1. When does water
vapor in air condense?
2. Compare and contrast
humidity and relative
humidity
3. How does precipitation
occur and what
determines the type of
precipitation that falls to
Earth?
4. How does precipitation
occur and what
determines the type of
precipitation that falls to
Earth?
5. Cumulonimbus clouds
form when warm, moist
Answer
1. When the water vapor cools to
the dew point
( dew point- the temperature in
which air is saturated and
condensation forms)
2. Humidity: Amount of water
vapor in air
Relative humidity: Amount of
water vapor present in air
compared to the amount that is
needed for saturation at a
specific temperature.
3. Moist warm air is lifted and
cools to its dew point; water
vapor condenses around dust
particles and forms cloud drops.
4. Cloud droplets combine and
grow large enough to fall to
Earth; the temperature of the
atmosphere determines what
precipitation that falls to Earth.
5. Near the top of the cloud,
water droplets freeze around
air is suddenly lifted.
How can the same
cumulonimbus cloud
produce rain and hail?
small ice nuclei, forming ice
crystals. Hail may grow as
updraft in the cloud toss ice
crystals up and down. Rain
forms when falling ice crystals
melt or when large water
droplets fall from the lower parts
of the cloud.