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Questions and Answers
What is the process of transformation of water into water vapour?
What is the process of transformation of water into water vapour?
What is the term for the amount of water vapour in the air?
What is the term for the amount of water vapour in the air?
In which type of environment is the amount of water vapour in the air almost zero?
In which type of environment is the amount of water vapour in the air almost zero?
What is the ratio of the amount of water vapour in the air to the total amount of water vapour the air can carry?
What is the ratio of the amount of water vapour in the air to the total amount of water vapour the air can carry?
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What happens when the temperature of air falls below the dew point?
What happens when the temperature of air falls below the dew point?
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What is the term for the change of water vapour to its liquid or solid forms?
What is the term for the change of water vapour to its liquid or solid forms?
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Why do we feel sticky and uneasy on a high-humidity day?
Why do we feel sticky and uneasy on a high-humidity day?
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What is the unit of measurement for Absolute Humidity?
What is the unit of measurement for Absolute Humidity?
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What is the condition required for condensation to occur?
What is the condition required for condensation to occur?
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What is the surface upon which water can condense?
What is the surface upon which water can condense?
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What is formed when saturated air comes into contact with a cold surface at a temperature below 0°C?
What is formed when saturated air comes into contact with a cold surface at a temperature below 0°C?
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What are cirrus clouds made up of?
What are cirrus clouds made up of?
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What is the process by which water vapour in the air changes to liquid water?
What is the process by which water vapour in the air changes to liquid water?
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What is the type of cloud that appears as a large, grey sheet covering the entire sky?
What is the type of cloud that appears as a large, grey sheet covering the entire sky?
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What happens when the amount of water vapour in the air becomes more than the capacity of the air to hold it?
What happens when the amount of water vapour in the air becomes more than the capacity of the air to hold it?
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What forms when temperatures are so low that water vapour turns directly into ice?
What forms when temperatures are so low that water vapour turns directly into ice?
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Study Notes
Humidity and Rainfall
- Water vapour is formed through evaporation when water is heated intensely.
- Moisture in the atmosphere plays a crucial role in the formation of clouds, rain, snow, hail, sleet, and more.
Humidity
- Humidity is the amount of water vapour or moisture in the air.
- The more water vapour in the air, the greater the humidity.
- Humidity varies greatly from place to place, with deserts having almost zero water vapour and coastal areas and rainforests having up to 4% of the total volume of air.
- High humidity makes sweat evaporate slowly, making us feel sticky and uneasy, while low humidity makes skin feel dry and lips get chapped.
Measuring Humidity
- Absolute Humidity: measures the amount of water vapour present in a unit volume of air, usually in kilograms per cubic metre.
- Relative Humidity: measures the ratio of water vapour in the air to the total amount of water vapour the air can carry at that temperature and pressure, expressed as a percentage.
Condensation
- Condensation is the change of water vapour to its liquid or solid forms when warm, moisture-laden air comes into contact with a cold surface.
- The temperature at which the amount of water vapour in the air is at its maximum limit is called the dew point of air.
- Condensation usually occurs around small particles of dust in the atmosphere.
Forms of Condensation
- Dew: forms when saturated air comes into contact with a cold surface above 0°C.
- Frost: forms when saturated air comes into contact with a cold surface below 0°C.
- Mist or fog: forms when a larger layer of air near the ground cools.
- Clouds: form when condensation occurs high up in the air.
Clouds
- Clouds are floating masses of supercooled water droplets and ice crystals.
- There are many types of clouds, including cirrus, stratus, and cumulus clouds.
- Cirrus clouds are thin, wispy clouds found high up in the atmosphere and made up of ice crystals.
- Stratus clouds are low-lying clouds that appear as large, grey sheets covering the entire sky.
- Cumulus clouds are massive, billowing clouds.
Precipitation
- Precipitation occurs when the amount of water vapour in the air becomes more than the capacity of the air to hold it.
- Precipitation comes in different forms, including snow, hail, and rain.
- Snow forms when temperatures are so low that water vapour turns directly into ice.
- Hailstones are ice pellets that are too large to fall as snow.
- Rain forms when the condensed cloud droplets come down to Earth.
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Description
Learn about the formation of water vapour, evaporation, and humidity, and how it affects the formation of clouds and precipitation.
