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What is the curvature effect meteorology?
The saturation vapor pressure is defined over a plane (flat) surface of water. This reduced surface tension and the larger saturation vapor pressure required for the drop to remain in equilibrium with its surroundings is called the curvature effect. This effect is enhanced for smaller drops.
What is the curvature effect and how does it influence water droplets?
The curvature of a droplet tends to increase the concentration of vapor at the surface of the droplet. Small droplets have more curvature than larger droplets. In general, given identical atmospheric conditions, a smaller droplet will have a greater concentration of water vapor at its surface than a larger droplet.
How do the curvature effect and the solute effect influence the formation of water droplets in the atmosphere?
The curvature and solute effects help us understand how water droplets form and grow in the at- mosphere. The curvature effect inhibits the formation of droplets because the relative humidity required for them to be in equilibrium with their environment increases as droplet size decreases.
What is the solute effect?
The simple view of this effect is that solute molecules are evenly distributed in the water (solvent) and, therefore, that some solute molecules occupy surface sites that would otherwise be occupied by water molecules. Thus, the solute prevents water molecules from evaporating from those sites.
What is a Kohler curve?
The Köhler curve is the visual representation of the Köhler equation. It shows the supersaturation at which the cloud drop is in equilibrium with the environment over a range of droplet diameters. The exact shape of the curve is dependent upon the amount and composition of the solutes present in the atmosphere.
What is the report of the Kelvin effect on liquid drops?
When the Laplace pressure rises in a droplet, the droplet tends to evaporate more easily. When applying the Kelvin equation, two cases must be distinguished: A drop of liquid in its own vapor will result in a convex liquid surface, and a bubble of vapor in a liquid will result in a concave liquid surface.
Why does condensation enhance cloud growth?
Cloud droplets can grow to a larger size in three ways. The first is by the continued condensation of water vapor into cloud droplets and thus increasing their volume/ size until they become droplets. Turbulent currents in the clouds provide the first collisions between droplets.
What are 4/5 major causes of atmospheric lifting and rainfall?
– There are four lifting mechanisms that form clouds: Orographic Lifting, Convection, Convergence, and Updraft. – Orographic lifting is when air cannot go through a mountain, and so it flows over it. – Frontal Lifting is when less dense warm air is forced to rise over cooler, denser air as a weather fronts move.
How do solutes affect freezing point?
The presence of a solute lowers the freezing point of any solvent; this effect is called freezing-point depression. The key to understanding this effect is that the solute is present in the liquid solution, but not in the pure solid solvent. Example: think of pure ice cubes floating in salt water.