Meteorology Today: An Introduction to Weather, Climate, and the Environment, 11e

C. Donald Ahrens

Condensation: Dew, Fog,

and Clouds
CHAPTER 5
 The Formation of Dew
• Dew forms on objects near the ground’s
surface when they cool below the dew
point
– More likely on clear nights (high-pressure
systems) due to increased radiative cooling;
also occurs prior to rain-producing systems
– Frozen dew forms when temperature is below
freezing; appears as tiny beads of ice
 The Formation of Frost
• Frost forms on cold, clear, calm mornings
when the dew-point temperature is at or
below freezing
– White frost (hoarfrost or frost): white crystals
of ice which form a branching pattern
– Black frost (freeze frost) occurs when air
temperature drops below the freezing point
without reaching the frost point
 Condensation Nuclei
• Particles in air that allow the condensation
of water
– Cloud condensation nuclei most favorable for
producing clouds have a 0.1 µm or more
– Enter atmosphere through dust, volcanoes,
smoke, forest fires, salt from ocean, sulfate
from ocean phytoplankton
– Some are hygroscopic (H2O liking); others are
hydrophobic (H2O repelling)
 Haze
• Layer of dust or salt particles suspended
above a region
– Dry haze selectively scatters some rays of
sunlight, while allowing others to penetrate
the air - produces a bluish (dark background)
or yellow (light background) tint to air
– Wet haze occurs on the most active
hygroscopic nuclei when condensation begins
(~75 RH) - restricts visibility more than dry
haze
 Fog
• Wet haze made of millions of floating
water droplets
– Fog formed in dirty air is often thicker than fog
formed over the ocean
– Acid fog forms in polluted air - contains acids
posing a threat to human health
 Fog Formation
• Fog forms in two ways
– Cooling: air is cooled below its saturation
point (dew point)
– Evaporation and mixing: water vapor is added
to the air by evaporation, and the moist air
mixes with relatively dry air
• Fog is maintained by new fog droplets
formed on available nuclei
 Radiation Fog
• Radiation fog is produced by Earth’s
radiational cooling
– Forms best on clear nights with light wind
(high-pressure anticyclones) when a shallow
layer of moist air is overlain by drier air
– Most common over land in late fall and winter
– Forms in low-lying areas; called valley fog
– Generally “burns off” by mid-day due to
ground temperature increase
 Advection Fog
• Forms by cooling surface air to its
saturation point, i.e., warm moist air
moving over a cold surface
– Always involves the movement of air
– Provides moisture (fog drip) inland impacting
plant growth (e.g., California redwood trees)
– Prevails where two ocean currents with
different temperatures flow
– Forms over land as advection-radiation fog
 Upslope Fog
• Upslope fog forms as moist air flows up
along an elevated plain, hill, or mountain
– Typically forms during winter and spring on
the eastern side of the Rockies where slopes
are ~1 km higher than the land
– The air rises, expands, and becomes cooler
 Evaporation (Mixing) Fog
• Forms by the mixing of two unsaturated air
masses
– Example: exhaling in cold air
– Common form is steam fog: cold air moving
over warm water
– May form above wet surfaces on sunny days
– Can develop as precipitation fog ahead of a
warm front or behind a cold front
 Foggy Weather
• Dense fog is more prevalent in coastal
margins (areas along the coast)
• Fog is beneficial to fruit and nut trees
– Winter chilling: large number of hours below
7°C (45°F) required before trees begin to
grow again
• Fog causes dangerous driving conditions,
sea navigation, and flying
 Clouds
• Visible aggregates of tiny water droplets or
ice crystals suspended in air
• Some are found only at high elevations—
others nearly touch the ground
• Divided into 10 basic types
 Classification of Clouds
• 1802: clouds were first classified by
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
• 1803: system was modified by Luke
Howard - used Latin words to name clouds
• 1887: Abercromby and Hildebrandsson
expanded the system - basic system used
today
– 10 principle cloud forms in 4 primary cloud
groups (each group has a base height)
 High Clouds
• Generally form above 5,000 m; composed
mostly of ice crystals and are thin and
white
– Cirrus: thin, wispy clouds; move from west to
east; occur in fair weather
– Cirrocumulus: small, rounded white puffs;
rippling appearance
– Cirrostratus: thin, sheetlike, high clouds; often
produce a halo; form ahead of storms
 Middle Clouds
• Found between 2,000-7,000 m (6,500-
23,000 ft) in middle latitudes; composed of
water and ice crystals
– Altocumulus: middle clouds composed of H2O
droplets; gray, puffy masses in bands
– Altostratus: gray or blue-gray clouds
composed of ice and water; often cover the
whole sky
 Low Clouds
• Bases lie below 2,000 m (6,500 ft) - mostly
composed of H2O droplets
– Nimbostratus: dark-gray, “wet”-looking cloud
layers associated with light rain or snow
– Stratocumulus: low, lumpy clouds that appear
in rows, patches, or round masses; blue sky is
visible between clouds
– Stratus: uniform gray clouds that cover the
entire sky; resembles fog; generally no rain
 Clouds with
Vertical Development
• Cumulus cloud looks like floating cotton
with a flat base and dome top
– Cumulus humilis: associated with fair weather
– Cumulus fractus: scattered across the sky
– Cumulus congestus: vertically developed
• Cumulonimbus: a thunderstorm cloud -
can occur as an isolated cloud or as a
“wall” of clouds
– Anvil-shaped top: produced by high altitude
winds; may contain all forms of precipitation
 Some Unusual Clouds
• Lenticular clouds: lens-shaped clouds
• Banner clouds: extend downwind of a
mountain peak
• Pileus: scarf-like cap of a cumulus cloud
• Mammatus clouds: baglike clouds
• Contrail: the condensation trail of aircraft
• Nacreous clouds: pearly-looking clouds
• Noctilucent clouds: luminous night clouds
 Satellite Observations
• Weather satellites provide valuable
images of clouds over areas where there
are no ground-based observations
• Two primary types of weather satellites
– Geostationary: orbit at the same rate as Earth
spins; provide continuous monitoring of a
specific region using a real-time data system
– Polar-orbiting: pass over north and south
polar regions
 Questions for Discussion
• Why can you see your breath on a cold
morning? Does the air temperature have
to be below freezing for this to occur?
 Questions for Discussion
• You are sitting inside your house on a
sunny afternoon. The shades are drawn
and you look out the window and notice
the sun disappears for about 10 seconds.
The alternate light and dark periods last
for ~30 minutes. Are the clouds passing in
front of the sun cirrocumulus, altocumulus,
stratocumulus, or cumulus?