Vertical Air Movement, Essay Example

Formation of clouds occurs when the water vapor in the air turns into water droplets or ice crystals. This process is termed as condensation and only occurs in conditions of high relative humidity. At high relative humidity, air is able to cool. In order for clouds to form, there has to be presence of moisture and this is the main reason why vertical movement of air is vital in the formation of clouds as well as precipitation. A lift is needed to get the moisture up the lifting level where condensation occurs. In case of high pressure, the lift of moisture to such levels may be quite difficult and this hinders precipitations and formation of clouds. Precipitation only occurs when air is raised above the lifting condensation level and clouds form when the air temperature equals the dew point (Silbeyet al., 2004).

There is a very vital role played by adiabatic temperature changes in the formation of clouds as well as precipitation. When an area experiences sudden low pressure, the wind coming from areas with high pressure tends to move towards the low pressure area causing a convergence. Due to this convergence, the air is forced to rise over the area. In case there is availability of enough moisture, the rising air is able to cool down and condense as cold air is not capable of holding water vapor below certain temperatures. The air that is condensing forms tiny droplets which eventually form the clouds. Since cold air happens to be dense that the warm air, the differences in air temperatures enables working of atmospheric actions thus eradicating density differences (Shipman, 2000). The rising air is a result of adiabatic cooling and the formation of clouds. Adiabatic cooling can as well be achieved in cases where there is clear sky. In cold conditions where air cannot hold water molecules, condensation has to occur and this can only be enabled by cooling down of air due to changes in adiabatic temperatures.

References

Shipman, T. (2000). An Introduction to Physical Science. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin.

Silbey, R.J. et al. (2004). Physical chemistry. Hoboken: Wile