CONDENSATION: What Is Condensation As It Relates To The Water Cycle?
Condensation is the cooling of water vapour until it becomes a liquid. As the dew point is reached, water vapour forms tiny visible water droplets. When these droplets accumulate in the sky and other atmospheric conditions are present, clouds will form.
As the droplets collide, they merge and form larger droplets and eventually precipitation will occur.
Condensation generally occurs in the atmosphere when warm air rises and cools and loses its capacity to hold water. As a result, excess water vapour condenses to form cloud droplets.
The upward motions that generate clouds can be produced by connvection in unstable air, convergence associated with cyclones, lifting of air by fronts and lifting over elevated topography such as mountains.
Also Read: What Is Engineering Hydrology, Meaning & Definition?
