Clouds and types of rains etc

Question 1

How do clouds form?

Answer 1

Aerosols and water vapour are floating around in the air and they are tiny. Aerosols and water vapour are always hitting each other, when air is cooled, some water vapour sticks to aerosols, known as condensation. Bigger water droplets form aound aerosols particles, forming clouds. Clouds will either be composed of ice/water, because droplets are so small, they can remain in liquid as low as 30 C. The wamer the air is the more water vapour can be hold, as air rises, it will cool and decreasing ability to hold more water, causing precipitation.

Question 2

List me 3 types of rain?

Answer 2

Frontal rainfall, relief rainfall, convectional rainfall.

Question 3

What is frontal rainfall?

Answer 3

When cold air masses meet with warm air masses, less dense warm air will rise above cold air, causing warm air to cool and condense, causing moderate to heavy precipitation.

Question 4

What is relief rainfall?

Answer 4

Prevailing winds pick up moisture from sea, making moist air. Moist air reaches coast and rises over mountains, causing air to condense and form clouds. Clouds drops moisture on top as relief rain, air will fall on the other side, so more ability to carry moisture, therefore little rain on far side.

Question 5

What is convectional rainfall?

Answer 5

Surface is heated by sun, warm air rises and cool and condense, causing huge amount of condensation, causing huge cumulus-nimbus clouds, causing heavy rain.

Question 6

What is drainage basin?

Answer 6

An area of land drained by river and tributaries, it is open system

Question 7

What is watershed?

Answer 7

Watershed is imaginary line sepearting drainage basin

Question 8

Equation for Water Budget?

Answer 8

Water Budget (Precipitation) = Runoff + Evapotranspiration +/- storage

Question 9

Stages in soil moisture

Answer 9

1. Soil moisture recharge: When precipitation > evapotranspiration, soil is refilled with water.
2. Soil moisture surplus: Excess water will have difficulty infiltrating, uninfilltrated water leads to surface runoff.
3. Soil moisture utilisation: Evapotranspiration > Precipitation, lead to reduction of water stored in soil
4. Soil moisture deflict: All water stored in soil have been used up.