What is condensation nuclei ?
What is condensation nuclei ?
The truth is, cloud formation isn't as simple as it first appears because to understand clouds you must first understand something called condensation nuclei. Condensation nuclei are tiny particles in the air on which water vapor condenses and they are the key to making clouds, fog, haze, rain, and other forms of precipitation.
Condensation nuclei come in many forms. They can form from dust, soot from fires and vehicle exhaust, sea salts from waves crashing onto shore, volcanic eruptions, or any other way small particles enter the atmosphere. Make no mistake, these particles are very small and you likely don't even notice them. The average condensation nuclei is only about 1/100th the size of a cloud droplet. Because nuclei are made from different materials, they also differ in terms of their ability to form clouds (or fog). For example, something like sea salt can absorb water very well, thus forming droplets easily. However materials like soot from a coal fired stove or dust from the highway don't absorb water well and would have more difficulty producing a cloud droplet.
The truth is, cloud formation isn't as simple as it first appears because to understand clouds you must first understand something called condensation nuclei. Condensation nuclei are tiny particles in the air on which water vapor condenses and they are the key to making clouds, fog, haze, rain, and other forms of precipitation.
Condensation nuclei come in many forms. They can form from dust, soot from fires and vehicle exhaust, sea salts from waves crashing onto shore, volcanic eruptions, or any other way small particles enter the atmosphere. Make no mistake, these particles are very small and you likely don't even notice them. The average condensation nuclei is only about 1/100th the size of a cloud droplet. Because nuclei are made from different materials, they also differ in terms of their ability to form clouds (or fog). For example, something like sea salt can absorb water very well, thus forming droplets easily. However materials like soot from a coal fired stove or dust from the highway don't absorb water well and would have more difficulty producing a cloud droplet.
