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If cloud temperatures are between -25 and -40 degrees Celsius, what do you expect the cloud will be composed of? Group of answer choices

A) Mostly supercooled droplets Entirely composed of ice crystals
B) Mostly ice crystals with some supercooled droplets

User Marky
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2 Answers

3 votes

Final answer:

Clouds at -25 to -40°C are expected to be mostly composed of ice crystals with some super cooled droplets due to the super cooling effects which can prevent cloud droplets from freezing and falling as precipitation.

Step-by-step explanation:

When cloud temperatures are between -25 and -40 degrees Celsius, we expect the clouds to be mostly composed of ice crystals with some super cooled droplets. Water generally remains as a super cooled liquid down to about -10°C. Because the temperatures in question are significantly lower, most of the water droplets would have frozen into ice crystals. However, some droplets can remain in a liquid state even at these low temperatures due to super cooling effects, where water remains liquid below its normal freezing point in the absence of a nucleation point. Option B is correct.

Super cooling effects play a significant role by allowing water to remain in a super cooled state and delaying ice formation, which can influence cloud dynamics and precipitation. The introduction of nuclei such as ice crystals, dust particles, or artificially dispersed substances like silver iodide or dry ice can trigger the aggregation of water droplets around these nuclei, leading to precipitation.

User Jcmitch
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5.8k points
6 votes

Answer:

The correct answer is A.

Step-by-step explanation: