How does condensation happen?
Condensation happens one of two ways: Either the air is cooled to its dew point or it becomes so saturated with water vapor that it cannot hold any more water. Dew point is the temperature at which condensation happens. When warm air hits the cold surface, it reaches its dew point and condenses.
What three things are needed for condensation to occur?
Visible and Concealed Condensation Two things must be present for condensation to occur: warm moist air, and cool surface temperatures below the dew point. The proper control of these two factors can minimize condensation.
Does low pressure cause condensation?
Here, the cooling is caused by the air: with the air above the wing having lower pressure, it has cooled (PV=NRT, vaguely remembered from physics, Pressure goes down, so does Temperature), and when the air is humid enough with the spread between temperature and dewpoint very close, that cooling is enough to give you …
Does condensation increase pressure?
The vapor pressure increases as the concentration of water vapor in the space above the liquid increases. Thus, the higher the concentration of water vapor molecules above the liquid surface, the faster the rate of condensation.
Does high or low pressure cause rain?
Generally high pressure means fair weather, and low pressure means rain.
Is it better to fly in high or low pressure?
Lows: Low pressure areas are more important to flying weather than high pressure areas because the lows make the inclemencies that challenge us. The circulation around a low is counter-clockwise in the northern hemisphere and air flows around and into a low and then circulates upward.
How do high winds affect air travel?
When it’s especially windy, airports may temporarily close crosswind runways because airplanes have trouble accelerating or decelerating when buffeted by winds blowing sideways. If there’s snow on the ground, high winds may cause it to blow and drift across runways, resulting in flight delays.
What happens in low pressure area?
A low pressure system has lower pressure at its center than the areas around it. Winds blow towards the low pressure, and the air rises in the atmosphere where they meet. As the air rises, the water vapor within it condenses, forming clouds and often precipitation.
Where is air density the highest?
Since air density is the number of air molecules in a given space (volume), air density is typically greatest at the surface or sea level (where it is squeezed by the weight of the entire atmosphere above) and decreases as we move up in the atmosphere because the weight of air above becomes less and hence there is less …
Why is air heavier closer to the ground?
The closer to the Earth’s surface, the greater the weight (or force) of the atmosphere because air near the surface has ALL air above it pushing down on it. The more compact (or close) those molecules are to each other, the more dense the atmosphere.
Why do planes fly in the stratosphere?
Commercial jet aircraft fly in the lower stratosphere to avoid the turbulence which is common in the troposphere below. The stratosphere is very dry; air there contains little water vapor. Because of this, few clouds are found in this layer; almost all clouds occur in the lower, more humid troposphere.
What is the highest a plane can fly?
Question: What is the highest altitude an airplane can fly? Answer: The highest commercial airliner altitude was 60,000 feet by Concorde. The highest military air-breathing engine airplane was the SR-71 — about 90,000 feet. The highest airliner flying today reaches 45,000 feet.
Do planes fly in the mesosphere?
The mesosphere is a layer of Earth’s atmosphere. The mesosphere is directly above the stratosphere and below the thermosphere. Weather balloons and other aircraft cannot fly high enough to reach the mesosphere. Satellites orbit above the mesosphere and cannot directly measure traits of this layer.
What happens if a plane goes too high?
When the plane gets too high, there is insufficient oxygen to fuel the engines. “The air is less dense at altitude, so the engine can suck in less and less air per second as it goes higher and at some point the engine can no longer develop sufficient power to climb.” …
What layer do weather balloons fly?
Stratosphere
Which is the hottest layer?
thermosphere
What is beneath the earth?
Beneath that is the mantle, which is itself made of three different sub-layers: the upper mantle, the transition zone, and the lower mantle. Together, they’re about 1,800 miles (2,900 kilometers) thick, and they make up about 84 percent of the planet’s volume.