What Factors Affect Precipitation

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What Factors Affect Precipitation?

The 3 main factors that affect precipitation are prevailing winds the presence of mountains and seasonal winds. Mountain ranges is a line of mountains connected by high ground. A mountain range in the path of prevailing winds can also decide where precipitation falls.

What are the main factors that affect precipitation?

Three factors that might influence the occurrence of precipitation are moisture supply frontal position and atmospheric instability.

What four factors affect a region’s precipitation?

Factors that affect a region’s precipitation include its latitude the distribution of air pressure systems and global winds and the existence of a mountain barrier.

What affects precipitation and temperature?

The temperature characteristics of a region are influenced by natural factors such as latitude elevation and the presence of ocean currents. The precipitation characteristics of a region are influenced by factors such as proximity to mountain ranges and prevailing winds.

What two factors are needed for precipitation to occur?

Water and condensation nuclei.

What are the 8 types of precipitation?

The different types of precipitation are:
  • Rain. Most commonly observed drops larger than drizzle (0.02 inch / 0.5 mm or more) are considered rain. …
  • Drizzle. Fairly uniform precipitation composed exclusively of fine drops very close together. …
  • Ice Pellets (Sleet) …
  • Hail. …
  • Small Hail (Snow Pellets) …
  • Snow. …
  • Snow Grains. …
  • Ice Crystals.

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What two factors mainly influence global precipitation?

The global distribution of precipitation is influenced by the general circulation of the atmosphere proximity to large bodies of water and topography. Precipitation is most abundant where air rises and least abundant where it sinks. It also tends to be greater near oceans and lakes and in higher elevations.

How do mountains affect precipitation?

Mountains can have a significant effect on rainfall. When air reaches the mountains it is forced to rise over this barrier. As the air moves up the windward side of a mountain it cools and the volume decreases. As a result humidity increases and orographic clouds and precipitation can develop.

How can you increase precipitation?

How to (Try to) Make It Rain
  1. Seeding the Sky. The most widely used weather-modification technique is probably cloud seeding which involves priming clouds with particles of silver iodide. …
  2. Rain Rockets. Airplanes aren’t the only way to seed clouds. …
  3. The Atmosphere Zapper. …
  4. Ice-Breaking Booms. …
  5. Riding the Lightning.

How does precipitation affect the weather?

Precipitation moves moisture from the upper levels of the atmosphere to the lower levels and the surface. Generally as rain or snow. If the average amounts of precipitation that fall changes the 30 year average either wetter or drier that is climate change.

How does climate change affect precipitation?

As average temperatures at the Earth’s surface rise (see the U.S. and Global Temperature indicator) more evaporation occurs which in turn increases overall precipitation. Therefore a warming climate is expected to increase precipitation in many areas.

What are the 4 conditions that must exist for precipitation to occur?

Solution: 1) The air must contain water vapor that can precipitate 2) the moist air must cool down in order to release water in liquid form and 3) there must be condensation nuclei for water vapor to condensate on.

Where is precipitation most likely to occur?

Most precipitation occurs within the tropics and is caused by convection. The movement of the monsoon trough or intertropical convergence zone brings rainy seasons to savannah regions. Precipitation is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing fresh water on the planet.

What causes the different forms of precipitation?

When particles fall from clouds and reach the surface as precipitation they do so primarily as rain snow freezing rain or sleet. The main difference between these different types of precipitation is the temperature variations between the cloud base and the ground.

What are the 3 main types of precipitation?

Precipitation (Water Falling from the Sky)
  • The most common types of precipitation:
  • Rain. …
  • Snow. …
  • Hail. …
  • Sleet.

What are three factors that affect weather?

The three main factors of weather are light (solar radiation) water (moisture) and temperature.

What causes precipitation to form and what are the factors that govern the rate of precipitation?

Precipitation forms in the clouds when water vapor condenses into bigger and bigger droplets of water. When the drops are heavy enough they fall to the Earth. … These ice crystals then fall to the Earth as snow hail or rain depending on the temperature within the cloud and at the Earth’s surface.

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How does precipitation affect topology?

In the case of air flowing over the mountains precipitation is concentrated on the windward facing side and a rain-shadow occurs on the lee side. … If air cannot flow over the mountains more complicated flow patterns and precipitation distributions can result. As air approaches the topography it slows down.

Does latitude affect precipitation?

To simplify precipitation decreases as latitude increases toward the poles (since how much precipitation air can hold depends largely on its temperature and depending on the seasons higher latitudes are typically colder).

What is a major factor in why there is a high amount of precipitation that falls near the equator?

Near the Earth’s equator solar heating is intense year round. The Sun heats the ocean evaporating tremendous amounts of water. The sun-warmed ocean heats the overlying air which rises like a hot air balloon. As air rises it cools and water vapor condenses into rain.

How do large bodies of water affect precipitation?

Large bodies of water change temperature slower than land masses. … Warm water also increases evaporation and ultimately precipitation.

Why does precipitation fall mainly on the windward sides of mountains?

Why does precipitation fall mainly on the windward side of a mountain? When humid winds blow from the oceans toward mountains they must rise up to pass over the mountains. The rising warm air cools when it rises and its water vapor condenses forming clouds rain or snow falls on the windward side of the mountain.

How do mountains cause rain?

orographic precipitation rain snow or other precipitation produced when moist air is lifted as it moves over a mountain range. As the air rises and cools orographic clouds form and serve as the source of the precipitation most of which falls upwind of the mountain ridge.

Who induces precipitation the process of?

Consider for example precipitation occurs when a part of the atmosphere saturates itself with water vapour and with the right temperature it condenses and precipitates. The two processes that make the air saturated are the cooling of air molecules in the atmosphere and the addition of water vapour.

What causes less rainfall?

The proximate or immediate cause of a rainfall shortage may be due to one or more factors including an absence of available moisture in the atmosphere large scale subsidence (downward movement of air within the atmosphere) which suppresses convective activity and the absence or non-arrival of rain-bearing systems.

How might global warming affect the precipitation quizlet?

How might global warming affect global precipitation? Warmer surface temperatures will increase evaporation rates which will put more water vapor into the atmosphere. Water vapor is a powerful absorber of radiation emitted by Earth and will magnify the effect of carbon dioxide and other gases.

What is the most likely effect of an increase in precipitation?

In addition to flooding heavy precipitation also increases the risk of landslides. When above-normal precipitation raises the water table and saturates the ground slopes can lose their stability causing a landslide.

What are the other indicators of difference in precipitation?

Explanation: The most common indicators of precipitation which in turn indicate climatic changes include – daily minimum and maximum temperature the drought index mean air temperature cold spell index soil moisture index snow cover etc.

What are global patterns of precipitation?

The most obvious month-to-month long-distance relationship is the one between areas mostly north of the equator which generally get their rain from November through April and areas south of the equator which get their rain between May and October. …

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What is not necessary for precipitation?

Most of the condensed water in clouds does not fall as precipitation because their fall speed is not large enough to overcome updrafts which support the clouds. For precipitation to happen first tiny water droplets must condense on even tinier dust salt or smoke particles which act as a nucleus.

What is precipitation List and explain briefly the three conditions for precipitation?

Precipitation size and speed
Intensity inches/hour (cm/hour) Velocity of fall feet/second (meters/second)
Light rain .04 (0.10) 15.7 (4.8)
Moderate rain .15 (0.38) 18.7 (5.7)
Heavy rain .60 (1.52) 22.0 (6.7)
Excessive rain 1.60 (4.06) 24.0 (7.3)

What are the mechanisms of precipitation?

Mechanisms. Precipitation occurs when local air becomes saturated with water vapor and can no longer maintain the level of water vapor in gaseous form. This occurs when less dense moist air cools usually when an air mass rises through the atmosphere.

At what precipitation does it rain?

Moderate rain — when the precipitation rate is between 2.5 mm (0.098 in) – 7.6 mm (0.30 in) or 10 mm (0.39 in) per hour. Heavy rain — when the precipitation rate is > 7.6 mm (0.30 in) per hour or between 10 mm (0.39 in) and 50 mm (2.0 in) per hour.

What are the two key points that help us understand why precipitation occurs?

The type of precipitation that falls depends upon the the temperature during condensation and the ambient temperature of the area into which it fall. Cold ambient temperatures will result in snow sleet and hail. Warmer temperatures usually result in rain.

Grade 8 Week 13 Lesson 2: Factors the Affect Precipitation

Factors that affect temperature and rainfall

What is precipitation?

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