HoarfrostIn warm weather, the morning dew is a well-known phenomenon; but in cold weather, we may ge
HoarfrostIn warm weather, the morning dew is a well-known phenomenon; but in cold weather, we may get hoarfrost instead. Hoarfrost, like dew, forms on cold, clear nights when heat is released from the ground faster than it can be replaced. If the surface is above freezing, water vapor condenses into dew; if it falls below the freezing point, frost can form. If there is enough water vapor present, hoarfrost can form.Frost is not frozen dew. Instead, it forms when water vapor contacts a surface that’s at a temperature below the freezing point and jumps from a gas directly into ice crystals, which is called deposition. If there is enough water vapor, more deposition will form more crystals which can then interlock with other crystals to form bigger, more intricate structures.Hoarfrost is not an uncommon phenomenon. If you’d like to see it for yourself, the best place to look for it is near an unfrozen body of water on a winter morning.REPhoto Credit: Phill Lister (Castle Green photo)http://www.flickr.com/photos/philllister/9434438268Colleen Hart (fence photo)http://wxch.nl/1Tqel4GRead More:http://bit.ly/1eGfZxfhttp://wxch.nl/1Tqel4G -- source link
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