Chapter 31, Problem 19TE

To determine

The reason for the clouds over water is more efficient in producing precipitation than clouds that are formed over land.

Answer to Problem 19TE

The clouds over water are more efficient in producing precipitation than clouds because the clouds over the water have larger droplets of water as the water in the source fueling the cloud, whereas the cloud overland doesn’t have that.

Explanation of Solution

The clouds formed over the ocean have larger droplets because of the ocean water below it fuels the cloud to take more amount of water with it.

While the clouds formed over the land carry a limited amount of water with it, the water in the land surface evaporates due to the rays of the sun and the whole amount of water is carried by the clouds with them.

The water the clouds over the ocean carry is at the low temperature while the water that the clouds over the land carry are comparatively higher and hence, it takes more time for the water in the cloud over the land to condense as compared to that the water in the clouds over the oceans.

Conclusion:

Therefore, the clouds over water are more efficient in producing precipitation than clouds because the clouds over the water have larger droplets of water as the water in the source fueling the cloud, whereas the cloud overland doesn’t have that.