Which atmospheric process yields precipitation by raindrop coalescence in warm clouds?

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Multiple Choice

Which atmospheric process yields precipitation by raindrop coalescence in warm clouds?

In warm clouds, raindrop formation mainly comes from collision-coalescence: liquid droplets of varying sizes collide and merge as they fall, so some droplets grow large enough to become raindrops and reach the ground. Larger drops fall faster and sweep up smaller ones, and turbulence can boost collision rates, making rainfall more likely when there’s a broad droplet size spectrum. Condensation and nucleation describe how cloud droplets first form from water vapor, not how rain-sized drops are produced. The Bergeron process requires ice crystals and supercooled droplets in cold clouds, so it’s not the mechanism at work in warm-cloud rainfall.

In warm clouds, raindrop formation mainly comes from collision-coalescence: liquid droplets of varying sizes collide and merge as they fall, so some droplets grow large enough to become raindrops and reach the ground. Larger drops fall faster and sweep up smaller ones, and turbulence can boost collision rates, making rainfall more likely when there’s a broad droplet size spectrum. Condensation and nucleation describe how cloud droplets first form from water vapor, not how rain-sized drops are produced. The Bergeron process requires ice crystals and supercooled droplets in cold clouds, so it’s not the mechanism at work in warm-cloud rainfall.

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