Which of the following statements explains why night-time temperatures rarely drop below the dew-point temperature?
A)The ground releases sensible heat stored during daytime.
B)Saturation vapour pressures always increase at night.
C)The dew will absorb all the heat.
D)At saturation, latent heat of condensation is released into the air.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

When the temperature drops to the dew point temperature, water vapour in the air begins to condense into liquid water droplets. This process releases latent heat of condensation which warms the surrounding air. Therefore, the air temperature at the dew point temperature is typically the lowest it will get overnight, since the release of latent heat from condensation offsets the cooling effect of radiative heat loss.

Which of the Following Statements Explains Why Night-Time Temperatures Rarely