December arrives this weekend with the delightful buzz of holiday excitement. I’m totally on board with it because Christmas is my absolute favorite. The holiday spirit starts to creep in
Gardens of the Cross Timbers: Christmas miracle
Becky Emerson Carlberg
Contributing writer
Here’s something for you to ponder during the holiday season. What is in a cloud? Cooled water vapor that has condensed into droplets or solid ice crystals. The water comes from lakes, creeks, oceans, puddles, the soil and plants. As the water vapor evaporates, it rises up and begins to cool until the molecules hit saturation point (dew point) and condenses into a liquid. Done.
Not yet. That vapor can’t condense without some additional ingredients. Microscopic bits of dust or smoke, to name a few, are flying around the atmosphere and provide surfaces where the water vapor molecules can adhere and accumulate. Cloud scientists call them cloud condensation nuclei or CCN for short. If the temperature drops below 32 degrees, the tiny vapor droplets freeze and they themselves turn into CCNs, offering additional attachment points for other freezing droplets. The ice crystals