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On the leeward side of mountains, desert climates can exist due to the dry air caused by compressional heating. Most precipitation occurs within the tropics and is caused by convection. [3] Precipitation is a major component of the water cycle, and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the planet.
There are three distinct ways that precipitation can occur. Convective precipitation is generally more intense, and of shorter duration, than stratiform precipitation. Orographic precipitation occurs when moist air is forced upwards over rising terrain and condenses on the slope, such as a mountain.
Warming may also cause changes in the precipitation pattern globally, including wetter conditions at high latitudes and in some wet tropical areas. [1] Precipitation is a major component of the water cycle , and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the planet.
Approximately 505,000 km 3 (121,000 cu mi) of water falls as precipitation each year, 398,000 km 3 (95,000 cu mi) of it over the oceans. [10] [15] The rain on land contains 107,000 km 3 (26,000 cu mi) of water per year and a snowing only 1,000 km 3 (240 cu mi). [15] 78% of global precipitation occurs over the ocean. [11]
Average precipitation. The characteristics of United States rainfall climatology differ significantly across the United States and those under United States sovereignty. Summer and early fall bring brief, but frequent thundershowers and tropical cyclones which create a wet summer and drier winter in the eastern Gulf and lower East Coast.
Sulfuric acid rain in the atmosphere of Venus evaporates before reaching the ground due to the high heat near the surface. [2] Similarly, virgae happen on gas giant planets such as Jupiter. [citation needed] In September 2008, NASA's Phoenix lander discovered a snow variety of virga falling from Martian clouds. [3]
Fog or low clouds limit visibility and can cause travel delays by car and air. About 20% of vehicle crashes are weather-related each year, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Most ...
Idealised depiction (at equinox) of large-scale atmospheric circulation on Earth Long-term mean precipitation by month. Atmospheric circulation is the large-scale movement of air and together with ocean circulation is the means by which thermal energy is redistributed on the surface of the Earth.