- For other uses, see Coalescence (disambiguation).
Coalescence is the process by which two or more droplets or particles merge during contact to form a single daughter
droplet (or bubble). It can take place in many processes, ranging from meteorology to
astrophysics. For example, it is both involved in the formation of
raindrops as well as
Coalescence is also a term used in welding. Two (or possibly more) pieces metals are bonded together by liquifying the places where they are to be bonded, coalescing these liquids, and allowing the coalesced liquid to solidify. At the end of this process the two pieces of metal have become one continuous solid.
In meteorology, its role is crucial in the formation of rain. As droplets are carried by the updrafts and downdrafts in a cloud, they collide and coalesce to form larger droplets. When the droplets become too large to be sustained on the air currents, they begin to fall as rain. Adding to this process, the cloud may be seeded with ice from higher altitudes either by the cloud tops reaching −40 degrees Celsius or the cloud being seeded by ice from cirrus clouds.
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