hoarfrost
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hoarfrost:
see frostfrostor hoarfrost,
ice formed by the condensation of atmospheric water vapor on a surface when the temperature of the surface is below 32°F; (0°C;). In the formation of frost, a gas (water vapor) is changed directly to a solid (see dew).
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The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.
Hoarfrost
ice crystals that form on surfaces on cold, clear, still nights. The particles of hoarfrost are similar in shape to snowflakes but are less regular. Like dew, hoarfrost forms because of the cooling of the surface of the earth as a result of thermal radiation, which causes a drop in the temperature of the adjacent layers of air and the sublimation of the water vapor on the surface, which is cooled below 0°C.
The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
hoarfrost
[′hȯr‚frȯst] (hydrology)
A deposit of interlocking ice crystals formed by direct sublimation on objects. Also known as white frost.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
hoarfrost
a deposit of needle-like ice crystals formed on the ground by direct condensation at temperatures below freezing point
Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005