Cooling Past the Dew Point

What happens if the air cools below the dew point temperature? Well, if you have a suitable surface handy, dew forms. Alternatively, if there are enough small particles floating in the atmosphere to serve as condensation nuclei, fog or clouds will form.

Suppose it's a calm, clear night. The Earth is radiating energy into space, and the surface temperature is falling. Eventually the dew point is reached. Then what?

a. The temperature begins to rise.

b. The temperature stays constant because it cannot drop below the dewpoint.

c. The temperature falls more slowly.

d. The temperature continues to fall at the same rate as before.

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