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Clouds
A cloud is a visible body of very fine water droplets or ice particles suspended in the atmosphere at altitudes up to several miles above sea level. They are generally produced by the condensation of water vapor. Other clouds, less commonly seen, are composed of smokes or dusts.
10,186 Questions
What type of cloud are known as thunderheads and why do somepeople call them that?
Thunderheads are a type of cumulonimbus cloud, characterized by their towering height and flattened appearance at the top. They are associated with thunderstorms due to their ability to produce intense atmospheric instability, leading to lightning, thunder, heavy rain, and sometimes severe weather conditions. The term "thunderhead" is derived from the thunderous noises frequently heard during thunderstorms associated with these clouds.
Are clouds a liquid or gas or both?
Clouds are made up of very small droplets of water. Water vapour is invisible, a water vapour cloud could not be seen.
Clouds form when water vapor in the air cools and condenses into tiny water droplets or ice crystals around particles in the atmosphere, such as dust or pollution. The cooling of the air can be due to rising air currents, changes in temperature, or contact with a cold surface. These droplets or crystals join together to form clouds.
How does the oxygen in the air being replaced?
Oxygen in the air is continually replenished through photosynthesis, the process by which plants, algae, and some bacteria convert carbon dioxide and sunlight into oxygen. This process occurs in green plants during the daytime. Additionally, the natural movement of air, as well as weather patterns like wind and rain, help distribute and mix oxygen throughout the atmosphere.
You have only to look up into the sky to try your luck at weather forecasting. Clouds give us a clue about what is going on in our atmosphere and how the weather might change in the hours or even days to come. Each type of cloud forms in a different way, and each brings its own kind of weather.
Cool Condensation
Clouds are water. As you probably know, we can find water in three forms: liquid, solid and gas. Water as a gas is called water vapor. Clouds form when water vapor turns back into liquid water droplets. That is called condensation. It happens in one of two ways: when the air cools enough, or when enough water vapor is added to the air. You've seen the first process happen on a summer day as drops of water gather on the outside of a glass of ice tea. That's because the cold glass cools the air near it, causing the water vapor in the air to condense into liquid. Unlike the drops on the side of your glass though, the droplets of water in a cloud are so small that it takes about one million of them to form a single raindrop. Most clouds form this way, but the cooling comes not from ice in a glass, but as the air rises and cools high in the sky. Each tiny cloud droplet is light enough to float in the air, just as a little cloud floats out from your breath on a cold day.
Too Clean for Clouds?
Our air has to be just a little bit dirty for clouds to form. That's because water vapor needs a surface on which to condense. Fortunately, even the cleanest air has some microscopic particles of dust, smoke or salt for water droplets to cling to, so the air is rarely too clean for clouds to form.
Cloud Classifications
Meteorologists name clouds by how high in the sky they form and by their appearance. Most clouds have two parts to their name. Usually the first part of the name has to do with the height and the second part refers to the appearance.
If clouds form at the highest levels, they get the prefix "cirro" as the first part of their name. Middle clouds get the prefix "alto." Low clouds don't get a prefix.
There are two cloud appearance types: cumulus and stratus, which are also the basic names of the low clouds. Sometimes they appear higher in the atmosphere and get a combination name with a prefix. For example, middle cumulus clouds are called "altocumulus" and high stratus clouds are "cirrostratus." If a cloud produces rain or snow it gets either "nimbo" at the beginning or "nimbus" at the end.
Cumulus clouds are low individual billowy globs that are low, have flat bases and look a little like cauliflower. They are at least as tall as they are wide and form on sunny days from pockets of rising air. Their constantly changing outlines are fun to watch because they can take the shapes of almost anything, including animals and faces. Cumulus clouds usually signal fair weather. If they build into the middle or high part of the atmosphere they get the name cumulonimbus. A cumulonimbus cloud is tall, deep and dark and can bring lightning, heavy rain and even severe weather such as hail, damaging winds or tornadoes. It is a sign of rapidly rising and sinking air currents.
Stratus clouds are layered and cover most of the sky. They are much wider than they are tall. If you see them in broken or puffy layers, they are stratocumulus clouds. If you see them in thin high layers that turn the sky solid white, they're cirrostratus clouds. The tiny prisms of ice in a cirrostratus layer can bend the sun's light. As a result, often you can see a halo or veil of rainbow colors around the sun. When stratus clouds are very thick, they become dark nimbostratus clouds, which can produce rain, drizzle or snow.
Cirrus clouds are high and thin and made entirely of ice crystals. Forming above 20,000 feet in the atmosphere, they often look like wisps of white hair. Cirrus clouds, which are a sign of warm moist air rising up over cold air, are sometimes an early signal that thickening clouds could bring light rain or snow within one or two days.
Try to learn the names of the different clouds, and the next time you look up into the sky, take notice of what kind of clouds you see. And if you try, you might be able to guess what kind of weather they will bring
What is a description for a stratus cloud?
A stratus cloud is a low-level cloud that appears as a uniform gray layer with a flat, featureless shape. These clouds typically cover the sky like a blanket, leading to overcast conditions. Stratus clouds are often associated with light drizzle or mist.
What type of change is water vapor?
Evaporation is the part in the water cycle that water vapor is brought by.
The moisture content of air is typically measured using relative humidity, which describes how close the air is to being fully saturated with water vapor. High relative humidity indicates moist air, while low relative humidity indicates dry air.
Do tornadoes form in the same type of cloud that a thunderstorm does?
Yes, tornadoes typically form within a supercell thunderstorm. Supercells are large, rotating thunderstorms that have the ideal conditions for tornado formation, such as strong wind shear and instability in the atmosphere. Tornadoes can develop within the rotating updraft of a supercell.
Why does water eventually fall from clouds?
Water vapor in the atmosphere condenses into liquid water droplets as it cools and reaches saturation. When these droplets become large enough, they fall from clouds as precipitation such as rain or snow due to the force of gravity pulling them towards the Earth's surface.
Can warm air pressure weigh more than cold air pressure?
No, warm air and cold air exert different pressures due to their different densities, but the weight of a volume of air is determined by its mass. Therefore, a mass of warm air does not weigh more than a mass of cold air, assuming the volumes are the same.
What is the global wind pattern that brings weather in a west to east pattern in our country?
The global wind pattern that brings weather in a west to east pattern in the United States is the westerlies. The westerlies blow from west to east in the middle latitudes of the Earth's atmosphere, influencing weather systems and climate patterns in regions like North America.
HOW Do altostartus clouds form?
Altostratus is caused by a large air mass that is lifted then condensed, usually by an incoming frontal system and can be found over widespread areas. Altostratus clouds are potentially dangerous, because they can cause ice accretion on aircraft. Their altitude is from 6,500-20,000 feet (2,400-6,100 m). They are primarily composed of water droplets.
What are the two main substances used in cloud seeding?
The two main substances used in cloud seeding are silver iodide and potassium iodide. These substances work by providing a surface for water vapor to condense on, forming ice particles that can then grow and eventually fall as precipitation.
What are rain or storm clouds?
Rain clouds, also known as nimbostratus clouds, are low- to mid-level clouds that bring precipitation. Storm clouds, such as cumulonimbus clouds, are tall and dense clouds that can bring heavy rain, thunderstorms, lightning, and sometimes hail or even tornadoes. Both types of clouds are associated with weather systems that can produce significant precipitation and severe weather.
Why doesn't rain fall from all clouds?
All rain falls from clouds, but clouds that you see which don't have rain falling from them are just not raining because the cloud has not become saturated with water vapour. When it does become so, it will rain.
What happens if you breath the mercury vapor?
Breathing in mercury vapor can lead to symptoms such as coughing, chest pain, difficulty breathing, and lung irritation. Long-term exposure can cause neurological and kidney problems. It is important to seek medical attention if exposure to mercury vapor occurs.
How much water vapor can air hold at 30 c?
Air at 30°C can hold approximately 30 grams of water vapor per cubic meter.
A cumulonimbus cloud is a type of large, dense, towering vertical cloud associated with thunderstorms and severe weather. It is characterized by its anvil-shaped top and can produce heavy rain, thunder, lightning, and sometimes hail. Cumulonimbus clouds can extend high into the atmosphere and are often associated with strong updrafts and downdrafts.
How fast does the cornea cloud after death?
The cornea can cloud over within a few hours after death due to dehydration and lack of nutrients. The clouding process may vary depending on factors such as the individual's health, cause of death, and environmental conditions. This clouding may affect the ability to extract viable corneal tissue for donation.
loop. it the ridge comes in and ends pointing toward the ulna (bone in arm aligned with little finger), it is an ulnar loop. if the loop comes in and ends pointing toward the radius (bone in arm aligned with thumb), it is a radial loop. Radial loops are quite rare, occurring in around 4% of loops.
What type of weather does the passage of a cold front produce?
The passage of a cold front can produce abrupt changes in weather conditions. Typically, it brings cooler temperatures, gusty winds, and often precipitation such as rain or snow. Sometimes thunderstorms or tornadoes can also develop along a cold front.
Yes, fog is like a cloud that forms close to the ground. Both fog and clouds are made up of tiny water droplets suspended in the air; the main difference is that clouds float high in the sky, while fog sits at the surface.
Can demolition explosions cause pyroclastic clouds?
No, demolition explosions do not produce pyroclastic clouds. Pyroclastic clouds are associated with volcanic eruptions and are formed from a mixture of hot gas, ash, and volcanic rocks that move rapidly down the slopes of a volcano. These clouds are extremely dangerous due to their high temperatures and speed.
Yes, clouds can form at night when the required conditions such as sufficient moisture, cooling temperatures, and condensation nuclei are present in the atmosphere. Cloud formation is not limited to daytime hours.
