Clouds

On a recent trip to Southern Spain, I observed some of the most wonderful and interesting cloud formations I have ever seen - this left me and my inquisitive mind to wonder, how do these fantastic silhouettes form in the skies above?

 

Defined as "a visible mass of condensed water vapour floating in the atmosphere, typically high above the ground", terrestrial clouds often form from water vapour in the air due to evaporation or transpiration of water, wind convergence over water (or moist ground) into areas of upward motion, precipitation and also when cool or dry air moves over warmer water which will become more humid. As the air rises from the surface of the earth towards space, the warm air begins to cool which reduces the capacity of the air to hold the water vapour so some of the vapour condenses onto very small particles of dust that are floating in the atmosphere and form a tiny droplet around each dust particle. When billions of these droplets come together and agglutinate, they become a visible cloud.

 

Clouds are often classified into 3 groups according to their height in the sky. Clouds above 18,000 feet are known as 'Cirrus' clouds (high clouds). Clouds that form between 6,500 feet and 18,000 feet are known as 'Alto' clouds (middle clouds). Finally, low clouds that form below 6,500 feet are known as 'Stratus' clouds. These variations can often prove helpful in predicting future weather conditions and the type of clouds that form have, for centuries, been used by farmers and agricultural workers to predict tomorrow's weather patterns.

 

Now, there is much more detail and information on clouds and their formation on the web and it is well documented in books - I have merely scratched the surface on the science and geography of clouds but I hope I have provided you with a simple insight on clouds and their formation.

Image from http://www.flightlearnings.com/2011/10/30/methods-by-which-air-reaches-the-saturation-point-part-three-clouds/

Sources;

1.      Steve Horstmeyer (2008). "Why don't clouds fall?". Graz University of Technology. Retrieved 2012-04-06. 

2.      David R. Dowling and Lawrence F. Radke (1990). "A Summary of the Physical Properties of Cirrus Clouds". Journal of Applied Meteorology 29 (9): 970–978 (977).

3.      Glossary of Meteorology (June 2000). "Adiabatic Process". American Meteorological Society. Retrieved 2008-12-27.