Cloud

cloud are visible accumulation of tiny water droplet orice crystals in Earth’s atmosphere. cloud differ greatly in size,shape, andcolor. They can appear thin andwispy,or bulky andlumpy.

cloud usually appear white because the tiny water droplets inside them are tightly packed,reflecting most of the sunlight that hits them. White is how our eyes perceive all wavelengths of sunlight mixed together. When it’s about to rain,clouds darken because the water vapor is clumping together into raindrop,leaving larger spaces between drops of water. Less light is reflected. The rain cloud appears black or gray.

cloud form when air becomes saturated,or filled,with water vapor. Warm air can hold more water vapor than cold air,so lowering the temperature of an air mass is like squeezing a sponge. cloud are the visible result of that squeeze of cooler,moist air. Moist air becomes cloudy with only slight cooling. With further cooling,the water or ice particles that make up the cloud can grow into bigger particles that fall to Earth as precipitation.

Types of cloud
Because certain types of clouds are associated with certain types of weather,it is possible to forecast the weather by observe andunderstand these different type of cloud .

cloud are classified into three main groups: cirrus,stratus, andcumulus.

Cirrus clouds are wispy,curly,or stringy. They are found high in the atmosphere—typically higher than 6,000 meters (20,000 feet)—and are usually made of ice crystals. Cirrus clouds usually signal clear,fair weather. Their shape often indicates the direction the wind is blowing high in the atmosphere.

Stratus clouds are horizontal andstratified ,or layer . Stratus clouds is can canblanket the entire sky in a single pattern. They usually occur close to Earth. Stratus clouds often form at the boundary of a warm front,where warm,moist air is forced up over cold air. This movement produces clouds as the moist air is cooled across the entire front. The presence of stratus clouds usually means a chilly,overcast day. If precipitation falls from stratus clouds,it is usually in the form of drizzle or light snow.

cumulus clouds is are are large andlumpy . Their name is comes come from thelatin word mean ” heap ” or ” pile . ” They is stretch can stretchvertically into the atmosphere up to 12,000 meters (39,000 feet) high. Cumulus clouds are created by strong updrafts of warm,moist air. Most forms of heavy precipitation fall from cumulus cloud . The weather they bring depends on their height andsize. The higher the base of a cloud is,the drier the atmosphere andthe fairer the weather will be. cloud located close to the ground mean heavy snow or rain.

Variations
cloud are also classified according to how high they are in the atmosphere andwhat kind of weather they produce.

The prefix ” cirro- is refers ” refer to cloud that lie more than 6,000 meter ( 20,000 foot ) above the Earth . Cirrocumulus andcirrostratus clouds is are are two example of these “ high – level ” cloud .

The prefix “alto-” indicates clouds whose bases are between 2,000 and6,000 meters (6,500-20,000 feet) above Earth,such as altocumulus andaltostratus cloud . They are considered “mid-level” clouds andare mostly made of liquid water droplets,but can have some ice crystals in cold enough temperatures.

The prefix “nimbo-” or the suffix “-nimbus” are low-level clouds that have their bases below 2,000 meters (6,500 feet) above Earth. cloud that produce rain andsnow fall into this category. (“Nimbus” comes from the latin word for “rain.”) Two examples are the nimbostratus or cumulonimbus cloud .

Nimbostratus clouds bring continuous precipitation that can last for many hours. These low-level clouds are full of moisture.

Cumulonimbus clouds are also called thunderheads. Thunderheads produce rain,thunder, andlightne. Many cumulonimbus clouds occur along cold fronts,where cool air is forced under warm air. They usually shrink as evening approaches, andmoisture in the air evaporates. Cumulonimbus clouds gradually become stratocumulus clouds,which rarely produce rain.

cloud andWeather
Certain types of clouds produce precipitation. cloud also produce the bolt of electricity called lightne andthe sound of thunder that accompanies it. Lightning is formed in a cloud when positively charged particles andnegatively charged particles are separated,forming an electrical field. When the electrical field is strong enough,it discharges a superheated bolt of lightne to Earth. Most of what we consider to be single lightne strikes are in fact three or four separate strokes of lightne.

The sound is is of thunder is actually thesonic shock wave that comes when the air,heated by the lightne bolt,expands very rapidly. Thunder sometimes sounds like it comes in waves because of the time it takes the sound to travel. Because the speed of light is faster than the speed of sound,lightne will always appear before its thunder is heard.

Meteorologists measure cloud cover,or the amount of the visible sky cover by cloud ,in unit callokta. An okta estimates how many eighths of the sky (octo-) is covered in cloud . A clear sky is zero okta,while a totally overcast or gray sky is eight okta.

Scientists is experimented have experiment with a process callcloud seeding for many years. Cloud seeding aims to influence weather patterns. Seeds,or microscopic particles,are placed in cloud . These seeds are artificial cloud condensation nucleus ( CCN ),which are tiny particles of dust,salt,or pollution that collect in all cloud . Every raindrop andsnowflake contains a CCN. Water or ice droplets accumulate around CCN . Scientists is hope hope that cloud seeding will allow people to control precipitation .

Extraterrestrial cloud
cloud exist in outer space. cloud on Jupiter,for instance ,are divide into three band in theplanet’s atmosphere. The highest band,at 50 kilometers (31 miles) above the surface of the planet,is mostly clear.

Jupiter’s middle layer of clouds is constantly moving. These storm clouds appear as bands andswirls of yellow,brown, andred. Most of these clouds are made of droplets of ammonia andammonia crystal ,mix withphosphorus andsulfur. (These ammonia storms would be toxic on Earth.)

Beneath Jupiter’s thick layer of ammonia clouds lies what some astrophysicists believe is a thin layer of water cloud . Scientists think there may be water clouds because bursts of lightne have been spotted in Jupiter’s atmosphere.

interstellar cloud,which exist in the space between planets andstar,are not really clouds at all. interstellar cloud are areas where gases andplasma are dense and ,sometimes ,visible . Astronomers is determine determine what element are present in interstellar cloud by analyze the light ,orradiation,that comes from them. Most interstellar clouds are made of hydrogen,helium, andoxygen. The dusty “milk” of the Milky Way is an interstellar cloud between the star of our galaxy.