Clouds

CloudsSCIE 203

Kari Larson

Emily Wermager

How are clouds formed?

Begins with water vapor near the ground

Warm air rises then expands and cools

Cool air becomes full so the vapor condenses into tiny pieces of dust

Dust floats in the air and forms tiny droplets around each dust particle

Billions of droplets come together and form a visible cloud

Types of clouds

High clouds

Above 18,000 feet

Middle clouds

6,500-18,000 feet

Low clouds

Up to 6,500 feet

Cumulus

Cumulonimbus

Fog

• Cumulus

• Cumulonimbus

• Fog

High clouds- Cirrus

Composed of ice and very thin

Looks like long streamers

White color

Predict fair to pleasant weather

Indicate prevailing winds at their elevation

Middle cloud-Alto

Made of water droplets

Gray and puffy

Covers the entire sky

Looks like parallel waves or bands

Can form thunderstorms, rain or snow

Low clouds- Stratus

Composed of water droplets

Covers most or the entire sky

Low to the ground

Grayish color

Light mist or drizzle

Light to moderate precipitation

Cumulus Clouds

Vertical growth

Scattered across the sky

Flat on bottom and puffy on top

White color

Fair-weather

Can develop into cumulonimbus clouds

Cumulonimbus Clouds

Thunderstorm clouds

High winds can flatten the top of the cloud

Produce heavy rain, snow, hail, lightning and sometimes tornadoes

Fog

A cloud on the ground

Composed of billions of tiny water droplets in the air

Winds bring in warm moist air from the south, then the air flows over colder soil or snow and then creates fog

What type of cloud?

Cumulus

What type of cloud?

Cirrus

What type of cloud?

Alto

What type of cloud?

Stratus

What type of cloud?

Cumulonimbus

What type of cloud?

Fog

Cloud in a BottleMATERIALS:

2-liter clear plastic pop bottle

matches (children will need adult assistance to light matches)

warm water

Cloud in a Bottle

PROCESS:

Fill the clear plastic 2-liter bottle one-third full of warm water and place the cap on. As warm water evaporates, it adds water vapor to the air inside the bottle. This is the first ingredient to make a cloud.

Squeeze and release the bottle and observe what happens. You’ll notice that nothing happens. Why? The squeeze represents the warming that occurs in the atmosphere. The release represents the cooling that occurs in the atmosphere. If the inside of the bottle becomes cover with condensation or water droplets, just shake the bottle to get rid of them.

Take the cap off the bottle. Carefully light a match and hold the match near the opening of the bottle.

Then drop the match in the bottle and quickly put on the cap, trapping the smoke inside. Dust, smoke or other particles in the air is the second ingredient to make a cloud.

Once again, slowly squeeze the bottle hard and release. What happens? A cloud appears when you release and disappears when you squeeze. The third ingredient in clouds is a drop in air pressure.

Cloud in a Bottle

Explanation

Water vapor, water in its invisible gaseous state, can be made to condense into the form of small cloud droplets. By adding particles, such as the smoke, enhances the process of water condensation and by squeezing the bottle cause the air pressure to drop. This creates a cloud!

References

Ahrens, C.D. (1994). Meteorology today. St. Paul, MN: West Publishing Company.

Weather Wiz Kids. (2010). Clouds. Retrieved from http://www.weatherwizkids.com/weather-clouds.htm