6: Clouds
- Page ID
- 46093
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By the end of this chapter, you should be able to:
- Define what a “cloud” is
- Describe the importance of cloud condensation nuclei in cloud formation
- Describe the difference between cumuliform and stratiform cloud classes
- Differentiate between and identify major cloud types including cumulus, stratus, cirrus, altostratus, etc.
- In addition to identifying the cloud, you should know the general altitude (low, mid, or high), cloud class (convective or stratiform) and whether or not it is a rain cloud
- Discuss when/where/why clouds form
- 6.1: Introduction
- This page explains that clouds consist of small water droplets or ice crystals in the atmosphere, formed when air becomes saturated due to moisture addition, cooling, or adiabatic expansion. Saturation occurs when moisture content meets the dew point temperature. Examples like breath on cold days and jet contrails demonstrate how mixing air parcels leads to cloud formation.
- 6.2: Cloud Condensation Nuclei
- This page discusses how air saturation leads to water vapor condensation into liquid water, facilitated by aerosols, or cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). It notes the composition of aerosols, including dust, sea salt, and organic compounds, and emphasizes their role in cloud formation. The presence of aerosols reduces the humidity needed for clouds to form, with specific aerosols like Ice Nuclei promoting the creation of ice crystal clouds.
- 6.3: Cloud Naming Conventions
- This page discusses the classification of clouds by appearance, shape, altitude, and water phase. It presents two main categories: cumuliform (vertical motion) and stratiform (stable). Examples include cumulus, cumulonimbus, nimbostratus, and cirrus. Clouds can be warm, cold, or mixed phase, with altitude prefixes like "cirro" and "alto." Additionally, it highlights special clouds such as lenticular and mammatus, as well as fog, which is categorized based on cooling and moisture processes.
- 6.4: Cloud Identification Examples
- This page provides an image gallery of cloud types such as stratus, cumulus, and cirrus, detailing their composition, altitude, and formation conditions. It clarifies distinctions between cumulus and stratocumulus clouds, among others, and concludes with questions about cloud formation relationships and characteristics.