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6.4: Cloud Identification Examples

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    The image gallery below contains many different clouds types. The clouds are labelled and described in their figure captions.

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    Stratus clouds over Diamond Head. Stratus clouds are a low level cloud type, composed of liquid droplets. They form in an atmosphere that is stably stratified, hence the featureless clouds. (Photo by Shintaro Russell)
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    Cumulus clouds are a convective low level cloud type. They’re composed of liquid droplets and form in an unstable, or conditionally unstable atmosphere. (Photo by Shintaro Russell)
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    Cirrus clouds are a high level cloud type. Cirrus clouds are composed of tiny ice crystals. (Photo by Shintaro Russell)
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    Cumulonimbus and Altocumulus clouds. The cumulonimbus cloud is the cloud that has a large vertical extent in the center of the image. The altocumulus clouds are on the top and the top right of the image. Cumulonimbus clouds have the suffix “nimbus” because they’re raining, and because they extend through so many levels of the atmosphere, they’re typically mixed phase, having both liquid and ice inside. (Photo by Shintaro Russell)
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    Cirrocumulus clouds are high level convective clouds. They’re typically constrained to a thin layer. (Photo by Shintaro Russell)
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    As cumulus clouds begin to grow vertically, they’re called cumulus congestus like these convective clouds in the image. They’re not cumulonimbus yet, but they’re deeper than the average cumulus. (Photo by Shintaro Russell)
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    Altocumulus clouds are mid-level cumulus clouds. Altocumulus and cirrocumulus are often difficult to differentiate from a photograph because the altitude is hard to gauge. However, these clouds look more well defined than the cirrocumulus in the prior image, meaning they’re likely made of liquid droplets rather than ice crystals. (Photo by Shintaro Russell)
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    Stratocumulus clouds are low level layered clouds. They’re called strato – meaning layered, and cumulus – meaning convective because they’re convective-looking, but confined to a layer. (Photo by Shintaro Russell)

    A link to an entire cloud gallery put together by Shintaro Russell is included here. All of the photos were taken here in Hawaii, and so many cloud types are represented! Enjoy!

    Chapter 6: Questions to Consider

    1. What relationship is shown in the Clausius-Clapeyron diagram?
    2. Why are CCN important?
    3. What is the difference between cumuliform and stratiform clouds?
    4. Drag and drop the cloud type to its correct position in the diagram below:

    Query \(\PageIndex{1}\)

    Selected Practice Question Answers:

    Query \(\PageIndex{2}\)

    6.4: Cloud Identification Examples is shared under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.