Download How do clouds form?

How do clouds form?
How do clouds form?
• Clouds form when water vapor in the air
condenses to form liquid water or ice
crystals. (pg 57)
What do we need to make a cloud?
• Water vapor
• Air temperature at Dew Point
• The presence of other particles
– Dust
– Smoke
– Sea salt
– pollution
How are clouds classified?
Scientists use 2 traits to classify clouds:
• Shape
• Altitude
Classifying by SHAPE
• Clouds (like galaxies) are classified by
their shape:
– Cirrus (feathery)
– Cumulus (fluffy)
– Stratus (layered; blanket-like)
Classifying by ALTITUDE
• Use prefixes to tell what altitude clouds
form at
– Strato- low
– Alto- middle
– Cirro- high
6 cloud types
3 major cloud types:
• Cirrus
• Stratus
• Cumulus
Other:
• Cumulonimbus
• Nimbostratus
• Fog
Task
• Your task is to work with your group
members to research the following in your
textbook:
– Description of the cloud (what it looks like)
– The weather it brings
– A sketch of the cloud
Cirrus clouds
• Type: cirrus
• Description: feathery;
made of ice crystals
• Weather: fair
• Usually form very
high in the troposphere
Stratus clouds
• Type: stratus
• Description: layered, blanket-like
• Weather: precipitation likely
Cumulus
clouds
Type: cumulus
Description: puffy
Weather: fair
Cumulonimbus clouds
• Type: cumulonimbus
• Description: towering
• Weather: thunderstorms
The “Anvil” shape occurs when the cloud hits the edge of the troposphere
and flattens out.
Name: Nimbostratus
Description: a stratus
cloud that IS precipitating
Weather: It’s raining! (duh)
Fog
• Name: Fog
• Description: “ground cloud”
• Weather: it depends (variable)
Stratocumulus clouds
(puffy + spread out)
The “Alto”s- clouds that form at
middle altitudes
Altostratus
Altocumulus
Alto- clouds form below cirrus clouds but are still above a
tenor!