Quote: "a visible mass of miniature liquid droplets, frozen crystals, or other particles suspended in the atmosphere of a planetary body or similar space."
The study of the various types of clouds, their formation, and their impact on weather patterns.
Atmosphere: The layer of gases surrounding the planet Earth and its interactions with the sun, wind, temperature, and humidity.
Climate: The long-term pattern of weather in a particular area, including temperature, precipitation, and wind.
Convection: The transfer of heat energy through fluids like air or water due to the difference in temperature.
Humidity: The amount of water vapor present in the air.
Meteorology: The scientific study of weather and atmospheric conditions.
Precipitation: Any form of water that falls from the sky and reaches the ground.
Pressure: The force exerted by the weight of the atmosphere on the surface of the Earth.
Radiation: The energy emitted by the sun that heats the Earth's surface and causes the evaporation of water.
Storms: Violent atmospheric conditions characterized by strong winds, heavy rain or hail, thunder, and lightning.
Temperature: The degree of hotness or coldness of an object or substance, including the air.
Weather: The short-term state of the atmosphere, including temperature, humidity, precipitation, pressure, and wind.
Wind: The movement of air from high-pressure regions to low-pressure regions, caused by the uneven heating of the Earth's surface.
Stratus Clouds: Low-level clouds that are flat and featureless. They often appear as a gray blanket covering the sky and may produce light drizzle or mist.
Cumulus Clouds: Puffy, white clouds that resemble cotton balls. They are usually associated with fair weather but can also develop into thunderstorms.
Cirrus Clouds: High-level clouds that are thin and wispy. They are made up of ice crystals and can indicate a change in weather, usually a storm approaching.
Altostratus Clouds: Mid-level clouds that are gray or blue-gray in color. They can indicate that a storm is coming, but they usually do not produce precipitation themselves.
Stratocumulus Clouds: Low-level clouds that consist of small, lumpy clouds. They often cover the entire sky and can indicate that the weather is changing, although they usually do not produce precipitation.
Cumulonimbus Clouds: Also known as thunderheads, these are tall clouds that can reach up to 12 miles high. They produce thunderstorms, heavy rain, lightning, and sometimes even hail.
Cirrostratus Clouds: High-level clouds that are thin and flat. They often appear as a veil covering the sun, and they can indicate that a storm is coming.
Nimbostratus Clouds: Low-level clouds that are dark and produce steady rain. They often cover the entire sky and can linger for hours.
Altocumulus Clouds: Mid-level clouds that resemble small, puffy clouds. They are usually a sign of fair weather but can also indicate that a storm is approaching.
Cumulus Congestus Clouds: Large cumulus clouds that are capable of developing into thunderstorms. They often appear in the afternoon or evening during hot, humid weather.
Cirrocumulus Clouds: High-level clouds that resemble small cotton balls. They often appear in rows or patches and do not produce precipitation.
Mammatus Clouds: Clouds that are characterized by their bubble-like appearance. They often form on the underside of a thunderstorm and indicate turbulent air.
Fog: Fog is not technically a cloud, but it is a common occurrence in meteorology. It occurs when the air near the ground is cooled to the dew point, and moisture in the air forms tiny water droplets that reduce visibility.
Quote: "as a result of saturation of the air when it is cooled to its dew point, or when it gains sufficient moisture (usually in the form of water vapor) from an adjacent source to raise the dew point to the ambient temperature."
Quote: "The science of clouds, which is undertaken in the cloud physics branch of meteorology."
Quote: "Genus types in the troposphere...have Latin names because of the universal adoption of Luke Howard's nomenclature that was formally proposed in 1802."
Quote: "divides clouds into five physical forms which can be further divided or classified into altitude levels to derive ten basic genera."
Quote: "The main representative cloud types for each of these forms are stratiform, cumuliform, stratocumuliform, cumulonimbiform, and cirriform."
Quote: "Low-level clouds do not have any altitude-related prefixes."
Quote: "Mid-level stratiform and stratocumuliform types are given the prefix alto-."
Quote: "High-level variants of these same two forms carry the prefix cirro-."
Quote: "They are classified formally as low- or mid-level depending on the altitude at which each initially forms, and are also more informally characterized as multi-level or vertical."
Quote: "Very low stratiform clouds that extend down to the Earth's surface are given the common names fog and mist."
Quote: "They may have the appearance of stratiform veils or sheets, cirriform wisps, or stratocumuliform bands or ripples."
Quote: "They are seen infrequently, mostly in the polar regions of Earth."
Quote: "However, due to their different temperature characteristics, they are often composed of other substances such as methane, ammonia, and sulfuric acid, as well as water."
Quote: "They may reflect incoming rays from the sun which can contribute to a cooling effect where and when these clouds occur, or trap longer wave radiation that reflects back up from the Earth's surface which can cause a warming effect."
Quote: "The altitude, form, and thickness of the clouds are the main factors that affect the local heating or cooling of the Earth and the atmosphere."
Quote: "Clouds that form above the troposphere are too scarce and too thin to have any influence on climate change."
Quote: "Clouds are the main uncertainty in climate sensitivity."
Quote: "because of the universal adoption of Luke Howard's nomenclature that was formally proposed in 1802."
Quote: "the cloud physics branch of meteorology."