2. Clouds

3. Why is the sky blue? "White" sunlight enters the atmosphere molecules in the air are just the right size to scatter light from the blue end of the visible spectrum. The other colors pass through

4. And Clouds Are White Because...?...the water droplets that make up clouds are much larger than the molecules that scatter blue light. The clouds scatter and reflect all the visible colors of light that strike them.

5. And Clouds Are Gray Because...? if the cloud is thick enough, light does not penetrate completely through the cloud, resulting in dark, heavy- looking cloud bottoms

6. Why do clouds form? Clouds are nothing more than water vapor that condenses into a visible form. The sun heating the earth’s surface evaporates water to the atmosphere where it cools and condenses.

7. Classification of Clouds Clouds are classified by  Form  Altitude Three forms  Stratus  Cirrus  Cumulus Three altitudes  Low, middle, high

8. Cloud Types

9. Latin Root Translation Example Cumulus heap cumulus stratus layer altostratus Cirrus curl of hair cirrus Nimbus rain cumulonimbus Alto high altostratus

10. Stratus Sheetlike or layered clouds. Lowest in the sky. Light or dark gray, covering most of the sky, Includes fog.

11. Stratus Uniform, thick to thin layered clouds Below 6,000 feet

12. Stratus

14. Altostratus Thin, uniform, sometimes with "wide corduroy" appearance 6,000 - 20,000 feet

15. Nimbostratus

17. Stratocumulus Broad and flat on the bottom, puffy on top Below 6,000 feet

19. Cumulus Puffy clouds Below 6,000 feet

20. Cumulus

22. Fair Weather Cumulus Appearance of floating cotton Lifetime of 5 – 40 minutes

23. Cumulus

24. Cumulonimbus Appear as Thunderheads Located near ground to above 50,000 feet

25. Cumulonimbus

27. Upward developing cloud

28. Altocumulus Medium-sized puffy clouds 6,000 - 20,000 feet

29. Altocumulus

31. Cirrus Appear thin, wispy, often with a “mare's tail” Above 18,000 feet

32. Cirrostratus Appear as thin, layer, above thunderheads Above 18,000 feet

33. Cirrocumulus Small puffy clouds Above 18,000 feet

34. Cloud Levels

35. Fog

36. Radiation Fog Results from the cooling of air that is in contact with the ground. Due to nightly cooling of the Earth.

37. Advection Fog condensation of water vapor that results from the cooling of warm moist air as it moves across a cold surface.

38. Upslope Fog results from the lifting and adiabatic cooling of air rising up a slope of land.

39. Steam Fog Condensation of water vapor. Results from cool air moving over a warm body of water, lake or stream.

40. Drizzle Precipitation consisting of small drops, smaller than.5mm in diameter

41. Precipitation Sleet – ice pellets that form when rain falls through a layer of freezing air. Glaze Ice – thick layer of sheet ice formed when rain freezes when it contacts a surface.

42. Hail Precipitation in the form of ice. Grows as frozen water travels up and down in a cloud.

43. Combination of different sized cloud droplets to form larger droplets. Coalescence

44. Supercooling. process by which water droplets are induced to remain liquid below 0°C. Freezing Nuclei. condensation nuclei with a crystalline structure like that of ice.

45. Cloud Seeding Addition of freezing nuclei to supercooled clouds in an attempt to induce or increase precipitation.

46. Special Clouds: Lenticular

47. Mammatus

48. Noctilucent