Global Weather & Climate Center
  • Home
  • About
    • GWCC Is
    • Where in the World is GWCC?
    • Contact Us
  • Global Regions
    • Africa
    • Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea
    • Central and Eastern Pacific Ocean
    • Central and South America
    • Europe
    • North America
    • Indian Ocean and Asia
    • Polar Regions
    • South Pacific Ocean and Australia
    • Western Pacific Ocean
  • Weather
    • Applied Meteorology >
      • Air Quality
      • Aviation
      • Droughts
      • Fire Weather
      • Flooding
      • Geosciences
      • Global Environmental Topics
      • Weather Observations
    • Weather Education
    • Weather History
    • Weather Research
    • Weather Safety and Preparedness
    • Severe Weather
    • Social Sciences
    • Space Weather
    • Tropical Cyclones
    • Weather and Health
    • Winter Weather
  • Climate
  • GWCC Global Imagery Archive
  • GWCC Window to the World
    • GOES-16 Live Satellite Imagery Portal
    • GOES-16 ABI Channel Description and Examples
    • GOES-16 ABI Satellite Products
    • GOES-17 Live Satellite Imagery Portal
    • Himawari-8 Live Satellite Imagery Portal
    • Meteosat-11 Live Satellite Imagery Portal
  • Kids Corner
    • Kindergarten to 5th Grade
    • 6th to 12th grade
    • Fun Facts & Weather Trivia
    • GWCC Weather Radar Education
    • GWCC Wheel of Science

Weather Education

What is a Cloud and How Do They Form?

3/1/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
                                                        What is a Cloud?


Fluffy and buoyant, wispy and moody, clouds arise in billions of different forms, each one unique in their characteristics and presence. Though, as beautiful and charismatic as each one is, what exactly is a cloud, and how do they come to be?

At its most basic definition, a cloud is a mass collection of water droplets that form from the cooling of water vapor in the atmosphere. Depending on the altitude in the atmosphere, these water droplets cool either into water droplets or ice crystals. The higher in the atmosphere these droplets cool, the more likely they are to form ice crystals. These millions of tiny ice crystals then come together to form various sorts of cirrus clouds, thousands of feet in the air.

Though, there is plenty of water vapor in the atmosphere just drifting about, so why is it that only some of this comes together to form a cloud? The answer to this question is CCN, or Cloud Condensation Nuclei. These miniscule particles in the atmosphere, on average only about 2 micrometers in diameter, are the surfaces on which water vapor may condense and become liquid. CCN can be a variety of particles, such as dust, salt, or other atmospheric aerosols. When water vapor collides with these particles, it condenses to form cloud droplets. These cloud droplets then accumulate to form what we know as clouds, be they composed of ice or liquid droplets.

From cumulus, to stratus, cirrus and even the most abstract and rare forms of clouds, all undergo some form of this general process. Despite variations in some of the processes for different cloud types, all come to be those beautiful, powerful, and lovely formations that dot our skies.

To read more about weather and atmospheric phenomena, click here!
https://www.globalweatherclimatecenter.com/weather-education

© 2020 Weather Forecaster Alexis Clouser

​
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016


    RSS Feed

© 2022, Global Weather and Climate Center
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
​Webmaster - Stephen Piechowski
  • Home
  • About
    • GWCC Is
    • Where in the World is GWCC?
    • Contact Us
  • Global Regions
    • Africa
    • Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea
    • Central and Eastern Pacific Ocean
    • Central and South America
    • Europe
    • North America
    • Indian Ocean and Asia
    • Polar Regions
    • South Pacific Ocean and Australia
    • Western Pacific Ocean
  • Weather
    • Applied Meteorology >
      • Air Quality
      • Aviation
      • Droughts
      • Fire Weather
      • Flooding
      • Geosciences
      • Global Environmental Topics
      • Weather Observations
    • Weather Education
    • Weather History
    • Weather Research
    • Weather Safety and Preparedness
    • Severe Weather
    • Social Sciences
    • Space Weather
    • Tropical Cyclones
    • Weather and Health
    • Winter Weather
  • Climate
  • GWCC Global Imagery Archive
  • GWCC Window to the World
    • GOES-16 Live Satellite Imagery Portal
    • GOES-16 ABI Channel Description and Examples
    • GOES-16 ABI Satellite Products
    • GOES-17 Live Satellite Imagery Portal
    • Himawari-8 Live Satellite Imagery Portal
    • Meteosat-11 Live Satellite Imagery Portal
  • Kids Corner
    • Kindergarten to 5th Grade
    • 6th to 12th grade
    • Fun Facts & Weather Trivia
    • GWCC Weather Radar Education
    • GWCC Wheel of Science