Looking at the sky, we can see the clouds always present in it. These clouds can be of greater or lesser size, higher or lower or in multiple ways and, although some do not like their presence (especially in summer), the truth is that they are essential for life on our planet to have developed and continue to do so. In fact, they are a source of water for our land, as well as for the different aquatic bodies such as rivers, lakes, seas or oceans.
In this ecology article, we will give you the answers to the doubts you have about How clouds are formedwhat are and the types of clouds that exist.
What are the clouds
The surface of our planet is composed of 70% of water distributed in seas, rivers, lakes and ponds. Even so, a part of this water is always in the clouds, which is part of the known water cycle.
The clouds are hydrometeorosformed by water droplets, water crystals or both at the same time, and have important functions for life on the planet, since after all it is the same to talk about the importance of water. The clouds are maintained suspended in the atmosphere And its formation, which we will detail later, depends on the level of water vapor condensation in the sky.
To better inform yourself on the subject, you can visit these two other articles about what the children’s water cycle is or discover some of the scientific curiosities about the atmosphere.
How the clouds are made
If you have doubts about how to explain to a child how the clouds are formed or want to know yourself, with this explanation it will be easy to understand. To get to understand how a cloud forms, we have first to mention that three basic ingredients are needed to occur:
- Water vapor in the atmosphere.
- Particles that allow condensation: such as pollen, salt particles that result from the waves of the sea or fire ashes.
- Low temperatures.
Next, we will detail the process of cloud formation:
- The water is Heated: This is due to energy from the sun, producing the evaporation of large amounts of water from the seas, oceans, rivers and lakes. Here you can find more information about what is evaporation of water and examples.
- Plants emit water vapor to the atmosphere: By absorbing the humidity of the terrain this phenomenon takes place, which occurs in parallel to the process mentioned in the first point. It is estimated, for example, that an apple tree emits in the form of steam about 6,800 liters of water every six months (it varies according to the conditions).
- The air becomes Hot and hot air: That is, humid air absorbs more heat and rises to the highest layers of the atmosphere, cooling during its ascent.
- A point comes, Water vapor is condensed: In this way, microscopic size drops are formed.
Thus, clouds are formed of water drops. While the formation of clouds can vary in some cases, for example, when a dough of hot and hot air rises along the slope of a mountain, it cools and condenses to form the clouds. This is the main reason why clouds are frequent in the high mountains.
Why the clouds float
When we think about what the clouds and characteristics that define them are sure that the adjective “float” comes to mind, and whenever we look at the sky we see the clouds floating. But why do the clouds float?
As we have explained above, the clouds are formed by small drops of water, so, according to the law of gravity, they should fall to the ground. Even so, they remain in the air thanks to:
- The drops that form the clouds are subjected to force that exerts its weight: which is greater than its volume of air.
- The Ascending currents of warm air They are responsible for keeping the clouds afloat: when the necessary factors for clouds (water vapor, particles and temperature) do not occur.
What are the main types of clouds
The clouds are distinguished from each other by their shape, magnitude and color. But if we look more in detail how the clouds are, we can find 3 types of clouds:
- Clusters: They are clouds that they have a swollen appearance (cluster means pile) and originate due to air currents that it rises. The most common is that their training takes place during the day and that at night they end up dissolving. Despite their swollen appearance, they are an indicator of good weather.
- Strata: They are clouds that have an elongated, horizontal and grayish appearance
- Cirrus: They are light and subtle -looking clouds and whitish color. They are clouds that are formed by ice crystals and are at very high levels in the atmosphere, exceeding 7,500 meters.
However, many of the clouds that are observed in heaven have intermediate characteristics to these types: they differ in CIRCOUM, CIRRESTRATES AND STRUCTURE. In addition, the term nimbo applies to clouds that are rains carriers. Although clusters are generally signs of good weather, they are called cumulonimbos when they are loaded with rains. When it is the strata that are loaded with rain, it is called nimboestratos.
On the other hand, depending on the winds, high, medium or low clouds differ:
High clouds
They are clouds that originate at heights between 7 km and 13 km in the atmosphere. These clouds They do not form rainfallbut they can indicate a change of time. Among the high clouds, we can find cirro, circoum or circus.
Medium clouds
They are clouds that are formed at heights between 3 km and 6 km and do not cause rainfall, that is, they are those clouds that They cover the sky totally or partially. In addition, the average clouds are uniform.
Low clouds
They are clouds that are formed below 3 km and are the ones They originate rainfall If they are very low height. They are clouds of vertical development, among which we can find strata, clusters and cumulonimbos. This type of clouds has a cotton appearance.
You can discover more about the types of clouds that exist in this article that we recommend from Ecology Verde or, but, watching this video that we propose below.
What is the importance of clouds
As mentioned in the first section of this article, the clouds are of great and vital importance for all living beings, since they are water carriers. On the one hand, clouds are in charge of Provide rain and snow And, on the other hand, they help keep heat and not escape. This is why the temperature in a night with clouds can be higher than on a night full of stars.
If you want to read more articles similar to How clouds are formedwe recommend that you enter our category of meteorological phenomena.
