Everyone has seen clouds in the sky and roughly imagines what they are. But what are clouds made of and how are they formed? Let's try to answer this question. And although it is considered at school, many adults cannot answer it.
Education
Clouds, consisting of water droplets or ice crystals, are formed by the accumulation of steam condensation products. What does it mean? When water is heated by the sun, some of it is converted into steam, rises, where it combines with other water vapor. As a result, they form a large or small cloud. It all depends on the volume of the evaporated liquid.
Actually, now you understand what clouds are made of. Basically, they contain water in the form of small drops or ice crystals. However, there is an international classification of them depending on their appearance, shape and height of education.
Upper clouds
Formed with obliquely ascending or various air movements. This category includes cirrus, cirrocumulus, cirrostratus.
Mostthe first (pinnate) are formed at a height of 7-8 thousand meters from the ground. They are usually transparent. The thickness of their layer can vary from two hundred meters to two kilometers, and the size of the parts can be in the range from 300 meters to two kilometers. Arrays of cirrus clouds can "spread" for hundreds of kilometers. And although they are clearly visible from the earth, the sun and moon, stars easily shine through them. They do not give precipitation at all and can exist for 12-18 hours or even several days.
Cirrocumulus clouds occur at an altitude of 6-8 km. They are small and thin, look like waves, ripples, flakes, are also easily translucent by the sun and moon, stars, can be harbingers of the future curtains.
Cirrostratus are at an altitude of 2-6 km. They are a homogeneous veil without gaps, through which the sun and moon can also shine through. These clouds, made up of small crystals, refract light from the moon or sun as it passes through. As a result, you can observe a multi-colored circle at the location of the light source.
Middle Tier
Middle clouds can be Altocumulus or Altostratus. The former are almost always white, but may have a gray tint. What are these types of clouds made of? Basically, these are supercooled drops of water. The thickness of their layer can reach 200-700 meters. Despite the presence of water droplets in their composition, they do not give precipitation.
High-stratifiedlocated at an altitude of 3-5 km. They are characterized by a gray or bluish uniform veil. Most often, they cover the entire sky within a person's viewing radius. Their main composition is supercooled water drops and ice crystals. The thickness of the layer can reach two kilometers, so the sun shines through, as if through a very dull frosted glass. Considering what the clouds of the middle tier, in particular, altostratus, are composed of, in summer, autumn or spring, precipitation can reach the ground in the form of small drops. But in winter, when the temperature is below zero, they can cause snowfall.
Lower tier
There are 3 types of clouds in this category:
- Sterocumulus. They are close to the ground - at an altitude of 0.8-1.5 km. These are gray and large clouds, which contain only drops of water. Their thickness can be 200-800 meters, and the sun or moon can shine through them only in those areas where the layer is very thin. Given their composition, they may receive short-term light precipitation.
- Layered are at an altitude of 0.1-0.7 km. These are clouds of a homogeneous layer, which most often have a gray color. They include drops of water, and precipitation from them is quite likely. In summer it is light and very fine rain, in winter - rare snow. The thickness of the layer varies between 200-800 meters. Given the thickness and color, the sun and moon cannot penetrate them.
- Nimbostratus clouds form at an altitude of 0.1-1 km, have a dark gray cover with a blue tint. Most often, they cover a large area of the sky, the boundaries of which a person does not see. The layer can be severalkilometers. If you are wondering what substance this type of cloud consists of, then know that it mainly contains large drops of water. Therefore, precipitation in the form of heavy rain or snow often falls from such clouds in winter.
Vertical Clouds
Features of these clouds is that they are formed as a result of ascending air currents. There are cumulus or cumulonimbus cloud types that fall into this category. They consist of drops of water.
The first (cumulus) are formed at an altitude of 0.8-1.5 km. They are dense, have domed tops and a flat base, and cover almost the entire sky. Like most other clouds, these also consist of water droplets, do not produce precipitation at all, but over time can evolve into heavy rain clouds.
Cumulonimbus are at an altitude of 0.4-1 km. These are very powerful and voluminous masses with a dark base, which from a distance can resemble mountains. Their structure is fibrous. The upper part of these clouds is made up of ice crystals, and these clouds are capable of precipitation in the form of heavy showers and snow during the winter.
Conclusion
On our planet, clouds mainly contain water in various forms: gases, liquids, crystals. Fortunately, we live on Earth. Almost everything is surrounded by water here. Imagine what would happen to people if they lived on Jupiter. After all, it is known what the clouds of Jupiter are made of.
They mainly contain ammonia, which fora person in high concentration is fatal, and its mixture with air is generally explosive. So you and I can only be glad that we live on a planet suitable for normal life, and not somewhere on Jupiter.
