Water Cycle & Clouds

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WATER CYCLE & CLOUDS CLOUDS - a visible mass of condensed water vapor floating in the atmosphere, typically high above the ground. The highest clouds in the atmosphere are cirrocumulus, cirrus, and cirrostratus. ... Mid-level clouds include altocumulus and altostratus. The lowest clouds in the atmosphere are stratus, cumulus, and stratocumulus. There are 3 Main Types of clouds ----- Cumulus, Stratus, and Cirrus. Cumulus clouds are the puffy clouds that look like puffs of cotton. Cumulus clouds that do not get very tall are indicators of fair weather. If they do grow tall, they can turn into thunderstorms. WATER CYCLE & CLOUDS TROPOSPHERE - The troposphere is the lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere. The troposphere starts at Earth's surface and goes up to a height of 7 to 20 km (4 to 12 miles, or 23,000 to 65,000 feet) above sea level. Most of the mass (about 75-80%) of the atmosphere is in the troposphere. Almost all weather occurs within this layer. STRATOSPHERE - The layer of the earth's atmosphere above the troposphere, extending to about 32 miles (50 km) above the earth's surface (t MESOSPHERE - The region of the earth's atmosphere above the stratosphere and below the thermosphere, between about 30 and 50 miles (50 and 80 km) in altitude the lower boundary of the mesosphere). THERMOSPHERE - The region of the atmosphere above the mesosphere and below the height at which the atmosphere ceases to have the properties of a continuous medium. The thermosphere is characterized throughout by an increase in temperature with height. WATER CYCLE & CLOUDS WATER CYCLE / Hydrological Cycle - The water cycle or hydrologic is a continuous cycle where water evaporates, travels into the air and becomes part of a cloud, falls down to earth as precipitation, and then evaporates again. This repeats again and again in a never-ending cycle. WATER CYCLE & CLOUDS Vocabulary Water Cycle Hydrologic - a science dealing with the properties, distribution, and circulation of water on and below the earth's surface and in the atmosphere Precipitation - water that falls to the ground as rain, snow, etc. Evaporation - to change from a liquid into a gas Condensation - the process by which a gas cools and becomes a liquid Accumulation - increase or growth by addition especially when continuous or repeated Clouds Cumulus - a type of thick cloud that is rounded on top and has a flat base Stratus - a low cloud form extending over a large area at altitudes of usually 2000 to 7000 feet Cirrus - a thin type of cloud that forms high in the sky Cumulonimbus - cumulus cloud having a low base and often spread out in the shape of an anvil extending to great heights Alto – Middle level Mass - a quantity or aggregate of matter usually of considerable size- Temperature - a measurement that indicates how hot or cold something is :a measurement in degrees showing the heat of something (such as air or water) Pressure - the weight of the air in the Earth's atmosphere Humidity - the amount of moisture in the air Wind - a natural movement of air of any velocity; especially: the earth's air or the gas surrounding a planet in natural motion horizontally- .

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Touching the Clouds Activity Guide
Touching the Clouds Activity Guide Purpose Provide a mental representation of each cloud type Create a tactile cloud identification chart Overview Individuals will construct and touch a tactile model of common types of clouds to learn how to describe the clouds based on their shape and texture. They will compare their descriptions with the standard classifications using the cloud types identified in the GLOBE Clouds Protocol. Time: 45 minutes to 1 ½ hours, depending on individual’s age Level: All Materials (per person) One large sheet of cardstock (18” x 12”) Tape One set of Braille labels for each cloud type and/or markers One small feather A layered piece of blanket or soft fabric (eight 1’ X 1” pieces) Cotton balls of varied sizes One tissue Organza or a similar material, cut into pieces, one layered 1” x 1” piece Pillow stuffing, one 1” x 1” piece A tsp of sand Three paper clips Liquid glue Scissors Baby Wipes Preparation Use tape to divide the large cardstock sheet in four sections: one for the cloud title at the top and three for the altitudes: using a portrait layout, place three pieces of tape horizontally, from side to side of the sheet. 1. 1” off the upper edge of the sheet 2. 8” off the upper edge of the sheet 1 Steps What to do and how to do it: Making A Tactile Cloud Identification Chart 1. Discuss that clouds come in three basic shapes: cirrus, stratus and cumulus. a. Feel of the 4” feather and describe it; discuss that these wispy clouds are high in the sky and are named cirrus.
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Impact of Aerosols and Turbulence on Cloud Droplet Growth: an In-Cloud Seeding Case Study Using a Parcel–DNS (Direct Numerical Simulation) Approach
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 10111–10124, 2020 https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-10111-2020 © Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Impact of aerosols and turbulence on cloud droplet growth: an in-cloud seeding case study using a parcel–DNS (direct numerical simulation) approach Sisi Chen1,2, Lulin Xue1,3, and Man-Kong Yau2 1National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado, USA 2Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada 3Hua Xin Chuang Zhi Science and Technology LLC, Beijing, China Correspondence: Sisi Chen ([email protected]) Received: 1 October 2019 – Discussion started: 21 October 2019 Revised: 6 July 2020 – Accepted: 24 July 2020 – Published: 31 August 2020 Abstract. This paper investigates the relative importance est autoconversion rate is not co-located with the smallest of turbulence and aerosol effects on the broadening of the mean droplet radius. The ﬁnding indicates that the traditional droplet size distribution (DSD) during the early stage of Kessler-type or Sundqvist-type autoconversion parameteri- cloud and raindrop formation. A parcel–DNS (direct nu- zations, which depend on the LWC or mean radius, cannot merical simulation) hybrid approach is developed to seam- capture the drizzle formation process very well. Properties lessly simulate the evolution of cloud droplets in an ascend- related to the width or the shape of the DSD are also needed, ing cloud parcel. The results show that turbulence and cloud suggesting that the scheme of Berry and Reinhardt(1974) condensation nuclei (CCN) hygroscopicity are key to the ef- is conceptually better.
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Clouds and Precipitation
Chapter 9 CLOUDS AND PRECIPITATION Fire weather is usually fair weather. Clouds, fog, and precipitation do not predominate during the fire season. The appearance of clouds during the fire season may have good portent or bad. Overcast skies shade the surface and thus temper forest flammability. This is good from the wildfire standpoint, but may preclude the use of prescribed fire for useful purposes. Some clouds develop into full-blown thunderstorms with fire-starting potential and often disastrous effects on fire behavior. The amount of precipitation and its seasonal distribution are important factors in controlling the beginning, ending, and severity of local fire seasons. Prolonged periods with lack of clouds and precipitation set the stage for severe burning conditions by increasing the availability of dead fuel and depleting soil moisture necessary for the normal physiological functions of living plants. Severe burning conditions are not erased easily. Extremely dry forest fuels may undergo superficial moistening by rain in the forenoon, but may dry out quickly and become flammable again during the afternoon. 144 CLOUDS AND PRECIPITATION Clouds consist of minute water droplets, ice crystals, or a mixture of the two in sufficient quantities to make the mass discernible. Some clouds are pretty, others are dull, and some are foreboding. But we need to look beyond these aesthetic qualities. Clouds are visible evidence of atmospheric moisture and atmospheric motion. Those that indicate instability may serve as a warning to the fire-control man. Some produce precipitation and become an ally to the firefighter. We must look into the processes by which clouds are formed and precipitation is produced in order to understand the meaning and portent of clouds as they relate to fire weather.
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48A Clouds.Pdf
Have you ever tried predicting weather weather will be nice. When cumulus clouds by looking at clouds? It may be easier than get larger, they can form cumulonimbus you think. If low, dark clouds develop in clouds that produce thunderstorms. the sky, you might predict rain. If you see 5 Sometimes clouds fill the sky. A layer towering, dark, puffy clouds, you might of low-lying tratus clouds often produce guess a thunderstorm was forming. Clouds several days of light rain or snow. are a good indicator of weather. 2 The appearance of clouds depends on VReading Check how they form. Clouds form when air rises and cools. Because cooler air can hold less 4. Stratus clouds often produce __. water vapor, the water vapor condenses a. heavy wind and rain into droplets. The droplets gather to form b. clear, sunny skies a cloud. If the air rises q,uickly, tall clouds c. light rain or snow that produce thunderstorms might develop. If the air rises slowly, layers of clouds 6 Clouds have names that indicate their might develop. shapes as well as their altitude. The word part cirro indicates clouds high in the VReadlng Check sky. A cirrocumulus cloud, for example, is a combination of a cirrus cloud and a 2. Thunderstorms might develop if air cumulus cloud. This cloud is high in the __ quickly. sky, but it is also puffy. A storm often a. rises follows when you see rows of cirrocumulus b. warms clouds. c. spreads out 7 The word alto indicates mid-level clouds. Altocumulus clouds appear at a 3 On a clear day, you can sometimes see medium height in the sky, but they are also wispy, feathery cirrus clouds high in the puffy.
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The Kiwi Kids Cloud Identification Guide
Droplets The Kiwi Kids Cloud Identification Guide Written by Paula McKean Droplets The Kiwi Kids Cloud Identification Guide ISBN 1-877264-27-X Paula McKean MEd Hons (Science Ed), BEd, DipTchg 2009 © Crown Copyright 2009 Contents 1. Cloud Classification 2. How Clouds are formed 3. The Water Cycle 4. Cumulus Altitudes 5. Stratus Altitudes 6. Precipitating Cloud Altitudes 7. Cirrus Cloud Altitudes 8. Cumulus 10. Altocumulus 12. Cirrocumulus 14. Stratus 16. Stratocumulus 18. Altostratus 20. Cirrostratus 22. Nimbostratus 24. Cumulus Congestus 26. Cumulonimbus 28. Cirrus 30. Contrails 32. References 33. Acknowledgements Cloud Classification Since Luke Howard developed the first cloud classification system in 1802, clouds have been classified according to the altitude of the cloud base and the shape of the cloud. There are three main categories: Low level- Clouds that form below 2000 m: Cumulus, Stratocumulus, Stratus (including Fog, Haze and Mist), Nimbostratus and Cumulonimbus. Mid level - Clouds that form between 2000 m and 7000 m: Altocumulus and Altostratus. High level - Clouds that form above 5000 m: Cirrus, Cirrocumulus, Cirrostratus and Contrails. In this guide cloud types have been organised by their characteristics so it is easier to distinguish between clouds that appear to be similar and to help determine the cloud type when the altitude can’t be determined. Clouds have been grouped into four categories: • Cumulus (heaped, puffy appearing clouds). • Stratus (flat clouds that extend over large sections of sky). • Precipitating (clouds that can produce rain, hail or snow). • Cirrus (wispy high altitude clouds). By using a combination of the altitude system and characteristic based system used in this guide, cloud identification will be easier and more accurate.
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chapter 6 Copyright © 2011, 2015 by Roland Stull. Meteorology for Scientists and Engineers, 3rd Ed. clouds contents Clouds have immense beauty and variety. They show weather patterns on a global Processes Causing Saturation 159 scale, as viewed by satellites. Yet they are Cooling and Moisturizing 159 6 made of tiny droplets that fall gently through the Mixing 160 air. Clouds can have richly complex fractal shapes, Cloud Identification & Development 161 and a wide distribution of sizes. Clouds are named Cumuliform 161 according to an international cloud classification Stratiform 162 scheme. Stratocumulus 164 Clouds form when air becomes saturated. Satu- Others 164 ration can occur by adding water, by cooling, or by Clouds in unstable air aloft 164 mixing; hence, Lagrangian water and heat budgets Clouds associated with mountains 165 Clouds due to surface-induced turbulence 165 are useful. The buoyancy of the cloudy air and the Anthropogenic Clouds 166 static stability of the environment determine the Cloud Organization 167 vertical extent of the cloud. Fogs are clouds that touch the ground. Their lo- Cloud Classification 168 cation in the atmospheric boundary layer means that Genera 168 Species 168 turbulent transport of heat and moisture from the Varieties 169 underlying surface affects their formation, growth, Supplementary Features 169 and dissipation. Accessory Clouds 169 Sky Cover (Cloud Amount) 170 Cloud Sizes 170 Fractal Cloud Shapes 171 processes causing saturation Fractal Dimension 171 Measuring Fractal Dimension 172 Clouds are saturated portions of the atmosphere Fog 173 where small water droplets or ice crystals have fall Types 173 velocities so slow that they appear visibly suspend- Idealized Fog Models 173 ed in the air.
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Mountain & Desert Thunderstorms
Mountain & Desert Thunderstorms Their Formation & Field-Forecasting Guidelines 2nd Edition, Revised August 2016 Jim Bishop The author…who is this guy anyway? Basically I am a lifelong student of weather, educated in physical science. I have undergraduate degrees in physics and in geology, a masters degree in geology, and advanced courses in atmospheric science. I served as a NOAA ship’s officer using weather information operationally, and have taught meteorology as part of wildfire-behavior courses for firefighters. But most of all, I love to watch the sky, to try understand what is going on there, and I’ve been observing and learning about the weather since childhood. It is my hope that this description of thunderstorms will increase your own enjoyment and understanding of what you see in the sky, and enable you to better predict it. It emphasizes what you can see. You need not absorb all the quantitative detail to get something out of it, but it will deepen your understanding to consider it. Table of Contents Summer storms………..……………………………………………………...2 What this paper applies to……………………………………………….……3 An overview…………………………….……………..……………….……..3 Setting the stage………………………………………………………………3 Early indications, small cumulus clouds…..…………………………………5 Further cumulus development………………………………………………..7 Onward and upward to cumulonimbus……………………………………....8 Ice formation, an interesting story and important development…..…………9 Showers……………………………………………………………………...10 Electrification and lightning…………………………………………………13 Lightning Safety Guidelines…………………………………………………14 Gauging cloud heights, advanced field observations.………..……………...14 Summary……………………………………………………………………..15 Glossary……………….……………………………………………………..16 References……………………………………………………………………18 Summer storm examples High on the spine of the White Mountains in California you have hiked and worked all week in brilliant sunshine and clear skies, with a few pretty afternoon cumulus clouds to accent the summits of the White Mtns.
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Cloud Types Levels
Cloud Types Levels Overview: During this project, students learn about different types of clouds and determine III-IV which type of cloud is most commonly overhead in their area over a period of four weeks. Objectives: Grades 5-8 The student will: • identify different types of clouds; • observe the sky daily and record the type of clouds overhead; and • determine the type of cloud most commonly overhead over the course of a month. GLEs Addressed: Science • [5-8] SA1.1 The student demonstrates an understanding of the processes of science by asking questions, predicting, observing, describing, measuring, classifying, making generalizations, inferring, and communicating. • [6] SD3.1 The student demonstrates an understanding of cycles influences by energy from the sun and by Earth’s position and motion in our solar system by connecting the water cycle to weather phenomena. • [7] SD3.1 The student demonstrates an understanding of cycles influenced by energy from the sun and by Earth’s position and motion in our solar system by describing the weather using accepted meteorological terms (e.g., pressure systems, fronts, precipitation). Whole Picture: Clouds are formed when water on Earth evaporates and forms water vapor held in the air. As warm air rises, cooling occurs. The cooler the air, the smaller the amount of water vapor it can hold, therefore some of the water vapor is forced to condense onto tiny particles (dust, pollution) floating in the atmo- sphere. A small drop of water forms around each particle. A cloud is a visible mass of such water in the form of small droplets or ice crystals that are small enough to stay suspended in the atmosphere.
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Cloud Classifications and Characteristics
By Ted Funk Science and Operations Officer Cloud Classifications and Characteristics Clouds are classified according to their height above and appearance (texture) from the ground. The following cloud roots and translations summarize the components of this classification system: 1) Cirro-: curl of hair, high; 2) Alto-: mid; 3) Strato-: layer; 4) Nimbo-: rain, precipitation; and 5) Cumulo-: heap. Cirrus clouds (above) High-level clouds: High-level clouds occur above about 20,000 feet and are given the prefix “cirro.” Due to cold tropospheric temperatures at these levels, the clouds primarily are composed of ice crystals, and often appear thin, streaky, and white (although a low sun angle, e.g., near sunset, can create an array of color on the clouds). The three main types of high clouds are cirrus, cirrostratus, and cirrocumulus. Cirrus clouds are wispy, feathery, and composed entirely of ice crystals. They often Cirrostratus clouds (above) are the first sign of an approaching warm front or upper-level jet streak. Unlike cirrus, cirrostratus clouds form more of a widespread, veil-like layer (similar to what stratus clouds do in low levels). When sunlight or moonlight passes through the hexagonal- shaped ice crystals of cirrostratus clouds, the light is dispersed or refracted (similar to light passing through a prism) in such a way that a familiar ring or halo may form. As a warm front approaches, cirrus clouds tend to thicken into cirrostratus, which may, in turn, thicken and lower into altostratus, stratus, and even nimbostratus. Cirrocumulus clouds (above) Finally, cirrocumulus clouds are layered clouds permeated with small cumuliform lumpiness.
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Clouds Are an Ever-Present Feature of Earth’S Atmosphere
Project ATMOSPHERE This guide is one of a series produced by Project ATMOSPHERE, an initiative of the American Meteorological Society. Project ATMOSPHERE has created and trained a network of resource agents who provide nationwide leadership in precollege atmospheric environment education. To support these agents in their teacher training, Project ATMOSPHERE develops and produces teacher’s guides and other educational materials. For further information, and additional background on the American Meteorological Society’s Education Program, please contact: American Meteorological Society Education Program 1200 New York Ave., NW, Ste. 500 Washington, DC 20005-3928 www.ametsoc.org/amsedu This material is based upon work initially supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. TPE-9340055. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. © 2012 American Meteorological Society (Permission is hereby granted for the reproduction of materials contained in this publication for non-commercial use in schools on the condition their source is acknowledged.) 2 Foreword This guide has been prepared to introduce fundamental understandings about the guide topic. This guide is organized as follows: Introduction This is a narrative summary of background information to introduce the topic. Basic Understandings Basic understandings are statements of principles, concepts, and information. The basic understandings represent material to be mastered by the learner, and can be especially helpful in devising learning activities in writing learning objectives and test items. They are numbered so they can be keyed with activities, objectives and test items. Activities These are related investigations.
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CHAPTER 2: PRINCIPLES of CLOUD and PRECIPITATION FORMATION Lead Authors: William R. Cotton and Sandra Yuter in This Chapter We P
CHAPTER 2: PRINCIPLES OF CLOUD AND PRECIPITATION FORMATION Lead Authors: William R. Cotton and Sandra Yuter In this chapter we provide an overview of the basic physical processes responsible for the formation of clouds and precipitation. A number of important concepts are discussed and terms defined which will be used in later chapters. For more detail on these topics the reader is referred to textbooks by Pruppacher and Klett [1997], Rogers and Yau [1989], relevant chapters in Wallace and Hobbs [2006], Cotton and Anthes [1989], and Houze [1993] and review articles by Stewart [1985] and Cantrell and Heymsfield [2005]. 2.1 Formation and Structure of Clouds Different cloud types are defined according to the phases of water present and the temperature of cloud top [AMS Glossary]. If all portions of a cloud have temperatures greater than 0ºC it is referred to as a warm cloud, or a liquid phase cloud. In clouds extending above the 0ºC level, precipitation may form either by ice phase or droplet coalescence processes. Ice-crystal clouds consist entirely of ice crystals. Analogously, a water cloud is composed entirely of liquid water drops. A mixed-phase cloud contains both water drops (supercooled at temperatures below 0qC) and ice crystals, without regard to their actual spatial distributions (coexisting or not) within the cloud. Most convective clouds extending into air colder than about í10°C are mixed clouds, though the proportion of ice crystals to water drops may be small until the cloud builds to levels of still lower temperature. Provided the temperature is not below about –40ºC, supercooled droplets may coexist with ice particles.
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