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Clouds explained Clouds play a very important role in the climate system. On this page we will explain the different forms of water on Earth and in the atmosphere, what are clouds made of and why precipitation sometimes occurs. We'll also see how they form and the many different sorts of clouds. You could never walk on a cloud as it is only water in the air: clouds form as a result of water vapour turning into droplets or ice crystals light enough to float in the air. When air containing water vapour is cooled to its saturation point, then the water vapour condenses into visible water droplets, called clouds. In other words, when the temperature is lowered, the saturation point corresponds to the moment at which condensation occurs or dew forms. In order to form clouds, water vapour also needs tiny particles in the atmosphere to condense on, called Cloud Condensation Nuclei.
The names of the clouds give a clue about shape of the cloud. There are three families of clouds: cirrus, cumulus, and stratus. These are the latin names given to clouds in 1804. Cirrus means 'curl of hair', cumulus means 'heap', and stratus means 'layer'. Clouds can also be classified by their altitude, whether they are located low, middle or high in the sky. The seasons also effect clouds. Clouds are always slightly lower in the sky during winter months, and higher during the summer. |