What is an example of orographic clouds?
An example of orographic clouds would be: clouds forming over a warm ocean current. clouds forming on the windward slope of a mountain.
Which cloud type would be most likely to form in an unstable atmosphere?
Cumulus clouds developing into thunderstorms in a conditionally unstable atmosphere over the Great Plains.
What condition is required for cloud formation in the atmosphere?
Clouds form when the invisible water vapor in the air condenses into visible water droplets or ice crystals. For this to happen, the parcel of air must be saturated, i.e. unable to hold all the water it contains in vapor form, so it starts to condense into a liquid or solid form.
Which of the following cloud types would commonly be found downwind of a mountain?
Lenticular clouds can also form high above mountains and in their lee (downwind locations) within mountain-generated waves.
How do orographic clouds form?
Orographic clouds develop in response to the forced lifting of air by the earth's topography (mountains for example). Air passing over a mountain oscillates up and down as it moves downstream.
When cloud elements become arranged in rows they are called cloud?
When cloud elements become arranged in rows they are called cloud streets. In a conditionally unstable atmosphere the environmental lapse rate will be greater than the moist adiabatic rate and less than the dry adiabatic rate. 8. Lowering an entire layer of air will generally make it more unstable.
How are orographic clouds formed?
Orographic clouds develop in response to the forced lifting of air by the earth's topography (mountains for example). Air passing over a mountain oscillates up and down as it moves downstream.
What is stable and unstable atmosphere?
If it falls rapidly with height, then the atmosphere is said to be unstable; if it falls more slowly (or even temporarily increases with height) then a stable atmosphere is present.
What is the process of cloud formation called?
The air is no longer able to hold all that water vapor. The excess amount changes from a gas into a liquid or solid (ice). The process of water changing from a gas to a liquid is called "condensation," and when gas changes directly into a solid, it is called "deposition." These two processes are how clouds form.
What starts the process of the formation of clouds?
The cloud formation process starts with the condensation of water vapor into liquid droplets. When the air becomes saturated or unable to hold any more moisture, clouds form. The water vapor attaches to condensation nuclei which are extremely small particles such as dust or soot.
What type of clouds form around mountains?
The types of clouds that form from encounters with mountains are stratus clouds and lenticular clouds.
Which cloud usually forms in descending air?
mammatus clouds Mammatus are common in spring and summer. They mark a boundary between stable and unstable air. Unlike most other clouds, mammatus clouds form in descending air! The sinking air must be colder than the environment and must contain lots of ice or liquid water.
Is forming clouds leeward or windward?
windward side As the wind blows across a mountain range, air rises and cools and clouds can form on the windward side. This is why windward sides of mountain ranges tend to get heavy precipitation. When the air sinks on the leeward side of the mountain range, it is usually much drier and warmer than it was to begin with.
How are frontal clouds formed?
Fronts occur when two large masses of air collide at the Earth's surface. Warm fronts produce clouds when warm air replaces cold air by sliding above it.
At what height clouds are formed?
Cloud atlas At the upper reaches of the troposphere you'll find high clouds, which, depending on geographic location, occur between roughly 10,000 and 60,000 feet. Below that is the home of mid-level clouds, which generally occur between 6,000 and 25,000 feet.
At which altitude would you expect to observe the formation of cirrostratus clouds?
At which altitude would you expect to observe the formation of cirrostratus clouds? High altitudes with bases above 6,000 meters.
What is frontal cloud?
Frontal fog is fog that forms in frontal zones when rain falls from warm air into cold, stable air below. In conditions of light wind, fog may form through evaporation of the raindrops saturating air near the ground.
What is vertical stability atmosphere?
The strength of vertical motion is mostly determined by the vertical stability of the atmosphere. A stable atmosphere will tend to resist vertical motion, while an unstable atmosphere will assist it. When the atmosphere neither resists nor assists vertical motion it is said to have neutral stability.
What does stability mean in geography?
Stability is the state in which an air parcel finds itself colder than the air surrounding it at the same pressure (elevation). The air parcel will spontaneously sink. Instability is the state in which an air parcel finds itself warmer than the air surrounding it at the same pressure (elevation).
Where are clouds formed?
Clouds are formed when moist air rises upward. As the air rises, it becomes colder. Eventually the air can't hold all of the water vapor in it, and some of the water vapor condenses to form tiny water droplets. When moist air is cooled at the ground, fog is formed in the same way.
What is cloud formation?
AWS CloudFormation is a service that gives developers and businesses an easy way to create a collection of related AWS and third-party resources, and provision and manage them in an orderly and predictable fashion.
What is the cloud on top of a mountain called?
What Is A Cap Cloud? A cloud or pileus cloud is a stationary orographic cloud that forms over the peak of a mountain when moist air is forced up the windward slopes, and condensation occurs as it flows over the top.
What are stacked clouds called?
Lenticular clouds Lenticular clouds are also known as orographic clouds, which is a fancy word for 'mountain'. They are also referred to as lennies in the weather community. Stacked lenticular clouds, classified as altocumulus lenticularis duplicatus, are stacked like pancakes and wonderfully photogenic.
What is a high altitude cloud?
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).
Where do clouds form in the atmosphere?
Clouds generally form within the troposphere, or the layer of atmosphere closest to the earth.
What is windward and leeward?
An island's windward side faces the prevailing, or trade, winds, whereas the island's leeward side faces away from the wind, sheltered from prevailing winds by hills and mountains. As trade winds blow across the ocean, they pick up moist air from the water.
What are the leeward and Windward Islands?
In English, the term Leeward Islands refers to the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles chain. The more southerly part of this chain, starting with Dominica, is called the Windward Islands.
How are clouds formed answer?
The air is no longer able to hold all that water vapor. The excess amount changes from a gas into a liquid or solid (ice). The process of water changing from a gas to a liquid is called "condensation," and when gas changes directly into a solid, it is called "deposition." These two processes are how clouds form.
What are tall clouds called?
A cumulus cloud that exhibits significant vertical development (but is not yet a thunderstorm) is called cumulus congestus or towering cumulus.
What are the names of high level clouds?
The three main types of clouds
- High-level clouds (5-13 km): cirrocumulus, cirrus, and cirrostratus.
- Mid-level clouds (2-7 km): altocumulus, altostratus, and nimbostratus.
- Low-level clouds (0-2 km): stratus, cumulus, cumulonimbus, and stratocumulus.