Get Clouds Worksheet

The water that makes up clouds is in liquid or ice form. The air around us is partially made up of invisible water vapor. It's only when that water vapor cools and condenses into liquid water droplets or solid ice crystals that visible clouds form. So how does that water get up into the sky?

They also may line up in streets or rows of clouds across the sky denoting localized areas of ascent (cloud axes) and descent (cloud-free channels). Mid-level clouds: The bases of clouds in the middle level of the troposphere, given the prefix "alto-", appear between 6,500 and 20,000 feet.

Water Vapor Condenses to Form a Cloud These particles, such as dust and pollen, are called condensation nuclei. Eventually, enough water vapor condenses on pieces of dust, pollen, and other condensation nuclei to form a cloud.

The foundation consists of 10 major cloud types. In addition to cirrus, stratus, cumulus, and nimbus clouds, there are cirrostratus, cirrocumulus, altostratus, altocumulus, stratocumulus, nimbostratus, and cumulonimbus clouds.

Depending on their type, clouds can consist of dry air mixed with liquid water drops, ice particles, or both. Low, shallow clouds are mostly made of water droplets of various sizes. Thin, upper level clouds (cirrus) are made of tiny ice particles.

Altocumulus clouds are a mid-level cloud that forms from 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) high to 4,000 metres (13,000 ft) in polar areas, 7,000 metres (23,000 ft) in temperate areas, and 7,600 metres (24,900 ft) in tropical areas.

Cloud Identification 101: An Intro to Cloud Types Cirrus (Ci) – High-altitude, thin, and wispy cloud streaks made of ice crystals. Cirrocumulus (Cc) – Small, flakey, and white high-altitude cumulus patches. Cirrostratus (Cs) – Thin, transparent, high-altitude layer capable of producing a halo.

Mid-level clouds form from 6,500 feet (2,000 meters) to 20,000 feet (6,000 meters). They usually look rather flat and layered, because the air at these altitudes doesn't move very much vertically. Their names always start with "alto": Altocumulus are white or gray puffy, patchy clouds with spaces between them.

A cloud is defined as 'a visible aggregate of minute droplets of water or particles of ice or a mixture of both floating in the free air'. Each droplet has a diameter of about a hundredth of a millimeter and each cubic meter of air will contain 100 million droplets.