1. By: Erinne Finlayson
CLOUDS AND PRECIPITATION
PROJECT

2. Adiabatic Temperature Change
and Expansion and Cooling
 When air expands it cools but when air is
compressed it warms.
 The dry adiabatic rate is when cooling and
heating only affect unsaturated air.
 Farther off the earths surface the less
pressure.
 http://www.kidsgeo.com/geography-for-kids/0070-adiabatic-temperature-changes.php

3. Orographic Lifting
 Mountains act like walls to air flow causing
Orographic lifting.
 Windward side of mountain will be rainy.
 Leeward side will be dryer.
 http://www.examiner.com/outdoorsman-in-salt-lake-city/understanding-why-utah-has-the-
greatest-snow-on-earth-part-1-orographic-lifting

4. Frontal Wedging
 Cool and warm air collide producing fronts.
 Cooler air is more dense than warm air.
 Cool air asks like a wall against warmer air.
 http://www.harding.edu/lmurray/113_files/HTML/d2_Earth%20Revised/sld0
46.htm

5. Convergence
 The different air masses force air to rise.
 Convergence is when the lower atmosphere
mix together.
 Florida peninsula is a good example.
 http://keithrogershome.com/Chap8Clds.html

6. Localized Convective Lifting
 Warmed air
 Warm parcles of air rise and form
condensation clouds.
 May cause rain showers.
 http://rst.gsfc.nasa.gov/Sect14/Sect14_1c.html

7. Stability
 Unstable air moves up
 Stable air dose not
 Unstable air= Thunderstorms maybe even
tornados
http://www.richho
ffmanclass.com/ch
apter4.html

8. Condensation
 Water vapor changes to liquid. (Gas to liquid)
 Air must be saturated
 Results in dew, fog, or clouds.
 http://www.scottslumber.com/services/window-
condensation-are-my-windows-defective/

9. Types of Clouds
 Clouds are formed by form and height.
 Types
 Cirrus (curl of hair) is seen as a white cloud.
 Cumulus (a pile) is seen as rounded separate cloud
masses. Cauliflower structure.
 Stratus (a layer) seen as sheets or layers that cover
most or all of the sky.
http://ed101.bu.edu/StudentDoc/c
urrent/ED101fa10/jenmks/

10. High Clouds
 Found over 6,000 meters off of earths surface.
 Cirrus and Cirrostratus are two possible clouds found as a
high cloud.
 Warning of stormy weather coming.
 http://www.zastavki.com/eng/Nature/Clouds/wallpaper-14253.htm

11. Middle Clouds
 Found around 2,000-6,000 meters off of
earths surface.
 These clouds are white or gray.
 They warn of a little snow or drizzle.
 http://acrosstheuniverse.forummotion.com/t862-i-ve-looked-at-clouds-from-both-sides-now

12. Low Clouds
 Seen as rainy clouds
 Located below 2,000 meters from the Earth’s surface.
 Created when air is forced up.
 Stratus and Stratocumulus are some clouds that can be
found here.
 http://bmvgallery.com/tag/clouds/

13. Clouds and Vertical Development
 Made up of unstable air
 These clouds cause showers and thunderstorm.
 A upward movement is strong enough to give many
clouds a great vertical rang form.
 http://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/EarthSC102Notes/102Clou
ds.htm

14. Fog
 Fog and clouds are the same thing, they are just created
in different place.
 Fog is the cooling or movement over something cold.
 Fog is found very close to the ground.
 http://helicopterblog.com/?p=276

15. Cold Cloud Precipitation
 It the ground is 0 degrees Celsius it must be at least -40
degrees Celsius in the clouds to create snow, hail, ext.
 When ice crystals contact cloud drops they cause them to
freeze.
 Supper cold water will freeze if it impacts the ground.
http://nasasport.wordpres
s.com/2011/08/26/amsr-e-
maps-rain-associated-
with-irene/

16. Warm Cloud Precipitation
 When water absorbing partials remove water vapor from
air at relative humidity.
 Salt can remove water vapor from the air.
 Tropics is an example of warm cloud Precipitation
 http://hdwallpapersdesktop.com/wallpapers/2011/08/wallpaper-ocean-tropics-clouds-boat-island-yacht-
photo/wallpaper-ocean-tropics-clouds-boat-island-yacht-photo-2/

17. Rain and Snow
 Rain- drops of water that falls from clouds. Must
be a least .5mm.
 Snow- made up of separate 6-sided crystals.
 Warmer that -5 degrees Celsius, ice crystaly join
in large clumps.
 http://totallycoolpix.com/2011/01/us-east-coast-snow-storms/

18. Sleet, Glaze and Hail
 Sleet-small particles of clear-to-translucent ice.
 Glaze- Freezing rain that was freezing before hitting
objects.
 Hail- cumulonimbus clouds ice pellets.
 http://www.erh.noaa.gov/cle/wx_events/2008/2008end.php

19. CLOUDS AND PRECIPITATION
PROJECT
By: Erinne Finlayson