Skip to main content

What is the name of the process by which rising air cools, then sinks and spreads out to form cloud cover?

I think you might be talking about the process of convection. Here’s a useful way to thinking about it: on a very basic level, clouds are essentially formed in two major ways – vertically and horizontally. When a cloud is formed “horizontally,” two air currents with different temperatures collide head on, like two cars crashing. When two currents collide, the warmer air is pushed up and over the cooler air, because warmer air is less...

I think you might be talking about the process of convection. Here’s a useful way to thinking about it: on a very basic level, clouds are essentially formed in two major ways – vertically and horizontally. When a cloud is formed “horizontally,” two air currents with different temperatures collide head on, like two cars crashing. When two currents collide, the warmer air is pushed up and over the cooler air, because warmer air is less dense. If the cold air hits warm air, the warm air is pushed up and can form thunderstorms. If warm air hits a cold air front, however, it slides more gently over the top of the cold air and is slowly cooled, creating stratus clouds. (This whole process can also happen when an air current hits a mountain. It’s forced up and over the mountain, cooling as it rises and forming cloud cover and rain on the other side of the mountain.)


That’s the “horizontal” approach. The “vertical approach” is through convection. Convection is heat transfer through the motion of a heated fluid – like air or water. The molecules in cold air are closer to together, making it more dense than warm air. Gravity pulls cool air down past the warm air. As a result, warm air is lifted up into the atmosphere where the temperature is lower, causing the warm air to cool down. The process repeats. When air cools, some of the water contained within it condenses into drops that appear as clouds (and/or later as rain). Cumulus and cumulonimbus are common cloud types formed by the convection process.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How and why does James Gatz become Jay Gatsby? Describe the young Gatsby/Gatz.

James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune,... James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune, whereas they arose from well-to-do families. Gatz became Gatsby through determination and discipline. At the end of the novel, the narr...
Post a Comment
Read more

What gift did Della buy for Jim and why in "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry?

Della buys Jim a watch fob because his watch is his most prized possession. Della and Jim Young do not have much money. Despite this, Della really wants to buy Jim a good Christmas present. She is even willing to sell her hair to get him a nice gift. This is ironic because we learn Della and Jim both highly prize her hair. Now, there were two possessions of the James Dillingham Youngs in which... Della buys Jim a watch fob because his watch is his most prized possession. Della and Jim Young do not have much money. Despite this, Della really wants to buy Jim a good Christmas present. She is even willing to sell her hair to get him a nice gift. This is ironic because we learn Della and Jim both highly prize her hair. Now, there were two possessions of the James Dillingham Youngs in which they both took a mighty pride. One was Jim's gold watch that had been his father's and his grandfather's. The other was Della's hair.  Della is still willing to sell her hair so she can b...
Post a Comment
Read more

Explain and discuss how the definitions of freedom change for the nation, for the freedmen and for southern whites after the Civil War.

After the Civil War, the definition of freedom changed in the nation, as slavery was ended with the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. The practice of slavery was disallowed, but definition of the freedom that would take its place was a subject of controversy, ongoing debate, and even violence in the decades to come.  For freedmen, freedom often meant reconciling with their families, who were broken up by slavery; choosing which church to... After the Civil War, the definition of freedom changed in the nation, as slavery was ended with the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. The practice of slavery was disallowed, but definition of the freedom that would take its place was a subject of controversy, ongoing debate, and even violence in the decades to come.  For freedmen, freedom often meant reconciling with their families, who were broken up by slavery; choosing which church to belong to without being ordered to attend religious services (or not to attend) by their mast...
Post a Comment
Read more