What is a cloud?

Question

I need a long definition please.I just found very very short definitions for my question so im not really sure.

Answer 1

SHORT DEFINITION
Water and / or ice droplets.

LONGER DEFINITION
Clouds are formed by climatic forces acting on moisture in the air. This moisture is constantly renewed by water molecules escaping from land surfaces and water into the air and evaporating as a gas or vapour. The amount of the water vapour that can be held in the air depends on the temperature. The cooler the air, the less water it can hold (for more info look up 'Dew Point' and 'Saturation Vapour Pressure')

Once the air has become cold enough some of the water vapour condenses to form a visible mass of tiny droplets. This condensation depends on the presence in the atmosphere of minute particles. Often these particles (known as condensation nuclei) can be salt from ocean spray or particles from fires or volcanic eruptions. When such condensation from vapour to droplets occurs on the ground, it is called dew. Near the ground it is called fog or mist. Up in the sky it's clouds.

Clouds form when moist air is cooled to such an extent that it becomes saturated. The main mechanism for cooling air is to force it to rise. As air rises it expands, because the pressure decreases through the atmosphere, and therefore cools. Eventually it may become saturated and the water vapour then condenses into the tiny water droplets mentioned above. If the temperature reaches below about -20C many of the cloud droplets will have frozen so the cloud mainly composes of ice crystals.

There are four main ways in which air rises to form cloud:

* Rapid local ascent when heated air at the earth's surface rises in the form of thermal currents (convection).

* Slow widespread mass ascent where warm moist air is undercut by cold air (the barrier between the warm and cold air is called a 'front').

* Upward motion associated with turbulent eddies resulting from the frictional effect of the earth's surface.

* Air forced to rise over a barrier of mountains or hills.

The first of these tends to produce cumulus-type clouds, whereas the next two usually produce layered clouds. The last can produce with cumulus-type cloud or layered cloud depending upon the state of the atmosphere. The range of ways in which clouds can be formed and the variable nature of the atmosphere give rise to the enormous variety of shapes, sizes and textures of clouds.

Answer 2

Cloud-ception.

Answer 3

A cloud is a visible mass of condensed droplets or frozen crystals suspended in the atmosphere above the surface of the Earth or another planetary body. The branch of meteorology in which clouds are studied is nephology.

On Earth the condensing substance is water vapor, which forms small droplets or ice crystals, typically 0.01 mm in diameter. When surrounded by billions of other droplets or crystals they become visible as clouds. Dense deep clouds exhibit a high reflectance (70% to 95%) throughout the visible range of wavelengths: they thus appear white, at least from the top. Cloud droplets tend to scatter light efficiently, so that the intensity of the solar radiation decreases with depth into the cloud, hence the grey or even sometimes dark appearance of the clouds at their base. Thin clouds may appear to have acquired the color of their environment or background, and clouds illuminated by non-white light, such as during sunrise or sunset, may be colored accordingly. In the near-infrared range, however, clouds would appear darker because the water that constitutes the cloud droplets strongly absorbs solar radiation at those wavelengths.

Answer 4

Short and sweet answer: A cloud is a visible mass of condensed droplets or frozen crystals suspended in the atmosphere above the surface of the Earth or another planetary body. The branch of meteorology in which clouds are studied is nephology.

Answer 5

Clouds form when the invisible water vapor in the air condenses into visible water droplets or ice crystals
There are more information in scientific system.

Answer 6

A visible collection of particles of water or ice suspended in the air, usually at an elevation above the earth's surface.

Answer 7

a place where all your thoughts live and sleep and when you want to think of them again, it rains and you spend hours staring outside your window looking at the rain and thinking of memories.

Answer 8

water in gaseous form

Answer 9

angel's pillows