why does the sun not absorb all the water from clouds?

Question

Ive often wondered as the sun is so hot,why it doesn't absorb all the water from the clouds?

Answer 1

Good question. I can see why it must seem so at first, but remember that the clouds are here in Earth's atmosphere, just tens of thousands of feet above our heads. Earth's atmosphere is held to the Earth by Earth's gravity, and this atmosphere extends only hundreds of miles into space. No clouds from the Earth are drifting in space. The Sun, on the other hand, lies 93 million miles away through space from the Earth.

The Sun certainly heats the clouds and the atmosphere, but the result is that clouds dissipate and reform continuously as part of the water cycle. This water cycle proceeds entirely here on Earth in roughly the following way: (Clouds -> Precipitation -> Rivers -> Oceans -> Evaporation -> Clouds). You can read more about the Water Cycle here:

http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercyclehi.html
and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_cycle

If it wasn't for our Sun, this cycle on Earth wouldn't be possible, but thank goodness the Sun doesn't evaporate all of the water on Earth out into space because Earth would have become be a dried out desert long, long ago. I hope this helps!

Answer 2

The sun is about 9.295×10^7 miles away from earth and is separated by the void of space. The clouds are trapped within the gaseous atmosphere that wraps around the earth and it is only about 100km thick.

If the sun absorbed all the water from the clouds it would extinguish itself and it would be night all the time.

Answer 3

The Sun is at the perfect distance away from the Earth so that water can exist in a liquid form.
If the Earth were closer then the Sun would scorch and vaporise us all, further away and we would be a frozen planet unable to sustain life.
We are here due to a delicate equilibrium so that the Sun allows life to flourish, it really is a one in billion chance.
Scientists beleive that in a billion years from now the Sun will enlarge as it turns into a Red Dwarf star and maybe we will actually be scorched away.....
Cheer up though, it won't happen for a while yet.

Answer 4

Because there is no air in the upper atmosphere so the clouds cannot be evaporated by the sun but if they were close to the ground then they will evaporate really fast.

Answer 5

Water is trapped in the atmosphere and heat doesn't absorb water it dissipates it in the air, going up to the clouds as heat rises, water gets pulled up with it.

Answer 6

The tops of our big dark clouds are white and they reflect the heat of the sun back into space.

Answer 7

To learn about clouds from the experts see this link
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/srh/jetstream/synoptic/clouds.htm

and this link

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/srh/jetstream/atmos/hydro.htm

Clouds form when air is cooled to its dewpoint or the temperature, if the air is cooled, it reaches saturation. Air can reach saturation in a number of ways. The most common way is through lifting. As a bubble or parcel of air rises it moves into an area of lower pressure (pressure decreases with height). As this occurs the parcel expands. This requires energy, or work, which takes heat away from the parcel. So as air rises it cools. This is called an adiabatic process.

The rate at which the parcel cools with increasing elevation is called the "lapse rate". The lapse rate of unsaturated air (air with relative humidity <100%) is 5.4°F per 1000 feet (9.8°C per kilometer). This is called the dry lapse rate. This means for each 1000 feet increase in elevation, the air temperature will decrease 5.4°F.

Since cold air can hold less water vapor than warm air, some of the vapor will condense onto tiny clay and salt particles called condensation nuclei. The reverse is also true. As a parcel of air sinks it encounters increasing pressure so it is squeezed inward. This adds heat to the parcel so it warms as it sinks. Warm air can hold more water vapor than cold air, so clouds tend to evaporate as air sinks.


Types of Clouds
There are four basic cloud categories observed in our atmosphere:
Cirro-form High-level clouds which form above 20,000 feet (6,000 m) and are usually composed of ice crystals. High-level clouds are typically thin and white in appearance, but can create an array of colors when the sun is low on the horizon. Cirrus generally occur in fair weather and point in the direction of air movement at their elevation.

Nimbo-form Nimbus comes from the Latin word meaning "rain". These clouds typically form between 7,000 and 15,000 feet (2,100 to 4,600 m) and bring steady precipitation. As the clouds thicken and precipitation begins to fall, the bases of the clouds tend to lower toward the ground.

Cumulo-form Clouds look like white fluffy cotton balls or heaps and show the vertical motion or thermal uplift of air taking place in the atmosphere. The level at which condensation and cloud formation begins is indicated by a flat cloud base, and its height will depend upon the humidity of the rising air. The more humid the air, the lower the cloud base. The tops of these clouds can reach over 60,000 feet (18,000 m).

Strato-form "Stratus" is Latin for layer or blanket. The clouds consist of a feature-less low layer that can cover the entire sky like a blanket, bringing generally gray and dull weather. The cloud bases are usually only a few hundred feet above the ground. Over hills and mountains they can reach ground level when they may be called fog. Also, as fog "lifts" off the ground due to daytime heating, the fog forms a layer of low stratus clouds.

Answer 8

It's too cold that high up in the atmosphere for the water vapour to continue into outer space, so it condenses into water droplets and falls back down to earth

Answer 9

the sun just emitting light that make water and other things hot

Answer 10

Because the sun is just plain lazy.