Clouds
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SCIENCE CONCEPT
People that study weather patterns use tools such as satellites, radars, and surface maps. Meteorologists look at patterns in the atmosphere, beginning with general patterns, then narrowing it down to the more specific details. Satellites provide constant coverage by taking photographic images every 15 minutes that feed straight to a computer. The radar detects all types of precipitation, the rotation of thunderstorm clouds, airborne tornado debris, and wind strength and direction. Surface maps help show the current weather conditions at the Earth’s surface. These maps typically show temperature, pressure systems, wind direction and speed, humidity levels, and precipitation.
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APPLICATION
Clouds play an important role in the world from covering 70% of the world for shade to being the source of precipitation. Meteorologists use clouds to predict the weather. High-level clouds tend to predict weather changes about a day away, mid-level clouds tend to often indicate a significant rain or storm, and low-level clouds usually means that there is fog. Clouds can help us understand air temperature and predict weather, by analyzing how much sunlight reaches the ground or when droplets join with other droplets to cause rain.
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CAREER
A meteorologist is someone who studies weather patterns and clouds. A meteorologist studies, observes, and explains the forecast. They have to have a bachelor's degree in meteorology and atmospheric science. Activities of a meteorologist are separated into a couple of groups. A few examples are: air pollution, global climate modeling, hydrometeorology, and numerical analysis and forecasting.
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SCIENTIST
William Ferrel was born January 19, 1817. He was an American meteorologist who developed theories that explained the mid-latitude atmospheric circulation cell in detail, and it is after him that the Ferrel cell is named. The Ferrel Cell is the average motion of air in the mid-latitudes. Ferrel demonstrated that it is the tendency of rising warm air, as it rotates due to the Coriolis effect, to pull in air from more equal, warmer regions and transport it towards the north and south pole. It is this rotation which creates the complex curvatures in the frontal systems separating the cooler Arctic/Antarctic air polewards from the warmer tropical air towards the equator.
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ESSAY
Cloud Experiment
I started out my experiment by learning about and doing research on clouds and how they work. With my general knowledge I began my experiment. I began with getting materials I needed to start the process. I started with the small things like mason jars, water, and ice. Once I had those I looked back at the list of things and realized that I needed hairspray so I had to go get that.
After that dilemma I began the experiment. You need to take your mason jar and fill it with hot, almost boiling water. You then take the hairspray and pump it two times into the jar. Your next step is to put the lid on and put 3-5 ice cubes on the lid, after a couple of minutes you should be able to take the lid off and there should be a “cloud” coming out of the jar.
To get to know why this happens we will have to look at the science of it. First we need to understand what is in them to make them form. Clouds are made of water droplets or ice crystals that are so small and light they are able to stay up in the air. But how does the water and ice that makes up clouds get into the sky? And why do different types of clouds form?
The water and ice that make up clouds travels into the sky within air as water vapor, the gas form of water. Water vapor gets into air mainly by evaporation – some of the liquid water from the ocean, lakes, and rivers turns into water vapor and travels in the air. When air rises in the atmosphere it gets cooler and is under less pressure. When air cools, some of the water vapor condenses. As air pressure drops, some water vapor condenses too. The vapor becomes small water droplets and a cloud is formed. Clouds are formed at temperatures well below freezing.
My first experiment failed because I used cold water even though that is how clouds are created. My experiment obviously isn't a real cloud, but the water that vaporizes needs to be warm or hot. The coldness of the water and the ice doesn't mix to create the vapors. That being said, my hypothesis was correct about the first experiment.
I began my second experiment by putting the mason jar filled with water in the microwave to make it warm. I did all of the stuff in the first experiment, but with warm water. After I let it sit there and let the cloud form in the jar, I opened the can and it burst out of the can like smoke. It worked very well.
If I replaced the hairspray with something else it wouldn't work properly. Why is that? It is because the hairspray serves as condensation nuclei, which simulates the cloud.
Clouds can form anywhere in the troposphere, and although condensed liquid, they are light enough to float in the air and move from place to place by the wind. Clouds are classified according to appearance and height. Based on appearance, there are two major types: Clouds of vertical development, formed by the condensation of rising air; and clouds that are layered, formed by condensation of air without vertical movement. When clouds are classified by height, there are four classes: high, middle, and low.
The first of the four is the high class. The high class consists of the cirrus , cirrocumulus , and the cirrostratus. They are typically thin and white in appearance, but can appear in a magnificent array of colors when the sun is low on the horizon. The middle class contains the altocumulus , altostratus , and nimbostratus that are composed primarily of water droplets. However, they can be composed of ice crystals when temperatures are low enough. The low class is usually the big fluffy clouds you see that include the cumulus, stratocumulus, stratus, and cumulonimbus and are composed of water droplets. Cumulonimbus, with its strong vertical updraft, extends well into the high level of clouds.
I think that this experiment was a great way for me to learn about clouds and study them like Doug Heady. By observing clouds, we can get information about temperature, moisture, and wind conditions at different heights in the atmosphere. This information helps in predicting the weather. Observations of clouds also help us know how much sunlight is reaching the ground and how easily heat from the ground and lower atmosphere can escape to space. Clouds play a central role in controlling the exchange of heat in the atmosphere and changes in clouds over time can have significant climate impacts.
Clouds are very important and help make the Earth habitable. Clouds can cool the planet by reflecting the sun's rays, or warming the planet especially on cold cloudy nights. Clouds are also important at how water moves around the Earth, and where it rains most or very little.
I think that the study and science of clouds is really interesting and cool. I believe that everyone should study it and do the experiment because it really is a challenge to get the water the correct temperature. Clouds are cool!
I started out my experiment by learning about and doing research on clouds and how they work. With my general knowledge I began my experiment. I began with getting materials I needed to start the process. I started with the small things like mason jars, water, and ice. Once I had those I looked back at the list of things and realized that I needed hairspray so I had to go get that.
After that dilemma I began the experiment. You need to take your mason jar and fill it with hot, almost boiling water. You then take the hairspray and pump it two times into the jar. Your next step is to put the lid on and put 3-5 ice cubes on the lid, after a couple of minutes you should be able to take the lid off and there should be a “cloud” coming out of the jar.
To get to know why this happens we will have to look at the science of it. First we need to understand what is in them to make them form. Clouds are made of water droplets or ice crystals that are so small and light they are able to stay up in the air. But how does the water and ice that makes up clouds get into the sky? And why do different types of clouds form?
The water and ice that make up clouds travels into the sky within air as water vapor, the gas form of water. Water vapor gets into air mainly by evaporation – some of the liquid water from the ocean, lakes, and rivers turns into water vapor and travels in the air. When air rises in the atmosphere it gets cooler and is under less pressure. When air cools, some of the water vapor condenses. As air pressure drops, some water vapor condenses too. The vapor becomes small water droplets and a cloud is formed. Clouds are formed at temperatures well below freezing.
My first experiment failed because I used cold water even though that is how clouds are created. My experiment obviously isn't a real cloud, but the water that vaporizes needs to be warm or hot. The coldness of the water and the ice doesn't mix to create the vapors. That being said, my hypothesis was correct about the first experiment.
I began my second experiment by putting the mason jar filled with water in the microwave to make it warm. I did all of the stuff in the first experiment, but with warm water. After I let it sit there and let the cloud form in the jar, I opened the can and it burst out of the can like smoke. It worked very well.
If I replaced the hairspray with something else it wouldn't work properly. Why is that? It is because the hairspray serves as condensation nuclei, which simulates the cloud.
Clouds can form anywhere in the troposphere, and although condensed liquid, they are light enough to float in the air and move from place to place by the wind. Clouds are classified according to appearance and height. Based on appearance, there are two major types: Clouds of vertical development, formed by the condensation of rising air; and clouds that are layered, formed by condensation of air without vertical movement. When clouds are classified by height, there are four classes: high, middle, and low.
The first of the four is the high class. The high class consists of the cirrus , cirrocumulus , and the cirrostratus. They are typically thin and white in appearance, but can appear in a magnificent array of colors when the sun is low on the horizon. The middle class contains the altocumulus , altostratus , and nimbostratus that are composed primarily of water droplets. However, they can be composed of ice crystals when temperatures are low enough. The low class is usually the big fluffy clouds you see that include the cumulus, stratocumulus, stratus, and cumulonimbus and are composed of water droplets. Cumulonimbus, with its strong vertical updraft, extends well into the high level of clouds.
I think that this experiment was a great way for me to learn about clouds and study them like Doug Heady. By observing clouds, we can get information about temperature, moisture, and wind conditions at different heights in the atmosphere. This information helps in predicting the weather. Observations of clouds also help us know how much sunlight is reaching the ground and how easily heat from the ground and lower atmosphere can escape to space. Clouds play a central role in controlling the exchange of heat in the atmosphere and changes in clouds over time can have significant climate impacts.
Clouds are very important and help make the Earth habitable. Clouds can cool the planet by reflecting the sun's rays, or warming the planet especially on cold cloudy nights. Clouds are also important at how water moves around the Earth, and where it rains most or very little.
I think that the study and science of clouds is really interesting and cool. I believe that everyone should study it and do the experiment because it really is a challenge to get the water the correct temperature. Clouds are cool!
