Name: _____________________________________________ Date: __________________________ Core: ___________ Cloud Formation How do Clouds Form? > Clouds form when ___________________________________ in the air __________________________ to form liquid water or _____________________________________. > Two conditions are required for condensation: 1) The Role of Cooling: _________________________ air can hold LESS water vapor than warm air. As the air cools (with increasing elevation) the amount of water vapor it can hold decreases, and this forces the water vapor to _____________________________ into tiny droplets of water or ice crystals. DEW POINT: _________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ 2) The Role of Particles: In addition to the right temperature, the water vapor also needs something to condense around. Tiny ______________________ must be present so that the water has a surface on which to condense. Most of these particles include things like: __________________________________, dust from _______________________ or _________________________. Simple Steps of Cloud Formation: 1) _____________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2) _____________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3) _____________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Cloud Abbreviations: -­‐alto = High -­‐cirrus = curl or fringe -­‐cumulus = pile -­‐nimbus = rain-­‐bearing -­‐stratus = spread out or layer Cloud Types: > Cumulus: ___________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ > Stratus: _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ > Cumulonimbus: ____________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ > Cirrocumulus: ______________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ > Cirrus: ______________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________