![]() They radiate this heat back toward Earth, warming the lower regions of the atmosphere. Clouds can also act like a blanket, trapping heat on Earth by absorbing the heat released by the surface of the planet. This prevents the planet from becoming too warm. During the day, clouds reflect a portion of the solar energy that reaches Earth back into space. Clouds also act as an “atmospheric blanket” that helps to regulate the temperature at Earth’s surface. However, clouds do more than bring rain or fair weather. For example, thick, gray, stratus clouds that bring heavy precipitation are called nimbostratus. Most clouds take on these three basic shapes-cumulus, cirrus, and stratus-and are further classified as nimbo-form if they bring rain. Stratus clouds are thin-layered, gray clouds that can result in light precipitation. Cirrus clouds are thin, wispy clouds that usually occur in the upper levels of the atmosphere ahead of a storm. When high-level cirrus or low-level stratus clouds increase in a region, the region can expect to see precipitation from an incoming low-pressure system. ![]() Residents can expect sunny skies and little precipitation. Certain clouds, such as low-level, short, cumulus clouds, indicate that fair weather is moving into the area. When there are few clouds in a region, it generally signals the presence of a high-pressure system, which means that residents can expect fair weather and no precipitation. Water evaporates from the ground and condenses in the atmosphere, resulting in a wide variety of cloud shapes: from large, puffy clouds to wispy formations. Cloud cover may also influence temperatures at the surface of the planet. The type and amount of clouds that commonly form over a region impact the precipitation conditions. Clouds form throughout all the levels of the atmosphere and affect both weather and climate.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |