The sky is a natural beauty that can be seen from anywhere on earth, it represents an atmospheric layer that covers the entire planet, it provides a great variety of elements that can be seen from any point, highlighting the clouds, let's learn about the different types of clouds, their characteristics and the basic condition for their origin.
Clouds
The planet earth is made up of a large number of ecosystems, where each one has a variety of plant species and biodiversity, so they are classified as different and unique spaces among them; but the atmospheric layer is the same in any part of the planet that comes to be observed, commonly identified as sky, there are various elements in it that give it a unique beauty but in this case the clouds stand out.
Clouds are a mass of vapor that is suspended in the atmosphere, they are basically made up of water drops and ice crystals, when light falls on them, it is observed that they have a white coloration and a very dense shape giving the appearance of cotton. Sometimes, they can become very dense causing light to not be able to pass through them, so a much darker almost gray coloration is observed.
The formation of clouds is carried out through a cycle, starting with the sun's rays that are responsible for heating the entire earth's surface, including everything that is around; the air is affected by the increase in temperature, making it less dense, therefore, it tends to rise and is replaced by cold and denser air. This fact is attributed to the environmental thermal gradient, when the air gains altitude it causes temperatures to drop and as it rises it cools down.
The air continues to rise until it reaches the coldest layer in the troposphere, condensing as water vapour. Emphasizing that the steam initially looks invisible or transparent, because it is made up of small particles of water and ice, they are able to maintain themselves despite the currents present in the environment. This fact causes the formation of a structure known as Clouds, the different shapes of them are due to the different condensation temperatures.
Environmental conditions influence the formation of clouds, some are favored at high temperatures (less dense clouds) and others at lower temperatures (denser clouds); another type are those that can cause precipitation while others do not. Some that are formed by very low temperatures even generating ice crystals.
Another factor that influences the formation of clouds is the movement of the air, when the air is at rest it favors the formation of them, where they begin to be visualized in the form of layers and strata. While those that originate between the movement of the air with strong currents favor the creation of clouds that are observed between rains and storms, the movement of the air is usually in a vertical current.
Cloud Types
The science in charge of carrying out the study of clouds is known as nephology, it investigates the composition, formation, density, evolution, movement and other characteristics more related to clouds. Through these studies, they managed to establish three main groups known as high clouds, medium clouds and low clouds, below we know about each one:
high clouds
High clouds, also known as ice clouds, are those that are among the highest in the troposphere (below 0ºC), approximately between 6000 meters and 10000 meters. Their most notable characteristic is that they are composed of crystals. of ice; They can cover up to eleven species of clouds but they are classified into three main groups:
Cirrus
White and translucent clouds that have the shape of long, thin filaments equal to parallel lines (straight or irregular), which is why they are also known as horsetails or summer streaks. Cirrus clouds are seen at an altitude of 8000 and 10000 meters, they are made up of ice crystals that evaporate when they fall before reaching the ground.
They are a type of cloud observed with the naked eye in the sky, giving the appearance of brush strokes or stripes that are formed by the movement of the wind, the skies that are covered by cirrus clouds normally at 24 hours a sudden change in climate is observed such as drop in temperature or precipitation.
Cirrocumulus
They are clouds that originate horizontally in the upper layers of the sky, generating a wrinkled appearance and with rounded shapes, as if they were small flakes of cotton or similar to the fabric of sheep, they also present a completely white coloration and without any shadow. They appear together with the cirrus clouds, forming from them when they are heated from below, causing the air to rise and join the cloud until it forms the Cirrocumulus. In addition, they indicate that the local weather or climate will change at 12 noon, normally preceded by a storm, although this aspect may vary.
Cirrostratus
It is a type of cloud that has the appearance of a veil extending to the sky and making it difficult to distinguish the details of its structure, its edges are long and wide striated. They are considered the easiest type of high cloud to identify, creating a halo in the sky around the sun and moon. They appear after cirrus clouds and can indicate a storm or good weather.
Medium Clouds
Medium clouds correspond to the classification that ranges between 3000 and 7000 meters, they are composed of water drops and also ice crystals, although the latter will depend on the height at which they are found, there are two main groups described below:
Altocumulus
Altocumulus clouds are known to be flake-shaped with an irregular structure such as wide striations and thick undulations. They are a large cloudy blanket that can cover the sky in its entirety, leaving certain spaces where the moon and the sun will be visualized. Their coloration is preferably gray and in some cases whitish, they can normally mean the beginning of bad weather such as rains or storms.
High Stratus
The altostratus are uniform mantles of great horizontal extension, they have a grayish or bluish coloration, they appear in the form of thin layers and in certain areas they are very dense. They can cover the entire sky, being in some thinner sections where they allow the sun to be seen, giving the sensation of an immense sheet extended to the horizon.
They are seen at a height of 3000 meters even 7000 meters, due to their thickness they cover several kilometers. They are made up of zones, the lower section is made up of drops of water, while the middle section has a greater number of small snowflakes and the upper zone, due to the low temperatures, is mostly made up of ice crystals.
low clouds
They are considered as a uniform cloud layer that are relatively close to approximately 2000 meters high, they are known as the lower floor clouds and classified into three main groups:
Nimbostratus
Known as rainy clouds that have a horizontal development, their appearance is of an extended layer of dark gray and very opaque, they are characterized by covering the entire sky until they generate a gloomy and melancholic atmosphere, at the moment of covering the sky, no other types of cloud can coexist with them only those considered low clouds. They are responsible for the rains in spring and summer and can even generate precipitation in the form of snow.
Stratocumulus
They are those clouds that are in the form of undulations very similar to elongated cylinders, with a coloration in gray tones and coming to present a large extension in the sky. They do not commonly provide rain, for this they must be transformed into Nimbostratus.
Strata
The strata come to present the appearance of grayish mist and without any defined structure; spots with pronounced gray tones and a greater degree of opacity are observed, normally they do not persist for a long time, except for those cold months of autumn and winter, they are preserved throughout the day, giving a gloomy and sad appearance; while when spring time arrives they usually appear at dawn but disperse during the day.
Vertical Development Clouds
They represent those clouds that develop with a vertical elevation, originate from strong internal ascending winds, causing them to grow for many kilometers; they are the main ones in causing drizzle and hail, even electrical storms that impact the earth's surface. They are classified into two groups described below:
Cumulus clouds
Cumulus clouds have a dense appearance, large size and very marked shadows; its coloration is dark greyish, even covering the sun. They have a horizontal base and an upper area with large vertical protuberances, coming to have an appearance similar to a cauliflower. They are a type of cloud that represent good weather, especially when the ambient humidity is low and there is little movement in the air; In the opposite case of greater humidity and strong ascending currents, they can generate large cumulus clouds that cause storms and heavy downpours.
Cumulonimbus
Cumulonimbus clouds are the largest among all, they have a massive appearance, giving the impression of mountains with large dimensions; its structure is smooth with different shades of grey. They are made of ice crystals and are the most seen in intense storms and are even the cause of hail.
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