Interesting information about clouds:
The origin of the word "cloud" can be traced to the Old English word clud or clod, meaning a hill or mass of a rock. Around the beginning of the 13th century, the word "cloud" began to be used as a metaphor for rain clouds. Around 340 BC, the Greek philosopher Aristotle wrote the Meteorologicala, a work that summed up the knowledge of the time about the natural sciences, including weather and climate.
For the first time, rain and the clouds from which the clouds fell were called meteors, which is derived from the Greek word meteor, meaning 'high in the sky'. From that word came the modern term meteorology, which was the study of clouds and weather.
Who is Cloud?
The visible amount of water particles or snow particles formed by the condensation of water vapor present in the atmosphere is called cloud. Clouds are the main source of precipitation, due to which rain, snow and hailstorm reach the surface of the earth. In the language of meteorology, a cloud or cloud is defined as a mixed mass of water or other chemical elements that settle in the atmosphere in the form of droplets or solid snow particles in liquid form.
How are clouds formed?
Elements required for the formation of clouds: (1) Water spread over a wide area (2) Excess of insolation or heat (3) Presence of dust particles in the atmosphere (4) Winds
Manufacturing process:
Changes are formed due to the process of condensation. First of all, during the day, the sun's rays fall in the wide oceans or seas, due to which the water of the oceans heats up and starts evaporating and turns into water vapour. After this, the hot air does the work of lifting these water vapors up and carrying them into the atmosphere.
As the air continues to rise in altitude, the temperature decreases and the water vapor cools down and water vapor condenses around the dust particles present in the air, forming clouds (clouds). Since they are formed at some height above the surface of the earth, they take different forms due to differences in their expansion, density and transparency or opacity.
Types of cloud: Clouds are generally classified on the basis of their extent, density and transparency or opacity. These are mainly of four types, which are as follows-
- Cirrus Clouds: The formation of this type of cloud is generally 8 to 12 km. that happens at altitude. These clouds are thin and scattered, which appear like feathers. Their color is always white.
- Kapasi Clouds (Cumulus Clouds): The formation of Kapasi clouds is usually 4 to 7 km. that happens at altitude. The base of these types of clouds is flat and they are scattered and scattered here and there, due to which they look like cotton, that is why they are called cotton clouds.
- Rain clouds (Nimbus Clouds): The formation of these clouds is generally 2 km. That happens only at a height, due to which they are very close to the surface of the earth. Their color is black or gray, due to which they become opaque to the rays of the sun. These clouds are thick, devoid of water vapor in shape.
- Stratus Clouds: These types of clouds are formed on the warm front, where the warm air mass comes in contact with the cooler air mass and starts climbing over it. These clouds are layered which are spread over very large parts of the sky. These clouds are usually formed either by the loss of heat or by mixing of air at different temperatures.
Other types of clouds:
These four major types of clouds- Kapsi, Strati, Varsha and Pakshabh together form clouds of the following forms-- High Clouds: They are formed from about 5 to 14 km. That happens at altitude when different types are then mixed together. In this, Pakshabhastri and Pakshabhakpasi come.
- Mid-altitude clouds: They form about 2 to 7 km. that happens at altitude. In this there are mid-layered and mid-layered clouds.
- Low Altitude Clouds: These types of clouds are formed about 2 km. That only happens at altitude. In this, there are layered cotton clouds, layered rain clouds and cotton rain clouds.
Interesting facts about clouds:
- Haze is also a kind of cloud and it is very close to the ground. Walking in the mist is like walking in the clouds.
- It is not that clouds do not have weight, the weight of a cloud is about 5 lakh kg, which means an airplane or 100 elephants. It can be 1- 1.5 km long.
- Clouds reflect the light of the sun, so they appear white.
- Clouds can run at a speed of 146 feet per second, that is, it will take 9 hours for a cloud to reach Mumbai from Delhi.
- Every planet that has an atmosphere has clouds. But not of water, sulphur oxide on the planet Venus and you will be surprised to know that there are clouds of ammonia on the planet Saturn and Jupiter.
- The delay of the flight is due to 'Cumulonimbus' clouds. It is capable of bringing from lightning to storms, hail and sometimes even tornadoes.
- Noctilucent Clouds occur at an altitude of 75 to 85 km. It is so high that it keeps reflecting the light of the sun even at night.
- Clouds are considered lucky in Iran. While blessing someone here it is said 'your sky is always filled with clouds'.
- The most cloudy place in the world is Prince Iceland of South Africa in the Antarctic Indian Ocean. Here out of 8760 hours of the year, only 800 hours of sunshine comes out here.
- When the clouds become very thick with billions of water droplets, then the sunlight does not shine in them and they look gray. As soon as the clouds turn gray, we should understand that it is going to rain.
- Clouds never fall down because clouds are made up of very small droplets ie 1 micron in size. The drop being so light does not respond to gravity properly and the same applies to the entire cloud as well.
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