CloudsClouds

By Lynsey WilkieBy Lynsey Wilkie

ExperienceExperience The children I had at Delaware Elementary The children I had at Delaware Elementary

School over the summer looked up into the School over the summer looked up into the sky one day and asked many questions sky one day and asked many questions about clouds. In school I had learned some about clouds. In school I had learned some of the basics about clouds but I was unable of the basics about clouds but I was unable to answer their questions. I became curious to answer their questions. I became curious about clouds and wanted to find out more about clouds and wanted to find out more about them.about them.

QuestionsQuestions I asked myself:I asked myself:

– What are their names and what classifies them?What are their names and what classifies them?– How are they produced?How are they produced?– Do they vary in color?Do they vary in color?– What type of precipitation do they produce?What type of precipitation do they produce?

How do they produce precipitation?How do they produce precipitation? What happens?What happens?

StandardsStandards 5.3.4 5.3.4

– Investigate that when liquid water disappears it turns into a gas (vapor) Investigate that when liquid water disappears it turns into a gas (vapor) mixed into the air and can reappear as a liquid when cooled or as a solid if mixed into the air and can reappear as a liquid when cooled or as a solid if cooled below the freezing point of water. (Core Standard) cooled below the freezing point of water. (Core Standard)

5.3.6 5.3.6 – Demonstrate that things on or near the Earth are pulled toward it by the Demonstrate that things on or near the Earth are pulled toward it by the

Earth's gravity. Earth's gravity. 5.3.8 5.3.8

– Investigate, observe, and describe that heating and cooling cause changes Investigate, observe, and describe that heating and cooling cause changes in the properties of materials, such as water turning into steam by boiling in the properties of materials, such as water turning into steam by boiling and water turning into ice by freezing. Notice that many kinds of changes and water turning into ice by freezing. Notice that many kinds of changes occur faster at higher temperaturesoccur faster at higher temperatures

5.3.9 5.3.9 – Investigate, observe, and describe that when warmer things are put with Investigate, observe, and describe that when warmer things are put with

cooler ones, the warm ones lose heat and the cool ones gain it until they cooler ones, the warm ones lose heat and the cool ones gain it until they are all at the same temperature. Demonstrate that a warmer object can are all at the same temperature. Demonstrate that a warmer object can warm a cooler one by contact or at a distance.warm a cooler one by contact or at a distance.

Types of CloudsTypes of Clouds CumulusCumulus

– ““Puffy”Puffy”– Look like cottonLook like cotton– Produce ThunderstormsProduce Thunderstorms

StratusStratus– ““Spread out”Spread out”– Low levelLow level– Thin Thin – Layer the sky Layer the sky

CirrusCirrus– ““Feathery”Feathery”– High levelHigh level– Whispy and thinWhispy and thin

Nimbus- means rainNimbus- means rain– Cumulonimbus and Cumulonimbus and

NimbostratusNimbostratus

http://schoolscience.rice.edu/duker/weatypeclouds.html

Types of CloudsTypes of Clouds Wall CloudWall Cloud

– Come with severe Come with severe weatherweather Potential to create a Potential to create a

TornadoTornado

– Produces no rainProduces no rain– Looks like a thick cloud Looks like a thick cloud

covering the skycovering the sky Roll CloudRoll Cloud– Long and tubularLong and tubular– Detached from a storm Detached from a storm

cloudcloud– Looks like it’s rollingLooks like it’s rolling

http://weathersavvy.com/Q-Clouds_WallCloud.html

http://weathersavvy.com/Q-Clouds_RollCloud.html

Types of CloudsTypes of Clouds Shelf CloudShelf Cloud

– Low and horizontalLow and horizontal– Broken off from a storm Broken off from a storm

cloudcloud– Looks like a shelfLooks like a shelf

Anvil Anvil – The top part of a The top part of a

cumulonimbus cloudcumulonimbus cloud– The top is flattened giving it The top is flattened giving it

the look of an anvilthe look of an anvil

http://weathersavvy.com/Q-Clouds_Anvil.html

http://weathersavvy.com/Q-Clouds_ShelfCloud.html

Making a CloudMaking a Cloud

Air contains water or is in the form of water Air contains water or is in the form of water vaporvapor

Warm air rises, expands, and coolsWarm air rises, expands, and cools Cool air cannot hold as much water vapor Cool air cannot hold as much water vapor

as warm airas warm air– Some of the vapor turns into small dropletsSome of the vapor turns into small droplets

Billions of droplets come together and form Billions of droplets come together and form a clouda cloud

http://www.cbs6albany.com/images/research/Hydrologic_Cycle.JPG

Colors of CloudsColors of Clouds Caused by sunlightCaused by sunlight

Gray- Gray- sun shines through the top instead of the bottomsun shines through the top instead of the bottom Dark Gray-Dark Gray- the cloud is thick and sunlight gets blocked the cloud is thick and sunlight gets blocked White-White- the cloud is thin and doesn’t block as much the cloud is thin and doesn’t block as much

sunlightsunlight

Sometimes clouds take the color of the environment Sometimes clouds take the color of the environment such as near sunrise of sunsetsuch as near sunrise of sunset– Clouds are not actually these colors they just Clouds are not actually these colors they just

appear to beappear to be

Clouds & PrecipitationClouds & Precipitation RainRain

– Vapor droplets become too heavy for a cloud to hold Vapor droplets become too heavy for a cloud to hold and falland fall

– Ice crystals combine and make snow flakes and fall but Ice crystals combine and make snow flakes and fall but warmer air melts them into liquid dropletswarmer air melts them into liquid droplets

HailHail– Large frozen rain drop made during a thunderstormLarge frozen rain drop made during a thunderstorm– Snow flakes fall and liquid freezes on to them which Snow flakes fall and liquid freezes on to them which

makes ice pelletsmakes ice pellets– The more droplets the freeze on to the snow the greater The more droplets the freeze on to the snow the greater

the size of the hailthe size of the hail

Clouds & PrecipitationClouds & Precipitation SnowSnow

– Water vapor freezes into ice crystalsWater vapor freezes into ice crystals– The ice crystals attract cool droplets and take different The ice crystals attract cool droplets and take different

shapesshapes SnowflakesSnowflakes

Freezing rainFreezing rain– Rain gets extremely cold and freezes once it hits a cold Rain gets extremely cold and freezes once it hits a cold

surfacesurface SleetSleet

– Frozen raindrops Frozen raindrops – Surface temperature decreases and causes freezing Surface temperature decreases and causes freezing

rain to change to sleetrain to change to sleet

ReferencesReferences

http://teacher.scholastic.com/lessonrepro/leshttp://teacher.scholastic.com/lessonrepro/lessonplans/profbooks/cloudsmade.pdfsonplans/profbooks/cloudsmade.pdf

http://schoolscience.rice.edu/duker/http://schoolscience.rice.edu/duker/weatypeclouds.htmlweatypeclouds.html

http://www.weatherpictures.nl/stratus.htmlhttp://www.weatherpictures.nl/stratus.html http://www.cbs6albany.com/images/http://www.cbs6albany.com/images/

research/Hydrologic_Cycle.JPGresearch/Hydrologic_Cycle.JPG