Cloud Formation: How Do Clouds Form?

Clouds are a natural phenomena which are very to the humans. One important feature of clouds is that the weather can be predicted to a certain level with the help of studying cloud formations.

Any planet having an atmosphere in the solar system will have clouds. Clouds exist on the other planets like Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Clouds are condensed droplets suspended in the atmosphere above the surface of the Planet.

Clouds are formed when air comes in contact with either air a surface that is cooling by radiation or a cold surface. The air then is cooled below it's saturation point. Therefore clouds can be formed along cold and warm fronts. Clouds can also be formed at the side of a mountain.

The air will then cool as it rises higher into the atmosphere.Clouds can also be formed by the convection caused due to the warming of a surface by insolation.Clouds are therefore formed due to the cooling of water vapor in the air, and its condensing as part of the water cycle. Clouds consist of millions of water droplets as well as ice crystals.

These water droplets assume various shapes and sizes and float around. Cloud formation also take place when warm air blows over a cool surface or body, cold water is a perfect example for such types of cloud formations. Cloud formation takes place when two air bodies which are below the saturation point mix. One another reason of cloud formations is the absorption of more water vapor by air while remaining at the same temperature.

Cloud formations are the subject of many a folklore and are used by all and sundry to predict the weater. This kind of prediction of weather is known as 'weatherlore'. 'Weatherlore' cannot be exactly termed as unscientific, because any lengthy observation supported by testing and constant up gradation of explanations will procure some proved results.

There is another theory as regarding cloud formations. This theory is highly debatable and is not widely accepted as the reasons of cloud formation. This theory, known as the 'hot ice' theory, due to which water can be turned into ice by supplying a electric field, is said to be one of the reasons behind cloud formations. The electric field required for this operation is about one million volts per meter.

Another concept in the formation of clouds is the ice memory. It has been found that for clouds to form on clay for the first time, the required temperature is a minus ten degrees celcius. However, later, the clouds will form around the same clay at just minus five degrees celcius.

This phenomena has suggested scientists to speak about 'ice memory'.One popular weatherlore is about the red clouds. The lore goes that when the cloud formation is red coloured in the day, it will be foul weather, whereas if the cloud formations are red in the night, whereas it will be fair weather if the cloud formations are red in the evening.

Cloud Formations can sometimes cause a cloud field. Cloud Fields are simply a group of clouds, however, cloud fields sometimes take on a strategic shape which has its own characteristics. The Open Cell is a type of cloud field which resembles the honey comb. The closed shell cloud formation has denser clouds in the middle and clearer clouds at the end. Another cloud formation cloud field is the acitnoform, which is very similar to a leaf.

The colours of the cloud also vary from cloud to cloud and impart important information about the clouds. The characteristic white color of clouds means that they were formed with warm air which contained water vapor.

The grey or black clouds are formed when the droplets in the cloud combine to make bigger drops. This is done as the cloud matures. Other colors, such as blue, green and yellow are naturally created in the clouds.