Clouds Flashcards
Cooling process
(1) Adiabatic–most common, vertical development.
(2) Nocturnal–low clouds and fog.
(3) Advection–warm, moist air moving over a colder surface usually producing low clouds.
Clouds
Definition–extremely small condensed water vapor droplets suspended in the atmosphere (less than .002 inches). (Condensation nuclei must be present in the atmosphere to act as a nucleus for forming cloud droplets.)
(b) Formation of clouds–formation is the direct result of saturation. Saturation is generally the result of cooling.
Cloud Families
Two basic types of clouds are stratiform and cumuliform.
Low clouds
Surface up to 6,500’ AGL
- Cumulus – CU
- Stratocumulus – SC
- Stratus – ST
- Cumulonimbus – CB
Middle clouds
-6,500’ AGL to 20,000’ AGL
- Altostratus – AS
- Nimbostratus – NS
- Altocumulus – AC
High clouds
-16,000’ – 45,000’ AGL (in mid-latitudes)
- Cirrus – CI
- Cirrostratus – CS
- Cirrocumulus – CC
Flight Conditions
(1) CU/CB - Isolated CU or CB can usually be circumnavigated. Avoid flying near or under CB.
(2) ST- Usually indicate stable conditions. But be aware that extended flights thru ST clouds with temperatures below freezing can be hazardous icing conditions.
• Warning: CU may be embedded in ST clouds.
You would expect more clouds to form in
air rising up a mountainside
Clouds form in various ways, but most clouds form because of
adiabatic cooling
Clouds associated with the nocturnal cooling process would be
low stratus and fog
In addition to moisture, __________must be present in the atmosphere to act as a nucleus for forming cloud droplets.
condensation nuclei
The two basic types of clouds are
stratiform and cumuliform
When the word nimbus is added to the names of a cloud, it means that
some form of precipitation is associated with the cloud
Choose the characteristics of a CB cloud
Vertical cloud producing rain
cloud abbreviations
CU
Cumulus
