ScienceForDummiss: 6-13 Oct: Cloud Classification

Hello! Today's science blog is about the classifications of clouds. We have already learned about the classifications of living things previously but now we're doing the classifications of non-living things: clouds.

But what are clouds? They are masses of condensed water vapor in the atmosphere and they have garnered some attention. In the 1800s, they were classified, shortly after people classified animals and plants. They are classified from elevation and appearance.

There are three main levels of elevation: high, middle, and low, and ten main types of clouds, but each of them has even deeper species classifications. But we'll focus on the big ten.

High Level

1.  Cirrus

Cirrus clouds  are the highest of the clouds in terms of elevation. The Cirrus kind of cloud is wispy and feathery, and cannot produce rain. Cloud types that can produce rain have the prefix or suffix "nimbo" or "nimbus".

2. Cirrocumulus

The cirrocumulus cloud is akin to the cirrus cloud,  but appears in large groups of small cirrus like clouds. They are more heapy and grouped together.

3. Cirrostratus

These clouds are wide, thin, and transparent. They are like the cirrus clouds but wide and cover a large area

Mid Level

4. Altocumulus

An Altocumulus cloud is a group of small clouds creating a heap. Altocumulus means "high heaped" in Latin. They are larger than the cirrocumulus and smaller than the stratocumulus we will see later.

5. Altostratus

Stratus clouds are thin clouds that cover a very wide area. Altostratus clouds are stratus clouds + a bit of elevation. 

Low Level

5. Cumulus, Cumulonimbus

The Cumulus cloud is the most typical of clouds, and the cloud you see in the weather app logo. They are heapy, and quite thick. Cumulonimbus appear at all levels because of their outstanding height and thickness (low, mid, high) and produce heavy rain. The are cumulus clouds that can pour down rain.

6. Stratus, Stratocumulus, Nimbostratus

Stratus clouds are wide clouds that appear like sheets on the sky. It can became rainy and become a nimbostratus, that produces ligher but more persistent rain (at least compared to the Cumulonimbus). The stratocumulus is sort of a fusion of the cumulus and stratus clouds. 

That's all for today!

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