Weather and Climate Guide: Cloud Formation, Biomes, and Meteorology

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Water in the atmosphere
 Higher temperatures cause liquid water molecules to move
faster.
 These water molecules become water vapor in the
atmosphere.
 When liquid water is converted into water vapor, the
process is called evaporation.
As temperature increases
evaporation increases
Atmospheric Pressure increases
evaporation decreases
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Cloud formation
 Through the process of evaporation and transpiration,
water moves into the atmosphere.
 Water vapors then join with dust particles to create clouds.
 Different conditions cause different clouds.
 Cumuliform clouds include:
 Cirrocumulus
 Altocumulus
 Cumulus
 Cumulonimbus
Cirrocumulus Altocumulus
Cumulus Cumulonimbus

Cloud formation
 Stratiform clouds form when a large mass of stable
air gradually rises, expands, and cools.
 Stratiform clouds include:
 Cirrostratus
 Altostratus
 Stratus
 Nimbostratus
Cirrostratus
Altostratus Stratus Nimbostratus

Cloud formation
 Sometimes a cloud formation
combines aspects of both
cumuliform and stratiform
clouds.
 We call these clouds
stratocumulus clouds.
 Cirrus clouds are thin lines
of ice crystals high in the sky,
above 6,000 meters.
 They are just a thin streak of
white across a blue sky.
Stratocumulus clouds
Cirrus clouds

Rain
 Rain is the result of a cooling air
mass.
 Cooling an air mass is like
wringing out a wet sponge.
 Tiny droplets form a cloud or
fog.
 Larger droplets fall as rain.

Snow
 Snow usually forms when
both ice crystals and water
droplets are present in the
sky.
 The water droplets attach to
ice crystals and freeze.
 When the ice crystals are
large enough, they will fall
to the ground as snow.

Air masses and fronts
 An air mass is a large body of air
with consistent temperature and
moisture characteristics
throughout.
 Two air masses that affect the
United States are the continental
polar air mass and the maritime
tropical air mass.

Fronts
 A cold front occurs when cold air moves in and
replaces warm air.

 A warm front occurs when warm air moves in
and replaces cold air.
Fronts

Low- and high-pressure areas
 When a cold front moves into
a region and warm air is
forced upward, an area of
low pressure is created near
Earth’s surface at the
boundary between the two
air masses.
 A center of high pressure tends to be found where a stable
cold air mass has settled in a region.

Thunderstorms
 Thunderstorms occur because of
convection in the atmosphere.
 The downdraft and updraft form
a type of convection cell called a
storm cell within the cloud.

Lightning
 Lightning is a bright spark of light that occurs within a
storm cloud, between a cloud and Earth’s surface, or
between two storm clouds.

Hurricanes
 A hurricane is a tropical
cyclone with wind speeds of
at least 74 miles (119 km)
per hour.
 The Saffir – Simpson
Hurricane Scale is one scale
used for rating hurricanes.

Tornadoes
 A tornado, like a
hurricane, is a system
of rotating winds
around a low-pressure
center.
 As the rotating wind
pattern narrows and
lengthens, it forms a
funnel cloud.
funnel cloud

 Storm patterns across the globe can happen in cycles.
 Usually the trade winds blow warm water from east to
west across the Pacific Ocean.
 Every so often the trade winds weaken and the warm
water reverses direction.
El Nino Southern Oscillations

 Along with warm water comes greater thunderstorm
activity across the Pacific.
 This change in wind flow, air pressure, and thunderstorm
activity is known as the El Niño Southern Oscillation.
El Nino Southern Oscillations

Climates &
Biomes
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 Climate depends on
many factors:
 latitude,
 precipitation,
 elevation,
 topography, and
 distance from large
bodies of water.
Biomes and climate

 Scientists divide the planet into climate regions called
biomes.
 Earth has six main biomes: deserts, grasslands, temperate
deciduous forests, rainforests, taiga, and tundras.
 Each biome has a unique set of plants and animals that
thrive in its climate.
Biomes and climate

 Each biome has a unique set of plants and animals that
thrive in its climate.
 The Serengeti is home to thousands of predators species
and 1.6 million herbivores.
Biomes and climate

 Humidity is related to
plant and animal
diversity.
 From the poles to the
equator, humidity and
the diversity of plants
and animal increases.
Biomes and climate

 At the equator, sunlight is
direct and intense.
 As a result, the average
yearly temperature at the
equator is 27 °C (80 °F),
while at the North Pole it is
-18 °C (0 °F).
Biomes and climate

Plants and animals in biomes
 A biome consists of plant and
animal communities.
 The plants and animals in a
community survive in a shared
environment.
 Within a biome, there are many
interrelated ecosystems.
 An ecosystem is made up of the
plants and animals that live
there, plus nonliving things like
soil, air, water, sunlight, and
nutrients.

Meteorology
 A meteorologist is a person who uses scientific principles to
explain, understand, observe, or forecast Earth’s weather.
Many meteorologists have college degrees in physics,
chemistry, or mathematics.

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Weather and Climate Guide: Cloud Formation, Biomes, and Meteorology

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