Did you know that clouds are made up of tiny water droplets or ice crystals? Each cloud droplet is so small and light that it floats on air. Learn more in How Do Clouds Form?, a title in the All about Clouds series.
Made up of tiny water droplets or ice crystals, and encasing our planet in a protective layer, clouds are an important part of Earth’s weather, and have inspired millions of hours of sky watching around the world. Clouds celebrates every aspect of clouds, including how they are formed, their different types, how they help predict the weather, and how they are transformed by geography, climate and the seasons. Offering a clear scientific explanation to classification and identification, the book will also include cloud myths and legends, quotes from world literature, and beautiful photographs of every kind of cloud, from Cumulonimbus to Stratus. It will also include the truly rare and amazing formations only recently identified, such as Asperitas and the Morning Glory roll cloud. Highly illustrated with directory photographs and beautiful skyscapes, this is a lay person’s guide to understanding, recognising and interpreting clouds, written by astronomer and meteorology expert Storm Dunlop.
Clouds affect our daily weather and play key roles in the global climate. Through their ability to precipitate, clouds provide virtually all of the fresh water on Earth and are a crucial link in the hydrologic cycle. With ever-increasing importance being placed on quantifiable predictions - from forecasting the local weather to anticipating climate change - we must understand how clouds operate in the real atmosphere, where interactions with natural and anthropogenic pollutants are common. This textbook provides students - whether seasoned or new to the atmospheric sciences - with a quantitative yet approachable path to learning the inner workings of clouds. Developed over many years of the authors' teaching at Pennsylvania State University, Physics and Chemistry of Clouds is an invaluable textbook for advanced students in atmospheric science, meteorology, environmental sciences/engineering and atmospheric chemistry. It is also a very useful reference text for researchers and professionals.
Now in paperback: the runaway British bestseller that has cloudspotters everywhere looking up. Where do clouds come from? Why do they look the way they do? And why have they captured the imagination of timeless artists, Romantic poets, and every kid who's ever held a crayon? Veteran journalist and lifelong sky watcher Gavin Pretor-Pinney reveals everything there is to know about clouds, from history and science to art and pop culture. Cumulus, nimbostratus, and the dramatic and surfable Morning Glory cloud are just a few of the varieties explored in this smart, witty, and eclectic tour through the skies. Illustrated with striking photographs (including a new section in full-color) and line drawings featuring everything from classical paintings to lava lamps, The Cloudspotter's Guide will have enthusiasts, weather watchers, and the just plain curious floating on cloud nine.
Clouds are simple enough, just a collection of ice crystals or water droplets visible to everyone. Yet they are a source of endless wonder. They appear in an infinite number of shapes and forms. Some are beautiful, some awe inspiring, and some, like the whirling funnel cloud, are terrifying. Clouds inspire artists, poets, songwriters. They have reminded astronauts, looking down from space, that Earth, a seemingly abstract orb, is a place of life and movement. those great swirls of white-as they change shape, swell, evaporate into wisps, disappear and come back, glow with sunlight or darken with rain-are a constant reminder of how dynamic our planet is.
The clouds will put on a pageant for you with their ever-changing shapes and sizes. This book reveals some fascinating science behind these beautiful displays.
Discover tons of fascinating information about different cloud families, unique cloud characteristics, optical phenomena - from rainbows to light crystals. Filled with beautiful photography and remarkable details about each cloud's composition, appearance, cause, and more, Know Your Clouds is a must-have pocket guide for readers of all ages.