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How are clouds made?  ~Adam and Ethan S.  Ages 8 and 6

3/8/2014

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Great question!  All clouds are made of very small droplets of condensed water vapor.  They form when water from the Earth’s surface evaporates and travels up into the atmosphere.  As this water vapor (water in the gas form) rises further and further, the air begins to get colder.  Eventually the air gets cold enough that the water vapor condenses back into liquid water, or even ice.  (Condensation is just what happens when water vapor becomes cool enough to turn back into liquid water.  You've probably seen this in your bathroom after a shower--the bathroom mirror is all foggy!  This is because the mirror is cool, and when the water vapor from the hot shower touches the mirror, it turns back into water!) This condensation of water vapor in the air forms a cloud!  The diagram below shows the steps that make a cloud:
Picture
1)      The sun heats up the earth.

2)      This heat causes the water on the Earth’s surface to turn to water vapor, and begin to evaporate.

3)      The water vapor moves higher and higher into the atmosphere.

4)      When the air is cold enough, the water vapor turns to liquid water or ice, forming the cloud.
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