What is cloud transportation?

Some of the Earth’s moisture transport is visible as clouds, which themselves consist of ice crystals and/or tiny water droplets. Clouds are propelled from one place to another by either the jet stream, surface-based circulations like land and sea breezes, or other mechanisms.

Can clouds move or transport water?

As clouds move, they transport water around our planet. As the water on the surface of the ocean warms up, tiny water molecules rise into the atmosphere to help form clouds. When the water particles that make up clouds get heavy enough, they will sometimes fall down to earth in the form of rain or snow.

What are clouds useful for?

Clouds are essential to the earth-atmosphere system. Clouds help regulate Earth’s energy balance by reflecting and scattering solar radiation and by absorbing Earth’s infrared energy. Clouds are required for precipitation to occur and, hence are an essential part of the hydrologic cycle.

How do clouds help humans?

No matter what shape or size they are, clouds are essential to life on Earth. During the day they help protect us from the sun’s intense heat. At night they act as a blanket to keep us from getting too cold. They also provide precipitation and signal weather changes and patterns.

What is transportation in the water cycle?

Water in different phases moves through the atmosphere (transportation). Liquid water flows across land (runoff), into the ground (infiltration and percolation), and through the ground (groundwater). Groundwater moves into plants (plant uptake) and evaporates from plants into the atmosphere (transpiration).

How do clouds move?

Clouds move because the wind is carrying the parcel of cloudy air along. Wind occurs at all levels of the atmosphere from the ground up to higher than a jumbo jet can fly. Some clouds, like the lenticular clouds that form over hills, are stationary even when the wind is strong.

How far can clouds travel?

The simple answer is, clouds can travel for hundreds of miles in one day, but it just depends on where they formed in the atmosphere. Low clouds can form as low as 5,000 feet, where other clouds, such as cirrus, form at 30,000+ feet. The altitude makes all the difference.