What is the average cloud weight?

In the rapid pace of modern life there is no time to look around, what can we say about the sky. And if you manage to connect with nature on a legal day off, get out on rest and lie on the grass, then you can watch the blue sky with pleasure and watch the "white-winged horses" running along it. Most often a person views the form of flying clouds, fantasizing about this topic. But few people thought about what the average weight of the cloud ...

A little physics

To know the mass of the most ordinary cloud, you need to know what it consists of. A cloud consists of concentrated water vapor, "suspended" in the atmosphere of the planet, which arises from evaporation from the surface of the earth and the oceans. But all the same the cloud often consists not only of steam, but also of drops of water or particles of ice, which constitute the average weight of the cloud. All "filling" depends on the ambient temperature cloud. Excessive number of these grains and is in the future a reason for precipitation - the more of them, the heavier the cloud, the more likely the occurrence of rain, hail or snow.

In fact, many people consider the clouds to be the same fog that we are accustomed to seeing on earth. At least, so they were characterized by researchers who climbed balloons or fell into the clouds on the tops of the mountains. There is undoubtedly a similarity. After all, in a fog that falls to the ground, there are also particles of water, which the people call "drizzle". In other respects, these are absolutely different phenomena, which have different density, environment, and the result: precipitation can not occur from the fog, but from the cloud it is easy.

How to measure a cloud?

It would seem, how you can weigh what is hanging in the air or floating in the sky. But it turns out, it's pretty simple. For scientists, of course. After all, in order to make the necessary calculations, you need to know exactly at what height the cloud is located from the surface of the earth. In addition to this parameter, it is also necessary to know the amount of condensed air from which the cloud consists. From these initial data, you can determine the average weight of the cloud. Such data, unfortunately, only meteorologists have, so calculations are conducted in special laboratories.

A little in this catchy business can help the type of clouds. Meteorologists can distinguish all 10 kinds of clouds, each of which has its density, distance from the earth's surface and composition. After all, the formation of each variety occurs at different altitudes, where the temperature regime differs, and the speed of air currents. Possessing these data and modern tools that help determine cloudiness, one can answer the very curious question.

What is the weight of the average cloud?

There are many versions and calculations that measure the weight of a snow-white cloud. But after all, all the clouds are different, so there must be a definite formula that allows you to measure the mass. We will not climb into the jungle of physical formulas, since an ordinary person who follows the cloud can not even know the distance to it. Let's trust specialists who claim that the average weight of the cloud is 800 tons. As it was calculated, one can only guess, but such are the scientific data.

At the same time, the National Center for Atmospheric Research, which is located in Colorado, argues that the easiest way is the mass of clouds, no matter how ridiculous it sounds, measured by elephants. They argue that it is so easy even for a child to explain what it is about. Judging by their analogy, if the elephant weighs about 5 tons, then the weight of the average cloud will be 100 elephants. As a result, we have 500 tons of a vaporous substance, of which water accounts for a meager percentage. Just imagine how much weight hangs over our heads almost daily. And this is just the average weight of the cloud. Talk about how much the black storm cloud does not even feel like. Probably, if we count as elephants, then the whole population of these animals will not suffice for calculating the clouds of the hurricane.

Conclusion

Precisely no one knows who first came to mind to know the average weight of the cloud. One thing is known - thanks to meteorological knowledge this became possible. Let the data be inaccurate, differ in their results and methods of calculation, but the curiosity of mankind is satisfied, and such a question is now unlikely to put anyone in a blind alley.