Cumulus Stage
The sun heats the earth's surface during the
day. The heat on the surface and warms the
air around it. Since warm air is lighter than cool air, it starts to rise
(known as an updraft). If the
air is moist, then the warm air condenses into a cumulus cloud. The
cloud will
continue to grow as long as warm air below it continues to
rise.
Shop Windows to the Universe Science Store!
The
Fall 2009 issue of The Earth Scientist, which includes articles on student research into building design for earthquakes and a classroom lab on the composition of the Earth’s ancient atmosphere, is available in our
online store.
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