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WONDERS OF EARTH

Why there are so many insects?

How clouds

form?

If we want to create our own cloud, we will need to work very hard. First, we will need a lot of water which we need to elevate high up into the sky. Then, we will need to spray the water in drops so small they can float. Not an easy task.

Although it is very hard, our planet manages to create one cloud after another. It transports water and fuel from the ground constantly, all alone.

The process starts with water evaporations. It happens almost everywhere. In the oceans, and even from plants that release water during photosynthesis. Sun’s energy breaks the bonds that hold water molecules, and together they form patches of moist, hot air. The formed ballon is then surrounded by heavier cold air and starts to rise.

However, counterintuitive it may sound, the bigger the balloon is, the lighter it gets. This way, bigger patches of water and hot air rise faster than smaller ones. This happens because gases’ mass doesn’t depend on the type of gas. Instead, the mass is the same for a given volume, no matter which gas it is.

But water cannot create clouds by itself. It may sound strange because water molecules love to be together. The problem is that water likes to form bonds, but it also likes to break them. And if nothing is holding a cluster of water molecules, it has a bigger chance of losing molecules instead of acquiring new.

Somewhere in every water drop, there is one little impurity. It can be dust, salt, clay. And these little pieces of dirt are crucial for every raindrop. This way, instead of creating big chunks out of nothing, water molecules can start with a ready-to-use background.

After these processes take place, a cloud is finally formed. Then gravity helps the water come back to the ground again.

This way, the never-ending cycle of water supporting life on earth continues.