We look up every day to see the clouds floating in the sky. In fact, the clouds are not as light as it looks. So, do you know the weight of the cloud? In fact, this cloud is not light at all, and the weight is absolutely beyond your imagination.


The formation of clouds has two basic conditions, namely water vapor and coagulation concretion.


Under light, the evaporation of the water and plant leaves will generate a lot of water vapor.


Affected by the atmospheric temperature lower than the boiling point of the water surface, the water vapor content has changed significantly in the atmosphere, which shows various forms, and clouds are one of these forms.


When the water vapor is rising and the temperature in the atmosphere is higher than 0 ° C, the excess water vapor is condensed into small water droplets; when the temperature is lower than 0 ° C, the excess water vapor is condensed into small ice crystals.


When these small water droplets and small ice crystals gradually increased and the "gathering" reached a certain number of together, clouds that can be seen through the naked eye can be formed.


The water vapor in the atmosphere can be condensed on it to form a small water droplet suspended particles, which is usually called the coagulation concretion.


If there is no impurities in the air, but absolutely pure, the water vapor molecules in the atmosphere cannot be attached to the coagulation concretion.


The atmosphere contains a large amount of particles. The typical representative is dust. In addition, there are a large number of tiny particles such as salt granules and smoke particles. These particles are called coagulation concretion.


In everyone's impression, clouds are soft and light. But the real cloud has weight, and the weight is beyond your imagination.


According to data from the National Atmospheric Studies of Colorado, the average weight of clouds is 1.1 million pounds, which is equivalent to the weight of 100 elephants.


Since the cloud is so heavy, how does it float? The answer is actually related to the small water droplets that make up the cloud.


The cloud we know is composed of hundreds of millions of small water droplets or small ice crystals. These small droplets and small ice crystals are about 2 microns widely in diameter, smaller than human hair.


These small ice crystals were falling down by the gravity of the earth, but because their volume and quality were too small, the speed of landing was very slow.


However, in the process of landing, small ice crystals will evaporate again due to friction to form water vapor. These water vapor will condense around the dust, re -form a small water drop or small ice crystal.


In other words, clouds are not static. Because the small water droplets that make up the cloud are evaporated and condensed all the time, and the cloud of dynamic balance is formed, the cloud layer has not fallen.


The clouds look floating, but the average speed is 36 kilometers, and the speed can reach 50 to 60 kilometers at the fastest, which is comparable to cars driving normally in the urban area.


Generally speaking, the higher the clouds, the faster the speed. This is because the higher the height of the troposphere, the greater the wind speed, and the faster the clouds are blown.