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Stratocumulus
Most days here in Wilmington, there are clouds of some sort, floating gently along or rushing off to be somewhere else. We expect them here, as they are a large part of the weather in our local, coastal ecosystem. These stratocumulus clouds passed over the UNCW campus on Tuesday, January 24th. Stratocumulus often signify a change in the weather. In this case, we got some wind gusts and a few warmer days. Clouds are extremely important for the big picture on our planet, our biosphere. They do all of the work. Clouds move the Sun’s energy around our planet. Solar radiation heats our atmosphere, warming the surface and evaporating water. As the moisture rises, it cools and condenses into clouds. The winds then carry the clouds all over the Earth. Clouds cool the Earth’s surface, by reflecting solar radiation and bringing precipitation. They also help to warm things up again by radiating the heat that they absorb back towards the ground. The heat energy and moisture that clouds carry drive weather patterns all over the world. A cloud that starts here could travel almost anywhere. Think on that next time you look for puffy shapes in the sky!
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Stratocumulus
Most days here in Wilmington, there are clouds of some sort, floating gently along or rushing off to be somewhere else. We expect them here, as they are a large part of the weather in our local, coastal ecosystem. These stratocumulus clouds passed over the UNCW campus on Tuesday, January 24th. Stratocumulus often signify a change in the weather. In this case, we got some wind gusts and a few warmer days. Clouds are extremely important for the big picture on our planet, our biosphere. They do all of the work. Clouds move the Sun’s energy around our planet. Solar radiation heats our atmosphere, warming the surface and evaporating water. As the moisture rises, it cools and condenses into clouds. The winds then carry the clouds all over the Earth. Clouds cool the Earth’s surface, by reflecting solar radiation and bringing precipitation. They also help to warm things up again by radiating the heat that they absorb back towards the ground. The heat energy and moisture that clouds carry drive weather patterns all over the world. A cloud that starts here could travel almost anywhere. Think on that next time you look for puffy shapes in the sky!
Sources: