Clouds and Precipitation - Cloud Formation and Precipitation Mechanisms

Explore the fascinating world of clouds and precipitation in this 49-minute lecture from Yale University's course on The Atmosphere, the Ocean and Environmental Change. Discover how scattered visible light and microwave radar are used to detect clouds and precipitation. Witness a live cloud formation experiment using a glass chamber to simulate rising air conditions. Learn about two main mechanisms of precipitation generation: collision coalescence in tropical oceans and the ice phase mechanism. Delve into cloud characteristics, cloud seeding practices, precipitation climatology, and the process of evaporation. Gain insights into the interactions between visible light and the atmosphere, and understand how radar technology detects precipitation. This comprehensive lecture covers essential topics in atmospheric science, providing a solid foundation for understanding cloud formation and precipitation processes.