How do clouds stay up in the sky if they are made of water? For an adult?

Question

Water is heavier than air, the temperature at altitude is too cold to sustain steam. As short and uncomplicated an answer as possible please. That will show the high level of intelligence of the person answering the question, whilst covering accurately the question asked.

Answer 1

Clouds are suspended in the air by the lifting action of air currents, by winds deflected from hills and mountains, but especially by convection

Answer 2

Clouds are largely made of small supercooled condensed water particles with some small ice particles at higher altitudes.

The force on a falling body is mg-(drag due to air resistance)

For small particles the drag force=6*pi*r*u*v

where u=viscosity of air, v=inst vel, r=drop radius

When the forces mg and drag balance, the particle reaches terminal velocity

vt=2*r^2*rh0/(9u)..rho =density of water=10^3kg/m^3

and u=1.74x10^-5 for air @0degC

typical cloud water particle size= 10^-5m radius

>vt=0.013m/sec =1.3cm/sec

This is easily blotted out by thermal updrafts etc..so the cloud stays UP.(u might get mist on high areas if temp inv layer occurs) Only when the droplets coalesce to critical radius and above do the particles make a net fall downwards as rain.(vt is propnl to r^2) This also explains why fine aerosols and dust particles stay years in the atmosphere

Answer 3

The cloud formed in the first place because of rising air that cooled below its dew point. The water vapour then condenses out into minute water droplets that we see as the cloud. The cloud itself does not fall due to gravity but if the water droplets combine to form larger droplets then a point comes when their size is sufficient to overcome the up force of the rising air and they will fall as rain. As long as air continues to rise the cloud base will continue to form at a height determined by the temperature and relative humidity of the air when it started upwards from ground level.

Answer 4

Theory: H2O has a solid state: ice, a liquid state: water, and a gaseous state.

Water becomes gasified when it is warmed (by the sun). As a gas it is lighter than air (it must be, it goes up) and begins to rise, taking air aloft with it. Evaporation is not rising 'damp' air. At a higher, colder altitude the water condenses and freezes. It cannot be expected that these minute frozen particles should at once plunge through the turbulence to drop back into the sea. Water, when frozen is not in its heaviest state.

  For winning, as I surely will, I would like an upgrade, a thousand points and a certificate. Thank you.

Answer 5

There is usually heating and lift at the surface,   enough to keep them a loft....

Answer 6

Clouds contain very tiny water droplets condensed on what is called condensation nuclei which are dust or salt particles already  floating in the atmosphere.Thus clouds are collection of such very tiny water droplets with negligible weight.Only when they combine together(under certain conditions) to form bigger drops ,they fall as rain.Moreover the clouds will be slightly warmer than the surrounding air and as long as they are warmer,they float in the air due to buoyancy.

Answer 7

They are full of water Vapour, not water as you know it, and the vapour is much lighter than water.

Answer 8

Clouds are made up of very very tiny water vapor particles high up in the atmosphere. At their size, atmospheric conditions matter more to their movement than gravity, so they stay up in the air. When they congregate, they disperse light so that they look like a thicker mass than they actually are.

Answer 9

not steam-condensation.

Difference in air pressure and content at that height differ.

particles are relatively far apart, just seems like one big mass from down here. When they come closer rain drops form