The formula indicates that carbon dioxide is composed of one atom of carbon and two atoms of oxygen. Carbon dioxide is a waste product of animal metabolism and is exhaled in breathing. It is also essential for the growth of plant life. The carbon dioxide link between plants and animals accounts for one of the natural cycles that establishes interdependency between plants and animals. The gas is important climatically because it absorbs heat and creates an insulating blanket for the earth thus affecting temperatures near the earth's surface.
Cumuliform clouds Cumuliform clouds are flat-based, massive, globular clouds.
They are often higher than they are wide. A cumulus cloud is an example of a cumuliform cloud. Simple fair weather cumulus clouds are snow-white and cotton like with rounded tops and flattened bases. These small cumulus clouds may grow larger and denser indicating strong rising air currents carrying moist air rapidly to higher levels. Eventually another cumuliform cloud called a cumulonimbus cloud or thunderhead may develop bring violent rain, hail, wind gusts, thunder and lightening.