Sources for information in this section can be found here. Other gases in the air are called a minor constituents . Clouds Clouds are formed by the ascent of moist air in the lower atmosphere. Different kinds of clouds form a different altitudes and are an indicator of atmospheric stability. The arrival of different types of clouds helps us to predict the next day's weather.
Clouds are the least understood piece of the climate change puzzle .
An average atmospheric temperature profile shows three regions of heating , the surface , the stratosphere and the thermosphere and two regions of cooling , the troposphere and the mesosphere. Wind Wind patterns develop due to temperature differences in air between regions. The atmosphere is at a delicate balance between stability and instability to convection. When the atmosphere becomes unstable waves with wavelengths from 10 to 1000s of km develop. One type of wave you may be familiar with is a planetary wave, which contains the weather systems which visit us for periods of a day to a few days.