- published: 21 Feb 2012
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Cumulus clouds are a type of cloud with noticeable vertical development and clearly defined edges. Cumulus means "heap" or "pile" in Latin. They are often described as "puffy" or "cotton-like" in appearance. Cumulus clouds may appear alone, in lines, or in clusters. Cumulus clouds are often precursors of other types of clouds, such as cumulonimbus, when influenced by weather factors such as instability, moisture, and temperature gradient. Cumulus clouds are part of the larger category of cumuliform clouds, which include cumulus, cumulus congestus, and cumulonimbus clouds, among others. The most intense cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds may be associated with severe weather phenomena such as hail, waterspouts and tornadoes.
Cumulus clouds typically form when warm air rises and reaches a level of cool air, where the moisture in the air condenses. This usually happens through convection, where a parcel of air is warmer than the surrounding air. As it rises, the air cools at the dry adiabatic lapse rate (approximately 3°C per 1000 ft or 1°C per 100 m), while the dewpoint of the air falls by 0.5°C per 1000 ft. When the temperature of the air reaches the dewpoint, some water condenses out of the air to form the cloud. The size of the cloud depends on the temperature profile of the atmosphere and the presence of any inversion. If the top of the cumulus cloud reaches above the altitude where the temperature is at or below the freezing level, then precipitation from the cloud is possible. The temperature of the air at ground level will determine if this falls as rain or snow.
Imogen Jennifer Jane Heap ( /ˈɪmədʒɨn ˈhiːp/; born 9 December 1977 in the London Borough of Havering) is a Grammy Award-winning English singer, composer and songwriter from Havering, Essex. She is known for her work as part of the musical duo Frou Frou and her solo albums, which she writes, produces, and mixes. She has produced three solo albums, the latest of which is 2009's Ellipse, which was a North American chart success and earned Heap two Grammy nominations, winning Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.
For her solo work (as well as her work with Frou Frou and Acacia), Heap plays heavily produced and arranged singer-songwriter pop incorporating elements of rock, dance and electronica. As a guest player and collaborator she has played rock (Jeff Beck), hip-hop (Urban Species) and theatre/film music.
I just love crafting and shaping sounds. Actually, many of the sounds that I work with start off as organic instruments - guitar, piano, clarinet, etc. But I do love the rigidity of electronic drums... I would record live drums, and then I would spend a day editing them to take the life out of them. I like to breathe my own life into these sounds, and I do try to keep the 'air' in the music. Some people think electronic music is cold, but I think that has more to do with the people listening than the actual music itself.