Why do clouds have complex and cohesive shapes? Why are they not simple geometric shapes (spheres, flat planes, or the like)?
by 
Old School
ANSWERS: 2
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The pull in the upper atmosphere pulls the clouds up and down depending on the fronts and weather it is bringing.
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Some clouds are flat planes or regular stripes. The complex shapes you refer to are the product of turbulence where air masses are swirling around as different forces push them in different ways. Think of a pan of water being heated: initially you may get regular patterns of bubbles formed, but as the pan gets hotter, the bubbling becomes more and more chaotic. The atmosphere is the same. It is being heated on one side, cooled on another, stirred with mountains. It boils in the same way, except that because it is much bigger and much lighter, it does it in slow motion.
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