Clouds of Charming

Clouds form from condensation. As the sun heats the air, the mass/parcel rises into cooler temperatures. Since warmer air has the ability to hold more water vapor than that of cooler air, as it cools the moisture within the air condenses from a gaseous state to a liquid state.  When condensation occurs, we know the humidity of that air parcel equals 100%. (Source: Casey Allen Lecture Notes)

Image Source... Clouds play an important role in the study of geography and
 weather in that they  indicate what type of weather an area will soon experience
or is experiencing. 

High level clouds (above 7,000 meters high) generally build from millions of tiny ice particles. Since the temperatures at these altitudes are so low, when the moisture in the air parcel condenses, it freezes into ice. The prefix, “cirro-“ appears in the names of high level clouds. (Source: Online Text)

High Level Cirrostratus Clouds (Source: Online Text)

High Level Cirrus Clouds (Source: Online Text)
Wispy, curling tails successfully identify most
cirrus clouds. 

Mid-Level clouds (between 2,000 and 7,000 meters high) consist of liquid moisture particles. The prefix, “alto-“ appears in the names of mid-level clouds. (Source: Online Text)

Mid-level, Altostratus Clouds (Source: Online Text)

Mid-level, Altocumulus Clouds (Source: Online Text)
Mid-level clouds form from water rather than ice.

Low level clouds form between the Earth’s surface and 2,000 meters high. These clouds produce precipitation such as rain, snow, etc. Low level cloud names possess different prefixes and suffixes depending on whether or not they produce any type of weather. The “nimbo“ prefix or suffix denotes that the clouds are capable of precipitating. (Source: Online Text)

Low level, Cumulus Clouds (Source: Online Text)

Low level, Nimbostratus Clouds (Source: Online Text)

Image Source This image of Clay Morrow and Jax Teller shows how you rarely see just one specific type of cloud at one time. Below you will find descriptions of each present in this image. 

Contrail (Red Circle)- Formed by condensation when hot air from jet engines meets the cold air in the upper atmosphere and turns from a gas to a liquid.

Cirrostratus (Yellow Circle)- The high level transparent veil that covers a large part of the sky. These clouds thicken into altostratus clouds with the approach of a warm front.

 Altostratus (Blue Circle)- Thickened mid-level clouds which block the sun enough to inhibit the casting of shadows. Thicken to nimbostratus with approach of a warm front.

 Nimbostratus (Orange Circle)- Low level, grey colored clouds that often produce light precipitation.

 Cumulus (Green Circle)- Small, cotton ball-like clouds which usually indicate fair weather.

(Source for all of above descriptions: Online Text and Casey Allen Lecture Notes)

Hydrology and Soil

The San Joaquin Valley exists in a dry and arid region. This climate plays a large part in the formation of Charming's hydrology and soil.

Hydrology can be defined as the study of the movement of the Earth’s water in relation to the land or soil. This study tells us a lot about the soil of an area, but first one must have a simple understanding of the important factors in hydrology. Among the most important parts of hydrology, groundwater sits close to the top of the list. The name “groundwater” comes from the fact that the water resides below the surface, in an area of the ground known as the zone of saturation. (Source: Casey Allen Lecture Notes)

The blue section of this diagram is the Zone of Saturation where groundwater sits.
Here, rather than air and water filling in the porous spaces of the ground, water
saturates the area. Source: Casey Allen Lecture Notes

Most natural wells tap into this phenomenon. However, by pumping this ground water out of these aquifers for drinking water or for growing crops, compaction occurs where the water no longer supports the spaces between sediment. This process, known as subsidence, appears in a dramatic case in the San Joaquin Valley south of Charming. (Source: Casey Allen Lecture Notes) 

The San Joaquin Valley has experienced so much groundwater subsidence since 1925 that by 1977 the elevation of the land had decreased by roughly 9 meters (or about 30 feet)! This is the result of groundwater subsidence: the compaction of the ground after the removal of groundwater. Credit: (Casey Allen Lecture Notes)

The hydrology and climate of an area define its soil. Based on the climate and hydrology of the San Joaquin Valley, one can safely assume that Charming has an Alfisol soil type. Alfisol soil types generally thrive in warm, wet/dry climates with some amount of noticeable humidity (Source: Online Text)

As seen in this map, the area of Charming appears to be 
mostly Alfisol soil. (Credit: Casey Allen Lecture Notes) 

All soil types contain horizontal layers called "horizons". These horizons are identified based on their different physical, chemical, and organic compositions (Casey Allen Lecture Notes).  San Joaquin soil contains high levels of minerals and nutrients making it ideal for growing crops. This may explain the extreme case of subsidence mentioned above. The process of calcification creates alfisol soil. Calcification causes excess calcium carbonate to leach down from the B horizon and, over a long period of time, create a K horizon.                                              

Soil Profile from San Joaquin Valley.

Top to bottom: O Horizon, A Horizon,

 B Horizon, C Horizon, R Horizon

 Photo Credit: pssac.org

All facts credit: Casey Allen Lecture Notes