What environmental process does cloud formation illustrate?

Cloud formation primarily illustrates the process of condensation. When water vapor in the air cools and changes state from a gas to a liquid, tiny water droplets form, creating clouds. This process occurs when air rises and cools, causing the water vapor present in it to condense into liquid droplets once it reaches its dew point.

While convection is related, as it involves the movement of warm air rising and facilitating cloud development, it is not the primary process by which the cloud droplets actually form. Evaporation occurs beforehand, turning water into vapor, and conduction refers to the transfer of heat through direct contact between materials, which is not directly involved in the cloud formation process. Thus, the correct understanding of how clouds form emphasizes condensation as the key environmental process.