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Sky Watchers Want Recognized a Newly Described Type of Cloud
phantomfive writes "In Iowa and Scotland there are reports of a type of cloud not yet recognized by the World Meteorological Foundation. It seems the cloud does not match any of the clouds in the International Cloud Atlas, and thus there is a campaign underway to have it included. Some have said the clouds look like Armageddon has arrived."
"Armageddulus"
In the olden days, when I was a kid, alto-cirrus were notable for their rarity. Nowadays, in California at least, they seem almost a daily phenomena. Climate change, perhaps?
The cost of that cleanup, of course, will be borne by taxpayers, not industry.
Though I'm not sure I would want to store my data in it.
... and then they built the supercollider.
Yeah, the reflections are all wrong. Definitely photoshopped.
... for all those who suspect 'Photoshop':
The Cloud Appreciation Society
CC.
TaijiQuan (Huang, 5 loosenings)
And while you're at it, also add this puppy
Indeed. Mammatus aren't too common, but they're really creepy when you do see them in person; it's a whole, "clouds aren't supposed to look like that!" feeling. There's some great photos here. And yes, they actually do look that unreal.
"I'm GOD! Yapple Dapple!" -- God, "Jesus Christ Supercop"
Two clicks away from the article, I found the name "mammatus lenticularis".
Lenticularis are lens-like clouds that usually hang just above the peak of a mountain. These are caused by a warmer layer of air on top being pushed above the condensation level by the wind having to go over a mountain.
These look like mamatus, but more creepy. Less regular.
So referring to mammatus refers to the way they look. Referring to lenticularis refers to the way they form: In exactly the same way as normal lenticularis does.
There most likely is no problem. I actually AM a meteorologist (BS, MS, and finishing up my PhD) and these just look like some cumulus lenticularis- the formation mechanism is due to some waveform within the atmosphere that causes regular forms of condensation that appear like this. These are nothing really new, the sceintific basis is pretty good for these clouds to be listed. It's a 2-D wave pattern with a good airmass boundary. It's definitely neat, but it's not like it's earth-shattering cloud formation.
Is there any need for that safe=off in your query string?
Yes. Or else it would miss the best site
I am a meteorologist too.
I remember, when I was studying meteorology, people expected me to be on some kind of first-name basis with clouds.
"Hey what's that cloud over there?"
"Oh that's a cumulonimbus capillatus but his real name is Bob".
Cloud names are highly overrated by the uninitiated. Forget the impressive-sounding latin names. They are fanciful descriptions of the appearance of a cloud but they don't tell you much beyond that.
I would go as far as to say that the interesting feature in this picture is the wave action at the interface between two atmospheric layers. The cloud just happens to make the waves visible. It is garden-variety cloud, hardly worth mentionning actually.
But what's his name? His story? Did he survive hardship to get to where he is today?