Download Cloud Stories

Lecture 11
Cloud Stories
Cloud Stories
Cloud forms and what they tell us.
1
2
Cloud Stories
Cloud Stories
! Clouds can tell us many things about our atmospheric
environment including
– Atmospheric stability
– Cloud microphysics, e.g., ice vs liquid
– Ice can survive a long time outside of a cloud
boundary making the cloud edges diffuse.
– Winds at level of the cloud
– Others?
3
4
Cloud Formation
Cloud Formation
! Clouds impact the environment in many ways –
! Radiation balance, water cycle, pollutant processing,
earth-atmosphere charge balance, etc…
All clouds require 3 things
! And they can be beautiful.
1. Water vapor
2. Cloud Condensation nuclei (CCN)
3. Cooling - heat transfer out of air parcel or
work done by air molecules in parcel.
5
6
Sources of Water Vapor
Sources of Water Vapor
• The subtropical Ocean
• Lakes and Rivers
• Evapotranspiration from plants.
• Sublimation from snow and ice.
The subtropical Ocean is the largest source of water vapor
7
8
Mechanisms for Cooling the Air
Impact of Surface Tension
(1) Lifting – most clouds form when air is lifted.
! a) Convergence – low press center – stratus
! b) Mountains – lifting by terrain
! c) Fronts – lifting over denser air.
! d) Warm air relative to surroundings
! ! i) Fires, volcanoes – cumulus
! ! ii) Latent heat
(2) Mixing – seeing your breath on cold day
(3) Contact – with cold surface – advection fog
(4) Radiation – ground fog
Surface Tension makes it hard for water molecules to
enter droplets, just as this pin is having trouble.
9
Saturation Vapor Pressure vs Temp.
10
Cooling increases Relative Humidity
• The saturation vapor pressure
of water increases rapidly with
temperature.
• If you cool an air parcel,
eventually you will reach
saturation.
• The saturation vapor pressure
is lower over ice than over
water.
The saturation vapor pressure of water increases with temperature.
Therefore, if the amount of water in the air stays the same, but the
temperature increases, then the relative humidity drops.
11
12
Cloud type summary
Cloud classification
! Clouds are categorized by their height, appearance and
vertical development
– High Clouds - generally above 16,000 ft at middle
latitudes (>6 km)
• Main types - Cirrus, Cirrostratus, Cirrocumulus
– Middle Clouds – 7,000-23,000 feet (2-6 km)
• Main types – Altostratus, Altocumulus
– Low Clouds - below 7,000 ft (<2 km)
• Main types – Stratus, stratocumulus,
nimbostratus
– Vertically developed clouds (via convection)
• Main types – Cumulus, Cumulonimbus
13
14
Cirrus
High Clouds
• High clouds
– White in day; red/orange/
yellow at sunrise and
sunset
– Made of ice crystals
– Cirrus
Cirrostratus
• Thin and wispy
• Move SW to NE
• Indicate fair weather
– Cirrocumulus
• Less common than cirrus
• Small, rounded white puffs
individually or in long rows
(fish scales; mackerel sky)
– Thin and sheetlike
– Sun and moon clearly visible
through them
– Halo common
– Often precede precipitation
15
16
Cirrus
Cirrus
17
Cirrus
18
Cirrostratus with Halo
19
20
Cirrostratus
Cirrocumulus
21
22
Cirrocumulus
Cirrocumulus
23
24
Contrail
Middle Clouds
• Altostratus
– Gray, blue-gray
– Often covers entire sky
– Sun or moon may show
through dimly
• Usually no shadows
• Altocumulus
–
–
–
–
<1 km thick
mostly water drops
Gray, puffy
Differences from cirrocumulus
• Larger puffs
• More dark/light contrast
25
26
Altostratus
Altostratus
27
28
Altostratus
Altocumulus
Alto Stratus Castellanus
29
Altocumulus
30
Alto Cumulus
Alto Cumulus Undulatus
31
32
Low Clouds
•
Stratus
Stratus
– Uniform, gray
– Resembles fog that does not reach
the ground
– Usually no precipitation, but light
mist/drizzle possible
•
Stratocumulus
– Low lumpy clouds
– Breaks (usually) between cloud
elements
– Lower base and larger elements
than altostratus
•
Nimbostratus
– Dark gray
– Continuous light to moderate rain
or snow
– Evaporating rain below can form
stratus fractus
33
34
Fog
Stratus/Fog
35
36
Nimbostratus
Stratocumulus from below
37
38
Fractus
fractus
39
40
Stratiform cloud layers
Stratiform
cloud layers
41
Stratocumulus
42
Vertically developed clouds
• Cumulus
– Puffy “cotton”
– Flat base, rounded top
– More space between cloud
elements than stratocumulus
• Cumulonimbus
– Thunderstorm cloud
– Very tall, often reaching
tropopause
– Individual or grouped
– Large energy release from
water vapor condensation
43
44
What conditions support taller
cumulus development ?
Fair Weather Cumulus
• A less stable atmospheric (steeper lapse rate) profile
permits greater vertical motion
• Lots of low-level moisture permits latent heating to
warm parcel, accelerating it upward
• To forecast changing weather you have to predict
how the environmental lapse rate will change in time.
45
Cumulus
46
Cumulus
47
48
Cumulus Castelanus
Cumulonimbus
49
Cumulonimbus
50
Cumulonimbus
51
52
Cumulonimbus with Anvil
Cumulonimbus with Anvil
53
Cumulonimbus
54
Cumulonimbus with Anvil
55
56
Mamatus
Tornado Funnel Cloud
57
Mamatus
58
Virga
59
60
Lenticular clouds
Orographic Clouds
• Stable air flowing over a
mountain range often forms
a series of waves
– Think of water waves formed
downstream of a submerged
boulder
• Air cools during rising
portion of wave and warms
during descent
• Clouds form near peaks of
waves
• A large swirling eddy forms
beneath the lee wave cloud
• Forced lifting along a topographic barrier causes air parcel
expansion and cooling
• Clouds&precipitation often develop on upwind side of Mts.
• Air dries further during descent on downwind side
– Observed in formation of rotor
cloud
– Very dangerous for aircraft
61
Mountain Wave or Lenticular Clouds
62
Mountain Wave or Lenticular Cloud
63
64
Mountain Wave or Lenticular Cloud
Mountain Wave or Lenticular
Cloud
65
Mountain Wave or Lenticular Cloud
67
66
Mountain Wave or Lenticular Cloud
68
Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability
Questions?
69
Summary of Cloud Types
Clouds are categorized by their height, appearance,
and vertical development
– High Clouds - generally above 16,000 ft at middle
latitudes (>6 km)
• Main types - Cirrus, Cirrostratus, Cirrocumulus
– Middle Clouds – 7,000-23,000 feet (2-6 km)
• Main types – Altostratus, Altocumulus
– Low Clouds - below 7,000 ft (<2 km)
• Main types – Stratus, stratocumulus,
nimbostratus
– Vertically developed clouds (via convection)
• Main types – Cumulus, Cumulonimbus
71
70