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 ! Clouds impact the environment in many ways – Cloud Formation ! 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 Impact of Surface Tension Mechanisms for Cooling the Air (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 Surface Tension makes it hard for water molecules to enter droplets, just as this pin is having trouble. (4) Radiation – ground fog

9 10

Saturation Vapor Pressure vs Temp. 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 classification Cloud type summary

! 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

High Clouds Cirrus

• High clouds – White in day; red/orange/ yellow at sunrise and sunset – Made of ice crystals – Cirrus Cirrostratus • Thin and wispy – Thin and sheetlike • Move SW to NE – Sun and moon clearly visible Indicate fair weather • through them – Cirrocumulus – Halo common • Less common than cirrus – Often precede precipitation • Small, rounded white puffs individually or in long rows (fish scales; mackerel sky)

15 16 Cirrus Cirrus

17 18

Cirrus 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 30

Altocumulus 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

Stratus/Fog Fog

35 36 Nimbostratus Stratocumulus from below

37 38

Fractus fractus

39 40 Stratiform Stratiform cloud layers cloud layers

41 42

Stratocumulus 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 Fair Weather Cumulus cumulus development ?

• 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 46

Cumulus Cumulus

47 48 Cumulus Castelanus Cumulonimbus

49 50

Cumulonimbus Cumulonimbus

51 52 Cumulonimbus with Anvil Cumulonimbus with Anvil

53 54

Cumulonimbus Cumulonimbus with Anvil

55 56 Tornado Funnel Cloud Mamatus

57 58

Mamatus Virga

59 60 Orographic Clouds Lenticular 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 • Forced lifting along a topographic barrier causes air parcel • expansion and cooling beneath the lee wave cloud • Clouds&precipitation often develop on upwind side of Mts. – Observed in formation of rotor cloud • Air dries further during descent on downwind side – Very dangerous for aircraft 61 62

Mountain Wave or Lenticular Clouds Mountain Wave or Lenticular Cloud

63 64 Mountain Wave or Lenticular Mountain Wave or Lenticular Cloud Cloud

65 66

Mountain Wave or Lenticular Cloud Mountain Wave or Lenticular Cloud

67 68 Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability Questions?

69 70

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