~Manika

The science behind the formation of rare clouds

Science is everywhere, For every little thing, there’s science behind it. Here we can understand how the cloud formations take place.

Also Known as milky clouds, these strange bag-shaped structures are often associated with thunderstorms. Cloud formations have been seen in many places, including the Midwest.

As per the scientists, cloud formation is a kind of reverse convection. 

Convection is like a floating bubble. In huge clouds, evaporation creates negative buoyancy when cooling the air in the cloud. This causes the clouds to expand downwards instead of upwards like cumulus clouds, and they end up like inverted bubbles. 

The reason for cloud formation and why they are smooth is the thermal structure directly below them. Accordingly, the rate at which the temperature decreases with increasing altitude, called the “failure rate”, should be close to neutral. In other words, if you put a little hot bubble in a specific place, it won’t go up or down at all; no heat enters or leaves. This is a typical heat structure for a thunderstorm. Without these conditions, you will get the most common patchy cloud formations or cloudy wisps.

Different Cloud Formations

1. Crazy Clouds

These look like the waves in the ocean are crashing. The phenomenon behind lays the structure like oil on a puddle of water. There are two different layers formed. Just like the upper layer of the ocean is warm and the bottom is cold. The two layers move at different speeds. Just like in the ocean the top layer of water moves much faster than the lower layer. Thus forming the crazy clouds or shape of crashing waves on an ocean. 

2. Lenticularis 

These soft elliptical clouds officially called Altocumulus pods, are considered one of the most common reasons for UFO sightings. 

They appeared under the mountain, floating in the air, even in the wind. 

When air travels, it encounters obstacles like a mountain, and the air is forced to rise up and through it. Then the air spreads to the other side and gravity causes it to drop a bit before rising again.

3. The pearl cloud

It is one of the rarest clouds on earth. 

They are a form of polar stratospheric clouds and are responsible for the chemical destruction of the ozone layer. 

In the cold winter, clouds appear near the poles; when the temperature drops below 83°C, a small amount of water in the usually quite dry stratosphere will condense to form filaments of ice crystal clouds.

4. Arc clouds

They are also called cirrus clouds or aerial clouds and are related to powerful thunderstorm clouds and thunderstorm formation.  

There are two types of arc clouds, frame clouds and cirrus clouds, which are generally found under terrifying storm clouds or cumulonimbus clouds. 

They need specific weather conditions and the correct moisture content in the air to appear, such as during or just before the storm.

5. Morning Glory Clouds 

Morning glory cloud is a special and more unusual type of cirrus cloud, more common and usually not that long. 

Billowing clouds usually appear in the lower atmosphere before the storm front. The hot updraft at the front of the storm pushes the cold air up and then flows down on both sides of the updraft. The cold sinking airflow then rebounded slightly and formed a wave-like structure before the storm. 

During the ascent phase, cold air forms clouds. The evaporation of the cloud causes the airflow that is sinking at the edge to erode the cloud, forming a roll. If the waves continue, a series of cirrus clouds will form, called streets.

MUST-READ: https://skchildrenfoundation.org/environment-in-post-pandemic-world/