clouds
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Cloud Timelapse Videos, Week of January 4
I recently added a phone app that records timelapse videos and put it to work imaging clouds. I think the results are pretty spectacular so far, but I’ll let you view the videos below and decide for yourself. On Sunday, January 4, I was eager to try out my new app. Earlier low cloud cover… Continue reading
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Do Rapid Changes in Cloud Opacity and Structure Indicate an Emerging Climate Regime Shift?
Introduction Louis Armstrong famously crooned “I see skies of blue, and clouds of white…” But we know that clouds aren’t always white. We use the term “cloud opacity” to refer to the grayness (or brightness) of a cloud. A cloud looks white when light moves through it with little interference, and it looks darker when… Continue reading
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Upcoming paper: A New Framework for Convective Storms
Introduction Almost a decade ago, one of my students investigated the influence of terrain on thunderstorms crossing the Hudson River Valley. It was a unique approach to the problem of how terrain impacts storms, examining correlations between radar parameters and elevation. After his project was completed, I expanded the dataset and played around with it,… Continue reading
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Delicate Wisps in Equilibrium: How Lonely, Stray Cumulus Clouds Appear in Blue Sky (Weather Explained #1)
Stray cumulus clouds form when clean air, weak heating, and subtle feedbacks align just enough for condensation to appear. These delicate clouds are brief structures born from balance, where sunlight, moisture, and turbulence meet only momentarily before the sky returns to a brilliant blue. Continue reading