Asperitas - a newly identified cloud supplementary feature

R. Giles Harrison, Gavin Pretor-Pinney, Graeme J. Marlton, Graeme D. Anderson, Daniel J. Kirshbaum, Robin J. Hogan
2017 Weather  
Cloud images obtained through a crowd-sourced international observing network suggest a cloud variety that has hitherto not been explicitly classified. This cloud feature shows a roughened base, which, under some solar illumination conditions, provides a particularly dramatic appearance. The growing body of photographic observations have led the World Meteorological Organisation to consider adding 'asperitas' to the 2017 edition of the International Cloud Atlas as a new form of supplementary
more » ... ud feature. We compare reported sightings with available meteorological data to investigate the conditions that give rise to this newly recognised cloud description. 1 Cirrus dominated by irregularly curved filaments of ice, giving an entangled appearance. 2 from the Latin noun meaning roughness
doi:10.1002/wea.2996 fatcat:nnqm66xdwfgq7atv2q5rjszj2m