NEw 'Asperatus' Cloud being discovered?

[Craig McPeck]

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/05/31/article-0-05283906000005DC-694_634x404.jpg

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1189877/The-cloud-Meteorologists-campaign-classify-unique-Asperatus-clouds-seen-world.html

Truly an amazing cloud. Its also rather interesting they are still finding new cloud formations!

[Joe beier]

Wow those look absolutely stunning ...

[Jason Foster]

"But mom, I don't like asparagus".

Sorry, it was the first thing that came to mind....LOL.

But really, those are some super sweet clouds.

[Rob Wadsworth]

OK...I'll bite...
What are the atmospheric requirements that cause the Asperatus to form?
What defines them?
I've seen things like it - w/o the favorable lighting.
Nice pics...

[John Hudson]

Gorgeous cloud pics, Craig. A very nice find; they almost look like a painting.

Isn't the canvas of the sky an incredible thing to behold?


John
VE4 JTH

[Craig McPeck]

Thanks, it almost looks like it was photoshopped. its so amazing. I heard reports of it forming in Iowa as well.

[Skip Talbot]

It is a dramatic feature, but also keep in mind that photo has been heavily enhanced. The foreground is completely blacked out, and background is blown out so a rather excessive contrast filter has been applied to it.

The feature resembles a gust front passage where there is a lot of turbulence between teh colliding airmasses.

[Dan Dawson]

Great photos!

I've seen these on a lot of occasions, often after the passage of an MCS, or sometimes in the morning before the boundary layer destabilizes. They seem to me to be associated with a relatively stable boundary layer, and I suspect the scalloped and wavy features associated with them are manifestations of gravity waves and turbulence associated with them. It would be neat some time to do a time-lapse video of them to see if the motion is indeed wave-like. In fact, IIRC, I saw a video on the internet like this once (a time lapse of a gravity wave).

[Lanny Dean]

Thanks, it almost looks like it was photoshopped. its so amazing. I heard reports of it forming in Iowa as well.


It has been "photoshoped".

I agree with Skip....interesting, but there is no question the photo has been "enhanced" It appears the Saturation levels were brought up quite a bit.

If you look closely you can also see the "pixel grab" this is from manipulating or in basic terms moving the pixels. This can happen by pushing or pulling parts of the picture to creat "something cool"
This can be done very easy with Photoshop filters.

To me it looks like nothing more than a gust front passage.

A nice high contrast pic.

[Vicky Redwood]

There's a guy in the UK called Gavin Pretor-Pinney who is the founder of the 'Cloud Appreciation Society' (an org just for fun) and he is trying to get this type of cloud officially recognised by the WMO, he has the backing of the Royal Meteorological Society in London and they are doing the sciencey bit by investigating what the atmospheric setup is at the time that these clouds form. They haven't been spotted over England unfortunately but Iowa does come to my memory - maybe there were even pics of these cloud types posted on here at one point? Gavin's thing is that they don't fit into any of the other sub-types of clouds so should be officially recognised and given their own classification.

All the pictures he has were posted on the Cloud Appreciation Society's website by members and photo-shopped / enhanced or not, the actual cloud formations are pretty spectacular I'm sure you'll agree.

For more info on CAS see: http://cloudappreciationsociety.org/ it also has details on the campaign of getting the Asperatus recognised by the WMO.

[Dave Kaplow]

I've seen these being called Lenticular Mammatus before, but I think I like Asperatus better. Regardless of the name, they can be very stunning to look at.

[Jared Farrer]

http://www.weatherpix.com/g2/v/Clouds/wsi-cld002.jpg.html

Gene Rhoden pic shows the same type here I think. Pretty cool!

[David Draun]

I see these clouds a lot. Most of the time in the vicinity of elevated thunderstorms, especially north of a warmfront. I would call them stratus undulatus, or something to that effect. Not a new cloud type at all.

[Darren Addy]

National Geographic has picked up on the story:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/06/photogalleries/new-cloud-pictures/
4 associated pics.

I can see The Onion headline now: Advanced Photoshopper Discovers 13 New Cloud Classifications

[Mike Deep]

Daily Mail is like an internet tabloid, somewhere between those dumb chain emails grandma forwards you and Art Bell on the credibility chart. Just something to keep in mind whenever their articles come up.

Those are some fascinating images. Three of the photos on Nat Geo look like stratus-undulatus though, what's the big deal?

[mikedeason]

Altostratus undulatus with non-parallel banding. Can be very spectacular, but nothing new or that uncommon. We really don't need a new classification for it. :)

Here's another great example that occurred during a famous tornadic event, the June 3, 1980 "Night of the Twisters" in Grand Island, NE:

http://www.hprcc.unl.edu/nebraska/gi9cs.jpg

[B Doss]

Can't you guys recognize doomsday clouds when you see them?:rolleyes:

[Oscar van der Velde]

On the given page with the photos that should be examples of the same new cloud type, the first and third one is the bottom of lenticularis, the second and fourth one I have seen several times, in particular it often occurs with elevated instability (forcing a stable layer through the LFC, only the base looks laminar), has an undulating or braided appearance. I would have classified it as a form of lacunosus. Some lacunosus images on the web look like what asperatus may look like, but perhaps inverted (upside down).
The undulations appear because of orographic effects. It is a tough call if it can be called a new type. Lacunosus undulatus would suffice?

[Mike Johnston]

I've seen these being called Lenticular Mammatus before, but I think I like Asperatus better. Regardless of the name, they can be very stunning to look at.

Yes, I remember several years ago someone posted here pictures of similar clouds over Pittsburg, Kansas - which a local TV met described as Lenticular Mammatus. As I recall, there ensued a discussion of whether the term was valid or not.

[mikedeason]

Yes, I remember several years ago someone posted here pictures of similar clouds over Pittsburg, Kansas - which a local TV met described as Lenticular Mammatus. As I recall, there ensued a discussion of whether the term was valid or not.

It's not a valid term. Out of the ten basic genera of cloud types, I'd certainly call it a form of altostratus. Despite it's turbulent appearance, it still maintains a very smooth texture which indicates the layer it resides in is stable. And, the times I have personally witness this cloud formation, it's base was located in the middle etage.

Lenticularis belongs to the grouping of cloud species which also includes descriptors like congestus, humilus, calvus, etc., and is used to further describe one of the ten basic cloud types.

Similarly, mamma is a term used to describe certain forms of several basic cloud types. Most prominent displays of mamma is associated with CB's of course, but mamma can occur with CI, CC, AC, AS and SC with or without a CB.

I suppose it could even be argued that the images in question could be clasified as altostratus mammatus.

[Craig McPeck]

Does this even deserve its own name? Maybe a sub name sounds more like it

[Karla Dorman]

May be Photoshopped, but still - WOW Gorgeous to behold!