Scientists Name 11 New Cloud Types

The increased use of technology capable of photographing and sharing images has prompted the World Meteorological Organization to add 11 new cloud classifications to their International Cloud Atlas. "A far cry from simple white puffs, these 11 new cloud types roll, dip, and menace their way across the skies," reports National Geographic. From the report: These 11 additions are the first updates that the atlas has received in 30 years, and much of the change can be attributed to citizen scientists who can share and discuss clouds by uploading photos to the Atlas's site. 2017 is the first year that the renowned atlas will be published entirely online, but a hardbound version will follow later this year. Asperitas, Latin for roughness, is the cloud type that has citizen scientists most excited and has been a special victory for the UK-based Cloud Appreciation Society. This photo, first spotted in 2006, captured their attention for its inability to be described by existing cloud types. Marked by small divot-like features that create chaotic ripples across the sky, asperitas were championed by enthusiasts who noticed they did not accurately fall under existing categories. Other clouds that formerly went by more colloquial names, such as the wave-like Kelvin-Helmoltz cloud, and fallstreak holes, will now be recognized with the Latin names fluctus and cavum, respectively. You can watch a time-lapse of the newly classified asperitas here.

Dupe!

[psergiu]

https://news.slashdot.org/stor... [slashdot.org]

Posted by msmash on 2017-03-23 14:20 from the atlas-revision dept.

Also previous story was better, had 12 new clouds.

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[weedjams]

dupe checker with a nuke system would be nice here.

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[Rei]

Fake gnus! [cdn.meme.am]

I will name him George

[jfdavis668]

and I will hug him and pet him and squeeze him

Couldn't help but notice

[Ol Olsoc]

Cloud scientists have a way to go before they catch up with all of the different genders....

I am going to start classifying ripples.

[140Mandak262Jamuna]

I suddenly realize there is a huge lacuna in scientific world. When I am describing the ripples, eddies, whorls and vortices of a babbling brook, I am not able to clearly communicate a vivid description of a particularly interesting eddy using a single term. All these years when the only way we exchanged information quickly was using words we did not feel the need for it. Now that cameras are ubiquitous and images worth 1000 words are easy to capture and easier to share, suddenly I feel the need to be extraordinarily precise in the descriptions.

So wait for a few days, I will upload the first batch of 100,000 types of named eddies, whirls, whorls, ripples, waves, wavelets...

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[steelframe]

I thought you were classifying nipples.... Damn glasses.

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[140Mandak262Jamuna]

Might have been done already, in scholarly articles in the Am. Journal of Cosmetic Surgery.

I've looked at clouds from both sides now ...

[thadtheman]

From up and down and still somehow

It's cloud's illusions I recall

I really don't know clouds at all

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[Latent Heat]

Is that you, Judy Collins?

Twelve types

[PPH]

In Washington state we have dank clouds.

The first time I saw an article about cloud names.

[TheOuterLinux]

I rolled my eyes becaus I thought they were talking about cloud computing and swiped it out. Articles on cloud computing and motherboard hard ware really do get kinda old. News vs. advertising. If I can't do something without the internet, then I just don't bother. I'll find an open source desktop (no php, ruby, etc.) version and make it work or build my own.