33). A stratocumulus cloud belongs to a class characterized by large dark, rounded masses, usually in groups, lines, or waves, the individual elements being larger than those in altocumuli, and the whole being at a lower altitude, usually below 2,400 m (8,000 ft). Hence the name (strato- and cumulo- are latin for layer and heap, respectively). Description & Characteristics. Stratocumulus Opaque Translucent Transparent Clear Partly Cloudy Mostly Cloudy Overcast (0% - 5%) (5% - 50%) (50% - 95%) (95% - 100%) isual Opacity. Stratus – Low clouds, light or dark gray and generally uniform in appearance and covering most of the sky. Stratocumulus also can be thought of as a layer of cloud clumps with thick and thin areas. s d n . A characteristic of this cloud is Coronae - one or more coloured rings around the sun or moon when viewed from below the cloud. Stratocumulus. They’re a layer of puffy clouds, and can usually be found joined together, similar to altocumulus clouds. Their altitude however differentiates them the most, with stratocumulus clouds being closer to the ground. Get the 80+ page ebook straight into your inbox for free. On the contrary, stratocumulus clouds can contain plenty of features. These clouds can look like cells under a microscope - sometimes they line up in rows and other times they spread out. Stratocumulus stratiformis - The most common cloud type across the globe, these are essentially flat-based layers of cloud often with a few cracks between. A cloud is a visible accumulation of minute droplets of wate, ice crystals, or both, suspended in the air. It’s fair to say that stratocumulus clouds are diverse as they’re capable of many different looks. When deciding between stratocumulus and nimbostratus clouds, remember that nimbostratus clouds are associated with rain, whereas stratocumulus clouds only rain on the rarest of occasions. If any part of a cumulus cloud is at your altitude or higher, no surprise, stay away, especially if you aren’t IFR rated and on an IFR flight plan. The type called simply stratus forms a low layer of gray extending over a large area. you get the idea. Photo about Low altitude stratocumulus cloud under a blue sky, panoramic nature background. Stratocumulus clouds have six supplementary features: asperitas, cavum, fluctus, mamma, praecipitatio, and virga. Cirrostratus ("curl layer") clouds form a high, thin layer often covering the entire sky (but without the wispy curls of ice crystals that give pure cirrus clouds their name). ALTITUDE WITHIN THE TROPOSPHERE: (altitude above the surface, not elevation relative to sea level) low-level clouds - these are clouds typically below 2,000 meters or 6,500 feet.---- examples include stratus, cumulus, stratocumulus, and nimbostratus clouds. However, stratocumulus looks very much the same as altocumulus, the primary difference being larger size of the individual elements. Cloud Observation Basics . This arguably makes for exciting time watching the sky. Their altitude however differentiates them the most, with stratocumulus clouds being closer to the ground. But one characteristic of stratocumulus clouds is that there is very unstable air below. ype. Stratocumulus clouds have seven associated cloud species: duplicatus, lacunosus, opacus, perlucidus, radiatus, translucidus, and undulatus. This page was last edited on 2 April 2019, at 18:36. Remember, if you’re trying to decide between an altostratus and stratocumulus cloud, and the cloud being observed has been determined to have an associated cloud species, it’s not an altostratus cloud. Stratocumulus clouds are hybrids of layered stratus and cellular cumulus, i.e., individual cloud elements, characteristic of cumulo type clouds, clumped together in a continuous distribution, characteristic of strato type clouds. Het is een grijze of witachtige wolkenlaag, waarin donkere en lichtere delen elkaar afwisselen. They are similar to altocumulus clouds, which develop at medium level, but they are bigger. Cloud Level. Cloud Cover . Stratocumulus definition, a cloud of a class characterized by large dark, rounded masses, usually in groups, lines, or waves, the individual elements being larger than those in altocumulus and the whole being at a lower altitude, usually below 8,000 feet (2,400 meters). Both stratocumulus and stratus clouds are found at the same altitude. In most cases, stratocumulus do not produce precipitation and when they do, it is generally only light rain or snow. stratocumulus smoke clouds stars ( votes). These are cross-classified into a total of ten genus types, most of which can be divided into species and further subdivided into varieties which are at the bottom of the hierarchy. Het woord komt van het Latijnse stratus (gelaagd) en cumulus (gestapeld).. Deze wolkvorm heeft vele flarden die verschillen in zichtbaarheid, met af en toe stukken heldere hemel. Stratus clouds are found at an altitude of less than 6,000 feet (1,829 meters). Three levels of clouds have been identified based on the altitude of a cloudʼs base. A stratocumulus cloud belongs to a class of clouds characterized by large dark, rounded masses, usually in groups, lines, or waves, the individual elements being larger than those in altocumuli, and the whole being at a lower altitude, usually below 2,400 m (8,000 ft).Weak convective currents create shallow cloud layers because of drier, stable air above preventing continued vertical … ⛅. The genera names are all formed from the same five latin terms — cirro, cumulo, strato, nimbo, alto — which are mixed and matched to create names like cumulonimbus, cirrostratus, cirrocumuus…. Stratocumulus clouds don’t have any accessory clouds or other clouds associated with this cloud type. It’s also important to note that both clouds don’t share any cloud species or varieties besides the radiatus cloud variety. Stratocumulus forms at a lower altitude than does altocumulus, usually below 2,400 meters (8,000 ft). Stratocumulus usually occurs below 2 km (6500 ft). Additionally, stratocumulus clouds are generally darker than cumulus clouds. Both stratocumulus and stratus clouds are found at the same altitude. )It is characterized by broken law cloudiness and strong gradients of low-level cloud amount. You might consider stratocumulus clouds a mix of stratus clouds and cumulus clouds. Stratocumulus Clouds (“The low, puffy layers”) Fast Facts: Typical Altitude: 2,000-6,500 ft. They can bring light rain or snow but sometimes they are at the front or end of big storms. Temperatures at the surface during the morning were a chilly +3°C to +4°C. High-Altitude Clouds The highest tropospheric clouds range from altitudes of about 7 km (20,000 ft) to 18 km (60,000 ft) above sea level.They are named with words that begin with the prefix cirr– from the Latin word cirrus, meaning “curly.”Wispy, web-like cirrus clouds are commonly seen. Stratocumulus clouds are found at an altitude of less than 6,500 feet (1,081 meters). s d d . But if you’re deciding between a stratus and stratocumulus cloud, remember that stratus clouds are generally featureless layer clouds. Location: Worldwide – very common Precipitation: Occasional light rain, snow Stratocumulus is a member of the ten fundamental cloud types (or cloud genera). Nimbostratus clouds are generally featureless and don’t have any associated cloud species or varieties, while stratocumulus clouds have plenty to go around. A cloud that extends through all three heights is called a cumulonimbus. Stratocumulus clouds are characterized by large dark and rounded masses which normally form in groups, lines, or waves. Clouds may also form in contact with the ground surface, too. A stratocumulus cloud belongs to a genus-type of clouds characterized by large dark, rounded masses, usually in groups, lines, or waves, the individual elements being larger than those in altocumulus, and the whole being at a lower altitude, usually below 2,400 m (8,000 ft).Weak convective currents create shallow cloud layers because of drier, stable air above … Of the non-stratiform clouds, cumulonimbus and cumulus congestus are the most closely related to nimbostratus because of their vertical extent and ability to produce moderate to heavy precipitation. Both stratocumulus and cumulus clouds are found at the same height, but stratocumulus clouds are more of a layer cloud than a cumulus cloud, usually found in conjoined groups or clumps of clouds. Hence, stratocumulus cloud formations are seemingly bigger, and are generally a bit darker than altocumulus clouds. Altocumulus clouds are more closely related to stratocumulus clouds than they are to cumulus clouds. They share almost all of the same cloud species, cloud varieties, and other cloud features. (The climatology of this region was discussed in Section 2. Though they vary in shape and size, all clouds are basically formed in the same way through the vertical of air above the condensation level. Based on his observations, Luke Howard suggested there were modifications (or combinations) of the core four clouds between categories. They come in various cloud species that describe forms of rising turret formations (castellanus), wooly locks (floccus), smooth lens shaped (lenticularis), layer form blanketing the sky (stratiformis), and even as a roll cloud (volutus). These clouds are low, lumpy, and gray. Altostratus clouds are generally a featureless layer cloud, whereas stratocumulus clouds have more detail. This means the temperature decreases at the dry adiabatic lapse rate of 3°C for every 1,000 feet gain in altitude. More dramatic versions of stratocumulus clouds include (but aren’t limited to) chaotic and wavy features (asperitas), sac-like features (mamma), and can even have the rare kelvin-helmholtz wave cloud (fluctus) association. Fog is a stratus cloud. He noticed that clouds often have features of two or more categories; cirrus + stratus, cumulus + stratus, etc. Stratocumulus clouds have five associated cloud species: castellanus, floccus, lenticularis, stratiformis, and volutus. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this natural-color image on March 11, as a striking band of clouds ran roughly northwest to southeast over the open ocean.. Earth’s boundary layer extends upward from the land or ocean … Stratocumulus lenticularis undulatus (Sc len un), Stratocumulus stratiformis opacus (Sc str op), © 2021 Why So Cirrus, LLC – All Rights Reserved -, …………… Derives from strato-, meaning layer, and cumulo-, meaning heap, ………… Stratocumulus can be abbreviated as Sc. Clouds appear puffy and look like cotton balls, popcorn or cauliflower. Marine stratocumulus clouds stretched across the southern Indian Ocean in early March 2013. f g y . 2. Image of stratocumulus, calm, abstract - 185152494 Altocumulus generally forms about 2,000 to 6,100 meters (6,600 to 20,000 ft) above ground level, a similar level to altostratus formations, and satellite photography has revealed that the two types of cloud can create formations that can stretch for thousands of square miles. If you wish to contribute or participate in the discussions about articles you are invited to join SKYbrary as a registered user. Altostratus ("high layer") clouds form a darkish gray mid-altitude layer. « Previous Next » Many stratocumulus clouds produce some drizzle through the collision–coalescence process, ... AMSL), a high-altitude site in the WGs. Clouds are grouped into 10 different genera, organized based on shape and the altitude where they’re found. The individual elements are larger than those of altocumulus. Hence, stratocumulus cloud formations are seemingly bigger, and are generally a bit darker than altocumulus clouds. The remaining cumuliform (cumulus) and stratocumuliform (stratocumulus, altocumulus, and cirrocumulus) clouds have the least in common with nimbus. Weak convective currents create shallow cloud layers because of drier, stable air above … … (6,500 to 0 feet), are stratocumulus, stratus, and nimbostratus. The photo "stratocumulus smoke clouds" is free for private or commercial use. This free photo may be used for different types of artworks, like digital presentations, books, web design, videogames, exibitions and more. Ten Basic Clouds. Such a cloud would be known as fog, ice fog, or mist.The types of clouds can be divided into th… But if you’re deciding between a stratus and stratocumulus cloud, remember that stratus clouds are generally featureless layer clouds. Stratus clouds are sometimes responsible for producing fog like conditions when they get close to the ground. On the contrary, stratocumulus clouds can contain plenty of features. Stratocumulus are very large clouds formed by convective masses of air at about 2400 mt of altitude or below. Both clouds don’t share any of the same cloud species, which can help you decide between the two. However, stratocumulus looks very much the same as altocumulus, the primary difference being larger size of the individual elements. Tropospheric classification is based on a hierarchy of categories with physical forms and altitude levels at the top. Stratocumulus forms at a lower altitude than does altocumulus, usually below 2,400 meters (8,000 ft). Stratocumulus Cloud. As a consequence, the two are often confused. High, smooth clouds are called cirrostratus. Like Altocumulus, Stratocumulus may take several forms, with the two primary forms described below. Stratocumulus – Low clouds with irregular masses of clouds, rolling or puffy in appearance, sometimes with space between the clouds. Stratocumulus is een wolkengeslacht en wordt gebruikt voor wolken die lager zijn dan 2,5 km hoogte. Stratocumulus cumulogenitus - These form when rising cumulus clouds encounter a temperature inversion (a warming of the air above) and spread outwards, clumping together. The Atlantic Stratocumulus Transition Experiment (ASTEX) involved coordinated measurements from aircraft, satellites, ships, and islands in the area of Azores and Madeira Islands (Fig. A stratocumulus cloud belongs to a class of clouds characterized by large dark, rounded masses, usually in groups, lines, or waves, the individual elements being larger than those in altocumuli, and the whole being at a lower altitude, usually below 2,400 m (8,000 ft). It is a low-level cloud, thus it usually forms within the lowest two kilometers (6,600 ft) of the atmosphere. 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