It is not unusual to spot clouds hovering over at least part of the largest inland body of water on the planet, the Caspian Sea. But on May 28, NASA’s Moderate Resolution Imaging (MODES) spotted a peculiarly-shaped cloud drifting across the water body. The cloud had well-defined edges resembling something from a cartoon, or something painted onto the scenery, in sharp contrast with the typical diffused and dispersed cloud cover.
According to van Diedenhoven, who is an atmospheric scientist at SON Netherlands Institute for Space Research, the cloud is a small cloud. Cumulus clouds are detached “heaps” of “cauliflower-shaped” clouds that are usually found during good weather conditions. In clouds, these heaps are clumped together, forming a widespread horizontal layer of clouds.
The cloud in the picture formed a layer that spans about 100 kilometers. These clouds typically form at low altitudes, generally between 600 and 2,000 meters above the ground. The one in the picture was probably hovering at an altitude of about 1,500 meters
In the late morning, when the picture above was taken, the cloud was over the central Caspian. By afternoon, it had drifted toward the northwest and poised over the central Caspian. By afternoon, it had drifted toward the northwest and hugged the coast along a low-lying plain near the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains.
NASA's Earth-watching Terra satellite peered down from space on May 28 and caught sight of something unusual floating over the Caspian Sea, the world's largest inland body of water. A wild cloud appeared, and it looked like an artist had a hand in its design.
The NASA Earth Observatory team shared the cloud as an Image of the Day on Thursday, calling it "more peculiar than most" and saying it had "well-defined, resembling something from a cartoon." The cloud stretched across about 60 miles (100 kilometers) at an altitude of around 5,000 feet (1,500 meters).
Atmospheric scientist Bastian van at the SON Netherlands Institute for Space Research took a look at the goofy cloud and determined it was a sort of hybrid between a puffy, fluffy cumulus cloud and a spread-out stratus cloud.
According to van Diedenhoven, the formation's sharp, cartoonlike edges could've come from how it formed when warm, dry air from land ran into cold, moist air over the sea. The scientist said the same phenomenon has been observed off the west coast of Africa at much larger scales.
The cloud floated from its early morning perch above the Caspian over to land, where it dissipated.
This cloud reminded me of my childhood wonder over the weather and how I tried to learn the names of clouds and then spot them in the sky. Cumulus, cirrus, stratus and nimbus stuck with me over the years, and now I can bring into my vocabulary.
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