Cirrocumulus castellanus

Cirrocumulus casstelanus
Cirrocumulus castellanus undulatus (on the center)
Abbreviation Cc cas
Symbol
Genus Cirro- (curl of hair)
-cumulus (heaped)
Species Castellanus (turret-like)
Altitude Above 6,000 m
(Above 20,000 ft)
Appearance small, rounded turrets
Precipitation cloud? No

Cirrocumulus castellanus is a type of cirrocumulus cloud. The name cirrocumulus castellanus is derived from Latin, meaning "of a castle".[1] These clouds appear as round turrets that are rising from either a lowered line or sheet of clouds.[2] Cirrocumulus castellanus is an indicator of atmospheric instability at the level of the cloud.[3] The clouds form when condensation occurs in the base cloud, causing latent heating to occur. This causes air to rise from the base cloud, and if the air ascends into conditionally unstable air, cirrocumulus castellanus will form.[4]

See also

References

  1. Numen - The Latin Lexicon. "Definition of castellanus". Retrieved 13 July 2011.
  2. Dunlop, Storm (2003). The weather identification handbook (1st Lyons Press ed.). Guilford, Conn.: Lyons Press. p. 66. ISBN 1-58574-857-9. Retrieved 13 July 2011.
  3. Callanan, Martin. "Cirrocumulus castellanus". International Cloud Atlas. nephology.eu. Retrieved 13 July 2011.
  4. Ahrens, C. Donald (2007). Keith Dodson, ed. Meteorology Today: An Introduction to Weather, Climate, and the Environment. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning. p. 158. ISBN 0-495-01162-2. Retrieved 13 July 2011.


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