The recent sighting of a shelf cloud in Haridwar has brought attention to the variety of cloud formations we see.
Let's take a look at 10 unusual cloud formations that occur in nature
Name: Kelvin-Helmholtz Wave Clouds
Cause: when two different layers of air are moving past each other at different speeds
Name: Cirrus Radiatus
Classifications: five species – fibratus, uncinus, spissatus, castellanus, floccus – four varieties – intortus, radiatus, vertebratus, duplicatus.
Name: Shelf Clouds
Feature: Shelf clouds stick out from their parent thunderstorm cloud. They form with the help of a phenomenon called gust front.
Name: Mammatus Clouds
Cause: Aka mammatocumulus. These occur due to convection and negative buoyancy of air inside clouds.
Name: Morning Glory Clouds
Where: Found mostly above north Australia, Germany, Central US, the English Channel, and Eastern Russia.
Name: Lenticular Clouds
Cause: Formed due to gravity waves.These are some of the most misidentified UFOs due to their shape.
Name: Anvil Clouds
About: Aka cumulonimbus incus. Composed of ice particles. Can cause super cell thunderstorm and then tornado. Divided into two species: calvus and capillatus.
Name: Noctilucent Clouds
Feature: Usually seen only around polar regions, but are now being spotted in Europe and US. This is an indicator of global warming. These are also Earth's highest clouds.
Name: Jacques Cousteau Clouds
Feature: Aka undulatus asperatus. Pretor-Pinney, founder of Cloud Appreciation Society gave the clouds the formal name as their form of undulation was turbulent, violent and chaotic
Name: Polar Stratospheric Clouds
Feature: Form at heights of 50,000–80,000 ft. These are known to cause ozone layer depletion - by converting harmless chlorine into ozone-destroying forms, and removing nitrogen compounds that reduces the impact of the chlorine.
KNOW ABOUT THESE 10 PLACES THAT ARE UNEXPLAINED BY SCIENCE