Who named cirrus clouds?
Luke Howard
Cumulonimbus, stratus, cirrus, altocumulus castellanus – all different types of clouds. But who gave them their names? The classification of clouds is based upon work by Luke Howard (1772-1864), who lived in London and was a pharmacist and amateur meteorologist.
How does a cloud get its name?
According to his system, clouds are given Latin names corresponding to their appearance — layered or convective — and their altitude. Clouds are also categorized based on whether or not they are precipitating. The root word “cirro” (meaning “curl”) describes a high cloud that is usually composed of wispy ice crystals.
What is the meaning of cirrus cloud?
Definitions of cirrus cloud. a wispy white cloud (usually of fine ice crystals) at a high altitude (4 to 8 miles) synonyms: cirrus. types: mare’s tail. a long narrow flowing cirrus cloud.
What are cirrus clouds called?
Cirrus clouds are made of ice crystals and look like long, thin, wispy white streamers high in the sky. They are commonly known as “mare’s tails” because they are shaped like the tail of a horse. Cirrus clouds are often seen during fair weather.
What does Nimbus mean in clouds?
Definition of nimbus 1a : a luminous vapor, cloud, or atmosphere about a god or goddess when on earth. b : a cloud or atmosphere (as of romance) about a person or thing. 2 : an indication (such as a circle) of radiant light or glory about the head of a drawn or sculptured divinity, saint, or sovereign. 3a : a rain …
What’s the Greek word for cloud?
Nepho- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “cloud.” It is often used in atmospheric science, especially meteorology. Nepho- comes from the Greek néphos, meaning “a cloud, mass of clouds.”
What is the cloud root name that means heap?
Convective cloud types are indicated by the root word cumulo, which means “heap” in Latin.
How do you pronounce the word cirrus cloud?
noun, plural cir·rus for 1, cir·ri [sir-ahy] for 2, 3. Meteorology.
Do clouds have names?
Well, clouds have names, too! Some cloud names are cirrus, cumulus, and stratus. “Names” can be for individual things or for groups of things (e.g., a cirrus cloud may be one individual cloud or it may refer to that group of cloud types.
How would you describe a cirrus cloud?
Cirrus clouds are wispy, feathery, and composed entirely of ice crystals. They often are the first sign of an approaching warm front or upper-level jet streak. Unlike cirrus, cirrostratus clouds form more of a widespread, veil-like layer (similar to what stratus clouds do in low levels).
What does a cirrus cloud look like?
Cirrus clouds are short, detached, hair-like clouds found at high altitudes. These delicate clouds are wispy with a silky sheen or look like tufts of hair. In the day time, they are whiter than any other cloud in the sky.
Why are cirrostratus clouds fibrous?
Cirrus and cirrostratus clouds are fibrous, wispy, and diffuse because the concentrations of ice crystals that comprise them are relatively low (from less than 1 per liter to tens per liter) compared with particle concentrations in other clouds.
What is the difference between Cirrus and cirrostratus?
Cirrus cloud. When the individual filaments become so extensive that they are virtually indistinguishable from one another, they form a sheet of high cloud called cirrostratus. Convection at high altitudes can produce another high-based genus called cirrocumulus, a pattern of small cloud tufts that contain droplets of supercooled water.
Where are cirrus clouds located in the troposphere?
Cirrus spissatus – These clouds sit right at the top of the troposphere. A thick, dense cirrus layer that dominates much of the sky above, often formed by passing warm fronts or the remnants of a cumulonimbus incus