Introduction
Altocumulus lenticularis are static lens-shaped clouds that develop in the troposphere, normally aligned perpendicularly to the wind direction. Lenticularis clouds are appearances of patches in the sky, and they appear in rounded forms. Their layers show white and grey colors in the sky. These clouds resemble spaceships in science fiction in appearance, and actual lenticular clouds are thought to be among the most typical theories for UFO encounters around the globe. Therefore, this essay will discuss altocumulus lenticularis clouds, how they are formed, and the reason why they are critical to aviation industry when scheduling flight routes.
How Altocumulus Lenticularis Clouds are formed
Air is obstructed as it travels across the Earth’s crust. The obstruction may be due to constructed items such as tall buildings and bridges or purely natural formations such as mountains and basins. All these features obstruct the airflow into convection currents. The size of the object and the wind speed affect the gravitational anomalies’ intensity. As a result of the physical disturbance of the atmospheric wind flow, it causes instability that is categorized as mechanical. Massive standing waves may form on the downwind side of a mountainous region or another area where steady moist air is flowing (Spiridonov & Ćurić, 2020b). Atmospheric vapor may condense to form altocumulus lenticularis clouds if the temperature at the wave’s crest falls to the vapor pressure. The cloud may turn back into vapor as the wet air descends into the wave’s trough forming pulse. A pulse cloud is a phenomenon that develops when numerous long strings of altocumulus lenticular clouds accumulate close to the crest of each succeeding wave.
While air creates and then evaporates the cloud, lenticulars remain stationary. Altocumulus lenticularis are smoothed by the wind, a characteristic of the dampness. The mountains’ raising of the air helps to chill the moisture so that it condenses to form clouds. However, as the airflow over the valley decreases, the moisture evaporates and turns back into inert water vapor (Rohli & Li, 2021). Altocumulus lenticularis are frequently individual, but it is not unusual to see them piled or in an extended line over or beside the mountainside. The mountains, the amount of precipitation, and the force and direction of the airflow influence their various shapes. Since steep mountains emphasize incoming high-level precipitation far in advance of an oncoming front, lenticular clouds are a useful forecast signal. The accumulation of high relative humidity creates lenticular clouds, which are a reliable indicator of an impending meteorological front and occasionally significant precipitation.
What Altocumulus Lenticularis Clouds Mean to Pilots
Altocumulus lenticularis clouds are connected to atmospheric waves that form when reasonably stable, swiftly moving air is pushed up and over a geographical barrier roughly parallel to the direction from which the clouds are rising. Lenticular clouds arise where there are mountain waves and indicate extreme turbulence in that layer of the atmosphere (Spiridonov & Ćurić, 2020a). These airwaves crashing over the mountains are unstable, much like ocean waves. Pilots are aware to avoid areas where altocumulus lenticular clouds are present, as their appearance can indicate a bumpy flight because it indicate windy weather. In addition, altocumulus lenticularis can produce motionless air just a few hundred meters away, but very intense gusts of wind in one location on the ground. Therefore, powered aircraft pilots generally avoid lenticular clouds due to the instability it generate.
Conclusion
The formation of altocumulus lenticularis clouds is based on specific situations. Wind from a mountain range can create a train of massive propagating waves in the air that move downstream, similar to how ripples appear when water passes over a barrier in a river. If the atmosphere is sufficiently moist, the rising momentum of the wave will cause water vapor to condense, giving altocumulus lenticularis clouds their distinctive appearance. The clouds mean a lot to pilots since it indicate the level of turbulence that accompanies its appearance: hence, the cabin crew knows when to schedule flight.
References
Rohli, R. V., & Li, C. (2021). Clouds. Meteorology for coastal scientists. Springer, Cham
Spiridonov, V., & Ćurić, M. (2020a). Atmospheric optics. Fundamentals of meteorology. Springer, Cham
Spiridonov, V., & Ćurić, M. (2020b). Clouds and precipitation. Fundamentals of meteorology. Springer, Cham