COLLECTION NAME:
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day Collection
Record
Title:
Anvil Cloud Over Sicily
Explanation:
The cloud poses no danger to the building. Appearing to float above a remote monastery in Sicily [ http://www.worldatl… ], Italy [ http://www.cia.gov/… ], the anvil cloud [ http://www.weatherq… ]'s shape shows several classic cloud features. The cloud itself is composed of millions of very small droplets [ http://www.sundog.c… ] of water and ice [ http://antwrp.gsfc.… ]. The dramatically flat cloud bottom [ http://www.wrh.noaa… ] is caused by temperature falling in the lower atmosphere [ http://csep10.phys.… ] -- above a specific height water-saturated air is forced to condense out water droplets. The shape of the cloud middle is caused by the water-droplet-laden column of air being blown both upward and to one side. The anvil shape [ http://www.metalsmi… ] at the cloud top is likely caused by the upward air column reaching a stable atmospheric layer, likely the stratosphere [ http://en.wikipedia… ], where horizontally moving air fans out the top of the cloud. The cumulonimbus cloud [ http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/wwhlpr/cumulonimbus.rxml ] was captured out the front door of a house last year.
Credit and Copyright:
Christina Carlton [ mailto: hdhsc2002 @ yahoo.com ]
facet_where:
Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
facet_what:
Earth
UID:
SPD-APOD-ap040218
