A Guide to Identifying Clouds Through Observation and Wonder

RH
4
Clouds
a collection by Fernanda A

Clouds
a collection by Fernanda A
Inspired by: Clive Mitchell’s “The Pebble’s Spotter’s Guide”

21/fa-cdgd-376-04
project 1: collection book
fernanda alatorre
december 17, 2021

RH
10 11
Introduction
I for once decided to look up from my device and admire the sky. I
realized that a cloud is never just a cloud, just as a bird is never just
a bird. This book is meant for all of those who enjoy looking at the
sky and notice things which most common folk won’t. The sky is
always there, always in the background and yet it can sometimes
beoverlooked.Itisforallofthosewhocanfindbeautyandjoyeven
in the simplest of things through human sensitivity and wonder.
This book contains information from Greg Goodson’s website
“What’sThisCloud”, about the basic different types of clouds, how
they came to be classified by Luke Howard and their etymology.
Throughout the book you’ll also find quotes from Gavin Pretor-
Pinney, the founder of the Cloud Appreciation Society. Where
he talked in the Get Together Podcast about the formation of the
society, and why he amongst other millions of people take their
timetoadmireclouds.AdditionallyI’vesprinkledoutacurationof
cloud related images, a few short poems and pieces of weather lore.
Inspired by Clive Mitchel’s: The Pebble Spotter’s Guide, feel free
to keep log entries of all of the different types of clouds you’ve
spotted!

13
Wonder
“The feeling of awed wonder that science can give
us is one of the highest experiences of which the
human psyche is capable. It is a deep aesthetic
passion to rank with the finest that music and
poetry can deliver. It is truly one of the things that
make life worth living and it does so, if anything,
more effectively if it convinces us that the time we
have for living is quite finite.”
— Richard Dawkins, Unweaving the

Rainbow: Science, Delusion and the
Appetite for Wonder

14 15
Cloud
Appreciation
Society:
Manifesto
1. ...that clouds are unjustly maligned and that life would be
immeasurably poorer without them. 4.We seek to remind people that clouds are expressions of
the atmosphere’s moods, and can be read like those of a
person’s countenance.
...and so we say to all who’ll listen:
2. We think that they are Nature’s poetry, and the
most egalitarian of her displays, since everyone
can have a fantastic view of them.
3. We pledge to fight ‘blue-sky thinking’ wherever
we find it. Life would be dull if we had to look up at
cloudless monotony day after day.
5.
We believe that clouds are for dreamers and their
contemplation benefits the soul. Indeed, all who
consider the shapes they see in them will save money
on psychoanalysis bills.
6.Look up, marvel at the ephemeral beauty, and always
remember to live life with your head in the clouds!
WE BELIEVE

17
Luke
Howard
Luke Howard born on Nov. 28, 1772 was an English chemist and
amateur meteorologis. He distinguished and coined the names for
cloud formations that we still use today.
In December of 1802, Howard presented his own paper to the
Askesian Society, “On the Modifications of Clouds, and on the
Principles of their Production, Suspension, and Destruction”.
In his presentation, Howard identified seven different cloud
formations and discussed how one could use cloud types to
forecast the weather.
Heidentifiedthreebasictypes,arrangedasfibers,heaps,orsheets,
and named them: cirrus, cumulus, and stratus. These forms
often combined to form intermediate structures, which he called:
cirro-stratus, cirro-cumulus, cumulo-stratus, and cumulo-cirro-
stratus, or nimbus.
Howard lived long enough (died in 1864, age 91) to see his cloud
terminologycomeintogeneraluse,andhewasoneofthefounding
members of the British Meteorological Society (later to become
the Royal Meteorological Society) when it was formed in 1850.
Two hundred years after he delivered his paper, a blue plaque for
him was unveiled in 2002 in Bruce Grove, Tottenham, where he
spent his final years.
Plaque in
Bruce Grove, Tottenham
Luke Howard

Gavin
Pretor-Pinney
18
...sure
Hi,
I’m really into
clouds too...
I’m a landscape painter.
You want to see some of
my paintings?

RH
22 23
Etymology
cumul0
stratus
cirrus
alto
nimbus
heap
layer
lock of hair
high
cloud
Etymology of latin names of clouds

RH
25
24
Classification
Altitude
low
middle
high
< 7,000 ft
< 23,000 ft
< 49,000 ft
cumulus
cirrus
altocumulus
stratus
nimbostratus
cirrostratus
stratocumulus
cirrocumulus
altostratus

26 27
Low
level
clouds
cumulus
i spotted this cloud
at
on
cumulus
Cumulus clouds are the clouds that we all drew as kids. When
the average person is asked to visualize a cloud, cumulus clouds
are generally the first to come to mind. They’re cotton ball clouds,
popcorn clouds, and the clouds in the opening scene of The
Simpsons. They appear frequently in the sky as individual clouds
floating in the lower levels of the sky, and usually indicate sunny
weather.
Though they come in different shapes and sizes, they’re
generally the easiest type of cloud to pick out of the ten different
cloud types. Sometimes cumulus clouds can become taller than
their width. This is known as a cumulus congestus. If cumulus
congestus clouds continue their vertical growth, they’re capable of
producing rain, and can eventually morph into a cumulonimbus
cloud, or thunderstorm. When they evolve into having more
extensive vertical growth they can rise into the middle level.

28 29
Low
level
clouds
stratus
at
on
stratus
When you think of a cloudy, dreary day, you might have
stratus clouds on your mind. Stratus clouds can be interpreted
as dull, featureless, with lack of detail, and probably wouldn’t be
considered picturesque. Stratus clouds are blanket clouds that
sit low to the ground, and on occasion, come in contact with the
ground, better known as fog.
If you live in a city with tall buildings, you might know stratus
clouds by their ability to obscure the tops of buildings. Stratus
cloudsaren’tthemostmemorablecloudandoftenleaveyouwishing
for sunnier days. Stratus clouds rarely produce rain, therefore If it’s
raining, chances are it’s a nimbostratus cloud. Depending on the
conditions, stratus clouds can mask the sun,and sometimes the
sun can be observed.

30 31
Low
level
clouds
stratocumulus
at
on
stratocumulus
Stratocumulus are as its name suggests, a combination of a
stratus and cumulus clouds. They are essentially a layer of cumulus
clouds joined together in the lower levels of the troposphere. When
the layer is extensive and thick, it can completely block out the
sky above.
The shifting terrain of the Stratocumulus results in a great
variety of light and dark shades. Sometimes, openings appear
through it, which can result in ‘crepuscular rays’ of sunlight that
look like torch beams shining down to the ground. At other times,
the opening can appear as a window up to the sky above. Looking
up through it, we become more aware of our place down here on
the surface.

35
Weather
Lore
“When clouds look like black smoke,
a wise man will put on his cloak.”

36 37
Rain
clouds
nimbostratus
at
on
nimbostratus
Nimbostratus clouds are associated with rainy, dreary days.
Nimbostratus are essentially stratus clouds that are capable of
producing rain. They’re also responsible for snowy weather. Either
way, these clouds are best known precipitation (and might be the
cause for your outdoor activities to be postponed).
Though it’s difficult to tell visually, these clouds can be put
into the category of multilevel clouds, meaning the base of a
nimbostratus cloud can be found relatively close to the ground,
but the tops of them can extend upwards into the middle cloud
level. The thickness of a nimbostratus cloud helps give it a darker
appearance than most other clouds.
Ofthetenmaincloudtypes,onlytwoareconsistentprecipitation
producers: nimbostratus and cumulonimbus. Nimbostratus are
responsible for continuous precipitation where cumulonimbus
are more likely associated with more dramatic weather, including
quick-hitting extreme downpours. So if it’s raining, and has been
raining all day, you’re witnessing a nimbostratus cloud.

39
Gavin
Pretor-Pinney
Many people feel the
unpredictability of the
weather means they
just sorta associate
it with ruining their
barbecues and
things like that.
Because people complain
about them I knew they
were interesting...

42 43
middle
level
clouds
altostratus
at
on
altostratus
Altostratus clouds are stratus clouds that can be found in the
middle cloud level. Generally they won’t touch the ground or mask
the tops of tall buildings like a stratus cloud would. These clouds
unfortunately can be considered boring to look at. These clouds
can also be responsible for precipitation, though it’s short-lived
and not very common.
If you see a cloud covering the sky’s entirety that’s not very close
to the ground, and it’s positioned such that it’s visible through the
clouds but giving off a ‘frosted glass’ appearance, chances are good
that you’re observing an altostratus translucidus cloud. On the
flip side, if the cloud is opaque and you can’t see the sun’s position,
then consider it an altostratus opacus.

44 45
middle
level
clouds
altocumulus
at
on
altocumulus
Altocumulus clouds, mid level cumulus clouds, are typically
found in groups or heaps clumped together like the stratocumulus
cloud.However,they’refoundinthemiddlelayerofthetroposphere.
When these airborne defenses proliferate across the morning sky,
they suggest meteorological skirmishes to come.
Altocumulus castellanus can appear when the air is ‘unstable’ in
the middle of the troposphere This means that the air temperatures
up at that middle level will tend to encourage the vertical growth of
clouds. As the sun rises through the day, it can cause low Cumulus
to develop on thermals of air floating from the warmed ground. If
these Cumulus grow tall enough to reach the unstable air in the
mid troposphere, they can continue to build into enormous, fierce
Cumulonimbus storm clouds, releasing barrages of hail, thunder
and lightning.

48 49
high
level
clouds
cirrus
at
on
cirrus
Cirrus clouds appear in the highest level of the troposphere.
Cirrus clouds have a distinct look relative to the other nine
cloud types. Because cirrus clouds are made of ice crystals, they
look different than your typical puffy cloud shape, and can take
on a number of different forms that resemble spider webs, fish
skeletons, mares’ tail, or hair-like commas. If you’re observing
a cloud that’s fibrous in nature, there’s a strong chance you’re
looking at a cirrus cloud.
They can also be found clumped together (cirrus spissatus),
be entangled (cirrus intortus), and can look not quite as majestic
when you spot them closer to the horizon. Because of their ice
crystal composition, cirrus clouds are also capable of various
optical phenomena such as sun dogs and cloud iridescence.

51
Weather
Lore
“Mare’s tails and mackerel scales
make tall ships carry low sails.”

52 53
high
level
clouds
cirrocumulus
at
on
cirrocumulus
Cirrocumulus clouds are a combination of cirrus and
cumulus clouds. Essentially thin cloud patches found high in the
troposphere.Cirrocumuluscloudsarerareamongsttheothertypes
of clouds. More often than not, however, this high cloud appears
in less extensive patches – usually in the company of its relatives
the cirrus and cirrostratus. The cirrocumulus clouds are referred
to as a mackerel sky since they can resemble fish scales.It can be a
precursor of storms at sea, warning them to batten the hatches and
stow the mainsail.
Cirrocumulus clouds can look similar to the altocumulus
clouds. However, cirrocumulus clouds are higher in the sky than
the altocumulus clouds. And one can distinguish the two by
looking at their sizes.If the cloudlets directly above appear smaller
than the width of a finger held at arm’s length then they can be
confident they are looking at a cirrocumulus.

56 57
high
;level
clouds
cirrostratus
at
on
cirrostratus
Cirrostratus clouds are a high thin layer spread across the sky.
The veil-like cirrostratus cloud is almost transparent and made
of delicate ice crystals. Although like other layer type clouds, the
cirrostratus can look dull, these types of clouds are able to produce
the optical effect of a halo around the sun.
Theseresultfromthediffractionofsunlightthroughthecloud’s
array of tiny ice-crystal prisms. The optical phenomena can be
used as a way to differentiate the cirrostratus with the altostratus.
Cirrostratus are also lighter in color.

Gavin
Pretor-Pinney
58 59
Historically,
people have looked
at the sky for
questions answers.

Gavin
Pretor-Pinney
60
It’s like a kind of an
announcement, a visual
announcement that
“You’ve paid
attention
to the sky.”
.............................................................

Funnily enough, it was
because people complain
about them, that I knew
they were interesting.

64 65
Thunderclouds
hurricanes
hurricanes
Hurricanes are large, swirling storms with winds of 119
kilometers per hour (74 mph) or higher. Hurricanes come with
heavy rain that can cause flooding, especially near the coast.Once
a hurricane forms, weather forecasters predict its path and how
strong it will get. This information helps people prepare for the
storm before it arrives.
Scientists don’t know exactly why or how a hurricane forms.
But they do know that two main ingredients are necessary: warm
water and winds that don’t change much in speed or direction as
they go higher in the atmosphere.
A hurricane starts out as a tropical disturbance, an area over
warm ocean waters where rain clouds are building. A tropical
disturbance sometimes grows into a tropical depression, an area
of rotating thunderstorms with winds of 62 km/hr (38 mph) or
less. A tropical depression becomes a tropical storm if its winds
reach 63 km/hr (39 mph). A tropical storm becomes a hurricane if
its winds reach 119 km/hr (74 mph).
at
on
Hopefully you don’t
get to see this one.

67
Haiku
A stark white cloud fills
One-third of the horizon,
Turning thunderhead

68 69
Thunderclouds
cumulonimbus
at
on
cumulonimbus
ThisisaCumulonimbuscloudthathasdevelopedintoamassive
storm system as airflows coordinate and organise themselves in a
way that intensifies its growth. In a supercell storm, the differing
flow of winds high above and down near the ground conspire to set
up a large-scale rotation of the up-rushing air at the storm’s core.
The shearing pattern of winds sets up a spin that adds energy
to the massive updrafts at the heart of the cloud. While the flow of
water down a plughole is driven by gravity, the rush of air within
the storm comes from buoyancy as the air is heated by the warmth
of the Earth’s surface. This buoyancy is boosted when the air’s
moisture condenses into the droplets we see as the column of cloud.
Soon, the huge corral of building clouds, rotating air, inflow and
outflow, can arrange itself into an enormous coordinated system:
a supercell storm.
Cumulonimbusaretheroyaltyofthecloudworld.Andamighty
supercell storm, bearing nascent tornadoes in its mesocyclone
womb, has to be the queen of them all.

many people feel the
unpredictability of the
weather means they just
sorta associate it with
ruining their barbecues and
things like that.

Gavin
Pretor-Pinney
72
The community started
to grow as a result of
people telling people.

76 77
Human
made
homogenitus
at
on
homogenitus
With homo translated from latin meaning human and genitus
translated from latin mean created from, the ‘homogenitus’ cloud
formation is found in three cloud types: cirrus, stratus, and
cumulus. They describe a cloud that forms from a human source,
such as aircraft condensation trails and powerplants. If a fire
that’s created by human activity (such as a controlled burn) ends
up creating a cloud, the cloud classification would be cumulus
homogenitus.

81
Haiku
Airplane overhead
Always breathing out, somehow
Making its own cloud

82 83
Human
made
contrails
at
on
contrails
Contrails are those lines of cloud that you can see forming
behind high-altitude aircraft. These man-made clouds only
appear when the air up at cruising altitude is cold enough and
moist enough to cause the water vapor in the engine’s exhaust to
freeze into ice crystals and remain in the sky in the aircraft’s wake.
So they are clouds – but ones that man has added to the natural
cloudscapes. As a general rule, a condensation trail from an aircraft
is named a contrail within the first 10 minutes it’s created. If the
contrail lasts longer than 10 minutes, then the cloud classification
cirrus homogenitus is applied.
When the conditions are right for contrails to persist in the
air, they overlap, bisect and spread in the high-speed winds at
cruising altitude, adding a modernist counterpoint to the chaotic,
impressionistic formations of the natural clouds.

Gavin
Pretor-Pinney
87
and you know that
therefore to take a picture of it,
at that moment,
it’s marking something.
constant change
m
eans that
The sky
being in
passing...f
leeting...
You know
it is
any moment
that you see it,

88 89
Rare
finds
Kelvin-Helmholtz
at
on
Kelvin-Helmholtz
Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds are named for Lord Kelvin and
HermannvonHelmholtz,whostudiedthephysicsoftheinstability
that leads to this type of cloud formation. A Kelvin-Helmholtz
instability forms where there’s a velocity difference across the
interface between two fluids.
You are likely to see these clouds on windy days, when there’s a
difference in densities of the air For example if warm air flows over
cooler air. Or when clouds are near sunrise or sunset, whenever the
bottom of the clouds are cooler and the air above is warmer. The
clouds take on this wave shape when the air above is moving more
quickly than the air below, pushing over the tops of the clouds and
creating the rolling wave appearance. As you might have guessed,
Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds are a sign that aircraft in the area will be
experiencing turbulence.
These clouds – known as Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds, billow
clouds, or shear-gravity clouds – might have been the inspiration
for Van Gogh’s painting Starry Night.

92
“Look at
all these
pictures of
the sky!”

Gavin
Pretor-Pinney
95
“yeah, yeah...
whatever...”
“yeah, yeah..
...and now finally they
felt that they found
somewhere where
people were actually
interested to see them.
...and their friends
would be going...

96 97
References
Editors of EarthSky. “Clouds that look like waves in the sky”. EarthSky. May 5, 2021. https://earthsky.org/earth/
kelvin-helmholzt-clouds/. Accessed 17 Dec. 2021.
Goodson, Greg. What’s This Cloud. https://whatsthiscloud.com/. Accessed 17 Dec. 2021.
May, Sandra. “What are Hurricanes?”. NASA Knows!. August 17, 2017. https://www.nasa.gov/audience/
forstudents/5-8/features/nasa-knows/what-are-hurricanes-58.html. Accessed 17 Dec. 2021.
Pretor-Pinney, Gavin. “January 2021 A Twisting Queen Of Clouds”. Cloud Appreciation Society. January 22,
2021. https://cloudappreciationsociety.org/january-2021/. Accessed 17 Dec. 2021.
Pretor-Pinney, Gavin. “Cirrocumulus (September ‘05)”. Cloud Appreciation Society. July 31, 2006. https://
cloudappreciationsociety.org/cirrocumulus-september-%E2%80%9905/. Accessed 17 Dec. 2021.
Pretor-Pinney, Gavin. “Cirrostratus (December ‘05)”. Cloud Appreciation Society. July 31, 2006. https://
cloudappreciationsociety.org/cirrostratus-december-%E2%80%9905/. Accessed 17 Dec. 2021.
Pretor-Pinney, Gavin. “Contrails (October 08) Love Them or Hate Them?”. Cloud Appreciation Society. October
5, 2008. https://cloudappreciationsociety.org/october-08/. Accessed 17 Dec. 2021.
references The Get Together Podcast. “Interview with Gavin Pretor-Pinney, Cloud Appreciation Society (AUDIO ONLY)
| Get Together #002”. Youtube. Uploaded by People&Company. December 20, 2018. https://www.
youtube.com/watch?v=r60Yw75hULA&ab_channel=People%26Company. Accessed 17 Dec. 2021.
Haby, Jeff. “When Clouds Look Like Black Smoke”. The Weather Prediction. http://www.theweatherprediction.
com/wxlore/f/. Accessed 17 Dec. 2021.
Gooley, Tristan. “Weather Lore”. Natural Navigator. https://www.naturalnavigator.com/the-library/weather-
lore/. Accessed 17 Dec. 2021.
Olsen, Calvin. “Ten Thousand Haiku #31”. Ten Thousand Haiku. March 22, 2012. https://tenthousandhaiku.
com/2012/03/22/31/. Accessed 17 Dec. 2021.
Olsen, Calvin. “Ten Thousand Haiku #2630”. Ten Thousand Haiku. May 9, 2019. https://tenthousandhaiku.com/
tag/1-3/. Accessed 17 Dec. 2021.
Ashworth, Jr., Dr. William B. “Scientist of the Day - Luke Howard”. Linda Hall Library. November 28, 2018.
https://www.lindahall.org/luke-howard/. Accessed 17 Dec. 2021.
Dawkins, Richard. Unweaving the Rainbow: Science, Delusion and the Appetite for Wonder. Mariner Books, 2000.z
Pretor-Pinney, Gavin. “Cloud Appreciation Society Manifesto”. Cloud Appreciation Society. July 31, 2006.
https://cloudappreciationsociety.org/manifesto/. Accessed 17 Dec. 2021.
World Meteorological Organization. “Appendix 1 - Etymology of latin names of clouds”. International Cloud
Atlas. https://cloudatlas.wmo.int/en/appendix-1-etymology-of-latin-names-of-clouds.html.
Accessed 17 Dec. 2021.
types of clouds
interview fragments
haiku and weather lore
other

98 99
Picture
Credits
picture credits
10 Friedrich, Caspar David, “Wanderer Above the Sea of Mist” (1774-1840)
12 Shiro Kasamatsu, “Autumn Clouds” (1917)
16 Luke Howard, From Luke Howard’s Essay on the Modification of Clouds:
“Forms Assumed by Clouds when Gathering for a Thunderstorm” (1803)
20 Auguste Renoir, “Pont Neuf” (1872)
22 John Constable, “Cloud Study”, (1822)
27 Shutterstock, “White Cloud in the Blue Sky”
29 Michael Bath, “1102mb23.jpg” (2007)
31 Google Images, “Stratocumulus”
34 John Constable, “Seascape Study with Rain Clouds” (1824)
37 Richard W. Brooks, “Nimbostratus Clouds”
38 Claude Monet, “The Rain (La Pluie)” (1886-1887)
40 John Constable, “Cloud Study: Stormy Sunset” (1821)
43 Luke van Vliet, “altostratus” (2011)
45 Fernanda A, “altocumulus” (2020)
46 John Constable, “Study of Cirrus Clouds” (1821)
49 Flagstaff Fotos, “Cirrus clouds2”
50 Edward Hopper, “Ground Swell” (1939)
Picture
Credits
53 Fernanda A, “cirrocumulus” (2020)
54 Katsushika, Hokusai, “Red Fuji” (1830)
57 Christer Mårtensson,, “nature-2151137_1280” (2015)
58 Andrea Mantenga, “Camera Picta” (1465-74)
61 René Magritte, “The False Mirror” (1928)
62 Japanese Print, “Evening Squall at Great Bridge near Atake” (1856-1859)
65 NASA, “Hurricane Florence churning over the Atlantic”
66 Luke Howard, “Nimbus, or rain cloud” (1849)
69 Fernanda A, “cumulonimbus” (2020)
70 Japanese Print, “Evening Squall at Great Bridge near Atake” (1856-1859)
74 Claude Monet, “The Gare Saint-Lazare: Arrival of a Train” (1887)
77 René Gramme, “Cumulus homogenitus” (2021)
78 Unknown, “Flight from Paniai Lake to the Coast” (1959)
80 Getty Images, Airplane over Clouds
83 Shutterstock, “Contrails”
84 John Constable, “Cloud Study Stratocumulus Cloud” (1821)
89 Amy Christie Hunter, “Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds at Smith Mountain Lake” (2019)
90 Vincent Van Gogh, “A Wheatfield with Cypresses” (1889)
96 Vincent Van Gogh, “Green Wheatfields” (1890)
99 Claude Monet, “Woman with a Parasol” (1875)
in order of appearance

RH
104
everyone
appreciates a sunset
but that’s almost
sort of too easy
everyone
appreciates a sunset
but that’s almost
sort of too easy

A Guide to Identifying Clouds Through Observation and Wonder

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