Square Cloud seen from the Space Station by Reid Wiseman [Marine Layer + Coastline]

[Mick West]

This region of cloud looks odd for a couple of reasons. Firstly the left side is chopped off, adding to the illusion of it being square. Secondly the right side seems like it just stops in the middle of the ocean, in a random straight line.

But that's just a factor of the low contrast of the image, it's actually stopping at the coastline. You can see this a little better if you magnify and adjust the contrast:


The landmass is the Kamchatka peninsula, in the far north east of Russia.


Here's the same scene viewed from more directly overhead, separated by a few hours, but the termination of the cloud on the coastline is just the same
https://earthdata.nasa.gov/labs/wor...map=148.544556,49.154663,162.598267,58.638062


Calling it an "odd cloud" is rather misleading - it's huge layer of clouds. It covers over 150 miles of coastline, and extend 800 miles to the west. Zooming in shows the individual clouds making up the layer, and also the straightness of the coastline:


Land can have quite an effect on sea clouds. Have a look just of the south of this region a few days earlier:
https://earthdata.nasa.gov/labs/wor...map=153.075439,48.237305,156.588867,50.608154


The actual effect depends on the wind, the weather conditions, and the cloud altitude. The "square" cloud layer that was terminated by the land mass is a type of cloud that is actually formed by the sea - essentially a sea fog, or marine layer. That's why it stops right at the coastline (or just slightly inland, where it drifts with the wind).

This type of coastal cloud layer is very common here in Los Angeles, leading to the famous "June Gloom" that confuses the tourists:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_gloom

June Gloom is a southern California term for a weather pattern that results in cloudy, overcast skies with cool temperatures during the late spring and early summer, most commonly in the month of June. Low-altitude stratus clouds are formed over the ocean, then transported over the coastal regions by the wind.[1] The overcast skies often are accompanied by fog and drizzle, though usually not rain.

Content from external source

This time-lapse video shows a full month of clouds over California. Notice how the marine clouds (the slowest moving layer) hug the coast:

 

[SR1419]

This time-lapse video shows a full month of clouds over California. Notice how the marine clouds (the slowest moving layer) hug the coast:

Here are similar examples (though not as symmetrical) from the West Coast of the US:

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=7007

 

[Jazzy]

Land is warm, and the sea air temperature rises as the ground-emitted infra-red radiation passes through it, allowing increased evaporation of the cloud droplets until a new balance is achieved, or none remain.

That's a great vid.

 

[Mick West]

That's a great vid.

I made it for the "Ship trails" thread, which also has some discussion of the marine layer.
https://www.metabunk.org/threads/de...he-pacific-are-geoengineering-chemtrails.652/

 

[WeedWhacker]

"June Gloom" that confuses the tourists:

LOL!

Don't forget "May Gray"!

 

[Soulfly]

Here are similar examples (though not as symmetrical) from the West Coast of the US:

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=7007

Just south of San Francisco in Daly City, Colma you can literally watch the marine layer get to the crest of the hills and then just roll back on itself for hours.

 

[Billzilla]

Sort-of related ....
When you are flying over tropical oceans it's often possible to spot where islands are at over 160 km, by looking at the clouds. They tend to form over the islands in small cumulus types.

 

[Mick West]

Split "Square Cornered Clouds" discussion to:
https://www.metabunk.org/square-cornered-clouds.t8218/