What would come to your mind if the clouds above you suddenly gathered into wave-like formations, churning and resembling the top of a turbulent sea? The right answer to this is “Asperitas Undulatus.” No, this is not a new spell from Hermione Granger’s list. It's a type of cloud that has been recently accepted by the International Cloud Atlas.
The new cloud formation (or type) was first recorded in 2006 by citizen scientists who are part of the Cloud Appreciation Society. The society proposed that it did nof fit into the existing types and proposed a new name for it. After nearly nine years, this proposal has been accepted by the World Meteorological Organization, and the cloud type has been given its present name - Asperitas.
On March 23, on the occasion of the World Meteorological Day, the World Meteorological Organization released the digitised International Cloud Atlas, which includes several new types of clouds, including Asperitas, which in Latin stands for “rough.”
The Atlas, which includes a manual of standards and photographs of clouds and weather phenomena, was first published in the 19th century. It was last updated 30 years ago.
The 2017 digitised version of the Atlas includes a dozen new additions, including the shortlived ''Fluctus'', which looks like a row of sea horses ready to take off and forms on the top surface of clouds. These are also known as Kelvin-Helmholtz waves. Another type is the ''Flammagenitus'', which forms as a result of convection arising from localised heat sources such as forest fires.
Just like plants and animals have their biological name consisting of genera, species etc., clouds, too, follow a Latin-based naming convention. This was established by Luke Howard, an amateur meteorologist, way back in 1803.
As of now, there are 10 genera, subdivided into species and varieties. In total there are close to a 100 such combinations, according to a press release of the IMO regarding the new digitised Atlas.The new Atlas has added one new species, five new supplementary features, a new accessory cloud and five new special clouds.
