Sea of clouds

Summary

A sea of clouds is an overcast layer of stratocumulus clouds, as viewed from above, with a relatively uniform top which shows undulations of very different lengths resembling waves on the sea.[1] A sea of fog is formed from stratus clouds or fog and does not show undulations.[2]

Sea of clouds
Sea of clouds in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc.
ClassificationFamily C (Low-level)
AppearanceUniform with ondulations
Precipitationno
Sea of clouds in Mount Pulag, Philippines

In both cases, the phenomenon looks very similar to the open ocean. The comparison is even more complete if some mountain peaks rise above the clouds, thus resembling islands.

Formation

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A sea of clouds forms generally in valleys or over seas in very stable air mass conditions such as in a temperature inversion. Humidity can then reach saturation and condensation leads to a very uniform stratocumulus cloud, stratus cloud or fog. Above this layer, the air must be dry. This is a common situation in a high-pressure area with cooling at the surface by radiative cooling at night in summer, or advection of cold air in winter or in a marine layer.

Artistic uses

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References

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  1. ^ World Meteorological Organization. "Sea of clouds". Eumetcal. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
  2. ^ World Meteorological Organization. "Sea of fog". Eumetcal. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
  3. ^ Maitland, Derek; Taylor, Chris (1998). Traveler's China companion. Old Saybrook: Globe Pequot Press. p. 20. ISBN 9780762702497.