Comments on: Bring in the clouds! http://blogs.earthsky.org/larrysessions/science/092550/bring-in-the-clouds/ Clouds and cosmos: the atmosphere and beyond! Sun, 06 Jul 2008 01:19:14 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Larry Sessions http://blogs.earthsky.org/larrysessions/science/092550/bring-in-the-clouds/#comment-4867 Larry Sessions Tue, 23 Oct 2007 02:01:57 +0000 http://blogs.earthsky.org/larrysessions/climate-weather/092550/bring-in-the-clouds/#comment-4867 David, That doesn't sound like much fun, does it? Maybe unless you are a fish. LS David,

That doesn’t sound like much fun, does it? Maybe unless you are a fish.

LS

]]> By: David T http://blogs.earthsky.org/larrysessions/science/092550/bring-in-the-clouds/#comment-4863 David T Mon, 22 Oct 2007 23:57:28 +0000 http://blogs.earthsky.org/larrysessions/climate-weather/092550/bring-in-the-clouds/#comment-4863 Thanks for the correction. Larry, as a reality check you can ask yourself what it would be like to inhale 0.6 liters (about 2.5 cups of water) with each 6 liter lungful of air. . . . .ouch...even if it is in little microdroplets. . . Thanks for the correction. Larry, as a reality check you can ask yourself what it would be like to inhale 0.6 liters (about 2.5 cups of water) with each 6 liter lungful of air. . . . .ouch…even if it is in little microdroplets. . .

]]> By: Gretchie http://blogs.earthsky.org/larrysessions/science/092550/bring-in-the-clouds/#comment-4335 Gretchie Tue, 02 Oct 2007 01:14:45 +0000 http://blogs.earthsky.org/larrysessions/climate-weather/092550/bring-in-the-clouds/#comment-4335 I love clouds, always have. The first thing I do when I go outside is look towards the sky. And if clouds are up there, I get a smile on my face. Guess I'm extra lucky that I married an airline pilot and spent alot of time with my head in the clouds. I love clouds, always have. The first thing I do when I go outside is look towards the sky. And if clouds are up there, I get a smile on my face. Guess I’m extra lucky that I married an airline pilot and spent alot of time with my head in the clouds.

]]> By: Kirk Korista http://blogs.earthsky.org/larrysessions/science/092550/bring-in-the-clouds/#comment-4243 Kirk Korista Thu, 27 Sep 2007 16:24:17 +0000 http://blogs.earthsky.org/larrysessions/climate-weather/092550/bring-in-the-clouds/#comment-4243 Glad to have been of some assistance. I am an astronomer by profession, but I love the clouds (it's rather a kind of a love-hate relationship, if you get what I mean...) and enjoy noodling over radiation transfer problems. Glad to have been of some assistance.
I am an astronomer by profession, but I love the clouds (it’s rather a kind
of a love-hate relationship, if you get what I mean…) and enjoy noodling over
radiation transfer problems.

]]> By: Larry Sessions http://blogs.earthsky.org/larrysessions/science/092550/bring-in-the-clouds/#comment-4241 Larry Sessions Thu, 27 Sep 2007 14:38:02 +0000 http://blogs.earthsky.org/larrysessions/climate-weather/092550/bring-in-the-clouds/#comment-4241 Thanks, Gavin, I appreciate your response. I hope that maybe at some time we can have you as a guest blogger! Maybe if you were here you could help the ID the clouds from Denver today ... oh, wait a minute, I just looked out the window and it is .... CLEAR again! Drat! Larry S. Thanks, Gavin, I appreciate your response. I hope that maybe at some time we can have you as a guest blogger! Maybe if you were here you could help the ID the clouds from Denver today … oh, wait a minute, I just looked out the window and it is …. CLEAR again! Drat!

Larry S.

]]> By: Gavin Pretor-Pinney http://blogs.earthsky.org/larrysessions/science/092550/bring-in-the-clouds/#comment-4234 Gavin Pretor-Pinney Thu, 27 Sep 2007 10:10:46 +0000 http://blogs.earthsky.org/larrysessions/climate-weather/092550/bring-in-the-clouds/#comment-4234 Kirk, you are completely right! The US publishers introduced a number of numerical errors when they changed the units of measurement from the ones I used in the original UK edition. I originally gave a figure of 10,000,000,000 droplets per cubic meter in a young cumulus cloud. This might be a little high, but is more like it. Somehow, the US publishers took it on themselves to multiply this by 35 when converting it into a square foot. I'll tell the publishers that they have introduced an error here. Well spotted. Many thanks for pointing it out. Gavin Pretor-Pinney Kirk, you are completely right! The US publishers introduced a number of numerical errors when they changed the units of measurement from the ones I used in the original UK edition. I originally gave a figure of 10,000,000,000 droplets per cubic meter in a young cumulus cloud. This might be a little high, but is more like it. Somehow, the US publishers took it on themselves to multiply this by 35 when converting it into a square foot.
I’ll tell the publishers that they have introduced an error here.
Well spotted. Many thanks for pointing it out.
Gavin Pretor-Pinney

]]> By: Larry Sessions http://blogs.earthsky.org/larrysessions/science/092550/bring-in-the-clouds/#comment-4211 Larry Sessions Wed, 26 Sep 2007 19:13:48 +0000 http://blogs.earthsky.org/larrysessions/climate-weather/092550/bring-in-the-clouds/#comment-4211 Well, I'm not sure. By my quick calculation, it looks like about 125 million 20 micron droplets would equal a cubic centimeter. Of course if there were that many (packing considerations aside), it would be liquid water. But at one tenth that density it doesn't seem that unlikely to me. However, I am not a meteorologist and make no pretensions to it. But I will pass this on to see if we can get Mr. Pretor-Pinney to comment. Larry S. Well, I’m not sure. By my quick calculation, it looks like about 125 million 20 micron droplets would equal a cubic centimeter. Of course if there were that many (packing considerations aside), it would be liquid water. But at one tenth that density it doesn’t seem that unlikely to me. However, I am not a meteorologist and make no pretensions to it. But I will pass this on to see if we can get Mr. Pretor-Pinney to comment.

Larry S.

]]> By: Kirk Korista http://blogs.earthsky.org/larrysessions/science/092550/bring-in-the-clouds/#comment-4205 Kirk Korista Wed, 26 Sep 2007 15:24:20 +0000 http://blogs.earthsky.org/larrysessions/climate-weather/092550/bring-in-the-clouds/#comment-4205 I love clouds too....However - That number density of droplets seems way too high. 350 billion per cubic foot? That's 12.36 million drops per cubic cm(!) For a typical cloud droplet size distribution function, you'd need a water content of something like 15000 g/m^3 to get that many droplets per cubic foot, or 30,000x what is typical. Pretor-Pinney must mean something more like 350 *million* droplets per cubic *yard*. I love clouds too….However -

That number density of droplets seems way too high. 350 billion per cubic foot?
That’s 12.36 million drops per cubic cm(!) For a typical cloud droplet size
distribution function, you’d need a water content of something like 15000 g/m^3
to get that many droplets per cubic foot, or 30,000x what is typical.

Pretor-Pinney must mean something more like 350 *million* droplets per cubic *yard*.

]]> By: Deborah Byrd http://blogs.earthsky.org/larrysessions/science/092550/bring-in-the-clouds/#comment-4173 Deborah Byrd Tue, 25 Sep 2007 19:07:59 +0000 http://blogs.earthsky.org/larrysessions/climate-weather/092550/bring-in-the-clouds/#comment-4173 Nice post Larry! Your top picture looks like a dove to me, too ... Deborah Nice post Larry! Your top picture looks like a dove to me, too …

Deborah

]]> By: Larry Sessions http://blogs.earthsky.org/larrysessions/science/092550/bring-in-the-clouds/#comment-4170 Larry Sessions Tue, 25 Sep 2007 17:09:28 +0000 http://blogs.earthsky.org/larrysessions/climate-weather/092550/bring-in-the-clouds/#comment-4170 Hey, Shaun, funny you should mention the thing about seeing clouds from above and imaginning a landscape, as there is a place in the book were Pretor-Pinney mentions that. In fact he spoke of a painting of clouds, which when viewed upside down looks like a landscape. There are also some good images on The Cloud Appreciation Society website that look like that when you turn them the wrong way (or stand on your head in front of the monitor!) Larry S. Hey, Shaun, funny you should mention the thing about seeing clouds from above and imaginning a landscape, as there is a place in the book were Pretor-Pinney mentions that. In fact he spoke of a painting of clouds, which when viewed upside down looks like a landscape. There are also some good images on The Cloud Appreciation Society website that look like that when you turn them the wrong way (or stand on your head in front of the monitor!)

Larry S.

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