For the first time in 30 years, a crop of new clouds will enter the canon of cloud varieties recognized by meteorologists all over the world. This is also a good time to talk about climate change.
"The official International Cloud Atlas has just gained a new species: Volutus is a tube-shaped mass that rotates slowly around its horizontal axis," according to an article by Clive Cookson. The International Cloud Atlas has been the definitive reference of cloud varieties for meteorologists since 1896. The new edition is the first update to the Atlas in 30 years.
"The revised edition of the atlas, published this week by the World Meteorological Office, describes Volutus as 'an example of an undular bore'," adds Cookson of one of the additions to the Atlas sure to excite weather observers, both amateur and professional.
But wait, there's more! A citizen science movement also successfully advocated for the inclusion of the Asperitas cloud in the Atlas. Another newcomers include "Homogenitus (clouds such as aircraft contrails resulting from human activity), Flumen (beaver’s tail clouds associated with severe thunderstorms) and Flammagenitus (caused by convection over forest fires)."
The article places the addition of these new clouds into the context of conversations about climate change. Scientists "emphasise the need to understand better the central role that clouds play in weather and climate," writes Cook.
The Financial Times article might be behind a paywall for some readers. More coverage of the new edition of the International Cloud Atlas is available at treehugger, Wired, and the BBC.
FULL STORY: New clouds appear on scientists’ horizons
Oregon Passes Exemption to Urban Growth Boundary
Cities have a one-time chance to acquire new land for development in a bid to increase housing supply and affordability.
Where Urban Design Is Headed in 2024
A forecast of likely trends in urban design and architecture.
Savannah: A City of Planning Contrasts
From a human-scales, plaza-anchored grid to suburban sprawl, the oldest planned city in the United States has seen wildly different development patterns.
Orlando Pledges to Improve Walkability
A city report highlights successes and failures in building safer transportation infrastructure and reducing VMT in 2023.
New York Transit Agency Launches Performance Dashboard
The tool increases transparency about the agency’s performance on a variety of metrics.
Washington Tribes Receive Resilience Funding
The 28 grants support projects including relocation efforts as coastal communities face the growing impacts of climate change.
City of Rochester
Boston Harbor Now
City of Bellevue
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Birmingham, Alabama
City of Laramie, Wyoming
Colorado Department of Local Affairs
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.