clouds

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Amid Worst Heat Wave Ever, China Shoots Rods Into Clouds

Silver iodide rods intended to spur precipitation

(Newser) - China is experiencing its worst heat wave on record, a two-month-plus streak that's seeing hundreds of cities and counties experience temps of 104 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. But this extreme weather isn't just causing bodily discomfort. It's helping to dry up the Yangtze River, one of the...

Study: China Manipulated the Weather for Centenary Event

Country used cloud seeding to lower air pollution, bring about clear skies, say researchers

(Newser) - As the 100th anniversary of China's Communist Party approached in July, the government wanted to make sure that the event was pulled off without a hitch—including ensuring there was good weather for the big day. Which is why researchers out of Tsinghua University are now saying that officials...

In Clouds of Venus, a Tantalizing Find
Something
Weird Is
Happening
on Venus
new study
Sep 14, 2020 11:23 AM CDT

Something Weird Is Happening on Venus

Chemical associated with biological life is detected in the clouds

(Newser) - Astronomers have found something unexpected in the clouds of Venus—a chemical usually associated with biological life. Does this mean there's life on Venus? Nope, far from it, explains the MIT Technology Review . But the gist from coverage is that the discovery is extremely intriguing. In their paper in...

For the First Time in 3 Decades, We Have New Clouds

World Meteorological Organization cloud atlas updated for first time since 1987

(Newser) - Look up in the sky: It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a … volutus, or is that an asperitas? If you're not sure what kind of cloud you're seeing above your head, consult the World Meteorological Organization's International Cloud Atlas , newly updated just...

Clouds Aren't Where They Used to Be

Shifting patterns don't bode well for planet, say scientists

(Newser) - The clouds are shifting, and a new study suggests that's a worrisome thing for the planet. Satellite images collected between 1983 and 2009 show two trends: Clouds have been migrating away from the Equator toward the Earth's poles, and the tops of those clouds are reaching higher into...

Study Shows Clouds Are Bad News for Greenland Ice Sheet

'This is something we have to get right if we want to predict the future'

(Newser) - There's a literal cloud hanging over the rapidly melting Greenland ice sheet. That's because a new study published Tuesday in Nature Communications reveals exactly how clouds are exacerbating the problem. Cloud cover over the ice sheet causes 56 billion tons of meltwater runoff every year, up to a...

Mushrooms Make It Rain
 Mushrooms 
 Make It Rain 
study says
Oct 29, 2015 6:19 PM CDT

Mushrooms Make It Rain

'Nothing else works like this in nature'

(Newser) - It turns out mushrooms may be better for more than topping pizzas. Who knew? According to a study published Wednesday, mushrooms may actually help produce the rain they need to live. Discovery reports researchers documented a previously unknown system in which rain makes mushrooms grow, mushrooms release spores into the...

Mysterious Blue Clouds May Portend Disaster

Noctilucent clouds are forming in unlikely conditions

(Newser) - Like scientific mysteries? Then consider the electric-blue clouds that are becoming more common and appearing in unexpected parts of the world, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Called "noctilucent clouds" or "night-shining clouds," they were first reported above polar regions in 1885 and have appeared every summer since,...

Texans Keep Reporting UFOs That Resemble Something Else

Lenticular clouds do have funny shapes, however

(Newser) - A rash of UFO sightings in Texas is likely caused by certain cloud formations, unless you believe that UFOs disguise themselves as clouds. Several sightings last month garnered media attention, but scientists and meteorologists identified the airborne objects as disc-shaped "lenticular clouds" caused by warm air rising in cooler...

New NASA Map Shows Our Cloudy World
 New NASA Map Shows 
 Our Cloudy World 
in case you missed it
May 16, 2015 8:19 AM CDT

New NASA Map Shows Our Cloudy World

Two-thirds of planet usually covered

(Newser) - Blue Marble , yes. Cloudy Blue Marble? Most definitely. The NASA Earth Observatory is out with another compelling image of our planet, one that shows it's a cloudy place. Specifically, about two-thirds of Earth's surface is covered by clouds at any given moment. The map is based on...

Rare Sight: Grand Canyon Fills With Clouds

Warm air forces clouds down into canyon in rare inversion

(Newser) - Yesterday's visitors to the Grand Canyon missed seeing its great depths, but perhaps witnessed something even more awe-inspiring. Due to a rare weather event known as a total cloud inversion, the canyon filled nearly to the brim with a sea of clouds—a result of warm air forcing clouds...

'Cloud Atlas' May Get Rare New Addition

'Cloud Appreciation Society' founder fights for his find

(Newser) - It's not often that a brand-"new" cloud comes along; in fact, none have been added to the International Cloud Atlas, maintained by the World Meteorological Organization, since 1951. But a cloud activist is pushing to change that, Popular Science reports. Gavin Pretor-Pinney wants to get a cloud dubbed...

Is This an Official New Cloud?
 Is This an Official New Cloud? 
Sep 22, 2012 12:11 PM CDT

Is This an Official New Cloud?

Advocates of 'undulatus asperatus' sure hope so

(Newser) - Cloud gazers, make room for "undulatus asperatus." That translates into "agitated waves," and advocates are pushing for it to be formally recognized as a new cloud variety, reports USA Today . The movement has been gaining steam since a 2006 photo from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, went viral....

Ahmadinejad: Europe Stealing Our Rain

West using 'special equipment' on clouds to cause droughts

(Newser) - Conspiracy theorist Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is at it again: He says Europe is hijacking Iran's rainclouds. "Western countries have designed plans to cause drought in certain areas of the world, including Iran," the state news agency quoted him as saying at the inauguration of a dam. "...

Ash Cloud Cancels Hundreds of Flights

Renewed activity at Icelandic volcano leads to more travel chaos

(Newser) - Hundreds of flights were canceled and delayed today as the reinvigorated ash cloud issuing from an Icelandic volcano spread across parts of Europe and the UK. Three clouds are moving in various directions, closing airports in Scotland, Portugal, Germany, and other countries. The total number of canceled flights since the...

Clouds Delay Last Nighttime Shuttle Launch

Endeavour now looks for liftoff early Monday

(Newser) - Clouds prevented space shuttle Endeavour from blasting off this morning on the last planned nighttime shuttle launch, delaying its trip with a final few building blocks for the International Space Station. Launch time was re-scheduled for 4:14am tomorrow. It's expected to be the last shuttle launch in darkness; only...

To Cut Snowplow Bill, Moscow Monkeys With Weather

If we make snow fall elsewhere, mayor reasons, there will be less snow

(Newser) - Moscow's neighbors are steaming over a cost-cutting proposal by the mayor to make less snow fall in the city—which would mean more precipitation in the surrounding region. Liquid nitrogen, cement particles, and other substances kill clouds in the summer, and Yury Luzhkov wants to control the weather year-round, reports...

Forecast: 'Astonishing' New Cloud Type

If recognized, new variety would be first since 1951

(Newser) - A photo taken by an Iowa paralegal may help secure the recognition of a new cloud type, USA Today reports. Meteorologists are analyzing the cloud's characteristics to determine whether it's an example of an unrecognized type. If the move to recognize the cloud type succeeds, undulus asperatus, whose Latin name...

'Cloud' Ads Float Sky-High
 'Cloud' Ads Float Sky-High 
Apr 17, 2008 2:36 PM CDT

'Cloud' Ads Float Sky-High

Flying logos don't pollute, either, company says

(Newser) - Forget blimps. A new kind of advertising sends company logos sky-bound in the form of clouds themselves—or almost. “Flogos” are flying, cloud-like shapes created from a soapy mixture pumped up with helium and other gases. The floating messages, sent up by repurposed snow machines, are completely safe, both...

China Shoots Down Bad Weather
China Shoots Down Bad Weather
Jul 13, 2007 5:30 PM CDT

China Shoots Down Bad Weather

High-tech program controls climate, plays rainmaker.

(Newser) - China has a solution for its unpredictable weather: create its own. The county is toying with the world's largest weather modification program in terms of size, budget and equipment. The original idea was to ease droughts and improve harvests with man-made rain, but the program has evolved uses in fighting...

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