Cirrus

A sky filled with cirrus clouds.
Abbreviation	Ci
Genus	Cirrus (curl of hair)
Altitude	Above 7000 m (Above 23,000 ft)
Classification	Family A (High-level)
Appearance	thin, wisplike strands
Precipitation Cloud?	No

Cirrus clouds are composed of ice crystals and are characterized by thin, wisplike strands, often accompanied by tufts. Sometimes these wispy clouds are so extensive that they are virtually indistinguishable from one another, forming a veil or sheet called "cirrostratus". Sometimes convection at high altitudes produces another form of cirrus called "cirrocumulus", a pattern of small cloud tufts which include droplets of supercooled water.

Many cirrus clouds produce hairlike filaments made of the heavier ice crystals that precipitate from them. These "fall streaks", a form of virga, often indicate the difference in the motion of air (wind shear) between the upper part of the cirrus cloud and the air below it. Sometimes the top of the cirrus cloud is moving rapidly above a slower layer of air, or the streak is falling into a faster moving lower layer. The directions of these winds can also vary.

Cirrus usually form at altitudes above 8000 meters (26,000 feet). The fall streaks may appear straight when wind shear is absent, giving the clouds the appearance of a comma (cirrus uncinus), or tangled, an indication of high-level turbulence. The falling ice crystals evaporate before reaching the ground.

Cirrus clouds trap and reflect infrared radiation (heat) beneath them (greenhouse effect), but also reflect sunlight to some extent (albedo). It has not yet been determined for certain whether the net effect of cirrus clouds is to warm or cool the earth. Much of the difficulty lies in modelling the albedo effect of clouds composed of various size and shape crystals. Older models tended to underestimate the albedo effect of cirrus. Refinements of these models will improve climate predictions.

If there are many cirrus clouds in the sky it may be a sign that a frontal system or upper air disturbance is approaching. Cirrus clouds can also be the remnants of a thunderstorm. A large shield of cirrus and cirrostratus typically accompanies the high altitude outflow of hurricanes/typhoons. Cirrus clouds have been observed to develop after the persistent formation of condensation trails from aircraft.

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This article has been tagged since February 2007.

See also

Weather Portal

• Aviation and climate change
• Weather
• Earth's atmosphere
• List of cloud types
• Contrail

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