Clouds of the Day - Air Moving in Waves - Wednesday, 13, March 2024

Gravity waves are atmospheric waves moving with and sometimes across the flow of air aloft. Waves of different sizes and wavelengths are visible in this photo. Winds aloft can set layers of air of different densities into up and down motion which are visible if clouds are present. Yes, riding an aircraft through these clouds would not be smooth.

Altocumulus clouds formed by waves in the Winds aloft. The Sun is in the upper right and several CONTRAILs are visible - look very closely for new and old CONTRAILS.

Close-up of a CONTRAIL and waves of different wavelengths moving perpendicularly to each other.

A wider view of the different waves superimposed on each other. Across the top of the photo are waves of different wavelengths crossing each other from different directions.