In the mesosphere is getting colder — watch out for noctilucent clouds

In the mesosphere becoming colder. According to Lynn Harvey from the University of Colorado, in the polar latitudes (60 to 80 degrees North latitude) temperature broke the record for 14 years. This leads to the fact that the Arctic silver cloud shifted to middle latitudes.

Phil Halpert from London waited years for the opportunity to consider these clouds, however, first saw them over London these days. He noticed the blue ruffle above the roofs, and then took a photo already in the open sky above Clissold Park.

Typically, these clouds can be seen after the summer solstice, but this year the monitoring started earlier. To understand what is happening, Harvey examined data MLS NASA about the conditions at the altitude of 83 km, where noctilucent clouds are formed. These graphs demonstrate that 2020 is going to be cold and wet, currently the temperature is very low. According to her, the temperature in the middle latitudes (35 to 55 degrees) at the end of may-2020 was the lowest since 2007, when NASA started monitoring AIM noctilucent clouds.

This low temperature suggests that this summer could repeat the records of observations of noctilucent clouds last year, when they spread far to the South, or even surpass them.

Translated by «Yandex.Translator»