Blue Clouds Appear Over Antarctica: What Are They?

First Posted: Dec 05, 2016 04:10 AM EST
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NASA spotted noctilucent or night-glowing clouds over the South Pole. But this year, they arrived much earlier than expected, leaving scientists baffled.

Night-shining clouds or blue clouds forming about 50 miles above the Earth's surface have been observed by NASA's Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) spacecraft. The spacecraft was deployed in 2007 in an effort to determine the ins and outs of the unusual event in the South Pole.

However, the scientists noted that the appearance is the earliest ever recorded by the instrument. The satellite images posted on Dec. 2, noctilucent clouds were seen over Antarctica on Nov. 17 and blue clouds formed between that date and Nov. 28, Phys.org reports.

Antarctic is glowing electric blue because of the presence of these clouds. Noctilucent clouds are the planet's highest clouds found between the Earth and space 50 miles above the ground. The clouds are composed of ice crystals and seeded by debris from disintegrating meteors, giving them a strong blue hue when they reflect sunlight.

Understanding The Mesosphere

"Since its 2007 launch, AIM data has shown us that changes in one region of the atmosphere can affect responses in another distinct, and sometimes distant, region. Scientists call these relationships atmospheric teleconnections," NASA's Lina Tran of the Goddard Space Flight Center explained in a press release.

"Now, due to natural precession, the spacecraft's orbit is evolving, allowing the measurement of atmospheric gravity waves that could be contributing to the teleconnections," it added.

AIM studies night-glowing clouds to better understand the mesosphere and its link to the other parts of the atmosphere, climate and weather. Usually, the scientists observe these clouds during summer when the mesosphere is humid and water vapor floating up from lower altitudes.

The noctilucent clouds are observed above the Arctic in July and August and above the Antarctic in November and December. This is when the mesosphere is the coldest place on Earth, dropping as low as negative 210 degrees Fahrenheit.

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