Which cloud type is a high-altitude cloud consisting of a series of regularly arranged small clouds resembling ripples?

Which cloud type is a high-altitude cloud consisting of a series of regularly arranged small clouds resembling ripples?

• A. Cirrocumulus
• B. Altostratus
• C. Nimbostratus
• D. Fog

Answer: (A)

Ripples in the upper atmosphere are characteristic of cirrocumulus clouds. They form high in the troposphere and consist of many small white cloudlets arranged in regular rows or wave-like patterns, giving a rippled or fish-scale appearance. These clouds typically lie at altitudes roughly 20,000 to 40,000 feet. Altostratus creates a uniform gray sheet at mid-level with less defined individual cloud elements. Nimbostratus is a thick, dark, rain-bearing layer that fills the sky, not a pattern of small, regularly spaced clouds. Fog forms at ground level and does not appear high in the sky. So the described cloud type is cirrocumulus.

Ripples in the upper atmosphere are characteristic of cirrocumulus clouds. They form high in the troposphere and consist of many small white cloudlets arranged in regular rows or wave-like patterns, giving a rippled or fish-scale appearance. These clouds typically lie at altitudes roughly 20,000 to 40,000 feet. Altostratus creates a uniform gray sheet at mid-level with less defined individual cloud elements. Nimbostratus is a thick, dark, rain-bearing layer that fills the sky, not a pattern of small, regularly spaced clouds. Fog forms at ground level and does not appear high in the sky. So the described cloud type is cirrocumulus.