Clouds, Icing, ISA

By Mike Wilson
 Objectives
• Latent Heat
• Dew Point
• Measurement Of DP
• Calculation of RH
• Humidity
• Adiabatic Lapse Rate
• DALR
• SALR
• ELR
• Cloud Classification and Identification
• Triggers
• Thunderstorms
• Airframe Icing

• Questions ???
 Latent heat
Solid – Liquid = Heat absorbed from the environment
Liquid – Gas – Heat absorbed from the environment

Gas – Liquid = Heat released into the environment

Liquid – Solid = Heat released into the environment
 Dew Point
• If you cool a parcel of air, the amount of
moisture that parcel of air can hold will
reduce!

• Relative humidity is 100% once a parcel

of air contains the maximum amount of
moisture it is capable of holding
(Saturation) This will depend on its
temperature.
 Measurement of DP
• Temperature is measured by 2 thermometers side by
side, one with its sensor bulb dry, measuring ordinary
OAT, and the other with its sensor bulb wrapped in a
moist cloth. If the air is relatively dry moisture will
evaporate rapidly from the cloth. The latent heat of the
evaporation needed for this is taken from the wet bulb,
which records a lower temperature than the dry bulb.

• Dry bulb = 38
• Wet bulb = 30
• Difference = 8
• 30 - 8 = 22

• DP = 22
Calculation of Relative Humidity
• Now we have the DP and the OAT we can
calculate RH.

• Dry Bulb – Dew Point

38 - 22 =16
16 X 5 = 80
100-80 = 20%
 Adiabatic Lapse Rate
• The scientific word for a temperature change without influence from an external source
• When a parcel of air rises and expands in the atmosphere it cools, this is not because of the transfer of energy but because
the reduction of air density, the original heat that the parcel of air contained is now spread over the larger area so the
original volumetric parcel of air contains less heat than it did on the ground.

• Remember as a child, when you touch the end of the pump while pumping up a bike tyre it feels hot. This is because of an
increase in pressure and adiabatic heating

• The same goes for an aerosol can, when you spray an aerosol it feels cold to the touch, this is because the can is pressurized
and you are releasing it into a lower pressure environment

High pressure more heat Low Pressure Less heat

 Dry Adiabatic Lapse Rate
DALR (3oC Per 1000ft)

• When air is dry it is said to cool at a rate of 3oc per 1000ft of accent
 Saturated Adiabatic Lapse Rate
SALR (1.5oC Per 1000ft)

• When air is saturated it is said to cool at a rate of 1.5oc per 1000ft of

accent.

• It cools at a lower rate than dry air, this is due to the latent heat loss
caused by the condensation formation.
• As the air cools to DP the air becomes saturated and releases heat into the
atmosphere
 Environmental Lapse Rate
ELR (1.98oC Per 1000ft ISA)

• The environmental lapse rate is the actual temperature change at the time. The ELR is
changeable and defines the actual conditions at the time.

INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ATMOSPHERE

ELR = 1.98oc per 1000ft

Temperature= 15oc MSL
Density = 1.225 kg/m3
Pressure = 1013.25 HPA
 Cloud Classification
CLASS POLAR REGIONS TEMPERATE REGIONS TROPICAL REGIONS

HIGH 3-8 KM (9800–26200ft) 5-13KM (16400-42600ft) 6-18KM (19700-59000ft)

MIDDLE 2-4 KM (6500–13100ft) 2-7KM (6500–22900ft) 2-18 KM (6500-59000ft)

LOW BELOW 2KM (6500ft) BELOW 2KM BELOW 2KM

 High Clouds
Cirrus (Ci) Above 16500ft
These are all of the cirrus family of clouds containing ice crystals
rather than liquid water.

Detached clouds of white, delicate feathery or fibrous appearance or

white patches or bands. They appear
To move without any significant change in form or shape
 Cirrostratus (CS)
Above 16500ft

A Transparent white veil, not thick enough to obscure the sun or

moon.
Sunlight passing through it is strong enough that shadows are
still visible on the ground.

The ice crystals refract the light to produce haloes around the
sun or moon
 Cirrocumulus (CC)
Above 16500ft

Regular, thin patches of high cloud without shadows, with regular

ripples or lumps.
 Medium Level Clouds
Altocumulus (Ac)
6500ft – 16500ft
One or more layers of cloud comprising of lumps or rolls which
are often more or less merged
And colored white or grey
 Altostratus (As)
6500ft – 16500ft

Greyish or blueish cloud sheet or layer of fibrous or uniform

appearance, totally or partly covering the sky, and having parts
thick enough to obscure the sun.

Light Rain from thick altostratus may reach the ground

 Stratocumulus (Sc)
Surface – 6500ft
Stratocumulus in general are grey or whiteish in appearance, it
may cover the sky completely or be patchy. It is composed of
rounded masses or rolls which may or may not merge
Mainly formed by turbulence
Turbulent stratocumulus can lead to moderate to severe icing
conditions if the temperatures are just below freezing
 Low Level Clouds
Stratus (St)
Below 6500ft
A grey layer of cloud with a fairly uniform base. Thick stratus
may produce drizzle or snow grains. Thin Stratus may form In
moist air because of turbulence
 Cumulus (Cu) Below 6500ft
A detached heap cloud with sharp outlines, particularly as It
develops. The sunlit parts are brilliantly white and the strength
of the vertical motion inside the cloud can be inferred by
observing the vigor of the rising domes or towers
 Cumulonimbus (CB)
2000 – 75000ft
The tops of ‘CB’s may reach very high levels. Up to 30,000ft over
Europe (up to the tropopause) and over 55,000ft in the tropics
where the momentum of convective lifting (Trigger) can take the
tops into the lower stratosphere
 Trigger’s
Orographic Lifting
 Trigger’s
Convective Lifting
 Trigger’s
Frontal Lifting
 Trigger’s
Convergent Lifting
 Thunderstorms

Thunderstorms are an extreme form of CB cloud where the activity is intense enough to produce
thunder and lightening. For such a cloud to form there must be a deep layer of either instability
or conditional instability

Considerable moisture is needed, particularly at low level and

An adequate ‘trigger’ action to start lifting the air.
 Developing stage

During the developing phase, there is a general upward movement – updrafts of 300fpm to
4000fpm are possible!
 Mature stage

During the mature stage water drops start to fall through cloud drawing air down with them.

Downdrafts are around 3-4000fpm and can reach 6000fpm in very severe storms.
Updrafts can be around 5-6000fpm although 10,000fpm has been recorded.
 Dissipating stage
The final stage lasts until the storm is spent. The vertical currents weaken and the air within the
cloud subsides more than it ascends causing the cloud to collapse. The higher levels take on the
familiar anvil appearance as upper winds spread the ice crystals
 Hazards
There is a range of hazards to be found within a thunderstorm
• Severe turbulence
• Radio static
• Interference with nav aids
• Pitot blockage
• Static blockages
• Lightning
Icing
 Clear Ice
CLEAR ICE IS A LARGE WATER DROPLET BETWEEN 0°C AND -20°C THAT WILL NOT FREEZE
INSTANTANEOUSLY. BECAUSE LATENT HEAT IS RELEASED IN THE PROCESS, THE RATE OF
FREEZING WILL REDUCE, AND THE REMAINING LIQUID WATER WILL SPEAD BACK OVER THE
WING BEFORE FREEZING ON THE COLD AIRFRAME. THIS RESULTS IN A SHEET OF SOLID, CLEAR,
GLAZED ICE.
 Rime Ice
RIME ICE OCCURS WHEN SMALL SUPERCOOLED LIQUID WATER DROPLETS FREEZE ON CONTACT WITH A
SURFACE WHICH THE TEMPERATURE IS SUB-ZERO.

THE RESULT IS TINY ICE PARTICLES GIVING A ROUGH, OPAQUE AND CRYSTALLINE DEPOSIT.
 Hoar Frost
HOAR FROST OCCURS WHEN MOIST AIR COMES ACROSS A SUB-ZERO SURFACE, THE WATER
VAPOUR, RATHER THAN CONDENSING TO FORM LIQUID WATER TURNS DIRCTLEY INTO ICE IN
THE FORM OF HOAR FROST, WITH THE APPEARANCE OF A WHITE CRYSTALLINE COATING.
 Rain Ice
RAIN ICE IS THE MOST DANGEROUS FORM OF ICING AS IT OCCURS IN RAIN WHICH BECOMES
SUPERCOOLED BY FALLING THROUGH AIR WHICH IS BELOW 0°C. THE RAIN DOES NOT FREEZE IN
THE AIR BUT FREEZES ON CONTACT WITH THE AIRFRAME IN THE FORM OF CLEAR ICE.
Icing risk in cloud
Any Questions ???