The landscape of Estes Park is beautiful and
interesting, but so are the cloud formations. We can often see
multiple types of cloud formations. Fog also occurs often in Estes
Park. Orographic Lifting and unstable air helps to create the fog and
cloud formations. Let's look at how clouds and fog in Estes Park can
be formed.
Upslope fog is a common occurrence in Estes Park.
Upslope fog is caused by orographic lifting. Barriers, such as the
mountains in Estes Park, block horizontal air movements causing the
air to move up the slope of the mountain. As the air travels upslope,
it is cooled to the dew point and the water vapor condenses. The dew
point is the temperature at which air becomes saturated. The
orographic lifting can cause air to become unstable so the air could
keep rising vertically. If the air remains stable, it could go down
the other side of the mountain.
The mountains blocked the horizontal air causing the air to move up the mountains. The water vapor condensed and became fog. Photo by me, Sylvia Jackson.
Orographic lifting caused the air to become unstable.
Instead of going down the mountains, the air kept rising passed the
lifting condensation level, creating the fluffy cumulus clouds. Photo
by me, Sylvia Jackson.
Clouds are created when water is condensed into very
small droplets of liquid or ice. Clouds are classified by height and
structure. Some of the clouds we see in Estes Park can be formed due
to unstable air and orographic lifting. Air is unstable when a mass
of air is warmer than the air around it. The warm air mass will rise
until it reaches surrounding air that is a similar temperature and
density. If the air reaches the lifting condensation level, clouds
can form.
High level clouds are cirro-form clouds which look
wispy. Mid level clouds are given the prefix alto.
Cumulus-type clouds develop vertically and are lumpy. Stratus means
that the clouds are layered and featureless. Nimbus means that the
clouds are low and gray. Source:
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/clouds/types.htm
These layered clouds are nimbostratus. Photo by me, Sylvia Jackson.
The fluffy clouds are altocumulus and the featureless
gray clouds underneath are stratus. Photo by me, Sylvia Jackson.
These fluffy clouds are cumulus clouds. We can see the
lifting condensation level in this image because the clouds have flat
bases. Photo by me, Sylvia Jackson.
Orographic lifting can cause air to become unstable.
Orographic lifting occurs when a barrier blocks horizontal air
movement. Air is unstable when it rises vertically with no external
force. Orographic lifting and unstable air can make water vapor
become condensed and create clouds and fog. Clouds are classified by
their height and structure.
Sources:
Dr. Casey Allen's lecture “Weather & Storms”
Dr. Casey Allen's lecture “Water, Moisture, and
Clouds”
McKnight's Physical Geography: A Landscape Appreciation,
Edition Eleven by Darrel Hess