Cloud Classification

I am currently working on a new story, which stars Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle. This is set in the Cloudsdale weather factory, and will include a healthy dose of atmospherics physics. I had hoped to finish it this week, but it is going to take a bit longer. As often happens, when you start writing, you find some of the minor background details that needs more thought…

Today’s topic to dive into is cloud classification.

Peter Moore’s history of meteorology The Weather Experiment tells a fascinating story of pioneer cloud watchers. For much of our history clouds were considered outside the realm of science - ephemeral things of more interest to poets. Then in 1803, cloud-watching pioneer Luke Howard published his Essay on the Modifications of Clouds, which was in due course recognised as a major contribution to meteorology. He introduced a Latin classification system with the high altitude wispy cirrus, the familiar fluffy cumulus, and the horizontal stratus; and added to these the intermediate categories of cirro-cumulus, cirros-stratus, and cumulo-cirro-stratus (or nimbus) cloud. This scientific study then influenced the art of the time as shown by John Constable's many cloudscapes.

Here's a more recent classification diagram:

But what about in Equestria?

The weather factory has a production line churning out white puffy cumuli, which serve as the standard pegasus perch. Yet these don’t seem to be the only clouds in pony lands, as the background skies are frequently adorned with extra curly cirrus tendrils.

There is a classification project here, which would no doubt interest our favourite winged librarian. What is the history? Did some pegasus pioneer produce a similar scheme to Howard? Keep in mind than in Equestria this would not be so much cataloguing a natural phenomenon as designing a new product line, which means there is further scope for innovation.

Comments

[Admiral Biscuit]

They might also have some different classifications of clouds than us, such as building clouds (for cloudhomes). And depending on how high they can fly, how much like our atmosphere theirs is, etc., there might be clouds that are too high for them to manipulate, at least directly.

[PresentPerfect]

All I know is there's a pegasus in that first screenshot that looks like Milky Way. <.<

[bigbear]

I suspect Pegasus have as many words for clouds as specialist have for any of the critical materials. Think of how many names of colors designers have come up with. And Rainbow Dash has demonstrated some skill in high speed cloud sculpting.

I remember researching types of clouds and their heights for the high altitude flying scene in Teatime. There is a lot of possibilities in how pegasus interact with clouds.

I forgot about lassoing clouds until I saw the pic in your post. I wonder if pegasus project their magic through the rope, or that unicorns and earth ponies could lasso clouds if they had a long enough pegasus rope?

[Booster Spice]

Pegasi clouds are aerogels?

[Georg]

One must also wonder about artistic pegasi, and their ability to create art far up in the sky and visible to any who see it... whether they want to or not. I wrote a short Twilestia story on that.

Celestia turned her head sideways and squinted at one particularly detailed cloud in the distance. After a lengthy consideration of the scientific accuracy of the cloud sculpture in comparison to her lack of progress on the Royal Diet, Celestia nodded.

The towering banks of clouds over Ponyville and much of the surrounding area had been lifted to great heights overnight and spread out across the sky with Twilight’s acute attention to detail and order. There she had applied her hitherto unknown skill in sculpture along with her new pegasus magic to create a set of cloud-sculptures that boggled the mind in size, scope, and content.

Particularly content.

In particular, content involving the affectionate relationship between Equestria’s oldest and youngest princess.

[Southpaw]

My favorites clouds are, of course, Mare's Tails (cirrus).

Is it safe to assume that all clouds in the Equestrian sky are controlled by pegasi? Clouds such as cirrus are at a great enough height that I'd expect them to be problematic even for pegasi to manage (cold and air pressure). Plus they don't seem to do anything but serve as an indicator rather than as something that affects the local weather.

I suspect you've already thought on this, but don't forget about atmospheric Optical Phenomena such as circumhorizontal arcs. Fascinating stuff.

[Pineta]

5011103
That’s a thought. There must be a Cloudsdale Building Standards Agency, with written specifications for things like the structural strength and fire resistance of cloud material. And presumably, err, weatherproofing?

[Pineta]

5011108
Who, this one?
derpicdn.net/img/view/2015/4/25/882364.jpg
The wiki says she is called Sunshower. I feel a pony called Milky Way should have a more galactic cutie mark, but that’s just me.

[Pineta]

5011127
I can imagine a pegasus version of the Meteorology Glossary
5011139
That would explain why they need such an industry facility to produce them, but that theory might need a bit of refinement.
i.freegifmaker.me/1/5/4/9/9/1/15499173592728754.gif

[Pineta]

5011170
Me too. I done that.

Each of the squads of the four wings of the legion was assigned to sculpt a cloud figure to their own design. The legionaries spent a happy morning collecting cloud material and fashioning it into giant floating pony sculptures. Most created military pegasi models; but some opted for unicorns or earth ponies. Some clothed their statues in elaborate dress, others sought to portray the perfect athletic form of a pony nude. During a brief break they wandered around the camp inspecting the work of other teams, then flew back to refashion their own creations, aiming to outdo one another with innovative mane styling and mares' tails. By the middle of the morning a herd of individual cloud portraits was assembled in the air above the camp forum. Commander Hurricane stared up at the cloud frieze with a satisfied smile.

“Magnificent!” she exclaimed. “Let's release them into the wind.”

The winged ponies took to the air and gently kicked their statues into motion. Soon, a long line of thirty-two pony figures was drifting across the sky. The legion all assembled on the north-east side of the camp and watched their artwork float off across the valley, dancing in the breeze. Commander Hurricane saluted the aerial monument as it drifted away.

“Exegi monumentum aere perennius,” she said proudly.

[Pineta]

5011234

Is it safe to assume that all clouds in the Equestrian sky are controlled by pegasi?

Probably not, as it seems other dark forces like windigos and whatever was attacking the Crystal Empire in The Crystalling can also have a go.

Don’t give me any more ideas for atmospheric physics stories! I haven’t finished writing up the current batch.

[Booster Spice]

5011540

One.

Its Pinkie.

Two.

I was suggesting aerogels as a possible AU headcanon using unified behaviour of materials. Airborne water based aerogels, made rigid by high frequency vibrations of pegasi hairs, otherwise generally just resiliant and self healing to an extent. Land based aerogels of various matrices including interpenetrating and multicross linking making like pseudo carbon, silicone, sulphure and other chains and complex forms, making edible gems and liquid crystal lifeforms etc.?

[PresentPerfect]

5011536
crazy o.o

[Southpaw]

5011542 Good points! Now it makes total sense that windigos would come from the highest, coldest reaches of the sky. And they kind of look like cirrus clouds.

Don’t give me any more ideas for atmospheric physics stories! I haven’t finished writing up the current batch.

Oops! I knew those were dangerous links.

[Walabio]

I wonder what the pegasi think about the wild clouds of the EveryFree.

[Pineta]

5011687
Ask the Shaddowbolts I suppose. Maybe they have a different philosophy to weather management to Cloudsdale and prefer to just let nature take its course?

[Walabio]

5011881

One should contact the ShadowBolts through Princess Luna. Interestingly, in the LunaVerse, a counterfactual universe where Princess Celestia went insane and Princess Luna ruled Equestria for a thousand years, the WonderBolts do not exist as a branch of the military, but the ShadowBolts do.

[Admiral Biscuit]

5011535

That’s a thought. There must be a Cloudsdale Building Standards Agency, with written specifications for things like the structural strength and fire resistance of cloud material. And presumably, err, weatherproofing?

I would assume that there is. And if we want to go further down the rabbit hole, there are probably papers written about best practices, local ordinances, and so forth regarding cloud structures. Possibly different classifications for ‘livable structures’ and ‘cloudsheds’ and so forth, and of course places were there aren’t any specific ordinances, so any pegasus can knock together whatever she wants and use it for whatever purpose. There might also be rules regarding temporary cloud structures (cloud outposts and whatnot) vs. more permanent things.

And there could be further classifications in that, too: foundation clouds, wall clouds, etc.

I’ve always considered weather clouds and building clouds to be separate things, but there certainly could be some overlap. And from that, there could be laws, too: a pony isn’t allowed to use a weather cloud to build a structure, or weather clouds must remain free for a full day before they can be used as building clouds, etc.

Which potentially leads to a story about pegasi complaining about government overreach.

[Pineta]

5011567

Its Pinkie.

Explains this
freegifmaker.me/img/res/1/5/5/0/3/6/1550360174125229.gif?1550360183