Stratus cloud Stratus cloud Stratus clouds are low-level clouds characterized by horizontal layering with a uniform base, as opposed to convective or cumuliform clouds that are formed by rising thermals. More specifically, the term "stratus" is used to describe flat, hazy, featureless clouds of low altitude varying in color from dark gray to nearly white. The word "stratus" comes from the Latin prefix "strato-", meaning "layer". Stratus clouds may produce a light drizzle or a small amount of snow. These clouds are essentially above-ground fog formed either through the lifting of morning fog or through cold air moving at low altitudes over
Remote sensing atmospheric boundary layer of buoyantly driven convection that can provide the planetary boundary layer with cumulus clouds at the top of the boundary layer. MCC generally occurs over ocean regions and is primarily found off the coasts of major continents particularly in North and South America. MCC is a form of the Bénard cell where the fluid will rise or fall in hexagonal cells creating hexagonal cloud structure. The capping inversion of the planetary boundary layer acts as a lid for the convection creating a horizontal plane for the hexagonal cloud structures. Satellite observations have been imperative for understanding the horizontal scale and