Cumulus Clouds (Cu)

BLTop18.jpg to BLTop25.jpg: The boundary layer of the atmosphere can be noticed here due to the hazy aerosol layer which marks an inversion. At the top of the boundary layer already smaller clouds are formed. Strong winds occur near the ground on this day. So already on the way to the airport it could be observed how desert dust was dispersed from the arid environment. Therefore the aerosol in the boundary layer consists mainly of mineral dust particles. According to the images taken from the airplane it seems as if the particle concentration was largest directly below the inversion.

Nevertheless it can be only assumed that the clouds were generated by means of the mineral dust. At the given humidity and temperature conditions and the weak ground winds they likely would have been formed also with the "usual" boundary layer aerosol. However in the view of the strong haze the desert aerosol most probably was involved in the cloud formation.

S. Borrmann, flight from Tel Aviv (Israel) to Frankfurt (Germany), 2 June 2005, 3:55 to 3:58 p.m. local time