Cirrus Homogenitus

Posted on 2017-12-12 by arjaybe

Credit Craig Sunter – CC-BY

Cloud of the Day – Cirrus Homogenitus

In the past, meteorologists refused to include human-made phenomena in their classifications of cloud types. Yes, they said, the steam and smoke coming out of our smokestacks can appear like clouds or fog, but they’re not really. While weather observers might observe reduced visibility and even attribute it in part to our activities, there was no place for them on the reporting forms. If they were going to mention smog or condensation trails, it would be in the comments only. In the case of condensation trails, they became abbreviated in common language as “contrails.” On the reporting forms they appeared in the comments section as “COTRA.”

Credit Acabashi – CC-BY-SA

Now, with the updating this year of the International Cloud Atlas, hosted by the World Meteorological Organization, as reported on the Green Comet blog, a number of new cloud types have been included. I’ve already reported on asperitas, volutus and flumen, which are natural cloud types that have been included in this edition of the Atlas. Today I present another inclusion, this time a cloud type that results from human activity: cirrus homogenitus. Literally, cirrus made by humans. Condensation trails can now come out of the comments and take their rightful place in the form proper.

Credit Adam Jones Ph.D – CC-BY-SA

Cirrus homogenitus is the new name for contrails that have persisted for at least ten minutes. It comes in the one type only, with no sub-types or varieties. That’s because contrails are usually quite ephemeral and either disappear or change rapidly.

Credit Blue Stahli Luan – CC-BY

Cirrus homogenitus are like other cirrus clouds in that they don’t result in any precipitation or other weather. Unlike cirrus, they can’t even be credited with foretelling the approach of a weather system. They’re just the result of an airplane flying in the stratosphere, portending nothing more than its arrival, hopefully at its destination.

rjb

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The Plainsrunner

Posted on 2017-12-04 by arjaybe

Credit: finetooth- CC-BY-SA

The writing is continuing to go well. I got two chapters done last week and I made a good start on chapter four today. Sometimes when I think about a story I wonder how there could ever be enough to put in between the beginning and the end to make a whole book. Then as I write, ideas pop up about where this is going to lead the character and what she’s going to have to do to get there, and I wonder if I’m going to be able to keep it down to a reasonable size. I’ve learned to not worry about having enough to write about. Once I put my characters in motion, it’s more a matter of keeping them from taking the story away from me. I keep reminding myself that I’ve alloted only 80,000 words for this one, so discipline is the key. For myself and for my adventurous characters.

So far, though, I haven’t tripped over the idea for the next novel. No worries. That doesn’t usually happen until about halfway through the current one.

rjb

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Back to Writing at Last

Posted on 2017-11-27 by arjaybe

Peter Claesz – Public Domain – Metropolitan Museum – tap for large original

I’ve finally begun writing the next book. Working title: The Plainsrunner. I’ve finished the first chapter and chapter two is underway today. It feels good to be back writing after a couple of months of taking care of other chores. I had to publish The Francesians and record the audiobook. Then I had to take some time off. Meanwhile, the story was steeping in my brain and that seems to have made it practically ready-to-write.

I don’t know what picture to put with this post. I don’t have a cover, or even much in the way of cover ideas, so I can’t use that. I can’t think of anything in the story that could be represented by photos or other pictures available to me. I can’t just take the cover image I’ve been using for the Green Comet trilogy and give it a different color, as I did for those three books. The trilogy is over and this is a different story. Maybe I’ll just throw something up there and think about engaging an artist to create a cover for this book.

So, what to throw up there …

Anyway, I’ve decided to try to write a shorter book this time. The last three were all well over 100,000 words — Green Comet was 134,000 — and I’d like to offer readers something a little less daunting in this one. I’ve set myself a tentative limit of 80,000 words. Still fairly substantial, but a lot smaller than I’m used to. We’ll see how I do within these new constraints. I’ve also set myself a new daily goal for words written. The last one was a little higher than the previous two, and this one is higher again. We’ll see how it affects the quality of my output. I’m accustomed to doing a lot of editing before I do any writing, so with more writing each day I might end up having to do more editing afterwards. If it works out, I might be able to raise it again for the next book.

The Sun is shining here today after a long spell of wet, cloudy weather. I put out the birdfeeder yesterday and the chikadees are enjoying it today. And my fountain pens are smiling at me again, after being lonely for so long.

rjb

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