Noctilucent clouds are the rarest clouds in the world, but experts say in recent years they've made a better showing, and skywatchers in the Pacific Northwest have been treated to spectacular displays this summer.
"Greenhouse gases like CO2 cause warming at the surface, but they actually cause cooling in the upper atmosphere. Energy is released to space instead of being trapped, because the atmospheric density is so low," she said."Methane is the source of the water vapor in the clouds, so as human activities lead to more methane emissions, water vapor in the mesosphere increases.
"We’re speculating that the spike might be due to extra water vapor transported to higher latitudes from rocket launches," she said."But much more quantitative analysis would be required to confirm that or not."The season for noctilucent clouds in the Pacific Northwest is waning quickly but if you want to try to see the clouds, Randall said to get away from the city when skies are clear and look up about 30 to 90 minutes after sunset or before sunrise.
"They are unique in that you think it's night time, but then they can start to appear shining through the night," she said."They of course are not shining with their own light, but rather are reflecting the sunlight that's still hitting the upper atmosphere ... no other clouds that someone might see above the Pacific Northwest will appear to shine at night. And they're beautiful, with intricate patterns that are formed from atmospheric gravity waves.
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