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Strange Clouds Mesmerize Japanese Airliner Crew watch!

liveleak.com — - These strange clouds were videotaped from the window of a Japanese airliner over the sea of Okhotsk last summer, they stretched over 100 Klm's. -

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  • mark076h, on 05/13/2008, -8/+63that is really strange
    • jasdf, on 05/13/2008, -9/+33I believe this may be caused by gravity waves on the leeward side of a mountain range.
      • Angostura, on 05/13/2008, -6/+32Not gravity waves, I think you mean standing waves, where the air traveling over mountains subsequently produces an oscillating stream. each 'crest' hits the dew point and creates clouds.

        If this were case, such clouds should be fairly common at this location.

        Anyone speak the language?
        • CeeAyy, on 05/13/2008, -2/+44Actually he is right, it is caused by gravity waves, also known as an Undular Bore.
          • cdahlkvist, on 05/13/2008, -1/+23Precisely. Not that uncommon either.

            Link for those of you that would like to know more:
            http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Undular_bore
          • elipabst, on 05/13/2008, -2/+2I've seen lots of undular bore waves, but I've never seen them literally sitting on the surface of water like a bank of fog before.
          • ats314, on 05/13/2008, -1/+45It never ceases to amaze me how quickly and accurately people find and give answers to these posts. Just a few years ago I probably would have lived the rest of my life thinking aliens were creating cloud patters to communicate. Somebody needs to harness the greater power of this process for more good.
          • koft, on 05/13/2008, -3/+1 nm
          • fcrow, on 05/13/2008, -2/+2Oooh why spoil the fun? THEY ARE CREATED BY ALIENS!!!
          • crazyjake, on 05/13/2008, -1/+3imagine if the article was titled "Strange unknown disease, incurable." we would have it identified and have a list of 5 cures by the thirteenth post!

            but, yes, as a meteorologist, i would have to agree with jasdf. these are confined lenticular clouds caused by undular bore. most of the time these are associated with light-moderate turbulence in cloud.
          • 8bitflu, on 05/13/2008, -3/+5This thread is a Bore.
        • gameforge, on 05/13/2008, -1/+9http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity_wave

          That page has a pic of them occurring over Wisconsin.
        • robbiemuffin, on 05/13/2008, -0/+6they are, however, not gravitational waves ... which is what you were thinking I bet :)
        • Angostura, on 05/16/2008, -0/+1Live and learn. My apologies to mark076h for my hasty and comprehensively incorrect reply.
      • wgdz, on 05/13/2008, -1/+4basically it is saying that in the 35 yrs the pilot(s) has been flying this is the first time the pilot(s) have seen such cloud formation.
      • RgbyTgr24, on 05/13/2008, -0/+5Like people have been saying they are undular bore clouds, but gravity has very very little to do with the stratification. The wikipedia article that everyone has been linking to gives a good explanation, the most important factor is the two different temperature systems colliding. The warm air is trapped underneath, while cooler air is on top. Since the warm air is trying to rise you have an inversion, and clouds form at the where they are meeting at different elevations. While this may be uncommon in Japan it is very common in Oregon's Willamette Valley and Missoula, Montana, and other areas with valleys that tend to trap heat (mexico city etc.). Whoever keeps writing gravity waves is ridiculous.
      • OwdenBowden, on 05/13/2008, -0/+8Gravity Waves my ass. It is clearly Mothra.
    • jim1977, on 05/13/2008, -5/+2They've been ploughed by mystical rays from Ursa Minor!
    • jasdf, on 05/13/2008, -1/+6See picture:
      http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/wrh/96TAs/TA9616/fig2.gif
    • archlich, on 05/13/2008, -0/+19Slightly rare, but not all that strange.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wave_cloud
      http://www.google.com/search?q=Undular+bore&ie=utf ...
      • franklymister, on 05/13/2008, -1/+4I believe you mean "slightly strange, but not all that rare."
        • Kyan, on 05/13/2008, -0/+4As in slightly rare but not all that strange would be "common and normal".

          I had to type that out to make sure i was getting it right. Did I get it right?
          • archlich, on 05/13/2008, -0/+2Yep =]

            Strange would be something not explained by physics.
      • KMartSheriff, on 05/13/2008, -2/+4http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Wave-06137.jpg

        I see them all the time in California.
        • kamikazecow, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1Dont know why your getting dugg down. They might not look as spectacular, but we get em all the time
    • AtomicTheory, on 05/13/2008, -3/+15Ummmm, could no one else hear the transformers in the background ? Obviously its a ploy for Megatron to get the cube.
    • rentmitchum, on 05/13/2008, -3/+5It's because all of Asia's clouds are rice supported by a large plate, and someone thought it'd be cool to play high frequencies under the plate and make patterns.
    • BoonTobias, on 05/13/2008, -1/+1it's obviously Broli
    • TheSuperunknown, on 05/13/2008, -2/+1I was distressed to see something like this in the top ten as a mystery, but relieved to see the commenters had the right explanation in the first thread. Well done guys.
    • BassCadet, on 05/13/2008, -2/+1WOW is the audio on that video irritating or what?

      Someone needs to learn how to use them computers.
    • yuutokun, on 05/13/2008, -1/+1Sign on the end times! Bury the children!
  • fishie, on 05/13/2008, -46/+5no comments?
    • etnuts, on 05/13/2008, -2/+10no comment is still a comment
      • RealmDown, on 05/13/2008, -4/+3"Excuse me Mr. Media Victim, but please indicate your position, or your disapproval by stating "no comment.""
        • shwerm601, on 05/13/2008, -4/+2wtf are you talking about he said no comments? meaning no ones commenting on it why do we always have to declare a side on issues?
          • RealmDown, on 05/13/2008, -3/+1Dude, you're growing moss. Quick! Roll with it!
  • orlyfactor, on 05/13/2008, -9/+94Someone's been seeding them thar clouds.
  • yuanzhoulu, on 05/13/2008, -33/+4i'm memorized
    • metamorfoza, on 05/13/2008, -2/+8..I see what you did there...

      wait... I actually forgot...
  • majinosity, on 05/13/2008, -7/+23Too perfect...
  • sule, on 05/13/2008, -37/+9is anyone surprised this was videotaped? it was probably photographed by all the passengers too...lol
  • CDoug03, on 05/13/2008, -18/+19Iceberg, right ahead!
    • Gravey9, on 05/13/2008, -5/+3It's an airplane...it flies in the sky...ok here take these pills and go back to bed......poor fella.
    • Litchfield, on 05/13/2008, -2/+2well the clouds kinda looked liked waves so +1 creativity to CDoug03
  • Gnappy, on 05/13/2008, -3/+76That's what happens when those wavy lines on the weather guy's map goes past the dew point and then comes back down right?
  • Markpdotcom, on 05/13/2008, -24/+20Nothing strange about it. Just cloud forms shaped by strong winds and currents.
    • Duositex, on 05/13/2008, -14/+9Agreed. Perhaps "interesting" would be a better way to describe them. Or maybe even something a little more subjective like, "Beautiful." But there's nothing strange about it.
      Look people, nature makes organized patterns constantly. Surprised to see clouds in a straight line but it doesn't surprise you that a cheetah has spots?
      • guabancex, on 05/13/2008, -2/+7Don't be so dismissive; because trust me, if you'd never heard of a cheetah and came across one, you'd be plenty surprised.
    • DonSlice, on 05/13/2008, -5/+26Something as dynamic as a cloud formed in a straight line is most definitely strange.
      • unreg, on 05/13/2008, -8/+12You don't get out much, do you?
      • exomni, on 05/13/2008, -0/+2http://www.panoramio.com/photos/original/1538325.j ...

        (Kvadehuksletta, patterns caused by Frost Heave, sorts stones by size into almost perfect circles.)
        • exomni, on 05/13/2008, -0/+1Patterns, and complex patterns, are not rare at all. Either on the scale of clouds and rocks, or on the scale of DNA. It's all natural, non-mysterious processes and you should never be surprised to see them in nature.
    • kiley481, on 05/13/2008, -0/+10I was taught to call them 'Lee Waves,' but I think most people call them 'Mountain' or 'Gravity' waves ... They typically occur on the leeward (opposite of windward, hence the name) side of mountainous terrain.

      http://satavirtual310.wordpress.com/2008/02/05/und ...
    • OfficialJoe, on 05/13/2008, -0/+2Maybe not strange, but definitely uncommon. I for one like mammatus the best.

      http://www.monkeytime.org/Site%20Images/mammatus.j ...
    • chrissku, on 05/13/2008, -0/+1I guarantee you that those pilots have seen this phenomena before. Mountain waves although rare, are seen occasionally by most pilots.
  • zohaibusman, on 05/13/2008, -11/+3very amazing
  • gdfields, on 05/13/2008, -5/+271My Japanese is a little rusty but I think I understood this to be a phenomenon that occurred not long after nuclear testing done in the vicinity of "Monster Island" (home to many indigenous species of lizards, turtles and moths.)
    • awtripp, on 05/13/2008, -3/+43lol... that's a gem even if you were serious.
    • MOJIRA, on 05/17/2008, -0/+63GOJIRA!!!
    • Bulk70, on 05/13/2008, -9/+9Seeing as no one else picked it up:

      Its not an island, its a peninsula.
      • gdfields, on 05/13/2008, -1/+9That's right! Thus the quotes around "Monster Island" - Good catch!
    • londubh, on 05/13/2008, -2/+8It's Mothra!
    • flashingcurser, on 05/13/2008, -0/+16I understand that the Honda industrial robotics lab is stationed there as well.
    • nitesoulja, on 05/14/2008, -1/+1it was a video, i was surprised.... usually its just a pic. Vids show a thousand images, images show a thousand words, so w/e that Japanese commentator said doesn't matter
    • drgkstep, on 05/14/2008, -1/+1I don't mean to get technical but monster island is actually a peninsula.
    • homesickalien, on 05/16/2008, -0/+1I laughed so hard reading that comment my sleeping cat beside me just fell off the couch.
  • CorneliusStump, on 05/13/2008, -8/+122WE DIDN'T LISTEN
  • kinneys, on 05/13/2008, -17/+6Wow, don't any coffee now, that was amazing. /sarcasm
    • Forsakenmantra, on 05/13/2008, -0/+5/sarcasm. No, your butchery of the English language was amazing.
    • NerdVicious, on 05/13/2008, -0/+1lol wut?
  • Sp0rAdiC, on 05/13/2008, -4/+10Is it a coincidence they look similar to sand dunes?
  • Totz83, on 05/13/2008, -2/+138According to the Sapporo Meteorological Observatory, these low-altitude stratocumulus clouds were rolled into long, distinctive ribbons after becoming trapped in air currents. While it is not uncommon for wind to form such patterns in stratocumulus clouds, photos that clearly show the clouds rolled into strips are rare, says the observatory.

    http://www.pinktentacle.com/2007/06/photo-strange- ...
    • SDawg, on 05/13/2008, -26/+5Way to copy and paste from the article you linked to. If you quote someone you should give credit to that person for the info you quote.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plagiarism
      • BrapAllgood, on 05/13/2008, -3/+18It's not plagiarism when you provide the source. Go have another cup of coffee.
      • BenKenobi88, on 05/13/2008, -0/+5This is the comments section of digg, not an essay.
    • mattysan, on 05/13/2008, -1/+11And according to Sapporo Brewing Company, I am totally drunk right now.
    • pat25fire, on 05/13/2008, -0/+5I was rather hesitant to click on that link when I saw it started with pinktentacle.
  • RSS14, on 05/13/2008, -10/+147Did anyone else ***** bricks when they thought the narrator was Megatron giving a signal to the Decepticons?
    • Drugx2, on 05/13/2008, -6/+1you just made my day, thankz for the laugh. lol
      thought her voice was ***** also
    • Kune171, on 05/13/2008, -0/+6Yes, as a matter of fact, I did ***** bricks when I first heard the voice.
    • HonestAbe, on 05/13/2008, -2/+5I ***** bricks *before* I saw the video. Maybe I should visit a doctor? :'(
      • TomJohn, on 05/13/2008, -0/+2Bricks or cinder blocks? Subtle but important distinction.
    • lobstermobster, on 05/13/2008, -0/+0I thought the clouds were aliens
  • Aikinai, on 05/13/2008, -2/+19According to the audio, they still aren't sure what caused it, but experts are looking at the video to try to figure it out. Also, apparently it's not normal at all. The pilot said he'd never seen anything like it in 35 years of flying.
    • nj10ii, on 05/13/2008, -7/+8Yes well, the pilot hasn't seen my ***** either has he. That doesn't mean it doesn't exist, and he would be in just as much awe...
      • shwerm601, on 05/13/2008, -0/+2does it always have to be related to *****/ass/balls and other topics?
        • SatansSpatula, on 05/13/2008, -0/+3I parsed it as "clock". I wondered what was so special about his alarm clock.
          I must have my G-rated filter turned on, or something...
      • DrainBamaged138, on 05/14/2008, -1/+1youre lame
  • geobay, on 05/13/2008, -1/+10I saw clouds just like that last year in upper Michigan. They formed and dissipated over about 30 minutes.
    • VeryBoredNow, on 05/13/2008, -0/+3I used to live in MI and I saw something similar to it.
    • khail250, on 05/13/2008, -1/+13No one lives in Michigan...
      • krekc, on 05/13/2008, -0/+10Last one to leave, turn out the lights.
      • Dwebtron, on 05/13/2008, -0/+5Michigan doesn't exist; like the Nazi's and Jewish people.
        • aaabatteries, on 05/13/2008, -0/+1and the Lochness Monster and North Dakota!
  • LJU1492, on 05/13/2008, -1/+63See "Undular Bore Clouds"

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Undular_bore
    • chaosratt, on 05/13/2008, -0/+6Exactly my first thought.
      A.K.A "Gravity Waves"
      There is a NASA time lapse footage of a similar event (including Doppler radar!) happening over Iowa a year or two ago. Google fails me at this moment and I cant seem to find the article.
      From the wiki article linked bt LJU1492:
      "Although the undular bore waves appear as bands of clouds across the sky, they are transverse waves (a.k.a. gravity waves), and are propelled by the transfer of energy from an oncoming storm. The ripple like appearance of this wave is described as the disturbance in the water when a pebble is dropped into a pond or when a moving boat creates waves in the surrounding water."
      From the video, looks like there were some heavy storms at a higher altitude. Not a meteorological expert here, but I'd bet those were gravity waves and not "trapped air currents"
      • LJU1492, on 05/13/2008, -0/+0The wiki has a link to a time lapse video show the bore clouds moving across the sky. It's super sweet :)
    • SickofSects, on 05/13/2008, -0/+1what a bore!
    • Yetisquatch, on 05/13/2008, -0/+2Something similar......
      http://www.greenhorsesociety.com/Clouds/sable_glor ...
    • enziobodoni, on 05/13/2008, -0/+1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelvin-Helmholtz_inst ... is the actual mechanism
  • wavesmachine, on 05/13/2008, -2/+11It's a bullseye!
  • yumlum, on 05/13/2008, -2/+1awesome
  • wdcdigg, on 05/13/2008, -9/+10Most likely to be Kelvin–Helmholtz instability - rolls formed by shear (difference in wind speed) within the atmosphere.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelvin%E2%80%93Helmho ...
    • Duositex, on 05/13/2008, -1/+1510:1 says you didn't know that before you read the Wikipedia article.
    • 4321234, on 05/13/2008, -0/+4More like sky worms. Big fluffy white sky worms.
    • Ibox, on 05/13/2008, -0/+1no, Not likely.
  • 10pins, on 05/13/2008, -7/+10My guess is they are gravity waves.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity_wave#Atmosphe ...
  • kiley481, on 05/13/2008, -2/+9I was taught to call them 'Lee Waves,' but I think most people call them 'Mountain' or 'Gravity' waves ... They typically occur on the leeward (opposite of windward, hence the name) side of mountainous terrain.

    http://satavirtual310.wordpress.com/2008/02/05/und ...
    • HelloNavi, on 05/13/2008, -0/+2Way to take the magic out of it, guy.
    • RadiatedAnt, on 05/13/2008, -0/+1good job! I'd rather know the truth than your smoke and mirrors.
  • Sillywombat, on 05/13/2008, -1/+43In Japan, even the clouds are tidy and clean!
    • brdude, on 05/13/2008, -3/+1Dude they sell dirty underwear out of vending machines.
  • troon, on 05/13/2008, -1/+6100 Kilo-lumens?!
    • Mark7r0n, on 05/13/2008, -0/+1Seriously, I know we don't use the metric system, but wtf km should be an easy one.
  • HelloNavi, on 05/13/2008, -0/+6The only other time I've seen something like that in japan, giant monsters attacked.
  • ttam, on 05/13/2008, -0/+14I'm more perplexed as to why Homestar Runner is in the lower left corner.
  • mictlanian, on 05/13/2008, -5/+29chemtrails!
    • AbsurdParadox, on 05/13/2008, -4/+6I love the whole chemtrails theory because its the closest theory to the sky literally falling.
      • vuke69, on 05/13/2008, -3/+6I love it, because it lets you easily distinguish your average person that is taken for an occasional conspiracy theory; from the ***** insane nut job that believes every BS conspiracy that comes their way.
    • ahuxley, on 05/13/2008, -2/+3The first rule of chemtrails is, you do not talk about chemtrails :-)
      • tbpsparow, on 05/13/2008, -1/+1the second rule of chemtrails is, YOU DO NOT TALK ABOUT CHEMTRAILS!!!!
    • rekrapt, on 05/13/2008, -0/+4chemtrails on steroids.
    • JMScheib, on 05/13/2008, -1/+1Aww. ***** A. Beaten.
      uh...uh...Reptilians!
  • graemee, on 05/13/2008, -0/+5Very ZEN
  • vroom101, on 05/13/2008, -0/+10Look at this cloud pattern over the Sahara Desert in Mali...
    Large size: http://chamorrobible.org/images/photos/gpw-2006102 ...
    Medium size: http://chamorrobible.org/images/photos/gpw-2006102 ...
    via photo 29 at http://chamorrobible.org/gpw/gpw-20061021.htm
    • jboettcher, on 05/13/2008, -0/+1Now that is a very cool picture...
    • 032483, on 05/13/2008, -0/+1Wow, what a stunning picture. While driving from Port Said to Cairo a horde of red ants bit the ***** out of my legs when I got out of the car to take a piss, and through all that I still thought it was gorgeous out there. This picture makes me like that hot ass place even more.
    • nj10ii, on 05/13/2008, -0/+2That first one is something I'd expect to see in Dubai. As a matter of fact they wish to purchase and build such clouds and build an entire addition to the city upon them.
  • clayasaurus, on 05/13/2008, -9/+4chemtrailicious

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCpEcHya7Jk&feature ...
  • daeus, on 05/13/2008, -4/+9rickrolls?
  • sonofabeast, on 05/13/2008, -2/+16HAARP
  • MEchanicalART, on 05/13/2008, -2/+3The earth magnetic field is involved ....
    • lintmonkey, on 05/13/2008, -0/+2I think water vapor is involved, too.
  • vanguardanon, on 05/13/2008, -7/+8Oh great, now Asians have the coolest clouds too?

    :-)
  • jdryyz, on 05/13/2008, -0/+2RODAN!!!!!!
  • kenzo240, on 05/13/2008, -4/+1I believe this video was shot by the Japanese government.
    • Ibox, on 05/13/2008, -0/+1I believe this video was shot by the airline pilots.
  • idcamron, on 05/13/2008, -1/+2These look too short a wavelength for atmospheric gravity/Lee waves. Lee waves typically have a wavelength in the order of 2-10 km, whereas these have a wavelength on the order of hundreds of meters, possibly up to a km. Its difficult to be sure though given the absence of points of reference.

    Cloud streets formed from thermal instability would be my guess, possibly related to boundary layer roll vortices which can have wavelengths in the region of 1km.
  • OC73, on 05/13/2008, -9/+11What the camera didn't show was that it was 4:20 in Japan.
  • BluFox, on 05/13/2008, -1/+9It's Mother Nature's RSS feed.
  • smossner, on 05/13/2008, -1/+2Those are obviously the result of the Japanese Government's attempt at cloud seeding.
  • musntSurfatWork, on 05/13/2008, -1/+28Every cloud has a silver lining.
    ..and some have sausage casings.
  • stronglikedan, on 05/13/2008, -0/+19I was half expecting it to turn into an AT&T commercial.
  • MorphicMusic, on 05/13/2008, -0/+5Need to break em up with Wilhelm Reich's cloud busters.
  • v1c1ous, on 05/13/2008, -0/+15japan, lead exporter of the world's weirdest ***** since 1973
  • trp5023, on 05/13/2008, -0/+7http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXnkzeCU3bE < Video of a similar phenomena over Iowa
  • mogebier, on 05/13/2008, -3/+14I welcome our new Alien Cloud Overlords!
    • Kyan, on 05/13/2008, -1/+3You would, wouldn't you?
      • mogebier, on 05/14/2008, -1/+1Yep.
        That way I won't be one of the 1st that are smothered and eaten. Like you. Sucker.
  • itcoll, on 05/13/2008, -9/+3thats because the magnetic field is interacting with the particles in clouds and polarization evaporation perspiration leading to sublimation and inturn produces dipole and causes diffraction due to reflection ----HOPE EVERYONE GOT THAT !!!!

    I HAD TAKE OUT ALL MY BRAINS TO FIND THIS ANSWER . hope u understood .
    • myststrngr, on 05/13/2008, -0/+1Polarization evaporation perspiration? You're retarded.
  • mathegax, on 05/13/2008, -2/+1GLOBAL WARMING!


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