NASA captures rare 'ring-like' clouds near Florida coastline

Data on clouds resembling rings or perforated classic clouds has been documented since the 1940s. But it was only about 15 years ago that scientists were able to understand how they form, while a few years ago these formations were included in the World Meteorological Organization's cloud catalog under the name Cavum.

Such clouds were recorded near the western coast of Florida (photo: NASA Visible Earth)

How ring-lile clouds form

There is a natural process that leads to the formation of ring-like clouds, but most often they occur after human activity, namely aircraft activity.

These phenomena, called cavum, occur in mid-level clouds composed of supercooled droplets that do not turn into ice particles due to the lack of nuclei for crystallization.

When an aircraft penetrates such a cloud at a certain angle, it initiates the crystallization process, leading to a decrease in particle density and the formation of a visible hole.

View of clouds from below (photo: TikTok)

It was previously believed that aircraft create crystallization nuclei with their emissions, but new research has shown that the process can start without these particles due to powerful turbulent flows caused by the passage of the aircraft.

In some areas, due to a decrease in density, there is a sharp drop in temperature, and supercooled droplets freeze without small particles. In particular, the recently discovered cavum near the western coast of Florida is associated with intense air movement around Miami airport and favorable temperature conditions.

Such clouds appear with human help (photo: Х/Más Noticias Televisión)

Researchers do not rule out that from certain angles, these holes in the clouds may appear to be something unusual, such as traces of UFOs.