USA TODAY International Edition
Revamped atlas to give clouds their day in the sun
Rand- McNally covers roads, Gray’s takes care of anatomy, and Webster’s deals with the written word, but who keeps track of all the clouds?
That responsibility falls to the International Cloud Atlas. For more than a century, the book has served as the world’s official bible of those masses of water particles that form all sorts of shapes — everything from the puffy cumulus to the dark and ominous cumulonimbus.
Now, the ancient atlas is getting a serious makeover for the 21st century with its first edition since the 1970s and 1980s.
“It hasn’t been updated since the world became digital,” said Steve Cohn, a meteorologist who’s helping put together the new version. “We want to bring it into the modern age and make it more accessible to everyone.”
The roots of the creaky book date to the 19th century, when the first one containing 28 color pictures was published in 1896.
The most recent full text edition came out in 1975, with a companion book of images in 1987.
Weather observers worldwide have used the atlas to ensure clouds are described in a uniform fashion, according to Weather Underground meteorologist Robert Henson.
Up until a year ago, the book was available only on printed volumes through the World Meteorological Organization ( WMO), which is in charge of naming and cataloging clouds. The most recent edition can now be downloaded as a PDF, Cohn said.
The new version, which is being worked on by a team of professional meteorologists who are experts on observing clouds, is scheduled for release next year.
What’s also different this time around is that the WMO is asking for photos and videos of clouds from the public for possible inclusion in the new volume.
“The more the merrier” said Roger Atkinson, a science officer at the WMO who is also working on the atlas.
Your best shot at getting your image included in the atlas is to submit photos of rare clouds.
Atkinson said the new atlas is scheduled for release online on March 23, 2017. That date happens to be World Meteorological Day, whose theme for 2017 is “Understanding Clouds.”