Photo

This image was captured around sunset in early June 2007. After a day's exposure to the sun, the landmass was much warmer than the air in the atmosphere, allowing for the largest difference in temperature between the air and the ground. The soil's ability to hold heat and the paved roads contribute to the black body emitter which in turn serves as the buoyancy force required to displace the clouds overhead. What this picture illustrates is the atmosphere's stratified response to lateral heat from the ground and the restoring force of gravity from above. The path of such phenomena is overshadowed by the parcels in clouds which are set in motion by the wind. As the air parcels expand and rise, the wind continues to move the clouds laterally, resulting in the bird like shape. The structures of these clouds are well retained as a wind speed of 9 Km/h, and cooler atmosphere allowed for a slower but inevitable disperse time. Such transition steps have been captured by the clouds in this image.

Shahin Barbod
Toronto, Ontario
2nd Prize ( Open Category )