Weather and skyscapes

From an old 1966 slide and from a set moved from the 'other' site. We were knocked over by those clouds behind the meteorological office. They are Nacreous Clouds, also known as "Mother of Pearl" clouds because of their colours or, more currently, as "Polar Stratospheric Clouds". They are made of ice crystals (which give their colour) and are about 20,000 metres high with temperatures dropping to about -80 C. They had always been considered quite rare and I believe our sighting was one of the first confirmed in Antarctica: there have been numerous sightings since.. Ozone depletion caused by chlorofluorocarbon gases has caused the polar stratosphere to become colder in spring (ozone keeps it warmer, so less ozone ie "the ozone hole" means lower temperatures) - yes, this is relevant to climate change. View on black. And HFF!

Looking past the radio shack (yellow) and meteorology office area, with some of the many aerial masts. In those days Macquarie was not a Tasmanian National Park, so that's smoke from burning rubbish in the distance. No fires allowed now! The weather here is more typical than in most of my photos.

Just to show that I have been known to rise early enough for a sunrise shot. :)

Taken while heading into Victoria, looking at a departing line of heavy rain showers. Alongside the road, a fairly typical rural fence. HFF!

After several months of very dry weather, we finally had over 180mm (about 6.5 inches) of welcome rain over three days. This night image, by streetlighting, gives some idea - it is in colour, try it on black. Utterly unrelated, but sounding very similar to the image title is the name of this piece (giving me an excuse to add a music link :)) www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yQyjcpnx3g Explored.

Better on black? Explored.

As seen here, the Southern Ocean can be quite calm. The sunset and albatross are a bonus. Best on black.

Some months ago, I posted images from a trip to Antarctica - but did not post the return voyage at that stage. Time to remedy that: so here begins the trip northward across the Southern Ocean, with a last view of icebergs and a howling gale kicking up lumpy seas. Explored.

The Southern Ocean is usually too cloudy for rainbows. Just briefly the sun broke through and I watched a circling Royal Albatross, hoping that it would pass through the rainbow. Eventually it did, though away from me (see note). Then, to my delight, it turned back. Explored.