A stunning photograph of Lago Argentino in Patagonia, captured by an astronaut on the International Space Station, has sparked curiosity among NASA scientists and researchers. The image shows a school of fish-shaped clouds hovering above the glacial lake's teal waters, surrounded by a barren brown landscape.
According to Maria Hakuba, a research scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the lens shape of the clouds resembles lenticular clouds, which form near or over mountains due to lee waves. The smooth edges of the cloud suggest that it is an ice cloud, relatively high up in the atmosphere.
Hazem Mahmoud, an atmospheric science lead at NASA's Langley Research Center, agrees that the clouds are likely lenticular and provides additional insight into their formation. MODIS data indicate cloud-top altitudes near 9,200 meters (30,000 feet) and temperatures around 220 Kelvin, consistent with the presence of ice crystals.
Strong surface-level winds in Patagonia may have swept across the glacial lakes of Los Glaciares National Park, producing lens-shaped clouds by forcing moist air over the Andes. Sublimation of glacial ice likely contributed to their formation by adding extra moisture into the air.
The elongated, trailing appearance of the clouds was caused by wind shear and turbulence, which stretched and organized them horizontally above the lake while shadows cast onto the landscape accentuated their forms.
While the image suggests lenticular clouds, Santiago Gassó, an atmospheric scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, notes that without analyzing more data, it's difficult to say definitively. The challenge with a single astronaut photograph or satellite image is that we largely see the cloud-top properties, making differentiation between thin lenticular layers and deep cumulonimbus columns challenging.
The phenomenon of clouds resembling "fish," "sugar," "gravel," and "flowers" has been identified by researchers analyzing decades of MODIS cloud observations. GLOBE Clouds, a citizen science project, allows students and the public to contribute to NASA research projects, including cloud identification with interactive tools like Clouds Wizard.
According to Maria Hakuba, a research scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the lens shape of the clouds resembles lenticular clouds, which form near or over mountains due to lee waves. The smooth edges of the cloud suggest that it is an ice cloud, relatively high up in the atmosphere.
Hazem Mahmoud, an atmospheric science lead at NASA's Langley Research Center, agrees that the clouds are likely lenticular and provides additional insight into their formation. MODIS data indicate cloud-top altitudes near 9,200 meters (30,000 feet) and temperatures around 220 Kelvin, consistent with the presence of ice crystals.
Strong surface-level winds in Patagonia may have swept across the glacial lakes of Los Glaciares National Park, producing lens-shaped clouds by forcing moist air over the Andes. Sublimation of glacial ice likely contributed to their formation by adding extra moisture into the air.
The elongated, trailing appearance of the clouds was caused by wind shear and turbulence, which stretched and organized them horizontally above the lake while shadows cast onto the landscape accentuated their forms.
While the image suggests lenticular clouds, Santiago Gassó, an atmospheric scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, notes that without analyzing more data, it's difficult to say definitively. The challenge with a single astronaut photograph or satellite image is that we largely see the cloud-top properties, making differentiation between thin lenticular layers and deep cumulonimbus columns challenging.
The phenomenon of clouds resembling "fish," "sugar," "gravel," and "flowers" has been identified by researchers analyzing decades of MODIS cloud observations. GLOBE Clouds, a citizen science project, allows students and the public to contribute to NASA research projects, including cloud identification with interactive tools like Clouds Wizard.
I mean, who wouldn't think those clouds look like fish? 
It's not like they're just floating around or anything. But seriously, can you imagine how cool it must be to see a school of cloud "fish" hovering above a lake from space? 
Like, the possibilities for atmospheric science research are endless... if you have access to NASA's fancy satellite equipment and whatnot. 
And I'm sure it's not like this is just some case of confirmation bias or anything when researchers keep finding shapes in clouds... 
Still, I guess it's pretty awesome that we can learn more about the atmosphere from up high! 
this pic is straight fire, but I'm kinda disappointed it's not as deep as the scientists are making it out to be 
. Like, yeah, lenticular clouds, ice crystals, and all that jazz... but what about the weird fish-cloud thingies? How do they fit into the bigger picture of Earth's atmosphere? And can we get a more detailed analysis than just a snapshot from space 
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! I mean, who wouldn't be curious about a school of cloud-looking fish hovering above a glacial lake? The science behind it is pretty wild too - those lenticular clouds are formed by wind shear and turbulence over the Andes. It's like Mother Nature created these cosmic 'fish' just for us to admire! 
, can u believe this pic from space? The fish clouds over Lago Argentino are literally insane! 
The average age of participants is 15 yrs old btw 
. Anywayz, I just wanna share some cool stats: lenticular clouds form near mountains & are high up in the atmosphere, around 30k feet! 
And it's not just these cloud formations - NASA's data shows there are over 100 different types of clouds! 
Does anyone know if this has happened before in other places? 
. The formation of lens-shaped clouds over a glacial lake like Lago Argentino is pretty much impossible unless there r huge winds over Patagonia and sublimation from the glacier ice adding extra moisture 2 the air... also note how shadows r stretching out those clouds horizontally - that's not just turbulence, thats wind shear!
it makes me wanna learn more about space & clouds & stuff
! Those clouds are literally so cool - it's like Mother Nature created a masterpiece up there! The fact that they're lenticular and ice clouds is so wild, I mean who wouldn't want to study something that rare & awesome? 
And btw, I love how NASA is making cloud research more accessible through GLOBE Clouds - it's amazing we get to contribute to their projects too 
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. I love that we can learn from something as simple as an astronaut pic on the ISS. The fact that we've got citizen scientists helping NASA with cloud identification is just awesome too 
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it's crazy how scientists are already analyzing this pic from space! they're saying it might be lenticular clouds, but I'm loving the "ice crystal" part – sounds so cool 
Maybe we can use that new Clouds Wizard tool to help figure it out? 
That's so cool that we have projects like GLOBE Clouds where ppl can contribute to NASA research too! 
. i mean, we got all this fancy tech and data, but sometimes you need a little old-fashioned human observation, right? 
. I love how scientists are using this opportunity to educate us about the power of clouds and their role in shaping our climate 
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Giving students and the public a chance to contribute to real NASA research is just incredible 