Resembling an exquisite impressionist painting, the rare mother of pearl clouds have been observed across Britain.
Photographers in Teesside, Yorkshire, and Kent captured these formations formed by tiny light-scattering ice particles, usually found over polar regions like Norway when the sun is near the horizon. Enthusiastic viewers have shared their experiences on social media.
Rainbow Clouds Over the UK
"Rainbow clouds" illuminated the skies across northeast England on December 21, casting pink and orange hues from Teesside to Northumberland.
These nacreous clouds, also known as mother of pearl clouds, are rare, high-altitude formations observed in extremely cold conditions. While typically seen in Antarctica, this week, fortunate skygazers across the UK marveled at these dazzling clouds.
Social media, including X (formerly Twitter), buzzed with posts and images capturing the breathtaking phenomenon. Residents in the North East shared photos of the "beautiful psychedelic sky" over Teesside and videos of the nacreous clouds in Yorkshire.
The rare spectacle even reached as far south as Kent, with viewers in Southend-on-Sea and Kent expressing awe at the unusual optical occurrence.
The Met Office explained that nacreous clouds form in the lower stratosphere, usually over polar regions when the Sun is just below the horizon. Illuminated from below, these clouds exhibit vivid colors, providing a rare and spectacular natural display for viewers across the UK.
Nacreous Clouds Contribute to Breakdown in Ozone Layer
Nacreous clouds, a marvel of nature, take shape in the polar regions during winter, specifically at lofty altitudes within the stratosphere, around 70,000 feet (21,300 meters) above ground in the ozone layer. Their formation hinges on stratospheric temperatures plummeting below -78°C, causing airborne moisture to crystallize into super-cooled liquid or ice crystals.
In the stratosphere, where clouds typically don't form due to their arid nature, nacreous clouds defy the norm. Comprising ice crystals, supercooled water, and nitric acid, they exhibit shimmering hues when sunlight diffracts through the tiny ice crystals, illuminating winter skies.
Despite their ethereal beauty, these clouds contribute to ozone layer depletion, a vital shield against the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays. The ice crystals in nacreous clouds initiate a chemical reaction between the ozone layer and gases like bromine and chlorine.
Just one chlorine atom in the stratosphere, as per the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), can annihilate over 100,000 ozone molecules. Without nacreous clouds, these detrimental reactions would be minimal.
The presence of harmful gases in the stratosphere, a consequence of human use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in appliances like refrigerators and aerosol cans, remains a persistent issue despite the phase-out initiated by the 1987 Montreal Protocol. The longevity of CFC effects in the atmosphere could extend for up to another century.
Given that nacreous clouds emerge when stratospheric temperatures dip below -78°C, they are more prevalent in the southern hemisphere, where these temperatures occur more frequently in the Antarctic than in the Arctic. Consequently, the ozone layer experiences more pronounced depletion over the South Pole compared to the North Pole.
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