ESSENTIAL QUESTION:

How can everyday

people 1elp scientists

make new discoveries

about the rafural world?

few years ago, a cloud that appeared over Cedar Rapids, Iowa, made inter­

national news. It looked nothing like the fluffy or wispy clouds people

were used to seeing. Instead, it

looked and moved like rough, roiling waves on a

stormy sea. Members of the Cloud Appreciation

Society, a group of ordinary ciHzens who are

also cloud enthusiasts, had seen the strange

cloud before in photos that people had sent to them over the years. The group believed there

was enough evidence to warrant the recognition

of a brand-new cloud classification. Thanks to camera phones and the internet,

everyday people have been increasingly sharing

the most unusual and breathtaking clouds they

spot-and helping meteorologists categorize

brand-new ones in the process. Steve Cohn, a

re.cently retired meteorologist from the National

Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado,

says this type of public enthusiasm helped the

World Meteorological Organization decide that

it was time to update its Intemat-ional Cloud

Atlas. The 121-year-old atlas se1ves as a global

reference for identifying clouds.

"The atlas is really important to meteorolo­gists," says Cohn. "Keeping an eye on the clouds

can give us clues about cycles in weather

patterns. This helps with forecasts for the coming weeks and seasons. It also helps us understand Emth systems."

This yem·, Cohn led the international

committee that gave the atlas its first update in 30 years. It identified 12 new cloud classifica­

tions, including the wavelike one the Cloud Appreciation Society fought for, which was given the name asperitas.

Continued on page 16 ➔

~OVEMBER 2c( 20171/, VISIT scHOLASTIC.COM/SCIENCEWORLD TO: 0 Watch a video © Download skills sheets CD View leveled text ~f; ~ ,()/4 / / / / / / / //////(((((((((((/((/////////((((({(((,,(,(,{((((((((///// / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / ////// / /// / ,· /

COMMON CLOUDS . Clouds are classified into 10 main gen uses. Each of those groups is categorized by its I t· In the atmo h

1 1 . . . oca 10n sp ere- ow a trtude, mrd altitude, or high altitude-and its general appearance.

Cirrocumulus

" Cirrostratus

, I Altostratus

~

1 cumulus "'.--

cumulonimbus - ~ --- . ___.._,Jliil~t--..--...-- , . . -9: - tratocumulus Strat~ i#fll"

Fl.L'CTUS Fluctus cl~uds have what look like curling waves, usually ,0 !ong their top

surfaces. ,> 2se formations are causec by layers of .. ' . .. . ":,

the atmosp:.ere moving 3: 1/ : ·. ~i~ .. . ,. differ,~ .. speeds. .~ .-,,¥,,1•

t:• -~ ~ '} ... ~~

,,·::iJ~t➔.~_.'.·-~-[.'~lslt'i":l, _.:::- ~-· --:: ... -.; __ ~, 1 ,,.... _ ... . . .......,_

VOLUTUS Volutus, or roll, clouds look like a sideways

tornado. They typically form during

stormy weather in areas where hot and

cool air mix.

//////41~/ NOVEMBER 20, 2017 f1////// //'////////////,,,

v-CLOUDS l 01

FASCINATING FORMATIONS

Take a look at four of the

new cloud classifications

recently added to the

International Cloud Atlas.

Clouds form when

heat from the sun causes water on Earth to evaporate, or turn from a liquid into a gas. As the water vapor rises into the

atmosphere or is carried by wind, the gas cools

and condenses back into a liquid. Tiny water droplets form on

airborne particles like dust. Billions of these droplets, and sometimes ice

crystals, gradually come together ;_i>~I•

/ftL:- :,. -~'. :.:-:; i , .;,: / :

'.": ;,.. , . .,:·,,

( ·, . ·:. ,: ffl :}

rt<..Y 1rfus··

enitus ' re c·aused

to form a visible mass .in the

sky-a cloud. No two clouds are exactly

alike. The heights and · temperatures at which clouds form affect how they look. In

: of~uman activity. ·: .. '-l.\iOne ·example is

England in the early 1800s, an amateur meteorologist named Luke Howard developed a system for classifying the many types of clouds. Howard's - -~66n~ ensation trails

._,.~tt),y aircrafts. nomenclature--or classification

system-works in a way similar to

CAVUM Cavum clouds

have a round hole within them. The hole forms where water in the cloud has evaporated.

~ ..... = J ~

• ""'

how Latin scientific names are given to plants and animals. Each cloud is named according to a genus-a broad group of related things-that is based on the cloud's altitude and general appearance. There are 10 of these groups. You may already know some of their names, such as wispy· cirrus, fluffy cumulus, blanketing stratus, and thunderous cumulo­nimbus clouds (see Common Clouds, p.15).

Each genus is further divided into several species-smaller groups with similar traits. Clouds' shapes or internal structures define their species. Species are broken down by variety based on their transparency or arrange-ment in the sky.

"The species and varieties really describe the character of the cloud," says Cohn. Talce, for exan1ple, the species and variety altocumulus castellanus: "It has turrets like a castle," says Cohn. There's also altocumulus lenticularis, which forms downwind of mountains. "When the wind flows over mountain ranges, air gets lifted," says Cohn. "Then, as it continues

downwind of the mountain, the air bobs up and down as a wave. In the right conditions,

ese rn,1mn~atocu · clour.!:'3 nre name

8 cr::vJ's mam (;l ;:u~ds, or ud

a lens-shaped cloud forms at the crest of each wave. Lenticular clouds are very cool."

NEW ADDITIONS The cloud atlas updates include a brand-new

! species of cloud called volutus ( see Fascinating \ Formations, left). It's a long, tube-shaped cloud

! that appears to roll across the sky. "It's very

~ rare to name a new cloud species," says Cohn.

i 'But people realized that the cloud they were I seeing didn't really fit the classification they had

rt always used." I The changes also include several new

a cloud created by a forest fire or volcanic activity. Human-made cloud features­homogenitus-are recognized too. "A prime example is aircraft condensation trails, or contrails," Cohn says. As

winds cause contrails to spread, they become lmown as homomutatus.

WEATHER FORECAST When making weather predictions, today's

meteorologists rely on observations from high­tech equipment like radar and computer models. But they can still learn by simply looking up.

"Clouds do a lot besides floating there in the sky," says Brian Jackson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Washington, D.C. "We can learn a lot from their shapes, types, and movements. Bubbly, cotton-ball­shaped clouds tell us that the atmosphere is

; features which better describe cloud varieties. !I ' (L tin unstable. Low, gray, flat clouds tell us that there ~ Along with asperitas there's also fluctus a ~ ' urf • is a large-scale rising motion in the atmosphere,

c) ; c) ;

·L

i for wave, or billow), which looks like a _s er s t ) and there is most likely a front nearby. High, i. Wave on top of a cloud. Cavum (for cavity ~ h d thin, and feathery clouds signify the early ~ j lllarks a hole that looks like it's been punc e th f CORE i approach of a storm system or at an area o

I into a thin cloud. Murus, cauda, and flumen 'th strong upper-level winds is nearby." QUESTION (forwa11 tail and flowing) are associated Wl Plus, looking at clouds is fun. And it doesn't A~----rd···: ····t······

' ' d . dicate co ing o ' stormy cumulonimbus clouds an m take an expert to find something special. the text, "No t 8ev two clouds are i ere weather conditions. . "People from all over the world helped us exactly alike."

I . . to the atlas 1s

Another important addition . al create the new atlas by sending in their cloud Do you agree? 11.. ds eated by speci , C hn "W d th b t Cite evidence i "'le recognition of clou er tagenitus- pictures,' says o . e use e es from the text

z conditions. Examples are catarac d examples to illustrate each cloud and feature. to support

i caused by th pray from a waterfall~an fr Everyone can participate and make a difference your answer. t SUvagenit efrs m the misty evaporation )~m in observing nature." ~ -Rene Ebersole ~

t us- 0 • (for flame 18 '

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NAME: Science World

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CLOUD SPOTTING PAGE 14

DIRECTIONS: Match each item in the left column with its definition in the right column.

1. cloud

2. meteorologist

3. evaporate

4.condense

5. nomenclature

6.genus

7. species

8. cumulus

9. cirrus

10. homogenitus

a. scientist who studies weather and the atmosphere

b. system for classifying and naming things

c. broad group of clouds grouped together based on their altitude and

appearance

d. genus of clouds that are characterized by a fluffy shape

e. smaller group of clouds grouped together based on simi\ar traits

f. cloud genus that is characterized by a wispy appearance

g. cloud type that is caused by human activity

h. mass of water droplets and ice crystals in the atmosphere

i. turn from a liquid into a gas

j. turn from a gas into a liquid

---------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------·····-- - ---- ----

b-:--:-r~-= -·

...

I

I

L =- ~ ( ,_. . .

. ---_.:,-_:·.. . . ·. ; . . ; . --. - J 7THOUT . ·. ·. ·.. -

"'~ . ,~~~ . .

.

. .

Life is full of challenges for animals born iacking hue

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: Why is coloring important to

an animal's survival in the wild?

his past spring, the Borneo Orangutan

Swvival Foundation mounted a,

special rescue mission. The founda­

tion's conservationists saved a young

orangutan being kept in a cramped

cage in a village on the Southeast Asian island

of Borneo. Orangutans are endangered, so the

group aims to prote¢t as many as they can. But

this one was even more special than usual. That's

because instead of having an .orangutan's typical

reddish fur, she was completely white. The ape's

rescuers named her Alba, Latin for "white." She's

the only known albirw orangutan in the world.

Albinism is an inherited condition in which

the body can't properly produce colored

chemical compounds called pigmenf,S. As a

result, the skin, hair, fur, feathers, or scales of

albino animals are mostly colorless. Without

their typical coloration, these animals don't

usually fare well in the wild.

A RARE TRAIT Albinism has been documented in a~

t 300 animal species in North Amenca leas . d and in a wide range of species aroun

worldwide have albinism, though certain

populations have higher or lower rates.

Part of the reason for albinism's rarity has

to do with the genetics of this trait. Units of

hereditary material, called genes, control the

production of pi~ents. Pigment genes have

different versions, called alleles. People and

most animals inherit one allele from each parent.

Alleles associated with albinism are recessive,

which means that an organism will show the

trait only if it inherits two albinism alleles.

Many people-about 1 in 70-and many

animals carry one allele for albinism and one for

Continued on the ne:.t·t page ➔

gl b But it tends to be rare-only the o e. . . 'd als

f any thousands of mdiVI u one outo m . . .

thiS +--.iiit AlblillSm occurs m · ht have wc.w •

nug ll About one in 20,000 people

MEET ALBA: This albino orangutan will be kept

safe on a spe_~ial reserve.

people as we • _

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Pt .~r F·t.~f~~C

2

3

albi rn:, :::. ( __ tu,11~

4

albino lemur

5

alb ino rat snake

typical

pigmenta­

tion. These

individuals

are carriers for

tJ1e trait. Because

albinism is recessive,

there is nothing unusual

A ,uut 1JwiJ' looks. But t'No

. p i :1 :-l· it l· '.! tt' , :tffil:'rs can Ju1\'e offsp1ing with

; J;_q , \( • ,1 1! 1 :', r 1 1,1,..:,,i ,,y 0 11 G t' l/ l'S, right).

~:vll1t · ,_ . . id,·1t, ·t· ::- uggests that animals born

"itlt a.l t.1i 11 1:;111 du11 ·1 far e well in the wild. One

t l· , L":>011 i ::, tkll a s t .. u·k-whit.e animal stands out

i ll its nat urnJ habitm, w1like an oniinary-colored

cornpaniou that bleuds in with its surround­

ings. That makes it em,y for predators t.o spot

and catch an albino animal. 8ome studies, for

example, haYe fotmd that owls are more likely to

pounce on albino mice than brown ones. //: ./ / , ,,

,:/};~::f/ / %; Lack of color brings other problems too.

~~¾~ Albino birds often have trouble finding a

W;r~ 16~JANUARY 15, 2018 '////////////

mate and are

sometimes

even attacked by

members of their

own flock. The birds

may not recognize an

individual lacking the usual

markings as the same species.

The sun is another potential

danger for albino animals. The pigment

melanin-which creates tan, brown, or black

coloration in many animals-can be important

for protection from _the sun's damaging ultra­

violet (UV) rays. In people, exposure to the sun

signals the body to pump up production of this

pigment. That causes skin to tan, which prO\ides

some defense against bums. Animals and

people with albinism, though, don't produce chis

pigment. That makes them especially stlSl't'~' □ ble

to sunburns and possibly deadly skin c,rnCt'!~ .

Albino crococWes, snakes, and lizards 1·'.tL·(·

special difficulties. Reptiles are cou.i-blooti ·./-­

they rely on external heat to regulate tht' i, bL•-1y

temperatures and often bask in the sun w \\ :0.·rn

themselves up. Albino reptiles can't keep ,, :tn ll

the typical way without the 1isk of sunburn. They

tend to do better in captivity, where cm·t'ti.d, t' t-S

('an provide artifidal heat sow·ces like speci:tl

heah~d stones to keep them wann.

THE EYES HAVE IT Just because an animal's coloring is pale

doesn't mean it has inherited albinism. "There

are many naturally white animals, such as polar

beal'S, that aren't albinos," says Murray Brilliant

a geneticist at the Marshfield Clinic Research '

Institute in Wisconsin. One big clue that an

animal isn't albino is dark-colored eyes. True

albino animals don't produce dark eye pigments.

An ongoing study of squirrels across the

U.S. is showing how the occurrence of white

fur compares ·with that of true albinism. Of the

squirrels reported to have white fur, the survey

found that about 80 percent have dark eyes.

Only about 20 percent have red or pink eyes

that show they're truly albino. · "That pink color

comes from blood vessels in the back of the

eye," says Brilliant. The same is true for albino

rabbits and mice.

Other species with albinism, including people

and orangutans like Alba, don't have pink eyes­

although camera flashes can sometimes make it

look that way in photos. Since humans and other

1

primates have more

types of eye pigments than other animals,

individuals with albinism tend to have eyes ·

that appear very light blue.

Eye pigments and the molecules involved in

making pigments are important for healthy eye

development. Without them, animals with albi­

nism can have serious vision problems, which

can make spotting prey or predators difficult.

People with albini_sm often have vision prob­

lems too. In his research, Brilliant has identified

alleles associated with albinism in people. "Now

we're working on understanding how the genes

function and developing therapies to enhance

vision in people with albinism," he says.

Poor vision is just one of the problems that

would put Alba, the albino orangutan, at risk in

the wild. To keep her safe, conservationists plan

to set up a spacious reserve for her to live in

with three orangutan friends-a fitting home for

a truly unique animal. ~ -Jennifer Barone

5

0 CORE QUESTION

Create a Punnett square that shows the offspring of a parent with albinism and a parent carrying one allele for albinism.

~

----------- -- ------ --- -- -------- ---- ---------- ------------ ------------------ --- - - - - -------- ------ --

PASSING ON GENES . . determine the chances of offspring

A chart called a Punnett square_ can . 11 1

s are shown with a h · . h rt dommant a e e . av1ng a particular trait. In the c a ' h p in offspring even if the

c . . d minant alleles s ow u ap1tal letter. Traits from O . 11 1 (such as those associated

ff Recessive a e es

0 spring inherit only one copy. 1 tter To create a Punnett square:

. ·th lowercase e . With albinism) are shown w1 a

€) The inside squares show the

0 Put one parent's alleles for a trait possible allele pairs of offspring

across the top and the 0ther's and therefore their chances of

along the left side. inheriting a trait. What percentage

Q Fill in the inside squares by f offspring from these parents h o .

combining the letters from t e would display albinism?

~Pood~tt~each. .

1///// / / /,, ,. / / / / ///////////// ~-~ ~&'&

Name: -------------------------------

PICKING PAIRS In "Creatures Without Color" (p. 14), you read about albinism in animals. You learned that for an animal to have this trait, it must inherit two alleles, or versions of a gene, for albinism-one from each of its parents. Follow the directions below to use Punnett square models to predict the probability that offspring will have albinism in each situation described. Refer to the "Passing on Genes" sidebar on page 17 for additional help.

SCENARIO 1 You are a· biologist who works with a species of highly endangered lizards at a zoo. You are planning a breeding program to produce baby lizards that will be released into the wild to boost the animal's population. You have

one female lizard and two male lizards at the zoo. The female lizard, named Lisa, is an albino. One male, called

Lenny, isn't albino, but he is a carrier of albinism with one recessive gene and one dominant gene.

lnllt Coloring

1. Complete the Punnett

square on the right to show

the likely pigment traits

of offspring produced by

breeding Lisa with Lenny. ~

A = traditional coloring a = albino coloring

Lisa

2. Use the equations below to determine the probabmty that Lisa and Lenny will have offspring that ...

• have albinism (aa) = Number of offspring with trait -:- 4 x 100 = ___ %

• have traditional coloring (AA or Aa) = Number of offspring with trait -:- 4 x 100 = ___ %

SCENARI02 The second male at the zoo, called Leo, is not albino or a carrier for albinism. He has two dominant traditional coloring genes.

1. Complete the Punnett Lisa square on the right to show

the likely pigment traits

of offspring produced by

breeding Lisa with Leo. 0 G) .J

2. Use the equations below to detennine the probability that Lisa and Leo will have offspring that .. .

• have albinism (aa) = Number of offspring with trait -:- 4 x 100 = ___ %

• have traditional coloring f.AA. or Aa) = Number of offspring with trait -:- 4 x 100 = ___ %

-------- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------CONCLUSIONS 1. How do Lisa and Leo 's potential offspring compare with

Lisa and Lenny's? 2. Which pairing would you choose to breed new lizards

to be released into the wild? Support your answer with

evidence from the Punnett squares and the article.

Permission granted by Science Mbrld to rep,oduce for ciassroom use only. 02018 by Scholastic Inc. JANUARY 15, 2018

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