WEBIOCOSM
Time-lapse Formation of Cumulus Clouds From Burning Wheat Fields
For the last few weeks, farmers have been finishing their wheat harvest and
burning the stubble to prepare the field for the next crop (the value and safety
of this practice is debated), mostly soybeans around here. On this hot, humid
day I saw some huge beautiful cumulonimbus clouds forming as a result of these
burning fields. By the time I was able to get home and get out to our farm to
set up for shooting, the clouds were not as impressive. I was impressed, though
by the number of distant fields I was able to get, just in this frame, in this
hour and a half period. At the top of some of these plumes of smoke, you can see
the condensation, which is where they turn fluffy and white, before it cools and
drops a bit then evaporates again. This time-lapse video was made last week
using my
Canon PowerShot S3 IS and Granite Bay Time-lapse software with my old Dell
laptop. I took 1400 pics at a rate of 1 picture every 4 seconds. I made the
music with
Sony Acid Music Studio.
For the record, although I was involved with burning a few fields when I was
younger, my family's farm hasn't grown wheat in the last couple of years so
don't gripe at me if you are opposed to this practice. Here is a somewhat
neutral
story about the debate over this practice of burning wheat stubble from
reflector.com. Also here is a
recent letter and thread with some good old down home fussin' about whether to
burn or not to burn from DailyAdvance.com in Elizabeth City, N.C.