Originally posted by vonBaloney the color temp is changing rapidly at sunup/sundown, and with a time-lapse you probably want to actually see those color changes rather than have them all corrected out
Yes... and no I think. Maybe someone with a better knowledge of how WB works can correct me if I'm wrong, but AWB still allows you to see the colors changing, it's just that the camera proprely balances them so that you picture doesn't appear yellowish, or blueish etc.
I think in this case what happened is that with little ambient light, such as in the pictures above, the camera had trouble finding the right WB and was applying a different one with almost every shot. Sunlight reflection on the clouds could also have played a part as someone mentioned before. So far that's the only logical explanation that I can come up with.
But in the end you're right, I was careless, I should have locked the WB. Oh well, nevermind, live and learn... Thank you all for the help