SpringUpdate2020 - Clouds Protocol

NASA GLOBE Clouds Spring Update

March/April/May 2020

What is NASA GLOBE Clouds? Cloud observations through The GLOBE Program are led by the NASA GLOBE Clouds Team at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA. Every sky and cloud observation submitted through GLOBE Clouds, including through the GLOBE Observer app, is analyzed by the team to determine if it matches satellite data. If there is a match, a personalized NASA email is sent to you comparing your observations with satellites. Your observations and photographs help researchers better understand our atmosphere and how to make satellite data better.

Happy Birthday to GLOBE! The program is celebrating 25 years. Did you know that GLOBE’s birthday is Earth Day? GLOBE was founded on the 25th anniversary of Earth Day. https://www.globe.gov/news-events/globe-events/earth-day/earth-day-2020

You are helping NASA learn more about Earth’s atmosphere with your cloud observations.

What is GLOBE Observer? The GLOBE Observer app launched in 2016 providing you a new way to make cloud observations using a mobile device. Now, you can also map out Mosquito Habitats, photograph your Land Cover and take Tree height measurements.

Meet an Expert: Tina Rogerson

Mrs. Tina Rogerson is the scientific programmer and analyst for the NASA GLOBE Clouds team at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA with SSAI. Tina analyzes your cloud observations and writes the code that matches them to satellite data. She is also in charge of making sure a personalized email from NASA is sent your way!

Question: Where are you from?
Answer: I am from Poquoson, Virginia a small town located on the east coast of the USA.

Question: What do you do for fun?
Answer: My fun time is when I’m hanging out with my family. My favorite place to do this is at the beach. There are a lot of beaches near me and I go as often as I can. My dog, who is a dachshund loves walking on the beach with me and enjoys chasing the sea gulls. My favorite hobby is stained glass and anything related to working with colored glass.

Question: What was your first job?
Answer: My first job was working at a fast food restaurant called Hardees. I was 16 years old, in high school when I got this job. I would come in very early on the weekends and bake biscuits.

Question: What inspired you to work in this field?
Answer: After high school my parents told me that I had a choice to either pay them rent or pay for college classes. College classes were cheaper so I chose to go to school. I’ve always loved to play games and to solve puzzles. This fit perfectly with the computer classes I started taking. It’s like a game to me to see if I can make the computer do what I want it to. I’m also a bit lazy, I figure out how to do things manually and then program computers to do the work for me. Matching GLOBE cloud observations to satellite data is an example of this. This used to be a long tedious process when I first started doing the matches. Now is so much easier and faster since computers do most of the work. The class I hated the most in college was database design. This class was hard and I barely passed the class. I would never have thought I’d be a data manager for NASA GLOBE Clouds and work with databases all the time. If my college professor saw me now he’d be surprised and proud.

Question: What one piece of advice would you like to pass on to the next generation?
Answer: Believe in yourself! You know more than you think you do and you’re capable of anything you put your mind to.

Cloud Observation Tip

Question: Is there a difference between an overcast sky and an obscured sky?

Answer: Overcast means that you can see the clouds, but the sky is at least 90% covered by clouds. This makes it difficult to see the sky color.

An obscured sky means that you can’t see some or all of the clouds for some reason. These reasons would be rain, snow, dust, fog, smoke, haze, volcanic ash, ocean spray or blowing sand. Any of these can make it hard to get a clear view of the clouds. This also includes fog even though it is actually a low level cloud.

For a more detailed explanation see Overcast vs. Obscured: What’s the Difference?

Science Topic: Dust

Desert and Cold Climate Dust Observations: We are asking for photographs of dust storms and dust events in cold climates (or high latitude areas), southwest United States and Northern Mexico, and desert (or arid and semi arid) areas. Follow these steps on how to take photographs of the horizon, not the sky in the direction of the dust event. As always, please stay safe. Stay indoors or inside a vehicle if an event is approaching your area. Different flyers are now available to print or share that you can use to spread the word!