Fall2024CloudUpdate - Clouds Protocol

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Fall2024CloudUpdate

NASA GLOBE Clouds Quarterly Update

September/October/November 2024

Back from the GLOBE Annual Meeting

Several members of the NASA GLOBE Clouds team had the pleasure of participating in the 2024 GLOBE Annual Meeting in Fredonia, NY. It is always so energizing to come together as a GLOBE family, to get reunited with old friends, to meet new friends, and to learn from each other. We were especially excited to have so many people interested in our GLOBE Clouds protocol training sessions. Not even the presence of cumulonimbus clouds discouraged the participants, who enthusiastically joined us in our clouds dance!

Group of people outdoors extending their arms up in the air.

We encourage you to watch a recording of a lightning talk by GLOBE Clouds Project Scientist Marilé Colón Robles and Data Scientist Ashlee Autore. Ashlee is doing research using GLOBE Cloud data from the 2024 total solar eclipse: GLOBE Eclipse - First look at results during the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse

Favorite Cloud

Blue sky with wispy and puffy clouds We have been featuring GLOBE Clouds photos from each region, and we have asked you to vote for your favorite. Here is the cloud photo that received the most votes within the last quarter!

Near East and North Africa (Submitted by A. De Shalit B)

Once again, we are featuring photos representing each region. Please vote for your favorite using this GLOBE Clouds: Favorite Cloud and Ask Us Anything form

Ask Us Anything Question, Answered

Thank you to everyone who submitted questions last quarter. The GLOBE Clouds team selected the following question Where is the best place to identify clouds and also submit interesting cloud photos?

Thank you for such a great question! A good site to identify clouds is a location that provides the most unobstructed view of the sky. When making an observation, look at the sky in every direction above a 14 degree angle with the horizon. A tip is to hold out your arms in a "V" shape, make sure your hands are level with the top of your head, and observe the sky in the area between your hands.

The diagram shows a bad site on the top; the observer can’t really see the sky because a tree and a building are blocking the view. In the middle of the diagram, there is an OK site, where the obstacles only partially block the observer’s view. On the bottom of the diagram there is an ideal site because even though there is a tree and a building, they are below 14° above the horizon; therefore, they don’t obstruct the observer’s view.

Blue sky with many small puffy clouds and a hole in the center where the sky is clear. As for the best place to take photos of interesting clouds, that can happen anywhere! Sometimes, unusual cloud formations happen when water droplets are exceptionally pure, without small particles such as dust or pollen. The water droplets then get supercooled, which means that they stay in their liquid state even at temperatures below freezing. These conditions can lead to clouds known as cavum or fallstreak.
Image source: https://cloudatlas.wmo.int/en/clouds-supplementary-features-cavum.html

Night photo, the sky is dark but some wispy shiny cloud is near the horizon. Noctilucent clouds are rare too. They form in the mesosphere, at an altitude just over 50 miles (80 kilometers). These clouds, also known as night-shining clouds, develop when water vapor aggregates and freezes around specks of meteor dust floating in the mesosphere.

Image source: https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/148502/high-dry-and-rare-in-the-sky

Another unusual cloud formation sometimes occurs after a large storm. While most clouds form in rising air and have flat bottoms, clouds known as mammatus have some lumps caused by sinking air that hang on their undersides. These clouds can only form if the sinking air has a lot of water or ice. The sinking air must be cooler than the air around it. Sky almost completely covered by very puffy and lumpy clouds.

Image Source: https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/earthmatters/2013/05/24/mammatus-clouds-over-oklahoma/

No matter where you are, you can catch some interesting clouds. Plus, remember that all your cloud observations are valuable to have a more comprehensive picture of what is up in the sky!

Meet an Expert: Logan Butler

Logan Butler is a NASA Intern with the GLOBE Clouds team and an undergraduate student at the University of Southern Maine.

Logan Buttler, college student wearing glasses and a suit in front of NASA insignia.

Question: Where are you from and what do you study?
Answer: My name is Logan Butler, and I am from Gorham, Maine. I am a rising senior for my mechanical engineering undergraduate degree.

Question: Can you tell us about your recent NASA internship experience?
Answer: I had the pleasure of being in person at the NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton Virginia. I primarily worked on developing Python scripts to interact with one of NASA's SQL databases. I was mentored by Marilé Colón Robles as well as Tina Rogerson who are with the GLOBE Clouds team in the Science Directorate. I also developed multiple programs in Python for a research paper covering what GLOBE Cloud data is, and how it can be used by scientists and researchers.

Question: What was the most challenging part of your project and how did you overcome it?
Answer: The hardest part of the project was getting started with the programming. I have programmed before for my student research position, but never in Python, SQL, or Linux/bash. I'm more familiar with microcontrollers such as Arduinos and other ESP32 boards. I also had to write code that handled big data, so even if I found something that worked, I would need to refine the process to ensure no data loss or long-term errors would occur.

Question: How did your engineering background help you throughout your internship working on a GLOBE project?
Answer: My project was unexplored territory for my mentors, so I had to independently ask questions and go find answers to them. I believe my engineering background was incredibly useful in this situation. I used a lot of transferable engineering principles to piece together my project. I thought outside of the box quite often, which in some cases led to dead ends, but it would often pay off, with innovative solutions and more transferable practices. It was also quite beneficial for me to further broaden my understanding of computer science, so that I can transfer these principles to future projects.

Question: Is there anything else you would like to share with the GLOBE community?
Answer: I must say, everywhere I turned, I was only met with enthusiastic and kind-hearted scientists and engineers. The GLOBE community is a thriving one that I am glad to have contributed to. It was easy to get somebody to speak about their interests so passionately. They like what they do with GLOBE, and it truly shows in their work ethic.

Science Topic: The Effect of Clouds on Arctic Sea Ice

NASA ARCSIX 2024 mission patch. It is a triangle with the words Arctic Radiation Cloud Aerosol Surface Interaction Experiment around. At the top of the triangle there is a drawing of a snowflake. Inside the triangle there is a drawing of ice blocks on water, then the airplanes flying in a sky with some clouds, the Sun, and a satellite above. We are always interested in observations of clouds because they play an important role both in our weather and in our climate. Clouds can either cool or warm the Earth, depending on their type and location. But, have you ever thought about clouds’ impact on sea ice? On a clear day, smooth sea ice reflects most sunlight back into space, helping to keep the planet cool. But when there are clouds, especially low ones, they can trap heat and cause more ice to melt. Monitoring Arctic sea ice is critical because it acts like the planet's air conditioner. Yet, as the Arctic warms and sea ice melts, it affects weather patterns and sea levels around the world. ARCSIX stands for Arctic Radiation Cloud Aerosol Surface Interaction Experiment. This mission is studying how changes in the Arctic impact the Earth’s climate. ARCSIX involves a team of scientists flying NASA planes over the Arctic Ocean. They observe sea ice, clouds, and tiny particles in the air called aerosols. These factors all influence how much energy the Earth retains or loses to space. They have used the P3 Orion plane to fly close to the ice to study its characteristics and the clouds. They have used the GIII plane to fly higher, like a satellite, to capture remote sensing data. They have placed sea ice buoys to measure temperature, snow, and sunlight on the ice as well. The team is particularly interested in clouds that form over the ice. These clouds, called mixed-phase clouds, have both supercooled liquid and ice crystals. Depending on their behavior, these clouds can either speed up or slow down the melting of sea ice. The scientists have been surprised by how quickly the sea ice and atmosphere change each day. They have observed unexpected drizzle in the cold clouds as well. In addition, they have discovered various types of aerosols, or tiny particles, in the Arctic air. These aerosols come from places like Asia and the U.S., and even from local sources, as the Arctic attracts air from other regions. Patrick Taylor, a scientist from NASA Langley Research Center, is a mission scientist for ARCSIX. Taylor explains that the melting Arctic ice has a global impact. As sea ice melts, it leads to faster warming in the Arctic. When the Arctic gets warmer, more ice melts on land. When more ice melts on land, sea levels rise. And when sea levels rise, flooding risks increase too. Those flooding risks can also be seen back in Hampton, Virginia, home of NASA Langley Research Center. Learn more about the ARCSIX mission.