Summer2024CloudUpdate - Clouds Protocol

One Million GEO Satellite Comparisons Celebration!

Since 2017, the GLOBE Clouds team has been working with SatCORPS to provide geostationary satellite imagery and data to GLOBE citizen scientists. When a GLOBE volunteer submits a Cloud observation, the team from NASA Langley checks to see if there was corresponding satellite data from the same time and location. Previously, the team only supplied corresponding satellite data from select polar-orbiting satellites, but those satellites may only pass over your location once a day. By expanding to geostationary satellites with international coverage from GOES, HIMAWARI and METEOSAT, most participants will receive an email from NASA with their corresponding geostationary satellite image and data anytime they send an observation to GLOBE. On May 24, 2024, the GLOBE Clouds team reached the 1 millionth geostationary satellite comparison to GLOBE citizen science data! You can access the combined satellite and citizen science data sets on the GLOBE Observer Get Data webpage. If you’re not already observing clouds for NASA, start by downloading GLOBE Observer, the app of The GLOBE Program. Thank you all for making this huge milestone possible, and for your continued support for the GLOBE Clouds team.

Launch of NOAA’s GOES-U

NOAA’s GOES-U satellite launched on June 25th from Kennedy Space Center, completing the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) – R Series. This series has revolutionized weather forecasting and environmental monitoring in the Western Hemisphere with its advanced capabilities.

Why GOES-U Matters
GOES-U will continue this legacy, introducing new solar-imaging capabilities with the Compact Coronagraph (CCOR) instrument as part of NOAA’s Space Weather Follow On (SWFO) mission. Once in geostationary orbit, GOES-U will be renamed GOES-19.

A Dynamic Duo: GOES-19 and GOES-18 GOES-19 will join GOES-18 and together they will cover more than half the globe, from New Zealand to Africa and from the Arctic Circle to the Antarctic Circle.

Critical Data for Safety and Prosperity
GOES-19 will provide vital data across several domains, enhancing our ability to detect and monitor environmental phenomena that impact public safety, property protection, and economic health. Key areas of focus include:

• Atmospheric Weather
• Environmental Hazards
• Ocean Conditions
• Space Weather

Stay tuned for updates and learn more about the GOES-U mission.

Favorite Cloud and Ask Us Anything

In our previous update, we showcased a GLOBE Clouds photo from each region, and we asked you to vote for your favorite. Here is the cloud photo that received the most votes!

Asia and Pacific (Submitted by: New Zealand Citizen Science)

In this update, we are featuring the following 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: Do types of clouds change based on geographical locations?

This is a great question. In general, yes, there are certain cloud types that are most observed in specific locations. For example, the beautiful lens shaped lenticular clouds (a type of altocumulus cloud) are observed near tall mountains, like the ones observed over Table Mountain, South Africa. You also have stratus clouds and fog off the west coast of continents in the midlatitudes. My favorite is supercell thunderstorms (a type of cumulonimbus clouds) which are formed ahead of a cold front or a dry line, or lead to monsoons and hurricanes/cyclones.
Response by NASA GLOBE Clouds Project Scientist, Marilé Colón Robles

Meet an Expert: Maybel Spurlock & Vicki Willett

Maybel Spurlock and Vicki Willett are a grandmother-granddaughter duo that observed both the 2017 and the 2024 total solar eclipses.

Question: Where are you from and where do you work/study?
Answer: Maybel- I am in third grade at Fairfield Elementary School in Pickerington, Ohio. Vicki- I am the Technology Integration Specialist for Licking Heights Local Schools. Part of my position is to participate in all things STEM. I am the proud grandmother of Maybel.

Question: What is your favorite part about GLOBE and how long have you been participating in GLOBE?
Answer: Maybel- My grandmother asked me to help her take temperature readings during the eclipse. It was so fun. People would ask what I was doing and at first just walked away. As it got colder, they came and asked how far the temperature had dropped. My grandfather and I also watched what the swans did. Vicki- I have been involved in GLOBE since 2017. I took a GLOBE Mission Earth training with Dr. Czajkowski, Janet, and Sarah that year and I was hooked. Part of our task after was to participate in the Urban Heat Island project. My students were so excited to go and take temperature readings each day. The unexpected outcome was that one of my kiddos struggled understanding place value and numbers. This study, the science, really helped him master those concepts and he soon was not asking for help. I must admit, my favorite part of GLOBE was one event and that was working with Maybel tracking temperature readings. Selfishly it was that one on one time with her and watching her excitement as she was doing science.

Question: Please tell us about your experience during the recent solar eclipse of April 8, 2024! How did it compare to the eclipse of August 21, 2017?

Answer: Maybel- I was only two years old. I remember going outside and looking up through my glasses and wearing my boots. This time I knew what was going on. I watched the moon block the sun in little pieces. I watched the change in the animals. The swans began swimming back to their nest. Right after totality, we went over and the swans’ heads were down as they thought it was time for bed.

Question: What advice would you give to other people who also want to contribute to Earth science?

Answer: Maybel’s and Vicki’s joint advice, just do it. Both of us learned so much by joining this citizen science project. We worked together. Vicki learned protocols and shared them with Maybel. Being part of a community of scientists really helped us realize that there truly are people who love science. Maybel loves science and this not only gave her the chance to do science, but also helped her to understand graphs.

There are opportunities for a variety of Earth Science Citizen Science groups that motivate students, teachers, and in our case families to be active participants in scientific research. Again, our advice is to just do it.

Question: Anything else you would like to add?

Answer: Thank you for the opportunity to be part of the NASA Earth Science Network. Ours was a team of two. No matter how small your group is, you can still participate.

NOTE: To learn more about Vicki and Maybel’s research, visit the GLOBE Mission Earth’s Student Research webpage to check out their GLOBE Eclipse research poster!

Science Topic: Preliminary Results from the April 2024 Total Solar Eclipse

The data has been collected and now being analyzed by the GLOBE Clouds team research support Ashlee Autore. Thank you to everyone who sent in temperature and cloud observations for the 2024 total solar eclipse over North America.

The GLOBE Program received over 34 thousand air temperature observations and more than 10 thousand cloud observations. The majority of observations submitted were along the path of totality. Four cities have been selected due to the number of volunteer observations and closeness to the National Weather Service Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) for intercomparisons. 

Preliminary results currently show that:

• Notable temperature decreases at local eclipse maximum.

• Volunteers, in general, report lower total cloud cover compared to nearby ASOS sites. Satellite comparison reports agree with volunteer reports.

• Contrail reports increased as the partial eclipse started and continued.

Stay tuned to The GLOBE Program and GLOBE Clouds Quarterly Updates for more information.

GLOBE Clouds by the Numbers

The GLOBE Clouds Team would like to share some exciting numbers! Thank you to the amazing GLOBE community. Repeat observations are necessary to understand changes in our atmosphere: