winter2024cloudupdate - Clouds Protocol

Welcome to our NASA GLOBE Clouds Quarterly Update! It is hard to believe that we are starting a new year already! We are grateful for all the observations you submitted to GLOBE in 2024. We are proud of all the work GLOBE students, educators, and citizen scientists are doing across the world to help us better understand our environment, and we are looking forward to another year of learning, research, and collaboration! Speaking of a new year, we would like to share that the 2025 NASA Science calendar is already available both in English and Spanish. You can download the calendars, wallpapers, and images using the following link: 2025 NASA Science Calendar - NASA Science

Favorite Cloud and Ask Us Anything

We have been featuring GLOBE Clouds photos from each region, and we have asked you to vote for your favorite. This quarter, THREE cloud photos tied for first place! See the winning photos below:

Europe and Eurasia (Submitted by Belgium Citizen Science)

Near East and North Africa (Submitted by Kuwait GLOBE v-School)

North America (Submitted by United States Citizen Science)

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. We are getting really interesting questions. Someone asked whether there are clouds on Mars, and coincidentally we have a section about just that on this update. So, keep reading to find that answer! Additionally, the GLOBE Clouds team selected the following question(s): How do clouds form? Also, how much rain does a cloud hold?

These are great questions.

Water evaporates from places like the ground, oceans, lakes, rivers, swamps, swimming pools, etc.
When the water vapor in the air cools, it condenses into droplets or ice crystals. This process happens around tiny particles, like dust, salt from sea spray, bacteria, or ash, called *condensation nuclei*. When enough droplets or crystals gather, they form a cloud.

While clouds are usually in the sky, they can also form at ground level in certain conditions. When this happens, it’s called “fog”. Walking through fog is like walking through a cloud at ground level. The next photo shows fog at the top of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

As to how much rain a cloud holds, first let us remember that not all clouds produce precipitation. Only two types of clouds do: nimbostratus and cumulonimbus. The nimbostratus clouds tend to produce more steady rain of low to moderate intensity, they cover a lot of the sky at low altitudes. On the other hand, cumulonimbus clouds are tall, and they are associated with thunderstorms and other intense weather.

In terms of cloud water content in general, no two clouds are identical. Therefore, the amount of moisture varies a lot from cloud to cloud. Cirrus clouds are thin and wispy, and they contain much less water than cumulus clouds, which are thick and puffy. Indeed, scientists want to measure how much water is in a cloud to better understand where and how much water moves back and forth between Earth's surface and atmosphere. That information can also help scientists estimate how much sunlight a cloud will reflect back into space and how much warmth that cloud traps near Earth's surface. To give you an idea of how much water a cloud can hold, you can look at the following image that shows a global map of "cloud water content". This is a measure of how many grams of water per square meter you would get if you drained all the water out of the clouds into a flat layer on the ground. The white areas show clouds with as much as 1,000 grams (equivalent to 1 liter) of water per square meter; the pink shades correspond to clouds with about 500 grams (500 mL) of water per square meter, and the purple areas represent little or no cloud water content.

Source: NASA Earth Observations

You can explore cloud water content maps yourself using the NASA Earth Observations website Click on “Atmosphere” > “Cloud Water Content” and select the date (day, 8-day, or month) that you would like to display.

Cloud Dance Activity

Have you tried representing different cloud types with body movements? The Cloud Dance Activity is a fun way for students to learn about clouds through movement and creativity. This activity introduces three main cloud types: cirrus, cumulus, and stratus. Students use simple movements to act like these clouds, such as stretching their arms for wispy cirrus clouds or puffing up like fluffy cumulus clouds. Visual aids, stories, and games help make the lesson fun and easy to understand, while teaching students about the clouds they see in the sky.

Meet an Expert: Rose Kelly-Lyons

Rose Kelly-Lyons is a Children’s Librarian at the Queens Public Library, Baisley Park Branch, in Queens, New York. Rose has been collaborating with the NASA GLOBE Clouds team to bring clouds-related activities to young learners.

Question: Where are you from?
Answer:I have lived my whole life in Queens, New York, but I am proudly ancestrally Irish.

Question:
Answer: I am a public children’s librarian. I work with children, school staff, parents and caregivers to enrich their lives with reading materials, resources and activities. My favorite part of my job is the autonomy and flexibility it provides. I am a Certified Urban Tree Forester with a background in urban agriculture; being a public children’s librarian allows me opportunities to teach my community those skills. I am also a skilled fiber artist, aspiring novelist, neurodiversity educator and so much more. At the library, I never have to choose. A librarian, especially a children’s librarian, often wears many hats. My days are rarely the same and almost everything I learn can be applied repeatedly to my job as librarian.

Question: People who have had the awesome opportunity to work with you all agree that you are super creative! Do you have any tips on how to become more creative?
Answer: American author Ursula Le Guin said, “the creative adult is a child who has survived.” The easiest way for me to feel creative is when I am following the joy. When I was first presented with the Cloud Uno game from NASA, what really caught my eye was the dance cards. As I was playing around with it, I decided that I wanted more. While doing our plant and insect themed dances in the garden I realized that I already had the perfect opportunity. Finding ways to bring myself joy has always been my trick to creating.

Question: We heard you have adapted some GLOBE Clouds activities! Can you describe what you have done to engage kids with GLOBE Clouds at Queens Public Library?
Answer: On Wednesdays Baisley Park has storytime in the morning and gardening in the afternoon. For July 2024, we read cloud themed books in the morning and later practiced the cloud dance in the garden. In addition to the 3 cloud dances found in the provided game, I added contrails and precipitation for a total of 5 dances. For contrails, we would rev our engines and fly like planes. For precipitation, we clap above our heads for thunder and then wiggle our fingers from above our heads down to our feet like rain, ending in a swat. After the dance, we would look up in the sky and identify which clouds we could see. When it was time to close up the garden some children chose to do the cloud Uno Game as well.

In terms of adding clouds to the gardening program, it was simple since observation is a key part of the gardening program. On a weekly basis, we assess soil dampness, look for dead heads or leaves that need pruning (with safety scissors,) and engage in plant identification. Examples of early cloud identifying include “I see 4 clouds,” “that cloud is fluffier,” “I see the wisp.” Later on children were able to directly identify the cloud types cumulus, stratus, cirrus, etc. the same way they gained the ability to identify borage and rosemary.

I was able to spotlight the cloud dance in three other programs already. Once in “Dance, Dance, Library,” a full hour of dance games. This was special since one kid already knew it from the garden and demonstrated it next to me. Another time included a summer camp visit, where one child was convinced that scientists did not need the library, to which I happily proved him wrong. Most recently, during our “Water Cycle in a Bag” experiment we ended it with the cloud dance. The provided paper window cutout is permanently displayed on our children’s room window. It is at a height that is easily accessible so that the children can see the clouds outside and practice identification.

Question: What recommendations do you have for families who would like to learn about clouds together?
Answer: Bedtime stories, bedtime stories, bedtime stories. I do not think I can emphasize enough the importance of bedtime stories. This is the perfect opportunity to bond with your child. There are so many picture books on clouds that you can read to your children that can inspire them throughout their day. On vacation and do not have a book on hand? Make one up. “You see one day there was a little cloud drifting off in the sky…” Reading to your child and storytelling is one of the most useful tools we have in regards to language, creativity, and observing our world.

Besides stories, you can incorporate clouds into things you already do. Are you driving and notice some clouds? Talk to each other about them. Are you having a picnic? Look up and try to describe what you see. It does not have to start with overly scientific language if that is not where your kid is. It can start with “oh, that cloud looks very fluffy.” Even dancing while you cook can be a way to bring in clouds. Doing the cloud dance is a great way to pass the time while the water boils. There are a limitless number of ways to make your everyday activities include clouds.

Question: Is there anything else you would like to share with the GLOBE community?
Answer: Citizen science makes kids feel important. The first thing I would say before entering the garden was “who wants to help NASA?” Yes, the kids enjoyed dancing, but what really got their attention was feeling helpful. When an organization with as much prestige as NASA expresses they need help, children learn that their voice matters.

Science Topic: Clouds on Mars

Since you are reading this update, our guess is that you often find yourself looking up at the sky, noticing the different cloud types. Sometimes you may also find clouds that look like familiar shapes. Have you imagined lying on Mars, watching clouds drift by? Even though no human has done this yet, we know that clouds are common on Mars. Scientists have observed clouds on Mars with the help of telescopes, orbiters, and rovers like Perseverance, Curiosity, and Opportunity.

Like clouds on Earth are essential to understand Earth’s climate, clouds on Mars play a critical role in understanding Mars’s climate too. Studying Mars clouds helps us understand the planet's atmosphere and water cycle, like how water vapor moves with the air and how temperature and water levels change with height. Watching cloud movement also shows us wind speeds and directions high in the atmosphere, which we can’t measure directly. Clouds on Mars affect Mars’ temperature. They can reflect sunlight to cool the planet and absorb infrared radiation to warm it. Clouds might have even helped keep Mars warm enough in the past for liquid water to flow, creating channels that are visible today.

Earth clouds can have liquid water, but on Mars, the low temperatures and pressures only allow clouds made of ice to form. Mars has clouds that are very similar to Earth’s cirrus clouds. However, Mars has very little water. If all the water on Mars were spread out on the surface, it would form a layer thinner than a strand of hair. Therefore, its water-ice clouds are much thinner than Earth’s cirrus clouds. In addition, the atmosphere of Mars is made up almost entirely (95%) of carbon-dioxide. So, carbon-dioxide ice clouds can form too!

Mars has seasonal cloud patterns. For a few months around northern summer, spacecraft observe lots of clouds between about 10° south and 30° north latitude. Since the Perseverance rover is in Jezero Crater at about 18° north, it’s in a good spot to see these clouds from the surface. The following image was taken by Perseverance’s Navigation Camera (Navcam).

Mars Perseverance Sol 691 - Left Navigation Camera: This image was taken just before sunrise, pointing east. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Scientists want to continue learning more about Mars clouds, and they are seeking help from curious people like you! Citizen scientists can assist in mapping clouds to help answer important questions. For example, scientists want to know what types of Mars clouds form at different times. If you want to help map Mars clouds, we encourage you to explore the Cloudspotting on Mars: Shapes' Project!

GLOBE Clouds by the Numbers

(September 1 - November 30, 2024 )