Articles tagged with Clouds
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The Cassini spacecraft has detected a massive ethane cloud surrounding Titan's north pole, contradicting previous assumptions of extensive ethane clouds and surface liquids. The discovery suggests that ethane may be 'snowing' onto the surface, forming methane lakes below.
Researchers at MIT have found a unique cloud forest in Oman where trees extract moisture from passing clouds, but the ecosystem is under threat from over-grazing camels. The trees' ability to collect water from fog may not be enough to recover if the camels continue to eat too much foliage.
Scientists on the NASA African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analyses (NAMMA) mission used a combination of satellites and aircraft to study hurricanes. They found surprisingly strong winds in tropical disturbances and evidence of dry air, which typically comes from the Sahara Air Layer.
Recent observations from the Cassini spacecraft and Huygens probe suggest massive methane storms on Titan, creating a 'methane cycle' similar to Earth's water cycle. These storms produce dense clouds of methane and copious precipitation of liquid drops, generating rivers and canals on Titan's surface.
Scientists study how African winds, dust conditions influence hurricane birth; use satellite data, weather stations, aircraft to improve hurricane forecasting. Researchers seek answers on hurricane development, air currents, Saharan Air Layer's effect on clouds.
New research suggests that tiny airborne particles, known as aerosols, have a significant impact on cloud formation and can lead to both cooling and warming effects. The study found that aerosol concentration is linked to cloud cover in all locations and seasons, challenging the idea that meteorological factors are the main influence.
Scientists at NASA have found that aerosol particles in air pollution can prevent clouds from forming, while lighter particles can help them form. This discovery could improve climate predictions and understanding of the Earth's climate system.
The CALIPSO satellite will provide detailed information on atmospheric particles, including aerosols and subvisible cloudiness. The mission aims to establish the impact of these factors on climate change, with scientists expecting up to 10% coverage of the Earth's atmosphere to be a concern.
A new study reveals that particulate pollution from factories and cars can warm the Arctic by changing clouds into more effective blankets. The effect is most pronounced in winter when the air is dark and polluted.
The Maldives AUAV Campaign has demonstrated the effectiveness of lightweight AUAVs in analyzing atmospheric chemistry, revealing how pollution particles cause dimming and contribute to cloud formation. The data produced will aid in understanding climate change science.
Researchers have successfully completed 18 data-gathering missions using autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles in pollution-filled skies over the Maldives. The aircraft flew in synchronous vertical formation, collecting unprecedented detail on how pollution particles contribute to cloud formation and dimming.
Scientists studied magma chamber pressure changes following a massive lava-dome collapse on Montserrat, finding an unprecedented increase in pressure. Another study revealed a simplified model of rock fracture dissolution, which predicts a power-law distribution of channel lengths. Additionally, researchers explored aerosol transport a...
A new analysis of global satellite data reveals that a warming climate has led to fewer but stronger storms in mid-latitudes, resulting in contrasting cooling and warming effects on the atmosphere. These storm changes affect the Earth's radiation and precipitation fields, leading to increased precipitation in the northern mid-latitudes.
High-resolution images of ice crystals provide detailed information about ice clouds, including particle size and shape, which influence the longevity of the cloud. The Tropical Warm Pool International Cloud Experiment, led by the ARM Program, combines aircraft and surface data to better understand cirrus structure in the tropics.
The Wyoming Cloud Seeding Pilot Program aims to evaluate the effectiveness of silver iodide in increasing snowpack and providing fresh water. A 10% increase in snowpack would provide significant benefits, including increased water supply and hydroelectric power generation.
Research highlights the impact of aerosols on ocean temperature, with manmade aerosols delaying warming by several decades. Ship emissions also make clouds brighter and higher near European harbors.
Scientists are studying the tropopause, a key transition zone in the atmosphere where air from the troposphere flows into the stratosphere. This region is critical for understanding climate change and ozone recovery, with water and bromine chemicals playing major roles.
Scientists have created a general circulation model to study Titan's climate and predict cloud distribution. The model, developed by a European team, successfully explains the formation of several types of ethane and methane clouds on Titan.
A team of NJIT solar physicists observed that the amount of light reflected by Earth has increased since 2000, despite less sunlight reaching the surface. The result is a paradoxical increase in global temperatures, which could be due to changes in cloud cover and altitude.
The ARM Mobile Facility (AMF) will collect atmospheric data on absorbing aerosols from desert dust in the dry season and deep convective clouds during the summer monsoon. This information will help improve model simulations of global climate and increase understanding of the influence of the West African Monsoon.
A study by PNNL found that China's air pollution has caused a decrease in cloud cover over the past 50 years, resulting in more frequent clear skies and reduced surface heat from sunshine. The likely culprit is a nine-fold increase in fossil fuel emissions, which have entrenched China in a foggy haze.
Research on Martian aurorae reveals localized ultraviolet emissions near magnetic field lines. Air pollution reduction could exacerbate global warming due to increased solar radiation scattering. A new study detects potential oilfield brine leaks in Nueces Bay, Texas, using sediment resistivity and radium isotope analysis.
The DOE's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program has deployed its mobile facility in Niger to study the impact of aerosols and deep convection on climate. The facility will measure cloud properties, solar and thermal radiation, and meteorological conditions.
Researchers using Aura's nearly up-to-the-hour data track important pollutants like ozone and nitrogen oxide. The satellite provides better predictions of future climate change by monitoring ice in clouds, which affects solar energy reflection and radiation trapping.
Clouds play a crucial role in shaping weather forecasts and longer-term climate predictions due to their patterns and formations. However, the issue of how to define a cloud remains unresolved as various satellite observations and instruments produce inconsistent results, leading to fuzzy measurements of planetary cloud cover.
A team of international scientists are conducting a three-day simulation at Sandia National Laboratories to prepare for the Tropical Warm Pool International Cloud Experiment. The experiment aims to collect detailed data sets on tropical convection and improve computer models simulating clouds and climate.
Scientists have found evidence that dust from burning asteroids can influence local weather in Antarctica, forming clouds of micron-sized particles that reflect sunlight and cause cooling. This discovery challenges previous assumptions about asteroid dust's impact on the environment.
A NASA-led NRL study found that space shuttle exhaust can form Antarctic polar mesospheric clouds, contributing to a remarkable 10-20% of clouds observed during one summer season. The discovery challenges the interpretation of PMC trends in terms of global climate change.
The space shuttle Columbia's exhaust plume caused a significant increase in polar mesospheric cloud activity over Antarctica, forcing scientists to rethink their role in monitoring global climate change. The clouds formed at an altitude of about 52 miles due to the high concentrations of water vapor released into the atmosphere.
A new $1.4 million ARM Mobile Facility is stationed near the beach to collect data on marine stratus clouds, which are thin, low-level clouds that cover the sky like a blanket. The facility will gather data on cloud properties, suspended particles and other atmospheric variables to analyze aerosol effects.
A study led by Steven Cummer of Duke University and Walter Lyons found that sprites are generated by major lightning strikes. The total charge, as it moves from the cloud to the ground, is most critical in sprite development. Sprites are brief, lasting only 3 to 10 milliseconds, but can be monitored globally using a single sensor.
Scientists have found nanobacteria in terrestrial environments and four continents, suggesting they may play a role in global disease dispersal. The microbes are also thought to contribute to cloud formation and nucleation.
Researchers propose that spinels, rich in magnesium and iron, condensed from the cooling vapor cloud after a massive asteroid impact. The study strengthens the link between the Chicxulub impact and the mass extinction event that ended the Age of Dinosaurs.
Researchers found that volcanic eruptions produce a relatively short atmospheric response with no discernible effects from the volcanic events afterward. Additionally, analysis using climate models suggests that the North Atlantic Oscillation may intensify with further increases in greenhouse gas concentrations.
The Cassini Imaging Team report on Titan reveals that the moon's winds blow faster than its surface rotates, with speeds of up to 34 meters per second. The discovery suggests that meteorology works similarly on slowly rotating planets like Venus.
Researchers from NASA's Langley Research Center and Goddard Space Flight Center studied tropical convective clouds in Florida to classify ice crystals, which can help predict next winter's snowstorm. They hope to contribute to improving weather and climate models by accounting for clouds' role in atmospheric conditions.
Researchers found that Saharan dust increases the number of cloud condensation nuclei, leading to smaller cloud droplets and reduced rainfall. The study also showed that the dust affects thunderstorm anvils, impacting sunlight and warming temperatures over time.
Researchers have made significant advancements in understanding Earth systems using highly detailed GPS observations. A new technique has improved the accuracy of GPS data by correcting for a time lag built into current satellite systems, allowing for more accurate measurement of dynamic ground motion. Additionally, studies have reveal...
Scientists studied intercontinental smog ozone processes associated with the brown cloud over South Asia using a new NASA technique combining satellite and balloon data. The study found that both brown cloud pollution and natural processes contribute to unhealthy levels of ozone in the troposphere.
Scientists are using NASA's ICESat satellite to measure the height of dynamic features such as ice sheets, glaciers, forests, and clouds. The satellite's laser instruments provide unprecedented accuracy in measuring changes in elevation, including accelerated glacier movement in Antarctica and thinner ice on West Antarctic ice sheet.
Scientists at Georgia Tech have developed a new instrument to measure conditions needed for particle to become a cloud droplet, improving predictions of cloud formation. The new method provides accurate predictions thousands of times faster than existing models.
Scientists developed simple, physics-based equations to address limitations of current cloud formation methods. A new instrument measures conditions needed for a particle to become a cloud droplet, helping determine how emissions affect cloud formation.
The new Keck images capture unusual weather phenomena on Uranus, including a big southern hemisphere storm feature that seesaws over 5 degrees of latitude. The complex cloud formations vary dramatically in size, brightness, and longevity, with some dissipating completely within a month.
Recent Keck Telescope images of Uranus reveal an inner ring and high-altitude clouds with vigorous convection, indicating the planet is not static. The findings contradict previous assumptions about Uranus being a dull and unchanging planet.
A new theory explains how drizzle forms within typical cloud lifetimes, providing insights into local weather and global climate. The research suggests that a statistical barrier speeds up drizzle formation, allowing fewer large drops to dominate the process.
Research reveals high charges in cloud drops may influence precipitation and study suggests Arctic clouds' structure affects global warming. A new model also proposes ancient snowfall as a source of water for Mars' channels near Tharsis.
The Imager of Sprites and Upper Atmospheric Lightning (ISUAL) instrument has captured unique images of sprites, jets, and elves in the upper atmosphere. The images show red sprites, blue jets, and elves, which are caused by lightning discharges into the upper atmosphere and ionosphere.
University of Washington researchers have found giant raindrops with diameters similar to or greater than the largest ever recorded. The largest ones were at least 8 millimeters in diameter, possibly a centimeter, suggesting unique conditions led to their formation.
Researchers found plankton produce compound DMSP when stressed by UV radiation, leading to cloud formation and reduced direct light on the ocean surface. The study suggests plankton may impact global temperatures, with potential benefits in slowing climate change.
The study reveals changes in Earth's reflectance over the past two decades, with a sharp decline in albedo from 1995-2001 and subsequent brightening. These variations are comparable to those in infrared radiation observed in the tropics, influencing the Earth's radiation budget.
Researchers from NJIT and Caltech combined NASA cloud data with earthshine records to analyze Earth's reflectance and global cloud cover. The study suggests that Earth's average albedo varies considerably from year to year and decade to decade.
Research suggests that global warming could result in a dryer and dimmer world as aerosol particles reflect sunlight, reducing the amount of radiation reaching the Earth's surface. This leads to weaker turbulent heat fluxes, resulting in reduced evaporation and precipitation.
Researchers use a NASA WB-57 research jet to examine icy cirrus clouds, aiming to understand their warming and cooling effects on Earth's climate. The Middle Latitude Cirrus Experiment gathers detailed information to improve computer simulations of future climate change.
Research papers in Geophysical Research Letters and Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres have shed light on various atmospheric phenomena. Brown et al.'s study found near-equal rates of nitric acid formation during day and night, while Chatfield et al. attribute seasonal ozone density over the South Atlantic to pollution sources...
Researchers discovered that increased cirrus cloud cover over the US could account for nearly all of the warming observed in the country since 1975. The study suggests that contrails, formed by air traffic, contribute to this warming effect.
Heavy smoke from the Amazon River basin causes significant reduction in cloud cover, leading to increased surface warming and altered climate. This study reveals a new mechanism of aerosol-driven global climate change, challenging current models.
Researchers found that smoke from forest fires delays cloud release, preventing moderate rain and causing thunderstorms instead. High-altitude clouds produce large hailstones on the Amazon rainforest floor.
A NASA study suggests that warming temperatures will lead to more warm rain, which accounts for 31% of global rainfall. The increase in precipitation efficiency could make the air lighter and rise faster, creating updrafts producing more cold rain.
Scientists found a significant link between clouds and pollution transport in the Asian-Pacific region. Clouds mask pollutants from spacecraft sensors, leading to underestimated pollution levels.
Researchers found that polar mesospheric clouds at the South Pole are on average 2 miles higher than those in the North, attributed to increased solar radiation. The clouds have brightened by 15% over the last twenty years, indicating a cooling of the mesosphere and potentially linked to long-term global climate change.