Cloud Atlas Developed Through the Use of an App

Nasa has recently enlisted the help of smartphone users across the globe to help them monitor the effect that clouds have on the Earth’s climate. By using the CloudSpotter app – used by people to take pictures of clouds so that they can identify their shape – Nasa have collected information from around the world which has been used by the space agency’s scientists to calibrate the Earth’s Radiant Energy System instrument and the clouds. Ceres uses a set of vital instruments on three different satellites to measure the sunlight which is reflected back to Earth from space. It also measures the amount of heat it emits. This amount of sunlight is greatly impacted by cloud cover, so if there are very few clouds, you’ll be able to see more of the Earth’s surface. Lin Chambers, a scientist at Nasa’s Langley Research Centre in Virginia, states that if you’re over the Black Forest in Germany, for example, you’re going to get very little reflection from those trees. But if there are clouds over the forest, the reflection would be higher. The reflection of the sun’s light is heavily dependent on the amount of clouds there are.

Chambers’ team has worked since 1997 with school pupils to gather independent observations on cloud shapes and coverage, so that scientists can be absolutely sure that the measurements recorded by the satellites are accurate with information gathered from the ground. Some situations, such as snow, can hinder the amount of cloud cover that can be detected from space. If it is off by several degrees, it leads to a substantial error. Although it will be localised, it will still be a crucial error in terms of the results. In future, anyone using the CloudSpotter app can contribute towards the reduction of such errors, by taking pictures of the clouds they see and indentifying the type of clouds through the Cloud Appreciation Society. This information will eventually be sent to the Ceres team with a time, date and location stamp – vital resources which are helping to shape the outcome of the project.