CALIPSO - Resources

In addition to the GLOBE resources identified in "How to Participate", the GLOBE Community can learn about the CALIPSO Mission by using the following activities and resources:

Research

CALIPSO data has been used in more than 1,500 scientific reports and published research papers. A number of these are directly relevant to our contemporary lives and environments.

For instance, CALIPSO data was recently used to illustrate how Saharan dust makes a trans-Atlantic journey to the Amazon, enriching the forest with valuable nutrients. In 2015, Indonesia experienced wildfires so severe, the vast smoke cloud was easily visible from space. CALIPSO data was used to help predict where the plumes of smoke and ash would travel.

This link will take you to CALIPSO’s nasa.gov webpage, where CALIPSO’s activity is updated.

Multimedia

The following are videos, animations, and activities that demonstrate CALIPSO’s valuable work and continued relevance to cloud, aerosol, and climate research.

Educational Activities

1. Vertical Height of the Atmosphere (Elementary) - This unit is designed to showcase the vertical dimension of Earth's atmosphere through CALIPSO imagery (available in English, French, and Spanish).

2. Seasonal Patterns of Aerosols (Middle/High) - This lesson explores high and low values of aerosol optical depth and asks students to investigate seasonal patterns of aerosols.

Videos

1. Saharan Dust/Amazon: http://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/nasa-satellite-reveals-how-much-saharan-dust-feeds-amazon-s-plants

2. How does lidar work (Produced by NEON Education)? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYbhNSUnIdU

3. Secrets of Aerosols and Clouds: https://videotheque.cnes.fr/index.php?urlaction=doc&id_doc=32564

Articles

1. Importance of Understanding Aerosols: NASA Earth Observatory Article on Aerosols

2. Importance of Understanding Clouds: NASA Earth Observatory Article on Clouds

Animations

1. Visualizing Clouds & Aerosols: NASA Earth Observatory Global Map Animations

2. NASA's Mapping Our World - Look at various images from NASA satellites using the Mapping Our World Interactive.