winter2025CloudUpdate - Clouds Protocol

Welcome to our NASA GLOBE Clouds Quarterly Update!

This update shares an opportunity to expand your observations with land cover satellite comparisons. Learn how you can also help scientists by reporting blowing snow observations. Find out which region’s cloud photo was voted as the GLOBE community’s favorite. Ask us anything you would like about clouds. Discover NASA’s POWER project and meet our expert Dr. Brad Hegyi!

Land Cover Satellite Comparisons

You may have been making a lot of cloud observations. If so, you have been receiving an email from the GLOBE Clouds team comparing what you saw in the sky with what satellites saw from above. Let us now introduce you to land cover satellite comparisons!

Satellites measure the energy reflected by the Earth's surface across various regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, including those invisible to the human eye. Collecting this data over time helps us document ongoing changes. Satellites act as our "eyes" in orbit, offering significant advantages such as quickly covering large areas and frequently revisiting the same locations. However, some fine details visible at ground level may not be detectable by remote sensing systems. Therefore, ground observations are crucial to complement satellite data. Observations made using tools like GLOBE Observer: Land Cover and other GLOBE Biosphere protocols provide reference data, aiding scientists in interpreting satellite data and enhancing the accuracy of maps and other products created from remote sensing.

Your ground observations complement satellite land cover data by providing height, detail, and layers, especially when clouds obstruct satellite views. Well, get excited, because now GLOBE aligns your observations with images and data from Terra, Landsat, and Sentinel satellites, comparing them to recent Landsat and Sentinel-2 images and Terra MODIS land cover classifications!

To learn more about the importance of land cover observations, please visit Land Cover Science.

Help Scientists Track Blowing Snow

You know how important your observations of clouds are, but sometimes there are things that can block your view of the sky. For example, there could be sand, volcanic ash or haze preventing you from seeing the sky. We say those are “obscurations”. One particular kind of obscuration is blowing snow. As other obscurations, blowing snow can be dangerous because it also reduces visibility for traveling. It happens when wind lifts snow high above the ground. You can help by using the GLOBE Observer app's Clouds tool. When you see blowing snow, open the app, start a new Clouds observation, and in Step 4, choose "Obscured" and then "Blowing Snow." Make sure to take photos, including a "Feature Photo" of the blowing snow on the horizon. In the Field Notes, type "blowing snow" and describe any visible landmarks and how far away they are to help the scientists better understand the visibility. Remember to stay safe, and if needed, you can take photos from inside a building or vehicle. Learn more about how you can report your Blowing Snow Observations!

Science Topic: Clouds, the Energy Budget, and Real-World Applications

We know that clouds have an important impact on our planet. Different types of clouds reflect different amounts of solar energy, but overall, clouds reflect a large amount of solar energy out to space. Why is that important? The Earth's energy budget is the balance between the sun's energy that reaches Earth and the energy that Earth sends back into space. It's important to study this energy budget because if it gets out of balance, Earth's temperature will change.

The CERES (Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System) project helps us understand all of this. CERES combines data from different satellite sensors to create information for scientists. This data helps us understand how clouds and tiny particles affect Earth's energy budget from the top of the atmosphere to the surface. It also helps us understand changes in sea ice and snow, improve weather forecasts, and provide data for solar power and agriculture.

NASA’s POWER project provides free, accessible data about sunlight, weather, and atmospheric conditions, drawing on multiple NASA missions, including CERES. Then, companies like RWDI use this information to understand how sunlight and cloud cover influence outdoor spaces, buildings, and neighborhoods.

RWDI applies POWER data to real-world problems. For example, did you know that curved buildings can reflect sunlight like a magnifying glass, warping parked cars? This has happened! By using CERES-based solar and cloud data, RWDI can anticipate these effects and design solutions to prevent damage.

RWDI also uses POWER data to address the urban heat island effect, where cities become hotter than surrounding areas due to dense buildings, asphalt, vehicles, and air conditioners. Clouds can block or scatter sunlight, reducing heat. Comparing temperatures with and without new buildings—and factoring in sunlight and cloud cover—can help companies like RWDI design strategies to cool neighborhoods, lower energy use, and improve comfort.

Overall, NASA POWER data, including CERES measurements of clouds and radiant energy, enables companies like RWDI to make precise, location-specific decisions for outdoor comfort, building efficiency, safety, and urban climate mitigation. This highlights the importance of reliable, global solar and weather information for addressing urban challenges.