CloudSat Science Objectives Animation

  • Released Thursday, September 28, 2006
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CloudSat flies a first-of-its-kind radar system that is much more sensitive than any current weather radar. CloudSat will provide new information about the vertical structure of clouds, including the quantities of liquid water and ice they contain, and how clouds affect the distribution of the sun's energy in the atmosphere. These measurements will help with research into atmospheric circulation models and weather patterns. The data will also help scientists develop better tools for making weather and climate predictions in the future, and provide insights into the global water cycle.

This is an illustration of CloudSat science measurements of clouds' vertical structure, liquid water and ice quantities, as well as clouds' effect on Earth's energy budget.

Credits

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab

This page was originally published on Thursday, September 28, 2006.
This page was last updated on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 1:55 PM EDT.