CT Scan To Help Scientists Diagnose Role of Clouds in Climate
May 21, 2009
(PhysOrg.com) -- During May and June 2009, scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, and the University of Colorado at Boulder will use high-tech scanners — analogous to those used in medical settings — to make observations of clouds. The research, conducted at DOE’s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility (ACRF) in Ponca City, Oklahoma, could lead to more accurate weather forecasts and predictions about climate.
“Clouds play a critical role in Earth’s weather and climate,” said Brookhaven atmospheric scientist Dong Huang, lead researcher for this study. “But poor understanding of clouds has long limited scientists’ ability to make accurate predictions about weather and climate change.”
One major challenge is the sheer scale of the problem: Cloud processes occur on spatial scales ranging from sub-micrometers (millionths of a meter) to thousands of kilometers. The typical probes used by scientists sample a tiny volume. “Using these methods, it would take hundreds of years to take readings from an entire cloud, while the typical lifetime of a cloud is just tens of minutes,” said ARM chief scientist Warren Wiscombe, a co-investigator on this study.
To scan a larger area in a short time, the team will use a novel “cloud tomography” approach to reconstruct three-dimensional cloud structure. “Our approach is very similar to x-ray computed tomography (CT), used by doctors to diagnose disease, but this time the patients are clouds,” said Huang. A CT scanner obtains x-ray data of the body “slice by slice” using detectors that rotate around the patient. Similarly a cloud tomography system uses multiple microwave sensors to scan clouds from several distinct ground locations. The interior structure of a cloud can then be inferred from the resultant radiometric measurements using sophisticated algorithms.
The scientists will use a network of five microwave sensors to probe clouds’ thermal emission, or release of heat energy, along with two cloud radars, a variety of optical and infrared sensors, and weather balloons to measure other characteristics.
“Using this combination of instrumentation, we will be able to obtain three-dimensional ‘maps’ of the distribution of clouds, atmospheric moisture, and other characteristics over a domain of about 10 kilometers,” said Huang.
The quality of the cloud and moisture reconstructions will be evaluated using concurrent cloud measurements collected by a research aircraft operated by another field experiment led by Brookhaven atmospheric scientist Andy Vogelmann. This study will collect long-term statistics on low-optical-depth clouds.
The combined data will enable scientists to better understand the role of clouds in regulating Earth’s “radiation energy” budget — or how the planet absorbs and re-radiates energy from the sun. These data will also be used to assess the validity of how various cloud processes are represented in computer models of cloud behavior.
“The combination of intensive field experiments, long-term observations, and modeling will provide important insights that could directly benefit weather forecasting and climate modeling,” Huang said.
-
Scientists seek clear-sky definition of clouds
Dec 06, 2005 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Dutch research into fair-weather clouds important in climate predictions
Dec 08, 2008 |
not rated yet |
0
-
The insides of clouds may be the key to climate change
Feb 17, 2007 |
not rated yet |
0
-
NASA Finds Polluted Clouds Hold Less Moisture & Cool Earth Less
Dec 23, 2004 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Study may produce better weather forecasts
Aug 11, 2005 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Engineers build first sub-10-nm carbon nanotube transistor
Feb 01, 2012 |
4.9 / 5 (33) |
30
-
Something old, something new: Evolution and the structural divergence of duplicate genes
Jan 31, 2012 |
4.6 / 5 (7) |
1
-
The hidden nanoworld of ice crystals: Revealing the dynamic behavior of quasi-liquid layers
Jan 30, 2012 |
5 / 5 (4) |
1
-
Stock market network reveals investor clustering
Jan 27, 2012 |
3.9 / 5 (23) |
8
-
Of microchemistry and molecules: Electronic microfluidic device synthesizes biocompatible probes
Jan 26, 2012 |
5 / 5 (2) |
0
-
Do some geologists actually act a lot like Randy Marsh?
Feb 11, 2012
-
Discrepancy between oxygen and carbon-dioxide levels
Feb 09, 2012
-
where gems are found in the world
Feb 09, 2012
-
Wind Waves in Reservoir ~ Wind run-up and Wind set-up
Feb 08, 2012
-
Balance of oxygen in the atmosphere
Feb 01, 2012
-
The case for a methanol-based economy
Jan 30, 2012
- More from Physics Forums - Earth
More news stories
Latin America mining boom clashes with conservation
Latin America is experiencing a mining boom as prices rise fuelled by a hike in global demand, but the region is also being hit by a wave of violent protests, strikes and rallies by environmentalists.
12 hours ago |
5 / 5 (1) |
1
Salvage workers begin pumping fuel from Italian shipwreck
Salvage workers Sunday began pumping fuel from the shipwrecked Italian cruise liner Costa Concordia, a day ahead of schedule, officials said.
4 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
Political leaders play key role in how worried Americans are by climate change: study
More than extreme weather events and the work of scientists, it is national political leaders who influence how much Americans worry about the threat of climate change, new research finds.
Feb 06, 2012 |
5 / 5 (6) |
73
NASA budget will axe Mars deal with Europe: scientists
US President Barack Obama's budget proposal to be submitted next week for 2013 will cut NASA's budget by 20 percent and eliminate a major partnership with Europe on Mars exploration, scientists said Thursday.
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Feb 10, 2012 |
5 / 5 (3) |
58
Humans may have helped the decline of African rainforests 3000 years ago
(PhysOrg.com) -- Large areas of rainforests in Central Africa mysteriously disappeared over three thousand years ago, to be replaced by savannas. The prevailing theory has been that the cause was a change ...
Overeating may double risk of memory loss
New research suggests that consuming between 2,100 and 6,000 calories per day may double the risk of memory loss, or mild cognitive impairment (MCI), among people age 70 and older. The study was released today and will be ...
Google might launch Drive for cloud storage soon
(PhysOrg.com) -- Google's next big move, according to the Wall Street Journal, is a cloud storage service called Drive. Hardly first to the plate, Google is simply catching up to introducing its cloud reposi ...
Scientists discover molecular secrets of 2,000-year-old Chinese herbal remedy
For roughly two thousand years, Chinese herbalists have treated Malaria using a root extract, commonly known as Chang Shan, from a type of hydrangea that grows in Tibet and Nepal. More recent studies suggest that halofuginone, ...
New method to examine batteries -- MRI from the inside
There is an ever-increasing need for advanced batteries for portable electronics, such as phones, cameras, and music players, but also to power electric vehicles and to facilitate the distribution and storage of energy derived ...
Lab study raises questions over nano-particle impact
Tests involving chickens have raised questions about the impact on health from engineered nano-particles, the ultra-fine grains commonly used in drugs and processed foods, scientists said on Sunday.
Injured boomers beware: Know when to see doctor
(AP) -- It happened to nurse Jane Byron years after an in-line skating fall, business owner Haralee Weintraub while doing "men's" push-ups, and avid cyclist Gene Wilberg while lifting a heavy box.
May 22, 2009
Rank: 3 / 5 (2)
May 25, 2009
Rank: 5 / 5 (1)