MY NASA DATA Science Project Ideas

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Science Project: Cloud Studies	Image courtesy Forrest M. Mims III
Web Id: P2
Purpose: Observe and identify clouds and cloud cover to learn more about Earth system science phenomena.
Age Range: 11 - Adult
Time Required: Students and adults who take up cloud watching and reporting can make valuable contributions to the S'COOL and GLOBE cloud databases. This might involve up to 10 minutes a day. Those doing cloud-related science projects should plan to observe for at least a month.
Background: Clouds control both daily weather and the Earth's climate. They shade and cool the Earth during the day. At night they trap heat and warm the Earth. Clouds bring rain and snow to water crops, native plants and trees. They fill reservoirs, replenish ground water and end droughts. Clouds also make hail and form ferocious hurricanes and tornadoes. The various roles of clouds in blocking sunlight by day and warming the Earth at night are very difficult to measure. They are also difficult for scientists to simulate using computers. These problems result from the very rapid and unpredictable changes that occur as clouds grow, shrink and drift across the sky. The changes in clouds occur on a vast scale that ranges from the tiny water droplets that form clouds to giant hurricanes the size of the Gulf of Mexico.
Significance: Clouds are the single most important variable in determining the Earth's climate. Clouds are also the signposts of weather. If you can identify clouds, you can understand the weather and anticipate changes. Even young children can and should learn to identify clouds (see Science Project: Clouds for Kids).
Project Links: MY NASA DATA web site
Real Time Data Source: NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites provide cloud data for the entire Earth each day. You can find images from Terra and Aqua at the MODIS Rapid Response site. Instructions on using the MODIS site are available by clicking this link to the Guide to MODIS Rapid Response. You can also get real time cloud data from the National Weather Service. Click on the area of the map where you live. A map of your general area will appear. Click on your city or county for weather details for your area. Click on the satellite image to see the cloud cover over the US.
MY NASA DATA Source: In the Live Access Server: Datasets: Atmosphere: Clouds: Cloud Coverage. Historical data on Monthly Cloud Coverage for a variety of cloud types is available from ISCCP.
Project Ideas: Using either the GLOBE Cloud Protocols or the S'COOL Report Form, make regular observations of cloud cover and cloud type in your area. Keep a record of observations that you can analyze once you have sufficient data. 1. Daily Cloud Observations. Compare your ground observations of clouds with satellite images made at about the same time. Did you ever observe clouds that did not appear on the satellite imagery? Explain why. 2. Daily Cloud Coverage. Estimate how much of the sky is covered by clouds. Do this by imagining that the sky is like a pie divided into 8 slices with the center of the pie is straight overhead (the zenith). Each slice is called an okta. Count the number of oktas covered by cloud. (Half an okta covered by cloud equals 0.5 okta.) A clear sky is 0 oktas. Four oktas means half the sky is covered by clouds. An overcast sky is 8 oktas. Record the cloud coverage in oktas for at least one month. Make a bar graph that shows your observations. 3. Make a Sky Mirror. Use a spherical mirror to observe the sky and measure cloud cover. Suitable mirrors are those designed to be attached to the outside rearview mirror of a pickup truck. Click here for a sample image of a sky mirror. Use a marking pen to divide the mirror into 8 slices or oktas. With the sun at your back and while wearing dark sunglasses, place the mirror flat on a table or the ground so that you can see the entire sky while looking at the mirror. If the sun is not blocked by clouds, move your head so that it forms a shadow over the mirror. This will protect your eyes from reflected sunlight. Estimate the number of oktas blocked by clouds. 4. Sky Photography. Use a digital camera to photograph the same part of the sky at the same time each day. Make a collage of your sky photos and the satellite images made over your area at about the same time. 5. Do-It-Yourself Cloud Chart. Make photographs of various kinds of clouds and assemble them into your own custom cloud chart. Identify the clouds by name and arrange them according to their general height: low, mid-level and high clouds. 6. Cloud Photo Web Page. Design and build your own cloud web page. Illustrate the web page with photos you make of clouds. Include links to S'COOL, GLOBE, satellite sites and this site. 7. Organized Cloud Reporting. Register with S'COOL and report your daily cloud observations. Enroll in the GLOBE program and do likewise. Incorporate your S'COOL and GLOBE observations into a serious science project. 8. Cloud Warming at Night. Study the difference in the minimum temperature on clear nights and nights with cloud cover. You can measure the temperature yourself by following the GLOBE protocol. Or you can get the temperature data for your area from the National Weather Service. 9. Cloud Cooling During the Day. Study the difference in the maximum temperature on clear days and days with cloud cover. As in the previous project, you can measure the temperature yourself by following the GLOBE protocol. Or you can get the temperature data for your area from the National Weather Service. 10. City-Rural Cloud Effects. Large cities produce considerable heat. This is called the urban heat island effect. Cities like Atlanta, Georgia, produce so much heat that they alter local and even regional weather patterns. Establish a partnership or collaboration with cloud watchers in and around a major city. Measure the daily high and low temperature to identify the heat island effect. Report clouds to one another to determine if the urban heat island might be altering local weather patterns.
Analysis Ideas: Learn to identify the kinds of clouds that you observe. Keep track of your results. Display your results in a variety of ways.
Related Projects: The web has various resources that will help you learn much more about clouds and how to observe and identify them. The resources under the Project Links section (above) are especially helpful.
Questions: 1. Are there detectable trends in your cloud cover observations? What do they mean? 2. What kinds of clouds do you observe before and during rain and snow events? 3. Is there a relationship between particular kinds of clouds and temperature or barometric pressure? 4. Can you learn to make weather forecasts based on the kinds of clouds that you observe? Keep track of your results.
Going Further: Learning about clouds will teach you basic skills about the natural world that will stay with you for a life time. The web is filled with information about clouds, storms, weather and climate. Begin your exploration by visiting NASA's Earth Observatory. Find the search feature at the bottom of the home page or just click here. Enter 'clouds' in the search window and prepare to find out more about clouds than you ever knew was possible!
Project ideas contributed by Forrest M. Mims III, Geronimo Creek Observatory, Texas

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