NASA Is Looking Closely at Ice Clouds Which May Help Improve Climate Change Forecast

NASA plans to look unprecedentedly at ice clouds found in high altitudes in the planet's atmosphere. The US Space Agency is doing it as it might help predict climate change.

NASA Will Study Ice Clouds

NASA will examine how ice clouds respond to climate change. They are hoping that learning more about it, it will help them predict changes in the climate, Space.com reported.

An instrument developed by NASA called the Polarized Submillimeter Ice-cloud Radiometer (PolSIR) is used to examine ice clouds that form high above tropical and subtropical regions of the planet. These relatively inexpensive sensors will be installed on two little satellites and sent into low Earth orbit, gathering information on the daily changes in ice clouds.

The information will enable researchers to comprehend how these ice clouds are adjusting to climate change and how they might affect our climate in the future. Additionally, it would be the first time scientists can investigate ice clouds in this degree of detail, Nicola Fox, associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington, said in a statement.

Two identical radiometer pairs will detect electromagnetic radiation emitted by the clouds as part of the mission's equipment. The radiometers will see both 325 and 680 gigahertz of infrared radiation.

A cubesat, a small satellite just over a foot tall, will carry each pair of radiometers. The two cubesats will be in orbit three to nine hours apart, allowing them to gather information on the ice clouds for 24 hours continually.

According to Karen St. Germain, director of NASA's Earth Sciences Division, the radiometers, which measure the radiant energy emitted by clouds, will considerably advance our knowledge of how ice clouds behave and vary throughout the day.

The mission joins NASA's numerous Earth-focused missions, including the two other Earth Venture missions, the newly launched TROPICS experiment, and the TEMPO mission. NASA highlighted various Earth Venture missions that will aid in understanding the numerous effects of climate change on our planet during its first climate change summit in December 2022.

PolSIR should begin in 2027 if all goes as planned, according to a Vanderbilt University release.

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What Is Ice Clouds?

The highest clouds in the troposphere are called ice clouds or cirrus clouds. They are composed of ice crystals and begin to develop at altitudes of 6.5 km in tropical areas and 5.5 km in temperate regions, according to Science Direct.

Heterogeneous ice nucleation necessitates the presence of a tiny seed particle or INP. Temperatures below negative 38 °C are necessary for the spontaneous homogeneous nucleation of an ice crystal from pure water droplets of 5 μm. The best-known ice nuclei to date and those that contribute to creating ice clouds are mineral dust, metallic particles, and biological matter.

Human activity in the form of deforestation, altered land use, burning of fossil fuels, and other industrial activities has increased the amount of metallic and mineral dust in the atmosphere. Despite this, the late portion of mineral dust has naturally occurring sources like the Sahara and Gobi deserts.

Cirrus clouds impact the Earth's radiative balance, which is significant in the context of the global climate. Heavy cirrus clouds may contribute to net cooling by reflecting solar radiation, whereas thin cirrus clouds may contribute to net warming by absorbing the Earth's thermal radiation.

In other words, accurate cirrus cloud modeling that considers the physical processes of ice nucleation is essential for foreseeing the effects of a changing climate and supports ongoing studies into the mechanisms underlying ice nucleation.