A recent image captured by the Earthcare satellite provides unprecedented insights into the transformation of ice and snow within clouds into rain, showcasing intricate cloud dynamics with remarkable detail.
A recent image captured by the Earthcare satellite—a collaborative mission between Europe and Japan—is providing new insights into the transformation of ice and snow within clouds into rain. The image, lauded by scientists, displays the internal structure of clouds with unprecedented detail. Earthcare’s radar, provided by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Jaxa), has identified distinct cloud layers: ice crystals and snowflakes are suspended at the top, falling slowly, while lower particles descend faster, transforming into water droplets.
Notably, a boundary at an altitude of around 5,000 meters marks where ice and snow are melting. The image, taken on June 13 over the ocean east of Japan, is the first of its kind, revealing intricate cloud dynamics from space.
Earthcare, or Earth Cloud Aerosol and Radiation Explorer, aims to improve weather and climate predictions by studying aerosols like dust and smoke and measuring Earth’s emitted radiation. Future data from its three other instruments are anticipated to enhance understanding of the complex interactions affecting climate trends.
