Information from the PREFIRE mission will illuminate how clouds and water vapor in the Arctic and Antarctic influence the amount of heat the poles radiate
Earth ’s polar regions radiates much of the heat initially absorbed at the tropics out to space, mostly in the form of far-infrared radiation. Clouds in the Arctic — like these seen over a Greenland glacier — and Antarctic can trap far-infrared radiation on Earth , increasing global temperatures. into space.
This video gives an overview of the PREFIRE mission, which aims to improve global climate change predictions by expanding scientists’ understanding of heat radiated from Earth at the polar regions. NASA/JPL-Caltech One of the two shoebox-size CubeSats that make up NASA’s PREFIRE mission sits on a table at Blue Canyon Technologies. The company built the satellite bus and integrated the JPL-provided thermal infrared spectrometer instrument.Clouds and water vapor can trap far-infrared radiation on Earth, thereby increasing global temperatures — part of the greenhouse effect.
But clouds are notoriously difficult to study: They’re made up of microscopic particles that can move and change in a matter of seconds to hours. When it rains or snows, there’s a great reshuffling of water and energy that can alter the character of clouds entirely. These ever-changing factors complicate the task of realistically capturing cloud behavior in climate models, which try to project global climate scenarios.
Earth Earth Science Jet Propulsion Laboratory PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy In The Far-Infrared
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
5 Things To Know About the PREFIRE Mission – NASA’s Tiny Twin Polar SatellitesScience, Space and Technology News 2024
Read more »
5 Things to Know About NASA’s Tiny Twin Polar SatellitesCalled PREFIRE, this CubeSat duo will boost our understanding of how much heat Earth’s polar regions radiate out to space and how that influences our climate.
Read more »
In a first, NASA deploys climate change satellites to track polar heat lossNASA launches the first of two PREFIRE CubeSats to study heat emissions from Earth's polar regions using Rocket Lab's Electron rocket.
Read more »
Plants signal NASA satellites with waning 'glow' ahead of flash droughtMeredith is a regional Murrow award-winning Certified Broadcast Meteorologist and science/space correspondent. She most recently was a Freelance Meteorologist for NY 1 in New York City & the 19 First Alert Weather Team in Cleveland.
Read more »
Tech Today: NASA’s Ion Thruster Knowhow Keeps Satellites FlyingIn low Earth orbit, satellites face a constant challenge – a tiny amount of atmospheric drag that, over time, causes them to slow down and decay their orbit.
Read more »