Questions Submitted by Paradise High School
1st period: Are certain types of clouds more indicative of severe weather?
Yes, cumulonimbus are clouds that typically bring severe weather. The classic "anvil" shaped cloud or "thunderhead" also bring severe weather. Many people think that the mammatus clouds bring storms, but these show up after a storm has passed.
1st period: Judy, has your participation made you more informed about the cloud pattern/interactions, or have you been too busy recording data and keeping up with the physical demands (like launching the radiosondes)? In other words, will it take awhile to process everything you have learned?
Oh my goodness, yes! It will take a long time to process the information I gained on this trip. Keep in mind I had this opportunity to work with people who have their Ph.D.'s in physics, atmospheric sciences, chemistry and more. Each one gave me a good glimpse into his or her-own field of expertise. You could say that this teacher became the student again. (Teachers constantly do this by the way-- we never stop learning!) I have a lot of notes to look over and study, and further independent research to do as well. My biggest regret is that I didn't take a tape recorder with me because the opportunities to really talk with the scientists were sporadic and unpredictable. They were all quite consumed by the work and I didn't want to waste their time by asking them to speak with me at a time when it was bad for them. It would have been easier to record conversations to review for clarification later (rather than asking them to repeat things, for example). - Judy
5th period: Do changes in water temperature affect cloud formation?
Yes, when you have warmer ocean water (I'm assuming you mean the ocean in your question), it is easy to evaporate more water into the air above it. This will encourage more clouds to form.
5th period: Judy and Paquita, we see different pictures of clouds and precipitation (visible and infrared). Which types of equipment are taking the different images, and are they on the ship, land or the planes?
Since you mention visible and infrared, I'm guessing you were looking at satellite pictures from space. If you see something that looks like the radar plots you see during the TV weather news, that would be from either the radar based on land - there's one that looks out to 100 km, and registers where the rain is but not where the cloud is, or the cloud radar on the boat, which sees out to about 10 km, sees the cloud very well, but just takes vertical slices.
6th period: Why is it important to know the age of a cloud?
People are interested in whether clouds are short-lived, or long-lived. A field of clouds that last a long time will have a higher cloud amount. Cloud amount influences the radiation balance of the Earth – this is the balance between how much sunlight is Reflected back to space (which cools the Earth) and how much heat clouds absorb from the planet (which in turn warms the Earth). A change in cloud amount will change this balance, and influences whether there is global warming, or global cooling.
6th period: Judy and Paquita, what happens to the radiosonde balloons? How long do they transmit info? If they are found by someone, is there contact info on them (besides "Judy Rocks")?
The radiosonde balloons turn into trash into the ocean I'm afraid. After a while they lose their connection to the receiver on the boat, probably because they are in the water, or simply too far away over the horizon. I've always assumed that the balloon pops, so that you can't read them anymore after they fall down. There's probably a funny story out there about people who find radiosondes and try to decide what they are, but I don't know of one.
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