NASA has approved the PolSIR mission To better understand the dynamic nature of Earth's atmosphere
NASA has approved the PolSIR mission To better understand the dynamic nature of Earth's atmosphere
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USA: A new mission that will help us comprehend the dynamic nature of the Earth's atmosphere has been given the go-ahead by NASA. The PolSIR mission, which stands for Polarised Submillimeter Ice-cloud Radiometer, will study ice clouds to learn how and why they change throughout the day. Climate forecasts will benefit from these observations. Let's examine how the mission will function.

Ice clouds are common and have a significant effect on climate. According to Ralf Bennartz, the mission's principal investigator from Vanderbilt University in the US, we haven't had precise measurements to date to fully understand the impact of such bodies on climate. With the PolSIR, that will now alter.

Ice crystals make up ice clouds, also referred to as cirrus clouds. These clouds are the tallest in the troposphere and begin to form at altitudes of 5.5 km in temperate regions and 6.5 km in tropical regions. Cirrus clouds influence the Earth's radiative balance and thus have a significant impact on the global climate.

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According to NASA, ice clouds begin as tiny particles high in the atmosphere. The ice crystals grow and become heavier as a result of absorbing moisture, which makes them fall to lower altitudes. The particles eventually become so heavy that they fall to the ground and melt, creating raindrops. The ice crystals could occasionally just hang in the air.

According to NASA, cirrus clouds "alleviate and exacerbate" the effects of climate change. By reflecting incoming solar radiation back into space, thick cirrus clouds with large ice crystals help to regulate Earth's temperature. Contrarily, thin cirrus clouds, which are made up of smaller ice crystals, neither reflect sunlight nor let the Earth's own thermal radiation escape our atmosphere.

Ice clouds that develop at great altitudes in tropical and subtropical areas will be observed by the PolSIR. Two identical CubeSats, each measuring just over 12 inches in height, make up the mission. According to Bennartz, the satellites will be able to gauge the size and density of ice clouds in the atmosphere. It will eventually track the daily cycle of ice content in the clouds.

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A better comprehension of the effects of ice clouds on the climate will be possible thanks to the observations made by PolSIR. According to Bennartz, the mission will help climate models produce more precise global and regional projections, which will ultimately support efforts at adaptation and mitigation.

One of the biggest obstacles to forecasting what the atmosphere will do in the future is figuring out how ice clouds react to a changing climate and then contribute to further changes, according to Karen St.Germain of NASA's Earth Sciences Division. Radiometers will "improve understanding of how ice clouds change and respond throughout the day," she continued. Radiometers measure the radiant energy emitted by clouds.

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The PolSIR is most likely to launch alongside another mission or commercial satellite in order to reduce costs. However, NASA has not yet specified a launch window.

 

 

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