How does the thickness of a cloud change the way it looks from the satellite? This image is in the visible part of the spectrum, and the radiant energy is a function of the cloud and surface albedo. Use the applet below to answer the following questions:

What happens to the image when you make the cloud thinner?
What happens to the image when you make the cloud thicker?
What happens to the image when you decrease the ground temperature?
What happens to the brightness of the cloud when you change the ground temperature? Why?

The vertical scale changes the cloud thickness and its effective brightness. You can modify the surface characteristics which will, in turn, alter the brightness of the scene, by using the horizontal sliding scale.

This example Java applet developed by Tom Whittaker and Steve Ackerman of the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences and the Space Science and Engineering Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

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Lesson 4: Practice Interpreting Satellite Images

Identifying cloud types Identifying urban heat islands Interpreting Satellite IR Images, cloud thickness

Lesson 4: Practice
Interpreting Satellite Images

Identifying cloud types
Identifying urban heat islands
Interpreting Satellite IR Images, cloud thickness