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[[image]]
National Aeronautics and 
Space Administration

Cloud Patterns

Location: Earth limb
Latitude: N/A   Longitude: N/A
Date: October 4, 1997
Type of Image: EarthKAM
Image ID #: STS086.ESC.08150528
Dimensions: N/A

Location: Trinidad
Latitude: 10.52° N  Longitude: 62.32° W
Date: March 23, 1996
Type of Image: EarthKAM
Image ID #: STS076.ESC.01080335
Dimensions: 214.23 km x 143.18 km
 
Location: Amazon
Latitude: 1.79° S  Longitude: 53.47° S
Date: March 23, 1996
Type of Image: EarthKAM
Image ID #: STS076.ESC.01080736
Dimensions: 214.05 km x 143.06 km

Location: Namibia
Latitude: 18.51° S  Longitude: 11.58° E
Date: October 4, 1997
Type of Image: EarthKAM
Image ID #: STS086.ESC.08114835
Dimensions: 117.53 km x 78.55 km

[[4 images]]

The Earth's surface plays an important role in the formation of clouds-collections of water and ice droplets. As shown in this composite, clouds often form just over the land or just over the water, and can be indicators of surface features or near-surface processes.

The top left image is a high oblique view of clouds over water. The Earth limb (a) shows the thickness of atmosphere. The top right image is of clouds over Trinidad (b). Clouds have formed only over the land through the combined actions of transpiration (the release of moisture through leaves) from the trees and the uplift of air over the islands. The bottom left image is of clouds along the Amazon River (c). Transpiration from the heavy vegetation growth in the Amazon basin provides the trigger for cloud formation over the land but not over the river. Regions that have been cleared of forest generally have fewer clouds. Finally, the bottom right image is of coastal fog along Namibia (d). Where the cool waters off the southwest coast of Africa meet the warm land, low stratus clouds form.  Occasionally this fog drapes inland a small distance, providing the only moisture to this desert region.

Additional information:
EarthKAM images and lessons: http://www.earthkam.ucsd.edu
JSC Earth From Space image database: http://earth.jsc.nasa.gov
NASA Spacelink: 
http://spacelink.nasa.gov

LG-1999-05-510-HQ

Transcription Notes:
I know image descriptions aren't needed but there is a lot of text surrounding the images so I added it here just in case. [[image a.]] [[image id above image: STS086.ESC.08150528 - Earth limb]] [[what do different types of clouds look like from space?]] [[a. Earth limb [[directional line]] (outer edge of the Earth when it appears as a disk against space)]] [[image b.]] [[image id above image: Trinidad - TS076.ESC.01080335]] [[Can you tell which way the wind is blowing?]] [[2 directional lines]] [[b. Trinidad]] [[image c.]] [[c. Amazon River]] [[directional line]] [[image id below image: STS076.ESC.01080736 - Amazon]] [[image d.]] [[directional line]] [[d. Namibia]] [[directional line]] [[South Atlantic Ocean]] [[image id below image: Namibia - STS086.ESC.08114835]] [[What are the roles of water and land in cloud formation?]] [[image]]