Category Archives: Clouds

Uncrewed Aircraft for Cloud and Atmospheric Electricity Research

Posted on 5 December, 2022 by danaallen

By: Keri Nicoll The popularity and availability of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), has led to a surge in their use in many areas, including aerial photography, surveying, search and rescue, and traffic monitoring.  This is also the case for atmospheric … Continue reading →

Posted in Aerosols, Boundary layer, Climate, Clouds, Fieldwork | Leave a comment

Monitoring Climate Change From Space

Posted on 5 September, 2022 by danaallen

Richard Allan It’s never been more crucial to undertake a full medical check-up for planet Earth, and satellite instruments provide an essential technological tool for monitoring the pace of climate change, the driving forces and the impacts on societies and … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate, Climate change, Climate modelling, Clouds, earth observation, Energy budget, Water cycle | Tagged | Leave a comment

The Turbulent Life Of Clouds

Posted on 8 August, 2022 by danaallen

By: Thorwald Stein It’s been a tough summer for rain enthusiasts in Southern England, with the region having just recorded its driest July on record. But, there was no shortage of cloud: there will have been the slight probability of … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate, Clouds, Turbulence, Weather forecasting | Tagged | Leave a comment

Investigating Clouds With New Radar Technology

Posted on 28 March, 2022 by danaallen

By: Christopher Westbrook Since I joined the University of Reading in 2005 as a research assistant, I have been using radars at the Chilbolton Observatory to study the processes in clouds. I’m very excited at the moment to be part … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate, Clouds, Microphysics, radar, Remote sensing | Leave a comment

Rescuing early satellite data to improve long-term estimates of past weather.

Posted on 19 July, 2021 by danaallen

By: Jade Westfoot  This post is contributed by Jade Westfoot, a year-12 school student who did work experience in the department recently. During her week with us, Jade worked with Drs. Jon Mittaz and Tom Hall on rescuing historic satellite … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate, Clouds | Leave a comment

Why do clouds matter when we measure surface temperature from space?

Posted on 8 February, 2021 by danaallen

By: Claire Bulgin We can use satellites up in space to measure the surface temperature of the Earth over the land and sea.  Satellites have now been making measurements for 40+ years and these data are really helpful for understanding … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate, Clouds, Remote sensing | Leave a comment

The Core-cloak Convection Model

Posted on 26 October, 2020 by danaallen

By: Jian-Feng Gu Moist convection plays a fundamental role in large-scale circulations and climate, ranging from cumulus clouds smaller than 100m to organized weather systems of several thousands of kilometers. Limited by their grid spacing, numerical models are not able … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate, Clouds, Convection, Numerical modelling | Leave a comment

Improving model representation of cloud ice using cloud radar and aircraft observations

Posted on 22 July, 2019 by danaallen

By: Peggy Achtert Understanding the evolution of the ice phase in clouds is of great importance for understanding the development of thunderstorms and the formation of heavy rain. However, cloud ice poses an enormous challenge for both measurements and modelling. While … Continue reading →

Posted in Clouds, Microphysics, radar | Leave a comment

Smoke, science, and sharks

Posted on 5 November, 2018 by

By Ross Herbert In the August of 2017 the Cloud-Aerosol-Radiation Interactions and Forcing – Year 2017 (CLARIFY) measurement campaign took place on a tiny island in the middle of the southeast Atlantic Ocean where we were surrounded by whales, sharks, … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic, Atmospheric chemistry, Atmospheric circulation, Atmospheric optics, Climate, Climate change, Climate modelling, Clouds, Data collection, earth observation, Energy budget, Environmental hazards, Greenhouse gases, Measurements and instrumentation, Microphysics, Numerical modelling, Solar radiation, Weather forecasting, Wind | Tagged | Leave a comment

Image conscious atmospheric science

Posted on 1 October, 2018 by

By Giles Harrison A frequently-heard mantra in physics is “Like charges repel and unlike charges attract”. At face value this paraphrase of Coulomb’s Law seems useful for clouds too, as, quite apart from the obvious example of thunderclouds, water drops … Continue reading →

Posted in Clouds, earth observation, Measurements and instrumentation, Microphysics, Numerical modelling, University of Reading | Tagged | Leave a comment