UK one of the cloudiest nations on Earth
Posted: 14 May 2015, 21:48Proof that Britain is under the weather
By Adam Isaacs, May 14th 2015 12:26 PM
Cloudy days can be a bit of a downer - but not for these scientists. They have spent 13 years adding them all up.
NASA Earth Observatory have just published a map of the Earth that uses data collected between July 2002 and April 2015 to give an unparalleled view of the world's cloudy and sunny spots.
The map averages 13 years of satellite observations from the MODIS spectrometer on the Aqua satellite. One thing that's immediately apparent is that the world is a pretty cloudy place.
The map shows parts of the Earth that are whiter in colour - these areas were less sunny over the 13 years. Darker blue areas were the sunniest over the same period.
In Europe there are hardly any dark blue areas, meaning only in small parts is it usually sunny. The Sahara desert in north Africa is not surprisingly very dark blue.
And it's no shock that the UK - a country renowned for its dreary weather - is covered in bright white, showing it to be one of the cloudiest nations on earth.
http://www.aol.co.uk/2015/05/14/UK-one- ... d%3D351228
By Adam Isaacs, May 14th 2015 12:26 PM
Cloudy days can be a bit of a downer - but not for these scientists. They have spent 13 years adding them all up.
NASA Earth Observatory have just published a map of the Earth that uses data collected between July 2002 and April 2015 to give an unparalleled view of the world's cloudy and sunny spots.
The map averages 13 years of satellite observations from the MODIS spectrometer on the Aqua satellite. One thing that's immediately apparent is that the world is a pretty cloudy place.
The map shows parts of the Earth that are whiter in colour - these areas were less sunny over the 13 years. Darker blue areas were the sunniest over the same period.
In Europe there are hardly any dark blue areas, meaning only in small parts is it usually sunny. The Sahara desert in north Africa is not surprisingly very dark blue.
And it's no shock that the UK - a country renowned for its dreary weather - is covered in bright white, showing it to be one of the cloudiest nations on earth.
http://www.aol.co.uk/2015/05/14/UK-one- ... d%3D351228