In space, the Earth is a blue pearl that shimmers with the light of life. However, in recent years, astronauts on the International Space Station have discovered a strange phenomenon: above the Earth, there is a thin layer of clouds that glow faintly at night, like the aura of the Earth. This cloud layer is called noctilucent clouds, what are they? Why do they glow at night? What do they have to do with the health of the planet?
Noctilucent clouds are an extremely thin layer of clouds, they are located at the highest point of the atmosphere, about 80 kilometers above the ground. They consist of extremely small ice crystals that adhere to some fine dust or soot to form a frost-like substance.
Noctilucent clouds can glow at night because of their ability to reflect the sun's rays. When the Earth's side goes into night, the noctilucent clouds are still in the Sun's illumination range, so they are like a giant mirror that reflects the Sun's rays to the dark side of the Earth, creating a mysterious and beautiful sight.
Noctilucent clouds are not a common type of cloud, they can only occur at certain times of the year and in certain areas. In general, noctilucent clouds can only be seen in the polar regions during the summer months, where the temperature and humidity are more suitable for the formation of ice crystals.
Also, noctilucent clouds can only be seen for an hour before and after sunset or sunrise, because that's when the angle and position of the sun allows them to shine. If the sun is too high or too low, the noctilucent clouds will become ** or dim.
To see this phenomenon, it is also necessary to meet certain conditions, which are that when the Sun is 6 to 16 degrees below the horizon, it illuminates the mesosphere from below, so that it can still glow even when the troposphere is darkened. In this way, when viewed from the ground, a golden or blue halo is seen, surrounding the edge of the earth. And when you look at it from space, you will see a golden or blue band of light, covering part of the Earth.
Scientists have found that noctilucent clouds are appearing in increasing frequency and range. Over the past few decades, noctilucent clouds have not only become brighter and more persistent in the polar regions, but have also spread to the mid-latitudes, even near the equator. This change has surprised and worried scientists because it could mean that some significant changes are taking place in the Earth's atmosphere.
NASA scientists believe that the increase in noctilucent clouds may be related to the increased concentration of methane in the atmosphere, which in turn reflects the problem of global warming. Global warming refers to the long-term upward trend in the average temperature of the Earth, mainly due to the increase in greenhouse gas emissions caused by human activities.
Greenhouse gases are some of the gases that are capable of absorbing and dissipating heat, and they include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, etc. When these gases increase in the atmosphere, they form a layer of "greenhouses" that block part of the sun's heat from escaping from the earth, causing the temperature of the earth to rise.
Methane is a very potent greenhouse gas, and its greenhouse effect is 28 times greater than that of carbon dioxide. There are many types of methane, including natural swamps, lakes, volcanoes, etc., as well as man-made agriculture, animal husbandry, landfills, fossil fuels, etc.
It is estimated that human activity emits about 3600 million tonnes of methane, accounting for 60% of total emissions. Methane has a lifespan of about 10 years in the atmosphere before it decomposes into water and carbon dioxide at high altitudes.
This is the relationship between noctilucent clouds and global warming. When methane breaks down at high altitudes, it releases water molecules that condense into ice crystals at the height at which the noctilucent clouds are located, increasing the number and brightness of the noctilucent clouds. At the same time, methane also increases the concentration of carbon dioxide, which in turn exacerbates the effects of global warming, causing the earth's temperature to continue to rise.
In this way, a vicious circle is formed: global warming leads to an increase in methane, which in turn promotes an increase in noctilucent clouds, which in turn reflect the severity of global warming.
The correlation and impact between the noctilucent cloud phenomenon and the global warming problem have made us see a new face of the earth and make us aware of a new crisis for the earth. The earth is really having a fever, and it's getting worse. If we do not take effective measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve the earth's environment, then our homeland will face more disasters and threats, and our survival will face more difficulties and challenges. For the sake of the planet, and for ourselves.
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