Tropical cloud column density
| The image above shows the column density of the clouds in the tropics. Column density is how much liquid water there would be if a cloud were completely condensed into a thin layer. This image was produced from data obtained using a satellite called Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM). It takes TRMM two days to cover the entire surface of the Earth. The satellite's orbit is such that it does not pass over areas very far outside of the tropics. |
Credit: Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission, courtesy NASA/GSFC DAAC. Image copyright Rice University.
For more info: http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/