Vertical distribution of cloud particle concentration

Launched on 29 May 2024, ESA’s EarthCARE satellite has returned the first image from its cloud profiling radar instrument. The image reveals, for the first time from space, the vertically-resolved internal structure and dynamics of clouds. It is clear to see that the denser part of the cloud is in its centre. There is a clear boundary at an altitude of around 5 km, which is where the ice and snow in the upper layer melt, forming water droplets falling as rain.

Read full story: A first: inner secrets of clouds revealed from space