Virtual Clouds On Lake Ontario

The morning of May 24, 2007 is a crystal clear and mild one over the entire Great Lakes region, but why does it appear the Lakes are clouded over in this satellite picture taken early in the day? Well, it's due to the kind of satellite being used. This picture is taken by an infrared satellite, which uses temperature to detect clouds. Infrared satellite shows colder surfaces in white and warmer surfaces in black. Since clouds tower well into atmosphere and are colder than the land, the clouds will appear white and the land black, due to their different temperatures. The reason the Lakes look clouded over, although they are not, is because, since it is Springtime, the Lakes are, in fact, much colder than the land around them. The satellite therefore "thinks" there are clouds over the Lake and you get a false reading of clouds, where it's actually totally clear!

Jonathan Myers