The illustration shows how radio signals can penetrate clouds and portray multiple layers of the atmosphere. The Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate (COSMIC) will fill in a data gap over the oceans. About 2,500 sounding profiles every 24 hours will be done by the satellite constellation. This map shows the typical locations of a day’s worth of COSMIC soundings (green diamonds) compared to existing radiosonde launch sites using balloons (red circles). Illustration: Bill Schreiner/UCAR
