Colorado State University researchers are going to spend a lot of time watching the clouds go by -- all in the interest of science.
Yesterday, the National Science Foundation awarded 19 million dollars to Colorado State University to build a center that'll study how clouds affect the weather.
The center's main aim will be to study climate rather than daily weather, including global warming.
But CSU atmospheric scientist David Randall says the work will mean better forecasts, too.
He says that even with the development of computer power in recent years, scientists have struggled to determine how clouds affect climate.
He says if they can better predict cloudiness, they can better predict temperature and precipitation.
Randall will be the director of the center with a staff of about 30.
The 19 million dollars is for five years.
The university may get an additional 20 million dollars over the following five years.