Of particular importance are the environmental satellites, such as those in the Nimbus series, which are aids in understanding what causes hurricanes and localized storms, tornadoes and thunderstorms.

• 其中最重要的是环境人造卫星，比如“雨云”系列的人造卫星，就特别有助于了解飓风、地区性风暴、旋风和雷暴雨的起因。