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Collection:
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NASA Planetary Photo Journal Collection
Collection
NASA Planetary Photo Journal Collection
Collection
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Title:
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TOPEX/El Niño Watch - La Niña Barely Has a Pulse, June 18, 1999
Title
TOPEX/El Niño Watch - La Niña Barely Has a Pulse, June 18, 1999
Title
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Original Caption Released with Image:
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Lingering just a month ago in the eastern Pacific Ocean, the La Niña phenomenon, with its large volume of chilly water, barely has a pulse this month, according to new satellite data from the U.S.-French TOPEX/Poseidon mission. The data, taken during a 10-day cycle of data collection ending June 18, show that the equatorial Pacific Ocean is warming up and returning to normal (green) as La Niña all but vanishes. The warming trend is most apparent in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, where only a few patches of cooler, low sea levels (seen in blue and purple) remain. The blue areas are between 5 and 13 centimeters (2 and 5 inches) below normal, whereas the purple areas range from 14 to 18 centimeters (6 to 7 inches) below normal. Like its counterpart, El Niño, a La Niña condition will influence global climate and weather until it has completely subsided. As summer begins in the northern hemisphere, lower-than-normal sea surface levels and cool ocean temperatures persist in the northeastern Gulf of Alaska and along the western coast of North America. In contrast, the trend is the opposite over most of the Pacific, where above-normal sea surface heights and warmer ocean temperatures (indicated by the red and white areas) appear to be increasing and dominating the overall Pacific Ocean. Red areas are about 10 centimeters (4 inches) above normal; white areas show the sea surface height is between 14 and 32 centimeters (6 and 13 inches) above normal. Scientists are not ready to administer last rites to La Niña, though. In the last 12 months, the pool of unusually cold water in the Pacific has shrunk (warmed) several times before cooling (expanding) again. This summer's altimeter data will help them determine whether La Niña has truly dissipated or whether they will see another resurgence of cool water in the Pacific. The TOPEX/Poseidon mission is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Earth Science, Washington, DC. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA. For more information, please visit the TOPEX/Poseidon project web page at http://topex-www.jpl.nasa.gov/
Original_Caption_Rel eased_with_Image
Lingering just a month ago in the eastern Pacific Ocean, the La Niña phenomenon, with its large volume of chilly water, barely has a pulse this month, according to new satellite data from the U.S.-French TOPEX/Poseidon mission. The data, taken during a 10-day cycle of data collection ending June 18, show that the equatorial Pacific Ocean is warming up and returning to normal (green) as La Niña all but vanishes. The warming trend is most apparent in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, where only a few patches of cooler, low sea levels (seen in blue and purple) remain. The blue areas are between 5 and 13 centimeters (2 and 5 inches) below normal, whereas the purple areas range from 14 to 18 centimeters (6 to 7 inches) below normal. Like its counterpart, El Niño, a La Niña condition will influence global climate and weather until it has completely subsided. As summer begins in the northern hemisphere, lower-than-normal sea surface levels and cool ocean temperatures persist in the northeastern Gulf of Alaska and along the western coast of North America. In contrast, the trend is the opposite over most of the Pacific, where above-normal sea surface heights and warmer ocean temperatures (indicated by the red and white areas) appear to be increasing and dominating the overall Pacific Ocean. Red areas are about 10 centimeters (4 inches) above normal; white areas show the sea surface height is between 14 and 32 centimeters (6 and 13 inches) above normal. Scientists are not ready to administer last rites to La Niña, though. In the last 12 months, the pool of unusually cold water in the Pacific has shrunk (warmed) several times before cooling (expanding) again. This summer's altimeter data will help them determine whether La Niña has truly dissipated or whether they will see another resurgence of cool water in the Pacific. The TOPEX/Poseidon mission is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Earth Science, Washington, DC. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA. For more information, please visit the TOPEX/Poseidon project web page at http://topex-www.jpl.nasa.gov/ Original Caption Released with Image
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Addition Date:
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1999-08-23
Addition_Date
1999-08-23
Addition Date
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Produced By:
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JPL
Produced_By
JPL
Produced By
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Mission:
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TOPEX/Poseidon (Jason-1)
Mission
TOPEX/Poseidon (Jason-1)
Mission
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Spacecraft:
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TOPEX/Poseidon
Spacecraft
TOPEX/Poseidon
Spacecraft
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Target Name:
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Earth
Target_Name
Earth
Target Name
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Is a satellite of:
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Sol (our sun)
Is_a_satellite_of
Sol (our sun)
Is a satellite of
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Instrument:
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Altimeter
Instrument
Altimeter
Instrument
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Product Size:
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902 samples x 900 lines
Product_Size
902 samples x 900 lines
Product Size
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Primary Data Set:
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TOPEX/Poseidon Science and Data
Primary_Data_Set
TOPEX/Poseidon Science and Data
Primary Data Set
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Producer ID:
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P50442
Producer_ID
P50442
Producer ID
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facet_what:
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Sun
facet_what
Sun
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Earth
facet_what
Earth
facet_what
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facet_what:
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TOPEX
facet_what
TOPEX
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Jason-1
facet_what
Jason-1
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Poseidon
facet_what
Poseidon
facet_what
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facet_what:
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TOPEX/Poseidon
facet_what
TOPEX/Poseidon
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Altimeter
facet_what
Altimeter
facet_what
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facet_where:
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Jet Propulsion Laboratory
facet_where
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Pacific Ocean
facet_where
Pacific Ocean
facet_where
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facet_where:
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California
facet_where
California
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Washington
facet_where
Washington
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Alaska
facet_where
Alaska
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Gulf of Alaska
facet_where
Gulf of Alaska
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
facet_where
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
facet_where
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facet_when:
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June 18, 1999
facet_when
June 18, 1999
facet_when
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facet_when_year:
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1999
facet_when_year
1999
facet_when_year
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Image #:
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PIA01586
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UID:
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SPD-PHOTJ-PIA01586
UID
SPD-PHOTJ-PIA01586
UID
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orignial url:
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orignial_url
orignial url
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