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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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Pacific Decadal Oscillation
Title
Pacific Decadal Oscillation
Title
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Original Caption Released with Image:
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Like fall and winter of 2000, this year's Topex/Poseidon satellite data shows that the Pacific ocean continues to be dominated by the strong Pacific Decadal Oscillation, which is larger than the El Niño/La Niña pattern. The data, taken during a ten-day collection cycle ending Oct. 29,2001, show that the near-equatorial ocean has been very quiet in the past year, and sea levels and sea surface temperatures are near normal. Above-normal sea surface heights and warmer ocean temperatures, indicated by the red and white areas, still blanket the far western tropical Pacific and much of the north mid-Pacific. Red areas are about 10 centimeters (4inches) above normal; white areas show the sea surface height is between 14 and 32 centimeters (6 to 13 inches) above normal. In the western Pacific, the buildup of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation pattern, first noted by Topex/Poseidon oceanographers more than three years ago, has outlasted both the El Niño and La Niña of the past few years. This warmth contrasts with the Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska and the west coast of the United States, where lower than normal sea surface levels and cool ocean temperatures continue, as indicated by the blue areas. The blue areas are between 5 and 13 centimeters (2 and 5 inches) below normal, while the purple areas range from 14 to 18 centimeters (6 to 7 inches) below normal. According to oceanographer Dr. William Patzert of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., the striking similarity between data taken in 2000 and the same time period in 2001 indicates that winter weather forecasts for this year will be similar to last year. The joint U.S.-French Topex/Poseidon mission is managed by the JPL for NASA's Earth Science Enterprise, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. For more information on Topex/Poseidon, see the Topex/Poseidon Web Site.
Original_Caption_Rel eased_with_Image
Like fall and winter of 2000, this year's Topex/Poseidon satellite data shows that the Pacific ocean continues to be dominated by the strong Pacific Decadal Oscillation, which is larger than the El Niño/La Niña pattern. The data, taken during a ten-day collection cycle ending Oct. 29,2001, show that the near-equatorial ocean has been very quiet in the past year, and sea levels and sea surface temperatures are near normal. Above-normal sea surface heights and warmer ocean temperatures, indicated by the red and white areas, still blanket the far western tropical Pacific and much of the north mid-Pacific. Red areas are about 10 centimeters (4inches) above normal; white areas show the sea surface height is between 14 and 32 centimeters (6 to 13 inches) above normal. In the western Pacific, the buildup of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation pattern, first noted by Topex/Poseidon oceanographers more than three years ago, has outlasted both the El Niño and La Niña of the past few years. This warmth contrasts with the Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska and the west coast of the United States, where lower than normal sea surface levels and cool ocean temperatures continue, as indicated by the blue areas. The blue areas are between 5 and 13 centimeters (2 and 5 inches) below normal, while the purple areas range from 14 to 18 centimeters (6 to 7 inches) below normal. According to oceanographer Dr. William Patzert of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., the striking similarity between data taken in 2000 and the same time period in 2001 indicates that winter weather forecasts for this year will be similar to last year. The joint U.S.-French Topex/Poseidon mission is managed by the JPL for NASA's Earth Science Enterprise, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. For more information on Topex/Poseidon, see the Topex/Poseidon Web Site. Original Caption Released with Image
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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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900 samples x 900 lines
Product_Size
900 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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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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Bering Sea
facet_where
Bering Sea
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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NASA Headquarters
facet_where
NASA Headquarters
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_where:
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Washington, D.C.
facet_where
Washington, D.C.
facet_where
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facet_where:
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United States of America
facet_where
United States of America
facet_where
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facet_when:
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2001
facet_when
2001
facet_when
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facet_when:
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2000
facet_when
2000
facet_when
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facet_when_year:
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2001
facet_when_year
2001
facet_when_year
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facet_when_year:
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2000
facet_when_year
2000
facet_when_year
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Image #:
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PIA03460
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UID:
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SPD-PHOTJ-PIA03460
UID
SPD-PHOTJ-PIA03460
UID
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orignial url:
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orignial_url
orignial url
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