|
|
Montana and Alberta (Canada)
…
| Title |
Montana and Alberta (Canada) fires - July 29, 2003 |
| Abstract |
Push-in to the fires in Montana (US) and Alberta (Canada). |
| Completed |
2003-07-30 |
|
Montana and Alberta (Canada)
…
| Title |
Montana and Alberta (Canada) fires - July 29, 2003 |
| Abstract |
Push-in to the fires in Montana (US) and Alberta (Canada). |
| Completed |
2003-07-30 |
|
Montana and Alberta (Canada)
…
| Title |
Montana and Alberta (Canada) fires - July 29, 2003 |
| Abstract |
Push-in to the fires in Montana (US) and Alberta (Canada). |
| Completed |
2003-07-30 |
|
Fires Ravage Parts of Alaska
…
| Title |
Fires Ravage Parts of Alaska and Canada |
| Abstract |
Alaska and Canada both suffered multi-fire damage. On June 29, 2004, these smoke plumes were detected from space by the Aqua satellite. |
| Completed |
2004-08-19 |
|
Fires Ravage Parts of Alaska
…
| Title |
Fires Ravage Parts of Alaska and Canada |
| Abstract |
Alaska and Canada both suffered multi-fire damage. On June 29, 2004, these smoke plumes were detected from space by the Aqua satellite. |
| Completed |
2004-08-19 |
|
The First Day In The Life of
…
| Title |
The First Day In The Life of Aqua/MODIS |
| Abstract |
In its first day of operations, June 24, 2002, Aqua/MODIS observed significant Earth events occurring all over the globe. As Super Typhoon Chataan was rapidly approaching Japan, there was severe flooding in southeast Texas and a vast, thick pall of smoke from Canadian wildfires blanketed almost the entire U.S. East Coast. MODIS collected and beamed to Earth these images in very near real-time. |
| Completed |
2002-08-13 |
|
The First Day In The Life of
…
| Title |
The First Day In The Life of Aqua/MODIS |
| Abstract |
In its first day of operations, June 24, 2002, Aqua/MODIS observed significant Earth events occurring all over the globe. As Super Typhoon Chataan was rapidly approaching Japan, there was severe flooding in southeast Texas and a vast, thick pall of smoke from Canadian wildfires blanketed almost the entire U.S. East Coast. MODIS collected and beamed to Earth these images in very near real-time. |
| Completed |
2002-08-13 |
|
MODIS White Sky Albedo Unwra
…
| Title |
MODIS White Sky Albedo Unwraps to False Color Albedo Flat Map |
| Abstract |
The MODIS instrument, flying aboard NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites, measures albedo. Albedo measures the proportion of incoming solar radiation reaching a surface that is reflected back to the atmosphere and to space. For an unchanging surface, albedo can vary somewhat, depending on the sky and atmospheric conditions. This image maps the white-sky albedo, which is the albedo under conditions of a uniform, dense cloud cover, in which downwelling light energy comes uniformly from all directions. The color bar indicates the albedo value ranging from 0.0 to 0.4 over the Earth's land surfaces. Areas colored red show the brightest, most reflective regions, yellows and greens are intermediate values, and blues and violets show relatively dark surfaces. White indicates no data is available. Typically, vegetated surfaces and water have low albedos, while soil and urban surfaces have somewhat higher values. Note that solar energy that is not reflected away from a surface is absorbed by that surface. Thus, albedo also provides information about the amount of energy absorbed by a surface. Since this energy serves to heat the soil and the air just above the surface, albedo is an important factor in weather and climate studies, and especially is important for modeling of weather and climate on scales of days to years. This image was produced using data composited over a 16-day period, from April 7-22, 2002. |
| Completed |
2002-07-01 |
|
Fires and Smoke Across Alask
…
| Title |
Fires and Smoke Across Alaska and Canada |
| Abstract |
Alaska suffered from fire and smoke that can be seen from space. The Aqua satellite captured this breathtaking image on 29 June 2004. |
| Completed |
2004-07-01 |
|
Fires and Smoke Across Alask
…
| Title |
Fires and Smoke Across Alaska and Canada |
| Abstract |
Alaska suffered from fire and smoke that can be seen from space. The Aqua satellite captured this breathtaking image on 29 June 2004. |
| Completed |
2004-07-01 |
|
Fires and Smoke Across Alask
…
| Title |
Fires and Smoke Across Alaska and Canada |
| Abstract |
Alaska suffered from fire and smoke that can be seen from space. The Aqua satellite captured this breathtaking image on 29 June 2004. |
| Completed |
2004-07-01 |
|
Fires and Smoke Across Alask
…
| Title |
Fires and Smoke Across Alaska and Canada |
| Abstract |
Alaska suffered from fire and smoke that can be seen from space. The Aqua satellite captured this breathtaking image on 29 June 2004. |
| Completed |
2004-07-01 |
|
Northwest Passage Open
| Title |
Northwest Passage Open |
| Description |
Although nearly open, the Northwest Passage was not necessarily easy to navigate in August 2007. Located 800 kilometers (500 miles) north of the Arctic Circle and less than 1,930 kilometers (1,200 miles) from the North Pole, this sea route poses significant challenges, and the severe depletion of sea ice means only one of these is reduced. Nevertheless, long-term opening of the passage would have global impacts on trade and natural resource use. You can download a 250-meter-resolution KMZ file of the Northwest Passage [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Aug2007/nwpassage_amo_2007241.kmz ] suitable for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/ ] NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data obtained from the Goddard Land Processes data archives (LAADS). [ http://laads.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] Thanks to Walt Meier, NSIDC, U.S. National Ice Center, and John Falkingham, Environment Canada - Canadian Ice Service for image interpretation., For over 500 years, Arctic explorers have sought a passage between the North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Such a passage, often called the Northwest Passage, would connect Europe to Asia via shorter routes than the long voyage south around Africa. In 1497, English King Henry VII sent Italian explorer John Cabot to look for this hypothetical route and expeditions from some of the most famous explorers in the centuries that followed—Sir Francis Drake and Captain James Cook among them—met with failure. The combined efforts of a number of explorers eventually uncovered a winding path from the Atlantic to the Arctic and Pacific Oceans through the ice-bound islands of northern Canada. Even in modern times, navigating from the Atlantic to the Pacific through Canada's Arctic islands has been difficult. The summer of 2007, however, melted enough sea ice in Canada's far north to open up this long-sought passage. This image shows the islands north of mainland Canada adjacent to Greenland, as observed by the the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] flying on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on August 29, 2007. While the usual veil of clouds over the Arctic is visible through the scene, the sea ice pack that normally covers the water between the islands is absent. Areas often choked with ice at this time of year, but free of it in this MODIS scene, include the Parry and McClintock Channels and the McClure Strait. Larsen Sound and Victoria Strait are hidden beneath cloud cover, but they are also largely free of sea ice. [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17752 ] This provided a nearly ice-free connection between Baffin Bay (a long body of water between Canada's Baffin Island and Greenland that is regularly ice-free in summer) and the Arctic Ocean. An ice-free gap between the North American mainland and the Arctic sea, not shown here, extends all the way to the Bering Strait between Alaska and Russia, creating a connection almost free of all sea ice from the North Atlantic to the North Pacific. Multi-year ice (ice that survives more than one melt season) tends to be thicker and more resistant to melt than first-year ice (formed over just one winter). According to John Falkingham of the Canadian Ice Service, most of the multi-year ice melted from Victoria Strait and McClintock Channel in the summer of 2006, leaving these traditionally difficult areas more open. In mid-August 2007, only patchy areas of ice filled Victoria Strait and Larsen Sound. Falkingham described the Northwest Passage as "nearly open." Changes in the Northwest Passage were part of a larger pattern of melt in 2007 that also affected the East Siberian Sea. [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17743 ] |
|
Fires in Canada's Yukon Terr
…
| Title |
Fires in Canada's Yukon Territory |
| Description |
In the southeast corner of Yukon Territory, Canada, several large fires were burning on July 4, 2006, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite passed overhead and captured this image. Places where the sensor detected actively burning fires are outlined in red. Gray-brown smoke blows northeast into the Northwest Territories. Clouds are bright white. According to reports from the Yukon Territory government, lightning triggered numerous fires in this area over the first weekend of July, but they were burning in wilderness areas and were not immediately threatening human life or property. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. |
|
Fires in Central Canada
| Title |
Fires in Central Canada |
| Description |
A blanket of smoke from scores of wildfires hung over central Canada on July 4, 2006. This image of the area was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite that afternoon at 2:40 p.m. Central Standard Time. Places where MODIS detected active fires are marked in red. In this image, fires are burning in British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. Smoke appears light gray or yellow-gray, where it is very thick. The smoke spreads over a wide area, reaching northward into Northwest Territories and eastward into Manitoba. Several thousand people have been forced to evacuate their homes because of various wildfires throughout western and central Canada off and on since late June. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided by the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. |
|
Fires in Central Canada
| Title |
Fires in Central Canada |
| Description |
In central Canada, wildfires were spreading thick smoke and forcing evacuations on June 28, 2006. Forest fires, many triggered by lightning, were burning in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite passed overhead and captured this image on June 27. Places where MODIS detected actively burning fire are marked in red. Grayish smoke almost completely hides Lake Athabasca (upper left), which sits at the border of Alberta (far left) and Saskatchewan provinces. A veil of smoke also covers Reindeer Lake, at the Saskatchewan-Manitoba border. According to reports from Reuters news service, [ http://ca.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-06-27T222354Z_01_N27287395_RTRIDST_0_NEWS-ENVIRONMENT-CANADA-FIRES-COL.XML ] the smoke is the primary cause of evacuation orders for communities in Saskatchewan province. On June 26, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13678 ] MODIS observed smoke from the fires blowing southward several hundred kilometers, beyond Lake Winnipeg. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. |
|
Smoke from Alaska Fires
| Title |
Smoke from Alaska Fires |
| Description |
This large-scale image was made by stitching together four images collected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments aboard both the Terra and Aqua satellites. The mosaic shows the extent to which smoke from fires burning in Alaska has spread all the way across Canada and into the Great Lakes region of the United States. The high-resolution version available here is 1 kilometer per pixel. NASA image by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data courtesy MODIS Rapid Response |
|
Smoke from Alaska Fires
| Title |
Smoke from Alaska Fires |
| Description |
This large-scale image was made by stitching together four images collected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments aboard both the Terra and Aqua satellites. The mosaic shows the extent to which smoke from fires burning in Alaska has spread all the way across Canada and into the Great Lakes region of the United States. The high-resolution version available here is 1 kilometer per pixel. NASA image by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data courtesy MODIS Rapid Response |
|
Smoke over the Midwestern U.
…
| Title |
Smoke over the Midwestern U.S. and Canada |
| Description |
This true-color image shows smoke spreading eastward over a large region in the midwestern United States and Canada. The smoke was generated from a number of intense wildfires [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=11646 ] burning to the west in both countries [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=11647 ]. This scene was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), aboard NASA's Aqua satellite, on Aug. 22, 2003. Image by Jesse Allen, NASA Earth Observatory, based upon data courtesy MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] at Goddard Space Flight Center |
|
Flooding on the Red River
| Title |
Flooding on the Red River |
| Description |
By April 16, 2006, the leading bulge of the Red River flood had made its way into Manitoba, Canada, from the river's lower reaches in North Dakota and Minnesota. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) reported the river to be 15 kilometers wide in sections of southern Manitoba when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite took the top image on the afternoon of April 16. Heavy rain was in the forecast, the Manitoba Water Stewardship warned in a release also issued on April 16, and that means that the floods were forecast to grow on April 18. This pair of MODIS images compares the river on April 16, 2006, to April 16, 2005. The images are shown in false color so that water is dark blue or black, clouds are pale blue and white, and bare earth ranges from red to tan. Springtime snowmelt in 2006 has driven the Red River and some of its tributaries well over their banks. Compared to the last clear view of the floods on April 13 [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13497 ], the river leading into Winnipeg (the cement-colored region, top center) has broadened. The flood was expected to peak in the city around April 20. The Pembina River along the border between Canada and the United States is also swollen. The region near the confluence of the Pembina and Red Rivers is covered in a wide pool of water that has grown since April 13. This flood closed the border crossing between Canada and the United States when the highway was submerged, the CBC reported. Approximately 40,000 hectares of farmland were also underwater in both countries. For more information about the floods in Canada, please visit the Manitoba Water Stewardship [ http://www.gov.mb.ca/flood.html? ] Website. Daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA2 ] of the floods are available from the MODIS Rapid Response Team. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
|
Flooding on the Red River
| Title |
Flooding on the Red River |
| Description |
By April 16, 2006, the leading bulge of the Red River flood had made its way into Manitoba, Canada, from the river's lower reaches in North Dakota and Minnesota. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) reported the river to be 15 kilometers wide in sections of southern Manitoba when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite took the top image on the afternoon of April 16. Heavy rain was in the forecast, the Manitoba Water Stewardship warned in a release also issued on April 16, and that means that the floods were forecast to grow on April 18. This pair of MODIS images compares the river on April 16, 2006, to April 16, 2005. The images are shown in false color so that water is dark blue or black, clouds are pale blue and white, and bare earth ranges from red to tan. Springtime snowmelt in 2006 has driven the Red River and some of its tributaries well over their banks. Compared to the last clear view of the floods on April 13 [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13497 ], the river leading into Winnipeg (the cement-colored region, top center) has broadened. The flood was expected to peak in the city around April 20. The Pembina River along the border between Canada and the United States is also swollen. The region near the confluence of the Pembina and Red Rivers is covered in a wide pool of water that has grown since April 13. This flood closed the border crossing between Canada and the United States when the highway was submerged, the CBC reported. Approximately 40,000 hectares of farmland were also underwater in both countries. For more information about the floods in Canada, please visit the Manitoba Water Stewardship [ http://www.gov.mb.ca/flood.html? ] Website. Daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA2 ] of the floods are available from the MODIS Rapid Response Team. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
|
Smoke from fires in Idaho an
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
* eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/ima
…
USA_AMO_2007216
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-08-04 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
USA_AMO_2007216 |
|
Fires and Smoke Across South
…
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
The skies over the heart of
…
samerica_amo_2007252
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-09-09 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ MODIS Rapid Response team. |
| identifier |
samerica_amo_2007252 |
|
Smoke over the Midwestern U.
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
This true-color image shows
…
aqua_midwest_22aug03
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2003-08-22 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
aqua_midwest_22aug03 |
|
Smoke from Alaska Fires: Nat
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
This large-scale image was m
…
modis_canada_18jul04
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2004-07-18 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
modis_canada_18jul04 |
|
Fires in Canada's Yukon Terr
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
In the southeast corner of Y
…
yukon_amo_2006185
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2006-07-04 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
yukon_amo_2006185 |
|
Fires in Quebec, Canada, Sen
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
This Moderate Resolution Ima
…
Canada.TMO2002189
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2002-07-08 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
Canada.TMO2002189 |
|
Heat Wave across the United
…
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
The first full week of Augus
…
namerica_ceres_2007220
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-08-08 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA image by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the CERES team at NASA Langley Research Center. Caption courtesy Denise Stefula, NASA Langley. |
| identifier |
namerica_ceres_2007220 |
|
Flooding on the Red River: N
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
* eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/ima
…
Red_AMO_2006106
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2006-04-16 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
Red_AMO_2006106 |
|
Oppressive Heat Wave Moves a
…
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
The last two weeks of July a
…
heatwave_cer_200607
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2006-08-06 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA images by Takmeng Wong with the asd-www.larc.nasa.gov/ceres/ CERES Science Team at NASA Langley Research Center. |
| identifier |
heatwave_cer_200607 |
|
Oppressive Heat Wave Moves a
…
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
The last two weeks of July a
…
heatwave_cer_200607
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2006-08-06 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA images by Takmeng Wong with the asd-www.larc.nasa.gov/ceres/ CERES Science Team at NASA Langley Research Center. |
| identifier |
heatwave_cer_200607 |
|
Northwest Passage Open: Natu
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
For over 500 years, Arctic e
…
nwpassage_amo_2007241
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-08-29 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
nwpassage_amo_2007241 |
|
Fires in Central Canada: Nat
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
A blanket of smoke from scor
…
centcanada_amo_2006185
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2006-07-04 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
centcanada_amo_2006185 |
|
Hurricane Isabel
PIA00428
Sol (our sun)
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder
…
| Title |
Hurricane Isabel |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Figure 1: AIRS infrared channel 2333 (2616 cm-1), Figure 2: Total Water Vapor retrieved from AIRS infrared and AMSU-A microwave data September 18, 2003 These two false-color images show Hurricane Isabel viewed by the AIRS and AMSU-A instruments at 1:30 EDT in the morning of Thursday September 18, 2003. Isabel will be ashore within 12 hours, bringing widespread flooding and destructive winds. In figure 1 on the left, data retrieved by the AIRS infrared sensor shows the hurricane's eye as the small ring of pale blue near the upper left corner of the image. The dark blue band around the eye shows the cold tops of hundreds of powerful thunderstorms. These storms are embedded in the 120 mile per hour winds swirling counterclockwise around Isabel's eye. Cape Hatteras is the finger of land north-northwest of the eye. Isabel's winds will soon push ashore a 4- to 8-foot high mound of 'storm surge' and accompanying high surf, leading to flooding of Cape Hatteras and other islands of North Carolina's Outer Banks. Also seen in the image are several organized bands of cold, (blue) thunderstorm tops being pulled into the storm center. Other thunderstorm are forming north of the islands of Jamaica, Cuba, Hispaniola and Puerto Rico near the bottom of the picture. Figure 2 shows the geographical distribution and total amount of atmospheric water vapor associated with Isabel as inferred by AIRS and AMSU-A. Very humid areas appear deep red and surround the storm's eye in the ring of thunderstorms, as seen above. The enhancement of atmospheric water vapor in the storm is maintained by evaporation from the wind-churned sea surface. In turn, the water vapor powers the thunderstorms by condensing as rain and releasing the ocean's warmth into the atmosphere to drive strong convection. This makes Isabel and other hurricanes 'heat engines,' converting ocean water's warmth into atmospheric gales. Isabel is weakening as it move ashore and loses its supply of energy from warm water, but not before raining an expected 6-12 inch thick layer of its water over an area extending from South Carolina and New England to the midwest and southern Canada. Paler blue areas in the water vapor image show less humid heights of the atmosphere, which are associated with the colder thunderstorm tops seen in the infrared image. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder Experiment, with its visible, infrared, and microwave detectors, provides a three-dimensional look at Earth's weather. Working in tandem, the three instruments can make simultaneous observations all the way down to the Earth's surface, even in the presence of heavy clouds. With more than 2,000 channels sensing different regions of the atmosphere, the system creates a global, 3-D map of atmospheric temperature and humidity and provides information on clouds, greenhouse gases, and many other atmospheric phenomena. The AIRS Infrared Sounder Experiment flies onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft and is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., under contract to NASA., JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena |
|
Hurricane Isabel
PIA00428
Sol (our sun)
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder
…
| Title |
Hurricane Isabel |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Figure 1: AIRS infrared channel 2333 (2616 cm-1), Figure 2: Total Water Vapor retrieved from AIRS infrared and AMSU-A microwave data September 18, 2003 These two false-color images show Hurricane Isabel viewed by the AIRS and AMSU-A instruments at 1:30 EDT in the morning of Thursday September 18, 2003. Isabel will be ashore within 12 hours, bringing widespread flooding and destructive winds. In figure 1 on the left, data retrieved by the AIRS infrared sensor shows the hurricane's eye as the small ring of pale blue near the upper left corner of the image. The dark blue band around the eye shows the cold tops of hundreds of powerful thunderstorms. These storms are embedded in the 120 mile per hour winds swirling counterclockwise around Isabel's eye. Cape Hatteras is the finger of land north-northwest of the eye. Isabel's winds will soon push ashore a 4- to 8-foot high mound of 'storm surge' and accompanying high surf, leading to flooding of Cape Hatteras and other islands of North Carolina's Outer Banks. Also seen in the image are several organized bands of cold, (blue) thunderstorm tops being pulled into the storm center. Other thunderstorm are forming north of the islands of Jamaica, Cuba, Hispaniola and Puerto Rico near the bottom of the picture. Figure 2 shows the geographical distribution and total amount of atmospheric water vapor associated with Isabel as inferred by AIRS and AMSU-A. Very humid areas appear deep red and surround the storm's eye in the ring of thunderstorms, as seen above. The enhancement of atmospheric water vapor in the storm is maintained by evaporation from the wind-churned sea surface. In turn, the water vapor powers the thunderstorms by condensing as rain and releasing the ocean's warmth into the atmosphere to drive strong convection. This makes Isabel and other hurricanes 'heat engines,' converting ocean water's warmth into atmospheric gales. Isabel is weakening as it move ashore and loses its supply of energy from warm water, but not before raining an expected 6-12 inch thick layer of its water over an area extending from South Carolina and New England to the midwest and southern Canada. Paler blue areas in the water vapor image show less humid heights of the atmosphere, which are associated with the colder thunderstorm tops seen in the infrared image. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder Experiment, with its visible, infrared, and microwave detectors, provides a three-dimensional look at Earth's weather. Working in tandem, the three instruments can make simultaneous observations all the way down to the Earth's surface, even in the presence of heavy clouds. With more than 2,000 channels sensing different regions of the atmosphere, the system creates a global, 3-D map of atmospheric temperature and humidity and provides information on clouds, greenhouse gases, and many other atmospheric phenomena. The AIRS Infrared Sounder Experiment flies onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft and is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., under contract to NASA., JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena |
|
Hurricane Isabel
PIA00428
Sol (our sun)
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder
…
| Title |
Hurricane Isabel |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Figure 1: AIRS infrared channel 2333 (2616 cm-1), Figure 2: Total Water Vapor retrieved from AIRS infrared and AMSU-A microwave data September 18, 2003 These two false-color images show Hurricane Isabel viewed by the AIRS and AMSU-A instruments at 1:30 EDT in the morning of Thursday September 18, 2003. Isabel will be ashore within 12 hours, bringing widespread flooding and destructive winds. In figure 1 on the left, data retrieved by the AIRS infrared sensor shows the hurricane's eye as the small ring of pale blue near the upper left corner of the image. The dark blue band around the eye shows the cold tops of hundreds of powerful thunderstorms. These storms are embedded in the 120 mile per hour winds swirling counterclockwise around Isabel's eye. Cape Hatteras is the finger of land north-northwest of the eye. Isabel's winds will soon push ashore a 4- to 8-foot high mound of 'storm surge' and accompanying high surf, leading to flooding of Cape Hatteras and other islands of North Carolina's Outer Banks. Also seen in the image are several organized bands of cold, (blue) thunderstorm tops being pulled into the storm center. Other thunderstorm are forming north of the islands of Jamaica, Cuba, Hispaniola and Puerto Rico near the bottom of the picture. Figure 2 shows the geographical distribution and total amount of atmospheric water vapor associated with Isabel as inferred by AIRS and AMSU-A. Very humid areas appear deep red and surround the storm's eye in the ring of thunderstorms, as seen above. The enhancement of atmospheric water vapor in the storm is maintained by evaporation from the wind-churned sea surface. In turn, the water vapor powers the thunderstorms by condensing as rain and releasing the ocean's warmth into the atmosphere to drive strong convection. This makes Isabel and other hurricanes 'heat engines,' converting ocean water's warmth into atmospheric gales. Isabel is weakening as it move ashore and loses its supply of energy from warm water, but not before raining an expected 6-12 inch thick layer of its water over an area extending from South Carolina and New England to the midwest and southern Canada. Paler blue areas in the water vapor image show less humid heights of the atmosphere, which are associated with the colder thunderstorm tops seen in the infrared image. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder Experiment, with its visible, infrared, and microwave detectors, provides a three-dimensional look at Earth's weather. Working in tandem, the three instruments can make simultaneous observations all the way down to the Earth's surface, even in the presence of heavy clouds. With more than 2,000 channels sensing different regions of the atmosphere, the system creates a global, 3-D map of atmospheric temperature and humidity and provides information on clouds, greenhouse gases, and many other atmospheric phenomena. The AIRS Infrared Sounder Experiment flies onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft and is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., under contract to NASA., JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena |
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