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Aqua and Earth of Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) from 2007
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2007 Arctic Sea Ice from AMS
…
| Title |
2007 Arctic Sea Ice from AMSR-E with Greenland in Foreground |
| Abstract |
Sea ice is frozen seawater floating on the surface of the ocean. Some sea ice is semi-permanent, persisting from year to year, and some is seasonal, melting and refreezing from season to season. The sea ice cover reaches its minimum extent at the end of each summer and the remaining ice is called the perennial ice cover. The 2007 Arctic summer sea ice has reached the lowest extent of perennial ice cover on record - nearly 25% less than the previous low set in 2005. The area of the perennial ice has been steadily decreasing since the satellite record began in 1979, at a rate of about 10% per decade. But the 2007 minimum, reached on September 14, is far below the previous record made in 2005 and is about 38% lower than the climatological average. Such a dramatic loss has implications for ecology, climate and industry. The AMSR-E instrument on the Aqua satellite acquires high resolution measurements of the 89 GHz brightness temperature near the poles. Because this is a passive microwave sensor which is not so sensitive to atmospheric effects, this sensor is able to observe the entire polar region every day, even through clouds and snowfall. This animation progresses at a rate of six frames per day from January 1, 2007 through the minimum extent which occurred on September 14, 2007. The false color of the sea ice, derived from the AMSR-E 6.25 km 89 GHz brightness temperature, highlights the fissures or divergence areas in the sea ice cover by warm brightness temperatures (in blue) while cold brightness temperatures, shown in brighter white, represent consolidated sea ice. The sea ice edge is defined by the 15% ice concentration contour in the three-day moving average of the AMSR-E 12.5 km sea ice concentration data while ice extent is the sum of all pixels with at least 15% ice. |
| Completed |
2007-09-25 |
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2007 Arctic Sea Ice from AMS
…
| Title |
2007 Arctic Sea Ice from AMSR-E with Greenland in Foreground |
| Abstract |
Sea ice is frozen seawater floating on the surface of the ocean. Some sea ice is semi-permanent, persisting from year to year, and some is seasonal, melting and refreezing from season to season. The sea ice cover reaches its minimum extent at the end of each summer and the remaining ice is called the perennial ice cover. The 2007 Arctic summer sea ice has reached the lowest extent of perennial ice cover on record - nearly 25% less than the previous low set in 2005. The area of the perennial ice has been steadily decreasing since the satellite record began in 1979, at a rate of about 10% per decade. But the 2007 minimum, reached on September 14, is far below the previous record made in 2005 and is about 38% lower than the climatological average. Such a dramatic loss has implications for ecology, climate and industry. The AMSR-E instrument on the Aqua satellite acquires high resolution measurements of the 89 GHz brightness temperature near the poles. Because this is a passive microwave sensor which is not so sensitive to atmospheric effects, this sensor is able to observe the entire polar region every day, even through clouds and snowfall. This animation progresses at a rate of six frames per day from January 1, 2007 through the minimum extent which occurred on September 14, 2007. The false color of the sea ice, derived from the AMSR-E 6.25 km 89 GHz brightness temperature, highlights the fissures or divergence areas in the sea ice cover by warm brightness temperatures (in blue) while cold brightness temperatures, shown in brighter white, represent consolidated sea ice. The sea ice edge is defined by the 15% ice concentration contour in the three-day moving average of the AMSR-E 12.5 km sea ice concentration data while ice extent is the sum of all pixels with at least 15% ice. |
| Completed |
2007-09-25 |
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Sequence of Clouds, Snow Cov
…
| Title |
Sequence of Clouds, Snow Cover, Sea Ice, Sea Surface Temperature and Biosphere |
| Abstract |
This animation is part of an NSF-funded, international project, Exploring Time. The two-hour television special, broadcast on the Discovery Channel in the spring of 2007, explores how the world changes over different timescales ... from billionths of seconds to billions of years. This animation portrays a variety of remotely sensed data elements at different temporal resolutions. Initially, the animation shows cloud cover in motion over North America in half-hour increments from Nov. 26 to Dec. 7, 2005. The temporal pace quickens to show a 5-day moving average of daily MODIS snow cover along with daily AMSR-E sea ice from Dec. 7, 2005 to Mar. 15, 2006. As the view swings south over the Gulf of Mexico, the AMSR-E Sea Surface Temperature reveals warming ocean temperatures from March through August, 2006. As it passes over the Atlantic Ocean, the biosphere fades into view, showing both chlorophyll concentration in the ocean along with Normalized Difference Vegetation Index over the land areas. The biosphere animates over time while the view pans over northern Africa and Europe, showing data collected from September 2002 through February 2006. This program was also broadcast in Japan through a partnership with the NHK international broadcasting service and in France through a partnership with the ARTE television network. |
| Completed |
2006-11-29 |
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Sequence of Clouds, Snow Cov
…
| Title |
Sequence of Clouds, Snow Cover, Sea Ice, Sea Surface Temperature and Biosphere |
| Abstract |
This animation is part of an NSF-funded, international project, Exploring Time. The two-hour television special, broadcast on the Discovery Channel in the spring of 2007, explores how the world changes over different timescales ... from billionths of seconds to billions of years. This animation portrays a variety of remotely sensed data elements at different temporal resolutions. Initially, the animation shows cloud cover in motion over North America in half-hour increments from Nov. 26 to Dec. 7, 2005. The temporal pace quickens to show a 5-day moving average of daily MODIS snow cover along with daily AMSR-E sea ice from Dec. 7, 2005 to Mar. 15, 2006. As the view swings south over the Gulf of Mexico, the AMSR-E Sea Surface Temperature reveals warming ocean temperatures from March through August, 2006. As it passes over the Atlantic Ocean, the biosphere fades into view, showing both chlorophyll concentration in the ocean along with Normalized Difference Vegetation Index over the land areas. The biosphere animates over time while the view pans over northern Africa and Europe, showing data collected from September 2002 through February 2006. This program was also broadcast in Japan through a partnership with the NHK international broadcasting service and in France through a partnership with the ARTE television network. |
| Completed |
2006-11-29 |
|
Sequence of Clouds, Snow Cov
…
| Title |
Sequence of Clouds, Snow Cover, Sea Ice, Sea Surface Temperature and Biosphere |
| Abstract |
This animation is part of an NSF-funded, international project, Exploring Time. The two-hour television special, broadcast on the Discovery Channel in the spring of 2007, explores how the world changes over different timescales ... from billionths of seconds to billions of years. This animation portrays a variety of remotely sensed data elements at different temporal resolutions. Initially, the animation shows cloud cover in motion over North America in half-hour increments from Nov. 26 to Dec. 7, 2005. The temporal pace quickens to show a 5-day moving average of daily MODIS snow cover along with daily AMSR-E sea ice from Dec. 7, 2005 to Mar. 15, 2006. As the view swings south over the Gulf of Mexico, the AMSR-E Sea Surface Temperature reveals warming ocean temperatures from March through August, 2006. As it passes over the Atlantic Ocean, the biosphere fades into view, showing both chlorophyll concentration in the ocean along with Normalized Difference Vegetation Index over the land areas. The biosphere animates over time while the view pans over northern Africa and Europe, showing data collected from September 2002 through February 2006. This program was also broadcast in Japan through a partnership with the NHK international broadcasting service and in France through a partnership with the ARTE television network. |
| Completed |
2006-11-29 |
|
Sequence of Clouds, Snow Cov
…
| Title |
Sequence of Clouds, Snow Cover, Sea Ice, Sea Surface Temperature and Biosphere |
| Abstract |
This animation is part of an NSF-funded, international project, Exploring Time. The two-hour television special, broadcast on the Discovery Channel in the spring of 2007, explores how the world changes over different timescales ... from billionths of seconds to billions of years. This animation portrays a variety of remotely sensed data elements at different temporal resolutions. Initially, the animation shows cloud cover in motion over North America in half-hour increments from Nov. 26 to Dec. 7, 2005. The temporal pace quickens to show a 5-day moving average of daily MODIS snow cover along with daily AMSR-E sea ice from Dec. 7, 2005 to Mar. 15, 2006. As the view swings south over the Gulf of Mexico, the AMSR-E Sea Surface Temperature reveals warming ocean temperatures from March through August, 2006. As it passes over the Atlantic Ocean, the biosphere fades into view, showing both chlorophyll concentration in the ocean along with Normalized Difference Vegetation Index over the land areas. The biosphere animates over time while the view pans over northern Africa and Europe, showing data collected from September 2002 through February 2006. This program was also broadcast in Japan through a partnership with the NHK international broadcasting service and in France through a partnership with the ARTE television network. |
| Completed |
2006-11-29 |
|
Sequence of Clouds, Snow Cov
…
| Title |
Sequence of Clouds, Snow Cover, Sea Ice, Sea Surface Temperature and Biosphere |
| Abstract |
This animation is part of an NSF-funded, international project, Exploring Time. The two-hour television special, broadcast on the Discovery Channel in the spring of 2007, explores how the world changes over different timescales ... from billionths of seconds to billions of years. This animation portrays a variety of remotely sensed data elements at different temporal resolutions. Initially, the animation shows cloud cover in motion over North America in half-hour increments from Nov. 26 to Dec. 7, 2005. The temporal pace quickens to show a 5-day moving average of daily MODIS snow cover along with daily AMSR-E sea ice from Dec. 7, 2005 to Mar. 15, 2006. As the view swings south over the Gulf of Mexico, the AMSR-E Sea Surface Temperature reveals warming ocean temperatures from March through August, 2006. As it passes over the Atlantic Ocean, the biosphere fades into view, showing both chlorophyll concentration in the ocean along with Normalized Difference Vegetation Index over the land areas. The biosphere animates over time while the view pans over northern Africa and Europe, showing data collected from September 2002 through February 2006. This program was also broadcast in Japan through a partnership with the NHK international broadcasting service and in France through a partnership with the ARTE television network. |
| Completed |
2006-11-29 |
|
Sequence of Clouds, Snow Cov
…
| Title |
Sequence of Clouds, Snow Cover, Sea Ice, Sea Surface Temperature and Biosphere |
| Abstract |
This animation is part of an NSF-funded, international project, Exploring Time. The two-hour television special, broadcast on the Discovery Channel in the spring of 2007, explores how the world changes over different timescales ... from billionths of seconds to billions of years. This animation portrays a variety of remotely sensed data elements at different temporal resolutions. Initially, the animation shows cloud cover in motion over North America in half-hour increments from Nov. 26 to Dec. 7, 2005. The temporal pace quickens to show a 5-day moving average of daily MODIS snow cover along with daily AMSR-E sea ice from Dec. 7, 2005 to Mar. 15, 2006. As the view swings south over the Gulf of Mexico, the AMSR-E Sea Surface Temperature reveals warming ocean temperatures from March through August, 2006. As it passes over the Atlantic Ocean, the biosphere fades into view, showing both chlorophyll concentration in the ocean along with Normalized Difference Vegetation Index over the land areas. The biosphere animates over time while the view pans over northern Africa and Europe, showing data collected from September 2002 through February 2006. This program was also broadcast in Japan through a partnership with the NHK international broadcasting service and in France through a partnership with the ARTE television network. |
| Completed |
2006-11-29 |
|
2007 Arctic Sea Ice from AMS
…
| Title |
2007 Arctic Sea Ice from AMSR-E with Alaska in Foreground |
| Abstract |
Sea ice is frozen seawater floating on the surface of the ocean. Some sea ice is semi-permanent, persisting from year to year, and some is seasonal, melting and refreezing from season to season. The sea ice cover reaches its minimum extent at the end of each summer and the remaining ice is called the perennial ice cover. The 2007 Arctic summer sea ice has reached the lowest extent of perennial ice cover on record - nearly 25% less than the previous low set in 2005. The area of the perennial ice has been steadily decreasing since the satellite record began in 1979, at a rate of about 10% per decade. But the 2007 minimum, reached on September 14, is far below the previous record made in 2005 and is about 38% lower than the climatological average. Such a dramatic loss has implications for ecology, climate and industry. The AMSR-E instrument on the Aqua satellite acquires high resolution measurements of the 89 GHz brightness temperature near the poles. Because this is a passive microwave sensor which is not so sensitive to atmospheric effects, this sensor is able to observe the entire polar region every day, even through clouds and snowfall. This animation progresses at a rate of six frames per day from January 1, 2007 through the minimum extent which occurred on September 14, 2007. The false color of the sea ice, derived from the AMSR-E 6.25 km 89 GHz brightness temperature, highlights the fissures or divergence areas in the sea ice cover by warm brightness temperatures (in blue) while cold brightness temperatures, shown in brighter white, represent consolidated sea ice. The sea ice edge is defined by the 15% ice concentration contour in the three-day moving average of the AMSR-E 12.5 km sea ice concentration data while ice extent is the sum of all pixels with at least 15% ice. An image of the sea ice on September 14, 2007 is included below, along with a corresponding image from September 21, 2005 showing the previous minimum sea ice extent. |
| Completed |
2007-09-11 |
|
2007 Arctic Sea Ice from AMS
…
| Title |
2007 Arctic Sea Ice from AMSR-E with Alaska in Foreground |
| Abstract |
Sea ice is frozen seawater floating on the surface of the ocean. Some sea ice is semi-permanent, persisting from year to year, and some is seasonal, melting and refreezing from season to season. The sea ice cover reaches its minimum extent at the end of each summer and the remaining ice is called the perennial ice cover. The 2007 Arctic summer sea ice has reached the lowest extent of perennial ice cover on record - nearly 25% less than the previous low set in 2005. The area of the perennial ice has been steadily decreasing since the satellite record began in 1979, at a rate of about 10% per decade. But the 2007 minimum, reached on September 14, is far below the previous record made in 2005 and is about 38% lower than the climatological average. Such a dramatic loss has implications for ecology, climate and industry. The AMSR-E instrument on the Aqua satellite acquires high resolution measurements of the 89 GHz brightness temperature near the poles. Because this is a passive microwave sensor which is not so sensitive to atmospheric effects, this sensor is able to observe the entire polar region every day, even through clouds and snowfall. This animation progresses at a rate of six frames per day from January 1, 2007 through the minimum extent which occurred on September 14, 2007. The false color of the sea ice, derived from the AMSR-E 6.25 km 89 GHz brightness temperature, highlights the fissures or divergence areas in the sea ice cover by warm brightness temperatures (in blue) while cold brightness temperatures, shown in brighter white, represent consolidated sea ice. The sea ice edge is defined by the 15% ice concentration contour in the three-day moving average of the AMSR-E 12.5 km sea ice concentration data while ice extent is the sum of all pixels with at least 15% ice. An image of the sea ice on September 14, 2007 is included below, along with a corresponding image from September 21, 2005 showing the previous minimum sea ice extent. |
| Completed |
2007-09-11 |
|
2007 Arctic Sea Ice from AMS
…
| Title |
2007 Arctic Sea Ice from AMSR-E with Alaska in Foreground |
| Abstract |
Sea ice is frozen seawater floating on the surface of the ocean. Some sea ice is semi-permanent, persisting from year to year, and some is seasonal, melting and refreezing from season to season. The sea ice cover reaches its minimum extent at the end of each summer and the remaining ice is called the perennial ice cover. The 2007 Arctic summer sea ice has reached the lowest extent of perennial ice cover on record - nearly 25% less than the previous low set in 2005. The area of the perennial ice has been steadily decreasing since the satellite record began in 1979, at a rate of about 10% per decade. But the 2007 minimum, reached on September 14, is far below the previous record made in 2005 and is about 38% lower than the climatological average. Such a dramatic loss has implications for ecology, climate and industry. The AMSR-E instrument on the Aqua satellite acquires high resolution measurements of the 89 GHz brightness temperature near the poles. Because this is a passive microwave sensor which is not so sensitive to atmospheric effects, this sensor is able to observe the entire polar region every day, even through clouds and snowfall. This animation progresses at a rate of six frames per day from January 1, 2007 through the minimum extent which occurred on September 14, 2007. The false color of the sea ice, derived from the AMSR-E 6.25 km 89 GHz brightness temperature, highlights the fissures or divergence areas in the sea ice cover by warm brightness temperatures (in blue) while cold brightness temperatures, shown in brighter white, represent consolidated sea ice. The sea ice edge is defined by the 15% ice concentration contour in the three-day moving average of the AMSR-E 12.5 km sea ice concentration data while ice extent is the sum of all pixels with at least 15% ice. An image of the sea ice on September 14, 2007 is included below, along with a corresponding image from September 21, 2005 showing the previous minimum sea ice extent. |
| Completed |
2007-09-11 |
|
AMSR-E Sea Surface Temperatu
…
| Title |
AMSR-E Sea Surface Temperature |
| Abstract |
This animation is part of an NSF-funded, international project, Exploring Time. The two-hour television special, broadcast on the Discovery Channel in the spring of 2007, explores how the world changes over different timescales ... from billionths of seconds to billions of years. This animation portrays a 3-day moving average of AMSR-E sea surface temperature (SST) over the western hemisphere from the beginning of 2005 to early December, 2006. In addition, seasonal MODIS landcover shows the advance and retreat of snow over the northern hemisphere. This program was also broadcast in Japan through a partnership with the NHK international broadcasting service and in France through a partnership with the ARTE television network. |
| Completed |
2006-12-06 |
|
Fires in Greece as seen by A
…
| Title |
Fires in Greece as seen by Aqua/AIRS |
| Abstract |
A series of fires across Greece in August of 2007 burned 469,000 acres and claimed the lives of 65 people. The fires, in which an estimated 4,000 people lost their homes, mostly occurred in the southern part of of the country. In this visualization, the carbon monoxide signature from the fires in Greece is revealed in data retrieved by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on NASA's Aqua spacecraft. Forest fires create large amounts of carbon monoxide. AIRS provides daily global maps of carbon monoxide from space, allowing scientists to follow the global transport of this gas day-to-day. This visualization shows the amount of Carbon monoxide that has risen 2 to 8 kilometers (6,500 ft to 26,200 ft altitude) from August 24-28, 2007. More carbon monoxide generally means more pollution, either natural from wildfires or from industrial and domestic sources. Beginning August 24, a significant plume emanates from the extensive fires burning in Greece. This plume moves southeast across the Mediterranean Sea and over North Africa from August 24 to 28. It crosses to Africa and arcs westward over the Sahara Desert and continues to curl around over the Eastern Mediterranean toward Sardinia and Corsica. |
| Completed |
2007-08-30 |
|
Activity on Chikurachki
| Title |
Activity on Chikurachki |
| Description |
In the northern Kurile Islands, off the coast of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, Chikurachki Volcano released a plume of ash and/or steam on September 8, 2007. At the time of the event, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite captured this image of the plume blowing over the Pacific Ocean, toward the southeast. In this image, the volcanic plume appears similar in color and thickness to some wispy clouds to the immediate north.Chikurachki [ http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=0900-36= ] is a stratovolcano—a steep-sloped cone composed of alternating layers of hardened lava, solidified ash, and volcanic rocks. This stratovolcano is actually a relatively small cone sitting atop an older structure that was built by volcanic activity in the Pleistocene. The underlying edifice makes Chikurachki, with a summit elevation of 1,816 meters (5,958 feet) the highest volcano on Paramushir Island. You can download a 250-meter-resolution KMZ file of Chikurachki [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Sep2007/chikurachki_amo_2007251.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://ladsweb.nascom.nasa.gov/ ] |
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Floods in Kansas and Missour
…
| Title |
Floods in Kansas and Missouri |
| Description |
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, [ http://water.usgs.gov/cgi-bin/wwdp?region_cd=ks ] the Marais des Cygnes River was 10 feet above flood stage in Ottawa, Kansas, on July 4, 2007, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image. The river is not normally visible in MODIS images. In the lower image, taken on June 8, 2007, by Terra MODIS, the river's course is defined only by the tan, plant-free land that surrounds it. But on July 4, the dark blue water of the swollen river is clearly visible. The floods along the Marais des Cygnes forced 2,000 people from their homes in Osawatomie, Kansas, reported the Kansas City Star, but by July 4, water levels on the river had started to drop. Additional flooding along the Neosho and Verdigris Rivers can be seen in the large image. These images were made with visible and infrared light to highlight the presence of water on the ground. In this type of image, water is black, though sediment may color it dark blue. Clouds are light blue and white, and plant-covered land is bright green. Bare earth is tan-pink. Daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA7/2007185 ] of Kansas are available from the MODIS Rapid Response System in both false color, as shown here, and photo-like true color. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
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Floods in Kansas and Missour
…
| Title |
Floods in Kansas and Missouri |
| Description |
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, [ http://water.usgs.gov/cgi-bin/wwdp?region_cd=ks ] the Marais des Cygnes River was 10 feet above flood stage in Ottawa, Kansas, on July 4, 2007, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image. The river is not normally visible in MODIS images. In the lower image, taken on June 8, 2007, by Terra MODIS, the river's course is defined only by the tan, plant-free land that surrounds it. But on July 4, the dark blue water of the swollen river is clearly visible. The floods along the Marais des Cygnes forced 2,000 people from their homes in Osawatomie, Kansas, reported the Kansas City Star, but by July 4, water levels on the river had started to drop. Additional flooding along the Neosho and Verdigris Rivers can be seen in the large image. These images were made with visible and infrared light to highlight the presence of water on the ground. In this type of image, water is black, though sediment may color it dark blue. Clouds are light blue and white, and plant-covered land is bright green. Bare earth is tan-pink. Daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA7/2007185 ] of Kansas are available from the MODIS Rapid Response System in both false color, as shown here, and photo-like true color. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
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Floods in Southeastern Mexic
…
| Title |
Floods in Southeastern Mexico |
| Description |
It doesn't always take a hurricane to cause devastating, widespread floods in coastal regions surrounding the Gulf of Mexico. Starting on October 28 and lasting several days, a low pressure system unleashed steady, heavy rain on southeastern Mexico. The rains pushed rivers over their banks and left about 80 percent of the state of Tabasco under water. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image of the floods on November 3, 2007. Aqua MODIS took the lower image on October 18, before the rain started. Both images use a combination of infrared and visible light to increase the contrast between water and earth. Dark blue and black water covers much of the bright green, plant-covered land in the top image. The most extensive flooding appears to be concentrated around the city of Villahermosa, Tabasco's capital. The city's man-made surfaces give it a cement-gray color in these images. To the north and west of the city, the Grijalva River is swollen. Smaller rivers and wetlands around the city are overflowing with water so that the city appears to be entirely surrounded. Blue tints over the city itself point to urban flooding, though scattered clouds (light blue and white in this type of image) hide the full extent of the flooding within the city. Beyond Villahermosa, the wetlands and lagoons that span the space between the Grijalva and Usumacinta Rivers are also clearly inundated. The floods were so extensive that the governor of Tabasco estimated that half of the state's 2.1 million people were affected, said the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/RMOI-78MMQ9?OpenDocument&rc=2&emid=FL-2007-000154-MEX ]) on November 3. At least 69,000 people had been evacuated to emergency shelters and another 350,000 remained trapped in their homes, said OCHA. Many of those forced from their homes lived in Villahermosa, 519 neighborhoods of which were flooded with water rising as high as the second floor of many homes. The rains and floods damaged roads and destroyed all crops throughout Tabasco. Mexico's president, Felipe Calderon, numbered the floods among the worst natural disasters in the country's history, said OCHA. Daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?CAmerica_2_03/2007307 ] of southeastern Mexico are available from the MODIS Rapid Response System in both false color, as shown here, and photo-like true color. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
|
Floods in Southern China
| Title |
Floods in Southern China |
| Description |
Three days of heavy rain caused widespread flooding across China's Jiangxi Province in early June 2007. The floods destroyed about 2,000 houses, and caused an economic loss of approximately $13 million, reported Reuters. [ http://www.reuters.com/article/homepageCrisis/idUSPEK67549._CH_.2400 ] The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image of flooding around Poyang Lake, a reservoir in northern Jiangxi, on June 6, 2007. Compared to conditions a few weeks earlier, on May 19 (lower image), the reservoir is swollen, and its shores have been pushed out by several kilometres. Both images were made with a combination of infrared and visible light, which makes water appear black or dark blue. Plant-covered land is bright green, bare earth is tan, and clouds are light blue and white. Similar images as well as photo-like images of southeast China [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_China6/2007157 ] are available from the MODIS Rapid Response System on a daily basis. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
|
Floods in Southern China
| Title |
Floods in Southern China |
| Description |
Three days of heavy rain caused widespread flooding across China's Jiangxi Province in early June 2007. The floods destroyed about 2,000 houses, and caused an economic loss of approximately $13 million, reported Reuters. [ http://www.reuters.com/article/homepageCrisis/idUSPEK67549._CH_.2400 ] The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image of flooding around Poyang Lake, a reservoir in northern Jiangxi, on June 6, 2007. Compared to conditions a few weeks earlier, on May 19 (lower image), the reservoir is swollen, and its shores have been pushed out by several kilometres. Both images were made with a combination of infrared and visible light, which makes water appear black or dark blue. Plant-covered land is bright green, bare earth is tan, and clouds are light blue and white. Similar images as well as photo-like images of southeast China [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_China6/2007157 ] are available from the MODIS Rapid Response System on a daily basis. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
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Floods in Sudan
| Title |
Floods in Sudan |
| Description |
The rainy season of 2007 brought what the Sudanese government called the worst floods in living memory to Sudan. From the start of the rains in early July to September 4, 122 people died and at least 200,000 were made homeless in floods throughout the country, reported Reuters. [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/LRON-76QHSR?OpenDocument&rc=1&emid=FL-2007-000093-SDN ] With the September end of the rainy season in sight, Sudan was still flooded on September 6, 2007, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image. The image shows the confluence of the Atbara and Nile Rivers in northeastern Sudan. The lower image, taken on July 27, shows the region before the two rivers flooded, though flooding in other parts of Sudan are visible in the large version of the image. Both images were made with a combination of visible and infrared light to increase the contrast between water and earth. Water is dark blue or black, sediment-filled water or wet ground is light blue, clouds are pale turquoise and white, and the bare or sparsely vegetated Nubian Desert is tan-pink. Strips of vegetation along the banks of the rivers are bright green. On September 6, the Atbara River had spread wide over its banks. The two branches of the river in the center of the image were so flooded that the two channels merged in a broad, shallow lake of muddy water. On the left side of the image, the Nile River is also wider than it was in July. The wider view provided in the large image from September 6 reveals that the Nile and its tributaries, the Blue and White Nile Rivers, were all swollen. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC, which provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?NAfrica_2_07/2007249 ] of Sudan. |
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Floods in Sudan
| Title |
Floods in Sudan |
| Description |
The rainy season of 2007 brought what the Sudanese government called the worst floods in living memory to Sudan. From the start of the rains in early July to September 4, 122 people died and at least 200,000 were made homeless in floods throughout the country, reported Reuters. [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/LRON-76QHSR?OpenDocument&rc=1&emid=FL-2007-000093-SDN ] With the September end of the rainy season in sight, Sudan was still flooded on September 6, 2007, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image. The image shows the confluence of the Atbara and Nile Rivers in northeastern Sudan. The lower image, taken on July 27, shows the region before the two rivers flooded, though flooding in other parts of Sudan are visible in the large version of the image. Both images were made with a combination of visible and infrared light to increase the contrast between water and earth. Water is dark blue or black, sediment-filled water or wet ground is light blue, clouds are pale turquoise and white, and the bare or sparsely vegetated Nubian Desert is tan-pink. Strips of vegetation along the banks of the rivers are bright green. On September 6, the Atbara River had spread wide over its banks. The two branches of the river in the center of the image were so flooded that the two channels merged in a broad, shallow lake of muddy water. On the left side of the image, the Nile River is also wider than it was in July. The wider view provided in the large image from September 6 reveals that the Nile and its tributaries, the Blue and White Nile Rivers, were all swollen. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC, which provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?NAfrica_2_07/2007249 ] of Sudan. |
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Floods in Texas and Oklahoma
| Title |
Floods in Texas and Oklahoma |
| Description |
Though most of the rest of the Midwest was shrouded with clouds on July 1, 2007, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite collected the top image, small sections of the Red River were visible under partly cloudy skies. Compared to June 19, when Aqua MODIS took the lower image, the river was swollen on July 1, after heavy rain [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14339 ] inundated Texas and Oklahoma. According to the National Weather Service, [ http://www.weather.gov/ahps/ ] minor flooding was occurring along the Red River on July 1, and moderate to major flooding swamped its tributaries, Deep Red Creek and East Cache Creek, the two rivers flowing into the Red in this image. The images were created with a combination of visible and infrared light to highlight the presence of water on the ground. In this type of image, water is black, though thick sediment colors the water blue. Clouds are pale blue and white. Plant-covered land is green, and bare earth is tan-pink. Daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/fas/?USA6/2007182 ] of Texas and Oklahoma are available from the MODIS Rapid Response System in both false color, such as these images, and photo-like true color. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
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Floods in Texas and Oklahoma
| Title |
Floods in Texas and Oklahoma |
| Description |
Though most of the rest of the Midwest was shrouded with clouds on July 1, 2007, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite collected the top image, small sections of the Red River were visible under partly cloudy skies. Compared to June 19, when Aqua MODIS took the lower image, the river was swollen on July 1, after heavy rain [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14339 ] inundated Texas and Oklahoma. According to the National Weather Service, [ http://www.weather.gov/ahps/ ] minor flooding was occurring along the Red River on July 1, and moderate to major flooding swamped its tributaries, Deep Red Creek and East Cache Creek, the two rivers flowing into the Red in this image. The images were created with a combination of visible and infrared light to highlight the presence of water on the ground. In this type of image, water is black, though thick sediment colors the water blue. Clouds are pale blue and white. Plant-covered land is green, and bare earth is tan-pink. Daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/fas/?USA6/2007182 ] of Texas and Oklahoma are available from the MODIS Rapid Response System in both false color, such as these images, and photo-like true color. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
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Bodele Depression Dust Storm
| Title |
Bodele Depression Dust Storm |
| Description |
On January 6, 2007, another dust storm blew out of the Bodele Depression in northern Africa. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite took this picture the same day. This image shows the typical pale beige, dual dust plumes blowing out of the Bodele Depression toward the southwest. In the southwest, bigger plumes of dust appear. The gap between the plume pairs, showing relatively clear skies over Lake Chad, suggests a break in dust storm activity. The larger plumes in the southwest likely blew out of the Bodele Depression a day or so earlier. In the south, the African landscape changes from arid tan to a darker green, due to more vegetation. Smoke from numerous fires [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14060 ] burning in this region may be mingling with the Bodele Depression dust. The Aqua satellite orbits the Earth multiple times per day, crossing over the poles with each pass. Closer to the Equator, the satellite views most—but not all—of the planet each day. The white swath running diagonally through this image is a gap between satellite passes. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
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Floods in the Midwestern Uni
…
| Title |
Floods in the Midwestern United States |
| Description |
The rivers of northwestern Missouri were still swollen in the wake of intense spring storms when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image on May 10, 2007. The image is made from a combination of infrared and visible light to make the floods more visible than they would be in a photo-like image. In this type of image, water is dark blue or black, clouds are light blue and white, plant-covered land is bright green, and bare earth is pink-tinted tan. Fires are outlined with red boxes. The Missouri River runs along the left edge of the image, then curves east along the bottom of the image. Though the most flooded regions were covered in clouds, a few breaks reveal that the Missouri was swollen far beyond its banks. Nestled in a bend in the river near the Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri border is the town of Big Lake. The image shows that the river's curve has turned into a broad lake. The town was completely submerged in the flood when levees along the river broke, reported the Associated Press. [ http://www.cnn.com/2007/WEATHER/05/11/missouri.flooding.ap/index.html ] Beyond Big Lake, many communities along the Grand and the Platte Rivers and their tributaries have also been flooded or threatened by floods. All of these rivers are clearly running high in the image. MODIS captured the lower image on April 29, 2007, not quite a week before the rains began. By providing a clear view of normal water levels, the image illustrates just how extensively the rivers were flooded on May 10. Photo-like versions of both the April 29 [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA3/2007119/USA3.2007119.aqua ] and May 10 [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA3/2007130/USA3.2007130.terra ] images are available from the MODIS Rapid Response System. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
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Floods in the Midwestern Uni
…
| Title |
Floods in the Midwestern United States |
| Description |
The rivers of northwestern Missouri were still swollen in the wake of intense spring storms when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image on May 10, 2007. The image is made from a combination of infrared and visible light to make the floods more visible than they would be in a photo-like image. In this type of image, water is dark blue or black, clouds are light blue and white, plant-covered land is bright green, and bare earth is pink-tinted tan. Fires are outlined with red boxes. The Missouri River runs along the left edge of the image, then curves east along the bottom of the image. Though the most flooded regions were covered in clouds, a few breaks reveal that the Missouri was swollen far beyond its banks. Nestled in a bend in the river near the Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri border is the town of Big Lake. The image shows that the river's curve has turned into a broad lake. The town was completely submerged in the flood when levees along the river broke, reported the Associated Press. [ http://www.cnn.com/2007/WEATHER/05/11/missouri.flooding.ap/index.html ] Beyond Big Lake, many communities along the Grand and the Platte Rivers and their tributaries have also been flooded or threatened by floods. All of these rivers are clearly running high in the image. MODIS captured the lower image on April 29, 2007, not quite a week before the rains began. By providing a clear view of normal water levels, the image illustrates just how extensively the rivers were flooded on May 10. Photo-like versions of both the April 29 [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA3/2007119/USA3.2007119.aqua ] and May 10 [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA3/2007130/USA3.2007130.terra ] images are available from the MODIS Rapid Response System. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
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Bodele Depression Dust Storm
| Title |
Bodele Depression Dust Storm |
| Description |
Though wind-scoured and virtually barren, the southern Sahara Desert turns out to be a surprising sustainer of life an ocean away—in South America's Amazon Rainforest. By studying NASA satellite data of the spread of dust across the globe, scientists discovered that more than half of the mineral dust that fertilizes the Amazon soil comes from a single spot in the southern Sahara, a large mountain-rimmed valley called the Bodele Depression. This photo-like image from NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite on January 2, 2007, shows a dust storm brewing in the valley. A bright streak of dust arcs southwest across the Bodele Depression toward Lake Chad. Dust veils the lower elevations, with the higher elevations of the Jos Plateau and the Adamaoua Mountains peaking out as if through fog. During the Northern Hemisphere winter months, northeasterly winds (Harmattan winds) routinely blow across this part of northern Africa. A gap between the Tibesti and Ennedi Mountains creates a natural wind tunnel that focuses and intensifies the winds across the Bodele Depression. The dust spreads westward across the Atlantic on the easterly trade winds to the Amazon, where it replenishes mineral nutrients that are continually depleted from the soil by the heavy, tropical rains. Based on satellite data and models, scientists estimate that dust storms such as the one pictured here generate about 0.7 million tons of dust on average during winter days. About half of the 40 million tons of dust that are swept across the Atlantic from the Sahara to the Amazon each year come from the Bodele Depression, a small valley that accounts for only 0.2 percent of the entire Sahara and is only 0.5 percent the size of the Amazon itself. The discovery of this surprisingly large single source of mineral dust raises many fascinating questions about how far-flung parts of the Earth system are connected, including how large the dust reservoir in the Bodele depression is, how long it has been emitting such a huge amount of dust, and how long will it continue to fertilize the Amazon. The large image provided above has a spatial resolution (level of detail) of 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides twice-daily subsets [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/ ] of northern Africa in additional resolutions via a clickable map. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center |
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Floods in the Midwestern Uni
…
| Title |
Floods in the Midwestern United States |
| Description |
Early May 2007 brought torrential spring rains to the Midwestern United States, and by May 9, the National Weather Service [ http://www.nws.noaa.gov/oh/hic/ ] had recorded flooding at 111 locations from North Dakota to Texas. At 15 locations, many of which were in Missouri, gauges measured major flooding. Thousands of people fled as the Missouri burst through levees in Missouri and Kansas, reported the Associated Press [ http://www.cnn.com/2007/WEATHER/05/09/missouri.flooding.ap/index.html ] on May 9. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image of floods along the Missouri River and its tributaries on May 8. Though clouds still covered much of the Midwest on May 8, a few breaks revealed the flood-swollen Missouri, Grand, and Thompson Rivers. The large image shows additional flooding in Missouri, Iowa, and Kansas. Both this and the lower image, taken on April 29 before the rains began to fall, were made with a combination of visible and infrared light to highlight the presence of water on the ground. In this type of image, clouds are pale blue and white, water is dark blue or black, plant-covered land is green, and bare earth is tan pink. The tan and green speckled appearance of the landscape seen in the lower image is typical of agricultural land. Daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA3 ] of the Midwest are available from the MODIS Rapid Response System. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
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Floods in the Midwestern Uni
…
| Title |
Floods in the Midwestern United States |
| Description |
Early May 2007 brought torrential spring rains to the Midwestern United States, and by May 9, the National Weather Service [ http://www.nws.noaa.gov/oh/hic/ ] had recorded flooding at 111 locations from North Dakota to Texas. At 15 locations, many of which were in Missouri, gauges measured major flooding. Thousands of people fled as the Missouri burst through levees in Missouri and Kansas, reported the Associated Press [ http://www.cnn.com/2007/WEATHER/05/09/missouri.flooding.ap/index.html ] on May 9. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image of floods along the Missouri River and its tributaries on May 8. Though clouds still covered much of the Midwest on May 8, a few breaks revealed the flood-swollen Missouri, Grand, and Thompson Rivers. The large image shows additional flooding in Missouri, Iowa, and Kansas. Both this and the lower image, taken on April 29 before the rains began to fall, were made with a combination of visible and infrared light to highlight the presence of water on the ground. In this type of image, clouds are pale blue and white, water is dark blue or black, plant-covered land is green, and bare earth is tan pink. The tan and green speckled appearance of the landscape seen in the lower image is typical of agricultural land. Daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA3 ] of the Midwest are available from the MODIS Rapid Response System. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
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Floods in West Africa
| Title |
Floods in West Africa |
| Description |
Sandwiched between the vast Sahara Desert of northern Africa and the equatorial forest of central Africa is the semi-arid, but fertile Sahel grassland. One of Africa's most significant crop areas, the Sahel swings between frequent drought and frequent floods. In September 2007, floods dominated. Unusually heavy and persistent rains hammered much of the Sahel, swelling rivers from Senegal on the Atlantic coast to Kenya on the Indian Ocean coast. As many as 17 countries across the Sahel were flooded, affecting more than a million people, reported BBC News [ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6994995.stm#anchor ] on September 17. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) flying on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image of floods in Nigeria on September 14, 2007. The lower image, taken by Aqua MODIS on May 25, 2007, shows the region under normal conditions and is provided here for reference. On September 14, both the Niger River and its tributary, the Benue River, were running over their banks. Pools of water, dark blue to black in this false-color image, line the swollen rivers. The large image reveals that the floods extend along the full length of both rivers. Smaller tributaries are also notably flooded in the large image. The combination of infrared and visible light used in this image gives clouds a pale blue tint. Plant-covered land is bright green, and bare earth is tan. A photo-like, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?NAfrica_3_04/2007257/NAfrica_3_04.2007257.aqua ] true-color version of the image is available from the MODIS Rapid Response System, which provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?NAfrica_3_04/2007257 ] of Nigeria. The floods took a heavy toll on Nigeria. As of September 14, 41 people had died in floods in northern and central Nigeria, reported Agence France-Presse. [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/TBRL-772N8M?OpenDocument&rc=1&emid=FL-2007-000123-NGA ] NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
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Floods in West Africa
| Title |
Floods in West Africa |
| Description |
Sandwiched between the vast Sahara Desert of northern Africa and the equatorial forest of central Africa is the semi-arid, but fertile Sahel grassland. One of Africa's most significant crop areas, the Sahel swings between frequent drought and frequent floods. In September 2007, floods dominated. Unusually heavy and persistent rains hammered much of the Sahel, swelling rivers from Senegal on the Atlantic coast to Kenya on the Indian Ocean coast. As many as 17 countries across the Sahel were flooded, affecting more than a million people, reported BBC News [ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6994995.stm#anchor ] on September 17. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) flying on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image of floods in Nigeria on September 14, 2007. The lower image, taken by Aqua MODIS on May 25, 2007, shows the region under normal conditions and is provided here for reference. On September 14, both the Niger River and its tributary, the Benue River, were running over their banks. Pools of water, dark blue to black in this false-color image, line the swollen rivers. The large image reveals that the floods extend along the full length of both rivers. Smaller tributaries are also notably flooded in the large image. The combination of infrared and visible light used in this image gives clouds a pale blue tint. Plant-covered land is bright green, and bare earth is tan. A photo-like, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?NAfrica_3_04/2007257/NAfrica_3_04.2007257.aqua ] true-color version of the image is available from the MODIS Rapid Response System, which provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?NAfrica_3_04/2007257 ] of Nigeria. The floods took a heavy toll on Nigeria. As of September 14, 41 people had died in floods in northern and central Nigeria, reported Agence France-Presse. [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/TBRL-772N8M?OpenDocument&rc=1&emid=FL-2007-000123-NGA ] NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
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Chikurachki Volcano
| Title |
Chikurachki Volcano |
| Description |
In early April 2007, the Chikurachki Volcano on Paramushir Island, off Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, released a plume of volcanic ash. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite took this picture on April 5. This image shows the volcano sending a dark plume of volcanic ash northward over the Sea of Okhotsk. Some volcanic ash has also stained the snowy white surface of the island. Chikurachki Volcano [ http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=0900-36= ] is a stratovolcano composed of alternating layers of hardened lava, ash, and volcanic rocks. It is a fairly small volcano, but because it sits atop a high volcanic edifice constructed during the Pleistocene epoch, it is the highest volcano on Paramushir Island. You can download a 250-meter-resolution Chikurachki KMZ file [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Apr2007/chikurachki_amo_2007095.kmz ] for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html ] NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. |
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Cyclone Indlala
| Title |
Cyclone Indlala |
| Description |
On March 14, 2007, storm-weary Madagascar braced for its fourth land-falling tropical cyclone in as many months. Cyclone Indlala was hovering off the island's northeast coast when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite captured this photo-like image at 1:40 p.m. local time (10:40 UTC). Just over a hundred kilometers offshore, the partially cloudy eye at the heart of the storm seems like a vast drain sucking in a disk of swirling clouds. According to reports from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center issued less than three hours after MODIS captured this image, Indlala had winds of 115 knots (132 miles per hour), with gusts up to 140 knots (161 mph). Wave heights were estimated to be 36 feet. At the time of the report, the storm was predicted to intensify through the subsequent 12-hour period, to turn slightly southwest, and to strike eastern Madagascar as a Category 4 storm with sustained winds up to 125 knots (144 mph), and gusts up to 150 knots (173 mph). According to Reuters AlertNet news service, Madagascar's emergency response resources were taxed to their limit in early March 2007 as a result of extensive flooding in the North, drought and food shortages in the South, and three previous hits from cyclones in the preceding few months: Bondo [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14052 ] in December 2006, Clovis [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14055 ] in January 2007, and Gamede [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14145 ] in February. You can download a 250-meter-resolution Cyclone Indlala KMZ file [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/Images/indlala_amo_2007073.kmz ] for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html ] NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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Cyclone Jacob
| Title |
Cyclone Jacob |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Jacob was in the eastern Indian Ocean off the shore of Western Australia on March 10, 2007. This storm had been moving towards the Pilbara coast of northwestern Australia for several days, coming in from the northeast after forming south of Java several days earlier. This photo-like image of Jacob was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] on the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on March 10, 2007, at 2:10 p.m. local time (06:10 UTC). The storm was a moderate-strength tropical cyclone with an irregular shape and no obvious eyewall (ring of towering clouds) at its center. According to the University of Hawaii's Tropical Storm Information Center, [ http://www.solar.ifa.hawaii.edu/Tropical/ ] Cyclone Jacob has sustained winds of 140 kilometers per hour (90 miles per hour) around the time this image was acquired. Jacob was forecast to come ashore near Port Hedland, not far from where Cyclone George [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14163 ] made landfall days earlier. Jacob was not expected to be nearly as powerful, but it will hinder efforts to recover from George. The high-resolution image provided above is at MODIS' full spatial resolution (level of detail) of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions. [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2007069-0310/Jacob.A2007069.0610 ] You can also download a 250-meter-resolution Cyclone Jacob KMZ file [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Mar2007/Jacob.A2007069.0610.250m.kmz ] for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html ] NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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Haze over the Mid-Atlantic S
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| Title |
Haze over the Mid-Atlantic States |
| Description |
Haze dulled this picture of the mid-Atlantic states, taken on August 25, 2007, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] flying on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite. In this image, a wide band of haze hangs over the eastern seaboard and the Atlantic, with clouds floating overhead. An August 25, 2007, posting on the U.S. Air Quality-Smog Blog [ http://alg.umbc.edu/usaq/ ] at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, described poor air quality, including unhealthy ozone levels in parts of Maryland and New Jersey. Local pollution was listed as a possible culprit. You can download a 250-meter-resolution KMZ file of the U.S. East Coast [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Aug2007/eastcoast_amo_2007237.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/ ] |
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Dual Plume from Klyuchevskay
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| Title |
Dual Plume from Klyuchevskaya Volcano |
| Description |
Klyuchevskaya Volcano on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula released a plume on July 1, 2007. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] flying on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite took this picture the same day. Although opaque white clouds float overhead in this image, skies are clear enough to allow an easy view of the volcanic plume. This westward-blowing plume appears to have a dual nature. The larger, more visible plume is almost white, indicating high water vapor content. Below and slightly northward of the pale plume is another, this one dark brown in color. This plume's dark color suggests that it consists primarily of volcanic ash. The steam plume casts its shadow onto the ash plume below.Klyuchevskaya [ http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=1000-26= ] (sometimes spelled Klyuchevskoy or Kliuchevskoi) is the most active volcano on the Kamchatka Peninsula. With an altitude of 4,835 meters (15,863 feet), it is also the peninsula's highest volcano. As part of the Pacific "Ring of Fire," [ http://www.pbs.org/edens/kamchatka/ring.html ] Kamchatka experiences regular seismic activity as the Pacific Plate slides below other tectonic plates in the Earth's crust. Since its formation some 6,000 years ago, Klyuchevskaya has seen few periods of inactivity, and the volcano is estimated to have experienced more than 100 flank eruptions in the past 3,000 years. You can download a 250-meter-resolution KMZ file of Klyuchevskaya [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Jul2007/Kliuchevskoi.A2007182.0210.kmz ] suitable for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/ ] NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center. The Rapid Response Team also provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?Kliuchevskoi ] of this region. |
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Dust in Northern China
| Title |
Dust in Northern China |
| Description |
A late-spring dust storm skirted the China-Mongolia border on May 26, 2007. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite took this picture the same day. In this image, the dust storm appears as a beige blur over a buff-colored landscape, and the plume remains close to but south of the border. You can download a 250-meter-resolution dust storm KMZ file [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/May2007/mongolia_amo_2007146.kmz ] for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/ ] NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. |
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Hurricane Dean
| Title |
Hurricane Dean |
| Description |
Hurricane Dean lost a considerable fraction of its power as it crossed the Yucatan Peninsula, but it was still a hurricane with powerful winds and very heavy rains when it struck the Mexican coastal state of Veracruz on August 23. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] flying on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image of Hurricane Dean at 3:45 p.m. local time (19:45 UTC) on August 22, 2007, as the storm was plunging inland over Mexico towards the high mountain ranges that form the spine of Mexico. Making landfall with 160-kilometer-per-hour (100-mile-per-hour) sustained winds, Dean lost strength over land. The storm still possessed the signature spiral structure of a hurricane, but the central eye appeared to be gone by the time MODIS observed the storm. On the right side of the image, the usually dark blue waters of Campeche Sound are pale where Dean's powerful winds churned up a trail of sand and sediment. The winds were reduced in strength through this second landfall of Dean, but as with several other notable storms in this area, such as Hurricane Mitch, heavy rain was a major concern. As Dean passed over the mountain ranges, authorities were concerned about the risk of flash floods and mud slides on steep mountain terrain. Hurricane Dean was the fourth named storm and the first hurricane of the 2007 Atlantic season. It was also one of the strongest hurricanes ever observed in the Atlantic Basin. Dean reached Category 5 status—the highest rating on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshs.shtml ]—on August 20 [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17745 ] as it passed over the deep, warm waters of the Caribbean. When it came ashore on August 21, it was the first storm to make landfall as a Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic basin since Hurricane Andrew in 1992, according to the National Hurricane Center. You can download a 250-meter-resolution KMZ file of Hurricane Dean [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/August/dean_amo_2007234.kmz ] suitable for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/ ] NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data obtained courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response System [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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Dust in the Taklimakan Deser
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| Title |
Dust in the Taklimakan Desert |
| Description |
A dust storm formed in the Taklimakan Desert on May 19, 2007. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite took this picture the same day. This image shows the eastern end of the desert where a dust plume pushes past the southeastern edge. Over the land south of the desert, the dust contrasts strongly, thanks to its light color. Over the desert floor, the dust blends in with the sands below. Toward the northeast, the dust plume mixes with clouds. Also in the northeast are small patches of pale blue. Their straight edges imply that these features are made by humans, perhaps a salt mine. Due to a lack of drainage, salt collects in the Taklimakan Desert, whose lowest point is roughly 150 meters (490 feet) below sea level. The desert lies in the Tarim Basin, between the Tien Shan Mountains to the north and Kunlun Mountains to the south, and it is home to one of the world's largest shifting-sand deserts. You can download a 250-meter-resolution Taklimakan dust storm KMZ file [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/May2007/taklimakan_amo_2007139.kmz ] for use with Google Earth. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. |
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Hurricane Dean
| Title |
Hurricane Dean |
| Description |
Hurricane Dean was the fourth named storm and the first hurricane of the 2007 Atlantic season. It was also one of the strongest hurricanes ever observed in the Atlantic Basin. Dean reached Category 5 status—the highest rating on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshs.shtml ]—on August 20 [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17745 ] as it passed over the deep, warm waters of the Caribbean. When it came ashore on August 21, it was the first storm to make landfall as a Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic basin since Hurricane Andrew in 1992, said the National Hurricane Center. At 3:05 p.m. local time on August 21, 2007, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] flying on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image of Hurricane Dean as it reemerged over the Gulf of Mexico after crossing the Yucatan Peninsula. In this image, the peninsula is barely visible northeast of the hurricane. The storm itself has lost the near-perfect shape and distinct eye it displayed on August 20, but it still maintains the tight spiraling clouds typical of a powerful storm. According to the U.S. National Hurricane Center public advisory [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh/MIATCPAT4+shtml/212030.shtml ] issued at 4:00 p.m. central daylight savings time on August 21, the hurricane's center was located approximately 100 kilometers (60 miles) west-southwest of Campeche, Mexico. The storm was expected to travel westward at about 32 kilometers (20 miles) per hour, passing near the coast, and then move ashore over central Mexico on August 22. Although downgraded to a Category 1 storm, it was expected to re-strengthen before its second landfall. According to The New York Times, Hurricane Dean followed a sparsely inhabited path through Mexico, avoiding the tourist attraction of Cancún. Nevertheless, the storm tore roofs off houses, felled trees, downed power lines, and flooded streets. Passing over the warm water of the Bay of Campeche promised to give the storm more energy as it continued moving. You can download a 250-meter-resolution KMZ file of Hurricane Dean [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/Images/Dean.A2007233.1905.250m.kmz ] suitable for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/ ] NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data obtained courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response System [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. The image is available in additional resolutions from the MODIS Rapid Response System. |
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Hurricane Felix
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Hurricane Felix |
| Description |
Category 5 hurricanes are rare. Rarer still is the storm that makes landfall as a Category 5 storm—most weaken before hitting land. Yet, exactly two weeks after Hurricane Dean struck the Yucatan Peninsula as a Category 5 storm (the first Atlantic storm of that size to come ashore since Hurricane Andrew in 1992), Hurricane Felix roared ashore at Category 5 strength. Felix came ashore over northeastern Nicaragua on September 4, 2007, with sustained winds of 260 kilometers per hour (160 miles per hour), said the National Hurricane Center. [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ ] Forecasters predicted that Felix would continue to move west over Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico. Heavy rain in these mountainous regions could trigger devastating floods and mudslides. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image of Hurricane Felix at 12:30 p.m. local time (18:30 UTC) on September 3, 2007. At that time, Felix had already reached Category 5 status, with wind speeds that matched those observed at landfall the following morning. Along the left side of the image is the Central American coastline where Felix would eventually come ashore. The image reveals that Felix was compact, not a sprawling storm, and densely packed with bright clouds. Though cloud-filled, the eye forms a small, dark depression in the center of the storm. The large image provided above has a resolution of 250 meters per pixel, MODIS' maximum resolution. The image is available in additional resolutions [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2007246-0903/Felix.A2007246.1830 ] from the MODIS Rapid Response System. You can download a 250-meter-resolution KMZ file of Hurricane Felix [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Sep2007/felix_tmo_2007246.kmz ] suitable for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/ ] NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. |
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Hurricane Flossie
| Title |
Hurricane Flossie |
| Description |
Hurricane Flossie built itself up into a powerful Category 4 hurricane [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshs.shtml ] as it traveled through the central Pacific Ocean in mid-August. By August 13, it had weakened to a Category 3 storm, and as of the morning of August 14, the hurricane was predicted to pass within 100 miles of the Hawaiian Islands, bringing strong winds and heavy rain, particularly to the southern end of the Big Island. A hurricane watch, tropical storm warning, and flash flood watch were issued for the islands, and schools on the Big Island were all closed for the day as a precaution, said news reports. At 1:10 p.m. local time (23:10 UTC) on August 13, 2007, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image, Hurricane Flossie was a Category 3 hurricane. The hurricane had a large spiral shape and its central eye was well-defined, although filled with clouds (known as a "closed eye.") These characteristics are typical for powerful cyclones. Sustained winds were measured at 195 kilometers per hour (120 miles per hour) at the time of this MODIS image, according to the University of Hawaii's Tropical Storm Information Center. [ http://www.solar.ifa.hawaii.edu/Tropical/ ] The high-resolution image provided above is at MODIS' full spatial resolution (level of detail) of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions. [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2007225-0813/Flossie.A2007225.2310 ] You can download a 250-meter-resolution KMZ file of Hurricane Flossie [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Aug2007/Flossie.A2007225.2310.250m.kmz ] suitable for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/ ] NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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Dust Storm in Central Asia
| Title |
Dust Storm in Central Asia |
| Description |
A massive dust storm blew through central Asia on May 7, 2007. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite took this picture the same day, capturing the dust sweeping in a counterclockwise direction east of the Aral Sea. In this image, the dust appears as a pale beige swath immediately south of a large bank of clouds. The dust mimics the movement of the clouds, and both clouds and dust may have resulted from the same weather system. Although a few plumes originate to the west, most of the dust plumes originate along the shores of the South Aral Sea. The dry lake beds surrounding the South Aral Sea provide ample material for dust storms. The sea began retreating [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=4819 ] in the 1960s. Although the North Aral Sea had rebounded [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17634 ] somewhat by the spring of 2007, thanks to conservation efforts, the southern portion of this massive lake continued to decline. You can download a 250-meter-resolution Central Asia KMZ file [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/May2007/centralasia_amo_2007127.kmz ] for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html ] NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. |
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Hurricane Henriette
| Title |
Hurricane Henriette |
| Description |
Only the third hurricane of the relatively quiet 2007 eastern Pacific hurricane season, Hurricane Henriette was also the first hurricane of the season to make landfall. Henriette skimmed up the Mexican coastline as it developed between August 30 and September 4, 2007. The National Hurricane Center [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ ] predicted that the storm would come ashore over Baja California on September 4 as a strengthening Category 1 hurricane before traveling north through Mexico and into the United States. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image of Henriette at 2:10 p.m. local time (21:10 UTC) on September 3. At that time Henriette was still a tropical storm with sustained winds of 110 kilometers per hour (70 miles per hour). Though not as powerful as Hurricane Felix, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14483 ] which was pounding Central America from the Caribbean, Henriette had caused at least six deaths in Mexico before coming ashore. The outer bands of the storm inundated Acapulco with heavy rain that caused deadly flooding and landslides, reported the Associated Press on September 4. You can download a 250-meter-resolution KMZ file of Hurricane Henriette [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Sep2007/henriette_amo_2007246.kmz ] suitable for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/ ] NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. |
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Hurricane Henriette
| Title |
Hurricane Henriette |
| Description |
The eastern Pacific hurricane season had been relatively quiet when Hurricane Henriette formed in late August of 2007. Henriette traveled offshore from the Mexican Pacific coast from August 30 to September 4, gradually becoming a Category 1 [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshs.shtml ] hurricane. The storm had just come ashore over Cabo San Lucas, Baja California, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite acquired this photo-like image at 1:55 p.m. local time (20:55 UTC) on September 4, 2007. Just a few hours before MODIS observed the storm, the National Hurricane Center estimated Henriette's sustained winds to be over 110 kilometers per hour (75 miles per hour), consistent with their Category 1 prediction. The satellite image shows Henriette to have only a loosely wound spiral arm structure and only traces of a central eye. This is consistent with a low-strength hurricane. You can download a 250-meter-resolution KMZ file of Hurricane Henriette [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Sep2007/henriette_amo_2007247.kmz ] suitable for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/ ] NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. |
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Dust Storm in the Russian Fa
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| Title |
Dust Storm in the Russian Far East |
| Description |
A dust plume hovered over the border between Russia's Far East and China on April 30, 2007. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite took this picture the same day. In this image, the dust plume appears as a tan blob over the border between Russia and China. The dust plume likely originated in the arid west, perhaps in Mongolia. The dust particles enjoy plenty of company as they cloud the skies over eastern Asia. Surrounding the dust are not only white clouds but also dingy gray haze, likely resulting from fires [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14238 ] in the region. Just east of the dust plume are three distinct fingers of smoke that blow toward the northwest in a counterclockwise direction. The high-resolution image shows a burn scar (dark brown areas) at the southeastern base of these smoke plumes. South of the dust plume, the haze may result from pollution. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. |
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Dust Storm in the Taklimakan
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| Title |
Dust Storm in the Taklimakan Desert |
| Description |
Dust plumes blew out of the Taklimakan Desert toward the east on April 8, 2007. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] flying onboard the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite took this picture the same day. In this image, the dust plumes appear as blurry beige swirls, concentrating in the east. White clouds fringe the desert's perimeter. Lying between the Tien Shan Mountains in the north and Kunlun Mountains in the south, the Taklimakan Desert is one of Earth's largest shifting-sand deserts. Because the area has no drainage, salt collects in the basin, whose lowest point is 150 meters below sea level. Because of its aridity and abundant sand, this desert is a regular source of dust storms in Asia. You can download a 250-meter-resolution Taklimakan KMZ file [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Apr2007/taklimakan_amo_2007098.kmz ] for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html ] NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. |
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Dust Storm out of Northern A
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| Title |
Dust Storm out of Northern Africa |
| Description |
On March 29, 2007, the Shiveluch Volcano (sometimes spelled Sheveluch) on the Russian Federation's Kamchatka Peninsula erupted. According to the Alaska Volcano Observatory [ http://www.avo.alaska.edu/activity/avoreport.php?view=kaminfo ] the volcano underwent an explosive eruption between 01:50 and 2:30 UTC, sending an ash cloud skyward roughly 9,750 meters (32,000 feet), based on visual estimates. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] flying onboard NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite took this picture at 02:00 UTC on March 29. The top image shows the volcano and its surroundings. The bottom image shows a close-up view of the volcano at 250 meters per pixel. Satellites often capture images of volcanic ash plumes, but usually as the plumes are blowing away. Plumes have been observed blowing away from Shiveluch [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14078 ] before. This image, however, is different. At the time the Aqua satellite passed overhead, the eruption was recent enough (and the air was apparently still enough) that the ash cloud still hovered above the summit. In this image, the bulbous cloud casts its shadow northward over the icy landscape. Volcanic ash eruptions inject particles into Earth's atmosphere. Substantial eruptions of light-reflecting particles can reduce temperatures and even affect atmospheric circulation. Large eruptions impact climate patterns [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/Volcano/ ] for years. A massive eruption of the Tambora Volcano [ http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/03oct_novarupta.htm ] in Indonesia in 1815, for instance, earned 1816 the nickname "the year without a summer."Shiveluch [ http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=1000-27= ] is a stratovolcano—a steep-sloped volcano composed of alternating layers of solidified ash, hardened lava, and volcanic rocks. One of Kamchatka's largest volcanoes, it sports a summit reaching 3,283 meters (10,771 feet). Shiveluch is also one of the peninsula's most active volcanoes, with an estimated 60 substantial eruptions in the past 10,000 years. You can download a 250-meter-resolution KMZ file of the North African dust storm [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Mar2007/nafrica_tmo_2007087.kmz ] for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html ] NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. |
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Dust Storm over India and Pa
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| Title |
Dust Storm over India and Pakistan |
| Description |
Dust blew over the border between Pakistan and India on June 10, 2007. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite captured this image the same day. This picture shows the dust plume, appearing as a tan blur, obscuring the landscape below. The underlying land surface is a sand desert, and it provides ample material for dust storms in the region. According to ABC Online [ http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200706/s1948183.htm ] in Australia, both Pakistan and India suffered through a severe heat wave at the time of this dust storm. The same winds blowing hot air from the east might have also played a role in kicking up this dust. South of the dust plume is the Rann of Kutch, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/shownh.php3?img_id=11750 ] a marshy region along the India-Pakistan border that alternates between wet and dry conditions. The whiteness of the area in this image indicates a salt pan that emerges in the dry phase. You can download a 250-meter-resolution dust storm KMZ file [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Jun2007/India.A2007161.0820.250m.kmz ] for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html ] NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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Jebel at Tair Eruption
| Title |
Jebel at Tair Eruption |
| Description |
Jebel at Tair, a small volcanic island in the Red Sea, erupted late in the day on September 30, 2007, causing several casualties and leaving a number of Yemeni soldiers missing, according to news reports. A Canadian Navy spokesman, who was in the area at the time, described a "giant light show" with spewing lava and an ash cloud reaching hundreds of meters into the air. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite captured this image of the diminutive volcanic island on October 1, 2007. The haze over the ocean likely results from the eruption, probably a combination of ash and vog—volcanic smog that arises from the mixture of sulfur dioxide, oxygen, and moisture. North of the island appears an area of potentially disturbed water, perhaps caused by ash in the water and/or hot lava leading to water heating and discoloration. Midway between Yemen and Eritrea, Jebel at Tair [ http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=0201-01= ] is a stratovolcano composed of alternating layers of hardened lava, solidified ash, and rocks ejected by previous eruptions. The island is also known as Jabal al-Tair, Jabal al-Tayr, Tair Island, Al-Tair Island, and Jazirat at-Tair. According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Yemen has maintained a military base since 1996 on this volcanic island, which is only about 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) long. Yemen's oil minister stated that earthquakes, registering between 4 and 4.3 in magnitude struck the island on September 30 and likely triggered the eruption. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. Thanks to Simon Carn, Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology [ http://www.jcet.umbc.edu/ ] (JCET), University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), and Gene Carl Feldman, Goddard Space Flight Center, for image interpretation. |
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