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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
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
Haze off the U.S. East Coast
Title Haze off the U.S. East Coast
Description Thick haze extended off the U.S. East Coast on October 8, 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 translucent haze obscures the view of the Atlantic Ocean just off the coast. East of the Carolinas, the haze narrows into a thin band that continues eastward. The haze clouding the skies in early October was likely smog, and it might have been partially caused by unseasonably warm temperatures. Much of the east coast experienced temperatures around 32 degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit) at the time this haze formed. Ground -level ozone [ http://www.epa.gov/air/ozonepollution/ ] is a primary ingredient in smog, and such ozone forms in the presence of sunny skies and warm temperatures, along with pollutants released by industry and transportation. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] NASA GSFC
Haze off the United States E …
Title Haze off the United States East Coast
Description Plumes of haze blew off the east coast of the United States and over the Atlantic Ocean in late June 2007. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite took these pictures on June 23, 2007 (top), and June 24, 2007 (bottom). In these images, the haze appears as a blue-gray blur sweeping out over the ocean. While the plume of haze extends well to the south in the June 23 image, it follows a narrower path in the June 24 image. The haze plumes coincided with some air quality advisories for the Carolinas. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's AirNOW [ http://airnow.gov/ ] Website, both North and South Carolina experienced ozone levels in the moderate range on June 23 and 24. Under that category, "unusually sensitive people should consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion." Besides plumes of haze, these satellite images show intermittent cloud cover in the region, as well as sunglint. Sunglint results from sunlight bouncing off the water's surface and into the satellite sensor. In the June 23 image, the sunglint is especially bright near the bottom right corner. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. The Rapid Response Team provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA8 ] of this region.
Haze off the United States E …
Title Haze off the United States East Coast
Description Plumes of haze blew off the east coast of the United States and over the Atlantic Ocean in late June 2007. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite took these pictures on June 23, 2007 (top), and June 24, 2007 (bottom). In these images, the haze appears as a blue-gray blur sweeping out over the ocean. While the plume of haze extends well to the south in the June 23 image, it follows a narrower path in the June 24 image. The haze plumes coincided with some air quality advisories for the Carolinas. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's AirNOW [ http://airnow.gov/ ] Website, both North and South Carolina experienced ozone levels in the moderate range on June 23 and 24. Under that category, "unusually sensitive people should consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion." Besides plumes of haze, these satellite images show intermittent cloud cover in the region, as well as sunglint. Sunglint results from sunlight bouncing off the water's surface and into the satellite sensor. In the June 23 image, the sunglint is especially bright near the bottom right corner. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. The Rapid Response Team provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA8 ] of this region.
Dust Plume off Mauritania
Title Dust Plume off Mauritania
Description A thick plume of dust blew off the coast of Mauritania in western Africa on October 2, 2007. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite observed the dust plume as it headed toward the southwest over the Atlantic Ocean. In this image, the dust varies in color from nearly white to medium tan. The dust plume is easier to see over the dark background of the ocean, but the plume stretches across the land surface to the east, as well. The dust plume's structure is clearest along the coastline, where relatively clear air pockets separate distinct puffs of dust. West of that, individual pillows of dust push together to form a more homogeneous plume. Near its southwest tip, the plume takes on yet another shape, with stripes of pale dust fanning out toward the northwest. Occasional tiny white clouds dot the sky overhead, but skies are otherwise clear. Sandy Mauritania provides ample material for dust storms. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, [ http://www.britannica.com/eb/print?articleId=110759&fullArticle=true&tocId=9110759 ] Mauritania possesses three kinds of landscape. One type is a skeletal soil where the underlying rock outcrops have weathered slightly, and saline soils from evaporated lakes rest on the surface. Another type is a reg, a desert "pavement" of tightly packed round pebbles. The third type of landscape is sand dunes. Sand covers most of the country, especially in its eastern region. Saharan dust is a trans-oceanic traveler, periodically crossing the Atlantic during Northern Hemisphere summer. Satellite imagery of dust storms have helped scientists better understand the wide-ranging influence of Earth's largest desert on distant locations. Scientists have connected Saharan dust storms to red tides in the Gulf of Mexico, to disease outbreaks on Caribbean coral reefs, and to soil fertility in the Amazon Rainforest. Some scientists also believe that Saharan dust outbreaks influence the formation of hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] NASA GSFC
Dust Plume off Western Afric …
Title Dust Plume off Western Africa
Description Saharan dust that blew off the west coast of Africa on June 22, 2007, continued its westward journey across the Atlantic Ocean the following day. Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometers (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] and Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellites tracked the dust plume's progress. This image was composed from a combination of Terra and Aqua observations on June 23, 2007. Terra recorded the dust plume in the eastern Atlantic around 13:00 UTC, and Aqua recorded its progress in the western Atlantic around 14:20 UTC. The high-resolution image of this dust plume has a resolution of 500 meters per pixel. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center
Dust Plume off Western Afric …
Title Dust Plume off Western Africa
Description A thick plume of dust blew off the west coast of northern Africa on July 20, 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. This image shows the beige-tan plume—thick enough to be completely opaque in places—over the Atlantic Ocean. The source of the plume is not obvious in this image, and given the plume's diffuse shape, it may have originated farther east. South of the plume, a wave pattern appears. Both airborne dust and clouds can make waves in the atmosphere visible to satellite sensors. The northern portions of these waves are faint, but as they meld with cloud formations in the south, the waves become easier to discern. Just north of the waves, the ocean water takes on a pale green color, which may be due to shallow water, sediment and/or algae. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center
Dust Storm over the Canary I …
Title Dust Storm over the Canary Islands
Description On March 10, 2007, thick plumes of dust blew off the west coast of Africa and over the Canary Islands. 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 tan dust strikes a strong contrast with the navy blue ocean. The dust plumes are thickest over the Canary Islands, almost thick enough to completely obscure the satellite's view of them. The dust plumes thin somewhat north and south of the islands. In the areas with thinner dust plumes, in a few isolated spots, the seawater appears green under the dust. This may result from sediment, shallow water, or both. Whereas many deserts consist of largely of bedrock and gravel, with just some sand, one-fifth of the Sahara is covered in sand, with dunes rising to 300 meters (1,000 feet) in places. As the Sahara regularly exports dust across the Atlantic Ocean, giving the Canary Islands a dusting requires a relatively short trip: the easternmost island is just over 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the African coast. In many instances, Saharan dust travels all the way to the Caribbean. There, the dust plays a dual role. While it can carry bacteria and fungi that harm Caribbean corals, it also provides soil for the local islands. Without Saharan dust, few plants might grow in the Caribbean. Saharan dust may also play a role in mitigating the Atlantic hurricane season. On February 27, 2007, William Lau of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and Kyu-Myong Kim of the University of Maryland published an article in EOS hypothesizing that repeated dust storms from Africa in summer 2006 blocked incoming sunlight, cooled the sea surface, and hampered hurricane development. NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center.
Hydrogen Sulfide Eruption of …
Title Hydrogen Sulfide Eruption off Namibia
Description The brilliant burst of neon blue and green that hugs the shore of Namibia in this photo-like image might be beautiful from space, but it is deadly on the ground. The color is caused by hydrogen sulfide erupting to the surface. The foul-smelling gas is toxic by itself, but it also robs the water of oxygen when it erupts to the surface, leading to large fish kills. Ironically, it is the ocean's productivity in this region that causes the deadly eruptions. Strong ocean currents sweep nutrient-rich water to the sunlit surface of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Namibia. The ample supply of nutrients allows tiny free-floating plants (phytoplankton) to proliferate. When the large phytoplankton blooms die, the plants sink to the ocean floor, where bacteria break them down. The anaerobic bacteria that complete the decay process release toxic hydrogen sulfide into the ocean. The gas builds near the ocean floor until a bubble erupts to the surface. As it rises, the hydrogen combines with oxygen to form water molecules, leaving solid, yellow sulfur. The sulfur scatters yellow light, lending the water a brilliance that can range from milky white to electric blue. This particular eruption surrounds Walvis Bay and stretches north along the Skeleton Coast and south to the orange dune fields of the Namib Desert. The city of Walvis Bay is a faint gray discoloration on the southern shore of the bay. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) flying on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image on July 25, 2007. The large image provided above has a resolution of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides the image in additional resolutions. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC
Phytoplankton Bloom off Nami …
Title Phytoplankton Bloom off Namibia
Description A flash of blue and green lit the waters off Namibia in early November 2007 as a phytoplankton bloom grew and faded in the Atlantic Ocean. 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 on November 8, 2007. The bloom stretches from north to south along hundreds of kilometers, though it is brightest in the center of this image. Such blooms are common in the coastal waters off southwest Africa where cold, nutrient-rich currents sweep north from Antarctica and interact with the coastal shelf. At the same time, the easterly trade winds push surface water away from the shore, allowing water from the ocean's floor to rise to the surface, bringing with it iron and other material. The suffusion of nutrients from both the currents and upwelling water creates an environment where tiny surface-dwelling ocean plants (phytoplankton) thrive. Phytoplankton blooms are so abundant off Namibia that their death and decomposition often robs the water of dissolved oxygen. As the plants die, they sink to the ocean floor where bacteria consume them. There is so much plant material that the bacteria use all of the oxygen available int he water before they finish breaking down the plants, creating a dead-zone in the water where fish can't survive. Anaerobic bacteria, which don't require oxygen, take over in the decomposition process, releasing sulfur dioxide as a byproduct. The sulfur dioxide interacts with the ocean water to create solid sulfur and hydrogen sulfide, a poisonous gas, which eventually erupts to the surface, sometimes killing fish. Though no eruption is readily apparent in this image, hydrogen sulfide eruptions are often visible in satellite imagery because the solid sulfur colors the water a milky yellow-green. The bloom shown here persisted over several days. It first became distinct on October 28 [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?NBenguela/2007301 ] (though clouds covered the region on previous days, so it may have developed earlier) and was just beginning to fade on November 14. [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?NBenguela/2007318 ] The daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?NBenguela/2007312 ] provided by the MODIS Rapid Response System show the bloom growing and fading throughout that period. You can download a 250-meter-resolution KMZ file of the bloom [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Nov2007/namibia_amo_2007312.kmz ] suitable for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/ ] NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC.
Smoke from fires in Idaho an …
Title Smoke from fires in Idaho and Montana
Description Some things are so large that the perspective from space is necessary to appreciate them. One of those things is the long-distance impact that pollutants like smoke or dust can have on air quality. On August 4, 2007, for example, fires raging in Montana and Idaho polluted the air over much of the United States. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) onboard NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image of the smoke and fires on the afternoon of August 4. The lower image is a mosaic of four separate flyovers (separated by faint diagonal lines), while the top image is a close-up view of the smoke and haze along the northeastern seaboard. Strong winds on August 4 created uncontrollable firestorms that forced the evacuation of at least two communities in Montana, reported the Missoulian. Fires in Montana and Idaho are marked with red dots in the lower image and are more clearly visible in the large image. In addition to fueling the flames, the winds blew dense plumes of smoke northeast. The thickest plumes rise from the fires in northwestern Montana. By the time the smoke reached eastern Montana, the plumes were no longer distinct. The air was clouded with a soupy, gray haze that curves north into Canada. High-level winds pushed the smoke south over the western Great Lakes, and into the central and southern United States. From the bank of clouds over Illinois to the Gulf of Mexico, the air was white-gray with haze. From the central United States, the plume of pollution snaked over the Mid-Atlantic States and the Chesapeake Bay to the Atlantic Ocean, where it turned north and flowed along the coast. Some additional haze may line the coast south of Cape Hatteras, but reflected sunlight has turned the ocean's surface into a mirror, effectively masking the presence of any haze. The top image provides a closer view of the haze over the Atlantic Ocean from the Delmarva Peninsula along the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay, to the Gulf of Maine, north of Cape Cod. By this point, smoke from the western wildfires is probably only one component of the haze. High temperatures and stagnant air also amplified the impact of urban pollution, creating Code Orange [ http://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=static.aqi#unh ] air quality conditions, which are unhealthy for sensitive groups such as active children or adults or individuals with respiratory ailments. The jetstream—the fast-moving, high-level winds that steer weather systems—is defined by the stark boundary between the hazy air over the Mid-Atlantic and the clear air over New England. Jetstream winds are clearly blocking the smoke from traveling north. NASA image 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/fas/ ] of the United States in a clickable map.
Smoke from fires in Idaho an …
Title Smoke from fires in Idaho and Montana
Description Some things are so large that the perspective from space is necessary to appreciate them. One of those things is the long-distance impact that pollutants like smoke or dust can have on air quality. On August 4, 2007, for example, fires raging in Montana and Idaho polluted the air over much of the United States. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) onboard NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image of the smoke and fires on the afternoon of August 4. The lower image is a mosaic of four separate flyovers (separated by faint diagonal lines), while the top image is a close-up view of the smoke and haze along the northeastern seaboard. Strong winds on August 4 created uncontrollable firestorms that forced the evacuation of at least two communities in Montana, reported the Missoulian. Fires in Montana and Idaho are marked with red dots in the lower image and are more clearly visible in the large image. In addition to fueling the flames, the winds blew dense plumes of smoke northeast. The thickest plumes rise from the fires in northwestern Montana. By the time the smoke reached eastern Montana, the plumes were no longer distinct. The air was clouded with a soupy, gray haze that curves north into Canada. High-level winds pushed the smoke south over the western Great Lakes, and into the central and southern United States. From the bank of clouds over Illinois to the Gulf of Mexico, the air was white-gray with haze. From the central United States, the plume of pollution snaked over the Mid-Atlantic States and the Chesapeake Bay to the Atlantic Ocean, where it turned north and flowed along the coast. Some additional haze may line the coast south of Cape Hatteras, but reflected sunlight has turned the ocean's surface into a mirror, effectively masking the presence of any haze. The top image provides a closer view of the haze over the Atlantic Ocean from the Delmarva Peninsula along the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay, to the Gulf of Maine, north of Cape Cod. By this point, smoke from the western wildfires is probably only one component of the haze. High temperatures and stagnant air also amplified the impact of urban pollution, creating Code Orange [ http://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=static.aqi#unh ] air quality conditions, which are unhealthy for sensitive groups such as active children or adults or individuals with respiratory ailments. The jetstream—the fast-moving, high-level winds that steer weather systems—is defined by the stark boundary between the hazy air over the Mid-Atlantic and the clear air over New England. Jetstream winds are clearly blocking the smoke from traveling north. NASA image 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/fas/ ] of the United States in a clickable map.
Fires in the Canary Islands
Title Fires in the Canary Islands
Description Two large forest fires raged on the Canary Islands on the afternoon of July 30, 2007, 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. Clusters of red dots mark out the locations of the fires on the islands of Tenerife (left) and Gran Canaria (right). More than 2,000 people were evacuated from the fire on Gran Canaria, which had burned through 8,645 acres of woodland, reported the Associated Press on July 30. Thick plumes of smoke blow southwest over the Atlantic Ocean from the fires. The desert coast of Western Sahara and Morocco makes up the right edge of the image. A faint tan veil of dust hangs over the ocean near the coast. The large image provided above has a resolution of 250 meters per pixel. The image is available in additional resolutions [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2007211-0730/CanaryIslands.A2007211.1445 ] from the MODIS Rapid Response System. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC
Dust Plume off Western Afric …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Saharan dust that blew off t …
atlantic_tmo_2007174
mediatype IMAGE
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date 2007-06-23
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier atlantic_tmo_2007174
Phytoplankton Bloom off Nami …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
A flash of blue and green li …
namibia_amo_2007312
mediatype IMAGE
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date 2007-11-08
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier namibia_amo_2007312
Haze off the United States E …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
* eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/ima …
ecoast_amo_2007175
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Dust Plume off Mauritania: N …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
A thick plume of dust blew o …
wafrica_amo_2007275
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creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier wafrica_amo_2007275
Floods in Southern Brazil: N …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
* eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/ima …
Brazil_TMO_2007253
mediatype IMAGE
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Fires in the Canary Islands: …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Two large forest fires raged …
ge_18794
mediatype IMAGE
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creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier ge_18794
Hydrogen Sulfide Eruption of …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
The brilliant burst of neon …
Namibia_AMO_2007206
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2007-07-25
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier Namibia_AMO_2007206
Smoke from fires in Idaho an …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
* eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/ima …
USA_AMO_2007216
mediatype IMAGE
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date 2007-08-04
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier USA_AMO_2007216
Dust Storm over the Canary I …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
On March 10, 2007, thick plu …
canary_amo_2007069
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2007-03-10
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier canary_amo_2007069
Dust Plume off Western Afric …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Saharan dust that blew off t …
atlantic_tmo_2007174
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2007-06-23
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier atlantic_tmo_2007174
Dust Plume off Western Afric …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
A thick plume of dust blew o …
wafrica_amo_2007201
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2007-07-20
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier wafrica_amo_2007201
Haze off the U.S. East Coast …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Thick haze extended off the …
ge_19196
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2007-10-08
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier ge_19196
Dust Storm over the Canary I …
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle …
On March 10, 2007, thick plu …
ge_07490
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2007-03-10
creator NASA -- NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov MODIS Rapid Response Team, Goddard Space Flight Center.
identifier ge_07490
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