|
|
Browse All
:
Aqua of Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and China and Vietnam
|
Printer Friendly |
Haze over Southern China
| Title |
Haze over Southern China |
| Description |
Haze collected over the Sichuan Basin in southern China on November 13, 2006. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] flying onboard NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite took this picture the same day. In this image, dingy gray haze, mixed with white clouds, obscures the view of the basin. The haze extends southward over Laos, Vietnam, and the Gulf of Tonkin. West of the basin, however, snow-capped brown mountains show through clear skies. China is rapidly industrializing, and industrial and urban smog often clogs the nation's skies. Some of the haze in this image may also result from agricultural fires. MODIS detects many of those fires as hotspots where surface temperatures are much greater than the surroundings. In this image, the hotspots are marked with tiny red dots. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. The Rapid Response Team provides daily images of northern [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_China3 ] and southern [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_China5 ] portions of this region. |
|
Drought in Southeast Asia
| Title |
Drought in Southeast Asia |
| Description |
Southeast Asia?s rainy season came to an early end in October 2004, and since that time, little rain has fallen on the Indochina Peninsula and parts of southern China. The dry spell has launched the region into the worst drought it has seen in years, with wells and reservoirs drying, crops withering, and, for some, food shortages. The effects of the drought are clearly visible in this image, generated from data collected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA?s Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] and Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellites between February 18 and March 5, 2005. The image shows vegetation anomaly, a measure of plant density and health over a wide area. To determine the state of vegetation this year, the data are compared to the average of vegetation measurements collected during the same period in 2000 to 2004. Regions that are drier, where plants are less dense and healthy than normal, are brown, while areas with denser-than-average vegetation are green. In the latter half of February 2005, Southeast Asia was very dry, with plants showing clear signs of drought stress. Clouds, masked out in grey, covered much of southern China, central Vietnam, Laos, and parts of Thailand and Cambodia during this two-week period. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided by the joint Global Agricultural Monitoring Project between NASA, USDA?s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), and the University of Maryland. More data and information about this joint project is available at Satellite Information for Agricultural Monitoring [ http://tripwire.geog.umd.edu/usda/ ]. |
|
Fires in South-central China
| Title |
Fires in South-central China |
| Description |
This true-color Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image from the Aqua satellite on Feb.9, 2003, shows scores of fires (red dots) scattered across south-central China (top) and Vietnam (bottom). The south-central Chinese provinces of Yunnan (which dominates the left and center parts of the image) and Guizhou (right center) are higher in elevation than the terrain to the north. Pollution from large cities to the north obscures the top part of the image, and is creeping southward into valleys at top left. The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at MODIS' maximum spatial resolution of 250 meters. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC |
|
Fires in Southeast Asia
| Title |
Fires in Southeast Asia |
| Description |
On April 8, 2003, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite captured this image of intense biomass burning across Southeast Asia. At left, Bangladesh is free of fires, while to the east, eastern India is covered by red dots indicating active fires. Fires are widespread across Myanmar (center), and (top right to bottom) China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. A grayish pall of smoke hangs over most of the area. In the center of the visible portion of Laos, smoke is especially thick. Compare this to a Terra image acquired earlier in the day. The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at MODIS? maximum spatial resolution of 250 meters. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC |
|
Fires in Southeast Asia
| Title |
Fires in Southeast Asia |
| Description |
This image of fires (red dots) in Myanmar (left) and Thailand (right) shows just a fraction of the area in Southeast Asia experiencing widespread and intense biomass burning on April 10, 2003. See the high resolution image for the entire area, which also shows parts of India, China, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia. The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at MODIS? maximum spatial resolution of 250 meters. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC |
|
Fires in Southeast Asia
| Title |
Fires in Southeast Asia |
| Description |
On April 8, 2003, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite captured this image of biomass burning across Southeast Asia. At left, Bangladesh is free of fires, while to the east, fires are visible (marked with red dots) in India, Myanmar (center), and (top right to bottom) China, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia. Compare this image to the Aqua image of the same area taken later in the day. The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at MODIS? maximum spatial resolution of 250 meters. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC |
|
Fires in Southeast Asia
| Title |
Fires in Southeast Asia |
| Description |
The MODIS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured this true-color image of fires burning in Southeast Asia on April 3, 2003. The fires, outlined in red, are spread very heavily throughout eastern Myanmar (center) and are likely agricultural in origin. Fire is often used to clear fields and pasture to prepare for new plant growth, though the smoke from these fires adversely affects local air quality. In this image, winds blow the grayish-blue smoke to the east over neighboring countries and towards the Gulf of Tonking (right edge) and the South China Sea (not visible). Clockwise from top left, the countries shown are India, Myanmar, China, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Bangladesh (upper left edge). To the southwest of Myanmar is the Bay of Bengal, due south is the Andaman Sea. The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at MODIS' maximum spatial resolution of 250 meters. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC |
|
Fires in Southeast Asia
| Title |
Fires in Southeast Asia |
| Description |
Gray-blue smoke spreads across Southeast Asia in this Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image captured by the Aqua satellite on March 1, 2004. Scores of fires were detected by the sensor and have been marked in red in the image. Countries shown in the image are China (top), Vietnam (right edge), Laos (left of Vietnam), Thailand (bottom center), and Myanmar (top and bottom left). The widespread nature of the fires and their location (generally located away from remaining natural vegetation, which appears deeper green) suggests that these fires are being set intentionally for agricultural purposes. Though not necessarily hazardous, such large-scale burning can have a strong impact on weather, climate, human health, and natural resources. The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA-GSFC |
|
Fires in Southeast Asia
| Title |
Fires in Southeast Asia |
| Description |
Thick, blue-gray smoke hangs over Southeast Asia as the annual agricultural burning season continues. Scores of fires were detected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite during an overpass on March 24, 2004, and have been marked with red dots in the image. Countries shown are (clockwise from top left) Myanmar, China, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand. The Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) captured an image of the smoke drifting far eastward over the South China Sea. The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center |
|
Fires in Southeast Asia
| Title |
Fires in Southeast Asia |
| Description |
A blanket of smoke from scores of fires burning in Southeast Asia hangs in the skies in this Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image from the Aqua satellite captured on March 25, 2004. Fires, marked in red, are burning in (clockwise from top left) India, Myanmar, China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. The annual agricultural fire season has been ongoing since early February, and has seemed especially intense?more fires and thicker smoke?in MODIS images from mid-March on. The widespread nature of the fires and their location (generally located away from remaining natural vegetation, which appears deeper green) suggests that these fires are being set intentionally for agricultural purposes. Though not necessarily immediately hazardous, such large-scale burning can have a strong impact on weather, climate, human health, and natural resources. The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA-GSFC |
|
Fires in Southeast Asia
| Title |
Fires in Southeast Asia |
| Description |
Across Southeast Asia, many fires were burning on December 12, 2004. At top right, fires are burning in southern China, and what may be a mixture of smoke and air pollution from energy production pools in low-lying areas of the mountainous topography. Moving counterclockwise around the scene from China, the image shows parts of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. In the bottom left corner is the Gulf of Thailand, with Thailand along the left edge. The red dots in the image show the locations of fires detected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Aqua satellite. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the MODIS Rapid Response team. |
|
Fires in Southeast Asia
| Title |
Fires in Southeast Asia |
| Description |
Fires were burning in a variety of locations and types of vegetation in Southeast Asia when this image was captured on December 21, 2004, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA?s Aqua satellite. In the center of the scene, scattered fires are burning in Thailand?s central cropland region. At left, smoke fills a low-lying valley that is dominated by irrigated rice paddies. The green of the irrigated crops contrasts with the tan of the other crop regions, this time of year, the climate is dominated by the relatively cool and dry conditions brought on by the northeast monsoon. In the lower right, the Mekong River shows up prominently as it flows southward through some of the region's remaining tropical forests. The Mekong River is to Southeast Asia what the Colorado River is to the U.S. West. Many countries along its path?including China, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam?depend on the river for irrigation and drinking water. Also like the Colorado River, increasing demands for water and the dams and other infrastructure needed to supply it disrupt the natural flood cycle on the Mekong. The diruption can create environmental problems that become human problems, such as a decline in fish stocks in places where fish is the major source of protein in people?'s diets. The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center |
|
Fires in Southeast Asia
| Title |
Fires in Southeast Asia |
| Description |
On February 17, 2005, seasonal burning in Southeast Asia was widespread. When the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Aqua satellite passed over head, the sensor detected scores of active fires (locations marked in red) across (clockwise from top left) Myanmar, China, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand. Although seasonal agricultural burning is common this time of year, it is not possible to know if all of these fires are agricultural in purpose. Some may be fires that escaped into forest or other non-agricultural areas from adjacent agricultural land. Though not necessarily immediately hazardous, such large-scale burning can have a strong impact on weather, climate, human health, and natural resources. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response team. |
|
Fires in Southeast Asia
| Title |
Fires in Southeast Asia |
| Description |
According to news reports from Southeast Asia, the end of the dry phase of the Southeast Asian monsoon in the spring of 2005 found numerous countries facing a crippling drought. In March 2005, India, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and southern China were experiencing some of the most severe drought conditions in decades. In the face of such dry conditions, both natural and human-caused fires become more likely. This image of Southeast Asia on March 30, 2005, was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Aqua satellite. Superimposed on the sensor's digital-photo-like image are red dots that show locations where MODIS detected actively burning fires. Hundreds of smoky fires, probably a mixture of agricultural fires and wildfires, span the region from Myanmar in the west to Laos in the east. The high-resolution image provided above has a spatial resolution of 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA-GSFC |
|
Fires in Southeast Asia
| Title |
Fires in Southeast Asia |
| Description |
The climate of Southeast Asia is controlled by the monsoon, a climate characterized by two seasons: a wet phase, where winds blow inland from over the ocean, bringing frequent rains, and a dry phase, where winds blow from the continent out to sea. In April, the dry phase of the monsoon is drawing to a close, and agricultural burning has been underway for several months, as farmers prepare their fields and pastures for the upcoming growing season. In 2005, Southeast Asia's annual dry season was being magnified by an intense drought. On April 10, 2005, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite captured this scene of intense burning in Myanmar, Thailand, northern Laos, Vietnam and China. The number of actively burning fires (marked in red) is particularly high in northern Laos. Thick, brownish-gray smoke spreads eastward from the fires. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the MODIS Rapid Response team. |
|
Fires in Southeast Asia
| Title |
Fires in Southeast Asia |
| Description |
Across several countries in southeast Asia, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite detected hundreds of fires (marked in red) when it captured this image on March 10, 2006. Fires stretch across India, Myanmar, Thailand, China, Laos, and Vietnam. At this time of year, the majority of the fires are probably agricultural fires that people set to clear and renew land for farming and grazing of livestock. Although such fires are not necessarily immediately hazardous, they can have a big influence on public health, natural resources, and climate. The high-resolution image provided above has a spatial resolution of 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions. NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center. |
|
Fires in Southeast Asia
| Title |
Fires in Southeast Asia |
| Description |
Widespread fires continued throughout Southeast Asia in mid-April 2006. This image of the area was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite on April 11, 2006. Locations where MODIS detected actively burning fires are marked in red. Blue-gray smoke hangs over much of the area, filling the topography. Many of these fires are probably agricultural in nature, but some may be accidental as well. This time of year is part of the area's dry season. The image shows (clockwise from upper left) India, Myanmar, China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the Goddard Earth Sciences DAAC [ http://daac.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ]. |
|
Fires in Southeast Asia
| Title |
Fires in Southeast Asia |
| Description |
In Southeast Asia, both accidental and intentional fires are common in the annual dry season, which occurs during Northern Hemisphere winter months. People set fires to clear cropland before the spring rains arrive, and also to stimulate new pasture. People also use fire to clear the region's tropical forests for new agricultural land. This image from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite shows scores of fires burning across parts of Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and southern China on February 21, 2007. Places where MODIS detected active fires are marked in red. A few fires appear to be large and smoky, which might indicate that forest or moisture-rich vegetation is burning. Though it is not necessarily immediately hazardous, such large-scale burning can have a strong impact on weather, climate, human health, and natural resources. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. |
|
Fires in Southeast Asia
| Title |
Fires in Southeast Asia |
| Description |
Vehicles and power plants are not the only sources of air pollution and greenhouses gases: fires contribute, too. In the Northern Hemisphere spring, which is the end of dry season across much of Southeast Asia, thousands of fires burn each year as people clear cropland and pasture in anticipation of the upcoming wet (growing) season. Intentional fires also escape people's control and burn into adjacent forest. The smoke from these fires crosses the Pacific Ocean, affecting climate far away. This dramatic photo-like image of fires and smoke in Southeast Asia was captured on April 2, 2007, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite. MODIS detected hundreds, possibly thousands of fires (marked in red), burning in Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and China. Thick smoke hides nearly all of Laos, where the highest concentration of fires is located. In southern China and northern Vietnam, the smoke has sunk into the valleys that crisscross the mountainous terrain, only the highest ridgelines, which appear dark green, emerge from the blanket of smoke. The smoke sails above a bank of clouds at upper right as a dingy, yellowish haze. Fires have been burning in the region for more than month, as shown by the high carbon monoxide levels observed by NASA's MOPITT sensor during March 2007. [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14191 ] In addition to carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, fires produce tiny particles of incompletely burned, or charred, carbon. According to research published in mid-March 2007 in the Journal of Geophysical Research, significant amounts of this black carbon travel across the Pacific Ocean to North America at altitudes above 2 kilometers. In spring 2004, between 25-35 gigatons (roughly 55 to 77 million pounds) of black carbon crossed the Pacific and entered skies over western North America between March 26 and April 25, nearly 75 percent of it came from Asia. (Smoke and other pollution have no respect for borders, for example, scientists have also documented smoke pollution from fires in Alaska and Canada crossing the Atlantic [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/ContributionPollution/ ], and entering skies over Europe.) Black carbon influences the climate. Like any dark-colored material, it absorbs incoming sunlight, dimming and cooling the Earth's surface. But while the surface cools, the atmosphere where the black carbon is located heats up. Which effect is stronger? When scientists looked at the overall effect for an entire column of the atmosphere, black carbon's warming effects outweighed its cooling effects. They concluded that trans-Pacific transport of black carbon, such as the soot released from the fires shown in this image, may amplify greenhouse-gas warming over the western United States and the Pacific Ocean. The analysis was based on a variety of information, including weather models, observations collected from airplanes, and aerosol data from MODIS. The large image provided above has a spatial resolution (level of detail) of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides twice-daily [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_China5 ] images of the region in additional resolutions and formats. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center |
|
Fires in Southeast Asia
| Title |
Fires in Southeast Asia |
| Description |
This true-color Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image from January 6, 2002, shows scattered fires (red dots) burning across Southeast Asia. At upper left is Thailand, in the center is Cambodia, and along the right edge is Vietnam. In Thailand, the city of Bangkok appears as a large grayish patch along the coast of the northernmost part of the Gulf of Thailand. In Cambodia, the Tonl? Sap Lake appears deep green and brown. The river running southward through Cambodia and emptying into the South China Sea is the Mekong River. This image was captured in the afternoon by the Aqua MODIS sensor, and fire activity had increased compared to the morning overpass captured by Terra. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC |
|
Fires in Southeast Asia
| Title |
Fires in Southeast Asia |
| Description |
On Tuesday afternoon, March 4, 2003, NASA?s Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite detected hundreds of fires burning across Southeast Asia. This close to the equator, spring-like weather is firmly underway, and fires are being set to clear land for planting and stimulate new growth of pasture grasses. This biomass burning peaks in late winter or early (true) spring, but not before it significantly impacts air quality for hundreds, even thousands of miles around. This image shows (clockwise from top right) China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos (east) and Thailand (west), and Myanmar. Notice the widespread deforestation, especially in eastern Thailand and Cambodia. The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at MODIS? maximum spatial resolution of 250 meters. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC |
|
Super Typhoon Cimaron
| Title |
Super Typhoon Cimaron |
| Description |
Super Typhoon Cimaron struck the northernmost large island in the Philippines, Luzon, on October 29, 2006. According to BBC News Service, [ http://news.bbc.co.uk/ ] the typhoon was the most powerful to strike the island chain since 1998, lashing Luzon with 200-kilometer-an-hour (125-mile-per-hour) winds and torrential rain. After passing through the island chain, Cimaron weakened significantly, falling below Category 3 [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshs.shtml ] strength (the threshold seperating a typhoon from a super typhoon). The typhoon then picked up power over the South China Sea as it headed towards Vietnam. On November 1, Reuters reported a projected landfall in Vietnam on November 3, with an expected strength of Category 1, though predictions of storm strength are challenging to make accurately. Residents of Vietnam were preparing for possible evacuations, as were residents of the Chinese coastal areas, including the island of Hainan and Hong Kong. This photo-like image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] on the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on October 31, 2006, at 1:35 p.m. local time (5:35 UTC). At this time, Typhoon Cimaron was in the center of the South China Sea. Winds were around 160 kilometers per hour (100 miles per hour), 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/?2006305-1101/Cimaron.A2006305.0535 ] You can also download a 250-meter-resolution Typhoon Cimaron KMZ file [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Nov2006/cimaron_amo_2006305.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. |
|
Super Typhoon Durian
| Title |
Super Typhoon Durian |
| Description |
Super Typhoon Durian came ashore in the Philippines on November 30, 2006. According to BBC News Service, [ http://news.bbc.co.uk/ ] the typhoon was quite powerful, with sustained winds as high as 230 kilometers per hour (140 miles per hour). The storm's name comes from a pungent fruit native to Southeast Asia. The twelfth typhoon of the season, Durian was projected as of November 30 to follow a track through the Philippines very similar to typhoons Xangsane, Cimaron, and Chebi, which all crossed the northern part of the island chain, bringing heavy rain and causing substantial damage. As with those other storms, Durian was expected to continue its eastward track and to cross the South China Sea, striking mainland Asia in Vietnam. This photo-like image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] on the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on November 30, 2006, at 1:00 p.m. local time (5:00 UTC). At this time, Typhoon Durian was well over the island chain, with the cloud-filled eye over the land and the spiral arms of clouds covering almost the entire northern Philippines. Sustained winds were around 230 kilometers/hour (140 mph), according to the University of Hawaii's Tropical Storm Information Center. [ http://www.solar.ifa.hawaii.edu/Tropical/ ] These speeds were the peak strength projected for the storm, which was predicted to lose power as it traveled over the islands. Forecasts for its fate as it crossed the South China Sea were uncertain, but since the typhoon season was waning, sea surface temperatures in the South China Sea were not optimal for storm intensification, and forecasters were expecting the typhoon to gradually lose power well before coming ashore in southern Vietnam. 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/?2006334-1130/Durian.A2006334.0500 ] You can also download a 250-meter-resolution Typhoon Durian KMZ file [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Nov2006/Durian.A2006334.0500.250m.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. |
|
Super Typhoon Durian
| Title |
Super Typhoon Durian |
| Description |
Super Typhoon Durian crossed the Philippines on November 30, 2006. According to BBC News Service, [ http://news.bbc.co.uk/ ] the typhoon was quite powerful, with sustained winds as high as 230 kilometers per hour (140 miles per hour). The storm's name comes from a pungent fruit native to Southeast Asia. In the Philippines, however, the typhoon was called Reming. The twelfth typhoon of the season, Durian followed a track through the Philippines very similar to typhoons Xangsane, Cimaron, and Chebi earlier in the year. Durian caused substantial damage and triggered landslides and flooding. According to the Red Cross, as of December 3, 2006, some 406 people in the Philippines had died from various causes directly linked to the typhoon, with some 398 people missing. This photo-like image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] on the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on December 3, 2006, at 1:30 p.m. local time (5:30 UTC). By this time, Typhoon Durian had passed through the island chain of the Philippines and crossed most of the South China Sea. The storm system was a well-defined, spiraling ball of clouds with an open eye at its center. Sustained winds were around 165 km/hr (105 mph), according to the University of Hawaii's Tropical Storm Information Center. [ http://www.solar.ifa.hawaii.edu/Tropical/ ] Residents of southern Vietnam were bracing for the coming storm, which was expected to bring significant wind damage and flooding from heavy rains even though the typhoon had lost considerable power from its traverse through the Philippines. NASA image by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center. |
|
Typhoon Utor
| Title |
Typhoon Utor |
| Description |
Typhoon Utor struck the Philippines on December 9, 2006. Coming just a week after Super Typhoon Durian passed through the island chain on a parallel path to the north, Utor brought heavy rain and strong winds to sodden ground and swollen rivers. Typhoons Xangsane, Cimaron, and Chebi earlier in the year had also followed very similar tracks to Utor. This photo-like image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] on the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on December 9, 2006, at 12:55 p.m. local time (4:55 UTC), just hours before the storm's center crossed the shoreline. The storm system did not have the well-defined shape of a powerful typhoon, with no clear eye. But powerful thunderstorm clouds (clouds that appear to be "boiling") can be discerned in the heart of the storm, and the spiral arms also show towering thunderheads casting shadows on the clouds below. Sustained winds were around 160 kilometers per hour (100 miles per hour), according to the University of Hawaii's Tropical Storm Information Center. [ http://www.solar.ifa.hawaii.edu/Tropical/tropical.html ] The National Disaster Coordinating Council reported evacuations of over 60,000 people from provinces in or near the storm's track. The problems were particularly bad in areas where rain from Durian had already caused mudslides. As of December 10, the Associated Press was reporting that no deaths in the mudslide areas had been recorded, though Typhoon Utor was responsible for some loss of life elsewhere as trees fell on houses. Like Durian before it, Utor was expected to cross the South China Sea and come ashore in mainland Asia along the Vietnam coast. 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/?2006343-1209/Utor.A2006343.0455 ] You can also download a 250-meter-resolution Typhoon Durian KMZ file [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Dec2006/Utor.A2006343.0455.250m.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. |
|
Typhoon Xangsane
| Title |
Typhoon Xangsane |
| Description |
Typhoon Xangsane formed on September 25, 2006, in the western Pacific near the coast of the Philippine Islands. Over the next 36 hours, it grew from a tropical depression (area of low air pressure) to a typhoon. As of September 27, it was right on the eastern edge of the Philippines, with the eye of the storm sitting just offshore. Winds had reached 210 kilometers per hour (130 miles per hour) near the core of the storm, according to the University of Hawaii's Tropical Storm Information Center. [ http://www.solar.ifa.hawaii.edu/Tropical/tropical.html ] This photo-like image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] on the Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on September 27, 2006, at 1:00 p.m. local time (05:00 UTC). Xangsane at the time of this image was a well-defined, spiraling swirl of clouds, with a distinct, but cloud-filled ("closed") eye. The arm structure was not tightly wound, a trait of a moderately young storm. According to news reports, the Philippine Coast Guard had suspended ferry traffic at ports across the region due to strong winds and high waves, leaving thousands of passengers temporarily stranded. Heavy rains triggered flash flooding that had trapped perhaps 100 families in their homes in the central Philippines. Storm track projections on September 27 suggested that the typhoon would lose power as it crossed the islands and rebuild only slightly as it continued west across the South China Sea. The storm was predicted to come ashore on the Asian mainland in central Vietnam on or around October 2. 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/?2006270-0927/Xangsane.A2006270.0500 ] You can also download a 250 m resolution Typhoon Xangsane KMZ file [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/Images/Xangsane.A2006270.0500.250m.kmz ] (6.4 MB) 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. |
|
Typhoon Xangsane
| Title |
Typhoon Xangsane |
| Description |
Typhoon Xangsane formed on September 25, 2006, in the western Pacific near the coast of the Philippine Islands. Over the next 36 hours, it grew from a tropical depression (area of low air pressure) to a typhoon. The typhoon crossed the Philippines and was credited for causing 76 deaths there before crossing the South China Sea and coming ashore in central Vietnam on October 1, according to the Agence France-Presse news service. As the storm came ashore in central Vietnam, it packed winds of 148 kilometers per hour (92 miles per hour), causing another six deaths and many injuries. Vietnamese authorities called Typhoon Xangsane the biggest storm to hit the country in several decades. This photo-like image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] on the Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on October 1, 2006, at 10:10 a.m. local time (03:10 UTC). Xangsane at the time of this image was a well-defined spiral of clouds, but other typhoon characteristics were not obvious. It lacked a well-defined eye, and the spiral arms of the storm did not have sharp edges or evidence of strong thunderstorms. Much of the initial power of the storm had apparently been sapped as the typhoon came over land. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidresponse.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. |
|
Fires in Southeast Asia: Nat
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
A blanket of smoke from scor
…
Myanmar.AMOA2004085
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2004-03-25 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
Myanmar.AMOA2004085 |
|
Fires in Southeast Asia: Nat
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Thick, blue-gray smoke hangs
…
Indochina.AMOA2004084
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2004-03-24 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
Indochina.AMOA2004084 |
|
Fires in Southeast Asia: Nat
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
The MODIS instrument aboard
…
SEAsia.AMOA2003093
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2003-04-03 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
SEAsia.AMOA2003093 |
|
Fires in Southeast Asia: Nat
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
This true-color modis.gsfc.n
…
Indochina.AMOA2003006
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2003-01-06 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
Indochina.AMOA2003006 |
|
Fires in Southeast Asia: Nat
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Gray-blue smoke spreads acro
…
Indochina.AMOA2004061
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2004-03-01 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
Indochina.AMOA2004061 |
|
Fires in South-central China
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
This true-color modis.gsfc.n
…
China.AMOA2003040
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2003-02-09 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
China.AMOA2003040 |
|
Fires in Southeast Asia: Nat
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
On Tuesday afternoon, March
…
Indochina.AMOA2003063
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2003-03-04 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
Indochina.AMOA2003063 |
|
Fires in Southeast Asia: Nat
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
On April 8, 2003, the modis.
…
SEAsia1.TMOA2003098
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2003-04-08 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
SEAsia1.TMOA2003098 |
|
Super Typhoon Durian: Natura
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Super Typhoon Durian crossed
…
durian_amo_2006337
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2006-12-03 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
durian_amo_2006337 |
|
Fires in Southeast Asia: Nat
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Fires were burning in a vari
…
SoutheastAsia.AMOA2004356
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2004-12-21 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
SoutheastAsia.AMOA2004356 |
|
Haze over Southern China: Na
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Haze collected over the Sich
…
chinasmog_amo_2006317
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2006-11-13 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
chinasmog_amo_2006317 |
|
Typhoon Utor: Natural Hazard
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Typhoon Utor struck the Phil
…
utor_amo_2006343
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2006-12-09 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
utor_amo_2006343 |
|
Super Typhoon Cimaron: Natur
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Super Typhoon Cimaron struck
…
cimaron_amo_2006305
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2006-10-31 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
cimaron_amo_2006305 |
|
|
