|
|
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 |
|
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 |
|
Activity on Nyiragongo
| Title |
Activity on Nyiragongo |
| Description |
On June 19, 2007, Mount Nyiragongo released a plume. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite took this picture the same day. In this image, the blue-tinted plume blows over Lake Kivu toward the southeast. The plume's light color suggests that it consists primarily of water vapor. A bright, opaque white puff at the volcano's summit could be part of the plume, but it is more likely a patch of clouds. Clouds also hover over neighboring Mount Nyamuragira, to the northwest.Nyiragongo [ http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=0203-03= ] is a stratovolcanoa steep-sloped cone composed of alternating layers of hardened lava, solidified ash, and rocks ejected by previous eruptions. For five decades, the volcano cradled an active lava lake in its summit crater. The lava lake drained in 1977, causing numerous fatalities. In 2002, lava flows from the volcano covered parts of the nearby city of Goma. Neighboring Nyamuragira [ http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=0203-02= ] (also known as Mount Nyamulagira) is a shield volcanoa shallow-sloped volcano resembling a giant warrior shieldformed from hardened lava flows. Despite its lower profile, it, too, harbored a lava lake in its summit crater. That lake drained in 1938, at the same time as a major eruption from one of the volcano's flanks. Historically, lava flows from this volcano have reached Lake Kivu. This volcano experienced a significant eruption in November 2006. [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images_topic.php3?topic=land&img_id=17483 ] You can download a 250-meter-resolution KMZ file of Nyiragongo [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Jun2007/nyiragongo_tmo_2007170.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. |
|
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. |
|
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. |
|
Floods in Kansas and Missour
…
| Title |
Floods in Kansas and Missouri |
| Description |
The skies over southeastern Kansas were filled with a mix of cloud and haze on July 2, 2007, 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. But beneath the clouds, the flood-swollen Neosho and Verdigris Rivers and tributaries can be seen. Normally these river rivers would be too small to be visible in MODIS images (as shown by the lower image from June 8, 2007), but on July 2, the rivers paint a wide blue ribbon across the Kansas plains. Water is normally black in this type of false-color image, which is made with visible and infrared light. On July 2, the rivers are blue partly because sediment colors the water and partly because sunlight is reflecting off the surface of the water. Clouds are light turquoise and white, plant-covered land is green, and bare earth (largely freshly planted, rectangular farm fields) is tan. Additional flooding in western Missouri is visible in the large images. By July 2, the floods had forced thousands from their homes throughout Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas, reported CNN. The flood-swollen Verdigris River, image center, surrounded an oil refinery in Coffeyville, Kansas, where more than 42,000 gallons of crude oil spilled into the river, said CNN. The polluted portion of the river is under clouds in this image. The storms and the flooding in Kansas led President Bush to declare a major disaster in the state, CNN added. The Neosho River, along the right side of the image, crested at 35 feet, 10 feet above flood stage, at its highest point on July 2, and the Verdigris reached its highest point, 49 feet, 19 feet above flood stage, in Independence, Kansas, said the National Weather Service. [ http://www.nws.noaa.gov/oh/hic/dirlistings/data/ICT/021424_ICT_Hydrologic_Summary ]Daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA7/2007183 ] of Kansas 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. |
|
Floods in Kansas and Missour
…
| Title |
Floods in Kansas and Missouri |
| Description |
The skies over southeastern Kansas were filled with a mix of cloud and haze on July 2, 2007, 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. But beneath the clouds, the flood-swollen Neosho and Verdigris Rivers and tributaries can be seen. Normally these river rivers would be too small to be visible in MODIS images (as shown by the lower image from June 8, 2007), but on July 2, the rivers paint a wide blue ribbon across the Kansas plains. Water is normally black in this type of false-color image, which is made with visible and infrared light. On July 2, the rivers are blue partly because sediment colors the water and partly because sunlight is reflecting off the surface of the water. Clouds are light turquoise and white, plant-covered land is green, and bare earth (largely freshly planted, rectangular farm fields) is tan. Additional flooding in western Missouri is visible in the large images. By July 2, the floods had forced thousands from their homes throughout Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas, reported CNN. The flood-swollen Verdigris River, image center, surrounded an oil refinery in Coffeyville, Kansas, where more than 42,000 gallons of crude oil spilled into the river, said CNN. The polluted portion of the river is under clouds in this image. The storms and the flooding in Kansas led President Bush to declare a major disaster in the state, CNN added. The Neosho River, along the right side of the image, crested at 35 feet, 10 feet above flood stage, at its highest point on July 2, and the Verdigris reached its highest point, 49 feet, 19 feet above flood stage, in Independence, Kansas, said the National Weather Service. [ http://www.nws.noaa.gov/oh/hic/dirlistings/data/ICT/021424_ICT_Hydrologic_Summary ]Daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA7/2007183 ] of Kansas 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. |
|
Floods in Kansas and Missour
…
| Title |
Floods in Kansas and Missouri |
| Description |
Floods that started with heavy rain on June 26, 2007, still surrounded parts of Coffeyville, Kansas, on July 9, when the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]) flying on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image. Coffeyville was flooded on July 1, when the swollen Verdigris River burst through a levee. Water swamped neighborhoods and businesses, including the Coffeyville Resources Refinery. Though the refinery had been shut down in anticipation of the flooding, it leaked more than 42,000 gallons of crude oil into the Verdigris River, reported the Environment News Service. [ http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jul2007/2007-07-03-01.asp ] The Environmental Protection Agency [ http://www.epa.gov/region7/cleanup/coffeyville/index.html ] was coordinating with Coffeyville Resources to clean up the spill and to ensure that oil did not contaminate drinking water downstream. In these false-color images, the city of Coffeeville is silver and white. Vegetation is red, bare earth is pale gray, and water is dark blue. The Coffeyville Resources Refinery is the concentrated mass of silver, accented with large, white circular storage tanks, northeast of the city. In the top image, the refinery is surrounded by a pool of blue flood water. The lower image, taken on May 19, 2007, shows the area in normal conditions. Downstream from the refinery (to the south) is a grid of streets surrounded by plant-covered land. A few clusters of buildings line the larger streets, but few other large buildings are evident in the area, indicating that this is probably a residential neighborhood. Residual oil-tainted water creates traces of dark blue in the eastern half of the neighborhood. Smudges of blue west of the refinery indicate that the river flooded this part of the city as well. Beyond these areas, the flooded river seemed to remain confined behind levees on its flood plain. The high levees resemble dark red walls hemming in defined geometric shapes, which are filled with water in the top image, but are mud-gray in the lower image. Additional flooding along the Verdigris River is shown in the large image. A broader view [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14353 ] of floods in southeastern Kansas is available in the Natural Hazards section of the Earth Observatory. You can download a 15-meter-resolution KMZ file of Coffeyville [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/Images/kansas_ast_2007187.kmz ] suitable for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/ ] NASA image by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. |
|
Floods in Kansas and Missour
…
| Title |
Floods in Kansas and Missouri |
| Description |
Floods that started with heavy rain on June 26, 2007, still surrounded parts of Coffeyville, Kansas, on July 9, when the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]) flying on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image. Coffeyville was flooded on July 1, when the swollen Verdigris River burst through a levee. Water swamped neighborhoods and businesses, including the Coffeyville Resources Refinery. Though the refinery had been shut down in anticipation of the flooding, it leaked more than 42,000 gallons of crude oil into the Verdigris River, reported the Environment News Service. [ http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jul2007/2007-07-03-01.asp ] The Environmental Protection Agency [ http://www.epa.gov/region7/cleanup/coffeyville/index.html ] was coordinating with Coffeyville Resources to clean up the spill and to ensure that oil did not contaminate drinking water downstream. In these false-color images, the city of Coffeeville is silver and white. Vegetation is red, bare earth is pale gray, and water is dark blue. The Coffeyville Resources Refinery is the concentrated mass of silver, accented with large, white circular storage tanks, northeast of the city. In the top image, the refinery is surrounded by a pool of blue flood water. The lower image, taken on May 19, 2007, shows the area in normal conditions. Downstream from the refinery (to the south) is a grid of streets surrounded by plant-covered land. A few clusters of buildings line the larger streets, but few other large buildings are evident in the area, indicating that this is probably a residential neighborhood. Residual oil-tainted water creates traces of dark blue in the eastern half of the neighborhood. Smudges of blue west of the refinery indicate that the river flooded this part of the city as well. Beyond these areas, the flooded river seemed to remain confined behind levees on its flood plain. The high levees resemble dark red walls hemming in defined geometric shapes, which are filled with water in the top image, but are mud-gray in the lower image. Additional flooding along the Verdigris River is shown in the large image. A broader view [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14353 ] of floods in southeastern Kansas is available in the Natural Hazards section of the Earth Observatory. You can download a 15-meter-resolution KMZ file of Coffeyville [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/Images/kansas_ast_2007187.kmz ] suitable for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/ ] NASA image by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. |
|
Floods in Myanmar
| Title |
Floods in Myanmar |
| Description |
Dark blue water blanketed the land surrounding the Gulf of Martaban in southern Myanmar 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 8, 2007. According to the Dartmouth Flood Observatory, [ http://www.dartmouth.edu/%7efloods/Archives/2007sum.htm ] water up to a meter (3.3 feet) in depth covered 16 townships around the capital city of Yangon, destroying crops and houses. The floods came in the wake of the heaviest rain in decades. In this image, the floods are so extensive that the channels of the Yangon and Ayeyarwady Rivers and the shores of the Gulf of Martaban are indistinguishable from the surrounding landscape. The image was made with infrared and visible light, which makes water appear dark blue or black. Sediment turns the water pale blue. Clouds are turquoise and white, plant-covered land is green, and bare earth is tan-pink. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
|
Floods in Myanmar
| Title |
Floods in Myanmar |
| Description |
Dark blue water blanketed the land surrounding the Gulf of Martaban in southern Myanmar 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 8, 2007. According to the Dartmouth Flood Observatory, [ http://www.dartmouth.edu/%7efloods/Archives/2007sum.htm ] water up to a meter (3.3 feet) in depth covered 16 townships around the capital city of Yangon, destroying crops and houses. The floods came in the wake of the heaviest rain in decades. In this image, the floods are so extensive that the channels of the Yangon and Ayeyarwady Rivers and the shores of the Gulf of Martaban are indistinguishable from the surrounding landscape. The image was made with infrared and visible light, which makes water appear dark blue or black. Sediment turns the water pale blue. Clouds are turquoise and white, plant-covered land is green, and bare earth is tan-pink. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
|
Floods in Northern Argentina
| Title |
Floods in Northern Argentina |
| Description |
Late summer rains pounded Northern Argentina in early 2007, triggering the floods shown in this image. The rains started in mid-January, and by March 21, when the top image was taken, the rainfall had caused floods along the Parana and Dulce Rivers and around Laguna Mar Chiquita. The rains were the heaviest seen in Northern Argentina in 45 years, said the Dartmouth Flood Observatory, [ http://www.dartmouth.edu/%7efloods/Archives/2007sum.htm ] and the resulting floods killed 5 and forced 5,000 from their homes. In these images, the floods stretch out over tens of kilometers east of the Parana River. The Dulce River fans across its mouth, where it empties into the Laguna Mar Chiquita. The lower image was taken on January 18, 2007, about the time that the rains started. Like the top image, this image was made with both visible and infrared light so that water is black or dark blue and clouds are pale blue and white. Plant-covered land is green, while bare earth is tan. Agricultural areas are a brighter shade of green than natural vegetation, and the fields give the land a speckled appearance. Similar images are available from the MODIS Rapid Response System [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_NArgentina/2007080 ] on a daily basis. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
|
Floods in Northern Argentina
| Title |
Floods in Northern Argentina |
| Description |
Late summer rains pounded Northern Argentina in early 2007, triggering the floods shown in this image. The rains started in mid-January, and by March 21, when the top image was taken, the rainfall had caused floods along the Parana and Dulce Rivers and around Laguna Mar Chiquita. The rains were the heaviest seen in Northern Argentina in 45 years, said the Dartmouth Flood Observatory, [ http://www.dartmouth.edu/%7efloods/Archives/2007sum.htm ] and the resulting floods killed 5 and forced 5,000 from their homes. In these images, the floods stretch out over tens of kilometers east of the Parana River. The Dulce River fans across its mouth, where it empties into the Laguna Mar Chiquita. The lower image was taken on January 18, 2007, about the time that the rains started. Like the top image, this image was made with both visible and infrared light so that water is black or dark blue and clouds are pale blue and white. Plant-covered land is green, while bare earth is tan. Agricultural areas are a brighter shade of green than natural vegetation, and the fields give the land a speckled appearance. Similar images are available from the MODIS Rapid Response System [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_NArgentina/2007080 ] on a daily basis. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
|
Floods in Northern Argentina
| Title |
Floods in Northern Argentina |
| Description |
One of South America's longest rivers, the Parana winds south from its headwaters in central Brazil through Paraguay and Argentina to empty into the Atlantic Ocean near Buenos Aires, Argentina. Near its mouth, the river widens into a multi-stream delta where it joins the Uruguay River to form the broad Rio de la Plata estuary. Small and neatly defined at the height of summer in mid-January, the delta section of the river stretched kilometers across its flood plain in response to unusually heavy late-summer and early-autumn rains by April. The top image, taken on April 3, 2007, shows that not only has the river expanded into a broad black band, but its tributaries are also swollen. Flecks of black south and west of the river show where water covers agricultural fields. These images, both collected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite, were made with a combination of visible and infrared light to increase the contrast between mud-colored water and land. In these images, water is black or dark blue, and clouds are pale blue and white. Plant-covered land is bright green, and bare earth is tan. In the lower image, taken at the height of the growing season, the agricultural fields are green. By April, the crops had been harvested and the land left bare. The slightly orange color suggests that the fields may have been burned to clear away the stubble. Hugging the west bank of the Parana River, the city of Rosario is a gray-colored spot on the landscape. The floods extend north beyond the top edge of this image, affecting nearly four million hectares (15,000 square miles) and more than 70,000 people in two Argentine states, said the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/MCON-6ZX4CN?OpenDocument ]). The flooding was amplified when up to 500 millimeters of rainmore than half the average yearly rainfallfell over northern Argentina in the span of a few days at the end of March, said OCHA. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
|
Floods in Northern Argentina
| Title |
Floods in Northern Argentina |
| Description |
One of South America's longest rivers, the Parana winds south from its headwaters in central Brazil through Paraguay and Argentina to empty into the Atlantic Ocean near Buenos Aires, Argentina. Near its mouth, the river widens into a multi-stream delta where it joins the Uruguay River to form the broad Rio de la Plata estuary. Small and neatly defined at the height of summer in mid-January, the delta section of the river stretched kilometers across its flood plain in response to unusually heavy late-summer and early-autumn rains by April. The top image, taken on April 3, 2007, shows that not only has the river expanded into a broad black band, but its tributaries are also swollen. Flecks of black south and west of the river show where water covers agricultural fields. These images, both collected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite, were made with a combination of visible and infrared light to increase the contrast between mud-colored water and land. In these images, water is black or dark blue, and clouds are pale blue and white. Plant-covered land is bright green, and bare earth is tan. In the lower image, taken at the height of the growing season, the agricultural fields are green. By April, the crops had been harvested and the land left bare. The slightly orange color suggests that the fields may have been burned to clear away the stubble. Hugging the west bank of the Parana River, the city of Rosario is a gray-colored spot on the landscape. The floods extend north beyond the top edge of this image, affecting nearly four million hectares (15,000 square miles) and more than 70,000 people in two Argentine states, said the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/MCON-6ZX4CN?OpenDocument ]). The flooding was amplified when up to 500 millimeters of rainmore than half the average yearly rainfallfell over northern Argentina in the span of a few days at the end of March, said OCHA. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
|
Angora Fire
| Title |
Angora Fire |
| Description |
On the weekend of June 23, 2007, a wildfire broke out south of Lake Tahoe, which stretches across the California-Nevada border. By June 28, the Angora Fire [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14323 ] had burned more than 200 homes and forced some 2,000 residents to evacuate, according to The Seattle Times and the Central Valley Business Times. On June 27, the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite captured this image of the burn scar left by the Angora fire. The burn scar is dark gray, or charcoal. Water bodies, including the southern tip of Lake Tahoe and Fallen Leaf Lake, are pale silvery blue, the silver color a result of sunlight reflecting off the surface of the water. Vegetation ranges in color from dark to bright green. Streets are light gray, and the customary pattern of meandering residential streets and cul-de-sacs appears throughout the image, including the area that burned. The burn scar shows where the fire obliterated some of the residential areas just east of Fallen Leaf Lake. According to news reports, the U.S. Forest Service had expressed optimism about containing the fire within a week of the outbreak, but a few days after the fire started, it jumped a defense, forcing the evacuation of hundreds more residents. Strong winds that had been forecast for June 27, however, did not materialize, allowing firefighters to regain ground in controlling the blaze. On June 27, authorities hoped that the fire would be completely contained by July 3. According to estimates provided in the daily report from the National Interagency Fire Center, [ http://www.nifc.gov/information.html ] the fire had burned 3,100 acres (about 12.5 square kilometers) and was about 55 percent contained as of June 28. Some mandatory evacuations remained in effect. You can download a 15-meter-resolution KMZ file of the Angora fire [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/Images/tahoe_ast_2007178.kmz ] suitable for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/ ] NASA image by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. |
|
Floods in Pakistan
| Title |
Floods in Pakistan |
| Description |
A dual disaster hit Pakistan in the final week of June 2007. On June 23, rare heavy rains and winds swept over much of the country, and three days later, on June 26, Cyclone Yemyin (03B) blew ashore in southern Pakistan. The two storms caused extensive flooding in the country's southwest from the Arabian Sea coast to the border with Afghanistan. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) captured this image of flooding near the Indus River on July 2, 2007. The large image shows additional flooding along the coast. In this type of false-color image, made with infrared and visible light, water is dark blue or black. The lighter blue color in the north is either water-soaked land or mud-laden water. The desert landscape is tan-pink, while cropland near the Indus is green. Clouds are pale blue and white. The lower image, taken on June 23 before the storm moved in, shows normal conditions. The white streak near the right edge of the image is sunlight reflected off the wetlands around the Indus River. In the area shown here, more than 100,000 people were displaced when 800 villages were submerged by floods, said Relief Web. [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/fullMaps_Sa.nsf/luFullMap/4B4253F15CBDB7D6C125730F003DC643/$File/rw_FL_pak070705.pdf?OpenElement ] As of July 4, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/LSGZ-74SGLW?OpenDocument&rc=3&emid=FF-2007-000082-PAK ] estimated that approximately 300 lives had been lost throughout Pakistan, and 550,000 people had been displaced. You can download a 250-meter-resolution KMZ file of the flooding [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Jul2007/pakistan_tmo_2007183.kmz ] and comparison imagery from June 23, 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. |
|
Floods in Southeastern Mexic
…
| Title |
Floods in Southeastern Mexico |
| Description |
Clouds still veiled the extensive floods that overwhelmed southeastern Mexico's Tabasco state 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 November 1, 2007. Small breaks in the clouds reveal glimpses of the sodden ground. Days of heavy rain inundated the low-lying region, leaving some 70 percent of the state under water, reported BBC News [ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7074271.stm ] on November 2. With more than a million people affected and 300,000 trapped in their homes, Mexico's president called the flood one of the worst natural disasters in the nation's history, said BBC. These images hint at the severity of the floods. Both images were made with a combination of infrared and visible light to increase the contrast between water and earth. Plant-covered land is bright green, while water is black or dark blue. Clouds are pale blue and white. The lower image was taken on October 18, 2007, and shows the region before the rain started. Dark smudges surround the converging Grijalva and Usumacinta Rivers in the lower image. These dark areas are lakes and wetlands. There may be more water in the wetlands in the November 1 image, but it is difficult to differentiate between water and shadows cast by the towering clouds that are scattered over the region. More obvious is the flooding along the Grijalva River. The section of the river that is visible through a break in the clouds is many kilometers wider than it was on October 18. Villahermosa, the flooded capital of Tabasco, is located along this section of the Grijalva River. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/fas/?CAmerica_2_03/2007305 ] of southeastern Mexico 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 Southeastern Mexic
…
| Title |
Floods in Southeastern Mexico |
| Description |
Clouds still veiled the extensive floods that overwhelmed southeastern Mexico's Tabasco state 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 November 1, 2007. Small breaks in the clouds reveal glimpses of the sodden ground. Days of heavy rain inundated the low-lying region, leaving some 70 percent of the state under water, reported BBC News [ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7074271.stm ] on November 2. With more than a million people affected and 300,000 trapped in their homes, Mexico's president called the flood one of the worst natural disasters in the nation's history, said BBC. These images hint at the severity of the floods. Both images were made with a combination of infrared and visible light to increase the contrast between water and earth. Plant-covered land is bright green, while water is black or dark blue. Clouds are pale blue and white. The lower image was taken on October 18, 2007, and shows the region before the rain started. Dark smudges surround the converging Grijalva and Usumacinta Rivers in the lower image. These dark areas are lakes and wetlands. There may be more water in the wetlands in the November 1 image, but it is difficult to differentiate between water and shadows cast by the towering clouds that are scattered over the region. More obvious is the flooding along the Grijalva River. The section of the river that is visible through a break in the clouds is many kilometers wider than it was on October 18. Villahermosa, the flooded capital of Tabasco, is located along this section of the Grijalva River. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/fas/?CAmerica_2_03/2007305 ] of southeastern Mexico 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 Africa
| Title |
Floods in Southern Africa |
| Description |
A black web of water surrounds the Zambezi River in the top image, captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on February 10, 2007. Mozambique was experiencing its worst floods in six years when the Zambezi flowed over its banks in January and February 2007, reported the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/YZHG-6YCQR4?OpenDocument&rc=1&emid=FL-2007-000011-ZMB ]). As of February 12, an estimated 29 people had died and 60,000 had been evacuated from the river's banks. Early and heavy rains fell over the entire Zambezi Basin, pushing the Zambezi and many of its tributaries into flood stage. The floods are likely to worsen as the 2,574-kilometer-long river receives water from its swollen tributaries in Angola, Namibia, Zambia, and Malawi. Releases from the massive Cahora Bassa Reservoir, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14110 ] which is reaching its capacity, are also expected to make flooding worse along the lower Zambezi. These images show the lower Zambezi where it meets the Shire River flowing south from Malawi, one of the most severely affected regions in Mozambique. The top image provides a remarkably cloud-free view of the floods, while the lower image, taken on December 31, 2006, shows the region before the rains started in January. The images were made with a combination of infrared and visible light to highlight the presence of water on the ground. Water is black or dark blue, while plant-covered land is green. Bare earth is tan and pink, and clouds are pale blue and white. Fires are outlined in red. Images such as these and photo-like, true-color images are provided by the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_SMozambique/2007041 ] on a daily basis. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
|
Floods in Southern Africa
| Title |
Floods in Southern Africa |
| Description |
A black web of water surrounds the Zambezi River in the top image, captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on February 10, 2007. Mozambique was experiencing its worst floods in six years when the Zambezi flowed over its banks in January and February 2007, reported the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/YZHG-6YCQR4?OpenDocument&rc=1&emid=FL-2007-000011-ZMB ]). As of February 12, an estimated 29 people had died and 60,000 had been evacuated from the river's banks. Early and heavy rains fell over the entire Zambezi Basin, pushing the Zambezi and many of its tributaries into flood stage. The floods are likely to worsen as the 2,574-kilometer-long river receives water from its swollen tributaries in Angola, Namibia, Zambia, and Malawi. Releases from the massive Cahora Bassa Reservoir, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14110 ] which is reaching its capacity, are also expected to make flooding worse along the lower Zambezi. These images show the lower Zambezi where it meets the Shire River flowing south from Malawi, one of the most severely affected regions in Mozambique. The top image provides a remarkably cloud-free view of the floods, while the lower image, taken on December 31, 2006, shows the region before the rains started in January. The images were made with a combination of infrared and visible light to highlight the presence of water on the ground. Water is black or dark blue, while plant-covered land is green. Bare earth is tan and pink, and clouds are pale blue and white. Fires are outlined in red. Images such as these and photo-like, true-color images are provided by the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_SMozambique/2007041 ] 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 |
Spring and summer flooding is not unusual in southern and central China, but the floods of 2007 were unusually widespread and destructive. Initial assessments in Guangdong, the southernmost province in mainland China, gauged the floods there to be the worst in 50 years, reported the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/EGUA-743KA5?OpenDocument&rc=3&emid=FL-2007-000077-CHN ] Weeks of heavy rain caused floods and landslides in six southern provinces in June. By June 15, said the Xinhua News Agency, [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/EKOI-74A453?OpenDocument&rc=3&emid=FL-2007-000077-CHN ] 128 people had died and an additional 24 remained missing as a result of the floods. More than 22 million people and 1.22 million hectares (4,710 square miles) of crops had been affected, Xinhua added. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image of floods around Dongting Hu (Hu means "Lake" in Chinese) in central China's Hunan province on June 16, 2007. Though this was not the most severely impacted part of China, flooding was evident around the lake. The lake itself had grown in size since May 20, when Terra MODIS captured the lower image. The rivers that feed the lake were also swollen, the water inky black to dark blue in this false-color image. Both images were made with a combination of infrared and visible light to highlight the presence of water on the ground. In this type of image, clouds are light blue and white, plant-covered land is bright green, and bare earth is tan-pink. The city of Yueyang is the cement-gray area on the northeastern shore of Dongting Lake.Daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/fas/?China6/2007167 ] of southern China 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 |
Spring and summer flooding is not unusual in southern and central China, but the floods of 2007 were unusually widespread and destructive. Initial assessments in Guangdong, the southernmost province in mainland China, gauged the floods there to be the worst in 50 years, reported the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/EGUA-743KA5?OpenDocument&rc=3&emid=FL-2007-000077-CHN ] Weeks of heavy rain caused floods and landslides in six southern provinces in June. By June 15, said the Xinhua News Agency, [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/EKOI-74A453?OpenDocument&rc=3&emid=FL-2007-000077-CHN ] 128 people had died and an additional 24 remained missing as a result of the floods. More than 22 million people and 1.22 million hectares (4,710 square miles) of crops had been affected, Xinhua added. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image of floods around Dongting Hu (Hu means "Lake" in Chinese) in central China's Hunan province on June 16, 2007. Though this was not the most severely impacted part of China, flooding was evident around the lake. The lake itself had grown in size since May 20, when Terra MODIS captured the lower image. The rivers that feed the lake were also swollen, the water inky black to dark blue in this false-color image. Both images were made with a combination of infrared and visible light to highlight the presence of water on the ground. In this type of image, clouds are light blue and white, plant-covered land is bright green, and bare earth is tan-pink. The city of Yueyang is the cement-gray area on the northeastern shore of Dongting Lake.Daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/fas/?China6/2007167 ] of southern China 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 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. |
|
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. |
|
Floods in Texas and Oklahoma
| Title |
Floods in Texas and Oklahoma |
| Description |
The Nueces River in southern Texas was nearly seven and a half feet above flood stage on July 8, 2007, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) flying aboard NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image. Though popcorn clouds obscure the river, the dark-colored water is still visible. The water is spread well beyond its normal extent, as represented by the lower image, which MODIS captured on June 18, 2007. Both images were created with a combination of infrared and visible light to increase the contrast between water and earth. In these images, plant-covered land is green, water is black or dark blue, and clouds are light blue and white. A red box outlines a fire in the lower image. The Nueces River crested on July 7 when a gauge in Tilden, Texas, recorded the water level to be 21.6 feet, said the National Weather Service. [ http://ahps.srh.noaa.gov/ahps2/river.php?wfo=crp&wfoid=18767&riverid=204628&view=1%2C1%2C1%2C1%2C1%2C1&pt%5B%5D=143021&allpoints=142677%2C141379%2C141789%2C144030%2C143680%2C143021%2C144266%2C144583%2C143892%2C142970%2C142124%2C142907&data%5B%5D=all&submit=Make+my+River+Page%21 ] On July 8, at the time the top image was captured, the water level in Tilden had subsided to 21.4 feet. The river is at flood stage at 14 feet, and at major flood stage at 19 feet. Above 20 feet, says the National Weather Service, the river cuts off portions of its flood plain and severely floods roads and structures near its banks. The highest level ever recorded on the Nueces River was 26.57 feet on September 24, 1967. The July 2007 crest is the eighth highest on record. The Nueces River was not the only Texas river that was flooding in early July. Weeks of heavy rain caused flooding on every major river in Texas for the first time since 1957, reported the New York Times on July 6. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
|
Floods in Texas and Oklahoma
| Title |
Floods in Texas and Oklahoma |
| Description |
The Nueces River in southern Texas was nearly seven and a half feet above flood stage on July 8, 2007, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) flying aboard NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image. Though popcorn clouds obscure the river, the dark-colored water is still visible. The water is spread well beyond its normal extent, as represented by the lower image, which MODIS captured on June 18, 2007. Both images were created with a combination of infrared and visible light to increase the contrast between water and earth. In these images, plant-covered land is green, water is black or dark blue, and clouds are light blue and white. A red box outlines a fire in the lower image. The Nueces River crested on July 7 when a gauge in Tilden, Texas, recorded the water level to be 21.6 feet, said the National Weather Service. [ http://ahps.srh.noaa.gov/ahps2/river.php?wfo=crp&wfoid=18767&riverid=204628&view=1%2C1%2C1%2C1%2C1%2C1&pt%5B%5D=143021&allpoints=142677%2C141379%2C141789%2C144030%2C143680%2C143021%2C144266%2C144583%2C143892%2C142970%2C142124%2C142907&data%5B%5D=all&submit=Make+my+River+Page%21 ] On July 8, at the time the top image was captured, the water level in Tilden had subsided to 21.4 feet. The river is at flood stage at 14 feet, and at major flood stage at 19 feet. Above 20 feet, says the National Weather Service, the river cuts off portions of its flood plain and severely floods roads and structures near its banks. The highest level ever recorded on the Nueces River was 26.57 feet on September 24, 1967. The July 2007 crest is the eighth highest on record. The Nueces River was not the only Texas river that was flooding in early July. Weeks of heavy rain caused flooding on every major river in Texas for the first time since 1957, reported the New York Times on July 6. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
|
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. |
|
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. |
|
Floods in the Midwestern Uni
…
| Title |
Floods in the Midwestern United States |
| Description |
After two weeks of clouds and rain, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite captured its first clear view of floods in the Missouri River system on May 12, 2007. Though the floods had started to subside by this time, the Missouri and Grand Rivers still stretch kilometers over their banks. Subsequent images, taken on May 13 [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA3/2007133 ] and May 14, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA3/2007134 ] reveal that the rivers are slowly returning to normal as water drains downstream. The lower image, taken on April 29, shows the rivers under normal conditions. Both images use a combination of visible and infrared light to increase the contrast between mud-laden water and earth. In this type of image, water is dark blue or black. Tiny squares of plant-covered farmland are bright green, and sections of bare earth, such as the Missouri River's wide flood plain, are tan-pink. A red box outlines a fire in the lower image. The rains that triggered the floods also spurred plant growth. By May 12, an intense green replaced many of the tan squares that were visible on April 29. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
|
Floods in the Midwestern Uni
…
| Title |
Floods in the Midwestern United States |
| Description |
After two weeks of clouds and rain, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite captured its first clear view of floods in the Missouri River system on May 12, 2007. Though the floods had started to subside by this time, the Missouri and Grand Rivers still stretch kilometers over their banks. Subsequent images, taken on May 13 [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA3/2007133 ] and May 14, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA3/2007134 ] reveal that the rivers are slowly returning to normal as water drains downstream. The lower image, taken on April 29, shows the rivers under normal conditions. Both images use a combination of visible and infrared light to increase the contrast between mud-laden water and earth. In this type of image, water is dark blue or black. Tiny squares of plant-covered farmland are bright green, and sections of bare earth, such as the Missouri River's wide flood plain, are tan-pink. A red box outlines a fire in the lower image. The rains that triggered the floods also spurred plant growth. By May 12, an intense green replaced many of the tan squares that were visible on April 29. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
|
Floods in the Midwestern Uni
…
| Title |
Floods in the Midwestern United States |
| Description |
August 2007 was the wettest month ever recorded for many places in Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin, with rainfall totals ranging from 23.86 inches in Hokah, Minnesota, to 12.79 inches in Winona Dam, Minnesota, said the National Weather Service. [ http://www.crh.noaa.gov/crnews/display_story.php?wfo=arx&storyid=9990&source=0 ] While the entire month was rainy, much of the rain fell on August 18-20, when several thunderstorms rolled across the region. The thunderstorms triggered disastrous flooding in several Midwest communities, including La Crosse, Wisconsin. A little over 10 inches of rain fell in La Crosse in the 24-hour period that spanned August 18 and August 19, and flash floods resulted. Combined with rains from the rest of August, this rainfall let La Crosse set a new monthly precipitation record of 17 inches. By August 27, when the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]) captured the top image, the floods had largely retreated, though visible signs of flooding remained. Compared to the lower image, acquired on September 7, 2006, the landscape to the west of the Mississippi River is pocked with pools of water. The city of La Crosse, the bright white and gray grid on the east side of the river, appears to have dried out. The city appears much as it did nearly a year earlier with no visible sign of flooding. You can download a 15-meter-resolution KMZ file of the 2007 image of La Crosse [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Sep2007/lacrosse_ast_2007239.kmz ] suitable for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/ ] NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] |
|
Floods in the Midwestern Uni
…
| Title |
Floods in the Midwestern United States |
| Description |
August 2007 was the wettest month ever recorded for many places in Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin, with rainfall totals ranging from 23.86 inches in Hokah, Minnesota, to 12.79 inches in Winona Dam, Minnesota, said the National Weather Service. [ http://www.crh.noaa.gov/crnews/display_story.php?wfo=arx&storyid=9990&source=0 ] While the entire month was rainy, much of the rain fell on August 18-20, when several thunderstorms rolled across the region. The thunderstorms triggered disastrous flooding in several Midwest communities, including La Crosse, Wisconsin. A little over 10 inches of rain fell in La Crosse in the 24-hour period that spanned August 18 and August 19, and flash floods resulted. Combined with rains from the rest of August, this rainfall let La Crosse set a new monthly precipitation record of 17 inches. By August 27, when the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]) captured the top image, the floods had largely retreated, though visible signs of flooding remained. Compared to the lower image, acquired on September 7, 2006, the landscape to the west of the Mississippi River is pocked with pools of water. The city of La Crosse, the bright white and gray grid on the east side of the river, appears to have dried out. The city appears much as it did nearly a year earlier with no visible sign of flooding. You can download a 15-meter-resolution KMZ file of the 2007 image of La Crosse [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Sep2007/lacrosse_ast_2007239.kmz ] suitable for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/ ] NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] |
|
Floods in Turkey, Greece, Bu
…
| Title |
Floods in Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria |
| Description |
Days of heavy rain triggered floods across parts of western Turkey, eastern Greece, and southeastern Bulgaria in November 2007. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) flying on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image of floods in the border region of the three countries on November 22. The Evros River, called the Meriç River in Turkey, flows from Bulgaria south along the border between Turkey and Greece and into the Aegean Sea. Normally visible only by the strip of green that lines the river's banks, the river paints a wide blue line along the border. Flowing into the Evros/Meriç from the east, the Ergene River is similarly flooded, as are a number of other tributaries, including the Ardas. Both the November 22 image and the November 9 image (provided to show the rivers under normal conditions) were made with a combination of visible and infrared light. This combination allows water, even murky flood water, to stand out from the land. Water is black, though in this case, mud colors the water blue. Reminders of the storm that caused the floods, white and pale blue clouds are scattered over the flood scene. Plant-covered land is bright green, and bare earth is tan. The bare rocks of the mountainous landscape were brick red on November 9, but at least partly covered over by plants by November 22. Hundreds of homes and businesses flooded in the Evros region of Greece, forcing the evacuation of two villages, said the Dartmouth Flood Observatory. [ http://www.dartmouth.edu/%7efloods/Archives/2007sum.htm ] Outside of the area shown in this image, additional flooding inundated the cities of Bodrum and Marmaris in western Turkey and the Montana region of Bulgaria.Daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/fas/?Europe_3_03/2007326 ] of Turkey, Greece, and Bulgaria 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. |
|
Floods in Uganda
| Title |
Floods in Uganda |
| Description |
Flooded rivers in Central Uganda cut off access to some northern and eastern sections of the country in mid-September 2007, reported the Monitor, a Kampala (Uganda) news service, on September 18. Like many other countries in western, central, and eastern Africa, Uganda faced severe flooding as a result of unusually heavy rains from July through September. By September 18, the floods had killed at least 10 and affected about 300,000 people in Uganda, said the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/LSGZ-776J4Z?OpenDocument&rc=1&emid=FL-2007-000138-UGA ]). The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image of the most flooded part of Uganda on September 18. The image on the right was taken on May 18 and shows the region under normal conditions. The images were made with infrared and visible light to increase the contrast between water and land. Water is black or dark blue, and plant-covered land is green. Clouds are light blue and white. Floods widen the rivers flowing into Lake Bisina in the September image. Water pools in the U-shaped bends of the Kelim River east of the lake, and the Okok and Okere Rivers to the north are swollen. Traces of black define smaller rivers that weren't visible in May. In addition to causing the floods shown here, the unrelenting rain destroyed up to 90 percent of the crops in some regions and caused many traditional mud-brick homes to collapse, said OCHA. The floods also contaminated water supplies, increasing the potential for an outbreak of waterborne diseases such as cholera. Uganda was just of one many African countries that were flooded in September 2007. As many as 17 countries and more than a million people were affected by flooding across Africa, reported BBC News on September 17. Images of flood areas in Nigeria, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14532 ] Ghana, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14528 ] Senegal, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14526 ] Mali, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14534 ] and Sudan [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14499 ] are available on the Earth Observatory. Daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/ ] of Africa's Sahel region, where the floods were concentrated, 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. |
|
Floods in Uganda
| Title |
Floods in Uganda |
| Description |
Flooded rivers in Central Uganda cut off access to some northern and eastern sections of the country in mid-September 2007, reported the Monitor, a Kampala (Uganda) news service, on September 18. Like many other countries in western, central, and eastern Africa, Uganda faced severe flooding as a result of unusually heavy rains from July through September. By September 18, the floods had killed at least 10 and affected about 300,000 people in Uganda, said the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/LSGZ-776J4Z?OpenDocument&rc=1&emid=FL-2007-000138-UGA ]). The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image of the most flooded part of Uganda on September 18. The image on the right was taken on May 18 and shows the region under normal conditions. The images were made with infrared and visible light to increase the contrast between water and land. Water is black or dark blue, and plant-covered land is green. Clouds are light blue and white. Floods widen the rivers flowing into Lake Bisina in the September image. Water pools in the U-shaped bends of the Kelim River east of the lake, and the Okok and Okere Rivers to the north are swollen. Traces of black define smaller rivers that weren't visible in May. In addition to causing the floods shown here, the unrelenting rain destroyed up to 90 percent of the crops in some regions and caused many traditional mud-brick homes to collapse, said OCHA. The floods also contaminated water supplies, increasing the potential for an outbreak of waterborne diseases such as cholera. Uganda was just of one many African countries that were flooded in September 2007. As many as 17 countries and more than a million people were affected by flooding across Africa, reported BBC News on September 17. Images of flood areas in Nigeria, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14532 ] Ghana, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14528 ] Senegal, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14526 ] Mali, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14534 ] and Sudan [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14499 ] are available on the Earth Observatory. Daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/ ] of Africa's Sahel region, where the floods were concentrated, 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. |
|
Floods in West Africa
| Title |
Floods in West Africa |
| Description |
Of the 17 African countries plagued by floods in September 2007, among the most severely affected was the West Africa country Ghana. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the left image of Ghana on September 12, 2007. River systems throughout the length and breadth of the small country are swollen compared to conditions in June (left) before the rainy season started. The most flooded rivers are the White Volta and its tributaries. The Oti River, which flows into Lake Volta from the northeast, is also running high. In both images, clouds blanket parts of the scene. The clouds are pale blue and white in these false-color images that combine both visible and infrared light. Water is black and dark blue, and plant-covered land is green. Bare earth or lightly vegetated land is tan. The image encompasses most of Ghana, revealing just how extensive the floods were. Additional floods in Côte D'Ivoire, Mali, and Burkina Faso (north and west) and Togo (east of Ghana) are shown in the large image. Within Ghana itself, the flooding is most severe in northern Ghana, a region that had been dealing with drought earlier in 2007. As of September 17, more than 200,000 people had been displaced in northern Ghana and 22 had died, said the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/EGUA-775L54?OpenDocument&rc=1&emid=FL-2007-000153-GHA ]). In addition to destroying homes and crops, the floods could bring waterborne disease such as cholera to the country. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC, which provides daily images of West Africa. [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?NAfrica_3_04/2007255 ] |
|
Floods in West Africa
| Title |
Floods in West Africa |
| Description |
Of the 17 African countries plagued by floods in September 2007, among the most severely affected was the West Africa country Ghana. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the left image of Ghana on September 12, 2007. River systems throughout the length and breadth of the small country are swollen compared to conditions in June (left) before the rainy season started. The most flooded rivers are the White Volta and its tributaries. The Oti River, which flows into Lake Volta from the northeast, is also running high. In both images, clouds blanket parts of the scene. The clouds are pale blue and white in these false-color images that combine both visible and infrared light. Water is black and dark blue, and plant-covered land is green. Bare earth or lightly vegetated land is tan. The image encompasses most of Ghana, revealing just how extensive the floods were. Additional floods in Côte D'Ivoire, Mali, and Burkina Faso (north and west) and Togo (east of Ghana) are shown in the large image. Within Ghana itself, the flooding is most severe in northern Ghana, a region that had been dealing with drought earlier in 2007. As of September 17, more than 200,000 people had been displaced in northern Ghana and 22 had died, said the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/EGUA-775L54?OpenDocument&rc=1&emid=FL-2007-000153-GHA ]). In addition to destroying homes and crops, the floods could bring waterborne disease such as cholera to the country. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC, which provides daily images of West Africa. [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?NAfrica_3_04/2007255 ] |
|
Floods in West Africa
| Title |
Floods in West Africa |
| Description |
Like many other countries in Africa's Sahel region, Mali was flooded on September 15, 2007, 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. Heavy rains pushed the converging Niger and Bani Rivers over their banks and filled the surrounding wetlands with water. In this false-color image, made with infrared and visible light, water is black or dark blue, in contrast to the pale tan earth and the bright green plant-covered areas. Clouds are light blue and white. The lower image was taken on July 25, 2007, before the heaviest rains settled in. Smudges of light blue along the left edge of the lower image are water-soaked ground or extremely muddy water, typical of flooding, indicating that the floods had already started as early as July. The Niger and Bani Rivers, however, were still too small to be seen clearly. By September 15, the rivers had widened, expanding into pools throughout the wetland. The Niger River remained flooded throughout its entire length, through Mali and Niger, and into Nigeria. [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14532 ] A further testament to the rainfall is the greening of the landscape. The wetland in particular went from tan-red, a color typical of recently burned areas where few or no plants are growing, to vivid green. A small red dot in the top image indicates the location of a current fire. The floods extended far beyond the region shown in this image. As many as 17 countries, including Mali, and more than a million people were affected by flooding across Africa, reported BBC News on September 17. Images of flood areas in Nigeria, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14532 ] Ghana, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14528 ] Senegal, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14526 ] and Sudan [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14499 ] are available on the Earth Observatory. Daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/ ] of the entire Sahel 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. |
|
Floods in West Africa
| Title |
Floods in West Africa |
| Description |
Like many other countries in Africa's Sahel region, Mali was flooded on September 15, 2007, 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. Heavy rains pushed the converging Niger and Bani Rivers over their banks and filled the surrounding wetlands with water. In this false-color image, made with infrared and visible light, water is black or dark blue, in contrast to the pale tan earth and the bright green plant-covered areas. Clouds are light blue and white. The lower image was taken on July 25, 2007, before the heaviest rains settled in. Smudges of light blue along the left edge of the lower image are water-soaked ground or extremely muddy water, typical of flooding, indicating that the floods had already started as early as July. The Niger and Bani Rivers, however, were still too small to be seen clearly. By September 15, the rivers had widened, expanding into pools throughout the wetland. The Niger River remained flooded throughout its entire length, through Mali and Niger, and into Nigeria. [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14532 ] A further testament to the rainfall is the greening of the landscape. The wetland in particular went from tan-red, a color typical of recently burned areas where few or no plants are growing, to vivid green. A small red dot in the top image indicates the location of a current fire. The floods extended far beyond the region shown in this image. As many as 17 countries, including Mali, and more than a million people were affected by flooding across Africa, reported BBC News on September 17. Images of flood areas in Nigeria, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14532 ] Ghana, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14528 ] Senegal, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14526 ] and Sudan [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14499 ] are available on the Earth Observatory. Daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/ ] of the entire Sahel 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. |
|
Floods on the Lena River
| Title |
Floods on the Lena River |
| Description |
In the span of three weeks, spring crept over the Siberian landscape surrounding the northern half of the Lena River. Many of the rivers in Earth's temperate zones run high in the spring when melting snow and spring rain flood river basins. On the Lena River, however, spring flooding is almost inevitable for another reason: ice. Like other north-flowing rivers, the upper reaches of the Lena melt before their downstream counterparts. Because the northern mouth of the river remains frozen while the southern body of the river flows freely, water naturally builds behind the ice, forming a temporary reservoir that drains as the ice dwindles. This series of images, taken by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite, captured the spring flooding in May 2007. The images were made with both infrared and visible light which makes water look dark blue or black, snow and ice turquoise, clouds pale blue and white, plant-covered land green, and bare earth tan. Charred land, burned by wildfire in the past year or two, is red-brown. The first image was taken on May 14, 2007, while the river was still frozen. Snow covers the ground around the river, which is winter-thin and frozen. The second image was taken a little over a week later, on May 23. In nine days, the snow had almost entirely melted, and patches of open water formed dark blue shadows on the smooth turquoise sheet of ice that still covered most of the river. Along the lower edge of the image, the river shows signs of swelling. In the large image, which includes much more of the river basin, the southern extents of the Lena and its tributaries are dramatically flooded. By the following week, when the last image was taken, the floods had moved north as this section of the river thawed. Water had spread far beyond the river's banks, extending to the burn scar that had been some distance from the river's edge the previous week. Traces of light blue line a few channels of the river in the top half of the image, indicating that ice still jams part of the river. According to the Dartmouth Flood Observatory, [ http://www.dartmouth.edu/%7efloods/ ] the May floods along the Lena and its tributaries inundated more than 1,000 houses, put 12 towns under water, damaged or destroyed 41 bridges, and affected more than 14,000 people. By May 28, when the last image was taken, water levels in the more populated southern regions had started to recede as the northern part of the river thawed. You can download a 250-meter-resolution KMZ file of flooding on the Lena River, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/May2007/lena_tmo_2007148.kmz ] for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/ ], The file includes the false-color imagery shown here as well as photo-like, natural color. NASA images created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. |
|
Floods on the Lena River
| Title |
Floods on the Lena River |
| Description |
In the span of three weeks, spring crept over the Siberian landscape surrounding the northern half of the Lena River. Many of the rivers in Earth's temperate zones run high in the spring when melting snow and spring rain flood river basins. On the Lena River, however, spring flooding is almost inevitable for another reason: ice. Like other north-flowing rivers, the upper reaches of the Lena melt before their downstream counterparts. Because the northern mouth of the river remains frozen while the southern body of the river flows freely, water naturally builds behind the ice, forming a temporary reservoir that drains as the ice dwindles. This series of images, taken by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite, captured the spring flooding in May 2007. The images were made with both infrared and visible light which makes water look dark blue or black, snow and ice turquoise, clouds pale blue and white, plant-covered land green, and bare earth tan. Charred land, burned by wildfire in the past year or two, is red-brown. The first image was taken on May 14, 2007, while the river was still frozen. Snow covers the ground around the river, which is winter-thin and frozen. The second image was taken a little over a week later, on May 23. In nine days, the snow had almost entirely melted, and patches of open water formed dark blue shadows on the smooth turquoise sheet of ice that still covered most of the river. Along the lower edge of the image, the river shows signs of swelling. In the large image, which includes much more of the river basin, the southern extents of the Lena and its tributaries are dramatically flooded. By the following week, when the last image was taken, the floods had moved north as this section of the river thawed. Water had spread far beyond the river's banks, extending to the burn scar that had been some distance from the river's edge the previous week. Traces of light blue line a few channels of the river in the top half of the image, indicating that ice still jams part of the river. According to the Dartmouth Flood Observatory, [ http://www.dartmouth.edu/%7efloods/ ] the May floods along the Lena and its tributaries inundated more than 1,000 houses, put 12 towns under water, damaged or destroyed 41 bridges, and affected more than 14,000 people. By May 28, when the last image was taken, water levels in the more populated southern regions had started to recede as the northern part of the river thawed. You can download a 250-meter-resolution KMZ file of flooding on the Lena River, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/May2007/lena_tmo_2007148.kmz ] for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/ ], The file includes the false-color imagery shown here as well as photo-like, natural color. NASA images created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. |
|
Floods on the Lena River
| Title |
Floods on the Lena River |
| Description |
In the span of three weeks, spring crept over the Siberian landscape surrounding the northern half of the Lena River. Many of the rivers in Earth's temperate zones run high in the spring when melting snow and spring rain flood river basins. On the Lena River, however, spring flooding is almost inevitable for another reason: ice. Like other north-flowing rivers, the upper reaches of the Lena melt before their downstream counterparts. Because the northern mouth of the river remains frozen while the southern body of the river flows freely, water naturally builds behind the ice, forming a temporary reservoir that drains as the ice dwindles. This series of images, taken by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite, captured the spring flooding in May 2007. The images were made with both infrared and visible light which makes water look dark blue or black, snow and ice turquoise, clouds pale blue and white, plant-covered land green, and bare earth tan. Charred land, burned by wildfire in the past year or two, is red-brown. The first image was taken on May 14, 2007, while the river was still frozen. Snow covers the ground around the river, which is winter-thin and frozen. The second image was taken a little over a week later, on May 23. In nine days, the snow had almost entirely melted, and patches of open water formed dark blue shadows on the smooth turquoise sheet of ice that still covered most of the river. Along the lower edge of the image, the river shows signs of swelling. In the large image, which includes much more of the river basin, the southern extents of the Lena and its tributaries are dramatically flooded. By the following week, when the last image was taken, the floods had moved north as this section of the river thawed. Water had spread far beyond the river's banks, extending to the burn scar that had been some distance from the river's edge the previous week. Traces of light blue line a few channels of the river in the top half of the image, indicating that ice still jams part of the river. According to the Dartmouth Flood Observatory, [ http://www.dartmouth.edu/%7efloods/ ] the May floods along the Lena and its tributaries inundated more than 1,000 houses, put 12 towns under water, damaged or destroyed 41 bridges, and affected more than 14,000 people. By May 28, when the last image was taken, water levels in the more populated southern regions had started to recede as the northern part of the river thawed. You can download a 250-meter-resolution KMZ file of flooding on the Lena River, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/May2007/lena_tmo_2007148.kmz ] for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/ ], The file includes the false-color imagery shown here as well as photo-like, natural color. NASA images created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. |
|
Chilean Lake Disappears
| Title |
Chilean Lake Disappears |
| Description |
In May 2007, the Chilean Forestry Corporation discovered that a lake in the Southern Patagonia Icefield in the Chilean Andes had disappeared. Chilean glaciologists had observed the 20,000-square-meter (roughly 215,000-squre-foot) lake, which was located between the tongues of the Glaciar Témpanos and Glaciar Bernardo, in March. (Glaciar is Spanish for "glacier.") Two months later, nothing remained except a 30-meter- (100-foot-) deep crater and some stranded ice that had once floated on the water's surface. The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) instrument on NASA's Terra satellite captured the top image on June 23, 2007, showing a crater that the lake had occupied. In this image, the crater lies mostly in shadow, due to the low angle of the Sun during the Southern Hemisphere's winter. Despite the shadows, contour lines around the lake show where the ground level is lower than the surroundings. East of the drained lake, water still appears near the tongue of Glaciar Bernardo. In this image, made from a combination of visible and infrared light detected by ASTER, red indicates vegetation, and patches of red peek through the snow cover. ASTER acquired the bottom image on April 4, 2007, when the lake was still in place. In this imageacquired in the Chilean autumnboth the lake and a nearby tributary appear full, shown by the blue-tinted water. Vibrant red, lush vegetation covers the landscape. Although the sudden draining of a lake is rare, it is not unheard of. One explanation that scientists proposed was an earthquake in the region that measured 6.2 on the Richter scale. Earthquakes can open up fissures in the rock, giving water an escape route. Another explanation was more prosaic: melting. Blocks of ice dam many glacial lakes, and when the ice melts, the lake can drain away. Sometimes a lake can drain in a rapid deluge, known as a glacial lake outburst flood. After flying over the region in late June 2007, scientists from Centro de Estudios Cientificos (CECS) and the Chilean Navy concluded that the likely culprit for the lake's disappearance was such a flood. Dr. Andrés Rivera, a glaciologist from CECS, described the flow. "The lake's water flowed to the north along the western margin of Glaciar Bernardo and into a big hole, [ http://www.imaginaccion.cl/cecs.html ] where the water went down into a glacier tunnel in the direction to Bernardo Fjord," he said. Bernardo Fjord empties into the Pacific Ocean. You can also download a 15-meter-resolution KMZ file of the region around the "missing" lake [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/Images/lagotempanos_ast_2007174.kmz ], including both April 4 and June 23, 2007, images, suitable for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/ ] NASA image by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. |
|
Chilean Lake Disappears
| Title |
Chilean Lake Disappears |
| Description |
In May 2007, the Chilean Forestry Corporation discovered that a lake in the Southern Patagonia Icefield in the Chilean Andes had disappeared. Chilean glaciologists had observed the 20,000-square-meter (roughly 215,000-squre-foot) lake, which was located between the tongues of the Glaciar Témpanos and Glaciar Bernardo, in March. (Glaciar is Spanish for "glacier.") Two months later, nothing remained except a 30-meter- (100-foot-) deep crater and some stranded ice that had once floated on the water's surface. The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) instrument on NASA's Terra satellite captured the top image on June 23, 2007, showing a crater that the lake had occupied. In this image, the crater lies mostly in shadow, due to the low angle of the Sun during the Southern Hemisphere's winter. Despite the shadows, contour lines around the lake show where the ground level is lower than the surroundings. East of the drained lake, water still appears near the tongue of Glaciar Bernardo. In this image, made from a combination of visible and infrared light detected by ASTER, red indicates vegetation, and patches of red peek through the snow cover. ASTER acquired the bottom image on April 4, 2007, when the lake was still in place. In this imageacquired in the Chilean autumnboth the lake and a nearby tributary appear full, shown by the blue-tinted water. Vibrant red, lush vegetation covers the landscape. Although the sudden draining of a lake is rare, it is not unheard of. One explanation that scientists proposed was an earthquake in the region that measured 6.2 on the Richter scale. Earthquakes can open up fissures in the rock, giving water an escape route. Another explanation was more prosaic: melting. Blocks of ice dam many glacial lakes, and when the ice melts, the lake can drain away. Sometimes a lake can drain in a rapid deluge, known as a glacial lake outburst flood. After flying over the region in late June 2007, scientists from Centro de Estudios Cientificos (CECS) and the Chilean Navy concluded that the likely culprit for the lake's disappearance was such a flood. Dr. Andrés Rivera, a glaciologist from CECS, described the flow. "The lake's water flowed to the north along the western margin of Glaciar Bernardo and into a big hole, [ http://www.imaginaccion.cl/cecs.html ] where the water went down into a glacier tunnel in the direction to Bernardo Fjord," he said. Bernardo Fjord empties into the Pacific Ocean. You can also download a 15-meter-resolution KMZ file of the region around the "missing" lake [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/Images/lagotempanos_ast_2007174.kmz ], including both April 4 and June 23, 2007, images, suitable for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/ ] NASA image by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. |
|
|
