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Mars on Earth II
In this second installment o …
6/15/04
Chilly Temperatures During t …
Title Chilly Temperatures During the Maunder Minimum
Description Many things can change temperatures on Earth: a volcano erupts, swathing the Earth with bright haze that blocks sunlight, and temperatures drop, greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere, and temperatures climb. From 1650 to 1710, temperatures across much of the Northern Hemisphere plunged when the Sun entered a quiet phase now called the Maunder Minimum. During this period, very few sunspots appeared on the surface of the Sun, and the overall brightness of the Sun decreased slightly. Already in the midst of a colder-than-average period called the Little Ice Age, Europe and North America went into a deep freeze: alpine glaciers extended over valley farmland, sea ice crept south from the Arctic, and the famous canals in the Netherlands froze regularly—an event that is rare today. The impact of the solar minimum is clear in this image, which shows the temperature difference between 1680, a year at the center of the Maunder Minimum, and 1780, a year of normal solar activity, as calculated by a general circulation model. Deep blue across eastern and central North America and northern Eurasia illustrates where the drop in temperature was the greatest. Nearly all other land areas were also cooler in 1680, as indicated by the varying shades of blue. The few regions that appear to have been warmer in 1680 are Alaska and the eastern Pacific Ocean (left), the North Atlantic Ocean south of Greenland (left of center), and north of Iceland (top center). If energy from the Sun decreased only slightly, why did temperatures drop so severely in the Northern Hemisphere? Climate scientist Drew Shindell and colleagues at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies tackled that question by combining temperature records gleaned from tree rings, ice cores, corals, and the few measurements recorded in the historical record, with an advanced computer model of the Earth's climate. The group first calculated the amount of energy coming from the Sun during the Maunder Minimum and entered the information into a general circulation model. The model is a mathematical representation of the way various Earth systems—ocean surface temperatures, different layers of the atmosphere, energy reflected and absorbed from land, and so forth—interact to produce the climate. When the model started with the decreased solar energy and returned temperatures that matched the paleoclimate record, Shindell and his colleagues knew that the model was showing how the Maunder Minimum could have caused the extreme drop in temperatures. The model showed that the drop in temperature was related to ozone [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Library/Ozone/ozone_2.html ], in the stratosphere, the layer of the atmosphere that is between 10 and 50 kilometers from the Earth's surface. Ozone is created when high-energy ultraviolet light from the Sun interacts with oxygen. During the Maunder Minimum, the Sun emitted less strong ultraviolet light, and so less ozone formed. The decrease in ozone affected planetary waves, the giant wiggles in the jet stream that we are used to seeing on television weather reports. The change to the planetary waves kicked the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/NAO_200307/NAO.html ]—the balance between a permanent low-pressure system near Greenland and a permanent high-pressure system to its south—into a negative phase. When the NAO is negative, both pressure systems are relatively weak. Under these conditions, winter storms crossing the Atlantic generally head eastward toward Europe, which experiences a more severe winter. (When the NAO is positive, winter storms track farther north, making winters in Europe milder.) The model results, shown above, illustrate that the NAO was more negative on average during the Maunder Minimum, and Europe remained unusually cold. These results matched the paleoclimate record. By creating a model that could reproduce temperatures recorded in paleoclimate records, Shindell and colleagues reached a better understanding of how changes in the stratosphere influence weather patterns. With such an understanding, scientists are better poised to understand what factors could influence Earth's climate in the future. To read more about how ancient temperature records are used to improve climate models, see Paleoclimatology: Understanding the Past to Predict the Future, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/Paleoclimatology_Understanding/paleoclimatology_understanding.html ] the final installment of a series of articles [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/Paleoclimatology/paleoclimatology_intro.html ] about paleoclimatology on the Earth Observatory. Map adapted from Shindell et al., 2001, copyright AAAS 2001. Terms and conditions of use for material copyright AAAS: Readers may view, browse, and/or download material for temporary copying purposes only, provided these uses are for noncommercial personal purposes. Except as provided by law, this material may not be further reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, adapted, performed, displayed, published, or sold in whole or in part, without prior written permission from the publisher.
Grassfire in Iceland
Title Grassfire in Iceland
Description At the end of March 2006, a grassfire broke out in western Iceland, perhaps as a result of a smoldering cigarette butt. Although this area near the coast to the northwest of the country's capital, Reykjavik, is typically very wet, a period of persistent north winds dried out the grass and made it flammable. The fire burned for several days, threatening farms and livestock and resulting in Iceland's largest fire in its recorded history. This image from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite was captured on April 6, 2006. The burned area appears as a large brownish-charcoal splotch in the center of the image. The fire started inland and burned all the way to the coast. This is a false-color image, and unburned vegetation appears red, clouds appear white, and the Atlantic Ocean (image left) appears nearly black. Several partially ice-covered lakes are scattered across the burned landscape, these lakes appear light blue. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov ]
Dust Plumes off Iceland
Title Dust Plumes off Iceland
Description Plumes of dust blew off the southern coast of Iceland in late June 2007. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] flying on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image on June 23, 2007. The dust appears as grayish blurs emanating from the coast southward over the North Atlantic Ocean. Blue-green algal blooms also fringe the coastline. Iceland's winter of 2006-2007 brought relatively light snow, leaving the local vegetation little shelter from frost. Both the vegetation and soil dried further in two weeks of arid weather prior to this dust storm. Strong winds from the north added the final ingredient needed for dust plumes in late June. You can download a 250-meter-resolution KMZ file of Iceland [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Jul2007/iceland_tmo_2007174.kmz ] suitable for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/ ] NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. Image interpretation by Ingibjörg Jónsdóttir, University of Iceland.
Landslide Buries Valley of t …
Title Landslide Buries Valley of the Geysers
Description Geysers are a rare natural phenomena found only in a few places, such as New Zealand, Iceland, the United States (Yellowstone National Park), and on Russia's far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula. On June 3, 2007, one of these rare geyser fields was severely damaged when a landslide rolled through Russia's Valley of the Geysers. The landslide—a mix of mud, melting snow, trees, and boulders—tore a scar on the land and buried a number of geysers, thermal pools, and waterfalls in the valley. It also blocked the Geyser River, causing a new thermal lake to pool upstream. 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 infrared-enhanced image on June 11, 2007, a week after the slide. The image shows the valley, the landslide, and the new thermal lake. Even in mid-June, just days from the start of summer, the landscape is generally covered in snow, though the geologically heated valley is relatively snow free. The tree-covered hills are red (the color of vegetation in this false-color treatment), providing a strong contrast to the aquamarine water and the gray-brown slide. According to the Russian News and Information Agency (RIA [ http://en.rian.ru/ ]) [English language], the slide left a path roughly a kilometer and a half (one mile) long and 200 meters (600 feet) wide. Within hours of the landslide, the water in the new lake inundated a number of additional geysers. The geysers directly buried under the landslide now lie under as much as 60 meters (180 feet) of material, according to RIA reports. It is unlikely that the geysers will be able to force a new opening through this thick layer, adds RIA. Among those directly buried is Pervenets (Firstborn), the first geyser found in the valley, in 1941. Other geysers, such as the Bolshoi (Greater) and Maly (Lesser) Geysers, were silenced when buried by water building up behind the new natural dam. According to Vladimir and Andrei Leonov of the Russian Federation Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, [ http://www.kscnet.ru/ivs/expeditions/2007/Geyser_Valley-06-2007/Geyser_Valley-06.htm ], the new lake appears to be stable and draining gradually through the earthen dam, alleviating fears of a catastrophic flood. Should the new lake drain enough, many of the inundated geysers may restart. Initial reports from the Volcanology and Seismology Institute state this has already happened for some geysers. Geysers outside of the slide region, including the Velikan (Giant) Geyser and a major section of the geyser field known as Vitrazh (Stained Glass) appear to have escaped damage. In addition to destroying a number of geysers, the landslide may have damaged habitats in the Valley of the Geysers. The thermal waters and heated steam jets made this valley warmer than the surrounding landscape, and the warmth supported a unique ecosystem. The loss of a large part of its heat source may alter the ecosystem, but it is not clear what additional longer-term changes might occur. For example, salmon that spawn in the Geyser River will be confined to the lower reaches of the river, and bears, which depended on salmon, will need to shift feeding grounds correspondingly. Thanks to Sergey Chernomorets and Boris Yurchak for information and translation. You can download a 15-meter-resolution KMZ file of Valley of the Geysers [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Jun2007/kamgeysers_ast_2007162.kmz ] for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/ ] NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team.
Low Pressure System off Icel …
Title Low Pressure System off Iceland
Description The MODIS instrument onboard NASA's Terra satellite captured this true-color image of a large low pressure system off the coast of Iceland. In the Northern Hemisphere, the circulation around low pressure systems is counterclockwise and inward, a result of the Coriolis Force. Air flowing inward in low pressure systems has no where to go but up. The rising air cools, and if it rises far enough, clouds and precipitation can form. Image courtesy Jesse Allen, NASA's Earth Observatory based on data provided by the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ].
Extratropical Cyclones near …
Title Extratropical Cyclones near Iceland
Description A cyclone is a low-pressure area of winds that spiral inwards. Although tropical storms most often come to mind, these spiraling storms can also form at mid- and high latitudes. Two such cyclones formed in tandem in November 2006. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] flying onboard NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite took this picture on November 20. This image shows the cyclones south of Iceland. Scotland appears in the lower right. The larger and perhaps stronger cyclone appears in the east, close to Scotland.Cyclones [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclone ] at high and mid-latitudes are actually fairly common, and they drive much of the Earth's weather. In the Northern Hemisphere, cyclones move in a counter-clockwise direction, and both of the spiraling storms in this image curl upwards toward the northeast then the west. The eastern storm is fed by thick clouds from the north that swoop down toward the storm in a giant "V" shape on either side of Iceland. Skies over Iceland are relatively clear, allowing some of the island to show through. South of the storms, more diffuse cloud cover swirls toward the southeast. NASA image by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory. Image interpretation provided by Dave Santek and Jeff Key, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
New Measurements of Arctic O …
Title New Measurements of Arctic Ozone
Description The winter of 2004-2005 saw the second highest chemical ozone destruction ever observed over the Arctic. Polar ozone is destoyed when chlorine, cold temperatures, and sunlight mix in the atmosphere 8-50 kilometers above the Earth's surface. Since ozone shields the Earth from ultraviolet light, the high-energy light that causes sunburns and is associated with skin cancers, low ozone levels could threaten human health. Ultraviolet levels remained near normal through the winter, however, because unusual weather conditions brought ozone from the Earth's ozone-rich mid-latitudes to the pole to fill in the gaps left by the extreme ozone depletion. These images show the fluctuations in ozone during the Arctic winter of 2005. The top two images show the average total column ozone over the Arctic during the months of January and March, 2005, and the lower image shows total column ozone on a single day, March 11, 2005. The images are based on data collected by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument [ http://www.knmi.nl/omi/publ-en/news/index.html ] (OMI) aboard NASA's Aura [ http://aura.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] satellite. During this time period, the Microwave Limb Sounder, another instrument on the Aura satellite, measured 50 percent ozone loss, the second-highest level ever observed behind the 60 percent loss measured in 1999-2000. Despite this, the lowest total column ozone values in polar regions are slightly higher in March than in January, on average, as evidenced by the broad splashes of red that represent high ozone levels. Stratospheric winds carried the ozone north into the Arctic, compensating for the significant chemical loss, so that no blue or purple holes representing low ozone levels appear in the March image. Black circles over the North pole show where OMI did not collect data. On a single day, March 11, 2005, ozone was distributed far more unevenly, with dark red, almost black areas of high ozone over the Aleutian Islands, Asia, and Europe, and a pale blue thin spot over Iceland and Greenland. This reveals that even though ozone values appeared to be near normal on average throughout March, some regions experienced much lower ozone levels—and therefore, a greater exposure to UV light—on an individual day. For more information and images, see "NASA Spacecraft Measures Unusual 2005 Arctic Ozone Conditions" [ http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/lookingatearth/aura-060205.html ] on the NASA portal. Image courtesy NASA/JPL/Agency for Aerospace Programs (Netherlands)/Finnish Meteorological Institute
North Atlantic Bloom
Title North Atlantic Bloom
Description The intense blue and green colors of the ocean water in this photo-like image, captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on July 15, 2007, are made by millions of surface-dwelling ocean plants. Called phytoplankton, the plants are the base of the marine food chain. The brilliant color shown here may only be a part of the full bloom. Stocked with nutrients that have built up during the winter and bathed in the long, sunlit days of late spring and early summer, the cool waters of the North Atlantic come alive every year with a vivid display of color that can stretch over thousands of kilometers. You can download a 250-meter-resolution KMZ file of the North Atlantic bloom [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Jul2007/iceland_amo_2007196.kmz ] suitable for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/ ] NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data obtained from the MODIS data archives. [ http://ladsweb.nascom.nasa.gov/ ]
Flooding in Iceland
Title Flooding in Iceland
Description Most spring floods are triggered by rain or melting snow, but when the Skafta River of southern Iceland flooded in late April 2006, geologic activity may have been the driver. The river flows out from under the Vatnajokull Ice Cap, a large permanent field of snow and ice that covers more than 8,000 square kilometers of southeastern Iceland, including a number of volcanoes and other regions of geothermal activity. Over these hotspots, the lower layer of the ice cap melts to form glacier lakes, some of which drain into the Atlantic Ocean through rivers such as the Skafta. Other lakes are dammed by walls of ice from the overlying glacier. Catastrophic floods can occur when water breaks through the ice dams and bursts into the rivers, or when geologic activity increases and melts more water. On April 22, 2006, floods swamped the Skafta River. The flood water was accompanied by dangerously high levels of sulfur, possibly from increased geologic activity, prompting the Civil Protection Department to issue a warning, said local news reports. In flood, the fast-moving river swept over the dark, volcanic soil west of the ice cap, and carried it into the ocean. The ocean was milky green with sediment when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image on April 27. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team.
Vatnajökull, Iceland
Title Vatnajökull, Iceland
Description In southeastern Iceland lies the largest glacier in all of Europe: Vatnajökull. In places 400 meters (1,312 feet) thick, the massive glacier covers 8 percent of the entire country. Capping several active volcanoes, Vatnajökull is subject to glacial melt floods when volcanic heat melts portions of the bottom side of the glacier. The water eventually rises above the level of the caldera and spills downward under the pull of gravity. The stillness of this Landsat image belies such destructive potential. The glacier appears light blue where it is swept clean of snow, but white where covered (top of image). The southern reaches of the great glacier inch southward from Skaftafell National Park and out toward the Atlantic Coast. The glacial tongues that drain the glacier are light blue, and are scalloped by grayish moraines, which are deposits of glacial till (rock debris ground up and carried along by the glacier). Scrubby vegetation over hard, volcanic rock is red. This image was acquired by Landsat 7's Enhanced Thematic Mapper plus (ETM+) sensor on August 4, 1999. This is a false-color composite image made using shortwave infrared, green, and blue wavelengths. The image has also been sharpened using the sensor's panchromatic band. Image provided by the USGS EROS Data Center Satellite Systems Branch. This image is part of the ongoing Landsat Earth as Art series.
Aurora Over Clouds
Title Aurora Over Clouds
Explanation Aurorae usually occur high above the clouds. The auroral glow [ http://www.geo.mtu.edu/weather/aurora/ ] is created when fast-moving particles ejected [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000309.html ] from the Sun [ http://www.nineplanets.org/sol.html ] impact air molecules high in the Earth's atmosphere [ http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/earth/atmosphere.html ]. An oxygen molecule [ http://pearl1.lanl.gov/periodic/elements/8.html ], for example, will glow in a green light when reacquiring an electron [ http://www.aip.org/history/electron/ ] lost during a collision with a solar particle. The lowest part of an aurora [ http://www.rog.nmm.ac.uk/leaflets/aurora/aurora.html ] will typically occur at 100 kilometers up, while most clouds [ http://www.cloudyskies.net/clouds.html ] usually exist only below about 10 kilometers. The relative heights of clouds and aurorae are shown clearly in the above picture [ http://www.iww.is/art/shs/pages/page22.html ] from Iceland [ http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ic.html ], where aurorae are relatively common. Over the past weekend, one of the largest sunspot groups [ http://www.sunspot.noao.edu/INFO/INTRODUCTION/sunspot-mar272001.html ] ever recorded has been associated with explosive solar activity [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000403.html ] and expansive terrestrial aurora displays [ http://apod.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search?aurora+AND+Earth ]. Although in Earth's northern hemisphere aurorae [ http://www.pfrr.alaska.edu/~pfrr/AURORA/INDEX.HTM ] are usually seen only in the far north, these aurorae [ http://www.spaceweather.com ] were so prevalent they were imaged by a continuous nighttime camera [ http://concam.net/kp/about.html ] operating in southern Arizona [ http://www.state.az.us/ ]!
Volcano and Aurora in Icelan …
Title Volcano and Aurora in Iceland
Explanation Sometimes both heaven "and" Earth erupt. In Iceland [ http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ic.html ] in 1991, the volcano Hekla [ http://www.south.is/hekla.html ] erupted at the same time that auroras [ http://www.exploratorium.edu/learning_studio/auroras/ ] were visible [ http://www.iww.is/art/shs/ ] overhead. Hekla [ http://www.norvol.hi.is/hekla.html ], one of the most famous volcanoes [ http://www.crystalinks.com/volcanoesactive.html ] in the world, has erupted [ http://www.volcanolive.com/faq.html ] at least 20 times over the past millennium, sometimes causing great destruction [ http://www.each-mara.net/volcano/santorini.pdf ]. The last eruption [ http://www.norvol.hi.is/heklaeruption.html ] occurred only two years ago but caused only minor damage. The green auroral band [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010402.html ] occurred fortuitously [ http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/100best/wallpaper09.html ] about 100 kilometers above the erupting lava [ http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/frequent_questions/group1_new.html ]. Is Earth [ http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vw.html ] the Solar System's only planet with both auroras [ http://www.physicsweb.org/article/news/5/1/10 ] and volcanos [ http://www.thursdaysclassroom.com/index_07oct99.html ]?
Volcano and Aurora in Icelan …
Title Volcano and Aurora in Iceland
Explanation Sometimes both heaven "and" Earth erupt. In Iceland [ http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ic.html ] in 1991, the volcano Hekla [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hekla ] erupted at the same time that auroras [ http://www.exploratorium.edu/learning_studio/auroras/ ] were visible [ http://www.iww.is/art/shs/ ] overhead. Hekla [ http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/volc_images/europe_west_asia/hekla.html ], one of the most famous volcanoes [ http://www.crystalinks.com/volcanoesactive.html ] in the world, has erupted [ http://www.volcanolive.com/faq.html ] at least 20 times over the past millennium, sometimes causing great destruction [ http://www.decadevolcano.net/santorini/santorini_introduction.htm ]. The last eruption [ http://hraun.vedur.is/ja/englishweb/heklanews.html ] occurred only six years ago but caused only minor damage. The green auroral band [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010402.html ] occurred fortuitously [ http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/100best/wallpaper09.html ] about 100 kilometers above the erupting lava [ http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/frequent_questions/group1_new.html ]. Is Earth [ http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vw.html ] the Solar System's only planet with both auroras [ http://www.physicsweb.org/article/news/5/1/10 ] and volcanos [ http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=12955 ]?
Dust Plumes off Iceland: Nat …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Plumes of dust blew off the …
iceland_tmo_2007174
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2007-06-23
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier iceland_tmo_2007174
Landslide Buries Valley of t …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Geysers are a rare natural p …
kamgeysers_ast_2007162
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2007-06-11
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier kamgeysers_ast_2007162
The Land of Ice and Fire : I …
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle …
Due to an unusual combinatio …
iceland_misr_med
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2001-08-16
creator NASA -- Image courtesy NASA/GSFC/LaRC/JPL, MISR Team
identifier iceland_misr_med
The Land of Ice and Fire : I …
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle …
Due to an unusual combinatio …
iceland_misr_med
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2001-08-16
creator NASA -- Image courtesy NASA/GSFC/LaRC/JPL, MISR Team
identifier iceland_misr_med
Earth observations taken fro …
johnsonspacecentermediaarchi …
Earth observation views take …
STS085-502-078
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 1997-09-02
creator NASA
identifier STS085-502-078
Grassfire in Iceland: Natura …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
At the end of March 2006, a …
ge_16352
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2006-04-06
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier ge_16352
Grassfire in Iceland: Natura …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
At the end of March 2006, a …
ge_16352
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2006-04-06
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier ge_16352
Low Pressure System off Icel …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
The MODIS instrument onboard …
terra_iceland_05jun04
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2004-06-05
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier terra_iceland_05jun04
Cerro Culiacan, Mexico: Imag …
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle …
This astronaut photograph hi …
ISS016-E-31086
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2008-03-03
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier ISS016-E-31086
Chilly Temperatures During t …
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle …
Many things can change tempe …
maunder_minimum_temperature
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2006-08-10
creator NASA -- Map adapted from Shindell et al., 2001, copyright AAAS 2001. Terms and conditions of use for material copyright AAAS: Readers may view, browse, and/or download material for temporary copying purposes only, provided these uses are for noncommercial personal purposes. Except as provided by law, this material may not be further reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, adapted, performed, displayed, published, or sold in whole or in part, without prior written permission from the publisher.
identifier maunder_minimum_temperature
Landslide Buries Valley of t …
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle …
Geysers are a rare natural p …
ge_07789
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2007-06-01
creator NASA -- NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team.
identifier ge_07789
Landslide Buries Valley of t …
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle …
Geysers are a rare natural p …
ge_07789
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2007-06-01
creator NASA -- NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team.
identifier ge_07789
Flooding in Iceland: Natural …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Most spring floods are trigg …
iceland_amo_2006117
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2006-04-27
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier iceland_amo_2006117
Iceland: Image of the Day
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle …
True to its name, Iceland is …
image02022004
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2004-01-28
creator NASA -- Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC
identifier image02022004
Earth observations taken fro …
johnsonspacecentermediaarchi …
Earth observation views take …
STS085-502-079
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 1997-09-02
creator NASA
identifier STS085-502-079
Extratropical Cyclones near …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
A cyclone is a low-pressure …
iceland_tmo_2006324
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2006-11-20
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier iceland_tmo_2006324
Ganges Chasma Sands
PIA03990
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
Title Ganges Chasma Sands
Original Caption Released with Image 8 July 2005 This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows dark, windblown sand in the form of dunes and a broad, relatively flat, sand sheet in Ganges Chasma, part of the eastern Valles Marineris trough complex. The winds responsible for these dunes blew largely from the north. Sand dunes on Mars, unlike their Earthly counterparts, are usually dark in tone. This is a reflection of their composition, which includes minerals that are more rich in iron and magnesium than the common silica-rich dunes of Earth. Similar dark sands on Earth are found in volcanic regions such as Iceland and Hawaii. A large dune field of iron/magnesium-rich grains, in the form fragments of the volcanic rock, basalt, occurs south of Moses Lake, Washington, in the U.S. "Location near": 7.7°S, 45.3°W"Image width": ~3 km (~1.9 mi) "Illumination from": lower left "Season": Southern Spring
Small Volcano in Tempe Terra
PIA01468
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
Title Small Volcano in Tempe Terra
Original Caption Released with Image (closest point to the planet during the orbit). The local time (on Mars) was late in the afternoon--the Sun was only 10° above the horizon--equivalent to about 5:20 p.m. Malin Space Science Systems and the California Institute of Technology built the MOC using spare hardware from the Mars Observer mission. MSSS operates the camera from its facilities in San Diego, CA. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Surveyor Operations Project operates the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft with its industrial partner, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, from facilities in Pasadena, CA and Denver, CO., Mars is famous for its giant volcanoes, such as Elysium Mons--observed by Mars Global Surveyor in July 1998--and the colossal Olympus Mons--3 times the height of Mt. Everest and as big as the U.S. state of Arizona. However, not all martian volcanoes are large. One of Mars Global Surveyor's most recent pictures, indeed, highlights one of Mars' tiniest volcanoes--a small "shield" volcano with a 2 kilometer (1.2 mile-) long depression at its summit. The small volcano is located in the Tempe-Mareotis Fossae region of Tempe Terra (local context Viking 1 Orbiter image 627a28). Centered at 36.2°N, 85.1°W, this is one of many small volcanoes on Mars. The Mars Global Surveyor MOC image presented here is the first close-up view of one of these small volcanoes. This volcano is similar in both shape and size to many of the small basalt shield volcanoes found on the Snake River Plain in southern Idaho, U.S.A. Other similar volcanic vents are found in Hawaii and Iceland. Basalt is the dark, iron- and magnesium-rich silicate rock found in places like the Snake River Plain, Hawaii, and Iceland. Basalt is also common on the floor of Earth's oceans and on the flat plains of the Moon known as "maria". The volcano seen in this MOC image does not show many of the features generally found around volcanoes of this size on Earth. Instead of the lava flows and leveed channels found on Earth, we see only a faint pattern of subtle, somewhat sinuous ridges and troughs that are radial to the long, elliptical summit depression (or "caldera"). This pattern gives the surface of the volcano and its surroundings quite a rough appearance. Much of the appearance of this "sandpaper-like" texture appears to be unrelated to the volcano, but is instead an expression of the eroded "regolith"--"soil"--that covers the old lava flows. The MOC image suggests that a person hiking around on this small martian volcano would find the walk pretty difficult (especially in a spacesuit). But what an exciting and fascinating walk that would be. Not only would one be able to look, and even hike down, into the 150 m (460 foot) deep caldera, but one could also inspect the spectacular, regularly-spaced ridges seen on the floors of nearby troughs ("e.g.," in the lower 1/3 of this MOC image). These ridges are formed by wind and are probably composed of a mixture of sand and granules--perhaps reworked cinders from ancient volcanic eruptions in the region. Some windblown ridges can also be seen in the shadows on the floor of the volcano's linear caldera. The MOC image was taken at 6:57 a.m. (PDT) on August 22, 1998, during the 506th orbit of Mars Global Surveyor as the spacecraft was nearing its 507th "periapsis"
Small Volcano in Tempe Terra
PIA01468
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
Title Small Volcano in Tempe Terra
Original Caption Released with Image (closest point to the planet during the orbit). The local time (on Mars) was late in the afternoon--the Sun was only 10° above the horizon--equivalent to about 5:20 p.m. Malin Space Science Systems and the California Institute of Technology built the MOC using spare hardware from the Mars Observer mission. MSSS operates the camera from its facilities in San Diego, CA. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Surveyor Operations Project operates the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft with its industrial partner, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, from facilities in Pasadena, CA and Denver, CO., Mars is famous for its giant volcanoes, such as Elysium Mons--observed by Mars Global Surveyor in July 1998--and the colossal Olympus Mons--3 times the height of Mt. Everest and as big as the U.S. state of Arizona. However, not all martian volcanoes are large. One of Mars Global Surveyor's most recent pictures, indeed, highlights one of Mars' tiniest volcanoes--a small "shield" volcano with a 2 kilometer (1.2 mile-) long depression at its summit. The small volcano is located in the Tempe-Mareotis Fossae region of Tempe Terra (local context Viking 1 Orbiter image 627a28). Centered at 36.2°N, 85.1°W, this is one of many small volcanoes on Mars. The Mars Global Surveyor MOC image presented here is the first close-up view of one of these small volcanoes. This volcano is similar in both shape and size to many of the small basalt shield volcanoes found on the Snake River Plain in southern Idaho, U.S.A. Other similar volcanic vents are found in Hawaii and Iceland. Basalt is the dark, iron- and magnesium-rich silicate rock found in places like the Snake River Plain, Hawaii, and Iceland. Basalt is also common on the floor of Earth's oceans and on the flat plains of the Moon known as "maria". The volcano seen in this MOC image does not show many of the features generally found around volcanoes of this size on Earth. Instead of the lava flows and leveed channels found on Earth, we see only a faint pattern of subtle, somewhat sinuous ridges and troughs that are radial to the long, elliptical summit depression (or "caldera"). This pattern gives the surface of the volcano and its surroundings quite a rough appearance. Much of the appearance of this "sandpaper-like" texture appears to be unrelated to the volcano, but is instead an expression of the eroded "regolith"--"soil"--that covers the old lava flows. The MOC image suggests that a person hiking around on this small martian volcano would find the walk pretty difficult (especially in a spacesuit). But what an exciting and fascinating walk that would be. Not only would one be able to look, and even hike down, into the 150 m (460 foot) deep caldera, but one could also inspect the spectacular, regularly-spaced ridges seen on the floors of nearby troughs ("e.g.," in the lower 1/3 of this MOC image). These ridges are formed by wind and are probably composed of a mixture of sand and granules--perhaps reworked cinders from ancient volcanic eruptions in the region. Some windblown ridges can also be seen in the shadows on the floor of the volcano's linear caldera. The MOC image was taken at 6:57 a.m. (PDT) on August 22, 1998, during the 506th orbit of Mars Global Surveyor as the spacecraft was nearing its 507th "periapsis"
AIRS First Light Data: North …
PIA00345
Sol (our sun)
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder …
Title AIRS First Light Data: Northern Europe, July 20, 2002
Original Caption Released with Image These images, taken over northern Europe on July 20, 2002, depict a few of the different views of Earth and its atmosphere that are produced by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder experiment system operating on NASA's Aqua spacecraft. The image in Figure 1 is from an infrared channel from the AIRS instrument that measures the surface temperature in clear areas and cloud top temperatures in cloudy areas. The image reveals very warm conditions in France and a storm off the east coast of the United Kingdom. The image in Figure 2 represents a microwave channel from the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit instrument that sees through most clouds and observes surface conditions everywhere. The image in Figure 3 is a microwave channel from the Humidity Sounder for Brazil instrument that is very sensitive to humidity and does not see the surface at all, but instead reveals the structure of moisture streams in the troposphere. The infrared and microwave data from the AIRS experiment are integrated to retrieve a single set of temperature, moisture, and cloud values. These three channels represent only a small portion of the 2,400-channel multispectral experiment, whose primary objectives are to improve the accuracy of weather forecasts and to study climate change. The AIRS experiment system also takes pictures of the Earth at four visible and near-infrared wavelengths that can be combined into a color picture. This image shows a swirling low-pressure system over England, clear skies over much of France, and frontal systems in the North Atlantic. Because AIRS is sensitive to different wavelengths than your eye, the colors shown are different from what you would see. For example, plants appear very red to AIRS. There are also subtle color differences in the clouds that relate to their altitude and thickness (compare the white clouds over England with the slightly grey-green ones near Iceland). These images are used in conjunction with other AIRS, AMSU-A, and HSB measurements to get a full 3-D view of the atmosphere. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder is an instrument onboard NASA's Aqua satellite under the space agency's Earth Observing System. The sounding system is making highly accurate measurements of air temperature, humidity, clouds and surface temperature. Data will be used to better understand weather and climate. It will also be used by the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to improve the accuracy of their weather and climate models. The instrument was designed and built by Lockheed Infrared Imaging Systems (recently acquired by British Aerospace) under contract with JPL. The Aqua satellite mission is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
AIRS First Light Data: North …
PIA00345
Sol (our sun)
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder …
Title AIRS First Light Data: Northern Europe, July 20, 2002
Original Caption Released with Image These images, taken over northern Europe on July 20, 2002, depict a few of the different views of Earth and its atmosphere that are produced by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder experiment system operating on NASA's Aqua spacecraft. The image in Figure 1 is from an infrared channel from the AIRS instrument that measures the surface temperature in clear areas and cloud top temperatures in cloudy areas. The image reveals very warm conditions in France and a storm off the east coast of the United Kingdom. The image in Figure 2 represents a microwave channel from the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit instrument that sees through most clouds and observes surface conditions everywhere. The image in Figure 3 is a microwave channel from the Humidity Sounder for Brazil instrument that is very sensitive to humidity and does not see the surface at all, but instead reveals the structure of moisture streams in the troposphere. The infrared and microwave data from the AIRS experiment are integrated to retrieve a single set of temperature, moisture, and cloud values. These three channels represent only a small portion of the 2,400-channel multispectral experiment, whose primary objectives are to improve the accuracy of weather forecasts and to study climate change. The AIRS experiment system also takes pictures of the Earth at four visible and near-infrared wavelengths that can be combined into a color picture. This image shows a swirling low-pressure system over England, clear skies over much of France, and frontal systems in the North Atlantic. Because AIRS is sensitive to different wavelengths than your eye, the colors shown are different from what you would see. For example, plants appear very red to AIRS. There are also subtle color differences in the clouds that relate to their altitude and thickness (compare the white clouds over England with the slightly grey-green ones near Iceland). These images are used in conjunction with other AIRS, AMSU-A, and HSB measurements to get a full 3-D view of the atmosphere. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder is an instrument onboard NASA's Aqua satellite under the space agency's Earth Observing System. The sounding system is making highly accurate measurements of air temperature, humidity, clouds and surface temperature. Data will be used to better understand weather and climate. It will also be used by the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to improve the accuracy of their weather and climate models. The instrument was designed and built by Lockheed Infrared Imaging Systems (recently acquired by British Aerospace) under contract with JPL. The Aqua satellite mission is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
AIRS First Light Data: North …
PIA00345
Sol (our sun)
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder …
Title AIRS First Light Data: Northern Europe, July 20, 2002
Original Caption Released with Image These images, taken over northern Europe on July 20, 2002, depict a few of the different views of Earth and its atmosphere that are produced by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder experiment system operating on NASA's Aqua spacecraft. The image in Figure 1 is from an infrared channel from the AIRS instrument that measures the surface temperature in clear areas and cloud top temperatures in cloudy areas. The image reveals very warm conditions in France and a storm off the east coast of the United Kingdom. The image in Figure 2 represents a microwave channel from the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit instrument that sees through most clouds and observes surface conditions everywhere. The image in Figure 3 is a microwave channel from the Humidity Sounder for Brazil instrument that is very sensitive to humidity and does not see the surface at all, but instead reveals the structure of moisture streams in the troposphere. The infrared and microwave data from the AIRS experiment are integrated to retrieve a single set of temperature, moisture, and cloud values. These three channels represent only a small portion of the 2,400-channel multispectral experiment, whose primary objectives are to improve the accuracy of weather forecasts and to study climate change. The AIRS experiment system also takes pictures of the Earth at four visible and near-infrared wavelengths that can be combined into a color picture. This image shows a swirling low-pressure system over England, clear skies over much of France, and frontal systems in the North Atlantic. Because AIRS is sensitive to different wavelengths than your eye, the colors shown are different from what you would see. For example, plants appear very red to AIRS. There are also subtle color differences in the clouds that relate to their altitude and thickness (compare the white clouds over England with the slightly grey-green ones near Iceland). These images are used in conjunction with other AIRS, AMSU-A, and HSB measurements to get a full 3-D view of the atmosphere. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder is an instrument onboard NASA's Aqua satellite under the space agency's Earth Observing System. The sounding system is making highly accurate measurements of air temperature, humidity, clouds and surface temperature. Data will be used to better understand weather and climate. It will also be used by the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to improve the accuracy of their weather and climate models. The instrument was designed and built by Lockheed Infrared Imaging Systems (recently acquired by British Aerospace) under contract with JPL. The Aqua satellite mission is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
AIRS First Light Data: North …
PIA00345
Sol (our sun)
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder …
Title AIRS First Light Data: Northern Europe, July 20, 2002
Original Caption Released with Image These images, taken over northern Europe on July 20, 2002, depict a few of the different views of Earth and its atmosphere that are produced by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder experiment system operating on NASA's Aqua spacecraft. The image in Figure 1 is from an infrared channel from the AIRS instrument that measures the surface temperature in clear areas and cloud top temperatures in cloudy areas. The image reveals very warm conditions in France and a storm off the east coast of the United Kingdom. The image in Figure 2 represents a microwave channel from the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit instrument that sees through most clouds and observes surface conditions everywhere. The image in Figure 3 is a microwave channel from the Humidity Sounder for Brazil instrument that is very sensitive to humidity and does not see the surface at all, but instead reveals the structure of moisture streams in the troposphere. The infrared and microwave data from the AIRS experiment are integrated to retrieve a single set of temperature, moisture, and cloud values. These three channels represent only a small portion of the 2,400-channel multispectral experiment, whose primary objectives are to improve the accuracy of weather forecasts and to study climate change. The AIRS experiment system also takes pictures of the Earth at four visible and near-infrared wavelengths that can be combined into a color picture. This image shows a swirling low-pressure system over England, clear skies over much of France, and frontal systems in the North Atlantic. Because AIRS is sensitive to different wavelengths than your eye, the colors shown are different from what you would see. For example, plants appear very red to AIRS. There are also subtle color differences in the clouds that relate to their altitude and thickness (compare the white clouds over England with the slightly grey-green ones near Iceland). These images are used in conjunction with other AIRS, AMSU-A, and HSB measurements to get a full 3-D view of the atmosphere. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder is an instrument onboard NASA's Aqua satellite under the space agency's Earth Observing System. The sounding system is making highly accurate measurements of air temperature, humidity, clouds and surface temperature. Data will be used to better understand weather and climate. It will also be used by the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to improve the accuracy of their weather and climate models. The instrument was designed and built by Lockheed Infrared Imaging Systems (recently acquired by British Aerospace) under contract with JPL. The Aqua satellite mission is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
Sand Dunes in Noachis Terra
PIA05293
Sol (our sun)
Mars Orbiter Camera
Title Sand Dunes in Noachis Terra
Original Caption Released with Image 11 February 2004 This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows dark-toned sand dunes in a crater in eastern Noachis Terra. Most big martian dunes tend to be dark, as opposed to the more familiar light-toned dunes of Earth. This difference is a product of the composition of the dunes, on Earth, most dunes contain abundant quartz. Quartz is usually clear (transparent), though quartz sand grains that have been kicked around by wind usually develop a white, frosty surface. On Mars, the sand is mostly made up of the darker minerals that comprise iron- and magnesium-rich volcanic rocks--i.e., like the black sand beaches found on volcanic islands like Hawaii. Examples of dark sand dunes on Earth are found in central Washington state and Iceland, among other places. This picture is located near 49.0°S, 326.3°W. Sunlight illuminates this scene from the upper left, the image covers an area 3 km (1.9 mi) wide.
Olympus Mons Lava Flows
PIA03763
Sol (our sun)
Thermal Emission Imaging Sys …
Title Olympus Mons Lava Flows
Original Caption Released with Image (Released 05 April 2002) Olympus Mons stands 26 km above the surrounding plains, which is three times taller than Mt. Everest, and is the tallest volcano in the solar system. Olympus Mons is also wider (585 km) than the state of Arizona. Although these are impressive dimensions an astronaut would find walking these slopes easy, as they are typically only 2 to 5 degrees. This image contains numerous lava flows, leveed lava channels, a discontinuous sinuous rille (thought to be a collapsed lava tube) and lava plains. Close examination of the sinuous rille reveals that portions of the roof of the lava tube have not completely collapsed. All of these features can be seen in basaltic (iron and magnesium rich black rock) volcanic regions on Earth like Hawaii and Iceland. Impact craters are scarce, indicating a relatively young age (several hundred million years old) for these surfaces.
Olympus Mons Lava Flows
PIA03763
Sol (our sun)
Thermal Emission Imaging Sys …
Title Olympus Mons Lava Flows
Original Caption Released with Image (Released 05 April 2002) Olympus Mons stands 26 km above the surrounding plains, which is three times taller than Mt. Everest, and is the tallest volcano in the solar system. Olympus Mons is also wider (585 km) than the state of Arizona. Although these are impressive dimensions an astronaut would find walking these slopes easy, as they are typically only 2 to 5 degrees. This image contains numerous lava flows, leveed lava channels, a discontinuous sinuous rille (thought to be a collapsed lava tube) and lava plains. Close examination of the sinuous rille reveals that portions of the roof of the lava tube have not completely collapsed. All of these features can be seen in basaltic (iron and magnesium rich black rock) volcanic regions on Earth like Hawaii and Iceland. Impact craters are scarce, indicating a relatively young age (several hundred million years old) for these surfaces.
The Land of Ice and Fire
PIA03426
Sol (our sun)
Multi-angle Imaging SpectroR …
Title The Land of Ice and Fire
Original Caption Released with Image . Each image represents an area of about 200 by 340 kilometers. Two of Iceland's larger icecaps, Langjökull (located just below image center) and Hofsjökull (just above center) can be clearly seen. The western edge of Vatnajökull is also visible at the top of the image, and a portion of Myrdalsjökull can be seen through the clouds in the upper right. Langjökull (the Long Glacier, 1287 meters maximum elevation)is the second largest icecap in Iceland. It supplies water to Lake Pingvallavatn, the largest lake in the country (visible in the lower right), and to several other lakes and geothermal areas. Hofsjökull (the Temple Glacier, 1760 meters) is the third largest icecap in Iceland. The landscape under the ice is the great mountain mass if of a central subglacial volcano. The brighter, rounded area atop the icecap is a vast, ice filled caldera. The Pjórsá, Iceland's longest and largest river, is fed by the Hofsjökull icecap. The river can be seen running adjacent to the icecap toward the Atlantic Ocean at image right. Iceland has a very vigorous climate, and the high-energy coastline and glacial melt waters result in the movement of a large amount of sediment to the sea, visible herein the turbid waters of the Pjórsá. The capital city of Reykjavík is visible in the lower right as a greyish region along the coast, to the west of (below) a bank of cumulus clouds. Reykjavík is located about 20 kilometers west of the Reykjanes-Langjökull volcanic zone, and the name of the city, the "Bay of Smokes", is testimony to the region's geothermal activity. MISR was built and is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, for NASA's Office of Earth Science, Washington, DC. The Terra satellite is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology., Due to an unusual combination of tectonic settings, many icecaps and glaciers of Iceland rest above active volcanoes. This landnation is located on the northern edge of the Mid-Atlantic ridge, at the intersection of the North American and Eurasian plates, and is one of the few places on Earth where a mid-ocean ridge is exposed above sea level. The land is built from erupted and intruded magmas concentrated around a hot spot beneath the spreading ridge. These late summer views of central and southwestern Iceland were obtained by the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer on August 16,2001, during Terra orbit 8842. The upper image is a true-color view from the instrument's vertical-viewing (nadir) camera. The lower image is a stereo anaglyph generated from the instrument's nadir and 60-degree forward-viewing cameras. Viewing the anaglyph in 3-D requires the use of red/blue glasses with the red filter placed over your left eye. The images have been oriented with north at the left in order to facilitate stereo viewing. Information on ordering glasses is available here [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/Help/VendorList.html#Glasses ]
A Vortex Street in the Arcti …
PIA03448
Sol (our sun)
Multi-angle Imaging SpectroR …
Title A Vortex Street in the Arctic
Original Caption Released with Image Marine stratocumulus clouds frequently form parallel rows, or "cloud streets", along the direction of wind flow. When the flow is interrupted by an obstacle such as an island, a series of organized eddies can appear within the cloud layer downwind of the obstacle. These turbulence patterns are known as von Karman vortex streets. In these images from NASA's Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer, an impressive vortex pattern continues for over three hundred kilometers southward of Jan Mayen island. Jan Mayen is an isolated territory of Norway, located about 650 kilometers northeast of Iceland in the north Atlantic Ocean. Jan Mayen's Beerenberg volcano rises about 2.2 kilometers above the ocean surface, providing a significant impediment to wind flow. These MISR images were captured on June 6, 2001, during Terra orbit 7808. The entire vortex street can be seen in the top panel, which is a natural-color view from the instrument's nadir (downward-looking) camera. The area covered measures 365 kilometers x 158 kilometers, and a cloud-clearing effect is apparent at the vortex centers until finally closing on the sixteenth"hole." The bottom panel is a stereo anaglyph of a portion of the vortex street, compiled using data from MISR's 26-degree forward and 70-degree backward viewing cameras. This view covers an area of about 183 kilometers x 96 kilometers. Despite the vertical exaggeration afforded by using widely separated angles, the relatively modest height variation in the cloud layer implies a vertically stable atmosphere. To facilitate stereo viewing, the images have been oriented with north at the left. Red/blue glasses should be used with the red filter placed over your left eye. Information on ordering glasses can be found here [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/Help/VendorList.html#Glasses ]. Fluid dynamicist Theodore von Karman was the first to derive the conditions under which these turbulence patterns occur. Von Karman was a professor of aeronautics at the California Institute of Technology and one of the principal founders of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. MISR was built and is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, for NASA's Office of Earth Science, Washington, DC. The Terra satellite is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology.
STS-52 backup Payload Specia …
Title STS-52 backup Payload Specialist Tryggvason uses camera during JSC training
Description STS-52 Columbia, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 102, backup Payload Specialist Bjarni V. Tryggvason points a HASSELBLAD camera out aft flight deck overhead window W7 during camera training in JSC's Crew Compartment Trainer (CCT). The training session familiarized Tryggvason with camera operation for the Earth observations portion of the scheduled October spaceflight. The CCT is part of the shuttle Mockup and Integration Laboratory (MAIL) Bldg 9NE. Tryggvason is from Iceland and represents the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
Date Taken 1992-08-06
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