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Earth of Taiwan and Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
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Particle Pollution in Easter
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| Title |
Particle Pollution in Eastern China |
| Description |
This Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image from October 22, 2004, shows trans-boundary pollution from eastern China spreading out over the east China Sea south of the Korean Peninsula (top right) and out of the scene at image right, where the westernmost edge of the Japanese island of Kyushu is visible. Urban and industrial pollution is a major environmental concern for China and the countries downwind. This image was captured by the MODIS on NASA's Terra satellite. Other geographic reference points include the island of Taiwan, at bottom center, and the mouth of the Yangtze River, roughly in image center. Just south of South Korea, the island of Cheju is creating a swirling wake in the clouds to its south. Cheju is home to the Halla volcano, a shield volcano that last erupted in 1007. It appears that a plume of dust or smoke from the island is joining the larger flow from mainland China. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the MODIS Rapid Response team. |
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Super Typhoon Haitang
| Title |
Super Typhoon Haitang |
| Description |
Typhoon Haitang has been gradually building up strength in the northwest Pacific ocean several hundred kilometers from the Mariana Islands. This image was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite at 04:10 UTC on July 14, 2005 (20:10 Eastern Daylight Time on July 13, 2005). At this time, the typhoon was just beginning to acquire the spiral pattern of a tropical cyclone, with winds reaching 140 kilometers per hour (75 knots). Haitang was heading roughly westward at around 22 km/hr (12 knots) towards Luzon. However, its path is predicted to swing gradually northward to take it north of Taiwan and ultimately into the Chinese coastline near Shanghai. If the typhoon continues to strengthen according to predictions, it will have steady winds as high as 220 km/hr (120 knots) when it makes landfall. However, predicting hurricane strength and intensity remains an inexact science, so communities throughout the potentially affected area keep a wary eye on this threatening storm. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the MODIS Rapid Response team. |
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Super Typhoon Haitang
| Title |
Super Typhoon Haitang |
| Description |
Super Typhoon Haitang is shown here on the morning of July 20, 2005. This image was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite at 05:15 UTC (3:15 p.m. local time), well after it come ashore onto mainland China and lost much of its power and been downgraded to a tropical storm. Four deaths in Taiwan are attributed to the storm as it passed over the island, and as many as 1 million people have been evacuated in mainland China. All flights out of the cities of Fuzhou and Quanzhou were cancelled in view of the danger of the storm. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the MODIS Rapid Response team. |
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Super Typhoon Haitang
| Title |
Super Typhoon Haitang |
| Description |
Super Typhoon Haitang is shown here bearing down on Taiwan on the afternoon of July 17, 2005. This image was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite at 04:40 UTC (12:40 p.m. Taipei time). At this time, the typhoon had built into a Category 4 storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale, sufficient for it to be dubbed a super typhoon. Sustained winds were around 230 kilometers per hour (125 knots) with peak gusts as high as 280 km/hr (150 knots). The super typhoon by this time was projected to change course and come ashore in Taiwan. As it crosses the island, the storm will lose some of its strength, but may then rebuild as it crosses the Taiwan Straits and comes ashore again in eastern China. Projections call for it to land in Taiwan early on July 18, and then make landfall in mainland China on July 19. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the MODIS Rapid Response team. |
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Super Typhoon Wipha
| Title |
Super Typhoon Wipha |
| Description |
Super Typhoon Wipha was approaching the coast of China on the afternoon of September 18, 2007, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this photo-like image. At the time (12:40 p.m. local time, 4:40 UTC), Wipha had winds between 250 kilometers per hour (155 miles per hour or 135 knots) and 240 km/hr (150 mph or 130 knots), making it a strong Category 4 [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshs.shtml ] storm and a Super Typhoon (a typhoon with winds of at least 130 knots). The storm weakened shortly after this image was taken and was forecast to weaken further before making landfall over the densely populated East China coast late on September 18 or early on September 19. Though the storm was weakening, it was anticipated to be the strongest storm to hit China in a decade, reported Xinhua, China's news agency. In preparation for the storm, the government evacuated about two million people in three provinces, said Xinhua. The storm had already started to soak Taiwan with heavy rains by the time this image was taken. The spiraling bands of rain clouds cover the island in this image, though the dark, well-defined eye remains offshore to the north. The image also reveals just how large Wipha was. Including its outer bands, which stretch from the Philippines (visible in the large image) in the south to the East China coast in the north, Wipha sprawls over several hundred kilometers. The high-resolution image provided above is at MODIS' full spatial resolution (level of detail) of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions. You can also download a 250-meter-resolution KMZ file of Super Typhoon Wipia [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Sep2007/Wipha.A2007261.0440.250m.kmz ] suitable for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/ ] NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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Typhoon Krosa
| Title |
Typhoon Krosa |
| Description |
Typhoon Krosa was a powerful tropical storm (the generic name for typhoons, hurricanes, and cyclones) on the morning of October 4, 2007. With sustained winds of over 210 kilometers per hour (130 miles per hour), it was just at the crest of being classified a Category 4 [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshs.shtml ] Super Typhoon when NASA's Aqua satellite flew over Krosa in the afternoon. The storm had been intensifying over the northeastern Philippine Sea for several days, and was expected, as of October 4, to head towards northern Taiwan and the Chinese mainland coast. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite acquired this photo-like image at 12:40 p.m. local time (4:40 UTC) on October 4, 2007. A sprawling system with tightly wound spiral arms and a large but cloud-filled ("closed") eye, Krosa bore all the hallmarks of a large and powerful typhoon. Although the storm was observed by MODIS to be brushing up against the Philippines, it was not projected to pass over the islands. The outer bands of the storm will certainly bring rains to Luzon, the northernmost island in the Philippine chain. The high-resolution image provided above is at MODIS' full spatial resolution (level of detail) of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions. [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2007277-1004/Krosa.A2007277.0440 ] You can also download a 250-meter-resolution KMZ file of Typhoon Krosa [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Oct2007/ Krosa.A2007277.0440.250m.kmz ] suitable for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/ ] NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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Typhoon Man-Yi
| Title |
Typhoon Man-Yi |
| Description |
On July 12, 2007, Super Typhoon Man-Yi was a huge spiral of clouds, intense winds, and powerful thunderstorms as it arced northward over the western Pacific toward the southern end of the islands of Japan. Though far offshore, the Category 4 Super Typhoon [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshs.shtml ] was large enough that the outer bands of storm clouds were bringing wind and rain to Taiwan. Forecasts as of July 12 were calling for the storm to weaken as it traveled through the island chain and to reach Tokyo as a milder, but still powerful, typhoon on or around July 15. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite acquired this photo-like image at 2:05 p.m. local time (5:05 UTC). Very near the same time MODIS was observing the storm, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center [ https://metocph.nmci.navy.mil/jtwc.php ] estimated Man-Yi's sustained winds to be over 240 kilometers per hour (145 miles per hour). The satellite image confirms that Man-Yi was a powerful Super Typhoon. The storm has the hallmark tightly wound arms that spiral around a well-defined, circular eye. The symmetrical spirals, clear eye, and intense storm clouds around the eyewall (innermost band of clouds) are all features regularly seen in satellite images of other particularly powerful typhoons. The high-resolution image provided above is at MODIS' full spatial resolution (level of detail) of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions. [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2007193-0712/Man-Yi.A2007193.0505 ] You can download a 250-meter-resolution Super Typhoon Man-Yi KMZ file [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Jul2007/Man-Yi.A2007193.0505.250m.kmz ] for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html ] NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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Typhoon Nanmadol
| Title |
Typhoon Nanmadol |
| Description |
Powerful Typhoon Nanmadol was preparing to make landfall in the Philippines on December 2, 2004, over the already battered Aurora province. Over the past two weeks, Luzon, the main island in the Philippines, has been lashed with three tropical storms—Nanmadol is number four. The toll from the first three storms, the most recent of which was Monday, is well over 1,000 with 479 dead and 560 missing, according to Reuters. Many of the deaths occurred along Luzon's east coast where floods and landslides buried three towns. Nanmadol's effects were already being felt over Luzon's east coast late on December 2, and many fear that the storm will make the situation worse. The government of the Philippines has already requested international aid to meet the needs of those whose homes were destroyed. This Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) image shows Typhoon Nanmadol at 4:45 UTC, 12:45 p.m. in Manila. At that time, the storm had sustained winds of 240 kilometers per hour (150 mph) with gusts up to 296 kph (184 mph). Later in the day, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center reported that the storm's winds had slowed to 204 kph (127 mph) with gusts to 250 kph (155 mph). The storm is expected to move northwest over the Philippines, then turn northeast over Taiwan. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the MODIS Rapid Response team. |
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Typhoon Nock-Ten strikes Tai
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| Title |
Typhoon Nock-Ten strikes Taiwan |
| Description |
Typhoon Nock-Ten hammered Taiwan with heavy rains and strong winds on October 25, 2004, killing at least four, according to media reports. Heavy rains drenched northeastern Taiwan, triggering extensive flooding. Though winds had dropped to about 170 kilometers per hour (100 mph) when the storm blew ashore, at its height, Nock-Ten?s maximum sustained winds reached 204 kilometers per hour (127 mph) with stronger gusts. This image of the storm was acquired on October 24, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA?s Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite a few hours after the storm began to weaken. Nock-Ten, ?bird? in Laotian, is the sixth typhoon to strike Taiwan and the 24th to develop in the western Pacific this year. After moving across northern Taiwan, the storm curved east over the East China Sea and weakened into an extra-tropical depression as it approached Japan?s southern islands on October 26. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the MODIS Rapid Response team. |
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Typhoon Shanshan
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Typhoon Shanshan |
| Description |
Typhoon Shanshan formed on September 10, 2006, in the western Pacific well off the coast of the Philippine Islands. Over the course of the next 36 hours, it grew from a tropical depression (area of low pressure) to a typhoon. As of September 14, it was projected to travel northwest towards China, but to veer off to the northeast well before reaching Taiwan. It was not predicted to come ashore or strike any major urban centers, though it might bring high winds and rain to Vladivostok in Russia on September 19 if predictions held true. This photo-like image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] on the Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on September 14, 2006, at 10:25 a.m. local time (02:25 UTC). Shanshan at the time of this image was a well-defined, spiraling swirl of clouds, with a distinct but cloud-filled ("closed") eye. Shanshan had sustained winds of around 140 kilometers per hour (85 miles per hour) at the time this satellite image was acquired, according to the University of Hawaii's Tropical Storm Information Center. [ http://www.solar.ifa.hawaii.edu/Tropical/tropical.html ] NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. |
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Typhoon Shanshan
| Title |
Typhoon Shanshan |
| Description |
Typhoon Shanshan formed on September 10, 2006, in the western Pacific off the coast of the Philippine Islands. Over the course of the next 36 hours, it grew from a tropical depression (area of low air pressure) to a typhoon, reaching Category 4 [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshs.shtml ] strength as it passed Taiwan on September 15. Typhoon Shanshan stayed at Category 4 (a Super Typhoon) for two days, starting to subside only late in the day on September 16. As of September 19, the typhoon was projected to pass on a northeasterly track through the straits between the Korean Peninsula and southern Japan, and to curve east to cross Hokkaido. This photo-like image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] on the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on September 18, 2006, at 1:25 p.m. local time (04:25 UTC). Shanshan at the time of this image had a well-defined spiral shape, with a distinct but cloud-filled ("closed") eye. Shanshan had sustained winds of around 140 kilometers per hour (85 miles per hour) at the time this satellite image was acquired, according to the University of Hawaii's Tropical Storm Information Center. [ http://www.solar.ifa.hawaii.edu/Tropical/tropical.html ] Though no longer a super typhoon by this time, Agence France Presse reported nine deaths in southern Japan attributed to the storm, as well at least 310 injuries, and one person missing. Risks for landslides, flooding, and strong storm surge along the western coast were expected to remain high as the storm traveled near the western coastline. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. |
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Typhoon Talim
| Title |
Typhoon Talim |
| Description |
Typhoon Talim was a weakening typhoon in the Taiwan Straits when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image at 12:50 p.m. Tapei time on September 1, 2005. It had sustained winds of around 120 kilometers an hour (70 miles per hour). The typhoon was predicted to weaken to a tropical storm in the hours immediately after this image was acquired. The outer edge of the storm started to rain onto Taiwan on August 31, where it brought down very heavy rains throughout the eastern portions of the island. It is the 13th named storm of the Pacific typhoon season, which has seen a record number of storms, and in particular, super typhoons. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the MODIS Rapid Response team. |
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Typhoon Talim
| Title |
Typhoon Talim |
| Description |
Typhoon Talim was a powerful super typhoon in the western Pacific when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image on August 31, 2005 at 11:20 a.m. Tokyo time. It had sustained winds of around 200 kilometers an hour (120 miles per hour) and was heading towards Taiwan at around 15 miles per hour. This is somewhat weaker than it was just a day before. The outer edge of the storm is starting to rain onto Taiwan in this image, and the full storm should make landfall in the next day. The typhoon will continue to weaken as it travels over the island, then continue across the Taiwan Strait to make landfall again on mainland China. It is the 13th named storm of the Pacific typhoon season, which has seen a record number of storms, and in particular, super typhoons. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the MODIS Rapid Response team. |
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A Sky Filled with Leonids
| Title |
A Sky Filled with Leonids |
| Explanation |
In the early morning hours of November 19, amateur Chen Huang-Ming caught a sky filled with astronomical wonders. With his fisheye [ http://www.zeta.org.au/~andrewa/ajaa31.htm ] camera set up on Ho-Huan Mountain in Taiwan [ http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/tw.html ] for a half-hour exposure, he started the above image a local time of 2:33 am. First, the many famous stars and nebulas captured are too numerous to count. Planets Jupiter [ http://www.nineplanets.org/jupiter.html ] and Saturn [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/saturn.html ] are visible, while the plane [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990224.html ] of our Milky Way Galaxy [ http://www.seds.org/messier/more/mw.html ] sweeps diagonally across the image. What makes this image most spectacular, however, are the over 100 bright meteors [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap981125.html ] visible from the 2001 Leonids Meteor Shower [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search?2001+Leonids ]. The meteor shower [ http://www.skypub.com/sights/meteors/meteors.shtml ] is caused by the Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010204.html ] plowing through a stream of sand-sized ice particles shed years ago by Comet Tempel-Tuttle [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap991113.html ]. Note that the meteors [ http://www.nineplanets.org/meteorites.html ] can all be tracked back to a radiant [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap011104.html ] in the constellation [ http://www.att.virtualclassroom.org/vc99/vc_04/cons_stars/cons/hist_cons.html ] Leo [ http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/constellations/Leo.html ], the direction from which the particles [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001129.html ] orbit the Sun. |
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Typhoon Fung-wong: Natural H
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nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Typhoon Fung-Wong was lashin
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fungwong_amo_2008210
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2008-07-28 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
fungwong_amo_2008210 |
|
Typhoon Kalmaegi: Natural Ha
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Typhoon Kalmaegi crossed the
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kalmaegi_tmo_2008200
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2008-07-19 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
kalmaegi_tmo_2008200 |
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Typhoon Man-Yi: Natural Haza
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
On July 12, 2007, Super Typh
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manyi_amo_2007193
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-07-12 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
manyi_amo_2007193 |
|
Typhoon Krosa: Natural Hazar
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Typhoon Krosa was a powerful
…
krosa_amo_2007277
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-10-04 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
krosa_amo_2007277 |
|
Super Typhoon Wipha: Natural
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Super Typhoon Wipha was appr
…
wipha_amo_2007261
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-09-18 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
wipha_amo_2007261 |
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Super Typhoon Haitang
PIA07968
Sol (our sun)
SeaWinds Scatterometer
| Title |
Super Typhoon Haitang |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Typhoon Haitang is shown here churning steadily towards Taiwan and China. This image shows the storm's swirling wind patterns as observed by NASA's QuikScat satellite on July 14, 2005, at 19:19 UTC (14:19 Eastern Daylight Time). At this time, the typhoon was located hundreds of kilometers from the nearest major land masses. The image depicts wind speed in color and wind direction with small barbs. White barbs point to areas of heavy rain. The highest wind speeds, shown in purple, surround the center of the storm. Measurements of the wind strength of Typhoon Haitang show sustained winds of around 85 knots and gusts up to 105 knots at the time of the QuickScat observations. The images, however, reveal lower wind speeds. This is because the power of the storm makes accurate measurements difficult. The scatterometer sends pulses of microwave energy through the atmosphere to the ocean surface, and measures the energy that bounces back from the wind-roughened surface. The energy of the microwave pulses changes depending on wind speed and direction, giving scientists a way to monitor wind around the world. Tropical cyclones (the generic term for hurricanes and typhoons), however, are difficult to measure. To relate the radar energy return to actual wind speed, scientists compare measurements taken from buoys and other ground stations to data the satellite acquired at the same time and place. Because the high wind speeds generated by cyclones are rare, scientists do not have corresponding ground information to know how to translate data from the satellite for wind speeds above 50 knots (about 93 kilometers per hour or 58 miles per hour). Also, the unusually heavy rain found in a cyclone distorts the microwave pulses in a number of ways, making a conversion to accurate wind speed difficult. Instead, the scatterometer provides a nice picture of the relative wind speeds within the storm and shows wind direction. "QuikScat Background" NASA's Quick Scatterometer (QuikScat) spacecraft was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California on June 19, 1999. QuikScat carries the SeaWinds scatterometer, a specialized microwave radar that measures near-surface wind speed and direction under all weather and cloud conditions over the Earth's oceans. More information about the QuikScat mission and observations is available at http://winds.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA07968 http://winds.jpl.nasa.gov ]. QuikScat is managed for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, DC, by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA. JPL also built the SeaWinds radar instrument and is providing ground science processing systems. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, managed development of the satellite, designed and built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, CO. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has contributed support to ground systems processing and related activities. |
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AIRS First Light Data: Typho
…
PIA00341
Sol (our sun)
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder
…
| Title |
AIRS First Light Data: Typhoon Ramasun, July 3, 2002 |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Four images of Tropical Cyclone Ramasun were obtained July 3, 2002 by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder experiment system onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft. The AIRS experiment, with its wide spectral coverage in four diverse bands, provides the ability to obtain complete 3-D observations of severe weather, from the surface, through clouds to the top of the atmosphere with unprecedented accuracy. This accuracy is the key to understanding weather patterns and improving weather predictions. Viewed separately, none of these images can provide accurate 3-D descriptions of the state of the atmosphere because of interference from clouds. However, the ability to make simultaneous observations at a wide range of wavelengths allows the AIRS experiment to "see" through clouds. This visible light picture from the AIRS instrument provides important information about the location of the cyclone, cloud structure and distribution. The AIRS instrument image at 900 cm-1 (Figure 1) is from a 10 micron transparent "window channel" that is little affected by water vapor but still cannot see through clouds. In clear areas (like the eye of the cyclone and over northwest Australia) it measures a surface temperature of about 300K (color encoded red). In cloudy areas it measures the cloud top temperature, about 200K for the cyclone, which translates to a cloud top height of about 50,000 feet. On the other hand, most clouds are relatively transparent in microwave, and the Advanced Microwave Sounding Instrument channel image (Figure 2) can see through all but the densest clouds. For example, Taiwan, which is covered by clouds, is clearly visible. The Humidity Sounder for Brazil instrument channel (Figure 3), also in the microwave, is more sensitive to both clouds and humidity. Only in clear, dry regions, such as the eye of the cyclone or the area north of Australia, does it see the surface. It is also severely affected by suspended ice particles formed by strong convection, which causes scattering and appears to be extremely cold. These blue areas indicate intense precipitation. 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. |
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AIRS First Light Data: Typho
…
PIA00341
Sol (our sun)
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder
…
| Title |
AIRS First Light Data: Typhoon Ramasun, July 3, 2002 |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Four images of Tropical Cyclone Ramasun were obtained July 3, 2002 by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder experiment system onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft. The AIRS experiment, with its wide spectral coverage in four diverse bands, provides the ability to obtain complete 3-D observations of severe weather, from the surface, through clouds to the top of the atmosphere with unprecedented accuracy. This accuracy is the key to understanding weather patterns and improving weather predictions. Viewed separately, none of these images can provide accurate 3-D descriptions of the state of the atmosphere because of interference from clouds. However, the ability to make simultaneous observations at a wide range of wavelengths allows the AIRS experiment to "see" through clouds. This visible light picture from the AIRS instrument provides important information about the location of the cyclone, cloud structure and distribution. The AIRS instrument image at 900 cm-1 (Figure 1) is from a 10 micron transparent "window channel" that is little affected by water vapor but still cannot see through clouds. In clear areas (like the eye of the cyclone and over northwest Australia) it measures a surface temperature of about 300K (color encoded red). In cloudy areas it measures the cloud top temperature, about 200K for the cyclone, which translates to a cloud top height of about 50,000 feet. On the other hand, most clouds are relatively transparent in microwave, and the Advanced Microwave Sounding Instrument channel image (Figure 2) can see through all but the densest clouds. For example, Taiwan, which is covered by clouds, is clearly visible. The Humidity Sounder for Brazil instrument channel (Figure 3), also in the microwave, is more sensitive to both clouds and humidity. Only in clear, dry regions, such as the eye of the cyclone or the area north of Australia, does it see the surface. It is also severely affected by suspended ice particles formed by strong convection, which causes scattering and appears to be extremely cold. These blue areas indicate intense precipitation. 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. |
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AIRS First Light Data: Typho
…
PIA00341
Sol (our sun)
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder
…
| Title |
AIRS First Light Data: Typhoon Ramasun, July 3, 2002 |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Four images of Tropical Cyclone Ramasun were obtained July 3, 2002 by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder experiment system onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft. The AIRS experiment, with its wide spectral coverage in four diverse bands, provides the ability to obtain complete 3-D observations of severe weather, from the surface, through clouds to the top of the atmosphere with unprecedented accuracy. This accuracy is the key to understanding weather patterns and improving weather predictions. Viewed separately, none of these images can provide accurate 3-D descriptions of the state of the atmosphere because of interference from clouds. However, the ability to make simultaneous observations at a wide range of wavelengths allows the AIRS experiment to "see" through clouds. This visible light picture from the AIRS instrument provides important information about the location of the cyclone, cloud structure and distribution. The AIRS instrument image at 900 cm-1 (Figure 1) is from a 10 micron transparent "window channel" that is little affected by water vapor but still cannot see through clouds. In clear areas (like the eye of the cyclone and over northwest Australia) it measures a surface temperature of about 300K (color encoded red). In cloudy areas it measures the cloud top temperature, about 200K for the cyclone, which translates to a cloud top height of about 50,000 feet. On the other hand, most clouds are relatively transparent in microwave, and the Advanced Microwave Sounding Instrument channel image (Figure 2) can see through all but the densest clouds. For example, Taiwan, which is covered by clouds, is clearly visible. The Humidity Sounder for Brazil instrument channel (Figure 3), also in the microwave, is more sensitive to both clouds and humidity. Only in clear, dry regions, such as the eye of the cyclone or the area north of Australia, does it see the surface. It is also severely affected by suspended ice particles formed by strong convection, which causes scattering and appears to be extremely cold. These blue areas indicate intense precipitation. 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. |
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AIRS First Light Data: Typho
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PIA00341
Sol (our sun)
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder
…
| Title |
AIRS First Light Data: Typhoon Ramasun, July 3, 2002 |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Four images of Tropical Cyclone Ramasun were obtained July 3, 2002 by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder experiment system onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft. The AIRS experiment, with its wide spectral coverage in four diverse bands, provides the ability to obtain complete 3-D observations of severe weather, from the surface, through clouds to the top of the atmosphere with unprecedented accuracy. This accuracy is the key to understanding weather patterns and improving weather predictions. Viewed separately, none of these images can provide accurate 3-D descriptions of the state of the atmosphere because of interference from clouds. However, the ability to make simultaneous observations at a wide range of wavelengths allows the AIRS experiment to "see" through clouds. This visible light picture from the AIRS instrument provides important information about the location of the cyclone, cloud structure and distribution. The AIRS instrument image at 900 cm-1 (Figure 1) is from a 10 micron transparent "window channel" that is little affected by water vapor but still cannot see through clouds. In clear areas (like the eye of the cyclone and over northwest Australia) it measures a surface temperature of about 300K (color encoded red). In cloudy areas it measures the cloud top temperature, about 200K for the cyclone, which translates to a cloud top height of about 50,000 feet. On the other hand, most clouds are relatively transparent in microwave, and the Advanced Microwave Sounding Instrument channel image (Figure 2) can see through all but the densest clouds. For example, Taiwan, which is covered by clouds, is clearly visible. The Humidity Sounder for Brazil instrument channel (Figure 3), also in the microwave, is more sensitive to both clouds and humidity. Only in clear, dry regions, such as the eye of the cyclone or the area north of Australia, does it see the surface. It is also severely affected by suspended ice particles formed by strong convection, which causes scattering and appears to be extremely cold. These blue areas indicate intense precipitation. 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. |
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Typhoon Bilis
PIA01048
Sol (our sun)
SeaWinds Scatterometer
| Title |
Typhoon Bilis |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
As super Typhoon Bilis, equal in strength to a category 5 hurricane, bore down on Taiwan, these images from August 21, 2000, show the massive storm's most devastating components: rain and wind. Conventional satellite data provide imagery of the clouds at the top of a storm. These images, however, were created by combining data from two NASA instruments capable of looking through a storm's clouds and seeing what is going on at the surface. These two instruments passed over the same location about one hour apart. The images show the surface winds, measured by SeaWinds on QuikScat's radar scatterometer, as red arrows. The wind data are superimposed on rainfall measurements made by the microwave imager on the Tropical Rain Measuring Mission (TRMM). The scale on the right shows the amount of rainfall in millimeters per hour. QuikSCAT, launched in June 1999, and TRMM, launched 18 months earlier, provide the opportunity to observe both wind and rain before landfall. The SeaWinds on QuikScat project is managed for NASA's Earth Science Enterprise by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. TRMM is a joint US/Japanese mission managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD. |
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Typhoon Bilis
PIA01047
Sol (our sun)
SeaWinds Scatterometer
| Title |
Typhoon Bilis |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
As super Typhoon Bilis, equal in strength to a category 5 hurricane, bore down on Taiwan, these images from August 21, 2000, show the massive storm's most devastating components: rain and wind. Conventional satellite data provide imagery of the clouds at the top of a storm. These images, however, were created by combining data from two NASA instruments capable of looking through a storm's clouds and seeing what is going on at the surface. These two instruments passed over the same location about one hour apart. The images show the surface winds, measured by SeaWinds on QuikScat's radar scatterometer, as red arrows. The wind data are superimposed on rainfall measurements made by the microwave imager on the Tropical Rain Measuring Mission (TRMM). The scale on the right shows the amount of rainfall in millimeters per hour. QuikSCAT, launched in June 1999, and TRMM, launched 18 months earlier, provide the opportunity to observe both wind and rain before landfall. The SeaWinds on QuikScat project is managed for NASA's Earth Science Enterprise by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. TRMM is a joint US/Japanese mission managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD. |
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Typhoon Sinlaku
PIA03724
Sol (our sun)
Multi-angle Imaging SpectroR
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| Title |
Typhoon Sinlaku |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
One of the more destructive cyclones to emerge from the northern hemisphere 2002 summer storm season was Typhoon Sinlaku. Several attributes of this storm event are portrayed in these data products from the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer. The images were acquired on September 5, when the western portion of the storm was situated over the Okinawan island chain. Over the next few days it moved west-northwest, sweeping over Taiwan before making landfall along China's Zhejian province on the 7th. The typhoon forced hundreds of thousands of people from their homes, caused major power outages, and at least 26 people were reported dead or missing before the storm weakened as it moved inland. While the nature and formation of individual storm events is relatively well understood, the influence of clouds on climate is difficult to assess due to the variable nature of cloud cover at various altitudes. MISR's data products are designed to help understand these influences. Typhoon Sinlaku is shown at left as a natural-color view observed by MISR's vertical-viewing (nadir)camera. The center panel shows the cloud-top height field derived using automated stereoscopic processing of data from multiple MISR cameras. Relative height variations, such as the clearing within the storm's eye, are well represented. Areas where heights could not be retrieved are shown in dark gray. Clouds have a significant influence on the global radiation balance of the Earth's atmosphere, and the improvement of climate models requires more accurate information on how different types of clouds influence Earth's energy budget. One measure of this influence is albedo, which is the amount of sunlight reflected back to space divided by amount of incident sunlight. Bright objects have high albedo. Retrieved local albedo values for Typhoon Sinlaku are shown at right. Generation of this product is dependent on observed cloud radiances as a function of viewing angle and the cloud height field. Over the short distances (2.2 kilometers) that MISR's local albedo product is generated, values can be greater than 1.0 due to the contributions from the sides of the clouds. Areas where albedo could not be retrieved are shown in dark gray. The Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer observes the daylit Earth continuously from pole to pole, and views almost the entire globe every 9 days. This image is a portion of the data acquired during Terra orbit 14442, and covers an area of about 380 kilometers x 1408 kilometers. It utilizes data from blocks 65 to 74 within World Reference System-2 path 113. |
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