|
|
QuikSCAT Antarctic Sea Ice (
…
| Title |
QuikSCAT Antarctic Sea Ice (WMS) |
| Abstract |
The sea ice around Antarctica grows dramatically from late February, when large parts of the coast are ice-free, to October, when the amount of sea ice effectively doubles the size of the continent. The SeaWinds Scatterometer instrument on the QuikSCAT satellite captures this dramatic ebb and flow and shows the sea ice as dynamic and always moving, even in areas that are ice-bound. This animation shows the sea ice around Antarctica from SeaWinds during 2004. SeaWinds can see individual icebergs if they are large enough, and a large iceberg can be seen for most of the year south of South America as it moves from the Antarctic Peninsula to the South Sandwich Islands. Also visible are the very convoluted and dynamic border between the sea ice and the open sea and holes in the sea ice created by the movement around fixed land features such as islands. |
| Completed |
2005-03-28 |
|
Cyclones in the Pacific
| Title |
Cyclones in the Pacific |
| Description |
The SeaWinds scatterometer aboard NASA?s QuikSCAT satellite collected the data used to create this colorful image of Cyclone Olaf churing in the South Pacific on February 16, 2005. The colored background shows the near-surface wind speeds at 2.5-kilometer resolution. The strongest winds, shown in purple, are at the center of the storm, with gradually weakening winds forming rings around the center. The black barbs indicate wind speed and direction at QuikSCAT?s nominal, 25-kilometer resolution, white barbs indicate areas of heavy rain. 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. NASA image courtesy of the QuikSCAT Science Team at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. |
|
Cyclones in the Pacific
| Title |
Cyclones in the Pacific |
| Description |
The SeaWinds scatterometer aboard NASA?s QuikSCAT satellite collected the data used to create this colorful image of Cyclone Olaf churing in the South Pacific on February 16, 2005. The colored background shows the near-surface wind speeds at 2.5-kilometer resolution. The strongest winds, shown in purple, are at the center of the storm, with gradually weakening winds forming rings around the center. The black barbs indicate wind speed and direction at QuikSCAT?s nominal, 25-kilometer resolution, white barbs indicate areas of heavy rain. 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. NASA image courtesy of the QuikSCAT Science Team at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. |
|
Hurricane Frances
| Title |
Hurricane Frances |
| Description |
The SeaWinds scatterometer aboard NASA?s QuikSCAT satellite collected the data used to create this colorful image of hurricane Frances as it approached Cuba on September 1, 2004, at 6:09 p.m. EDT. The colored background shows the near-surface wind speeds at 2.5 km resolution. The strongest winds, shown in purple, are at the center of the storm, with gradually weakening winds forming rings around the center. The black barbs indicate wind speed and direction at QuikSCAT's nominal 25 km resolution, white barbs indicate areas of heavy rain. The black grid over the image show degrees of latitude and longitude. The vertical lines of longitude start at 77 West on the left and run to 65 on the right. The horizontal lines of latitude start at 18 North on the bottom and run to 27 North on top. NASA's Quick Scatterometer (QuikSCAT [ http://winds.jpl.nasa.gov ]) 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. In recent years, the ability to detect and track severe storms has been dramatically enhanced by the advent of weather satellites. Data from the SeaWinds scatterometer is augmenting traditional satellite images of clouds by providing direct measurements of surface winds to compare with the observed cloud patterns in an effort to better determine a hurricane's location, direction, structure, and strength. Specifically, these wind data are helping meteorologists to more accurately identify the extent of gale-force winds associated with a storm, while supplying inputs to numerical models that provide advanced warning of high waves and flooding. NASA image courtesy the QuikSCAT [ http://winds.jpl.nasa.gov ] team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. |
|
Hurricane Howard
| Title |
Hurricane Howard |
| Description |
The SeaWinds scatterometer aboard NASA?s QuikSCAT satellite collected the data used to create this multicolored image of hurricane Howard off the Southern Coast of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. This image taken on September 2nd at 4:25pm PDT, shows near-surface winds 10 meters above the ocean surface. The colored background shows the near-surface wind speeds at 2.5 km resolution, with the highest wind speeds, purple, in the center, and lower wind speeds around the outer edges of the storm. The black barbs indicate wind speed and direction at QuikSCAT's nominal 25 km resolution, white barbs indicate areas of heavy rain. The black grid marks out latitude and longitude. The vertical lines of longitude start at 120 West on the left and go to 109 West, with one line per degree. The horizontal lines of latitude start at 15 degrees North on the bottom and run to 27 degrees North, each line again indicating a single degree. NASA's Quick Scatterometer (QuikSCAT [ http://winds.jpl.nasa.gov ]) 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. In recent years, the ability to detect and track severe storms has been dramatically enhanced by the advent of weather satellites. Data from the SeaWinds scatterometer is augmenting traditional satellite images of clouds by providing direct measurements of surface winds to compare with the observed cloud patterns in an effort to better determine a hurricane's location, direction, structure, and strength. Specifically, these wind data are helping meteorologists to more accurately identify the extent of gale-force winds associated with a storm, while supplying inputs to numerical models that provide advanced warning of high waves and flooding. NASA image courtesy the QuikSCAT [ http://winds.jpl.nasa.gov ] team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. |
|
Hurricane Ivan
| Title |
Hurricane Ivan |
| Description |
With wind speeds topping 260 kilometers per hour (160 mph), Hurricane Ivan is roaring through the Caribbean as a deadly Category 5 storm. Early on September 9, 2004, the SeaWinds scatterometer aboard NASA's QuikSCAT satellite saw through Ivan's swirling clouds to measure wind speed 10 meters above the ocean surface. The result was this multi-colored image of the storm. Purple in the center of the storm shows the highest wind speeds, and green fringes around the outside of the storm show the lowest wind speeds. The black barbs indicate wind speed and direction at QuikSCAT's nominal 25 km resolution, white barbs indicate areas of heavy rain. Ivan strengthened after plowing over Grenada on Tuesday, September 7. The storm is forecast to move northwest over Jamaica and Cuba, then on to Florida. For more information, please visit the National Hurricane Center [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ ]. NASA's Quick Scatterometer (QuikSCAT [ http://winds.jpl.nasa.gov ]) 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. In recent years, the ability to detect and track severe storms has been dramatically enhanced by the advent of weather satellites. Data from the SeaWinds scatterometer is augmenting traditional satellite images of clouds by providing direct measurements of surface winds to compare with the observed cloud patterns in an effort to better determine a hurricane's location, direction, structure, and strength. Specifically, these wind data are helping meteorologists to more accurately identify the extent of gale-force winds associated with a storm, while supplying inputs to numerical models that provide advanced warning of high waves and flooding. NASA image courtesy the QuikSCAT [ http://winds.jpl.nasa.gov ] team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. |
|
Hurricane Javier
| Title |
Hurricane Javier |
| Description |
The SeaWinds Scatterometer [ http://winds.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] aboard NASA's QuikSCAT satellite collected the data used to create this multicolored image of Hurricane Javier, currently nearly due south of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The National Hurricane Center [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ ] predicts that this storm will make landfall on the western coast of Baja California sometime on September 18, 2004. This image, taken by QuikSCAT on September 16, at 6:13 p.m. PDT, shows near-surface winds 10 meters above the ocean surface. The colored background shows the near-surface wind speeds at 2.5 km resolution, with the highest wind speeds, purple, in the center, and lower wind speeds around the outer edges of the storm. The black barbs indicate wind speed and direction at QuikSCAT's nominal 25 km resolution, white barbs indicate areas of heavy rain. 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. In recent years, the ability to detect and track severe storms has been dramatically enhanced by the advent of weather satellites. Data from the SeaWinds scatterometer is augmenting traditional satellite images of clouds by providing direct measurements of surface winds to compare with the observed cloud patterns in an effort to better determine a hurricane's location, direction, structure, and strength. Specifically, these wind data are helping meteorologists to more accurately identify the extent of gale-force winds associated with a storm, while supplying inputs to numerical models that provide advanced warning of high waves and flooding. NASA image courtesy of the QuikSCAT [ http://winds.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/quikscat/index.cfm ] team at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory. |
|
Tropical Cyclone Dora
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Dora |
| Description |
Powerful winds spiral in towards the calm center of Tropical Cyclone Dora in this image made from data captured on February 5, 2007, by the SeaWinds Scatterometer [ http://winds.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] on NASA's QuikSCAT satellite. The satellite records wind speed and direction at an altitude of 10 meters above the ocean's surface. Wind speed is represented by color in this image, with the strongest winds in purple, and the calmest areas in blue. The barbs indicate both wind direction and rainfall. Areas of heavy rain are marked with white barbs. Not surprisingly, the strongest winds and heaviest rain surround the eye of the storm, which is an island of blue, indicating light winds, surrounded by the reds and purples of powerful winds. At the time this image was taken (13:20 UTC), Dora was dissipating from a Category 4 cyclone, reported the University of Hawaii's Tropical Storm Information Center. [ http://www.solar.ifa.hawaii.edu/Tropical/tropical.html ] The storm formed on January 28 over the central Indian Ocean. As it moved south, the storm intensified until its winds peaked at 213 kilometers per hour (132 mph, 115 knots), making it the equivalent of a weak Category 4 hurricane. By February 5, when QuikSCAT observed the storm, it had winds of 120 kilometers per hour (75 mph, or 65 knots) with gusts to 148 kilometers per hour (92 mph, 80 knots). As of February 6, the storm was expected to disintegrate as it moved south over cooler waters. Dora was not forecast to threaten land, though this image shows the outer edges of the storm over Rodrigues Island. NASA image courtesy of David Long, Brigham Young University, on the QuikSCAT Science Team, [ http://winds.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. |
|
Tropical Cyclone Dora
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Dora |
| Description |
Powerful winds spiral in towards the calm center of Tropical Cyclone Dora in this image made from data captured on February 5, 2007, by the SeaWinds Scatterometer [ http://winds.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] on NASA's QuikSCAT satellite. The satellite records wind speed and direction at an altitude of 10 meters above the ocean's surface. Wind speed is represented by color in this image, with the strongest winds in purple, and the calmest areas in blue. The barbs indicate both wind direction and rainfall. Areas of heavy rain are marked with white barbs. Not surprisingly, the strongest winds and heaviest rain surround the eye of the storm, which is an island of blue, indicating light winds, surrounded by the reds and purples of powerful winds. At the time this image was taken (13:20 UTC), Dora was dissipating from a Category 4 cyclone, reported the University of Hawaii's Tropical Storm Information Center. [ http://www.solar.ifa.hawaii.edu/Tropical/tropical.html ] The storm formed on January 28 over the central Indian Ocean. As it moved south, the storm intensified until its winds peaked at 213 kilometers per hour (132 mph, 115 knots), making it the equivalent of a weak Category 4 hurricane. By February 5, when QuikSCAT observed the storm, it had winds of 120 kilometers per hour (75 mph, or 65 knots) with gusts to 148 kilometers per hour (92 mph, 80 knots). As of February 6, the storm was expected to disintegrate as it moved south over cooler waters. Dora was not forecast to threaten land, though this image shows the outer edges of the storm over Rodrigues Island. NASA image courtesy of David Long, Brigham Young University, on the QuikSCAT Science Team, [ http://winds.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. |
|
Typhoon Nepartak
| Title |
Typhoon Nepartak |
| Description |
Shortly after passing through the Philippines, Tropical Storm Nepartak became Typhoon Nepartak. The SeaWinds scatterometer on the QuikSCAT [ http://winds.jpl.nasa.gov ] satellite collected the data used to create this colorful image of Typhoon Nepartak on November 15, 2003, as the storm began to strengthen. This image shows the near-surface winds 10 meters above the ocean. At this time, the winds near the center of the storm topped out at about 50 knots, 58 miles per hour, shown in dark purple. The barbs show the wind speed and direction at 25 kilometer resolution, the nominal QuikSCAT observation resolution. White barbs indicate areas of rain. The surface winds circle around the center of the storm to the left. The colored background shows the wind speed at 2.5 km resolution over a portion of the QuikSCAT swath. This near-real-time image was produced at JPL [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov ] by Thomas J. Fouser (NASA JPL) and David G. Long (Brigham Young University) |
|
Hurricane Howard: Natural Ha
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
The SeaWinds scatterometer a
…
Howard_QST_2004246
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2004-09-02 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
Howard_QST_2004246 |
|
Cyclones in the Pacific: Nat
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
The SeaWinds scatterometer a
…
OLAF_Quikscat050216
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2005-02-16 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
OLAF_Quikscat050216 |
|
Cyclones in the Pacific: Nat
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
The SeaWinds scatterometer a
…
OLAF_Quikscat050216
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2005-02-16 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
OLAF_Quikscat050216 |
|
Hurricane Javier: Natural Ha
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
The winds.jpl.nasa.gov/ SeaW
…
Javier_QST_2004260
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2004-09-16 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
Javier_QST_2004260 |
|
Spring Thaw: Image of the Da
…
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
These images show the progre
…
alaska_thaw_qui_2000
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2000 |
| creator |
NASA -- Image courtesy Kyle McDonald, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory |
| identifier |
alaska_thaw_qui_2000 |
|
Tropical Cyclone Dora: Image
…
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
Powerful winds spiral in tow
…
Dora_QST_2007036
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-02-05 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA image courtesy of David Long, Brigham Young University, on the winds.jpl.nasa.gov/ QuikSCAT Science Team, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. |
| identifier |
Dora_QST_2007036 |
|
Typhoon Nepartak: Natural Ha
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Shortly after passing throug
…
Nepartak_Qsct2003319
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2003-11-15 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
Nepartak_Qsct2003319 |
|
Hurricane Frances: Natural H
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
The SeaWinds scatterometer a
…
Frances_QST_2004246
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2004-09-01 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
Frances_QST_2004246 |
|
Hurricane Ivan: Natural Haza
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
With wind speeds topping 260
…
Ivan_QST_2004253
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2004-09-09 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
Ivan_QST_2004253 |
|
Typhoon Nanmadol
PIA07100
Sol (our sun)
SeaWinds Scatterometer
| Title |
Typhoon Nanmadol |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
1 Dec. 2004 This image, produced from data collected by the SeaWinds scatterometer instrument onboard NASA's QuikScat mission reveals the details of the surface winds and rain in Typhoon Nanmadol as it moves westward. The data was collected on 1 Dec. 2004 at approximately 8 in the morning. SeaWinds uses radar to peer through clouds and darkness to measure the near-surface wind speed over the ocean on a daily global basis. In this image of Typhoon Nanmadol, ocean wind speed is shown in color with wind barbs showing the wind direction. The Typhoon eye is visible as a brown patch within the purple area of most intense wind speeds (50+ knots) and rain. The red area of high winds (30+ knots) extends over 800 km around the eye. The grey area in the center left is the Island of Yap. The typhoon is moving about 28 mph to the west-northwest and is gathering strength before it hits the Phillipines a few days later, leading to 1000 casulties according to Reuters. In recent years, the ability to detect and track severe storms has been dramatically enhanced by the advent of weather satellites. Data from the SeaWinds scatterometer is augmenting traditional satellite images of clouds by providing direct measurements of surface winds to compare with the observed cloud patterns in an effort to better determine a hurricane's location, direction, structure, and strength. Specifically, these wind data are helping meteorologists to more accurately identify the extent of gale-force winds associated with a storm, while supplying inputs to numerical models that provide advanced warning of high waves and flooding. "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/PIA07100 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. |
|
Hurricane Frances as Observe
…
PIA00435
Sol (our sun)
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder
…
| Title |
Hurricane Frances as Observed by NASA's Spaceborne Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) and SeaWinds Scatterometer |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Experiment, with its visible, infrared, and microwave detectors, provides a three-dimensional look at Earth's weather. Working in tandem, the three instruments can make simultaneous observations all the way down to the Earth's surface, even in the presence of heavy clouds. With more than 2,000 channels sensing different regions of the atmosphere, the system creates a global, 3-D map of atmospheric temperature and humidity and provides information on clouds, greenhouse gases, and many other atmospheric phenomena. The AIRS Infrared Sounder Experiment flies onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft and is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., under contract to NASA. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena., This image shows Hurricane Frances as captured by instruments onboard two different satellites: the AIRS infrared instrument onboard Aqua, and the SeaWinds scatterometer onboard QuikSCAT. Both are JPL-managed instruments. AIRS data are used to create global three-dimensional maps of temperature, humidity and clouds, while scatterometers measure surface wind speed and direction over the ocean. The red vectors in the image show Frances' surface winds as measured by SeaWinds on QuikSCAT. The background colors show the temperature of clouds and surface as viewed in the infrared by AIRS, with cooler areas pushing to purple and warmer areas are pushing to red. The color scale on the right gives the temperatures in degrees Kelvin. (The top of the scale, 320 degrees Kelvin, corresponds to 117 degrees Fahrenheit, and the bottom, 180 degrees K is -135 degrees F.) The powerful circulation of this storm is evident from the combined data as well as the development of a clearly-defined central "eye". The infrared signal does not penetrate through clouds, so the light blue areas reveal the cold clouds tops associated with strong thunderstorms embedded within the storm. In cloud-free areas the infrared signal comes from Earth's surface, revealing warmer temperatures. The power of the SeaWinds scatterometer data set lies in its ability to generate global maps of wind speed and direction, giving us a snapshot of how the atmosphere is circulating. Weather prediction centers, including the Tropical Prediction Center - a branch of NOAA that monitors the creation of ocean-born storms, use scatterometer data to help it "see" where these storms are brewing so that warnings can be issued and the storms, with often erratic motions, can be tracked. While the SeaWinds instrument isn't designed to gather hurricane data, having difficulty seeing the surface in heavy rain, it's data can be used in combination with other data sets to give us an insight into these storms. In this combination image, the AIRS infrared data reveals the temperature of the atmosphere around the storm, but doesn't tell us about the wind direction or relative intensity. The directional vectors of the SeaWinds data set show how the air is circulating around the storm. Scatterometers measure surface wind speed and direction by bouncing microwave pulses off the ocean's surface. The SeaWinds instruments measure the backscattered radar energy from wind-generated ocean waves. By making multiple measurements from different looks at the same location, we can infer the vector wind averaged over each 25 km resolution cell. The primary mission objective of the SeaWinds and QuikSCAT scatterometers is to obtain long-term, global coverage of the ocean vector winds for oceanographic and climate research. While not specifically designed for detailed mapping and tracking of hurricanes, both instruments have been found to be useful resources for operational forecasters. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder |
|
NASA Measures Fitow's Winds
…
PIA09978
Sol (our sun)
SeaWinds Scatterometer
| Title |
NASA Measures Fitow's Winds by Satellite |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
NASA's QuikScat satellite acquired this image of Category One Typhoon Fitow on Sept. 6, 2007, prior to the storm making landfall in Japan. The center of Fitow is indicated by the purple color. This image depicts wind speed in color and wind direction with small barbs. White barbs point to areas of heavy rain. The highest wind speeds, around the eye, are shown in purple. QuikScat, managed by JPL, measures ocean surface wind/stress by sending radar pulses to the surface and measuring the strength of the signals returned. "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/missions/quikscat/ [ http://winds.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/quikscat/index.cfm ]. QuikSCAT is managed for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, DC, by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA. |
|
Atlantic Ocean Surface Winds
…
PIA01347
Sol (our sun)
SeaWinds Scatterometer
| Title |
Atlantic Ocean Surface Winds from QuikScat |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This image shows wind speeds and direction in the Atlantic Ocean on August 1, 1999, gathered by the Seawinds radar instrument flying onboard the QuikScat satellite. This image was released in conjunction with PIA01346 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA01346 ]. Please refer to that image for more details about the Pacific region. The intense surface winds of Typhoon Olga, represented by yellow spirals, can be seen moving around South Korea in the China Sea.QuikScat tracks its birth as a tropical depression in the Philippines and its northward journey in the western Pacific to its landfall in Korea. The eastern North Pacific is dominated by a persistent high-pressure system, whose anticyclonic (clockwise) flow creates strong winds blowing parallel to the coast of Canada and the United States. Three groups of very intense winter storm scan be seen around Antarctica, which are associated with the season of maximum sea ice in that region of the world. |
|
Pacific Ocean Surface Winds
…
PIA01346
Sol (our sun)
SeaWinds Scatterometer
| Title |
Pacific Ocean Surface Winds from QuikScat |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This image shows wind speeds and direction in the Pacific Ocean on August 1, 1999, gathered by the Seawinds radar instrument flying onboard the QuikScat satellite. This image was released in conjunction with PIA01347 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA01347 ]. The caption released for these images mostly details the Pacific region. The intense surface winds of Typhoon Olga, represented by yellow spirals, can be seen moving around South Korea in the China Sea. QuikScat tracks its birth as a tropical depression in the Philippines and its northward journey in the western Pacific to its landfall in Korea. The eastern North Pacific is dominated by a persistent high-pressure system, whose anticyclonic (clockwise) flow creates strong winds blowing parallel to the coast of Canada and the United States. Three groups of very intense winter storm scan be seen around Antarctica, which are associated with the season of maximum sea ice in that region of the world. |
|
QuikScat Shows Rough Seas/At
…
PIA09110
Sol (our sun)
SeaWinds Scatterometer
| Title |
QuikScat Shows Rough Seas/Atmospheric Conditions at Time of Two Java Sea Disasters |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
. 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., A ferry carrying more than 600 passengers sank in the Java Sea between the island of Java and Borneo just before midnight on December 29, 2006, during high winds and rough seas. On January 1, 2007, a plane carrying more than 100 people crashed on its flight over the Java Sea, high winds and turbulent weather are being investigated as possible causes. The origin of surges of deadly winds in this usually relatively calm region is poorly monitored and understood. However, ocean winds data from NASA's QuikScat satellite show potential for helping alleviate such deficiencies. Data obtained from QuikScat on December 30 and January 1 shed new insights into the atmospheric conditions at the time of these incidents. QuikScat data are available in near real time to operational weather forecasting agencies around the world. The data from December 30 and January 1 observed that the strong winds in the Java Sea originated from the surge of a strong winter monsoon from the Asian continent. The monsoon winds blew south across the South China Sea and deflected eastward after they crossed the equator due to the rotation of Earth. The winds strengthened as they were channeled through the land masses of Indonesia. The winds in the Java Sea remained strong through January 1, 2007. Associated with the eastward winds, twin cyclones (a counter-clockwise circulation in the Northern Hemisphere and a clockwise circulation in the Southern Hemisphere) were also observed by QuikScat, the stronger one was south of the equator (summer hemisphere) between Java and Australia, and a weaker one was north of the equator (winter hemisphere) west of Borneo. In this image from January 1, the different colors denote different wind speeds. White arrows are wind vectors showing both direction and speed. The large-scale, broad and simultaneous observations by QuikScat make it possible to put the local weather into the context of the large-scale circulation, and confirm one of the assumptions that links the cold surge of the Asian monsoon with tropical cyclones in the western Pacific. QuikScat, managed by JPL, measures ocean surface wind/stress by sending radar pulses to the surface and measuring the strength of the signals returned. "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/PIA09110 http://winds.jpl.nasa.gov ] |
|
Hurricane Katrina
PIA04176
Sol (our sun)
SeaWinds Scatterometer
| Title |
Hurricane Katrina |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Figure 1: Hurricane Katrina Nearly the whole of the Gulf of Mexico was churning with the powerful winds and rains of Hurricane Katrina on August 28, 2005, when NASA's QuikScat [ http://winds.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image. The image depicts relative wind speeds swirling around the calm center of the storm. The highest wind speeds, shown in shades of purple, circle a well-defined eye, with gradually weakening winds radiating outward. The barbs reveal wind direction, and the white barbs show heavy rainfall. At the time this image was taken, the National Hurricane Center [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ ] reported that Katrina had winds of 160 miles per hour (257 kilometers per hour or 140 knots) with stronger gusts and was moving north-northwest at about 10 mph (16 km/hr). The storm weakened slightly before coming ashore, but was still a powerfully destructive storm. Why don't the wind speeds shown here match those reported by the National Hurricane Center? QuikScat measures near surface wind speeds over the ocean based on how the winds affect the ocean. The satellite sends out high frequency radio waves, some of which bounce off the ocean and return to the satellite. Rough, storm-tossed seas return more of the waves, creating a strong signal, while a mirror-smooth surface returns a weaker signal. To learn to match wind speeds with the type of signal that returns to the satellite, scientists compare wind measurements taken by ocean buoys to the strength of the signal received by the satellite. The more measurements scientists have, the more accurately they can correlate wind speed to the returning radar signal. Storms as large as Katrina are rare. This means that scientists have few buoy measurements to compare to the data they get from the satellite and can;t match the satellite measurements to exact wind speeds. Instead, the image provides a clear picture of relative wind speeds, showing how large the strong center of the storm is and which direction winds are blowing. For official warnings and information about Hurricane Katrina, please visit the National Hurricane Center [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ ]. To learn more about measuring winds from space, check out NASA's Winds [ http://winds.jpl.nasa.gov/index.cfm ] web site. |
|
Hurricane Katrina
PIA04176
Sol (our sun)
SeaWinds Scatterometer
| Title |
Hurricane Katrina |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Figure 1: Hurricane Katrina Nearly the whole of the Gulf of Mexico was churning with the powerful winds and rains of Hurricane Katrina on August 28, 2005, when NASA's QuikScat [ http://winds.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image. The image depicts relative wind speeds swirling around the calm center of the storm. The highest wind speeds, shown in shades of purple, circle a well-defined eye, with gradually weakening winds radiating outward. The barbs reveal wind direction, and the white barbs show heavy rainfall. At the time this image was taken, the National Hurricane Center [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ ] reported that Katrina had winds of 160 miles per hour (257 kilometers per hour or 140 knots) with stronger gusts and was moving north-northwest at about 10 mph (16 km/hr). The storm weakened slightly before coming ashore, but was still a powerfully destructive storm. Why don't the wind speeds shown here match those reported by the National Hurricane Center? QuikScat measures near surface wind speeds over the ocean based on how the winds affect the ocean. The satellite sends out high frequency radio waves, some of which bounce off the ocean and return to the satellite. Rough, storm-tossed seas return more of the waves, creating a strong signal, while a mirror-smooth surface returns a weaker signal. To learn to match wind speeds with the type of signal that returns to the satellite, scientists compare wind measurements taken by ocean buoys to the strength of the signal received by the satellite. The more measurements scientists have, the more accurately they can correlate wind speed to the returning radar signal. Storms as large as Katrina are rare. This means that scientists have few buoy measurements to compare to the data they get from the satellite and can;t match the satellite measurements to exact wind speeds. Instead, the image provides a clear picture of relative wind speeds, showing how large the strong center of the storm is and which direction winds are blowing. For official warnings and information about Hurricane Katrina, please visit the National Hurricane Center [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ ]. To learn more about measuring winds from space, check out NASA's Winds [ http://winds.jpl.nasa.gov/index.cfm ] web site. |
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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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Hurricane Emily
PIA07969
Sol (our sun)
SeaWinds Scatterometer
| Title |
Hurricane Emily |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
When NASA's Quick Scatterometer (QuikScat) captured this image on July 13, 2005, Emily was just a few hours away from becoming a hurricane. The tropical storm was approaching Trinidad with winds of 95 kilometers per hour (60 miles per hour or 50 knots) when this image was taken at 5:05 p.m. Eastern Daylight Savings Time (21:05 UTC). The image reveals the structure of the storm, with wind speed shown in color and direction indicated by barbs. The white barbs indicate regions of heavy rain. Both the heaviest downpours and the strongest winds, shown in purple, are just east of the center of the storm. Compared to an image taken in the morning of July 13, this powerful section of the storm has expanded and moved closer to the center as Emily developed through the day. Emily is the fifth tropical storm of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, and the second storm to reach hurricane status. By July 15, Emily reached Category 3 status on the Saffir-Simpson scale with winds of 205 km/hr (125 mph). "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/PIA07969 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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Wilma's Winds Whip Mexico's
…
PIA03056
Sol (our sun)
SeaWinds Scatterometer
| Title |
Wilma's Winds Whip Mexico's Yucatan |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The eye of Hurricane Wilma, a menacing Category 4 storm, approaches the northeastern tip of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula in this October 21 image from NASA's QuikScat satellite, depicting relative wind speeds and direction. The storm is projected to make landfall in south Florida on Monday. Ground measurements of the wind strength of Hurricane Wilma show sustained winds somewhat higher than those shown by QuikScat observations. 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 km/hr or 58 mph). 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. For more information about the storm, please visit the National Hurricane Center [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ ]. "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/PIA03056 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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Distribution Patterns of Lan
…
PIA03029
Sol (our sun)
SeaWinds Scatterometer
| Title |
Distribution Patterns of Land Surface Water from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The above images, derived from NASA QuikScat [ http://winds.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] satellite data, show the extensive pattern of rain water deposited by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on land surfaces over several states in the southern and eastern United States. These results demonstrate the capability of satellite scatterometers to monitor changes in surface water on land. The color scale depicts increases in radar backscatter (in decibels) between the current measurement and the mean of measurements obtained during the previous two weeks. The backscatter can be calibrated to measure increases in surface soil moisture resulting from rainfall. The yellow color corresponds to an increase of approximately 10 percent or more in surface soil moisture according to the calibration site of Lonoke, Ark. The two hurricanes deposited excessive rainfall over extensive regions of the Mississippi River basin. Basins the size of the Mississippi can take up to several weeks before such excess rainfall significantly increases the amount of river discharge in large rivers such as the Mississippi. With hurricane season not over until November 30, the potential exists for significant flooding, particularly if new rain water is deposited by new hurricanes when river discharge peaks up as a result of previous rainfalls. River discharge should be closely monitored to account for this factor in evaluating potential flood conditions in the event of further hurricanes. For more information about the storm, please visit the National Hurricane Center [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ ]. "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/PIA03029 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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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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SeaWinds Watches for Breakup
…
PIA02329
Sol (our sun)
SeaWinds Scatterometer
| Title |
SeaWinds Watches for Breakup of Giant Iceberg |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
A NASA satellite instrument is keeping an eye on an iceberg the size of Rhode Island, the first time this space technology has been used to track a potential threat to international shipping. NASA's new orbiting SeaWinds radar instrument, flying aboard the QuikScat satellite, will monitor Iceberg B10A, which snapped off Antarctica seven years ago and has since drifted into a shipping lane. Iceberg B10A, which measures about 38 by 77 kilometers (about 24 miles by 48 miles), was spotted by the Instrument during its first pass over Antarctica, demonstrating SeaWinds' all-weather and day-night observational capabilities. The massive iceberg extends about 90 meters (300 feet) above water and may reach as deep as 300 meters (1,000 feet) below the ocean's surface. It is breaking up into smaller pieces that could pose a threat to commercial, cruise and fishing ships if the pieces are blown back into the shipping lane by high winds."Although the iceberg isn't posing a threat to ships in the area right now, pieces of B10A could be blown back into the shipping lane and become a danger to ships using the Antarctic's Drake Passage," said Dr. David Long, a member of the SeaWinds science team from Utah's Brigham Young University, Provo, UT. Long said that the SeaWinds instrument will be able to help scientists at the National Ice Center, Suitland, MD, track pieces of the iceberg down to 4 kilometers (about 2.5 miles) in size. B10A, which took hundreds of thousands of years to form, broke off the end of the Thwaites glacier of Antarctica in 1992 and has been drifting in the ocean ever since, driven by ocean currents and wind. In 1995, the iceberg broke in half, but was being tracked on a regular basis. Although conventional methods of tracking sea-surface ice -- using ships' radar, shipping reports, optical images from satellites and microwave sensor data -- are usually sufficient for tracking large pieces of ice, icebergs can sometimes disappear in the poor visibility of dark, cloudy Antarctic winters."That happened earlier this year, when we lost track of B10A's exact whereabouts," Long said. "Even though a ship was dispatched to the iceberg's last known position, we were unable to find it until we started receiving data from the SeaWinds instrument in July." Scientists were surprised at its location when they found B10A, but it was clearly identified as a very large iceberg that posed a considerable threat to ships in the area. A check with the Naval Ice Center confirmed the iceberg's identity and has enabled scientists to continue tracking its journey through the Drake Passage. When it was rediscovered earlier this month heading northeast between Tierra del Fuego at the southern tip of South America and the Antarctic Peninsula, the National Ice Center issued an iceberg navigation warning to the Argentine government."Ironically, the iceberg that took many millennia to form is expected to break up within about three months because it is drifting into, warmer waters," Long said. "We will be able to watch the iceberg's breakup for the first time with daily radar observations and better understand the effects of ocean winds and climate on melting polar ice. The polar regions play a central role in regulating global climate, and it is important to accurately record and monitor the extent and surface conditions of Earth's major ice masses." More information about the SeaWinds mission and observations is available at the following URL:http://winds.jpl.nasa.gov/news/newsindex.html [ http://winds.jpl.nasa.gov/news/newsindex.html ] The orbiting SeaWinds radar instrument, launched on the QuikScat satellite on June 19, is managed for NASA's Office of Earth Science, 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. NASA's Earth Science Enterprise is a long-term research and technology program designed to examine Earth's land, oceans, atmosphere, ice and life as a total integrated system. |
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SeaWinds Radar Clocks Hurric
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PIA02404
Sol (our sun)
SeaWinds Scatterometer
| Title |
SeaWinds Radar Clocks Hurricane Dora's Wind Speeds |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The SeaWinds instrument onboard NASA's new QuikScat ocean-viewing satellite captured this image of Hurricane Dora in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean on August 10, as it was blowing at speeds of nearly 40 meters per second (90 miles per hour). The image shows surface wind speed (colored background) and wind direction (arrows) in the vicinity of the hurricane, which was centered near 14.5 degrees north latitude and 117.8 degrees west longitude. With its broad, 1,800-kilometer-wide (1,116-mile-wide) swath and nearly all-weather capabilities, the SeaWinds scatterometer is providing unprecedented, frequent surface wind speed and direction measurements over the global oceans. Coupled with other satellite measurements of cloud patterns, water vapor and rain, the data are contributing to scientists' ability to predict the intensity, location and movements of hurricanes and other severe marine weather patterns. More information about the SeaWinds radar instrument is available at http://winds.jpl.nasa.gov/news/newsindex.html The orbiting SeaWinds radar instrument is managed for NASA's Office of Earth Science, Washington, DC, by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which 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. NOAA has contributed support to ground systems processing and related activities. NASA's Earth Science Enterprise is a long-term research and technology program designed to examine Earth's land, oceans, atmosphere, ice and life as a total integrated system. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA. |
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SeaWinds - South Georgia Isl
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PIA02457
Sol (our sun)
SeaWinds Scatterometer
| Title |
SeaWinds - South Georgia Island |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Winds are blocked by an island mountain barrier that produces a long "shadow" of low winds on the downwind side of the island stretching for hundreds of kilometers (about 500 miles long) in this image produced from data from NASA's SeaWinds instrument on the QuikScat satellite. South Georgia Island, in the South Atlantic Ocean (approximately 1,500 kilometers, or miles, east of the Falkland/Malvinas Islands, is only 170 kilometers long (about 106 miles) and 30 kilometers (about 19 miles)wide, but contains 13 peaks exceeding 2,000 meters (more than 6,500 feet) in height. The island thus acts as a significant barrier to the surface winds in this forbidding part of the world oceans. Mountainous islands and steep coastal topography can modify the surface wind field for many hundreds of kilometers seaward. The detailed air-sea-land interaction processes involved are not well understood, largely because of a lack of accurate, high-resolution, extensive wind speed and direction measurements. The broad-swath, all-weather SeaWinds instrument on NASA's QuikScat satellite is providing unique measurements of ocean winds, revealing previously unknown wind patterns caused by island topography and allowing development of improved models for coastal ocean winds. This image shows QuikScat measurements of wind speed and direction during a single pass over South Georgia Island on September 13, 1999. The island itself is shown as black (for heights less than 750 meters(less than half a mile), green (for heights between 750 and 1,500 meters (less than half a mile to about one mile), and red (for regions greater than 1,500 meters, or about one mile in altitude). The white area surrounding the island represents the region where land contamination does not allow wind measurements to be made. The horizontal and vertical coordinates are in kilometers, with origin on the island at latitude 54.5 degrees south, longitude 30 degrees east. This large-scale view shows regions of high wind speed off both the eastern and western ends of islands, corresponding to "corner accelerations" as the winds stream by the steep island topography. The lowest wind speeds are seen to be in the lee of the highest island topography. NASA's Earth Science Enterprise is a long-term research and technology program designed to examine Earth's land, oceans, atmosphere, ice and life as a total integrated system. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA. |
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SeaWinds Global Coverage wit
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PIA02455
Sol (our sun)
SeaWinds Scatterometer
| Title |
SeaWinds Global Coverage with Detail of Hurricane Floyd |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The distribution of ocean surface winds over the Atlantic Ocean, based on September 1999 data from NASA's SeaWinds instrument on the QuikScat satellite, shows wind direction (white streamlines) at a resolution of 25 kilometers (15.5 miles), superimposed on the color image indicating wind speed. Over the ocean, the strong (seen in violet) trade winds blow steadily from the cooler subtropical oceans to warm waters just north of the equator. The air rises over these warm waters and sinks in the subtropics at the horse latitudes. Low wind speeds are indicated in blue. In the mid-latitudes, the high vorticity caused by the rotation of the Earth generates the spirals of weather systems. The North Atlantic is dominated by a high-pressure system, whose anti-cyclonic (clockwise) flow creates strong winds blowing parallel to the coast of Spain and Morocco. This creates strong ocean upwelling and cold temperature. Hurricane Floyd, with its high winds (yellow), is clearly visible west of the Bahamas. Tropical depression Gert is seen as it was forming in the tropical mid-Atlantic (as an anti-clockwise spiral), it later developed into a full-blown hurricane. Because the atmosphere is largely transparent to microwaves, SeaWinds is able to cover 93 percent of the global oceans, under both clear and cloudy conditions, in a single day, with the capability of a synoptic view of the ocean. The high resolution of the data also gives detailed description of small and intense weather systems, like Hurricane Floyd. The image in the insert is based on data specially produced at 12.5 kilometers (7.7 miles). In the insert, white arrows of wind vector are imposed on the color image of wind speed. The insert represents a 3-degree area occupied by Hurricane Floyd. After these data were acquired, Hurricane Floyd turned north. Its strength and proximity to the Atlantic coast of the U.S. caused the largest evacuation of citizens in U.S. history. Its landfall on September 16, 1999 resulted in severe flooding and devastation in the Carolinas. The high-resolution SeaWinds data provided an opportunity to monitor and study this hurricane. NASA's Earth Science Enterprise is a long-term research and technology program designed to examine Earth's land, oceans, atmosphere, ice and life as a total integrated system. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA. |
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SeaWinds - Greenland
PIA02459
Sol (our sun)
SeaWinds Scatterometer
| Title |
SeaWinds - Greenland |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The frequent coverage provided by NASA's SeaWinds instrument on the QuikScat satellite provides unprecedented capability to monitor daily and seasonal changes in the key melt zones of Greenland, which is covered with a thick ice sheet that resulted from snow accumulating over tens of thousands of years. The thickness of the snow layers reveals details about the past global climate, and comparing snow accumulation and snow melting can provide insight into climate change and global warming. In particular, the extent of summer melting of snow in Greenland is considered a sensitive indicator of global change. Earlier scatterometer data has suggested that Greenland has experienced significantly more melting in recent years. This figure compares the melting observed over 15 days during July 1999 in Greenland. The red areas around the central blue and white areas are the main melt zones and have lower radar back scatter because of water on the surface that saturates the surface snow. As the days warm up, the melt extent dramatically increases. Comparing this data with computer models and past scatterometer data will help scientists evaluate the inter-annual variability of the melting as a step toward understanding potential climate change. The world's large ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica act as vast storehouses of freshwater. Summer season melting releases large quantities of freshwater into the ocean, and year-to-year variations can have a significant impact on global sea level. Furthermore, long-term changes in the patterns and extent of melting on the large ice sheets reflect the effects of climate variability, thus Greenland is considered a sensitive indicator of global warming. Satellite microwave radars are extremely sensitive to melting and can provide the only effective means of accurately measuring the year-round picture of the extent and variability in ice sheet melting. Daily mean images were produced from QuikScat data collected over the Greenland ice sheet at the height of the present summer melt period. In the top row, four images are shown at intervals of 5 days, for (a) day 203, (b) 208,(c) 213, and (d) 218 in 1999. Blue and white colors indicate surfaces which are cold and dry, while read and black indicate wet snow surfaces experiencing melting. The coastal regions are lower in elevation and begin to melt first. As summer progresses, the area of melting expands inland and northwards along the western coast of Greenland as air temperatures warm. A large pale and dark blue region in the central, high-elevation part of the ice sheet survives each summer without experiencing any melting. This is known as the dry snow region, and its area is a measure of the stability of the central part of the ice sheet. The line dividing the melt area and the dry snow is very sensitive to climate conditions and monitoring this line will help scientists determine whether the Earth's climate is changing. The lower series of four images shows the, daily variability in the radar data within each image. White patches in these images identify regions where the most rapid changes are taking place. Air temperature and precipitation variations are responsible for the patterns, with the greatest impact over the southern tip of Greenland occurring from storms originating over the Atlantic. Note that the red areas of central and northern Greenland experience much smaller or slower changes, with the central ice sheet showing little change during this summer period. With its frequent coverage, the SeaWinds instrument is a power and unique tool for monitoring the health of the large ice sheets. The continuing time-series of data is a valuable contribution to assessments of the effects and impact of global change in the polar regions. NASA's Earth Science Enterprise is a long-term research and technology program designed to examine Earth's land, oceans, atmosphere, ice and life as a total integrated system. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA. |
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SeaWinds Wind-Ice Interactio
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PIA02456
Sol (our sun)
SeaWinds Scatterometer
| Title |
SeaWinds Wind-Ice Interaction |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The figure demonstrates of the capability of the SeaWinds instrument on NASA's QuikScat satellite in monitoring both sea ice and ocean surface wind, thus helping to further our knowledge in wind-ice interaction and its effect on climate change. The gray-scale image of normalized radar back scatter shows various kinds of ice in Antarctica. The land mass is outlined in black. The gray area outside the land mass is occupied by sea ice. Outside of the ice, white streamlines representing wind direction are overlaid onto the color image of wind speed distribution. The map (including both ice and wind) is produced from one day, July 21, 1999, of QuikScat interim observations. With its all-weather observing capability, SeaWinds provides continuous monitoring of ice edge and tracking of icebergs, and describes the morphology of both glacier ice and sea ice. Since the start of its ocean observing mode, SeaWinds has already helped the National Snow and Ice Data Center track an iceberg broken off from Antarctica. NASA's Earth Science Enterprise is a long-term research and technology program designed to examine Earth's land, oceans, atmosphere, ice and life as a total integrated system. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA. |
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SeaWinds - Oceans, Land, Pol
…
PIA02458
Sol (our sun)
SeaWinds Scatterometer
| Title |
SeaWinds - Oceans, Land, Polar Regions |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The SeaWinds scatterometer on the QuikScat satellite makes global radar measurements -- day and night, in clear sky and through clouds. The radar data over the oceans provide scientists and weather forecasters with information on surface wind speed and direction. Scientists also use the radar measurements directly to learn about changes in vegetation and ice extent over land and polar regions. This false-color image is based entirely on SeaWinds measurements obtained over oceans, land, and polar regions. Over the ocean, colors indicate wind speed with orange as the fastest wind speeds and blue as the slowest. White streamlines indicate the wind direction. The ocean winds in this image were measured by SeaWinds on September 20, 1999. The large storm in the Atlantic off the coast of Florida is Hurricane Gert. Tropical storm Harvey is evident as a high wind region in the Gulf of Mexico, while farther west in the Pacific is tropical storm Hilary. An extensive storm is also present in the South Atlantic Ocean near Antarctica. The land image was made from four days of SeaWinds data with the aid of a resolution enhancement algorithm developed by Dr. David Long at Brigham Young University. The lightest green areas correspond to the highest radar backscatter. Note the bright Amazon and Congo rainforests compared to the dark Sahara desert. The Amazon River is visible as a dark line running horizontally though the bright South American rain forest. Cities appear as bright spots on the images, especially in the U.S. and Europe. The image of Greenland and the north polar ice cap was generated from data acquired by SeaWinds on a single day. In the polar region portion of the image, white corresponds to the largest radar return, while purple is the lowest. The variations in color in Greenland and the polar ice cap reveal information about the ice and snow conditions present. NASA's Earth Science Enterprise is a long-term research and technology program designed to examine Earth's land, oceans, atmosphere, ice and life as a total integrated system. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA. |
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Tropical Cyclone Gonu Observ
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PIA09600
Sol (our sun)
SeaWinds Scatterometer
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Gonu Observed by QuikSCAT |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
June 3 QuikScat observed a rare tropical cyclone in the northern part of the Arabian Sea, threatening the petroleum shipping lanes and the Gulf States (e.g. Oman) that are unprepared for such an event. This is the strongest cyclone to hit the Arabian Peninsula since record keeping started in 1945. The storm reached super-cyclone strength when observed by QuikScat. It weakened as it approached landfall, probably because of the intrusion of dry desert air into the storm. In the images for June 3 and June 5 produced from QuikScat data, white arrows showing wind direction are superimposed on the color images of wind speed. QuikScat, managed by JPL, measures ocean surface wind/stress by sending radar pulses to the surface and measuring the strength of the signals returned. "QuikScat Background" NASA's Quick Scatterometer (QuikScat) spacecraft was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., 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/missions/quikscat/ [ http://winds.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/quikscat/index.cfm ]. QuikScat is managed for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C., by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. |
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Tropical Cyclone Gonu Observ
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PIA09600
Sol (our sun)
SeaWinds Scatterometer
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Gonu Observed by QuikSCAT |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
June 3 QuikScat observed a rare tropical cyclone in the northern part of the Arabian Sea, threatening the petroleum shipping lanes and the Gulf States (e.g. Oman) that are unprepared for such an event. This is the strongest cyclone to hit the Arabian Peninsula since record keeping started in 1945. The storm reached super-cyclone strength when observed by QuikScat. It weakened as it approached landfall, probably because of the intrusion of dry desert air into the storm. In the images for June 3 and June 5 produced from QuikScat data, white arrows showing wind direction are superimposed on the color images of wind speed. QuikScat, managed by JPL, measures ocean surface wind/stress by sending radar pulses to the surface and measuring the strength of the signals returned. "QuikScat Background" NASA's Quick Scatterometer (QuikScat) spacecraft was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., 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/missions/quikscat/ [ http://winds.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/quikscat/index.cfm ]. QuikScat is managed for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C., by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. |
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Cyclones in the Pacific
PIA07415
Sol (our sun)
SeaWinds Scatterometer
| Title |
Cyclones in the Pacific |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The SeaWinds scatterometer aboard NASA's QuikScat satellite collected the data used to create this colorful image of Cyclone Olaf churning in the South Pacific on February 16, 2005. The colored background shows the near-surface wind speeds at 2.5-kilometer resolution. The strongest winds, shown in purple, are at the center of the storm, with gradually weakening winds forming rings around the center. The black barbs indicate wind speed and direction at QuikScat's nominal, 25-kilometer resolution, white barbs indicate areas of heavy rain. "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/PIA07415 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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NASA's Newest SeaWinds Instr
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PIA03896
Sol (our sun)
SeaWinds Scatterometer
| Title |
NASA's Newest SeaWinds Instrument Breezes Into Operation |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
One of NASA's newest Earth-observing instruments, the SeaWinds scatterometer aboard Japan's Advanced Earth Observing Satellite (Adeos) 2--now renamed Midori 2--has successfully transmitted its first radar data to our home planet, generating its first high-quality images. From its orbiting perch high above Earth, SeaWinds on Midori 2 ('midori' is Japanese for the color green, symbolizing the environment) will provide the world's most accurate, highest resolution and broadest geographic coverage of ocean wind speed and direction, sea ice extent and properties of Earth's land surfaces. It will complement and eventually replace an identical instrument orbiting since June 1999 on NASA's Quick Scatterometer (QuikScat) satellite. Its three- to five-year mission will augment a long-term ocean surface wind data series that began in 1996 with launch of the NASA Scatterometer on Japan's first Adeos spacecraft. Climatologists, meteorologists and oceanographers will soon routinely use data from SeaWinds on Midori 2 to understand and predict severe weather patterns, climate change and global weather abnormalities like El Niño. The data are expected to improve global and regional weather forecasts, ship routing and marine hazard avoidance, measurements of sea ice extent and the tracking of icebergs, among other uses.'Midori 2, its SeaWinds instrument and associated ground processing systems are functioning very smoothly,' said Moshe Pniel, scatterometer projects manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. "Following initial checkout and calibration, we look forward to continuous operations, providing vital data to scientists and weather forecasters around the world.""These first images show remarkable detail over land, ice and oceans," said Dr. Michael Freilich, Ocean Vector Winds Science Team Leader, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Ore. "The combination of SeaWinds data and measurements from other instruments on Midori 2 with data from other international satellites will enable detailed studies of ocean circulation, air-sea interaction and climate variation simply not possible until now." The released image, obtained from data collected January 28-29, depicts Earth's continents in green, polar glacial ice-covered regions in blue-red and sea ice in gray. Color and intensity changes over ice and land are related to ice melting, variations in land surface roughness and vegetation cover. Ocean surface wind speeds, measured during a 12-hour period on January 28, are shown by colors, with blues corresponding to low wind speeds and reds to wind speeds up to 15 meters per second (30 knots). Black arrows denote wind direction. White gaps over the oceans represent unmeasured areas between SeaWinds swaths (the instrument measures winds over about 90 percent of the oceans each day). SeaWinds transmits high-frequency microwave pulses to Earth's land masses, ice cover and ocean surface and measures the strength of the radar pulses that bounce, back to the instrument. It takes millions of radar measurements covering about 93 percent of Earth's surface every day, operating under all weather conditions, day and night. Over the oceans, SeaWinds senses ripples caused by the winds, from which scientists can compute wind speed and direction. These ocean surface winds drive Earth's oceans and control the exchange of heat, moisture and gases between the atmosphere and the sea. Launched December 14, 2002, from Japan, the instrument was first activated on January 10 and transitioned to its normal science mode on January 28. A four-day dedicated checkout period was completed on January 31. A six-month calibration/validation phase will begin in April, with regular science operations scheduled to begin this October. SeaWinds on Midori 2 is managed for NASA's Office of Earth Science, Washington, D.C., by JPL, which developed the instrument and performs instrument operations and science data processing, archiving and distribution. NASA also provides U.S. ground system support. The National Space Development Agency of Japan, or NASDA, provided the Midori 2 spacecraft, H-IIA launch vehicle, mission operations and the Japanese ground network. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration provides near-real-time data processing and distribution for SeaWinds operational data users. The California Institute of Technology in Pasadena manages JPL for NASA. |
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Tropical Storm Katrina
PIA07432
Sol (our sun)
SeaWinds Scatterometer
| Title |
Tropical Storm Katrina |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
. 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., Tropical Storm Katrina is shown here as observed by NASA's QuikScat satellite on August 25, 2005, at 08:37 UTC (4:37 a.m. in Florida). At this time, the storm had 80 kilometers per hour (50 miles per hour, 43 knots) sustained winds. The storm does not appear to yet have reached hurricane strength. The greater danger may be not with her winds, but with Katrina's rains. The storm is moving slowly, just 13 km/hr (8 mph), and is expected to slow as it moves over land. This means that Katrina 's heavy rains will linger longer over one area, dumping 15-25 centimeters (6-10 inches) of rain over Florida and the Bahamas and possibly up to 38 cm (15 inches) in some regions, the National Hurricane Center warns. 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 Tropical Storm Katrina show sustained winds similar to those shown by these QuikScat observations, though not identical. 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) and to a lesser extent, weaker storm systems like Katrina, 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 km/hr or 58 mph). 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. For more information about the storm, please visit the National Hurricane Center [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ ]. "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/PIA07432 http://winds.jpl.nasa.gov ] |
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QuikScat Captures an Early M
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PIA03894
Sol (our sun)
SeaWinds Scatterometer
| Title |
QuikScat Captures an Early Melt |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The SeaWinds instrument on NASA's Quick Scatterometer (QuikScat) spacecraft captured these near-real-time backscatter images of melting on the Larsen C ice shelf in Antarctica's Weddell Sea between October 27 (left) and October 29 (right), 2002--the earliest documented melting event on the ice shelf since radar data began to be collected in the late 1970s. The melting extended as far south as 68 degrees South and resulted from a cyclone that delivered warm air to the region. The image on the right also shows a noticeable recession in the sea-ice margin to the west of the Antarctic peninsula. The darker grey values of the melt region indicate radar backscatter coefficients that are reduced by approximately 10 decibels from their typical end of winter values. |
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Santa Ana Winds Over Los Ang
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PIA03892
Sol (our sun)
SeaWinds Scatterometer
| Title |
Santa Ana Winds Over Los Angeles |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
High-resolution ocean surface wind data from NASA's Quick Scatterometer (QuikScat) illustrate the strength of Santa Ana winds that pounded Southern California this week, causing damage and spreading brush fires. The colored arrows represent various ranges of wind speed, which were still well in excess of 30 knots (34 miles per hour), even after reaching the ocean and weakening. Santa Ana winds are offshore and down-slope winds unique to Southern California that are usually channeled through mountain gaps. These Santa Ana winds extend more than 500 kilometers (310 miles) offshore before changing direction to flow along the shore. The wind speeds and directions are retrieved from range-compressed backscatter data measured by QuikScat that has much higher spatial resolution than QuikScat's standard data products. Useful applications of high-resolution science-quality wind products derived from range-compressed backscatter have been demonstrated in two scientific papers: one on Hurricane Floyd and the other on Catalina Eddies. This is the first demonstration on near-real-time retrieval applications. |
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SeaWinds Radar Stares Into T
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PIA02334
Sol (our sun)
SeaWinds Scatterometer
| Title |
SeaWinds Radar Stares Into The Eye Of Angry Hurricane Floyd |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
NASA's SeaWinds radar instrument eyed the center of a massive hurricane -- Floyd -- as it ripped past Georgia and the Carolinas Wednesday afternoon, September 15, then marched toward a midnight strike at Cape Fear, North Carolina. Heralded as one of the most destructive U.S. hurricanes in the 20th century, Floyd has caused the nation's largest peacetime evacuation, forcing approximately 2.6 million people to flee their homes, shutting down airports along the eastern seaboard and, combined with Hurricane Dennis two weeks ago, producing the worst flooding in the country's history. Taken from data collected between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on September 15, the image shows the fastest ocean wind speeds in yellow and wind direction is indicated by arrows. At the time of the image, Hurricane Floyd was centered at about 79 degrees west longitude and 31 degrees north latitude. The Miami-based National Hurricane Center reported winds that were blowing at speeds of about 185 kilometers per hour (115 miles per hour) at that time. This ""animation uses data from the evening of September 15, 1999. The orbiting SeaWinds radar instrument is managed for NASA's Office of Earth Science, Washington, DC, by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which 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 QuikScat satellite, designed and built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, CO. NOAA has contributed support to ground systems processing and related activities. NASA's Earth Science Enterprise is a long-term research and technology program designed to examine Earth's land, oceans, atmosphere, ice and life as a total integrated system. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA. |
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SeaWinds Radar Stares Into T
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PIA02334
Sol (our sun)
SeaWinds Scatterometer
| Title |
SeaWinds Radar Stares Into The Eye Of Angry Hurricane Floyd |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
NASA's SeaWinds radar instrument eyed the center of a massive hurricane -- Floyd -- as it ripped past Georgia and the Carolinas Wednesday afternoon, September 15, then marched toward a midnight strike at Cape Fear, North Carolina. Heralded as one of the most destructive U.S. hurricanes in the 20th century, Floyd has caused the nation's largest peacetime evacuation, forcing approximately 2.6 million people to flee their homes, shutting down airports along the eastern seaboard and, combined with Hurricane Dennis two weeks ago, producing the worst flooding in the country's history. Taken from data collected between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on September 15, the image shows the fastest ocean wind speeds in yellow and wind direction is indicated by arrows. At the time of the image, Hurricane Floyd was centered at about 79 degrees west longitude and 31 degrees north latitude. The Miami-based National Hurricane Center reported winds that were blowing at speeds of about 185 kilometers per hour (115 miles per hour) at that time. This ""animation uses data from the evening of September 15, 1999. The orbiting SeaWinds radar instrument is managed for NASA's Office of Earth Science, Washington, DC, by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which 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 QuikScat satellite, designed and built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, CO. NOAA has contributed support to ground systems processing and related activities. NASA's Earth Science Enterprise is a long-term research and technology program designed to examine Earth's land, oceans, atmosphere, ice and life as a total integrated system. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA. |
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