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Terra of Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and United States of America from 2006
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Blizzard in Wyoming
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Blizzard in Wyoming |
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A spring blizzard in Wyoming brought near-zero visibility to Interstate 80 (I-80), one of the major East-West roads in the United States. A 160-kilometer (100-mile) stretch of the highway was closed on March 26, 2006, due to the hazardous conditions between Cheyenne and Rawlins. Before the closure, a 20-car pile-up reportedly resulted in 6 deaths and a large number of injuries, according to the AP wire service. A number of smaller pile-ups occurred elsewhere on the Interstate, and also on U.S. Route 30 near Laramie. Although snow conditions on I-80 between Cheyenne and Laramie were not as severe as conditions west of Laramie, this section of road was nevertheless closed as stranded trucks in Laramie used up all the available parking space. I-80 was reopened to traffic in the morning on March 27, when weather conditions cleared. This natural-color image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite on the morning of March 27, 2006, not long after state police in Wyoming declared conditions clear enough to permit traffic to flow again. The heavy snowfall through the mountains to the west of Laramie clearly shows where the blizzard blanketed the landscape in snow. The thin line of I-80 is just barely detectible at MODIS' 250-meter spatial resolution (level of detail). In the high-resolution image, the grid patterns of the streets of Cheyenne and Laramie can also be seen. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response team. |
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Floods in the Midwestern Uni
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Floods in the Midwestern United States |
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August 2007 was the wettest month ever recorded for many places in Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin, with rainfall totals ranging from 23.86 inches in Hokah, Minnesota, to 12.79 inches in Winona Dam, Minnesota, said the National Weather Service. [ http://www.crh.noaa.gov/crnews/display_story.php?wfo=arx&storyid=9990&source=0 ] While the entire month was rainy, much of the rain fell on August 18-20, when several thunderstorms rolled across the region. The thunderstorms triggered disastrous flooding in several Midwest communities, including La Crosse, Wisconsin. A little over 10 inches of rain fell in La Crosse in the 24-hour period that spanned August 18 and August 19, and flash floods resulted. Combined with rains from the rest of August, this rainfall let La Crosse set a new monthly precipitation record of 17 inches. By August 27, when the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]) captured the top image, the floods had largely retreated, though visible signs of flooding remained. Compared to the lower image, acquired on September 7, 2006, the landscape to the west of the Mississippi River is pocked with pools of water. The city of La Crosse, the bright white and gray grid on the east side of the river, appears to have dried out. The city appears much as it did nearly a year earlier with no visible sign of flooding. You can download a 15-meter-resolution KMZ file of the 2007 image of La Crosse [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Sep2007/lacrosse_ast_2007239.kmz ] suitable for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/ ] NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] |
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Floods in the Midwestern Uni
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Floods in the Midwestern United States |
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August 2007 was the wettest month ever recorded for many places in Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin, with rainfall totals ranging from 23.86 inches in Hokah, Minnesota, to 12.79 inches in Winona Dam, Minnesota, said the National Weather Service. [ http://www.crh.noaa.gov/crnews/display_story.php?wfo=arx&storyid=9990&source=0 ] While the entire month was rainy, much of the rain fell on August 18-20, when several thunderstorms rolled across the region. The thunderstorms triggered disastrous flooding in several Midwest communities, including La Crosse, Wisconsin. A little over 10 inches of rain fell in La Crosse in the 24-hour period that spanned August 18 and August 19, and flash floods resulted. Combined with rains from the rest of August, this rainfall let La Crosse set a new monthly precipitation record of 17 inches. By August 27, when the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]) captured the top image, the floods had largely retreated, though visible signs of flooding remained. Compared to the lower image, acquired on September 7, 2006, the landscape to the west of the Mississippi River is pocked with pools of water. The city of La Crosse, the bright white and gray grid on the east side of the river, appears to have dried out. The city appears much as it did nearly a year earlier with no visible sign of flooding. You can download a 15-meter-resolution KMZ file of the 2007 image of La Crosse [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Sep2007/lacrosse_ast_2007239.kmz ] suitable for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/ ] NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] |
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Gobi Dust Storm
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Gobi Dust Storm |
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In early and mid-April 2006, waves of dust washed out of the Gobi Desert and spread across eastern China, the Korean Peninsula, and Japan. According to news reports, a dust storm that hit South Korea [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13484 ] over the weekend of April 8 was the worst the country had seen in four years. This pair of images shows a massive wave of dust that blew out of deserts in north-central China on April 10, 2006. The top image, captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] on April 7, 2006, shows the landscape of north-central China, including two large, sandy deserts that are part of the Gobi Desert region. Just a few days later, an image from the MODIS sensor on the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite shows that the area was completely hidden by a wave of bright dust that reached beyond the Yellow River. Gobi dust is whipped eastward with prevailing winds by spring storms and can spread all the way to the United States. The storms can be hazardous to public health both in terms of air quality and visibility. In addition, the dust storms can devastate croplands and contaminate sensitive electronic equipment. Dust storms in China are on the rise, probably as a result of land degradation, such as deforestation and overgrazing, and drought. The Chinese government has undertaken a large reforestation effort to combat the spread of deserts and to mitigate the effects of dust storms, particularly around urban areas such as Beijing. The large images above are provided at MODIS' maximum spatial resolution (level of detail) of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_China3 ] of this area of China in a variety of formats and resolutions. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
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Gobi Dust Storm
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Gobi Dust Storm |
| Description |
In early and mid-April 2006, waves of dust washed out of the Gobi Desert and spread across eastern China, the Korean Peninsula, and Japan. According to news reports, a dust storm that hit South Korea [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13484 ] over the weekend of April 8 was the worst the country had seen in four years. This pair of images shows a massive wave of dust that blew out of deserts in north-central China on April 10, 2006. The top image, captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] on April 7, 2006, shows the landscape of north-central China, including two large, sandy deserts that are part of the Gobi Desert region. Just a few days later, an image from the MODIS sensor on the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite shows that the area was completely hidden by a wave of bright dust that reached beyond the Yellow River. Gobi dust is whipped eastward with prevailing winds by spring storms and can spread all the way to the United States. The storms can be hazardous to public health both in terms of air quality and visibility. In addition, the dust storms can devastate croplands and contaminate sensitive electronic equipment. Dust storms in China are on the rise, probably as a result of land degradation, such as deforestation and overgrazing, and drought. The Chinese government has undertaken a large reforestation effort to combat the spread of deserts and to mitigate the effects of dust storms, particularly around urban areas such as Beijing. The large images above are provided at MODIS' maximum spatial resolution (level of detail) of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_China3 ] of this area of China in a variety of formats and resolutions. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
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Haze over Eastern China
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Haze over Eastern China |
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A thick band of haze hung over the low-lying coastal basin of eastern China on September 17, 2006. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite took this picture the same day. The smoggy blanket stretched from Beijing in the north to beyond Shanghai (hidden by clouds and haze in the lower right corner of the scene). The haze is especially thick just east of the Taihang Shan range that runs southward from the capital city along the western edge of the coastal plain. The haze is darker and fuzzier than the bright white clouds in this image. Also visible is thick, tan-colored sediment in the waters along the coastline. The Beijing region of China is one of the world's most densely populated areas, producing its share of urban and industrial smog. Beneath the haze, a scattering of small tan circles—cities—dot the green vegetation of the plain. Agricultural fires in the region may have added to the haze. Even though the amount of haze being generated at the time of the image might not have been above normal, weather conditions may have been responsible for keep the pollution trapped over the area. Typhoon Shanshan, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13864 ] located offshore to the east, may have been trapping the air over the region, preventing the haze from dispersing over the ocean. A similar situation occurred in the United States in the summer of 2002, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/IDEA/ ] when Hurricane Gustav off the Carolinas prevented hazy air in the Southeast from dispersing over the Atlantic Ocean, and then Tropical Storm Hannah in the Gulf of Mexico kept it from escaping to the south. Air quality across the South and Southeast was compromised for many days during the event. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. The Rapid Response Team provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_China4 ] of this region. |
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Haze over the Eastern United
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Haze over the Eastern United States |
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Air quality in the heavily populated mid-Atlantic region of the United States reached unhealthy levels on August 2, 2006, warned the Environmental Protection Agency. In addition to trapping particulate pollution near the Earth, high heat, stagnant air, and humidity generate more ground level ozone, probably contributing to the filmy haze seen in this image. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image on the morning of August 2, as temperatures were beginning to climb. At the time, a high heat advisory was in effect for the region. The haze appears to be concentrated over the Atlantic Ocean east of Washington, D.C., but this may be an illusion. The white-grey air is easier to see against the dark blue water than over the green and tan land. A string of cement-grey cities, the most probable source of the pollution, line the coast in an arc from Philadelphia in the north to Virginia Beach in the south. However, like weather systems, air pollution can travel across the country, and some of this haze may come from locations farther west. Smoke from a few fires (red dots) may also be adding to the haze. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team at Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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Haze over the Eastern United
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Haze over the Eastern United States |
| Description |
Air quality in the heavily populated mid-Atlantic region of the United States reached unhealthy levels on August 2, 2006, warned the Environmental Protection Agency. In addition to trapping particulate pollution near the Earth, high heat, stagnant air, and humidity generate more ground level ozone, probably creating the filmy haze seen in this image. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image on the morning of August 2, as temperatures were beginning to climb. At the time, a high heat advisory was in effect for the region. The haze appears to be concentrated over the Atlantic Ocean east of Washington, D.C., but this may be an illusion. The white-grey air is easier to see against the dark blue water than over the green and tan land. A string of cement-grey cities, the most probable source of the pollution, line the coast in an arc from Philadelphia in the north to Virginia Beach in the south. However, like weather systems, air pollution can travel across the country, and some of this haze may come from locations farther west. Smoke from a few fires (red dots) may also be adding to the haze. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team at Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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Heat Wave in North America
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Heat Wave in North America |
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Scorching summer sun, burning pavement, stinging sweat—normal for July. But in July 2006, temperatures climbed above average levels for the previous six years and stayed warm for several days. During mid-July, a heat wave settled over most of the United States, with air temperatures soaring past 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius). Land surface temperatures climbed as well, as this image shows. Most of the United States and portions of Canada and Mexico were much warmer than they had been during the same period from 2000 to 2005. Deep red across the Midwest indicates that land surface temperatures were as much as 10 degrees Celsius warmer than the six-year average, and with the exception of the Pacific Northwest and a few other isolated region, the rest of the country was also warmer than average. The heat wave continued past the period shown here, through the end of July. In California alone, the heat killed at least 126 people, reported Reuters on July 29. This image was created from data collected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite between July 12 and July 19, 2006. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of Zhengming Wan, MODIS Land Surface Temperature Group, Institute for Computational Earth System Science [ http://www.icess.ucsb.edu/ ], University of California, Santa Barbara. |
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Drought in Northern China
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Drought in Northern China |
| Description |
A mild drought set in over the Yellow River Basin and parts of the North China Plain during the first five months of 2006. Dry weather and warmer-than-average temperatures in February, March, and much of April left soil dry, reported the United States Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service. The effect of the dry weather on crops and other vegetation is apparent in this vegetation anomaly (difference from normal) image. The image was created from data taken by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite between April 23 and May 8, and it shows the relative health of plants in 2006 compared to the average for 2000-2005. Wide pockets of brown indicate regions where plants were growing more slowly than average, while brushes of green show more growth than average. The cream-colored background reveals where plants were growing normally, and regions that were cloud-covered during the entire sixteen-day period are gray. According to the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), the drought-affected region accounts for about 38 percent of China's winter wheat production. Despite the drought, the FAS predicted that the winter wheat harvest in the country as a whole, scheduled to peak in early June, would be slightly larger than it was in 2004 or 2005. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided by Inbal Reshef as part of the Global Agricultural Monitoring Project [ http://www.pecad.fas.usda.gov/glam.cfm ] between NASA, USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), and the University of Maryland. |
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Heavy Rain in the Mid-Atlant
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Heavy Rain in the Mid-Atlantic States |
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After six days of torrential rain, the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States got a break on June 29, 2006. Skies were mostly clear when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image at noon Eastern Daylight Time. The image shows the region around Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, including the northern half of the Chesapeake Bay. The cities are cement grey, blending with the murky color of the water flowing through the Potomac and Susquehanna Rivers and into the bay. The rivers are a muddy brown after swollen creeks and run-off swept sediment into their waters. Red boxes outline three fires MODIS detected in the region. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC |
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Drought on the Great Plains
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Drought on the Great Plains |
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Across the Great Plains of the United States and Canada, devastating drought spread across grasslands and croplands in summer 2006. Poor winter snowfall and a blisteringly hot summer [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13742 ] following several years of dry conditions have created a dire situation for many farmers and ranchers across the region. According to a recent article [ http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/29/us/29drought.html?ex=1157688000&en=13a216546b7d4243&ei=5070 ] on the New York Times Website, many people are comparing the conditions to the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. The widespread drought conditions are obvious in this vegetation anomaly image based on data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite. Places where vegetation is healthier or more abundant than average are green, places where vegetation is about the same as average are pale yellow, and places where vegetation is not as healthy or abundant as average are brown. Gray patches show where no data were available, probably because of persistent clouds. One of the most common satellite-based vegetation maps is a scale, or index, of vegetation greenness called the "NDVI," short for Normalized Difference Vegetation Index. This image compares NDVI values from July 28-August 12, 2006, to the average values from 2001-2005. Vegetation was faring worst along the Missouri River through North and South Dakota, but below-average vegetation conditions stretch across parts of Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, northwestern Nebraska, and Minnesota as well. The plains of Canada's Saskatchewan and Manitoba provinces were suffering drought, too. A few small pockets of green in the image reveal where vegetation greenness values observed by MODIS were higher than average: the mountains of north-central Colorado, southeastern Nebraska, and the Red River Valley. The Red River Valley experienced widespread snowfall and heavy rains in the spring of 2006, leading to significant flooding. [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13500 ] The early-season moisture may have helped the vegetation in the area withstand the hot summer. According to the August 29, 2006, update from the U.S. Drought Monitor, [ http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/monitor.html ] most of the Northern Great Plains, as well as much of Oklahoma and Texas, was still in the midst of drought, with many areas falling into the highest category: exceptional drought. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided by Inbal Reshef as part of the Global Agricultural Monitoring Project [ http://www.pecad.fas.usda.gov/glam.cfm ] between NASA, USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), and the University of Maryland. |
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Heavy Snow in U.S. Midwest
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Heavy Snow in U.S. Midwest |
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A severe winter storm hammered the Midwestern United States on December 1, 2006. According to news reports, the storm iced roads, canceled flights, broke tree branches, left more than two million homes and businesses without electricity, and temporarily shut down part of Interstate 40 in central Oklahoma. Several deaths were linked to the storm, including deaths from traffic accidents and carbon monoxide poisoning. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] flying onboard NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image of the storm's aftermath on December 3, 2006. By the time MODIS took this picture, the storm had moved off to Canada, and skies over the U.S. Midwest had largely cleared. In this image, the lingering snow looks like a giant finger-paint smear of white on a tan background. Streaks of clouds hover in the east, and lighter cloud cover remains in the north. Besides power outages, the storm caused headaches for air travelers, according to The New York Times. Freezing rains followed by snowflakes built up thick ice at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, forcing the cancellation of hundreds of flights. Besides heavy snow and grounded flights, O'Hare International Airport in Chicago saw the unusual occurrence of a lightning strike to a cargo plane. Although rare, thundersnow [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thundersnow ] can mix electrical storm activity with snow rather than rain. A 250-meter-resolution KMZ file [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/Images/UnitedStates.A2006337.1710.250m.kmz ] of the snow storm is available for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html ] NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center |
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Hurricane Helene
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Hurricane Helene |
| Description |
The 2006 Atlantic hurricane season had a slow start, with few named storms—and no hurricanes—in the first months of the season. But in September, the season threw out four hurricanes in a row. The first two hurricanes were both short-lived and relatively weak Category 1 [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshs.shtml ] hurricanes, Ernesto [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13827 ] and Florence. [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13865 ] But in mid-September, Hurricanes Gordon and Helene formed in quick succession, both reaching Category 3 strength a few days from each other. Of the four hurricanes, only Ernesto made landfall, a persistent ridgeline of high air pressure over the U.S. East Coast in September steered storms away from the United States into the North Atlantic. This photo-like image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on September 16, 2006, at 12:55 p.m. local time (16:55 UTC). Gordon is a very large and well-defined hurricane in this image, possessing a distinct and tightly wound central portion, a strong and complete eyewall (cloud ring) around the eye of the storm, and a well-defined eye. South and east of the more mature Hurricane Gordon lies the larger, more sprawling, and younger Hurricane Helene. Both were Category 3 strength at the time, but Helene had only reached Category 3 status a few hours before, while Gordon had been at Category 3 stage for two days. This duet provides a glimpse of how storms' appearances change as they mature. 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/?2006259-0916/GordonHelene.A2006259.1655 ] NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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Hurricane Paul
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Hurricane Paul |
| Description |
As October drew to a close, Hurricane Paul was approaching the southern tip of Mexico's Baja Peninsula. The sixteenth named Pacific storm of the 2006 season, Paul was whipping up sustained winds of 165 kilometers per hour (105 miles per hour) at the time of the National Hurricane Center's 11:00 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time briefing on October 23. The storm track and intensity forecasts for Paul were still uncertain at that time, but landfall along the southern tip of Baja Peninsula as a strong storm was still a possibility. In this image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra satellite on October 22, 2006, the eye of Hurricane Paul was several hundreds kilometers southwest of Baja. A bright disk of clouds spirals counter-clockwise into a cloudy eye at the heart of the storm. In places, this smooth-seeming cloud deck is rippled by puffy cloud tops—a sign of thunderstorms lofting heat and moisture high into the atmosphere. The southern tip of Baja Peninsula appears along the top edge of the image. In 2005, the record-breaking Atlantic hurricane season was the focus of attention, with the number of named storms exhausting the letters of the alphabet. But as of late October 2006, the hurricane activity in the eastern Pacific Ocean was outpacing the Atlantic: 16 named storms (9 of them hurricanes) versus 9 named storms (5 of them hurricanes). On average, the eastern Pacific Ocean experiences more tropical storms and hurricanes than the Atlantic Basin, 16.4 compared to 10.1. Powerful hurricanes in the eastern Pacific rarely make landfall in the western United States. Persistent easterly winds not only tend to steer storms away from the coast, but they also "shove" the ocean's surface water westward, away from the coast, allowing cool water to well up to replace it. The cool water weakens any storms that do approach the coast. 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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Earthquake Raises Reefs in t
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Earthquake Raises Reefs in the Solomon Islands |
| Description |
The massive magnitude 8.1 earthquake [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17603 ] that jolted the Solomon Islands on April 1, 2007, permanently changed the shoreline on Ranongga Island, west of the epicenter. New beach was added to the western shore of the island when the earthquake lifted the island as much as three meters, exposing near-shore coral reefs, reported the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. [ http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200704/s1892185.htm ] The freshly exposed reefs are visible beneath a veil of clouds in the top image, acquired by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on April 11, 2007. The lower image, taken on March 31, 2006, shows the island's former shoreline. Lush tropical vegetation is red in these images, while the exposed reef is dark grey. Water is black and clouds range from light blue lavender to white. The exposed reef adds tens of meters to most of the shoreline, and more than 150 meters at the tip of the spit of land shown in this image. The earthquake occurred along the plate boundary, where the Australia/Woodlark/Solomon Sea plates slide beneath the denser Pacific plate. Friction between the sinking (subducting) plates and the overriding Pacific plate led to the large earthquake on April 1, said the United States Geological Survey (USGS) summary of the earthquake. [ http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/eqinthenews/2007/us2007aqbk/#summary ] Large earthquakes are common in the region, though the section of the plate that produced the April 1 earthquake had not caused any quakes of magnitude 7 or larger since the early 20th century, said the USGS. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] |
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Earthquake Raises Reefs in t
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| Title |
Earthquake Raises Reefs in the Solomon Islands |
| Description |
The massive magnitude 8.1 earthquake [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17603 ] that jolted the Solomon Islands on April 1, 2007, permanently changed the shoreline on Ranongga Island, west of the epicenter. New beach was added to the western shore of the island when the earthquake lifted the island as much as three meters, exposing near-shore coral reefs, reported the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. [ http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200704/s1892185.htm ] The freshly exposed reefs are visible beneath a veil of clouds in the top image, acquired by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on April 11, 2007. The lower image, taken on March 31, 2006, shows the island's former shoreline. Lush tropical vegetation is red in these images, while the exposed reef is dark grey. Water is black and clouds range from light blue lavender to white. The exposed reef adds tens of meters to most of the shoreline, and more than 150 meters at the tip of the spit of land shown in this image. The earthquake occurred along the plate boundary, where the Australia/Woodlark/Solomon Sea plates slide beneath the denser Pacific plate. Friction between the sinking (subducting) plates and the overriding Pacific plate led to the large earthquake on April 1, said the United States Geological Survey (USGS) summary of the earthquake. [ http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/eqinthenews/2007/us2007aqbk/#summary ] Large earthquakes are common in the region, though the section of the plate that produced the April 1 earthquake had not caused any quakes of magnitude 7 or larger since the early 20th century, said the USGS. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] |
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Lake Effect Snow in the Unit
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Lake Effect Snow in the United States |
| Description |
Like light radiating from the Sun, streamers of snow streak southeast from the Great Lakes in this photo-like image, collected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on December 9, 2006. The snow seen here came from two different storms. The broad swath of white extending from the left edge of the image to Lake Michigan was deposited on December 1 by a powerful winter storm [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17480 ] that left thousands without power for many days. The snow on the southeastern side of the Great Lakes, however, fell on December 7 and December 8 as lake-effect snow. Lake-effect snow occurs along the southeastern edge of the Great Lakes when icy wind blows across the lakes from Canada. The wind picks up relatively warm, moist air over the lakes and pushes it over land, where the air is cooler. When the moist air encounters cooler temperatures over land, the water condenses into precipitation, which in this case fell as snow. The signature of lake-effect snow is striking in this image. A field of white lines the southeastern shores of each of the Great Lakes. The strong winds that generated the snow left their imprint in the form of long streamers of snow that extend all the way to the deep brown folds of the Appalachian Mountains along the right edge of the image.Daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/ ] of the United States can be viewed on the MODIS Rapid Response web site. The tiny red dots in this image indicate where MODIS detected fires. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
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Record Snow on the U.S. East
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| Title |
Record Snow on the U.S. East Coast |
| Description |
The powerful nor'easter that barreled up the East Coast of the United States on February 11 and 12, 2006, left a swath of snow in its path. The snow covers the line of the Appalachian Mountains from northern Georgia to Pennsylvania, where it disappears underneath a curtain of clouds. The storm intensified as it moved north and east, with New York City, in the upper right corner of the image, being the hardest hit. The storm dumped more snow on the city than any other in the 137-year weather record. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image on February 14, 2006, two days after the storm hit. The large image provided above has a resolution of 250 meters per pixel, MODIS' maximum resolution. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/ ] of the United States in a variety of resolutions. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
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Fires in Northern Washington
| Title |
Fires in Northern Washington |
| Description |
In northern Washington, several large fires were burning when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] passed overhead on September 7, 2006. This photo-like image of the region shows the Tatoosh and Tripod Complexes, as well as the Cedar Creek, Flick Creek, and Tinpan Fires. Smoke had settled into the valleys of rivers and creeks that wind through the rugged mountains. Places where MODIS detected actively burning fire are outlined in red. Information on the status of the fires in this image is available in the daily report on the Website of the National Interagency Fire Center. [ http://www.nifc.gov/nicc ] The high-resolution image provided above has a spatial resolution of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides twice-daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA1/ ] of the western United States in a variety of resolutions and formats. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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Snow Storm across the Upper
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| Title |
Snow Storm across the Upper Midwest |
| Description |
The first snow storm of 2006 dumped several inches of snow across a wide swath of the Midwest, with snowfall totals from four to five inches recorded in Chicago to as much as a foot just north of the city. Beyond the traffic accidents caused by icy roads, the storm was not a remarkable one. It did, however, leave a clear track across the Midwest and the Great Lakes region. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image of the storm on January 21, 2006, a day after the snow fell. The deep blue waters of Lakes Michigan, left, and Huron, right, stand out starkly against the background of white. Remarkably, the lakes show no sign of freezing. At this time in 2005 [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=12691 ], the shores of both lakes were fringed with ice. January 2006 has been warmer than average across the United States. Average weekly temperatures in the area shown in this image have ranged from 5 degrees Celsius above average to more than 8.3 degrees Celsius above average, according to the National Climate Data Center [ http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/us-weekly.php?year=2006&month=01&sat=21&submit_form=Submit&_submit_check=1 ]. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the Goddard Earth Sciences DAAC. |
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Spring Snow in the Dakotas
| Title |
Spring Snow in the Dakotas |
| Description |
Although most of the United States enjoyed clear skies on April 19, 2006, North and South Dakota and sections of Montana and Wyoming were hammered with a late-spring snow storm. The storm dumped up to two feet (60 centimeters) of snow on the northwestern Plains, knocked out power in thousands of homes and businesses, and closed highways, reported the Associated Press. The storm was also blamed for four deaths, most of which occurred in a single accident on an ice-covered road. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image of the storm on the morning of April 19. Clouds swirl counter-clockwise around a low-pressure system: a pattern that is virtually synonymous with winds and precipitation. The clouds take this shape when cold air from the north meets warm air coming from the south. The warm air rises over the cold air and cools, forming towering clouds, the source of the rain or snow. The rising air leaves an "empty" space—a region of low air pressure—near the Earth's surface. Air flows in to "fill" the low-pressure area. Because of the spin of the Earth on its axis, the air circles the low-pressure region in a counter-clockwise direction (in the Northern Hemisphere), [ http://www.ems.psu.edu/%7Efraser/Bad/BadFAQ/BadCoriolisFAQ.html ] resulting in the swirl seen here. This comma-shaped cloud formation is the classic satellite evidence of this type of storm, which is known to meteorologists as a mid-latitude cyclone. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the Goddard Earth Sciences DAAC. [ http://daac.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] |
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Fires in Southern United Sta
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| Title |
Fires in Southern United States |
| Description |
Wildfires raced across the grasslands of Oklahoma and northern Texas in late 2005 and early 2006. Extremely dry, windy conditions created a fire hazard, and several small towns were devastated as out-of-control fires sped across the landscape. This false-color image captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite on January 3, 2006, shows the plains of Oklahoma between Tulsa (upper right) and Oklahoma City (left) dotted with burn scars from recent fires (brownish red patches). NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/ ] of this region. |
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Fires in Southern United Sta
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| Title |
Fires in Southern United States |
| Description |
On January 2, 2006, winds whipped a fast-moving fire across the grasslands just south of the Red River, which marks the border between Oklahoma and Texas. According to reports from the Associated Press, the fire nearly razed the small ranch town of Ringgold, Texas, destroying as many as 50 homes and most of the buildings along the small town's Main Street. The fire scorched tens of thousands of acres between Ringgold and the town of Nocona, to the southeast. The charcoal-colored burn scar slices through the center of this image, captured on January 8, 2006, by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite. To make the burn scar stand out more prominently, the image was enhanced with the sensor's observations of near- and shortwave-infrared energy as well as visible light. Winter-bare ground is tan and brown, while patches of red indicate growing vegetation, probably irrigated crops. The small town of Nocona appears as a cement-gray splash at lower right of the scene, while the location of Ringgold is obscured by a cloud at image left. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor [ http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/archive/2006/drmon0103.htm ] map for January 3, drought stretched across the south-central United States in the first of January, affecting Arizona, southern Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, and western Arkansas. A pocket of Exceptional Drought—the highest drought category on the scale—spanned northeastern Texas, southeastern Oklahoma, and intruded a short distance into western Arkansas. The lack of rain, high temperatures, and strong winds were a menace for firefighters across the region, who continued to battle grassland and other wildfires through the first part of the month. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team |
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Fires in the Great Plains
| Title |
Fires in the Great Plains |
| Description |
In Kansas, dozens of active fires were burning when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite passed overhead on April 12, 2006. The fires are marked in red in the scene. The tan-and green-speckled landscape is darkened by burn scars as well. Many of these fires may be intentional fires set by people to clear ranch or farmland of brush for grazing, planting, or to reduce fire danger later in the season. The high-resolution image provided above has a spatial resolution of 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides images of this part of the United States at additional resolutions. [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?AERONET_CART_SITE/2006102/AERONET_CART_SITE.2006102.terra ] NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center |
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Fires in the Southeastern Un
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| Title |
Fires in the Southeastern United States |
| Description |
Across the Southeast on April 4, 2006, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite detected numerous fires (marked in red) burning when it passed over head. As of April 4, 2006, the Southern Area Coordination Center [ http://gacc.nifc.gov/sacc/predictive/intelligence/intelligence.htm ] was reporting a year-to-date total of 17,704 human-caused fires and 63 lightning-caused fires. Nearly 1.5 million acres have burned so far in the South this year. The high-resolution image provided above has a spatial resolution of 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides daily subsets [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/ ] of the region in a variety of resolutions and formats. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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Fires in the Southern United
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| Title |
Fires in the Southern United States |
| Description |
Strong winds and dry weather propelled fast-moving grass fires in northern Texas on March 12, 2006. This image, taken by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite, outlines active fires in red. Thick plumes of grey and white smoke stream away from the fires. These fires are burning in the northern panhandle of Texas, northeast of the city of Amarillo. The northern part of the fire complex is burning near Borger, Texas, about 10 kilometers east of Lake Meredith (shown in the large image). The southern fire is near Interstate 40, near the town of Jericho. At least seven people have died in fires across the Southern Plains, four in a traffic accident on Interstate 40 when thick smoke suddenly shifted across the road, the Associated Press reported. The National Interagency Fire Center reported 168 fires in the Southern United States early on March 13, and one of the largest was the East Amarillo Complex fire, shown here. The fire had burned 100,000 acres of grassland, and forced the evacuation of multiple towns. The large image provided above has a resolution of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides the image in additional resolutions. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.n,asa.ov ], NASA-GSFC |
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Fires in the Western United
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| Title |
Fires in the Western United States |
| Description |
Strong winds and dry conditions were challenging firefighters combating the Winters Fire in northern Nevada in late July 2006. As of July 31, the blaze was estimated to have burned 187,065 acres of sagebrush and grassland. Two small towns, ranches, mining operations, and telecommunications infrastructure were threatened by the fire, which was showing extreme behavior. This image of the fire was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite on July 30. Places where MODIS detected actively burning fire are outlined in red. The fire was active in many places on its perimeter. The burned land is dark brown. Areas of sparse vegetation or arid land are tan, while pockets of denser vegetation appear in shades of green. The high-resolution image provided above has a spatial resolution of 500 meters per pixel and shows much of the western United States, including a cluster of smoky fires in northern California. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA1/ ] of this area in additional resolutions and formats. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center |
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Fires in the Western United
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| Title |
Fires in the Western United States |
| Description |
In early September 2006, firefighters in the western United States had their hands full. This image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite shows large wildfires (red dots) burning in Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Montana, and Nevada on September 5. Some clouds are scattered across the area, some of them likely building into afternoon thunderstorms, which may help or hinder firefighters, depending on how much rain, wind, or lightning the storms produce. Several of the largest fires are labeled in the image, and three are shown in the close-up images below the wide-area image at top. The National Interagency Fire Center [ http://www.nifc.gov/information.html ] report from September 6 stated that the 32,019-acre Bar Complex Fire in California was threatening structures and a watershed, the 67,500-acre Amazon Fire and the 100,000-acre Sheep Fire were threatening structures, livestock, fisheries, power lines, mines, and grazing lands, and the 92,225-acre Columbia Complex Fire was threatening residences, a ski area, a wind energy site, and commercial resources. The high-resolution image provided above has a spatial resolution of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides daily images of sub-sections of the entire United States at additional resolutions via a clickable map. [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/ ] NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center |
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Fires in the Western United
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| Title |
Fires in the Western United States |
| Description |
Thick, white smoke seeps through the valleys of the Rocky Mountains ranges that run through Idaho, Washington, and Oregon in this photo-like image taken on September 12, 2006. At the time, firefighters were monitoring 29 wild fires in the three states, said the National Interagency Fire Center. [ http://www.nifc.gov/fireinfo/nfn.html ] Many of the fires were started by lightning, as suggested by the clusters of fires (red dots) seen in this image. The image was taken in the early afternoon by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite. Most of the fires are burning in the deep-green, pine-covered mountains. Sage, scrub, and grass-covered desert is tan, while agricultural land creates a pattern of tiny, bright green and gold dots. Between January 1 and September 12, 2006, a total of 8,653,883 acres of land had burned in the United States, exceeding the totals for the same period of any other year since 2000. Many of the fires that burned in remote areas were simply monitored as part of a long-term land-management strategy, but those that threatened structures were actively combated. Some of the large fires shown here include the Columbia Complex, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13804 ] which had burned 103,100 acres and was 80 percent contained on September 12, the Elkhorn Complex, which had burned 870 acres and was 15 percent contained, the Payette Complex, which had burned 10,729 acres, the South Fork Complex, 41,600 acres and 20 percent contained, the Boundary Complex, 22,785 acres and 5 percent contained, the Red Mountain Fire, 32,825 acres and 30 percent contained, and the Rattlesnake Complex, 37,421 acres and 30 percent contained. Several other large fires burned in the western United States on September 12. The Derby Fire [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13832 ] in western Montana (just beyond the right edge of the image) had threatened homes and forced hundred of evacuations in early September. By September 12, it had burned 207,644 acres and was 70 percent contained, said the National Interagency Fire Center. The Day Fire [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13848 ] was burning in Los Padres National Forest about 40 miles north of Los Angeles, California. Its thick smoke temporarily closed Interstate 5 on September 12. 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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Flooding on the Red River
| Title |
Flooding on the Red River |
| Description |
Major flooding swamped the Red River on April 13, 2006, and the National Weather Service issued flood warnings for most communities that lined either side of the river. As the floods swept north into Canada, Winnipeg was bracing for the inundation, expected to peak around April 20. Along the border between the United States and Canada, the Pembina River was also swollen. Flooding at the confluence of the two rivers was nearing its peak when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite took the top image. The Red River spanned several kilometers in North Dakota and Minnesota in contrast to the thin blue line it formed during the same period in 2005 (lower image). The floods were caused by snow melt and rain. For official flood forecasts and warnings, please visit the National Weather Service [ http://www.crh.noaa.gov/ahps2/index.php?wfo=fgf ]. The large images provided above have a resolution of 500 meters per pixel. Daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/fas/?USA2/2006103 ] are available from the MODIS Rapid Response Team in a variety of resolutions, including MODIS' maximum resolution of 250 meters per pixel. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
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Flooding on the Red River
| Title |
Flooding on the Red River |
| Description |
Major flooding swamped the Red River on April 13, 2006, and the National Weather Service issued flood warnings for most communities that lined either side of the river. As the floods swept north into Canada, Winnipeg was bracing for the inundation, expected to peak around April 20. Along the border between the United States and Canada, the Pembina River was also swollen. Flooding at the confluence of the two rivers was nearing its peak when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite took the top image. The Red River spanned several kilometers in North Dakota and Minnesota in contrast to the thin blue line it formed during the same period in 2005 (lower image). The floods were caused by snow melt and rain. For official flood forecasts and warnings, please visit the National Weather Service [ http://www.crh.noaa.gov/ahps2/index.php?wfo=fgf ]. The large images provided above have a resolution of 500 meters per pixel. Daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/fas/?USA2/2006103 ] are available from the MODIS Rapid Response Team in a variety of resolutions, including MODIS' maximum resolution of 250 meters per pixel. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
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Flooding on the Red River
| Title |
Flooding on the Red River |
| Description |
Fast-melting snow caused floods on the Red River of North Dakota and Minnesota during the first and second week of April 2006. The river was bulging with flood water when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image on April 10, 2006. The flood peak had passed Grand Forks, North Dakota, the cement-colored area west of the river along the lower edge of the image, and was flowing north into Canada. The next city to be inundated by the flood shown here was Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada, beyond the north edge of the image. According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, residents of Winnipeg were preparing for the floods, expected to hit the city by the third week of April. In the top image, the Red River cuts a wide blue swath across dark red farmland. The land most likely has this hue because agricultural fires commonly scorch away stubble, leaving charcoal behind. In this false-color image, the burnt land looks red. A few wispy clouds, pale blue, drift over the flooded region. The lower image shows North Dakota, Minnesota, and Manitoba three weeks before the floods started. At that time, the river blended with the frozen, snow-covered landscape around it. The river is faintly visible in Canada, but is masked by the state boundary in the United States. To see daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA2/2006100 ] of the floods, please visit the MODIS Rapid Response Web site. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
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Flooding on the Red River
| Title |
Flooding on the Red River |
| Description |
Fast-melting snow caused floods on the Red River of North Dakota and Minnesota during the first and second week of April 2006. The river was bulging with flood water when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image on April 10, 2006. The flood peak had passed Grand Forks, North Dakota, the cement-colored area west of the river along the lower edge of the image, and was flowing north into Canada. The next city to be inundated by the flood shown here was Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada, beyond the north edge of the image. According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, residents of Winnipeg were preparing for the floods, expected to hit the city by the third week of April. In the top image, the Red River cuts a wide blue swath across dark red farmland. The land most likely has this hue because agricultural fires commonly scorch away stubble, leaving charcoal behind. In this false-color image, the burnt land looks red. A few wispy clouds, pale blue, drift over the flooded region. The lower image shows North Dakota, Minnesota, and Manitoba three weeks before the floods started. At that time, the river blended with the frozen, snow-covered landscape around it. The river is faintly visible in Canada, but is masked by the state boundary in the United States. To see daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA2/2006100 ] of the floods, please visit the MODIS Rapid Response Web site. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
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Floods in East Africa
| Title |
Floods in East Africa |
| Description |
Severe drought early in 2006 followed by widespread flooding [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13795 ] during August crippled Ethiopia. In late October and early November, the disaster continued to develop as heavy rain once again sent the Wabe Shebele River over its banks. The swollen river grew to twice its normal size, inundating towns that line its fertile banks, reported the World Food Program [ http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/WFP/4d4580f3cc2d9d49654e66a8daf84c16.htm ]. More than 60 people died in the floods, and many more were impacted. On November 1, 2006, skies cleared, providing the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite a clear view of the floods in southeastern Ethiopia. The Wabe Shabele spreads several kilometers across its flood plain, its water ranging from inky black to light blue. The scene is shown in infrared-enhanced false color to highlight the presence of water on the ground. In this color combination, made with both visible and infrared light, water is typically black, as it is in the lower reaches of the river in this image. Elsewhere in the scene, however, water is light blue because sediment in the water scatters light. The pale blue color blends with the light green of newly growing plants, making it difficult to tell just how extensive the floods are on the west bank of the river. Other waterways on either side of the Wabe Shabele are also filled with mud-laden, light blue water. The lower image, taken on October 7, shows the Wabe Shabele under normal conditions. Though the river is prone to flooding, the attractiveness of living along its banks is clear from this image. Little vegetation is growing in the arid region except along the river's banks, which are lined in green. Conditions changed by November 1. The same rainfall that caused the floods also spurred plant growth, and the landscape went from a barren tan-pink to verdant green. Lines of high clouds, pale blue and white in this false-color image, are scattered across both images. Like much of East Africa, southeastern Ethiopia goes through a regular cycle of floods and droughts. The cycle is in part driven by El Niño, a cyclical warming of ocean waters in the central and eastern Pacific that can alter weather patterns around the world. In general, El Niño causes drought in some regions, such as Indonesia, Australia, and the Philippines, while bringing excess rain to others, including East Africa and the southwestern United States. In September 2006, NASA's JASON satellite recorded a weak El Niño [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17419 ] in the tropical Pacific Ocean. At the same time, drought [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13943 ], was settling in over Australia, and heavy rain pounded East Africa. NASA images 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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Floods in East Africa
| Title |
Floods in East Africa |
| Description |
Severe drought early in 2006 followed by widespread flooding [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13795 ] during August crippled Ethiopia. In late October and early November, the disaster continued to develop as heavy rain once again sent the Wabe Shebele River over its banks. The swollen river grew to twice its normal size, inundating towns that line its fertile banks, reported the World Food Program [ http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/WFP/4d4580f3cc2d9d49654e66a8daf84c16.htm ]. More than 60 people died in the floods, and many more were impacted. On November 1, 2006, skies cleared, providing the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite a clear view of the floods in southeastern Ethiopia. The Wabe Shabele spreads several kilometers across its flood plain, its water ranging from inky black to light blue. The scene is shown in infrared-enhanced false color to highlight the presence of water on the ground. In this color combination, made with both visible and infrared light, water is typically black, as it is in the lower reaches of the river in this image. Elsewhere in the scene, however, water is light blue because sediment in the water scatters light. The pale blue color blends with the light green of newly growing plants, making it difficult to tell just how extensive the floods are on the west bank of the river. Other waterways on either side of the Wabe Shabele are also filled with mud-laden, light blue water. The lower image, taken on October 7, shows the Wabe Shabele under normal conditions. Though the river is prone to flooding, the attractiveness of living along its banks is clear from this image. Little vegetation is growing in the arid region except along the river's banks, which are lined in green. Conditions changed by November 1. The same rainfall that caused the floods also spurred plant growth, and the landscape went from a barren tan-pink to verdant green. Lines of high clouds, pale blue and white in this false-color image, are scattered across both images. Like much of East Africa, southeastern Ethiopia goes through a regular cycle of floods and droughts. The cycle is in part driven by El Niño, a cyclical warming of ocean waters in the central and eastern Pacific that can alter weather patterns around the world. In general, El Niño causes drought in some regions, such as Indonesia, Australia, and the Philippines, while bringing excess rain to others, including East Africa and the southwestern United States. In September 2006, NASA's JASON satellite recorded a weak El Niño [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17419 ] in the tropical Pacific Ocean. At the same time, drought [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13943 ], was settling in over Australia, and heavy rain pounded East Africa. NASA images 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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Floods in East Africa
| Title |
Floods in East Africa |
| Description |
As the short rainy season in East Africa drew closer to its seasonal end, waters continued to rise on rivers and in wetlands throughout the region. Devastating floods swept through Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, and parts of surrounding countries starting at the end of October 2006 and continuing through December, as the short rainy season unleashed unusually heavy rains. According to the United States Agency for International Development, [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/KHII-6WD3QS?OpenDocument&rc=1&emid=FL-2006-000169-SOM ] as many as 1.5 million people have been affected by floods in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Somalia. Though the rainy season typically ends in December, the rains were predicted to continue into January and possibly longer in some regions. The Lotagipi Swamp, in northwestern Kenya and southern Sudan, brimmed with water when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on 's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image on December 11, 2006. The lower image was acquired a month earlier, when the swamp was relatively dry. Silty water, pale blue, streams through the swamp, with sections of deeper, clear water forming a dark blue boundary on the northern and eastern edges. The Lotagipi Swamp lies in the Ilemi Triangle, [ https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ke.html ] a segment of land that by treaty is in Sudan, but is administered by Kenya. The rain has turned the landscape a vibrant green with the growth of fresh vegetation. Patches of tan indicate areas where few or no plants are growing. Scattered clouds are pale blue and white in this image made from a combination of visible and infrared light. Photo-like, true-color images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?NAfrica_3_07/2006345 ] of the region are available from the MODIS Rapid Response Team twice daily. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
|
Floods in East Africa
| Title |
Floods in East Africa |
| Description |
As the short rainy season in East Africa drew closer to its seasonal end, waters continued to rise on rivers and in wetlands throughout the region. Devastating floods swept through Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, and parts of surrounding countries starting at the end of October 2006 and continuing through December, as the short rainy season unleashed unusually heavy rains. According to the United States Agency for International Development, [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/KHII-6WD3QS?OpenDocument&rc=1&emid=FL-2006-000169-SOM ] as many as 1.5 million people have been affected by floods in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Somalia. Though the rainy season typically ends in December, the rains were predicted to continue into January and possibly longer in some regions. The Lotagipi Swamp, in northwestern Kenya and southern Sudan, brimmed with water when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on 's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image on December 11, 2006. The lower image was acquired a month earlier, when the swamp was relatively dry. Silty water, pale blue, streams through the swamp, with sections of deeper, clear water forming a dark blue boundary on the northern and eastern edges. The Lotagipi Swamp lies in the Ilemi Triangle, [ https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ke.html ] a segment of land that by treaty is in Sudan, but is administered by Kenya. The rain has turned the landscape a vibrant green with the growth of fresh vegetation. Patches of tan indicate areas where few or no plants are growing. Scattered clouds are pale blue and white in this image made from a combination of visible and infrared light. Photo-like, true-color images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?NAfrica_3_07/2006345 ] of the region are available from the MODIS Rapid Response Team twice daily. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
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2006-04-12 |
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NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
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USA.TMO2006102 |
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2006-04-04 |
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USA.TMO2006094 |
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2006 |
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NASA -- NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided by Peter Colarco, hyperion.gsfc.nasa.gov/Public/index.html Atmospheric Chemistry and Dynamics Science Team at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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midwest_tmo_2006337 |
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