Browse All : WMS and Aqua of Earth

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Net Radiation Flux Compared …
Title Net Radiation Flux Compared to Clouds (WMS)
Abstract The Earth's climate is determined by energy transfer from the sun to the Earth's land, oceans, and atmosphere. As the Earth rotates, the sun lights up only part of the Earth at a time, and some of that incoming solar energy is reflected and some is absorbed, depending on type of area it lights. The amount of reflection and absorption is critical to the climate. An instrument named CERES orbits the Earth every 99 minutes and measures the reflected solar energy. This animation shows the net radiation flux within view of CERES during 29 orbits on June 20 and 21 of 2003. The net flux is the incoming solar flux minus the outgoing reflected (shortwave) and thermal (longwave) radiation. If the flux in a region is positive, the Earth is being warmed by the sun in that region, while cooling regions have a negative flux. It is clear from the animation that the most intensive heating occurs in ocean regions with few clouds, while the second most intense are cloud-free regions over vegetated land areas. Deserts, cloudy regions, and ice caps all reflect enough solar radiation to reduce the amount of heating. Regions of night are, of course, cooling regions because there is no incoming flux at all.
Completed 2005-06-21
Net Radiation Flux Compared …
Title Net Radiation Flux Compared to Clouds (WMS)
Abstract The Earth's climate is determined by energy transfer from the sun to the Earth's land, oceans, and atmosphere. As the Earth rotates, the sun lights up only part of the Earth at a time, and some of that incoming solar energy is reflected and some is absorbed, depending on type of area it lights. The amount of reflection and absorption is critical to the climate. An instrument named CERES orbits the Earth every 99 minutes and measures the reflected solar energy. This animation shows the net radiation flux within view of CERES during 29 orbits on June 20 and 21 of 2003. The net flux is the incoming solar flux minus the outgoing reflected (shortwave) and thermal (longwave) radiation. If the flux in a region is positive, the Earth is being warmed by the sun in that region, while cooling regions have a negative flux. It is clear from the animation that the most intensive heating occurs in ocean regions with few clouds, while the second most intense are cloud-free regions over vegetated land areas. Deserts, cloudy regions, and ice caps all reflect enough solar radiation to reduce the amount of heating. Regions of night are, of course, cooling regions because there is no incoming flux at all.
Completed 2005-06-21
Hurricane Regions Indicated …
Title Hurricane Regions Indicated by Sea Surface Temperature from June 2002 to September 2003 (WMS)
Abstract The temperature of the world's ocean surface provides a clear indication of the regions where hurricanes and typhoons form, since they can only form when the sea surface temperature exceeds 82 degrees F (27.8 degrees C). The AMSR-E instrument on the Aqua satellite measures the temperature of the top 1 millimeter of the ocean every day, even through the clouds. In this visualization of AMSR-E data covering the period from June, 2002, to September, 2003, areas with surface temperatures greater than 82 degrees F are shown in yellow and orange, while sea surface temperatures below 82 degrees F are shown in blue. The region in the Atlantic from the Caribbean to the equator only exceeds the critical temperature during late summer and early fall in the Northern Hemisphere, the period known as Hurricane Season. It is also possible to see the Gulf Stream, the warm river of water that parallels the east coast of the United States before heading towards northern Europe, in this data. Around January 1, 2003, a cooler than normal region of the ocean appears just to the west of Peru as part of an La Nina and flows westward, driven by the trade winds. The waves that appear on the edges of this cooler area are called tropical instability waves and can also be seen in the equatorial Atlantic Ocean about the same time.
Completed 2004-02-12
Hurricane Regions Indicated …
Title Hurricane Regions Indicated by Sea Surface Temperature from June 2002 to September 2003 (WMS)
Abstract The temperature of the world's ocean surface provides a clear indication of the regions where hurricanes and typhoons form, since they can only form when the sea surface temperature exceeds 82 degrees F (27.8 degrees C). The AMSR-E instrument on the Aqua satellite measures the temperature of the top 1 millimeter of the ocean every day, even through the clouds. In this visualization of AMSR-E data covering the period from June, 2002, to September, 2003, areas with surface temperatures greater than 82 degrees F are shown in yellow and orange, while sea surface temperatures below 82 degrees F are shown in blue. The region in the Atlantic from the Caribbean to the equator only exceeds the critical temperature during late summer and early fall in the Northern Hemisphere, the period known as Hurricane Season. It is also possible to see the Gulf Stream, the warm river of water that parallels the east coast of the United States before heading towards northern Europe, in this data. Around January 1, 2003, a cooler than normal region of the ocean appears just to the west of Peru as part of an La Nina and flows westward, driven by the trade winds. The waves that appear on the edges of this cooler area are called tropical instability waves and can also be seen in the equatorial Atlantic Ocean about the same time.
Completed 2004-02-12
Global Sea Surface Temperatu …
Title Global Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies from June, 2002 to September, 2003 (WMS)
Abstract The temperature of the surface of the world's oceans provides a clear indication of the state of the Earth's climate and weather. The AMSR-E instrument on the Aqua satellite measures the temperature of the top 1 millimeter of the ocean every day, even through the clouds. If the average sea surface temperature for a particular date is subtracted from the measured temperature for that date, the resulting sea surface temperature anomaly can be used to accurately assess the current state of the oceans. The anomaly can serve as an early warning system for weather phenomena and can be used to indicate forthcoming problems with fish populations and coral reef health. In this visualization of the anomaly covering the period from June, 2002, to September, 2003, the most obvious effects are a successive warming and cooling along the equator to the west of Peru, the signature of an El Nino/La Nina cycle. Around January 1, 2003, a cooler than normal region of the ocean appears in this region as part of a La Nina and flows westward, driven by the trade winds. The waves that appear on the edges of this cooler area are called tropical instability waves.
Completed 2004-02-12
Global Sea Surface Temperatu …
Title Global Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies from June, 2002 to September, 2003 (WMS)
Abstract The temperature of the surface of the world's oceans provides a clear indication of the state of the Earth's climate and weather. The AMSR-E instrument on the Aqua satellite measures the temperature of the top 1 millimeter of the ocean every day, even through the clouds. If the average sea surface temperature for a particular date is subtracted from the measured temperature for that date, the resulting sea surface temperature anomaly can be used to accurately assess the current state of the oceans. The anomaly can serve as an early warning system for weather phenomena and can be used to indicate forthcoming problems with fish populations and coral reef health. In this visualization of the anomaly covering the period from June, 2002, to September, 2003, the most obvious effects are a successive warming and cooling along the equator to the west of Peru, the signature of an El Nino/La Nina cycle. Around January 1, 2003, a cooler than normal region of the ocean appears in this region as part of a La Nina and flows westward, driven by the trade winds. The waves that appear on the edges of this cooler area are called tropical instability waves.
Completed 2004-02-12
Progression of Hurricane Jea …
Title Progression of Hurricane Jeanne, 2004 (WMS)
Abstract Hurricane Jeanne was the fourth hurricane to hit Florida during the 2004 hurricane season. This set of images shows the progression of the hurricane as it approached Florida from the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. When it hit the Florida coast on September 26, Jeanne was a Category 3 storm with sustained winds near 115 miles per hour.
Completed 2004-10-22
Progression of Hurricane Jea …
Title Progression of Hurricane Jeanne, 2004 (WMS)
Abstract Hurricane Jeanne was the fourth hurricane to hit Florida during the 2004 hurricane season. This set of images shows the progression of the hurricane as it approached Florida from the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. When it hit the Florida coast on September 26, Jeanne was a Category 3 storm with sustained winds near 115 miles per hour.
Completed 2004-10-22
Progression of Hurricane Jea …
Title Progression of Hurricane Jeanne, 2004 (WMS)
Abstract Hurricane Jeanne was the fourth hurricane to hit Florida during the 2004 hurricane season. This set of images shows the progression of the hurricane as it approached Florida from the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. When it hit the Florida coast on September 26, Jeanne was a Category 3 storm with sustained winds near 115 miles per hour.
Completed 2004-10-22
Progression of Hurricane Jea …
Title Progression of Hurricane Jeanne, 2004 (WMS)
Abstract Hurricane Jeanne was the fourth hurricane to hit Florida during the 2004 hurricane season. This set of images shows the progression of the hurricane as it approached Florida from the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. When it hit the Florida coast on September 26, Jeanne was a Category 3 storm with sustained winds near 115 miles per hour.
Completed 2004-10-22
Progression of Hurricane Jea …
Title Progression of Hurricane Jeanne, 2004 (WMS)
Abstract Hurricane Jeanne was the fourth hurricane to hit Florida during the 2004 hurricane season. This set of images shows the progression of the hurricane as it approached Florida from the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. When it hit the Florida coast on September 26, Jeanne was a Category 3 storm with sustained winds near 115 miles per hour.
Completed 2004-10-22
Progression of Hurricane Jea …
Title Progression of Hurricane Jeanne, 2004 (WMS)
Abstract Hurricane Jeanne was the fourth hurricane to hit Florida during the 2004 hurricane season. This set of images shows the progression of the hurricane as it approached Florida from the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. When it hit the Florida coast on September 26, Jeanne was a Category 3 storm with sustained winds near 115 miles per hour.
Completed 2004-10-22
Progression of Hurricane Jea …
Title Progression of Hurricane Jeanne, 2004 (WMS)
Abstract Hurricane Jeanne was the fourth hurricane to hit Florida during the 2004 hurricane season. This set of images shows the progression of the hurricane as it approached Florida from the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. When it hit the Florida coast on September 26, Jeanne was a Category 3 storm with sustained winds near 115 miles per hour.
Completed 2004-10-22
Average Total-sky Outgoing L …
Title Average Total-sky Outgoing Longwave Flux (WMS)
Abstract The Earth's climate is determined by energy transfer from the sun to the Earth's land, oceans, and atmosphere. As the Earth rotates, the sun lights up only part of the Earth at a time, and some of that incoming solar energy is reflected and some is absorbed, depending on type of area it lights. The average amount of reflection and absorption is critical to the climate, because the absorbed energy heats up the Earth until it is radiated away as thermal radiation. This animation shows the monthly average outgoing longwave radiation from July, 2002 through June, 2004 as measured by the CERES instrument. This is the thermal radiation given off by the warm Earth. The Earth's rotation and the movement of warm air from the equator to the poles make the Earth roughly uniform in temperature. The most visible features are the cold poles in winter and the cold clouds along the equator which trap the outgoing thermal radiation.
Completed 2005-02-01
Average Total-sky Outgoing L …
Title Average Total-sky Outgoing Longwave Flux (WMS)
Abstract The Earth's climate is determined by energy transfer from the sun to the Earth's land, oceans, and atmosphere. As the Earth rotates, the sun lights up only part of the Earth at a time, and some of that incoming solar energy is reflected and some is absorbed, depending on type of area it lights. The average amount of reflection and absorption is critical to the climate, because the absorbed energy heats up the Earth until it is radiated away as thermal radiation. This animation shows the monthly average outgoing longwave radiation from July, 2002 through June, 2004 as measured by the CERES instrument. This is the thermal radiation given off by the warm Earth. The Earth's rotation and the movement of warm air from the equator to the poles make the Earth roughly uniform in temperature. The most visible features are the cold poles in winter and the cold clouds along the equator which trap the outgoing thermal radiation.
Completed 2005-02-01
Progression of Hurricane Emi …
Title Progression of Hurricane Emily, 2005 (WMS)
Abstract Emily was a record-setting storm for many reasons. When it formed on July 11, Emily became the earliest fifth named storm on record. As it moved through the Caribbean, Emily intensified into a powerful Category 4 storm with winds over 250 kilometers per hour (150 mph) and gusts as high as 300 kilometers per hour (184 mph), making it the most powerful storm to form before August. The previous record was set by Hurricane Dennis, which ripped through the Caribbean during the first week of July 2005. Emily's Category 4 status also made 2005 the only year to produce two Category 4 storms before the end of July.
Completed 2005-07-26
Progression of Hurricane Emi …
Title Progression of Hurricane Emily, 2005 (WMS)
Abstract Emily was a record-setting storm for many reasons. When it formed on July 11, Emily became the earliest fifth named storm on record. As it moved through the Caribbean, Emily intensified into a powerful Category 4 storm with winds over 250 kilometers per hour (150 mph) and gusts as high as 300 kilometers per hour (184 mph), making it the most powerful storm to form before August. The previous record was set by Hurricane Dennis, which ripped through the Caribbean during the first week of July 2005. Emily's Category 4 status also made 2005 the only year to produce two Category 4 storms before the end of July.
Completed 2005-07-26
Progression of Hurricane Emi …
Title Progression of Hurricane Emily, 2005 (WMS)
Abstract Emily was a record-setting storm for many reasons. When it formed on July 11, Emily became the earliest fifth named storm on record. As it moved through the Caribbean, Emily intensified into a powerful Category 4 storm with winds over 250 kilometers per hour (150 mph) and gusts as high as 300 kilometers per hour (184 mph), making it the most powerful storm to form before August. The previous record was set by Hurricane Dennis, which ripped through the Caribbean during the first week of July 2005. Emily's Category 4 status also made 2005 the only year to produce two Category 4 storms before the end of July.
Completed 2005-07-26
Progression of Hurricane Emi …
Title Progression of Hurricane Emily, 2005 (WMS)
Abstract Emily was a record-setting storm for many reasons. When it formed on July 11, Emily became the earliest fifth named storm on record. As it moved through the Caribbean, Emily intensified into a powerful Category 4 storm with winds over 250 kilometers per hour (150 mph) and gusts as high as 300 kilometers per hour (184 mph), making it the most powerful storm to form before August. The previous record was set by Hurricane Dennis, which ripped through the Caribbean during the first week of July 2005. Emily's Category 4 status also made 2005 the only year to produce two Category 4 storms before the end of July.
Completed 2005-07-26
Progression of Hurricane Emi …
Title Progression of Hurricane Emily, 2005 (WMS)
Abstract Emily was a record-setting storm for many reasons. When it formed on July 11, Emily became the earliest fifth named storm on record. As it moved through the Caribbean, Emily intensified into a powerful Category 4 storm with winds over 250 kilometers per hour (150 mph) and gusts as high as 300 kilometers per hour (184 mph), making it the most powerful storm to form before August. The previous record was set by Hurricane Dennis, which ripped through the Caribbean during the first week of July 2005. Emily's Category 4 status also made 2005 the only year to produce two Category 4 storms before the end of July.
Completed 2005-07-26
Progression of Hurricane Emi …
Title Progression of Hurricane Emily, 2005 (WMS)
Abstract Emily was a record-setting storm for many reasons. When it formed on July 11, Emily became the earliest fifth named storm on record. As it moved through the Caribbean, Emily intensified into a powerful Category 4 storm with winds over 250 kilometers per hour (150 mph) and gusts as high as 300 kilometers per hour (184 mph), making it the most powerful storm to form before August. The previous record was set by Hurricane Dennis, which ripped through the Caribbean during the first week of July 2005. Emily's Category 4 status also made 2005 the only year to produce two Category 4 storms before the end of July.
Completed 2005-07-26
Giant Iceberg in McMurdo Sou …
Title Giant Iceberg in McMurdo Sound (WMS)
Abstract Iceberg B-15A, in Antarctica's McMurdo Sound, is as large as Long Island, NY (3,000 square kilometers or 1,200 square miles) and is the largest fragment of a much larger iceberg that broke away from the Ross Ice Shelf in March 2000. Iceberg B-15A has trapped sea ice in McMurdo Sound, and the ice build-up presents significant problems for Antarctic penguins, which must now swim great distances to reach open waters and food. These images were taken by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument on NASA's Aqua and Terra satellites between 2004-11-09 and 2005-01-17.
Completed 2005-01-02
Sea Ice Surface Temperature …
Title Sea Ice Surface Temperature with Alternate Color Scale (WMS)
Abstract This animation shows the daily sea ice surface temperature over the northern hemisphere from September 2002 through May 2003. The sea ice surface temperature was measured by the MODIS instrument on the Aqua satellite. Since this instrument cannot take measurements through clouds, in cloud-covered regions or areas with suspect data quality, previous values are retained until valid data is obtained. The satellite instruments are also unable to collect data in the dark, so the data values in polar darkness are not updated during the winter until the sun moves northwards in the spring. The color of the sea ice depicts the sea ice surface temperature.
Completed 2006-03-08
Sea Ice Surface Temperature …
Title Sea Ice Surface Temperature with Alternate Color Scale (WMS)
Abstract This animation shows the daily sea ice surface temperature over the northern hemisphere from September 2002 through May 2003. The sea ice surface temperature was measured by the MODIS instrument on the Aqua satellite. Since this instrument cannot take measurements through clouds, in cloud-covered regions or areas with suspect data quality, previous values are retained until valid data is obtained. The satellite instruments are also unable to collect data in the dark, so the data values in polar darkness are not updated during the winter until the sun moves northwards in the spring. The color of the sea ice depicts the sea ice surface temperature.
Completed 2006-03-08
Outgoing Longwave Flux Compa …
Title Outgoing Longwave Flux Compared to Clouds (WMS)
Abstract The Earth's climate is determined by energy transfer from the sun to the Earth's land, oceans, and atmosphere. As the Earth rotates, the sun lights up only part of the Earth at a time, and some of that incoming solar energy is reflected and some is absorbed, depending on type of area it lights. The amount of reflection and absorption is critical to the climate. An instrument named CERES orbits the Earth every 99 minutes and measures the reflected solar energy. This animation shows the outgoing thermal radiation measured by CERES during 29 orbits on June 20 and 21 of 2003 over global infrared cloud images. Thermal radiation is longwave radiation and depends on the temperature of the earth, with the most intense radiation coming from the warmest regions and the least from cold clouds in the atmosphere. Although cold clouds and the cold Antarctic night regions can be seen in this data, the Earth radiates pretty uniformly in the longwave bands because the atmosphere distributes the heat of the sun to the whole planet.
Completed 2005-06-21
Outgoing Longwave Flux Compa …
Title Outgoing Longwave Flux Compared to Clouds (WMS)
Abstract The Earth's climate is determined by energy transfer from the sun to the Earth's land, oceans, and atmosphere. As the Earth rotates, the sun lights up only part of the Earth at a time, and some of that incoming solar energy is reflected and some is absorbed, depending on type of area it lights. The amount of reflection and absorption is critical to the climate. An instrument named CERES orbits the Earth every 99 minutes and measures the reflected solar energy. This animation shows the outgoing thermal radiation measured by CERES during 29 orbits on June 20 and 21 of 2003 over global infrared cloud images. Thermal radiation is longwave radiation and depends on the temperature of the earth, with the most intense radiation coming from the warmest regions and the least from cold clouds in the atmosphere. Although cold clouds and the cold Antarctic night regions can be seen in this data, the Earth radiates pretty uniformly in the longwave bands because the atmosphere distributes the heat of the sun to the whole planet.
Completed 2005-06-21
Progression of Hurricane Fab …
Title Progression of Hurricane Fabian, 2003 (WMS)
Abstract Hurricane Fabian threatened the Eastern Coast of the United States before it turned northward and hit the island of Bermuda instead. Fabian came within 50 miles to the west of Bermuda on September 5th, 2003, with sustained winds of 117 miles per hour and with gusts of up to 130 miles per hour.
Completed 2005-05-18
Progression of Hurricane Fab …
Title Progression of Hurricane Fabian, 2003 (WMS)
Abstract Hurricane Fabian threatened the Eastern Coast of the United States before it turned northward and hit the island of Bermuda instead. Fabian came within 50 miles to the west of Bermuda on September 5th, 2003, with sustained winds of 117 miles per hour and with gusts of up to 130 miles per hour.
Completed 2005-05-18
Progression of Hurricane Fab …
Title Progression of Hurricane Fabian, 2003 (WMS)
Abstract Hurricane Fabian threatened the Eastern Coast of the United States before it turned northward and hit the island of Bermuda instead. Fabian came within 50 miles to the west of Bermuda on September 5th, 2003, with sustained winds of 117 miles per hour and with gusts of up to 130 miles per hour.
Completed 2005-05-18
Progression of Hurricane Fab …
Title Progression of Hurricane Fabian, 2003 (WMS)
Abstract Hurricane Fabian threatened the Eastern Coast of the United States before it turned northward and hit the island of Bermuda instead. Fabian came within 50 miles to the west of Bermuda on September 5th, 2003, with sustained winds of 117 miles per hour and with gusts of up to 130 miles per hour.
Completed 2005-05-18
Progression of Hurricane Fab …
Title Progression of Hurricane Fabian, 2003 (WMS)
Abstract Hurricane Fabian threatened the Eastern Coast of the United States before it turned northward and hit the island of Bermuda instead. Fabian came within 50 miles to the west of Bermuda on September 5th, 2003, with sustained winds of 117 miles per hour and with gusts of up to 130 miles per hour.
Completed 2005-05-18
Progression of Hurricane Fab …
Title Progression of Hurricane Fabian, 2003 (WMS)
Abstract Hurricane Fabian threatened the Eastern Coast of the United States before it turned northward and hit the island of Bermuda instead. Fabian came within 50 miles to the west of Bermuda on September 5th, 2003, with sustained winds of 117 miles per hour and with gusts of up to 130 miles per hour.
Completed 2005-05-18
Instantaneous Net Radiation …
Title Instantaneous Net Radiation Flux (WMS)
Abstract The Earth's climate is determined by energy transfer from the sun to the Earth's land, oceans, and atmosphere. As the Earth rotates, the sun lights up only part of the Earth at a time, and some of that incoming solar energy is reflected and some is absorbed, depending on type of area it lights. The amount of reflection and absorption is critical to the climate. An instrument named CERES orbits the Earth every 99 minutes and measures the reflected solar energy. This animation shows the net radiation flux within view of CERES during 29 orbits on June 20 and 21 of 2003. The net flux is the incoming solar flux minus the outgoing reflected (shortwave) and thermal (longwave) radiation. If the flux in a region is positive, the Earth is being warmed by the sun in that region, while cooling regions have a negative flux. It is clear from the animation that the most intensive heating occurs in ocean regions with few clouds, while the second most intense are cloud-free regions over vegetated land areas. Deserts, cloudy regions, and ice caps all reflect enough solar radiation to reduce the amount of heating. Regions of night are, of course, cooling regions because there is no incoming flux at all.
Completed 2005-02-01
Instantaneous Net Radiation …
Title Instantaneous Net Radiation Flux (WMS)
Abstract The Earth's climate is determined by energy transfer from the sun to the Earth's land, oceans, and atmosphere. As the Earth rotates, the sun lights up only part of the Earth at a time, and some of that incoming solar energy is reflected and some is absorbed, depending on type of area it lights. The amount of reflection and absorption is critical to the climate. An instrument named CERES orbits the Earth every 99 minutes and measures the reflected solar energy. This animation shows the net radiation flux within view of CERES during 29 orbits on June 20 and 21 of 2003. The net flux is the incoming solar flux minus the outgoing reflected (shortwave) and thermal (longwave) radiation. If the flux in a region is positive, the Earth is being warmed by the sun in that region, while cooling regions have a negative flux. It is clear from the animation that the most intensive heating occurs in ocean regions with few clouds, while the second most intense are cloud-free regions over vegetated land areas. Deserts, cloudy regions, and ice caps all reflect enough solar radiation to reduce the amount of heating. Regions of night are, of course, cooling regions because there is no incoming flux at all.
Completed 2005-02-01
Cold Water Trails from Hurri …
Title Cold Water Trails from Hurricanes Fabian and Isabel (WMS)
Abstract This visualization shows the cold water trails left first by Hurricanes Fabian and then by Hurricane Isabel in the Atlantic Ocean from August 27, 2003 through September 23, 2003. The colors on the ocean represent the sea surface temperatures, and satellite images of the hurricane clouds are laid over the temperatures to clearly show the hurricane positions. Orange and red depict regions that are 82 degrees F and higher, where the ocean is warm enough for hurricanes to form. Hurricane winds are sustained by the heat energy of the ocean, so the ocean is cooled as the hurricane passes and the energy is extracted to power the winds. A hurricane can experience a dramatic reduction in wind speed when it crosses the cold track of a previous hurricane. However, in this case, the cold water track from Fabian warmed up before Isabel crossed it, so Isabel's winds did not decrease. The sea surface temperatures were measured by the AMSR-E instrument on the Aqua satellite, while the cloud images were taken by the Imager on the GOES-12 satellite.
Completed 2004-02-11
Cold Water Trails from Hurri …
Title Cold Water Trails from Hurricanes Fabian and Isabel (WMS)
Abstract This visualization shows the cold water trails left first by Hurricanes Fabian and then by Hurricane Isabel in the Atlantic Ocean from August 27, 2003 through September 23, 2003. The colors on the ocean represent the sea surface temperatures, and satellite images of the hurricane clouds are laid over the temperatures to clearly show the hurricane positions. Orange and red depict regions that are 82 degrees F and higher, where the ocean is warm enough for hurricanes to form. Hurricane winds are sustained by the heat energy of the ocean, so the ocean is cooled as the hurricane passes and the energy is extracted to power the winds. A hurricane can experience a dramatic reduction in wind speed when it crosses the cold track of a previous hurricane. However, in this case, the cold water track from Fabian warmed up before Isabel crossed it, so Isabel's winds did not decrease. The sea surface temperatures were measured by the AMSR-E instrument on the Aqua satellite, while the cloud images were taken by the Imager on the GOES-12 satellite.
Completed 2004-02-11
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