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Global Large-scale Precipita
…
| Title |
Global Large-scale Precipitation during Hurricane Frances (WMS) |
| Abstract |
Water vapor is a small but significant constituent of the atmosphere, warming the planet due to the greenhouse effect and condensing to form clouds. As moisture-laden air rises, the relative humidity increases until it saturates the air, at which time precipitation occurs. If the uplift of air is due to large-scale atmospheric motion, then the precipitation is called large-scale, or dynamic. This animation shows the large-scale precipitation for the whole globe from September 1, 2004, through September 5, 2004, during the period of Hurricane Frances in the western Atlantic Ocean and Typhoon Songda in the western Pacific Ocean. Large-scale precipitation tends to be continuous and to come from decks of stratus clouds rather than from thunderstorms. |
| Completed |
2005-07-28 |
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Global Large-scale Precipita
…
| Title |
Global Large-scale Precipitation during Hurricane Frances (WMS) |
| Abstract |
Water vapor is a small but significant constituent of the atmosphere, warming the planet due to the greenhouse effect and condensing to form clouds. As moisture-laden air rises, the relative humidity increases until it saturates the air, at which time precipitation occurs. If the uplift of air is due to large-scale atmospheric motion, then the precipitation is called large-scale, or dynamic. This animation shows the large-scale precipitation for the whole globe from September 1, 2004, through September 5, 2004, during the period of Hurricane Frances in the western Atlantic Ocean and Typhoon Songda in the western Pacific Ocean. Large-scale precipitation tends to be continuous and to come from decks of stratus clouds rather than from thunderstorms. |
| Completed |
2005-07-28 |
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Global Cloud Cover during Hu
…
| Title |
Global Cloud Cover during Hurricane Frances (WMS) |
| Abstract |
Water vapor is a small but significant constituent of the atmosphere, warming the planet due to the greenhouse effect and condensing to form clouds which both warm and cool the Earth in different circumstances. Warm, moisture-laden air moving out from the tropics brings clouds and rainfall to the temperate zones. This animation shows the cloud cover for the whole globe from September 1, 2004, through September 5, 2004, during the period of Hurricane Frances in the western Atlantic Ocean and Typhoon Songda in the western Pacific Ocean. The cloud cover in any region significantly affects the energy balance since sunlight reflected from the clouds is not available to heat the surface. The motion of clouds in this animation clearly indicates the speed and direction of winds around the globe. |
| Completed |
2005-07-25 |
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Global Cloud Cover during Hu
…
| Title |
Global Cloud Cover during Hurricane Frances (WMS) |
| Abstract |
Water vapor is a small but significant constituent of the atmosphere, warming the planet due to the greenhouse effect and condensing to form clouds which both warm and cool the Earth in different circumstances. Warm, moisture-laden air moving out from the tropics brings clouds and rainfall to the temperate zones. This animation shows the cloud cover for the whole globe from September 1, 2004, through September 5, 2004, during the period of Hurricane Frances in the western Atlantic Ocean and Typhoon Songda in the western Pacific Ocean. The cloud cover in any region significantly affects the energy balance since sunlight reflected from the clouds is not available to heat the surface. The motion of clouds in this animation clearly indicates the speed and direction of winds around the globe. |
| Completed |
2005-07-25 |
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Global Atmospheric Water Vap
…
| Title |
Global Atmospheric Water Vapor during Hurricane Frances (WMS) |
| Abstract |
Water vapor is a small but significant constituent of the atmosphere, warming the planet due to the greenhouse effect and condensing to form clouds which both warm and cool the Earth in different circumstances. Warm, moisture-laden air moving out from the tropics brings rainfall to the temperate zones. This animation shows the atmospheric water vapor for the whole globe from September 1, 2004, through September 5, 2004, during the period of Hurricane Frances in the western Atlantic Ocean and Typhoon Songda in the western Pacific Ocean. The band of water vapor over the tropics is the intertropical convergence zone, where converging trade winds and high temperatures force large amounts of water high into the atmosphere. Both Hurricane Frances and Typhoon Songda exhibit significant spiral bands of high water vapor. |
| Completed |
2005-07-25 |
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Global Atmospheric Water Vap
…
| Title |
Global Atmospheric Water Vapor during Hurricane Frances (WMS) |
| Abstract |
Water vapor is a small but significant constituent of the atmosphere, warming the planet due to the greenhouse effect and condensing to form clouds which both warm and cool the Earth in different circumstances. Warm, moisture-laden air moving out from the tropics brings rainfall to the temperate zones. This animation shows the atmospheric water vapor for the whole globe from September 1, 2004, through September 5, 2004, during the period of Hurricane Frances in the western Atlantic Ocean and Typhoon Songda in the western Pacific Ocean. The band of water vapor over the tropics is the intertropical convergence zone, where converging trade winds and high temperatures force large amounts of water high into the atmosphere. Both Hurricane Frances and Typhoon Songda exhibit significant spiral bands of high water vapor. |
| Completed |
2005-07-25 |
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Global Convective Precipitat
…
| Title |
Global Convective Precipitation during Hurricane Frances (WMS) |
| Abstract |
Water vapor is a small but significant constituent of the atmosphere, warming the planet due to the greenhouse effect and condensing to form clouds. As moisture-laden air rises, the relative humidity increases until it saturates the air, at which time precipitation occurs. If the uplift of air is due to strong updrafts and unstable air systems, as in thunderstorms, then the precipitation is called convective. This animation shows the convective precipitation for the whole globe from September 1, 2004, through September 5, 2004, during the period of Hurricane Frances in the western Atlantic Ocean and Typhoon Songda in the western Pacific Ocean. Convective precipitation is more intense but less long-lasting than large-scale precipitation. |
| Completed |
2005-07-28 |
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Global Convective Precipitat
…
| Title |
Global Convective Precipitation during Hurricane Frances (WMS) |
| Abstract |
Water vapor is a small but significant constituent of the atmosphere, warming the planet due to the greenhouse effect and condensing to form clouds. As moisture-laden air rises, the relative humidity increases until it saturates the air, at which time precipitation occurs. If the uplift of air is due to strong updrafts and unstable air systems, as in thunderstorms, then the precipitation is called convective. This animation shows the convective precipitation for the whole globe from September 1, 2004, through September 5, 2004, during the period of Hurricane Frances in the western Atlantic Ocean and Typhoon Songda in the western Pacific Ocean. Convective precipitation is more intense but less long-lasting than large-scale precipitation. |
| Completed |
2005-07-28 |
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Aerosols from 2003 Southern
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| Title |
Aerosols from 2003 Southern California Fires (WMS) |
| Abstract |
A devastating series of fires occurred in Southern California during October 2003. The effects of these fires were detectable from space. The Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) instrument measures aerosol particles (microscopic airborne dust and smoke). TOMS was able to detect aerosols from these fires moving West over the Pacific Ocean and East over the continental United States. |
| Completed |
2005-03-11 |
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Aerosols from 2003 Southern
…
| Title |
Aerosols from 2003 Southern California Fires (WMS) |
| Abstract |
A devastating series of fires occurred in Southern California during October 2003. The effects of these fires were detectable from space. The Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) instrument measures aerosol particles (microscopic airborne dust and smoke). TOMS was able to detect aerosols from these fires moving West over the Pacific Ocean and East over the continental United States. |
| Completed |
2005-03-11 |
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Sea Surface Height Anomalies
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| Title |
Sea Surface Height Anomalies during El Nino/La Nina Event of 1997-1998 (WMS) |
| Abstract |
The El Nino/La Nina event in 1997-1999 was particularly intense, but was also very well observed by satellites and buoys. Changes in the normal height of the ocean's surface were observed by the TOPEX/Poseidon altimeter. |
| Completed |
2005-03-31 |
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Sea Surface Height Anomalies
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| Title |
Sea Surface Height Anomalies during El Nino/La Nina Event of 1997-1998 (WMS) |
| Abstract |
The El Nino/La Nina event in 1997-1999 was particularly intense, but was also very well observed by satellites and buoys. Changes in the normal height of the ocean's surface were observed by the TOPEX/Poseidon altimeter. |
| Completed |
2005-03-31 |
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Aurora over the North Pole o
…
| Title |
Aurora over the North Pole on April 17, 1999 (WMS) |
| Abstract |
When the charged particles flowing outward from the Sun (the solar wind) hit the Earth's magnetic field, they are channeled down the magnetic field lines to the ionosphere at the North and South Poles. The impact of these particles on atmospheric molecules causes the molecules to emit light, which forms the visible aurora. This visualization shows the development of the aurora over the North Pole for about three hours on April 17, 1999, as seen by the ultraviolet VIS Earth Camera on the POLAR spacecraft. The two main features of these ultraviolet images are the very bright ultraviolet emission from the reflected solar radiation on the dayside of the Earth and the bright ring of the auroral oval circling the North Pole. The aurora seen in this visualization is the diffuse aurora, a very large bright band that is actually too dim to be seen well from the ground by the human eye. What we normally think of as the aurora are the even brighter curtains of light within the diffuse auroral caused by very energetic electrons. These curtains are too small to be seen in this image. The diffuse aurora appears as a ring around the pole rather than as a bright spot over the entire pole because the solar particles actually spend extended time wandering about within the Earth's magnetic field before traveling down a very select set of magnetic field lines to the Earth. Near the end of this three hour period, the spacecraft was getting so close to the Earth that the edges of the globe were outside the camera's image, which accounts for the growing circular data gaps over Asia and the Pacific Ocean. |
| Completed |
2004-07-09 |
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Aurora over the North Pole o
…
| Title |
Aurora over the North Pole on April 17, 1999 (WMS) |
| Abstract |
When the charged particles flowing outward from the Sun (the solar wind) hit the Earth's magnetic field, they are channeled down the magnetic field lines to the ionosphere at the North and South Poles. The impact of these particles on atmospheric molecules causes the molecules to emit light, which forms the visible aurora. This visualization shows the development of the aurora over the North Pole for about three hours on April 17, 1999, as seen by the ultraviolet VIS Earth Camera on the POLAR spacecraft. The two main features of these ultraviolet images are the very bright ultraviolet emission from the reflected solar radiation on the dayside of the Earth and the bright ring of the auroral oval circling the North Pole. The aurora seen in this visualization is the diffuse aurora, a very large bright band that is actually too dim to be seen well from the ground by the human eye. What we normally think of as the aurora are the even brighter curtains of light within the diffuse auroral caused by very energetic electrons. These curtains are too small to be seen in this image. The diffuse aurora appears as a ring around the pole rather than as a bright spot over the entire pole because the solar particles actually spend extended time wandering about within the Earth's magnetic field before traveling down a very select set of magnetic field lines to the Earth. Near the end of this three hour period, the spacecraft was getting so close to the Earth that the edges of the globe were outside the camera's image, which accounts for the growing circular data gaps over Asia and the Pacific Ocean. |
| Completed |
2004-07-09 |
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Sea Surface Temperature Anom
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| Title |
Sea Surface Temperature Anomaly, 2005 (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 sea surface temperature anomaly, or difference from the mean, can show climate indicators such as the El Nino oscillation, which manifests as a warmer-than-normal sea surface temperature in the Pacific Ocean west of Ecuador and Peru. This sequence shows a slight La Nina effect, or cooler-than-normal sea surface temperature in the eastern Pacific. |
| Completed |
2005-07-11 |
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Sea Surface Temperature Anom
…
| Title |
Sea Surface Temperature Anomaly, 2005 (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 sea surface temperature anomaly, or difference from the mean, can show climate indicators such as the El Nino oscillation, which manifests as a warmer-than-normal sea surface temperature in the Pacific Ocean west of Ecuador and Peru. This sequence shows a slight La Nina effect, or cooler-than-normal sea surface temperature in the eastern Pacific. |
| Completed |
2005-07-11 |
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Global High Altitude Wind Sp
…
| Title |
Global High Altitude Wind Speed during Hurricane Frances (WMS) |
| Abstract |
The Earth's atmosphere exerts pressure based on the weight of the air above. Differences in pressure from place-to-place cause winds to try to flow from high pressure to low pressure regions to even out the differences, but the Earth's rotation and wind friction with the surface act to slow or divert the winds. This animation shows the high altitude wind speeds for the whole globe from September 1, 2004, through September 5, 2004, during the period of Hurricane Frances in the western Atlantic Ocean and Typhoon Songda in the western Pacific Ocean. At high altitudes, the difference between between high pressures from warm tropical air and low pressures from cold polar air try to force air from the tropics toward the poles, but the Earth's rotation diverts this flow to the east, resulting in the high velocity west-to-east jet stream flows at mid-latitudes. The circular flows from Frances and Songda can barely be seen at this altitude. |
| Completed |
2005-07-28 |
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Global High Altitude Wind Sp
…
| Title |
Global High Altitude Wind Speed during Hurricane Frances (WMS) |
| Abstract |
The Earth's atmosphere exerts pressure based on the weight of the air above. Differences in pressure from place-to-place cause winds to try to flow from high pressure to low pressure regions to even out the differences, but the Earth's rotation and wind friction with the surface act to slow or divert the winds. This animation shows the high altitude wind speeds for the whole globe from September 1, 2004, through September 5, 2004, during the period of Hurricane Frances in the western Atlantic Ocean and Typhoon Songda in the western Pacific Ocean. At high altitudes, the difference between between high pressures from warm tropical air and low pressures from cold polar air try to force air from the tropics toward the poles, but the Earth's rotation diverts this flow to the east, resulting in the high velocity west-to-east jet stream flows at mid-latitudes. The circular flows from Frances and Songda can barely be seen at this altitude. |
| Completed |
2005-07-28 |
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Global 300 hPa Geopotential
…
| Title |
Global 300 hPa Geopotential Height during Hurricane Frances (WMS) |
| Abstract |
The Earth's atmosphere exerts pressure based on the weight of the air above, so the pressure reduces with rising altitude. This rate of pressure reduction with altitude is based on the temperature of the air, with the pressure of colder air reducing faster with altitude than warmer air. Therefore, a surface of constant pressure has a lower altitude at the poles than the equator. This animation shows the altitude above sea level (the geopotential height) of the 300 hectopascal (hPa) pressure surface for the whole globe from September 1, 2004, through September 5, 2004, during the period of Hurricane Frances in the western Atlantic Ocean and Typhoon Songda in the western Pacific Ocean. This pressure is about one-third of the normal pressure at sea level. The largest downward slope of this surface occurs in the mid-latitudes and is shown in yellow in the animation. At this region, air is trying to flow from the equator towards the poles to reduce the slope, but the rotation of the Earth forces the flow to divert to the east, forming the strong west-to-east jet stream flows in these regions. Frances and Songda can be seen as sharp yellow dots of reduced height in their respective locations. |
| Completed |
2005-07-28 |
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Global 300 hPa Geopotential
…
| Title |
Global 300 hPa Geopotential Height during Hurricane Frances (WMS) |
| Abstract |
The Earth's atmosphere exerts pressure based on the weight of the air above, so the pressure reduces with rising altitude. This rate of pressure reduction with altitude is based on the temperature of the air, with the pressure of colder air reducing faster with altitude than warmer air. Therefore, a surface of constant pressure has a lower altitude at the poles than the equator. This animation shows the altitude above sea level (the geopotential height) of the 300 hectopascal (hPa) pressure surface for the whole globe from September 1, 2004, through September 5, 2004, during the period of Hurricane Frances in the western Atlantic Ocean and Typhoon Songda in the western Pacific Ocean. This pressure is about one-third of the normal pressure at sea level. The largest downward slope of this surface occurs in the mid-latitudes and is shown in yellow in the animation. At this region, air is trying to flow from the equator towards the poles to reduce the slope, but the rotation of the Earth forces the flow to divert to the east, forming the strong west-to-east jet stream flows in these regions. Frances and Songda can be seen as sharp yellow dots of reduced height in their respective locations. |
| Completed |
2005-07-28 |
|
Sea Surface Temperature Anom
…
| Title |
Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies during El Nino/La Nina Event of 1997-1998 (WMS) |
| Abstract |
The El Nino/La Nina event in 1997-1999 was particularly intense, but was also very well observed by satellites and buoys. A strong upwelling of unusually warm water was observed in the Pacific Ocean during the El Nino phase, followed by unusually cold water in the La Nina phase. The Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) instrument on the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's NOAA-14 spacecraft observed the changes in sea surface temperature shown here. |
| Completed |
2005-03-25 |
|
Sea Surface Temperature Anom
…
| Title |
Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies during El Nino/La Nina Event of 1997-1998 (WMS) |
| Abstract |
The El Nino/La Nina event in 1997-1999 was particularly intense, but was also very well observed by satellites and buoys. A strong upwelling of unusually warm water was observed in the Pacific Ocean during the El Nino phase, followed by unusually cold water in the La Nina phase. The Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) instrument on the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's NOAA-14 spacecraft observed the changes in sea surface temperature shown here. |
| Completed |
2005-03-25 |
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Heavy Rainfall Leads to Sout
…
| Title |
Heavy Rainfall Leads to Southern California Mudslides (WMS) |
| Abstract |
In January 2005, heavy rains in southern California caused flooding and mudslides. A flow of moisture known as a 'Pineapple Express' because it originates in the Pacific subtropics near Hawaii can cause severe winter storms in California when conditions are right. NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) observered heavy rainfall near San Diego during a five-day period in January 2005. This visualization shows accumulation of rainfall--each frame shows the total amount of rain since the start of the measurement period. |
| Completed |
2005-04-22 |
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Heavy Rainfall Leads to Sout
…
| Title |
Heavy Rainfall Leads to Southern California Mudslides (WMS) |
| Abstract |
In January 2005, heavy rains in southern California caused flooding and mudslides. A flow of moisture known as a 'Pineapple Express' because it originates in the Pacific subtropics near Hawaii can cause severe winter storms in California when conditions are right. NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) observered heavy rainfall near San Diego during a five-day period in January 2005. This visualization shows accumulation of rainfall--each frame shows the total amount of rain since the start of the measurement period. |
| Completed |
2005-04-22 |
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GOES-10 Imagery of Hurricane
…
| Title |
GOES-10 Imagery of Hurricane Katrina: Full Disk Longwave Infrared (WMS) |
| Abstract |
The GOES-10 satellite sits at 135 degrees west longitude at an altitude of 36,000 kilometers over the equator, in geosynchronous orbit. At this position its Imager instrument takes pictures of cloud patterns in several wavelengths for the Pacific Ocean, a primary measurement used in weather forecasting. Every three hours the Imager takes a picture of the full disk of the Earth. This animation shows a sequence of these full disk images in the longwave infrared wavelengths, from 10.2 to 11.2 microns, during the period that Hurricane Katrina passed through the Gulf of Mexico. This wavelength band is the most common one for observing cloud motions and severe storms throughout the day and night. |
| Completed |
2005-08-29 |
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