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Dust Storm over the Mediterr …
Title Dust Storm over the Mediterranean Sea
Description The Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) observed this large cloud of dust (brownish pixels) blowing from northern Africa across the Mediterranean Sea on March 4, 2002. The dust can be seen clearly blowing across Southern Italy, Albania, Greece, and Turkey?all along the Mediterranean?s northeastern shoreline. Notice that there also appears to be human-made aerosol pollution (greyish pixels) pooling in the air just south of the Italian Alps and blowing southeastward over the Adriatic Sea. The Alps can be easily identified as the crescent-shaped, snow-capped mountain range in the top center of this true-color scene. There also appears to be a similar haze over Austria, Hungary, and Yugoslavia to the north and east of Italy. SeaWiFS image courtesy the SeaWiFS Project, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/redirect?http://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEAWIFS.html ] NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, and ORBIMAGE
Fires in Italy
Title Fires in Italy
Description In Italy and neighboring southern European countries, extreme heat exacerbated dozens of forest fires burning across the country. According to news reports, many of the fires were started by people hoping to lay claim to the degraded land for new construction. This image of Italy was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite on July 24, 2007, and places where the sensor detected actively burning fires are marked in red. Several fires are large enough to spread smoke over the Adriatic Sea. The extreme heat in southern Europe and the devastating flooding in the United Kingdom are linked to an unusually southern position of the jet stream, which is bringing hot air from Africa to southern Europe and causing storms to track across the United Kingdom. Fires are also burning across the Balkans. [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14406 ] The high-resolution image provided above has a spatial resolution of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides this image in a variety of resolutions. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center
San Marino Enclave in Italy
Title San Marino Enclave in Italy
Description With an area of just 61 square kilometers (23.5 square miles), Serenissima Repubblica di San Marino (Italian for "Most Serene Republic of San Marino") is the third-littlest country in Europe, behind Monaco and Vatican City. With a population of just over 28,000 as of January 2005, it is also one of the least populous nations in the world. Located in the northern part of the Italian Peninsula, near the Adriatic Sea, this tiny nation is surrounded by Italy. On June 7, 2001, the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite took this picture of San Marino and the part of Italy immediately surrounding it. The image shows a combination of vegetation (bright green), and buildings, pavement, and bare rock (blue-gray to white). Purplish-gray polygons are probably fallow agricultural land. Overhead, fluffy white clouds cast their charcoal-colored shadows over the land surface. The Apennine Mountains give the region a rough terrain, and the limestone Monte Titano dominates the area, with a fort perched on each of the mountain's three summits. According to legend, San Marino [ http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761565721/San_Marino.html ] is the world's oldest surviving republic, dating back to 301. The original city sits atop Monte Titano. Today, however, development has spread throughout the republic, evidenced by the many areas of blue-gray and the meandering roads. Tourism has brought prosperity to this small republic, but historically, its rugged terrain and lack of wealth may have helped it escape the unwanted attention of potential invaders. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and the U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]
Fires in Southern Europe
Title Fires in Southern Europe
Description Wildfires across the Balkans were filling the skies with smoke in late July 2007. This image of the area 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 29, 2007. Places where the sensor detected actively burning fires are marked with red dots. Thick smoke blows southward hundreds of kilometers from the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. The large image provided above has a spatial resolution (level of detail) of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides twice-daily [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?Europe_3_03/ ] images of the region in additional resolutions. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center
Fires in the Balkans
Title Fires in the Balkans
Description This Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image from the Terra satellite shows fires (red dots) across Italy (left) and the Baltic countries along the east coast of the Adriatic Sea (upper left). This image was captured on August 13, 2003. The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at MODIS' maximum spatial resolution of 250 meters. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Fires in the Balkans
Title Fires in the Balkans
Description On Tuesday, March 25, 2003, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite captured this image of widespread fires (red dots) across the Balkans. At lower left is the Adriatic Sea (and Italy), and at bottom right is the Aegean Sea. The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at MODIS? maximum spatial resolution of 250 meters. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Fires in the Balkans
Title Fires in the Balkans
Description Scattered fires (red dots) were detected across the Balkans on March 26, 2003, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite. Countries shown include Italy (left center edge), Greece (below center), and Turkey (right edge). At upper right is the Black Sea, at center is the Aegean Sea, at upper left is the Adriatic Sea, and at bottom left is the Mediterranean Sea. North of Turkey are Bulgaria and Romania. Moving clockwise from top left are Croatia, Yugoslavia, Macedonia, and Albania. The bounded area to the north of Albania is now part of Yugoslavia. North is Bosnia-Herzegovina. The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at MODIS' maximum spatial resolution of 250 meters. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC
Flooding in Croatia
Title Flooding in Croatia
Description Inky black splotches along Croatia?s Sava River show where the river has expanded in a springtime flood. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] (MODIS) on the Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite recorded the top scene on March 29, 2004 [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2004089-0329/Bosnia.A2004089.1000.721 ]. The region had recently been inundated with heavy rains, which undoubtedly were partially responsible for the floods. However, a Terra MODIS image taken on March 18 [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2004078-0318/Bosnia.A2004078.1020.721 ], hints that melting snow also contributed to the rising waters. On March 18, snow, shown in light blue in the false-color scenes, covered the Dinaric Alps along the Adriatic Sea. By March 29, most of the snow was gone. The high resolution images provided above are at MODIS? maximum resolution of 250 meter per pixel. Both the March 29 [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2004089-0329/Bosnia.A2004089.1000 ] image and the March 18 [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2004078-0318/Bosnia.A2004078.1020 ] image are also available in true-color. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC
Flooding in Croatia
Title Flooding in Croatia
Description Inky black splotches along Croatia?s Sava River show where the river has expanded in a springtime flood. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] (MODIS) on the Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite recorded the top scene on March 29, 2004 [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2004089-0329/Bosnia.A2004089.1000.721 ]. The region had recently been inundated with heavy rains, which undoubtedly were partially responsible for the floods. However, a Terra MODIS image taken on March 18 [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2004078-0318/Bosnia.A2004078.1020.721 ], hints that melting snow also contributed to the rising waters. On March 18, snow, shown in light blue in the false-color scenes, covered the Dinaric Alps along the Adriatic Sea. By March 29, most of the snow was gone. The high resolution images provided above are at MODIS? maximum resolution of 250 meter per pixel. Both the March 29 [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2004089-0329/Bosnia.A2004089.1000 ] image and the March 18 [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2004078-0318/Bosnia.A2004078.1020 ] image are also available in true-color. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC
Floods in Albania
Title Floods in Albania
Description The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite detected signs of flooding in Albania on December 4, 2005, top image. Muddy water, clouded with sediment from storm run-off, colors the coastal waters of the Adriatic Sea a brilliant blue. On land, swollen rivers form a faint web of pale blue where only green vegetation existed on November 13, 2005, lower image. According to news reports, the floods were caused by heavy rains on December 2. Clouds, blue and white in these false-color images, still covered much of the country on December 4. The large images provided above have a resolution of 250 meters per pixel, MODIS maximum resolution. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/fas/?Europe_3_03/2005338 ] of the region in a variety of resolutions. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC.
Floods in Albania
Title Floods in Albania
Description The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite detected signs of flooding in Albania on December 4, 2005, top image. Muddy water, clouded with sediment from storm run-off, colors the coastal waters of the Adriatic Sea a brilliant blue. On land, swollen rivers form a faint web of pale blue where only green vegetation existed on November 13, 2005, lower image. According to news reports, the floods were caused by heavy rains on December 2. Clouds, blue and white in these false-color images, still covered much of the country on December 4. The large images provided above have a resolution of 250 meters per pixel, MODIS maximum resolution. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/fas/?Europe_3_03/2005338 ] of the region in a variety of resolutions. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC.
Fires in Italy: Natural Haza …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
In Italy and neighboring sou …
Italy_AMO_2007205
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2007-07-24
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier Italy_AMO_2007205
Floods in Albania: Natural H …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
* eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/ima …
Albania_AMO_2005338
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2005-12-04
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier Albania_AMO_2005338
Flooding in Croatia: Natural …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
* eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/ima …
Bosnia_TMO2004078
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2004-03-29
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier Bosnia_TMO2004078
Fires in the Balkans: Natura …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Scattered fires (red dots) w …
Greece.TMOA2003085
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2003-03-26
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier Greece.TMOA2003085
Fires in the Balkans: Natura …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
This modis.gsfc.nasa.gov Mod …
Balkans.TMOA2003225
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2003-08-13
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier Balkans.TMOA2003225
Fires in the Balkans: Natura …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
On Tuesday, March 25, 2003, …
Balkans.AMOA2003084
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2003-03-25
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier Balkans.AMOA2003084
Aerosols over Central and Ea …
PIA04325
Sol (our sun)
Multi-angle Imaging SpectroR …
Title Aerosols over Central and Eastern Europe
Original Caption Released with Image Particulate air pollution is a complex mixture of particles of varying origins and compositions. Determining the type and abundance of tiny airborne particles, known as aerosols, is needed for monitoring air quality and for understanding climate change. During the last weeks of March 2003, unusually high and widespread aerosol pollution was detected over Europe by several satellite-borne instruments. The Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument aboard NASA's Terra satellite determines aerosol amount and information about particle properties by examining the variation in scene brightness at different view angles. These images and data products illustrate the amount of aerosols on two dates over parts of Central and Eastern Europe, from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Adriatic Sea in the south. Two groups of three panels are shown. Within each group, the left and center views are natural-color images from MISR's vertical-viewing (nadir) and most obliquely forward-viewing cameras, respectively, and the right-hand panel is a map of retrieved aerosol amount, parameterized by a quantity called the optical depth. A color scale is used to represent this quantity, and high aerosol amount is indicated by yellow or green pixels, and clearer skies are indicated by blue pixels. The left-hand group of panels is comprised of data acquired on February 23, 2003, when most of the land area was still partially frozen. The right-hand group of panels portrays the same area about one month later, on March 27. The nadir camera enables surface features to stand out most clearly, whereas MISR's oblique cameras enhance sensitivity to even thin layers of aerosols. In the March image, the only strong indications of haze from the nadir view are the thin tendrils of grayish pixels over the dark waters of the Baltic Sea. Although aerosols are conventionally difficult to discern over bright surfaces, MISR is able to produce an aerosol abundance map for both the earlier snow-covered scene and for the later date, though fewer successful retrievals were obtained in the winter data. Skies were relatively clear in the earlier view, and the high optical depths implied by the red pixels are probably blunders due either to the homogeneity of the underlying snow-covered surface or the presence of unscreened clouds. In contrast, the March data show a thick haze over most of the lower-elevation parts of the observed area. Optical depths are relatively lower over the Julian Alps and the mountains of western Croatia (just north of the Adriatic), whereas higher abundances are observed to the north of the mountains and over eastern Croatia. There is a gradual transition from higher optical depths in western Poland to lower optical depths in Lithuania and along the eastern coast of the Baltic. Higher optical depths are also indicated over much of Hungary, Slovakia and eastern Austria. Places where clouds or other factors precluded an aerosol retrieval are otherwise shown in, dark gray. An overview [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=8637 ] of the haze extent and meteorological conditions for March 28, 2003 is also available from the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) sensor. The Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer observes the daylit Earth continuously and every 9 days views the entire globe between 82 degrees north and 82 degrees south latitude. These data products were generated from a portion of the imagery acquired during Terra orbits 16937 and 17403. The panels cover an area of about 380 kilometers x 1775 kilometers, and use data from blocks 43 to 55 within World Reference System-2 path 190. MISR was built and is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory,Pasadena, CA, for NASA's Office of Earth Science, Washington, DC. The Terra satellite is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center,Greenbelt, MD. JPL is a division of the California Institute ofTechnology.
AIRS First Light Data: Easte …
PIA00326
Sol (our sun)
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder …
Title AIRS First Light Data: Eastern Mediterranean, June 14, 2002
Original Caption Released with Image Four images of the Mediterranean obtained concurrently on June 14, 2002 from the three instruments that make up the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder experiment system aboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft. The system features thousands of individual channels that observe Earth in the visible, infrared and microwave spectral regions. Each channel has a unique sensitivity to temperature, moisture, surface conditions and clouds. This visible light image from the AIRS instrument shows a band of white clouds extending from the Adriatic Sea over Greece to the Black Sea. The AIRS image (figure 1) at 900 cm-1 (11 micrometers) measures actual surface or cloud top temperatures. In it, land and ocean boundaries are well defined, with land appearing as warmer (darker red) than the ocean. The band of cold high cumulus clouds appears blue, with the darkest blue most likely a large thunderstorm. The 150 gigahertz channel from the Humidity Sounder for Brazil instrument (figure 2) is sensitive to moisture, ice particles and precipitation. The dry land temperature is comparable to the 11 micrometer temperatures, but over ocean this channel measures the temperature of moisture in the mid troposphere. The cold, blue areas off Sicily and in the Aegean Sea represent unusually dry areas over the ocean. There, clouds appear as green filaments--likely areas of precipitation. The 31.4 gigahertz channel from the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit instrument (figure 3) is not affected by clouds. NASA's Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft, began sending high quality data on June 12, 2002. This "first light" data is exceeding the expectations of scientists, confirming that the AIRS experiment is well on its way to meeting its goals of improving weather forecasting, establishing the connection between severe weather and climate change, determining if the global water cycle is accelerating, and detecting the effects of increased greenhouse gases. The AIRS sounding suite is a tightly integrated remote sensing system that will be used to create global three-dimensional maps of temperature, humidity and clouds in the Earth's atmosphere with unprecedented accuracy. This will lead to better weather forecasts as well as a wealth of data that will be used to study and characterize and eventually predict the global climate. The AIRS system is made up of three of the six Aqua instruments - AIRS itself, which is an infrared sounder with an unprecedented 2378 spectral channels, complemented with a 4-channel visible/near-infrared imaging module, AMSU-A, which is a 15-channel microwave temperature sounder, and HSB, which is a 4-channel microwave humidity sounder. These instruments are carefully aligned with each other and scan the atmosphere in a synchronized way, giving us simultaneous multispectral views of a highly variable target. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder is an instrument onboard NASA's Aqua satellite under the space agency's Earth Observing, System. The sounding system is making highly accurate measurements of air temperature, humidity, clouds and surface temperature. Data will be used to better understand weather and climate. It will also be used by the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to improve the accuracy of their weather and climate models. The instrument was designed and built by Lockheed Infrared Imaging Systems (recently acquired by British Aerospace) under contract with JPL. The Aqua satellite mission is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
AIRS First Light Data: Easte …
PIA00326
Sol (our sun)
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder …
Title AIRS First Light Data: Eastern Mediterranean, June 14, 2002
Original Caption Released with Image Four images of the Mediterranean obtained concurrently on June 14, 2002 from the three instruments that make up the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder experiment system aboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft. The system features thousands of individual channels that observe Earth in the visible, infrared and microwave spectral regions. Each channel has a unique sensitivity to temperature, moisture, surface conditions and clouds. This visible light image from the AIRS instrument shows a band of white clouds extending from the Adriatic Sea over Greece to the Black Sea. The AIRS image (figure 1) at 900 cm-1 (11 micrometers) measures actual surface or cloud top temperatures. In it, land and ocean boundaries are well defined, with land appearing as warmer (darker red) than the ocean. The band of cold high cumulus clouds appears blue, with the darkest blue most likely a large thunderstorm. The 150 gigahertz channel from the Humidity Sounder for Brazil instrument (figure 2) is sensitive to moisture, ice particles and precipitation. The dry land temperature is comparable to the 11 micrometer temperatures, but over ocean this channel measures the temperature of moisture in the mid troposphere. The cold, blue areas off Sicily and in the Aegean Sea represent unusually dry areas over the ocean. There, clouds appear as green filaments--likely areas of precipitation. The 31.4 gigahertz channel from the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit instrument (figure 3) is not affected by clouds. NASA's Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft, began sending high quality data on June 12, 2002. This "first light" data is exceeding the expectations of scientists, confirming that the AIRS experiment is well on its way to meeting its goals of improving weather forecasting, establishing the connection between severe weather and climate change, determining if the global water cycle is accelerating, and detecting the effects of increased greenhouse gases. The AIRS sounding suite is a tightly integrated remote sensing system that will be used to create global three-dimensional maps of temperature, humidity and clouds in the Earth's atmosphere with unprecedented accuracy. This will lead to better weather forecasts as well as a wealth of data that will be used to study and characterize and eventually predict the global climate. The AIRS system is made up of three of the six Aqua instruments - AIRS itself, which is an infrared sounder with an unprecedented 2378 spectral channels, complemented with a 4-channel visible/near-infrared imaging module, AMSU-A, which is a 15-channel microwave temperature sounder, and HSB, which is a 4-channel microwave humidity sounder. These instruments are carefully aligned with each other and scan the atmosphere in a synchronized way, giving us simultaneous multispectral views of a highly variable target. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder is an instrument onboard NASA's Aqua satellite under the space agency's Earth Observing, System. The sounding system is making highly accurate measurements of air temperature, humidity, clouds and surface temperature. Data will be used to better understand weather and climate. It will also be used by the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to improve the accuracy of their weather and climate models. The instrument was designed and built by Lockheed Infrared Imaging Systems (recently acquired by British Aerospace) under contract with JPL. The Aqua satellite mission is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
AIRS First Light Data: Easte …
PIA00326
Sol (our sun)
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder …
Title AIRS First Light Data: Eastern Mediterranean, June 14, 2002
Original Caption Released with Image Four images of the Mediterranean obtained concurrently on June 14, 2002 from the three instruments that make up the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder experiment system aboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft. The system features thousands of individual channels that observe Earth in the visible, infrared and microwave spectral regions. Each channel has a unique sensitivity to temperature, moisture, surface conditions and clouds. This visible light image from the AIRS instrument shows a band of white clouds extending from the Adriatic Sea over Greece to the Black Sea. The AIRS image (figure 1) at 900 cm-1 (11 micrometers) measures actual surface or cloud top temperatures. In it, land and ocean boundaries are well defined, with land appearing as warmer (darker red) than the ocean. The band of cold high cumulus clouds appears blue, with the darkest blue most likely a large thunderstorm. The 150 gigahertz channel from the Humidity Sounder for Brazil instrument (figure 2) is sensitive to moisture, ice particles and precipitation. The dry land temperature is comparable to the 11 micrometer temperatures, but over ocean this channel measures the temperature of moisture in the mid troposphere. The cold, blue areas off Sicily and in the Aegean Sea represent unusually dry areas over the ocean. There, clouds appear as green filaments--likely areas of precipitation. The 31.4 gigahertz channel from the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit instrument (figure 3) is not affected by clouds. NASA's Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft, began sending high quality data on June 12, 2002. This "first light" data is exceeding the expectations of scientists, confirming that the AIRS experiment is well on its way to meeting its goals of improving weather forecasting, establishing the connection between severe weather and climate change, determining if the global water cycle is accelerating, and detecting the effects of increased greenhouse gases. The AIRS sounding suite is a tightly integrated remote sensing system that will be used to create global three-dimensional maps of temperature, humidity and clouds in the Earth's atmosphere with unprecedented accuracy. This will lead to better weather forecasts as well as a wealth of data that will be used to study and characterize and eventually predict the global climate. The AIRS system is made up of three of the six Aqua instruments - AIRS itself, which is an infrared sounder with an unprecedented 2378 spectral channels, complemented with a 4-channel visible/near-infrared imaging module, AMSU-A, which is a 15-channel microwave temperature sounder, and HSB, which is a 4-channel microwave humidity sounder. These instruments are carefully aligned with each other and scan the atmosphere in a synchronized way, giving us simultaneous multispectral views of a highly variable target. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder is an instrument onboard NASA's Aqua satellite under the space agency's Earth Observing, System. The sounding system is making highly accurate measurements of air temperature, humidity, clouds and surface temperature. Data will be used to better understand weather and climate. It will also be used by the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to improve the accuracy of their weather and climate models. The instrument was designed and built by Lockheed Infrared Imaging Systems (recently acquired by British Aerospace) under contract with JPL. The Aqua satellite mission is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
AIRS First Light Data: Easte …
PIA00326
Sol (our sun)
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder …
Title AIRS First Light Data: Eastern Mediterranean, June 14, 2002
Original Caption Released with Image Four images of the Mediterranean obtained concurrently on June 14, 2002 from the three instruments that make up the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder experiment system aboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft. The system features thousands of individual channels that observe Earth in the visible, infrared and microwave spectral regions. Each channel has a unique sensitivity to temperature, moisture, surface conditions and clouds. This visible light image from the AIRS instrument shows a band of white clouds extending from the Adriatic Sea over Greece to the Black Sea. The AIRS image (figure 1) at 900 cm-1 (11 micrometers) measures actual surface or cloud top temperatures. In it, land and ocean boundaries are well defined, with land appearing as warmer (darker red) than the ocean. The band of cold high cumulus clouds appears blue, with the darkest blue most likely a large thunderstorm. The 150 gigahertz channel from the Humidity Sounder for Brazil instrument (figure 2) is sensitive to moisture, ice particles and precipitation. The dry land temperature is comparable to the 11 micrometer temperatures, but over ocean this channel measures the temperature of moisture in the mid troposphere. The cold, blue areas off Sicily and in the Aegean Sea represent unusually dry areas over the ocean. There, clouds appear as green filaments--likely areas of precipitation. The 31.4 gigahertz channel from the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit instrument (figure 3) is not affected by clouds. NASA's Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft, began sending high quality data on June 12, 2002. This "first light" data is exceeding the expectations of scientists, confirming that the AIRS experiment is well on its way to meeting its goals of improving weather forecasting, establishing the connection between severe weather and climate change, determining if the global water cycle is accelerating, and detecting the effects of increased greenhouse gases. The AIRS sounding suite is a tightly integrated remote sensing system that will be used to create global three-dimensional maps of temperature, humidity and clouds in the Earth's atmosphere with unprecedented accuracy. This will lead to better weather forecasts as well as a wealth of data that will be used to study and characterize and eventually predict the global climate. The AIRS system is made up of three of the six Aqua instruments - AIRS itself, which is an infrared sounder with an unprecedented 2378 spectral channels, complemented with a 4-channel visible/near-infrared imaging module, AMSU-A, which is a 15-channel microwave temperature sounder, and HSB, which is a 4-channel microwave humidity sounder. These instruments are carefully aligned with each other and scan the atmosphere in a synchronized way, giving us simultaneous multispectral views of a highly variable target. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder is an instrument onboard NASA's Aqua satellite under the space agency's Earth Observing, System. The sounding system is making highly accurate measurements of air temperature, humidity, clouds and surface temperature. Data will be used to better understand weather and climate. It will also be used by the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to improve the accuracy of their weather and climate models. The instrument was designed and built by Lockheed Infrared Imaging Systems (recently acquired by British Aerospace) under contract with JPL. The Aqua satellite mission is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
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