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Floods in Turkey
Title Floods in Turkey
Description The swollen rivers of Western Turkey cut dark blue ribbons across the brilliant green landscape of this false-color Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] (MODIS) image. Starting on January 22, 2004, a rare winter storm [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=11924 ] blanketed Western Turkey with snow. The equivalent of a month?s precipitation fell around Istanbul in just 24 hours. By February 7, when the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite acquired this image, most of the snow had melted, filling the rivers that flow into the Aegean Sea. The Meric (Evros) River in the top left corner, and the Menderes River in the bottom third of the image seem particularly full. Only patches of snow, which appear light blue in this image, remain in the higher elevations. The high resolution image above has a resolution of 500 meters per pixel. The image is available in additional resolutions [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2004038-0207/Turkey.A2004038.1110.721 ], including MODIS? maximum resolution of 250 meters per pixel. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC
Floods in Turkey, Greece, Bu …
Title Floods in Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria
Description Days of heavy rain triggered floods across parts of western Turkey, eastern Greece, and southeastern Bulgaria in November 2007. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) flying on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image of floods in the border region of the three countries on November 22. The Evros River, called the Meriç River in Turkey, flows from Bulgaria south along the border between Turkey and Greece and into the Aegean Sea. Normally visible only by the strip of green that lines the river's banks, the river paints a wide blue line along the border. Flowing into the Evros/Meriç from the east, the Ergene River is similarly flooded, as are a number of other tributaries, including the Ardas. Both the November 22 image and the November 9 image (provided to show the rivers under normal conditions) were made with a combination of visible and infrared light. This combination allows water, even murky flood water, to stand out from the land. Water is black, though in this case, mud colors the water blue. Reminders of the storm that caused the floods, white and pale blue clouds are scattered over the flood scene. Plant-covered land is bright green, and bare earth is tan. The bare rocks of the mountainous landscape were brick red on November 9, but at least partly covered over by plants by November 22. Hundreds of homes and businesses flooded in the Evros region of Greece, forcing the evacuation of two villages, said the Dartmouth Flood Observatory. [ http://www.dartmouth.edu/%7efloods/Archives/2007sum.htm ] Outside of the area shown in this image, additional flooding inundated the cities of Bodrum and Marmaris in western Turkey and the Montana region of Bulgaria.Daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/fas/?Europe_3_03/2007326 ] of Turkey, Greece, and Bulgaria are available from the MODIS Rapid Response System. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC.
Forest Fire in Greece
Title Forest Fire in Greece
Description South of the city in Thessaloniki in north-central Greece, a large forest fire forced thousands of people to evacuate the southern tip of the Kasandra Peninsula on August 21, 2006. The racing fire forced people to the coastline of the popular tourist area, where many were evacuated by boats. This image of the fire was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite on August 22. The locations where MODIS detected actively burning fire are outlined in red. Smoke spreads east and south over the Aegean Sea. 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/?AERONET_Thessaloniki/ ] of the area at additional resolutions. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center.
Dust Plume off the Coast of …
Title Dust Plume off the Coast of Northern Africa
Description Dust blew off the African coast and over the Mediterranean Sea on June 9, 2007. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite captured this image the same day. In this image, the opaque tan dust plume billows off the coast, along the Libya-Egypt border, in a shape vaguely resembling a giant inverted teardrop. Directly north of the dust plume lies the island of Kriti (Crete). North of that, much smaller islands dot the Aegean Sea. Pale streamers sweep southward from these islands, from a cause that appears unrelated to the dust plume. The streamers may be "wind shadows" on the ocean surface highlighted by sunglint that results from the Sun's light bouncing off the water's surface and into the satellite sensor. You can download a 250-meter-resolution KMZ file [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Jun2007/nafrica_tmo_2007160.kmz ] of the dust storm for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html ] NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team.
Fires in Southern Europe
Title Fires in Southern Europe
Description Scores of large fires dotted the Balkan Peninsula on July 25, 2007, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this photo-like image. The fires, represented by red dots, pumped out thick plumes of smoke that blanketed the region with haze. A thin, white-gray pall of smoke hangs over the Ionian Sea southwest of Greece, and additional smoke covers the Black Sea in the northeast (visible in the large image). The Aegean Sea to the east of Greece likely also had smoke-filled skies, but sunlight reflecting off the surface of the water masks the haze from view in this image. Aqua MODIS observed additional large fires in Italy on July 24. The fires caused a state of emergency in Macedonia, and Greece put its northern forests under constant watch fearing further fire outbreaks, reported BBC News [ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6915157.stm ] on July 25. The fires were fueled by extreme, desiccating heat starting in mid-July. Super-hot air pushed north from Africa and settled over much of southeastern Europe, where temperatures climbed above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). As many 500 died in the heat in Hungary (north of the area shown here), and the high demand for power caused black-outs in Greece, Kosovo, and Montenegro, said the BBC. The large image provided above is at MODIS' maximum resolution of 250 meters per pixel. The image is available in additional resolutions from the MODIS Rapid Response System. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at 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
Moonrise, Cape Sounion, Gree …
Title Moonrise, Cape Sounion, Greece
Explanation The Moon was full this month on June 22nd, only a day after the northern hemisphere's summer solstice. Since this solstice marked [ http://www.archaeoastronomy.com/index.shtml ] the northernmost point of the Sun's annual [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap040621.html ] motion through planet Earth's sky [ http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/time/ coordinates.html ], the full Moon rising near the ecliptic plane [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050503.html ] opposite the Sun was at its farthest south for the year. Only a month earlier, on May 23rd, astronomer Anthony Ayiomamitis recorded this picture [ http://www.perseus.gr/Astro-Lunar-Scenes-Sounion-01.htm ] of another southerly full Moon rising above Cape Sounion, Greece. The twenty-four hundred year old Temple of Poseidon [ http://www.culture.gr/2/21/211/21102a/e211ba07.html ] lies in the foreground, also visible [ http://www.utexas.edu/courses/introtogreece/ lecture01/img2cpsounwtmp.html ] to sailors on the Aegean Sea. In this well-planned, single exposure, a long telephoto lens makes the Moon loom large, but even without optical aid casual skygazers often find the full Moon [ http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/java/MoonPhase.html ] looking astonishingly large when seen near the horizon. That powerful visual effect is known as the Moon Illusion [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap031011.html ].
Fires in Southern Europe: Na …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Scores of large fires dotted …
Greece_AMO_2007206
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2007-07-25
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier Greece_AMO_2007206
Floods in Turkey, Greece, Bu …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
* eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/ima …
Turkey_TMO_2007326
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2007-11-22
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier Turkey_TMO_2007326
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
Floods in Turkey: Natural Ha …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
The swollen rivers of Wester …
Turkey_AMO2004038
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2004-02-07
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier Turkey_AMO2004038
Forest Fire in Greece: Natur …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
South of the city in Thessal …
ge_17231
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2006-08-22
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier ge_17231
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
Summer Aerosols over Greece
PIA04336
Sol (our sun)
Title Summer Aerosols over Greece
Original Caption Released with Image Strong synoptic winds usually help to disperse pollutants over the skies of Greece and the Aegean Sea during winter months, and in late summer relatively strong northerly winds typically prevent significant aerosol influx from the south. During the summer of 2002, the northerly Etesian winds were exceptionally weak, allowing Sahara dust from the south to reach the Aegean region. This resulted in elevated aerosol levels, particularly in the month of July. The abundance of aerosol over Greece and the Aegean Sea on four dates during the summer of 2002 are illustrated by these images from the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR). In the natural-color images (the left-hand panel of each pair), it is apparent that aerosol particles are more abundant over the region on the two dates in July than in either June or August. These natural-color views were acquired by MISR's 70-degree forward-viewing camera. The top and bottom views depict overlapping parts of mainland Greece and the Aegean, with the bottom panels covering a region to the west of the top panels. Data from each of the four dates have been processed identically, and relative brightness variations between the views are preserved. MISR retrieves information on aerosol amount and particle properties by using the changes in scene brightness and contrast at nine widely-spaced view angles and four spectral bands. The right-hand panel of each image pair is a map of retrieved aerosol amount, parameterized by a quantity called aerosol optical depth. A color scale is used to represent this quantity. Higher amounts of aerosol within the total column of the atmosphere are indicated by green, yellow or orange pixels, and clearer skies are indicated by purple and blue pixels. Dark gray pixels indicate places where clouds or other factors precluded an aerosol retrieval. The Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer observes the daylit Earth continuously from pole to pole, and every 9 days views the entire globe between 82 degrees north and 82 degrees south latitude. This data product was generated from a portion of the imagery acquired during Terra orbits 13325, 13558, 13660 and 14126. The panels utilize data from blocks 59 to 62 within World Reference System-2 paths 182 and 183. 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 of Technology.
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.
Islands in the Midst of the …
PIA03725
Sol (our sun)
Multi-angle Imaging SpectroR …
Title Islands in the Midst of the World
Original Caption Released with Image The Greek islands of the Aegean Sea, scattered across 800 kilometers from north to south and between Greece and western Turkey, are uniquely situated at the intersection of Europe, Asia and Africa. This image from the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer includes many of the islands of the East Aegean, Sporades, Cyclades, Dodecanese and Crete, as well as part of mainland Turkey. Many sites important to ancient and modern history can be found here. The largest modern city in the Aegean coast is Izmir, situated about one quarter of the image length from the top, southeast of the large three-pronged island of Lesvos. Izmir can be located as a bright coastal area near the greenish waters of the Izmir Bay, about one quarter of the image length from the top, southeast of Lesvos. The coastal areas around this cosmopolitan Turkish city were a center of Ionian culture from the 11th century BC, and at the top of the image (north of Lesvos), once stood the ancient city of Troy. The image was acquired before the onset of the winter rains, on September 30, 2001, but dense vegetation is never very abundant in the arid Mediterranean climate. The sharpness and clarity of the view also indicate dry, clear air. Some vegetative changes can be detected between the western or southern islands such as Crete (the large island along the bottom of the image) and those closer to the Turkish coast which appear comparatively green. Volcanic activities are evident by the form of the islands of Santorini. This small group of islands shaped like a broken ring are situated to the right and below image center. Santorini's Thera volcano erupted around 1640 BC, and the rim of the caldera collapsed, forming the shape of the islands as they exist today. The Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer observes the daylit Earth continuously from pole to pole, and views almost the entire globe every 9 days. This natural-color image was acquired by MISR's nadir (vertical-viewing) camera, and is a portion of the data acquired during Terra orbit 9495. The image covers an area of 369 kilometers x 567 kilometers, and utilizes data from blocks 58 to 64 within World Reference System-2 path 181. 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 of Technology.
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