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Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv …
Title Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images
General Information What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ]
Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniv …
Title Hubble Celebrates 15th Anniversary with Spectacular New Images
General Information What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ]
Hubble Finds Mysterious Disk …
Title Hubble Finds Mysterious Disk of Blue Stars Around Black Hole
Nearby Dust Clouds in the Mi …
Title Nearby Dust Clouds in the Milky Way
General Information What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has photographed dense knots of dust and gas in our Milky Way Galaxy. This cosmic dust is a concentration of elements that are responsible for the formation of stars in our galaxy and throughout the universe. These dark, opaque knots of gas and dust are called "Bok globules," and they are absorbing light in the center of the nearby emission nebula and star-forming region, NGC 281. These images were taken with Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys in October 2005. NGC 281 is located nearly 9,500 light-years away in the direction of the constellation Cassiopeia.
2007 Arctic Sea Ice from AMS …
Title 2007 Arctic Sea Ice from AMSR-E with Alaska in Foreground
Abstract Sea ice is frozen seawater floating on the surface of the ocean. Some sea ice is semi-permanent, persisting from year to year, and some is seasonal, melting and refreezing from season to season. The sea ice cover reaches its minimum extent at the end of each summer and the remaining ice is called the perennial ice cover. The 2007 Arctic summer sea ice has reached the lowest extent of perennial ice cover on record - nearly 25% less than the previous low set in 2005. The area of the perennial ice has been steadily decreasing since the satellite record began in 1979, at a rate of about 10% per decade. But the 2007 minimum, reached on September 14, is far below the previous record made in 2005 and is about 38% lower than the climatological average. Such a dramatic loss has implications for ecology, climate and industry. The AMSR-E instrument on the Aqua satellite acquires high resolution measurements of the 89 GHz brightness temperature near the poles. Because this is a passive microwave sensor which is not so sensitive to atmospheric effects, this sensor is able to observe the entire polar region every day, even through clouds and snowfall. This animation progresses at a rate of six frames per day from January 1, 2007 through the minimum extent which occurred on September 14, 2007. The false color of the sea ice, derived from the AMSR-E 6.25 km 89 GHz brightness temperature, highlights the fissures or divergence areas in the sea ice cover by warm brightness temperatures (in blue) while cold brightness temperatures, shown in brighter white, represent consolidated sea ice. The sea ice edge is defined by the 15% ice concentration contour in the three-day moving average of the AMSR-E 12.5 km sea ice concentration data while ice extent is the sum of all pixels with at least 15% ice. An image of the sea ice on September 14, 2007 is included below, along with a corresponding image from September 21, 2005 showing the previous minimum sea ice extent.
Completed 2007-09-11
2007 Arctic Sea Ice from AMS …
Title 2007 Arctic Sea Ice from AMSR-E with Alaska in Foreground
Abstract Sea ice is frozen seawater floating on the surface of the ocean. Some sea ice is semi-permanent, persisting from year to year, and some is seasonal, melting and refreezing from season to season. The sea ice cover reaches its minimum extent at the end of each summer and the remaining ice is called the perennial ice cover. The 2007 Arctic summer sea ice has reached the lowest extent of perennial ice cover on record - nearly 25% less than the previous low set in 2005. The area of the perennial ice has been steadily decreasing since the satellite record began in 1979, at a rate of about 10% per decade. But the 2007 minimum, reached on September 14, is far below the previous record made in 2005 and is about 38% lower than the climatological average. Such a dramatic loss has implications for ecology, climate and industry. The AMSR-E instrument on the Aqua satellite acquires high resolution measurements of the 89 GHz brightness temperature near the poles. Because this is a passive microwave sensor which is not so sensitive to atmospheric effects, this sensor is able to observe the entire polar region every day, even through clouds and snowfall. This animation progresses at a rate of six frames per day from January 1, 2007 through the minimum extent which occurred on September 14, 2007. The false color of the sea ice, derived from the AMSR-E 6.25 km 89 GHz brightness temperature, highlights the fissures or divergence areas in the sea ice cover by warm brightness temperatures (in blue) while cold brightness temperatures, shown in brighter white, represent consolidated sea ice. The sea ice edge is defined by the 15% ice concentration contour in the three-day moving average of the AMSR-E 12.5 km sea ice concentration data while ice extent is the sum of all pixels with at least 15% ice. An image of the sea ice on September 14, 2007 is included below, along with a corresponding image from September 21, 2005 showing the previous minimum sea ice extent.
Completed 2007-09-11
2007 Arctic Sea Ice from AMS …
Title 2007 Arctic Sea Ice from AMSR-E with Alaska in Foreground
Abstract Sea ice is frozen seawater floating on the surface of the ocean. Some sea ice is semi-permanent, persisting from year to year, and some is seasonal, melting and refreezing from season to season. The sea ice cover reaches its minimum extent at the end of each summer and the remaining ice is called the perennial ice cover. The 2007 Arctic summer sea ice has reached the lowest extent of perennial ice cover on record - nearly 25% less than the previous low set in 2005. The area of the perennial ice has been steadily decreasing since the satellite record began in 1979, at a rate of about 10% per decade. But the 2007 minimum, reached on September 14, is far below the previous record made in 2005 and is about 38% lower than the climatological average. Such a dramatic loss has implications for ecology, climate and industry. The AMSR-E instrument on the Aqua satellite acquires high resolution measurements of the 89 GHz brightness temperature near the poles. Because this is a passive microwave sensor which is not so sensitive to atmospheric effects, this sensor is able to observe the entire polar region every day, even through clouds and snowfall. This animation progresses at a rate of six frames per day from January 1, 2007 through the minimum extent which occurred on September 14, 2007. The false color of the sea ice, derived from the AMSR-E 6.25 km 89 GHz brightness temperature, highlights the fissures or divergence areas in the sea ice cover by warm brightness temperatures (in blue) while cold brightness temperatures, shown in brighter white, represent consolidated sea ice. The sea ice edge is defined by the 15% ice concentration contour in the three-day moving average of the AMSR-E 12.5 km sea ice concentration data while ice extent is the sum of all pixels with at least 15% ice. An image of the sea ice on September 14, 2007 is included below, along with a corresponding image from September 21, 2005 showing the previous minimum sea ice extent.
Completed 2007-09-11
Augustine Island Volcano, Al …
Title Augustine Island Volcano, Alaska
Description On December 12, 2005, a plume of volcanic gas and steam billowed from Augustine Volcano in the Gulf of Alaska and spread approximately 80 kilometers (50 miles) toward the southeast. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] flying onboard the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image the same day. In this image, the volcanic plume streams from the tiny, snow-capped volcanic island and dissipates over the ocean. Augustine Volcano is closely monitored using geodetic equipment that records ground movement, and the volcano had shown seismic activity earlier in December 2005. Authorities had raised its alert level to yellow, or "restless" by the time the plume exploded from the mountain. As activity ramped up in early December, researchers at the Alaska Volcano Observatory made a live view [ http://www.avo.alaska.edu/activity/monitoring.php ] of the volcano available on the Web. Augustine Volcano is regarded as the most active volcano in the eastern Aleutian arc. Its biggest historical eruption occurred in 1883 when the volcano's dome collapsed. Dome growth since that time has restored the volcano's height to what it was prior to 1883. The volcano erupted again in 1986, producing an avalanche of ash, rock fragments, and gas. Augustine's activity reaches much further back in time than historical records cover. Its oldest dated volcanic rocks are more than 40,000 years old. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response team.
Bear Glacier, Gulf of Alaska
Title Bear Glacier, Gulf of Alaska
Description Although they move slowly, glaciers do move, and this movement alters the ice as it passes over land. Likewise, a moving glacier can carry with it evidence of geologic events it has witnessed. The Bear Glacier in the Kenai Peninsula along the Gulf of Alaska bears multiple clues about its past. The IKONOS satellite took this picture on August 8, 2005, capturing the glacier emptying into a nearby lake. This image shows the ablation zone where the glacier is primarily losing ice. Pieces of the glacier that have broken off look like shards of white glass in the blue water. Upslope from the lake, the foot of the glacier is riddled with crevasses — cracks in the ice caused by the glacier's movement over a rough surface. Such cracks are often deepened by melt water flowing over the glacier's surface. Not far from the edge of the glacier, the crevasses grow especially deep, not just cutting into it diagonally, but also forming a crosshatch pattern. This may be caused by the glacier passing over a raised rock surface. Down the middle of the glacier run dark gray "racing stripes." As a glacier moves, it picks up dirt and debris from the rocks it passes. When two glaciers merge, as they have here, the dirt and debris they carry form parallel stripes, or medial moraines, on the ice surface. Besides the usual debris scraped off rocks by the glacier's movement, the medial moraine on the left includes an unusually thick layer of sediment, which tapers to a tip roughly halfway down the glacier's surface. This thick sediment may have resulted from an upslope landslide, as the glacier kept moving, it carried away evidence of this landslide. Lakes forming at the tips of glaciers often have the characteristic blue-green color visible in this small lake. The color results from "glacial flour": fine sediment ground off the rocks by the ice and carried down slope. The fine particles are very reflective, making water that would normally appear deep blue much brighter. IKONOS satellite image courtesy GeoEye. Image interpretation courtesy Ted Scambos, National Snow and Ice Data Center, and Tad Pfeffer, Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research.
Forest Fire Smoke Surroundin …
Title Forest Fire Smoke Surrounding Mt. McKinley
Description This view of Mt McKinley (Denali)—the highest point in North America (6,194 meters, 20,230 feet)—looks as if it were taken from an aircraft. In fact, an astronaut onboard the International Space Station took advantage of cloud-free skies and a powerful 800-millimeter lens to photograph this peak while the spacecraft was over the Gulf of Alaska, 800 miles to the south of the mountain. The powerful lenses are difficult to use, requiring motion compensation by the astronaut, so these kinds of detailed images of horizon detail are seldom taken. The rising sun casts long shadows across the Kahiltna Glacier that angles down from Denali (left). In addition to the blueness inherent in all images taken at great distance (the atmosphere scatters blue light more than it does other colors), this image also shows unusually dense atmospheric haze at lower altitudes: all the valleys in the foreground appear murky. The explanation is dramatically portrayed in a Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image taken on the same day, Sunday, August 14, from the Terra satellite. On that day, an enormous smoke pall hung over central Alaska, all the major mountain ranges protruded above the smoke layer, which was held close to the surface by high atmospheric pressure. The smoke came from more than 100 forest fires burning in the summer heat of Alaska. The MODIS image shows that the smoke on August 14 was far thicker to the north of the Alaska Range where Denali is. The Space Station image shows this denser smoke settled between the Alaska Range and the distant horizon of the Kuskokwim Mountains, 80 miles to the north. Astronaut photograph ISS011-E-11806 [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS011&roll=E&frame=11806 ] was acquired August 14, 2005, with a Kodak 760C digital camera fitted with an 800 mm lens, and is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment and the Image Science & Analysis Group, Johnson Space Center. The International Space Station Program [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/home/index.html ] supports the laboratory to help astronauts take pictures of Earth that will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public, and to make those images freely available on the Internet. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth. [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/ ]
Forest Fires Across Central …
Title Forest Fires Across Central Siberian Plateau
Description On the Central Siberian Plateau, the northeastward direction of the Lena River is turned sharply northward as the river encounters the Verkhoyanskiy Mountains. The river flows northward along the base of the range for several hundreds more miles before emptying into the Arctic Ocean via the Laptev Sea. In the area where the Lena rounds this sharp corner, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Aqua satellite detected numerous fires (marked in red) burning in the region's boreal forests on July 7, 2005. As in Alaska, summertime thunderstorms in the northern forests often bring lightning that starts forest fires. Fires also start through carelessness or accidents of people visiting forests. In Russia's boreal forests, another major source of forest fires is arson. People set fires to acquire salvage logging permits, which are far cheaper than permits for other forests. The arsonists set fires that may only disturb underbrush and small trees, while leaving the bigger, more lucrative trees unscathed. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Dust Storm off Alaska
Title Dust Storm off Alaska
Description A massive dust storm of glacial sediments swept off the coast of Alaska on November 5, 2005. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] flying onboard the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite took this picture of the storm as it dispersed over the Gulf of Alaska. In this image, the dust appears as a pale beige plume, standing out from both the snowy landscape and ocean water underneath it. The plume comes from the Copper River Valley. Although sandy deserts or parched plains often come to mind as the sources of dust storms, these storms can form at high latitudes, too. Over time, the movement of glaciers grinds the rocks below them to fine silt. This glacial silt, also known as loess, provides the fodder for high-latitude dust storms. In some cases, glacial sediments even form dunes along Alaskan river valleys, providing plenty of material for dust storms. Glacial silt is one component of high-latitude dust storms. Wind is another. Chinook winds, sometimes called foehn winds, push the glacial sediment toward the sea. These intense, warm winds blow down mountain valleys, sometimes moving the glacial silt with them. Because their primary movement is downward rather than lateral, these downslope winds can actually change direction with the mountain valleys they travel. A close look at this picture shows how the dust storm actually turns several corners with the Copper River Valley on its way out to sea. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center
Ice in the Beaufort Sea
Title Ice in the Beaufort Sea
Description From the time Europeans discovered the North American continent to the mid-twentieth century, sailors searched for a northwest passage that would connect the Atlantic Ocean (and Europe) to the Pacific Ocean (and Asia). No such passage exists through the continent, but during the summer, a northwest route through the Arctic opens up. By sailing around Greenland, threading the islands of the Canadian Arctic, and skimming along the Canadian and Alaska northern shores, a ship traveling from Europe to East Asia can save as much as 4,000 kilometers. However, the Northwest Passage is not a viable shipping route most of the year. During the winter, thick sea ice builds up, blocking the passage of all ships. Even during the summer, when the sea ice has melted or thinned, icebreakers must often accompany ships through the passage. The challenges of navigating the Northwest Passage are evident in these photo-like images of the Beaufort Sea north of Alaska and Canada's Yukon and Northwest Territories. Though the passage is often clear by the end of July, as it was in 2005 (lower image), the sea was still frozen almost to the shore by July 25, 2006 (top). Very little of the inky, blue-black sea is visible under the white expanse of ice. The ice is not smooth, rather, slightly darker areas show where new ice has formed around chunks of older ice from previous years. The section of the Beaufort Sea that is visible in the top image is clouded with brown sediment flowing into the water from the Mackenzie River. There are several reasons for the lingering ice, says Walt Meier of the National Snow and Ice Data Center. First, temperatures in the region dropped below average in the fall of 2005 and remained cool, so sea ice was able to form quickly. Record melting during 2005 allowed old, thick ice from the north to drift into the Beaufort Sea. Some of this old ice may still be in the sea, frozen among the new ice that formed over the winter. Finally, wind is probably pushing yet more ice toward the shore. Though there was more ice in the Beaufort Sea at the end of July 2006 than there had been in previous years, the Arctic as a whole continued to melt at an ever-quickening pace. By June 2006, sea ice in the Arctic covered 1.2 million fewer square kilometers than the long-term average measured between 1979 and 2000, said Meier. This put sea ice concentrations (the percentage of ice that covers a predefined area) at a record low for June, breaking the record set in June 2005, during which sea ice extent was down 0.8 million square kilometers from the average. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured these images on July 25, 2006, and July 25, 2005. The large images provide above are at MODIS' maximum resolution of 250 meters per pixel. Both the 2005 and 2006, images are available in additional resolutions from the MODIS Rapid Response Team. NASA images courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC
Eruption on Augustine Island …
Title Eruption on Augustine Island, Alaska
Description Augustine Volcano, in the Cook Inlet of the Gulf of Alaska, erupted on January 13 and 14, 2006. According to the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) [ http://www.avo.alaska.edu ], these explosive eruptions produced clouds of volcanic ash and flows of mud and rock fragments. Although more eruptions were not certain to occur as of January 17, 2006, the volcano could be expected to erupt again without warning. Based on eruptions observed in 1976 and 1986, observers at the AVO anticipated that eruptions might continue for a period of several days to a few weeks. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] flying onboard the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image on January 13, 2006. In this image, a discernible steam and ash plume streams from the small volcanic island and heads eastward over the ocean. The brown and white cloud of material in the middle of the image is likely composed of volcanic material from Augustine. To the east, a distinct cloud formation appears. Land surface areas are covered with snow, although the volcanic island looks darker, as if its own snow cover has melted or been buried by volcanic debris. Augustine is a 1,260-meter-tall (4,134-foot-tall), cone-shaped volcano built from alternating layers of ash, lava, and rock fragments. It has historically been the most active volcano in the Cook Inlet area, experiencing eruptions throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. This volcano experienced some unrest [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13282 ] in December 2005. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the Goddard Earth Sciences DAAC.
Fires Across Alaska
Title Fires Across Alaska
Description Cloud-free skies over much of central Alaska on July 25, 2005, revealed dozens of fires burning in the state's interior. As of July 26, 2005, the Alaska Fire Service estimated that more than 1,400,000 acres had burned across the state. This Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image was captured by the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite on July 25, and active fire locations that MODIS detected are marked in red. A separate natural hazards event contains images of fires in this region earlier in the summer. [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=12952 ] NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ], GSFC
Fires Across Alaska
Title Fires Across Alaska
Description In central Alaska in late July 2005, dozens of large, smoky fires were burning along the length of the Yukon River, spanning nearly the entire west-east extent of the state. This image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra satellite shows how thick the smoke was over the region on July 27. Locations where MODIS detected actively burning fires are marked in red. During the latter half of the week, winds were from the northeast, causing smoke to pool in the central part of the state and leading to air quality warnings. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the MODIS Rapid Response team.
Fires Across Alaska
Title Fires Across Alaska
Description Between the Brooks Range and the Alaska Range Mountains, along the path of the Yukon River, dozens of fires were burning on August 10, 2005, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Aqua satellite passed overhead and captured this image. This infrared-enhanced image makes burned areas (deep reddish brown) stand out from healthy vegetation (bright green) and water (dark blue). Snow on the mountains is bright blue. Notice that the vegetation on the high elevations of both mountain ranges is so sparse that some areas appear similar to the burned areas. The Alaska Interagency Fire Service report from August 10 stated that 571 fires had burned an estimated 2.4 million acres in the 2005 fire season to date. The high-resolution image provided above has a spatial resolution of 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2005222-0810/Alaska.A2005222.2210.721 ] and a photo-like image [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2005222-0810/Alaska.A2005222.2210 ] at additional resolutions. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, GSFC
Fires Across Alaska
Title Fires Across Alaska
Description Fires continued to blaze across Alaska on August 16, 2005. According to the daily situation report from the Alaska Fire Service, 110 fires were burning in the state as of August 16. Weather conditions were causing the smoke to linger across the interior, causing unhealthy air quality warnings for much of the state. The report stated that 584 fires had burned more than 3 million acres in Alaska as of August 16. This image of fires (marked in red) and thick smoke over the interior of Alaska was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite. The high-resolution image provided above has a spatial resolution of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides this image at additional resolutions. [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?AERONET_Bonanza_Creek/2005228/ ] NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center
Fires Across Alaska
Title Fires Across Alaska
Description On August 14, 2005, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite captured this stunning image of forest fires raging across the width of Alaska. Smoke from scores of fires (marked in red) filled the state's broad central valley and poured out to sea. Hemmed in by mountains to the north and the south, the smoke spreads westward and spills out over the Bering and Chukchi Seas (image left). More than a hundred fires were burning across the state as of August 14. Air quality warnings have been issued for about 90 percent of the Interior, according to the August 12 report from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation's Division of Air Quality. Conditions have ranged from "very unhealthy" to "hazardous " over the weekend in many locations, including Fairbanks. A large area of high atmospheric pressure spread over much of the state, keeping temperatures high and reducing winds that would clear the air. The high-resolution image provided above has a spatial resolution of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center
Fires Across Alaska
Title Fires Across Alaska
Description In the third week of August 2005, an area of high atmospheric pressure built up over Alaska. Large areas of high pressure often lead to calm weather, with light (or absent) surface winds. Unfortunately for Alaska residents, the high pressure system that parked over the state coincided with a period of significant fire activity, with more than a hundred forest fires churning out thick smoke. For several days the smoke piled up over the Interior leading to hazardous-air-quality warnings for many areas. This pair of images from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on NASA's Aura satellite shows smoke measurements over Alaska and western Canada on August 15 (top) and August 21 (bottom). (The background for the image is NASA's Blue Marble. [ http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view_rec.php?id=2429 ]) Increasing amounts of smoke are shown as an aerosol index with shades of blue (little or no smoke) to dull red (thick smoke). On August 15, a large mass of smoke had drifted westward over the Interior and spread out over the Bering Sea toward Russia. Less than a week later, the weather patterns shifted and the smoke blew to the east and north, over Yukon Territory in western Canada and over Victoria Island toward the Arctic Ocean. Smoke contains many substances, including carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, water vapor, and particulate matter. OMI measures smoke by tracking black carbon particles, or soot, that absorb ultraviolet (UV) radiation, the wavelengths of sunlight that cause sunburns. By measuring how much UV radiation the soot absorbs, OMI provides estimates of the amount of black carbon aerosol in the smoke layer. This method of detecting aerosols based on their interaction with UV rather than visible (rainbow) light allows OMI to measure absorption by black carbon in smoke even if the smoke is mixed with or floating above clouds. Measurements of how much radiation aerosols absorb are important for scientists trying to calculate the net effect of aerosols on Earth's energy budget and climate. OMI was added to NASA's Aura satellite as part of a collaboration between the Netherlands Agency for Aerospace Programs and the Finnish Meteorological Institute. The sensor tracks global ozone change and monitors aerosols and pollution in the atmosphere. NASA image and caption information courtesy the OMI Science Team.
Fires Across Alaska
Title Fires Across Alaska
Description In the third week of August 2005, an area of high atmospheric pressure built up over Alaska. Large areas of high pressure often lead to calm weather, with light (or absent) surface winds. Unfortunately for Alaska residents, the high pressure system that parked over the state coincided with a period of significant fire activity, with more than a hundred forest fires churning out thick smoke. For several days the smoke piled up over the Interior leading to hazardous-air-quality warnings for many areas. This pair of images from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on NASA's Aura satellite shows smoke measurements over Alaska and western Canada on August 15 (top) and August 21 (bottom). (The background for the image is NASA's Blue Marble. [ http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view_rec.php?id=2429 ]) Increasing amounts of smoke are shown as an aerosol index with shades of blue (little or no smoke) to dull red (thick smoke). On August 15, a large mass of smoke had drifted westward over the Interior and spread out over the Bering Sea toward Russia. Less than a week later, the weather patterns shifted and the smoke blew to the east and north, over Yukon Territory in western Canada and over Victoria Island toward the Arctic Ocean. Smoke contains many substances, including carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, water vapor, and particulate matter. OMI measures smoke by tracking black carbon particles, or soot, that absorb ultraviolet (UV) radiation, the wavelengths of sunlight that cause sunburns. By measuring how much UV radiation the soot absorbs, OMI provides estimates of the amount of black carbon aerosol in the smoke layer. This method of detecting aerosols based on their interaction with UV rather than visible (rainbow) light allows OMI to measure absorption by black carbon in smoke even if the smoke is mixed with or floating above clouds. Measurements of how much radiation aerosols absorb are important for scientists trying to calculate the net effect of aerosols on Earth's energy budget and climate. OMI was added to NASA's Aura satellite as part of a collaboration between the Netherlands Agency for Aerospace Programs and the Finnish Meteorological Institute. The sensor tracks global ozone change and monitors aerosols and pollution in the atmosphere. NASA image and caption information courtesy the OMI Science Team.
Smoke from Alaskan Fires in …
Title Smoke from Alaskan Fires in Northwestern Canada
Description Northwestern Canada felt the effects as Alaska continued to burn [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13053 ] in late August 2005. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] flying onboard the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image on August 23, 2005. In this image, a pale gray cloud of smoke several hundred kilometers long sweeps through the Northwest Territories toward the southeast, barely obscuring the view of Great Bear Lake. The smoke dips into the province of Alberta (bottom center) before turning northeast. It changes direction again to head southward over Saskatchewan and Manitoba (bottom right). Clouds—distinct from the smoke because they are pure white—surround the snaking cloud of smoke and block out the view of eastern Canada. NASA image created by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response team.
Spring Bloom in the Gulf of …
Title Spring Bloom in the Gulf of Alaska
Description On April 11, 2005, the Gulf of Alaska was showing signs of spring. These colorful images from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite show a bloom of ocean plant life along a weak temperature front (a boundary between waters of different temperatures). The highest chlorophyll levels, indicating the most plant life (yellow in the top image), are often located in the areas with cooler water (purple in the lower image). Blooms of these tiny plants, called phytoplankton, often occur in these latitudes at this time of year when the day length and solar elevation angle are increasing. The increasing amount of light spurs photosynthesis and takes the winter chill off the surface waters. The warming causes the top layers of the surface waters to be less dense, and so they float on the surface, becoming less likely to mix with deeper water. The suppression of mixing keeps phytoplankton close to the well-lit surface, where they produce the complex carbohydrates on which other marine life depends. Eventually, however, the phytoplankton will use up the available nutrients, and if cold, nutrient-rich water doesn?t well up from below, the bloom wanes. At the time of these images, the surface waters of the Gulf of Alaska were probably still fairly well stocked with nutrients mixed up from deeper waters by recent storms. NASA images coutesy Norman Kuring, NASA GSFC Ocean Color Team [ http://oceancolor.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ]
Spring Bloom in the Gulf of …
Title Spring Bloom in the Gulf of Alaska
Description On April 11, 2005, the Gulf of Alaska was showing signs of spring. These colorful images from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite show a bloom of ocean plant life along a weak temperature front (a boundary between waters of different temperatures). The highest chlorophyll levels, indicating the most plant life (yellow in the top image), are often located in the areas with cooler water (purple in the lower image). Blooms of these tiny plants, called phytoplankton, often occur in these latitudes at this time of year when the day length and solar elevation angle are increasing. The increasing amount of light spurs photosynthesis and takes the winter chill off the surface waters. The warming causes the top layers of the surface waters to be less dense, and so they float on the surface, becoming less likely to mix with deeper water. The suppression of mixing keeps phytoplankton close to the well-lit surface, where they produce the complex carbohydrates on which other marine life depends. Eventually, however, the phytoplankton will use up the available nutrients, and if cold, nutrient-rich water doesn?t well up from below, the bloom wanes. At the time of these images, the surface waters of the Gulf of Alaska were probably still fairly well stocked with nutrients mixed up from deeper waters by recent storms. NASA images coutesy Norman Kuring, NASA GSFC Ocean Color Team [ http://oceancolor.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ]
Aurora Over Alaska
Title Aurora Over Alaska
Explanation Higher than the highest mountain [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050306.html ], higher than the highest airplane [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap031220.html ], lies the realm of the aurora [ http://www.geo.mtu.edu/weather/aurora/ ]. Aurora rarely reach below 60 kilometers, and can range up to 1000 kilometers. Aurora [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_(astronomy) ] light results from solar shockwave causing energetic electrons [ http://www-spof.gsfc.nasa.gov/Education/whelect.html ] and protons [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proton ] to striking molecules in the Earth's atmosphere [ http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/academy/space/atmosphere.html ]. Frequently, when viewed from space, a complete aurora [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap031217.html ] will appear as a circle [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970402.html ] around one of the Earth's magnetic poles [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap040919.html ]. The above digitally enhanced photograph [ http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Picture_of_the_Year/2006 ] was taken [ http://www.af.mil/weekinphotos/wipgallery.asp?week=97&idx=9 ] in 2005 January shows a spectacular aurora borealis [ http://www.exploratorium.edu/learning_studio/auroras/happen.html ] above the frozen landscape of Bear Lake [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bear_Lake_%28Alaska%29 ], Alaska [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska ], USA [ https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/us.html ]. The above image [ http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Picture_of_the_Year/2006 ] was voted Wikipedia Commons [ http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page ] Picture of the Year for 2006.
Forest Fires Produce Dense S …
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle …
On August 14, 2005, the Mode …
Alaska.TMOA2005226
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2005-08-14
creator NASA -- NASA image courtesy the rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov MODIS Rapid Response Team, Goddard Space Flight Center
identifier Alaska.TMOA2005226
Spring Bloom: Image of the D …
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle …
* eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/ima …
A2005101221500
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2005-04-11
creator NASA -- NASA images coutesy Norman Kuring, NASA GSFC oceancolor.gsfc.nasa.gov/ Ocean Color Team
identifier A2005101221500
Smoke from Alaskan Fires in …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Northwestern Canada felt the …
nwcanada_amo_2005235
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2005-08-23
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier nwcanada_amo_2005235
Continued Sea Ice Decline in …
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle …
Since 1978, satellites have …
nsidc_sea_ice_2005
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype texts
date 2005-09-19
creator NASA -- Graph by Robert Simmon, Earth Observatory, and Walt Meier, NSIDC, photo by Nathaniel B. Palmer, NOAA
identifier nsidc_sea_ice_2005
Continued Sea Ice Decline in …
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle …
Since 1978, satellites have …
nsidc_sea_ice_2005
mediatype MISC
mediatype texts
date 2005-09-19
creator NASA -- Graph by Robert Simmon, Earth Observatory, and Walt Meier, NSIDC, photo by Nathaniel B. Palmer, NOAA
identifier nsidc_sea_ice_2005
Dust Storm off Alaska: Image …
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle …
A massive dust storm of glac …
alaska_amo_2005309
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2005-11-05
creator NASA -- NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov MODIS Rapid Response Team, Goddard Space Flight Center
identifier alaska_amo_2005309
Carbon Monoxide, Fires, and …
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle …
Like the burning of gasoline …
co_jja2004-2005
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2005
creator NASA -- NASA images by Robert Simmon and Jesse Allen, based on data provided by the www.eos.ucar.edu/mopitt/ NCAR MOPITT Team.
identifier co_jja2004-2005
Augustine Volcano : Image of …
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle …
On December 12, 2005, a plum …
augustine_AMO_2005346
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2005-12-12
creator NASA -- NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained courtesy of the rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ MODIS Rapid Response team.
identifier augustine_AMO_2005346
Fires Across Alaska: Natural …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Fires continued to blaze acr …
Bonanza_Creek.TMOA2005228
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2005-08-16
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier Bonanza_Creek.TMOA2005228
Black Carbon in Smoke over A …
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle …
* eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/ima …
alas.OMI20050815
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2005-08-15
creator NASA -- NASA image and caption information courtesy the OMI Science Team.
identifier alas.OMI20050815
Bear Glacier, Gulf of Alaska …
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle …
Although they move slowly, g …
ge_07097
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2005-08-08
creator NASA -- IKONOS satellite image courtesy GeoEye. Image interpretation courtesy Ted Scambos, National Snow and Ice Data Center, and Tad Pfeffer, Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research.
identifier ge_07097
Bear Glacier, Gulf of Alaska …
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle …
Although they move slowly, g …
ge_07097
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2005-08-08
creator NASA -- IKONOS satellite image courtesy GeoEye. Image interpretation courtesy Ted Scambos, National Snow and Ice Data Center, and Tad Pfeffer, Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research.
identifier ge_07097
Wave Clouds Near Amsterdam I …
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle …
In mid-December 2005, the di …
ge_06151
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2005-12-19
creator NASA -- NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC
identifier ge_06151
Glaciers, Climate Change, an …
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle …
* /images/imagerecords/5000/ …
glacier_4up
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2005
creator NASA -- Images courtesy of Tad Pfeffer, Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado. Detailed image credits: 1) Columbia Glacier c. 1980 by Austin Post, U.S. Geological Survey, 2) Columbia Glacier 2005 by Tad Pfeffer, Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado, 3) Arapaho Glacier 1898 by R.S. Brackett, published in Waldrop, R.S. (1964) Arapaho Glacier: A Sixty Year Record. University of Colorado Studies, Series in Geology, No 3, and 4) Arapaho Glacier 2003 by Tad Pfeffer.
identifier glacier_4up
Fires Across Alaska: Natural …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Between the Brooks Range and …
Alaska.AMOA2005222
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2005-08-10
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier Alaska.AMOA2005222
Dust Storm off Alaska: Natur …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
A massive dust storm of glac …
ge_15793
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2005-11-05
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier ge_15793
Dust Storm off Alaska: Natur …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
A massive dust storm of glac …
ge_15793
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2005-11-05
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier ge_15793
General Description International Space Station Imagery
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. ? …
Description KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. ? A young, female belted kingfisher perches on the tip of a branch in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which shares a boundary with NASA Kennedy Space Center. The chestnut belly band identifies it as female. The belted kingfishers breed from Alaska and Canada and throughout the United States. This and other wildlife abound throughout KSC as it shares a boundary with the Wildlife Refuge, home to some of the nation?s rarest and most unusual species of wildlife. The wildlife refuge is a habitat for more than 310 species of birds, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles. In addition, the Refuge supports 19 endangered or threatened wildlife species on Federal or State lists, more than any other single refuge in the U.S.
Release Date 09/13/2005
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - …
Description KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A Long-Eared Owl is spotted on Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. This one holds a typical stance for protecting its young. These owls range from Alaska and Canada to the Gulf states and Mexico, as far east as Central Florida. Their habitat is deciduous and evergreen forests. They nest in deserted nests of crows, hawks or squirrels.
Release Date 11/07/2005
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - …
Description KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A Long-Eared Owl is spotted on Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. This one holds a typical stance for protecting its young. These owls range from Alaska and Canada to the Gulf states and Mexico, as far east as Central Florida. Their habitat is deciduous and evergreen forests. They nest in deserted nests of crows, hawks or squirrels.
Release Date 11/07/2005
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