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Images of Argentina and Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
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EO-1 Hyperion Flyover
| Title |
EO-1 Hyperion Flyover |
| Completed |
2000-12-14 |
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EO-1 Hyperion Flyover
| Title |
EO-1 Hyperion Flyover |
| Completed |
2000-12-14 |
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A Futuristic Look at Earth I
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| Title |
A Futuristic Look at Earth Imaging |
| Abstract |
As the scanning reticle in the left panel moves over this Hyperion dataset (the data from a region near Eldorado, Argentina), the spectral signature of the reflected light appears in the analysis panel on the left. Strong signatures of vegetation are apparent, with occasional signatures of water and the reticle passes over lakes and rivers. The analysis panel represents spectral bands 10 through 55. The entire Hyperion spectral range has 220 bands. |
| Completed |
2001-04-10 |
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A Futuristic Look at Earth I
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| Title |
A Futuristic Look at Earth Imaging |
| Abstract |
As the scanning reticle in the left panel moves over this Hyperion dataset (the data from a region near Eldorado, Argentina), the spectral signature of the reflected light appears in the analysis panel on the left. Strong signatures of vegetation are apparent, with occasional signatures of water and the reticle passes over lakes and rivers. The analysis panel represents spectral bands 10 through 55. The entire Hyperion spectral range has 220 bands. |
| Completed |
2001-04-10 |
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Floods in Northern Argentina
| Title |
Floods in Northern Argentina |
| Description |
Late summer rains pounded Northern Argentina in early 2007, triggering the floods shown in this image. The rains started in mid-January, and by March 21, when the top image was taken, the rainfall had caused floods along the Parana and Dulce Rivers and around Laguna Mar Chiquita. The rains were the heaviest seen in Northern Argentina in 45 years, said the Dartmouth Flood Observatory, [ http://www.dartmouth.edu/%7efloods/Archives/2007sum.htm ] and the resulting floods killed 5 and forced 5,000 from their homes. In these images, the floods stretch out over tens of kilometers east of the Parana River. The Dulce River fans across its mouth, where it empties into the Laguna Mar Chiquita. The lower image was taken on January 18, 2007, about the time that the rains started. Like the top image, this image was made with both visible and infrared light so that water is black or dark blue and clouds are pale blue and white. Plant-covered land is green, while bare earth is tan. Agricultural areas are a brighter shade of green than natural vegetation, and the fields give the land a speckled appearance. Similar images are available from the MODIS Rapid Response System [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_NArgentina/2007080 ] on a daily basis. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
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Floods in Northern Argentina
| Title |
Floods in Northern Argentina |
| Description |
Late summer rains pounded Northern Argentina in early 2007, triggering the floods shown in this image. The rains started in mid-January, and by March 21, when the top image was taken, the rainfall had caused floods along the Parana and Dulce Rivers and around Laguna Mar Chiquita. The rains were the heaviest seen in Northern Argentina in 45 years, said the Dartmouth Flood Observatory, [ http://www.dartmouth.edu/%7efloods/Archives/2007sum.htm ] and the resulting floods killed 5 and forced 5,000 from their homes. In these images, the floods stretch out over tens of kilometers east of the Parana River. The Dulce River fans across its mouth, where it empties into the Laguna Mar Chiquita. The lower image was taken on January 18, 2007, about the time that the rains started. Like the top image, this image was made with both visible and infrared light so that water is black or dark blue and clouds are pale blue and white. Plant-covered land is green, while bare earth is tan. Agricultural areas are a brighter shade of green than natural vegetation, and the fields give the land a speckled appearance. Similar images are available from the MODIS Rapid Response System [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_NArgentina/2007080 ] on a daily basis. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
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Floods in Northern Argentina
| Title |
Floods in Northern Argentina |
| Description |
One of South America's longest rivers, the Parana winds south from its headwaters in central Brazil through Paraguay and Argentina to empty into the Atlantic Ocean near Buenos Aires, Argentina. Near its mouth, the river widens into a multi-stream delta where it joins the Uruguay River to form the broad Rio de la Plata estuary. Small and neatly defined at the height of summer in mid-January, the delta section of the river stretched kilometers across its flood plain in response to unusually heavy late-summer and early-autumn rains by April. The top image, taken on April 3, 2007, shows that not only has the river expanded into a broad black band, but its tributaries are also swollen. Flecks of black south and west of the river show where water covers agricultural fields. These images, both collected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite, were made with a combination of visible and infrared light to increase the contrast between mud-colored water and land. In these images, water is black or dark blue, and clouds are pale blue and white. Plant-covered land is bright green, and bare earth is tan. In the lower image, taken at the height of the growing season, the agricultural fields are green. By April, the crops had been harvested and the land left bare. The slightly orange color suggests that the fields may have been burned to clear away the stubble. Hugging the west bank of the Parana River, the city of Rosario is a gray-colored spot on the landscape. The floods extend north beyond the top edge of this image, affecting nearly four million hectares (15,000 square miles) and more than 70,000 people in two Argentine states, said the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/MCON-6ZX4CN?OpenDocument ]). The flooding was amplified when up to 500 millimeters of rainmore than half the average yearly rainfallfell over northern Argentina in the span of a few days at the end of March, said OCHA. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
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Floods in Northern Argentina
| Title |
Floods in Northern Argentina |
| Description |
One of South America's longest rivers, the Parana winds south from its headwaters in central Brazil through Paraguay and Argentina to empty into the Atlantic Ocean near Buenos Aires, Argentina. Near its mouth, the river widens into a multi-stream delta where it joins the Uruguay River to form the broad Rio de la Plata estuary. Small and neatly defined at the height of summer in mid-January, the delta section of the river stretched kilometers across its flood plain in response to unusually heavy late-summer and early-autumn rains by April. The top image, taken on April 3, 2007, shows that not only has the river expanded into a broad black band, but its tributaries are also swollen. Flecks of black south and west of the river show where water covers agricultural fields. These images, both collected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite, were made with a combination of visible and infrared light to increase the contrast between mud-colored water and land. In these images, water is black or dark blue, and clouds are pale blue and white. Plant-covered land is bright green, and bare earth is tan. In the lower image, taken at the height of the growing season, the agricultural fields are green. By April, the crops had been harvested and the land left bare. The slightly orange color suggests that the fields may have been burned to clear away the stubble. Hugging the west bank of the Parana River, the city of Rosario is a gray-colored spot on the landscape. The floods extend north beyond the top edge of this image, affecting nearly four million hectares (15,000 square miles) and more than 70,000 people in two Argentine states, said the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/MCON-6ZX4CN?OpenDocument ]). The flooding was amplified when up to 500 millimeters of rainmore than half the average yearly rainfallfell over northern Argentina in the span of a few days at the end of March, said OCHA. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
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Floods in Northern Argentina
| Title |
Floods in Northern Argentina |
| Description |
Already swollen from late summer rain, Argentina's Paraná River and its tributaries burst their banks under the onslaught of extreme rain during the last week of March 2007. When the clouds cleared on April 3, 2007, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image of the floods in the Santa Fe and Entre Rios states, where the flood damage was worst. In the center of the image are the two state capitals, Santa Fe and Paraná. The cement-colored cities sit on opposite banks of the river, and both sustained significant damage in the floods. Dark bands of water encroach on the cities in the top image. The lower image, taken on January 13, 2007, before the unusually heavy late-summer rains began, shows the river and its tributaries under dry-season conditions. Both images were made from infrared and visible light to highlight the presence of water, which is black or dark blue in this type of image. Clouds are light blue and white, plant-covered land is green, and bare ground is tan-pink. The variegated green and tan land on either side of the river is agricultural land. In contrasting the two images, it is clear that not only have the wetlands and rivers expanded in the April 3 image, but tiny flecks of black in between the rivers indicate that farmland is flooded as well. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/MCON-6ZX4CN?OpenDocument ]), the governor of Santa Fe called March's extreme rainfall "the most radical climatic phenomenon of the last 100 years." Up to 500 millimeters of rain fell over parts of Santa Fe in the span of a week, where the average annual rainfall is 900-1,000 millimeters. The rain left four million hectares (15,000 square miles) flooded, which affected more than 70,000 people, said OCHA. Several cities were flooded, including Santa Fe and Paraná, and as many as 20 were completely isolated. Damage in Paraná was estimated to be over 10 million dollars. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
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Floods in Northern Argentina
| Title |
Floods in Northern Argentina |
| Description |
Already swollen from late summer rain, Argentina's Paraná River and its tributaries burst their banks under the onslaught of extreme rain during the last week of March 2007. When the clouds cleared on April 3, 2007, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image of the floods in the Santa Fe and Entre Rios states, where the flood damage was worst. In the center of the image are the two state capitals, Santa Fe and Paraná. The cement-colored cities sit on opposite banks of the river, and both sustained significant damage in the floods. Dark bands of water encroach on the cities in the top image. The lower image, taken on January 13, 2007, before the unusually heavy late-summer rains began, shows the river and its tributaries under dry-season conditions. Both images were made from infrared and visible light to highlight the presence of water, which is black or dark blue in this type of image. Clouds are light blue and white, plant-covered land is green, and bare ground is tan-pink. The variegated green and tan land on either side of the river is agricultural land. In contrasting the two images, it is clear that not only have the wetlands and rivers expanded in the April 3 image, but tiny flecks of black in between the rivers indicate that farmland is flooded as well. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/MCON-6ZX4CN?OpenDocument ]), the governor of Santa Fe called March's extreme rainfall "the most radical climatic phenomenon of the last 100 years." Up to 500 millimeters of rain fell over parts of Santa Fe in the span of a week, where the average annual rainfall is 900-1,000 millimeters. The rain left four million hectares (15,000 square miles) flooded, which affected more than 70,000 people, said OCHA. Several cities were flooded, including Santa Fe and Paraná, and as many as 20 were completely isolated. Damage in Paraná was estimated to be over 10 million dollars. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
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Floods in Northern Argentina
| Title |
Floods in Northern Argentina |
| Description |
Months of flooding washed even more mud into the wide Rio de la Plata estuary than usual, changing its normally tan waters to a deep chocolate brown. Floods swept across Argentina and Uruguay starting in January and ending in late March 2007, when nearly half the average annual rainfall came down in just a few days. The floods inundated farmland and isolated and damaged cities. Soy farmers may have lost more than two million metric tons of their crop in Santa Fe, the most affected province, reported Bloomberg. [ http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601086&sid=ajKC2Su30zLs&refer=latin_america ] As the floods drained down the Paraná and Uruguay Rivers, the water swept soil into the rivers. By the time the two rivers converged into the Rio de la Plata, the water was thick with sediment as shown in the top, photo-like image. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the image on April 12, 2007. The lower image, also from Terra MODIS, was taken the previous year, when the sediment in the river was closer to normal levels. The high volume of water draining into the estuary has turned the normally calm, bland surface into multi-shaded streams of mixing water. The high flow is also pushing more sediment out into the hook-shaped Samborombón Bay on the south side of the estuary. Signs of flooding are also evident in the wetlands along the Paraná River. Instead of being deep green as they were in April 2006, the wetlands are almost black under a layer of water. Tan streams of sediment flow from the main channel of the river over the soaked wetlands. Beyond the wetlands and the riverbanks are tiny tan and green squares of farmland. The silver semi-circle on the southern bank of the Rio de la Plata is Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires, and the constellation of cities that surround it. Uruguay's capital, Montevideo, is the silver area along the northern shore of the estuary in the top image (under clouds in the 2006 image). NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. |
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Floods in Northern Argentina
| Title |
Floods in Northern Argentina |
| Description |
Months of flooding washed even more mud into the wide Rio de la Plata estuary than usual, changing its normally tan waters to a deep chocolate brown. Floods swept across Argentina and Uruguay starting in January and ending in late March 2007, when nearly half the average annual rainfall came down in just a few days. The floods inundated farmland and isolated and damaged cities. Soy farmers may have lost more than two million metric tons of their crop in Santa Fe, the most affected province, reported Bloomberg. [ http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601086&sid=ajKC2Su30zLs&refer=latin_america ] As the floods drained down the Paraná and Uruguay Rivers, the water swept soil into the rivers. By the time the two rivers converged into the Rio de la Plata, the water was thick with sediment as shown in the top, photo-like image. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the image on April 12, 2007. The lower image, also from Terra MODIS, was taken the previous year, when the sediment in the river was closer to normal levels. The high volume of water draining into the estuary has turned the normally calm, bland surface into multi-shaded streams of mixing water. The high flow is also pushing more sediment out into the hook-shaped Samborombón Bay on the south side of the estuary. Signs of flooding are also evident in the wetlands along the Paraná River. Instead of being deep green as they were in April 2006, the wetlands are almost black under a layer of water. Tan streams of sediment flow from the main channel of the river over the soaked wetlands. Beyond the wetlands and the riverbanks are tiny tan and green squares of farmland. The silver semi-circle on the southern bank of the Rio de la Plata is Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires, and the constellation of cities that surround it. Uruguay's capital, Montevideo, is the silver area along the northern shore of the estuary in the top image (under clouds in the 2006 image). NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. |
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Argentina from MODIS
| Title |
Argentina from MODIS |
| Description |
This Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image over Argentina was acquired on April 24, 2000, and was produced using a combination of the sensor's 250-m and 500-m resolution "true color" bands. This image was presented on June 13, 2000 as a gift to Argentinian President Fernando de la Rua by NASA Administrator Dan Goldin. Note the Parana River which runs due south from the top of the image before turning east to empty into the Atlantic Ocean. Note the yellowish sediment from the Parana River mixing with the redish sediment from the Uruguay River as it empties into the Rio de la Plata. The water level of the Parana seems high, which could explain the high sediment discharge. A variety of land surface features are visible in this image. To the north, the greenish pixels show forest regions, as well as characteristic clusters of rectangular patterns of agricultural fields. In the lower left of the image, the lighter green pixels show arable regions where there is grazing and farming. (Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Group, NASA GSFC) |
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Argentina from MODIS
| Title |
Argentina from MODIS |
| Description |
This Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image over Argentina was acquired on April 24, 2000, and was produced using a combination of the sensor's 250-m and 500-m resolution "true color" bands. This image was presented on June 13, 2000 as a gift to Argentinian President Fernando de la Rua by NASA Administrator Dan Goldin. Note the Parana River which runs due south from the top of the image before turning east to empty into the Atlantic Ocean. Note the yellowish sediment from the Parana River mixing with the redish sediment from the Uruguay River as it empties into the Rio de la Plata. The water level of the Parana seems high, which could explain the high sediment discharge. A variety of land surface features are visible in this image. To the north, the greenish pixels show forest regions, as well as characteristic clusters of rectangular patterns of agricultural fields. In the lower left of the image, the lighter green pixels show arable regions where there is grazing and farming. (Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Group, NASA GSFC) |
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Beautiful Blooms in South At
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| Title |
Beautiful Blooms in South Atlantic Ocean |
| Description |
Brilliant streaks of blue and duller swirls of green color the South Atlantic Ocean in this Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) image, taken on January 4, 2005, by NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite. The colors are a result of millions of microscopic plants growing near the surface of the water. Called phytoplankton, some varieties of the plants are coated with white scales. When viewed through the ocean waters, the floating white plants appear blue. In places, chlorophyll gives the waters a green tint. Phytoplankton blooms are common where cold ocean currents carry nutrients from the bottom of the ocean to the surface. In this case, the bloom has developed in the Falkland or Malvinas Current, which sweeps north from Antarctica. Additional nutrients are fed into this part of the ocean by the Rio de la Plata, which empties into the Atlantic immediately west of the region shown in this image. The influx of nutrients allows large blooms to develop frequently in this section of the southern Atlantic, off the coast of Argentina and Uruguay. As a primary food source for many fish, the blooms support a strong marine ecosystem. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. The image is available in additional resolutions. |
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Floods in Uruguay
| Title |
Floods in Uruguay |
| Description |
Above average rains over the past two months have given rise to floods throughout Uruguay. The false-color image of the flood (right) was acquired on April 27, 2002, by the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), flying aboard NASA?s Terra spacecraft. Over 3600 hundred people have been evacuated from their homes in Uruguay, and many highways have been shut down. The large river running down the border between Uruguay and Argentina is the Uruguay River, and the spidery lake in the center of Uruguay is Lake Rincon del Bonete. Normally, the lake and its tributaries cover a much smaller area (left image, acquired on April 2, 2002). In these false-color images, land surfaces are tan and beige and water is black. The pinkish-white patches are clouds. To obtain a high-resolution copies of the scene acquired on April 2 (shown above, left), visit the MODIS Rapid Response Image Gallery [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2002117-0427 ]. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] at NASA GSFC |
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Cold and Snow in South Ameri
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| Title |
Cold and Snow in South America |
| Description |
As winter settles over the Southern Hemisphere, South America has been lashed with snow, heavy rain and intense cold since the final week of June 2004. In southern Peru, heavy snow has collapsed hundreds of homes and buildings, and killed over 75,000 farm animals. The country is struggling to provide emergency provisions to people in the poverty-stricken region, many of whom are being treated for cold-related illnesses such as pneumonia. In many mountain regions, the temperature has plummeted to -20 Celsius (-4 Fahrenheit). The cold weather also caused deaths in Argentina and Chile. Unusually cold temperatures, down to -7 Celsius (19.4 Fahrenheit), chilled southern Brazil. This Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] (MODIS) image shows the snow in the mountains of southern Peru and northern Chile and Bolivia. Unlike the clouds that litter the scene, the snow clings to the contours of the mountain peaks. The image was acquired on July 13, 2004, by MODIS on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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Dark Water near Rio de la Pl
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| Title |
Dark Water near Rio de la Plata |
| Description |
On April 28, 2002, the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) captured this image of very bright, sediment-laden water in the Rio de la Plata of South America. Along the coast to the northwest, however, very little light was reflected back to the orbiting sensor. It is not clear what is causing this large, very dark patch of water. Perhaps a phytoplankton bloom being fed by high-nutrient runoff was responsible for absorbing much of the solar radiation that was not absorbed by the water itself. The metropolitan area of Buenos Aires, Argentina, is readily visible as a large gray splotch just below the western end of the Rio de la Plata estuary. Other smaller splotches mark cities such as La Plata (just southeast of Buenos Aires) and Montevideo (on the northern side of the estuary). 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 |
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Dust Storm near Laguna Mar C
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| Title |
Dust Storm near Laguna Mar Chiquita |
| Description |
Two tendrils of dust blew northward from Laguna Mar Chiquita in Argentina on July 27, 2006. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] flying onboard NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite took this picture the same day. The dust plumes appear as white wisps that fan out as they blow northward. The small red outlines are hotspots, where the satellite sensor detected areas with unusually high surface temperatures, probably fires. Mar Chiquita is a permanent saltwater lagoon in the Argentine provinces of Cordoba and Santiago del Estero. The lagoon is roughly 100 by 40 kilometers and 4 meters deep. Each year, the lagoon's water level, surface area, and salinity change. Beginning in 1977, the lagoon level increased and salt concentration decreased. This was likely due to a series of unusually wet years. Whenever the lake level recedes, however, the dry lakebed sediments provide material for dust storms. Characteristic of lakebed sediments, the dust plumes shown in this image are very light in color. NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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EO-1 Launches!
| Title |
EO-1 Launches! |
| Description |
These photos [view expanded images of launch (left) or view from above (right)] show the launch of the Boeing Delta II rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA, at 10:24 a.m. on November 21 PST, carrying a payload of three satellites into orbit. The payload included NASA's Earth Observer-1 (EO-1), Argentina's SAC-C, and Sweden's Munin spacecraft. Sixty minutes after lift-off, EO-1 was successfully deployed in orbit, SAC-C was deployed about 30 minutes later, and Munin deployed shortly after that. All three satellites are performing well. The launch of EO-1 marks the beginning of NASA's New Millennium Program (NMP), in which NASA is developing smaller, lighter spacecraft that meet or exceed the performance of current satellite technologies. The goal of NMP is to improve the on-orbit measurement capabilities of satellites while reducing the cost to build and launch them into space. Because its purpose is to demonstrate new technology on orbit, data from EO-1 will be made available only after the team completes its calibration and validation activities. Over the next two weeks, EO-1 and SAC-C will gradually be moved into their final orbital trajectories--flying very nearly from pole to pole at an altitude of 705 kilometers. The objective is to fly them in formation with Landsat 7 and Terra, two of NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites already in orbit, so that their data may be cross compared for calibration and validation purposes. EO-1 will follow about 60 seconds behind Landsat 7, descending southward across the equator at about 10:16 a.m. local time. For more information see: * ? EO-1 Fact Sheet [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Library/EO1 ] * ? EO-1 website [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/redirect?http://eo1.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] Launch photos courtesy Vandenberg Air Force Base and EO-1 Project Scientist Stephen Ungar |
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EO-1 Launches!
| Title |
EO-1 Launches! |
| Description |
These photos [view expanded images of launch (left) or view from above (right)] show the launch of the Boeing Delta II rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA, at 10:24 a.m. on November 21 PST, carrying a payload of three satellites into orbit. The payload included NASA's Earth Observer-1 (EO-1), Argentina's SAC-C, and Sweden's Munin spacecraft. Sixty minutes after lift-off, EO-1 was successfully deployed in orbit, SAC-C was deployed about 30 minutes later, and Munin deployed shortly after that. All three satellites are performing well. The launch of EO-1 marks the beginning of NASA's New Millennium Program (NMP), in which NASA is developing smaller, lighter spacecraft that meet or exceed the performance of current satellite technologies. The goal of NMP is to improve the on-orbit measurement capabilities of satellites while reducing the cost to build and launch them into space. Because its purpose is to demonstrate new technology on orbit, data from EO-1 will be made available only after the team completes its calibration and validation activities. Over the next two weeks, EO-1 and SAC-C will gradually be moved into their final orbital trajectories--flying very nearly from pole to pole at an altitude of 705 kilometers. The objective is to fly them in formation with Landsat 7 and Terra, two of NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites already in orbit, so that their data may be cross compared for calibration and validation purposes. EO-1 will follow about 60 seconds behind Landsat 7, descending southward across the equator at about 10:16 a.m. local time. For more information see: * ? EO-1 Fact Sheet [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Library/EO1 ] * ? EO-1 website [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/redirect?http://eo1.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] Launch photos courtesy Vandenberg Air Force Base and EO-1 Project Scientist Stephen Ungar |
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Fires and Thick Smoke over S
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| Title |
Fires and Thick Smoke over South America |
| Description |
The skies over the heart of South America were thick with the smoke from thousands of fires on September 9, 2007. In this image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ], challenging for scientists to say what the overall effect of smoke on clouds and rainfall is. NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] and Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellites each have a MODIS sensor capable of detecting fires and mapping the extent of smoke aerosols on a daily basis. Scientists from around the world are using these data to advance our understanding of how natural and human-caused fires are changing our planet. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team., satellite, locations where the sensor detected actively burning fires are marked with red dots. The skies are flooded with smoke, which pools along the eastern foothills of the Andes Mountains for thousands of kilometers. (North-to-south this image covers 3,050 kilometers, if we laid it over a map of the central United States, it would spill over the borders into both Canada and the Gulf of Mexico for at least a hundred kilometers in both directions.) Although naturally occurring fires are not uncommon in the drier forests and grasslands of South America, this type of intense, continent-spanning fire activity is almost certainly a product of human activities. Some fires are intentional, set by people to clear forest, savannas, and grasslands for ranching or farming. Other fires occur accidentally from human activities. Landscapes that have been disturbed by logging, fragmentation, or previous accidental fire are more prone to catch fire accidentally. In these situations, planned fires (such as brush clearing fires on already cleared land) can easily get out of control and invade other areas, especially during drought years. The image spans a variety of ecological regions. The top of the scene, including Peru, northern Bolivia, and western Brazil is home to the southernmost portions of the Amazon Rainforest. These wetter forests give way to the south to drier forests and more open woodlands in southern Bolivia, northwestern Paraguay and northern Argentina east of the Andes, this area is called the Chaco. In Uruguay and southern Brazil, the natural vegetation is savannas and grasslands. Even in ecosystems where fires occur naturally (the Chaco, savannas, and grasslands), human activities may change the frequency and intensity of fires. The number and different kinds of plants and animals may change as a result. And in the Amazon, naturally occurring fire was historically very rare, and trees and other plants have no real adaptations to fire. Fires in the rainforest have the potential to completely transform the Southern Amazon forests into a savanna. Fires influence not only the land surface, but the atmosphere as well. Research suggests that the impacts of smoke on the tropical atmosphere vary from place to place, season to season, and year to year. Studies have shown smoke reducing cloudiness over the Amazon itself, but not over the nearby ocean and not every year. The net impact on rainfall is also uncertain. Smoke particles suppress cloud formation by providing an over-abundance of condensation sites for water vapor. The water vapor spreads out over these particles, and it takes the cloud droplets longer to get big enough to fall as rain. The flip side, however, is that the smaller, lighter cloud droplets can rise much higher into the atmosphere, which ultimately invigorates updrafts, intensifies thunderstorms, and produces large hail and heavy rain. The competing effects in different areas and weather conditions make it extremely |
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Fires in Argentina
| Title |
Fires in Argentina |
| Description |
Scattered fires were burning in western Argentina (center) on November 19, 2003. The dry, rugged Andes Mountains to the left of image center give way to a vast plain, which is extensively used for agriculture. This image and active fire detections (marked in red) were captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite. 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 |
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Fires in Argentina and Parag
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Fires in Argentina and Paraguay |
| Description |
On April 7, 2003, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite detected dozens of fires (marked with red dots) burning in Paraguay (right) and Argentina (left). White puffs of smoke are associated with many of the fires. At bottom, left of center, the muddy waters of the Paran River stand out against the green vegetation of the Pampas. 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 |
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Fires in Argentina and Parag
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Fires in Argentina and Paraguay |
| Description |
Across the grassy plains of Paraguay (right) and Argentina (left), scattered fires were burning on April 12, 2003. Fires detected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite are marked with red dots. In the bottom center of the image, the Paran River flows as a light brown, muddy line. The purplish-brown areas to the west and east of the river are wetlands. 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 |
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Fires in Argentina and Parag
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| Title |
Fires in Argentina and Paraguay |
| Description |
Scores of fires were burning in central South America and were detected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite on April 16, 2003. Fires (red dots) are visible is Paraguay (top center) and Argentina (left). Right of center, fires are burning in the peninsula-like Misiones region of Argentina, which harbors some of the last remaining tracts of a unique rainforest ecosystem known as Atlantic Rainforest. The ecosystem, which is different from the Amazon rainforest of the interior portion of the continent, once stretched hundred of miles inland along most of the eastern South American coastline, but it has been almost completely cut down in the centuries since European settlement. 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 |
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Fires in Brazil, Argentina,
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Fires in Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay |
| Description |
Hundreds of fires were detected across South America by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite on August 1, 2003. Fires (red dots) were detected in Brazil (right), Argentina (bottom left), and Paraguay (top left). Biomass burning is concentrated during the months of July-October in the Southern Hemisphere portion of South America, and is linked to agricultural activities, including the use of fire to permanently deforest areas and convert them to agricultural land. In the image, isolated patches of intact forest appear deep green, while agricultural lands and tropical savannas appear lighter green. 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 |
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Fires in Brazil, Argentina,
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| Title |
Fires in Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay |
| Description |
Scores of fires (red dots) burn across the South American countries of (clockwise from upper right) Bolivia, Paraguay, Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina in this true-color Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image from the Aqua satellite acquired on August 11, 2003. The fires, which are marked in red, are mostly concentrated in the Gran Chaco region, which stretches across northeastern Argentina, southern Bolivia, and southern Paraguay. The Gran Chaco is an extensive arid lowland plain that is alternately dotted with swamps (in the rainy season) and dense forests. The region is sparsely populated, some of the highest temperatures in South America have been recorded here, and there are only a few crops for settlers to grow that will survive in the region. Cotton is one: it is grown primarily in the Chaco Central, south of the Pilcomayo River in Argentina. The forests are home to the quebracho tree (source of much of the vegetable tanin used in leather curing) which is one of the most durable hardwood trees, and is the other pillar of the Gran Chaco's economy. Unfortunately, due to its popularity, quebracho tree populations are dwindling. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC |
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Fires in Brazil, Argentina,
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| Title |
Fires in Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay |
| Description |
Hundreds of fires (marked in red) were detected across Paraguay (center) on August 13, 2003, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite. Argentina is at bottom left of the scene, and Brazil is at right. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC |
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Fires in Brazil, Argentina,
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| Title |
Fires in Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay |
| Description |
Fires are spread across the plains at the foothills of South America's Andes Mountains (left edge) on August 20, 2003. This Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image from the Aqua satellite shows hundreds, possibly thousands of "hot spots" spread across (clockwise from top left) Bolivia, Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina. In eastern Paraguay, a huge plume of smoke spreads out like a fan over the terrain, while more diffuse smoke stretches over the bottom left of the scene. 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 |
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Patagonian Glacier
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Patagonian Glacier |
| Description |
This image of a Patagonian glacier was aqcuired by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on May 2, 2000. Patagonia is a mountainous region spanning the border between Chile and Argentina near the southern tip of South America. The image covers an area of 36 x 30 km?the full-size image has a resolution of 15 meters per pixel. Vegetation appears red in the image, which is a false-color composite of near-infrared, red, and green light displayed as red, green, and blue, respectively. This large glacier is riddled with crevasses?deep cracks in the ice. The semi-circular ridge at the far left of the image is composed of rock and soil carried there by the glacier which was even larger in the past. This type of feature is called a ?terminal moraine?. The pools of water at the foot of the glacier are light-colored due to the fine silt suspended in them. A braided stream winds through more silt deposited by the glacier and cuts through the terminal moraine about one third of the way down from its top. Along the right side of the image are a series of parallel valleys that were likely cut by arms of the glacier which have since receded. Image courtesy NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS,and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/redirect?http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] |
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Phytoplankton Bloom off Arge
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Phytoplankton Bloom off Argentina |
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Many factors combine to make the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Argentina a highly productive ecosystem. In this region, cool, nutrient-rich water from the Antarctic mixes with warm, salty water flowing south from Brazil. The water is turbid where the two currents meet, and the churning waters bring additional nutrients to the surface. Yet another source of nutrients is the Rio de la Plata, the wide estuary through which the Paraná and Uruguay Rivers empty into the ocean. Brown clouds of iron-rich sediment from the Rio de la Plata are visible along the top edge of the image. The infusion of fresh water from the rivers also carries agricultural run-off and other nutrients into the ocean. Between the upwelling created by the converging currents and the flow of nutrients from the Rio de la Plata, the waters of the South Atlantic are a paradise for marine life ranging from fish to microscopic surface plants. The brilliant swirls of green and blue shown in this image attest to the productivity of the South Atlantic Ocean off Argentina. The colors have been created by millions of tiny plants, phytoplankton, growing in the surface waters. Chlorophyll and other pigments in the plants can give the water dark blue or green colors. Bright blue areas are often the result of the white, calcium carbonate (chalk) scales of organisms called coccolithophores reflecting light through the top layer of the ocean. Phytoplankton are the base of the marine food chain. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image on March 5, 2006. 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 Team. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC |
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Phytoplankton Bloom off Arge
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Phytoplankton Bloom off Argentina |
| Description |
The Atlantic Ocean was awash with color on December 18, 2006, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image. The brilliant greens and blues are densely concentrated, microscopic plants growing on the surface of the ocean. Called phytoplankton, the plants thrive in the cool, nutrient-rich waters off the coast of Argentina. Here, the Malvinas (Falkland) Current sweeps north from the frigid Southern Ocean along the shallow continental shelf. The interaction of the current with the edge of the shelf pulls nutrients from the shelf floor to the surface, and this provides the "fertilizer" needed to drive plant growth. The resulting bloom stretches in a long, thin line along the continental shelf. Because phytoplankton sit at the base of the marine food chain, the parts of the ocean that support large blooms tend to have a large and diverse population of fish and other animals. Phytoplankton also play an important role in the global carbon cycle. Like all plants, phytoplankton soak up carbon dioxide, providing a crucial sink for the greenhouse gas. Rising ocean temperatures in the past decade have caused global phytoplankton productivity to decline [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17482 ], though some evidence suggests that productivity in the South Atlantic off Argentina may be increasing. The high-resolution image provided above is at MODIS' full spatial resolution (level of detail) of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions. You can also download a 250-meter-resolution KMZ file [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Dec2006/Argentina.A2006352.1335.250m.kmz ] for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html ] Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC |
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Fires in Central Chile
| Title |
Fires in Central Chile |
| Description |
This Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image from the Aqua satellite on March 21, 2003, shows fires (red dots) burning in central Chile (left) in South America. At right is Argentina. 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 |
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Fires in Central South Ameri
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Fires in Central South America |
| Description |
On March 24, 2004, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite captured this image of central South America, showing fires burning in Argentina (left), Paraguay (top center), and Brazil (right). Fires have been marked with red dots. The dark green peninsular arm of Argentina is the Misiones province, which contains a mostly intact remnant of the extremely endangered Atlantic Rainforest ecosystem. The widespread nature of the fires and their location (generally located in areas of low vegetation (tan and light green) suggests that these fires are being set intentionally for agricultural purposes. Though not necessarily immediately hazardous, such large-scale burning can have a strong impact on weather, climate, human health, and natural resources. The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA-GSFC |
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Fires in Central South Ameri
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| Title |
Fires in Central South America |
| Description |
In central South America on August 2, 2005, hundreds of active fires were detected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Aqua satellite when it flew overhead. The active fire locations are marked in red on the scene. Fires, probably agricultural fires, are scattered across Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina, including the peninsula-like Misiones province of Argentina, where some of the last remnants of the rainforest ecosystem known as "Atlantic Forest" are found. Scientists believe the ecosystem, distinct from the Amazon, once stretched thousands of kilometers along the coast of South America and reached inland several hundred kilometers. Like the forests of eastern North America, most of the "Mata Atlantica" fell to European settlers hundreds of years ago. The high-resolution image provided above is 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 |
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Fires in Central South Ameri
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| Title |
Fires in Central South America |
| Description |
In central South America, smoke pours from hundreds of fires burning across parts of Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina in this Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image captured by the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite on September 3, 2005. Locations where MODIS detected active fires are marked in red. Along the top portion of the scene is the Amazon Rainforest, which transitions to drier woodlands and mixed grassland landscapes farther south. Fires congregate along new roads and at the edges of existing clearings in the Amazon, indicating they are caused by people clearing or managing existing agricultural land. While they are not necessarily immediately hazardous, such fires can have a strong impact on weather, climate, human health, and natural resources. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the Goddard Land Processes DAAC. |
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Fires in Central South Ameri
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| Title |
Fires in Central South America |
| Description |
On Feb. 26, 2003, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument on the Terra satellite captured an image of scattered fires burning across central South America. Most of the fires (red dots) are in Argentina (left), Paraguay (center), and southern Brazil (upper right). 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 |
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Rare Snow in Buenos Aires, A
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Rare Snow in Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Description |
For the first time since 1918, snow fell in Buenos Aires, Argentina, late on July 9, 2007, reported the Associated Press. [ http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/07/10/news/Argentina-Historic-Snow.php ] The snow was still there the next morning when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) flew over on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite at 10:55 a.m. local time. This false-color image, made with a combination of infrared and visible light, reveals the snow beneath the clouds that still hang over the coast. In this image, snow is pale turquoise blue, while clouds are lighter blue and white. Not only does the snow blanket Buenos Aires, but it also covers a broad section of the highlands to the west. The snow was short-lived, however. By the time MODIS flew over on the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite at 3:10 p.m. local time, both snow and clouds were gone from Buenos Aires, the cement-colored area on the southern bank of the Rio de la Plata in the lower image. The snow had also receded significantly in the higher elevations. The snow fell during a long cold snap that claimed 23 lives and caused an energy crisis, said the Associated Press. True-color, photo-like images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_SArgentina/2007191 ] of the snow in Argentina 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. |
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Rare Snow in Buenos Aires, A
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| Title |
Rare Snow in Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Description |
For the first time since 1918, snow fell in Buenos Aires, Argentina, late on July 9, 2007, reported the Associated Press. [ http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/07/10/news/Argentina-Historic-Snow.php ] The snow was still there the next morning when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) flew over on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite at 10:55 a.m. local time. This false-color image, made with a combination of infrared and visible light, reveals the snow beneath the clouds that still hang over the coast. In this image, snow is pale turquoise blue, while clouds are lighter blue and white. Not only does the snow blanket Buenos Aires, but it also covers a broad section of the highlands to the west. The snow was short-lived, however. By the time MODIS flew over on the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite at 3:10 p.m. local time, both snow and clouds were gone from Buenos Aires, the cement-colored area on the southern bank of the Rio de la Plata in the lower image. The snow had also receded significantly in the higher elevations. The snow fell during a long cold snap that claimed 23 lives and caused an energy crisis, said the Associated Press. True-color, photo-like images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_SArgentina/2007191 ] of the snow in Argentina 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. |
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Rare Snow in Buenos Aires, A
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| Title |
Rare Snow in Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Description |
For the first time since 1918, snow fell in Buenos Aires, Argentina, late on July 9, 2007, reported the Associated Press. [ http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/07/10/news/Argentina-Historic-Snow.php ] The snow was still there the next morning when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) flew over on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite at 10:55 a.m. local time. This false-color image, made with a combination of infrared and visible light, reveals the snow beneath the clouds that still hang over the coast. In this image, snow is pale turquoise blue, while clouds are lighter blue and white. Not only does the snow blanket Buenos Aires, but it also covers a broad section of the highlands to the west. The snow was short-lived, however. By the time MODIS flew over on the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite at 3:10 p.m. local time, both snow and clouds were gone from Buenos Aires, the cement-colored area on the southern bank of the Rio de la Plata in the lower image. The snow had also receded significantly in the higher elevations. The snow fell during a long cold snap that claimed 23 lives and caused an energy crisis, said the Associated Press. True-color, photo-like images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_SArgentina/2007191 ] of the snow in Argentina 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. |
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Record Crops in Argentina
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Record Crops in Argentina |
| Description |
Despite damaging floods, Argentine farmers were expecting a record harvest in April 2007, reported the United States Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS [ http://www.pecad.fas.usda.gov/wap.cfm# ]). Farmers anticipated a record 45.5 million tons of soybeans and a record 22 million tons of corn when the harvest began at the beginning of the month, said FAS. At the end of March, more than 500 millimeters of rain (about half the average annual rainfall) fell in the period of a few days over parts of the Santa Fe and Entre Ríos provinces, the land spanning the Paraná River. The rain fell on ground already soggy from excess rain, triggering extensive flooding. The floods destroyed between 0.5 and 2 million tons of soy, but caused little damage to the already mature corn crop, said FAS. Both the thriving crops and the flood damage to vegetation are shown in this image. The image shows a vegetation index, a record of plant growth, compiled between March 22 and April 6, 2007, immediately following the damaging rains and floods. The image compares the 2007 vegetation growth to average conditions observed by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite during that same interval between 2000 and 2005. Areas where plants are growing faster or thicker than normal are green, while areas where plant growth has slowed or where plants are less dense than average are brown. The Paraná River is outlined in brown where the overflowing river destroyed vegetation. The land south and west of the river is also dominated by brown, indicating that plants were less healthy than average, probably because of excess rain. This pattern of damage matches the flooding shown in daily snapshot images [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14206 ] of Argentina. Other crop areas in the country are green, showing that growing conditions were good. Even within the flood area, tiny flecks of green show that some fields are still flourishing. Areas where MODIS didn't collect dataprobably because of persistent cloud coverare gray. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided by Inbal Reshef as part of the Global Agricultural Monitoring Project [ http://www.pecad.fas.usda.gov/glam.cfm ] between NASA, USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), and the University of Maryland. |
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Fires in South America
| Title |
Fires in South America |
| Description |
From the Amazon Rainforest of Brazil, to the Pantanal Wetlands, to the Gran Chanco plains of Paraguay and Argentina, hundreds of fires were burning across South America on August 15, 2005. This image of the heart of the continent was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite, and it shows fires marked in red and a cloud of smoke hanging over a large swath of the heart of the continent. The smoke appears to flow southward in a great river. Only the skies over the high deserts of Chile appear clear. The high-resolution image provided above has a spatial resolution of 500 meters per pixel. NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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Fires in South America
| Title |
Fires in South America |
| Description |
In central South America, hundreds of fires were burning in the diverse landscapes of Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Argentina on August 28, 2005. This image spans the heart of the continent, from Amazon rainforests near the top of the scene to the savannas of southeastern Brazil. The image was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite, and active fire detections made by the sensor are marked with red dots. Fire serves a variety of purposes in land management practices in South America, including renewal of pasture, burning of crop stubble, and the clearing of natural vegetation to make way for people. The high-resolution image provided above has a spatial resolution of 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions. NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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Fires in South America
| Title |
Fires in South America |
| Description |
Fires were widespread across South America on August 24, 2006, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite passed over the continent and captured this image. The sensor detected scores of active fires (locations marked in red) in a variety of ecological regions, and thick smoke hung over the land in many places. In the top part of the image, fires are burning intensely along the margins of large, tan-colored clearings that people have made in the Amazon Rainforest. The fires along the edges of the clearing may be fires set intentionally to clear new areas of rainforest for farming or ranching, or they may be accidental fires that escaped from people's control on established agricultural lands. In the center of the scene, the deep green of the Amazon transitions to a deep brown color. This region is known as the Gran Chaco, a dry, hot region of open woodland and grassland. Unlike the Amazon, this region is prone to naturally occurring fires, but the widespread nature of the fires and their location along clearings and roads suggests that many could be human-caused. In southern Brazil, eastern Argentina, and Uruguay, an expansive grassland known as the Pampas was also experiencing numerous fires at the time of this image. Large farms and ranches exist in the fertile plains of the Pampas, and the fires seen here could be natural or human-caused. The high-resolution image provided above has a spatial resolution of 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2006235-0823/Brazil.A2006235.1735 ] including MODIS' maximum resolution of 250 meters per pixel. You can also download a 250 m resolution KMZ file [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Aug2006/Brazil.A2006235.1735.250m.kmz ] for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html ] NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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Fires in South America
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Fires in South America |
| Description |
Fires were widespread across South America on August 24, 2006, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite passed over the continent and captured this image. The sensor detected scores of active fires (locations marked in red) in a variety of ecological regions, and thick smoke hung over the land in many places. In the top part of the image, fires are burning intensely along the margins of large, tan-colored clearings that people have made in the Amazon Rainforest. The fires along the edges of the clearing may be fires set intentionally to clear new areas of rainforest for farming or ranching, or they may be accidental fires that escaped from people's control on established agricultural lands. In the center of the scene, the deep green of the Amazon transitions to a deep brown color. This region is known as the Gran Chaco, a dry, hot region of open woodland and grassland. Unlike the Amazon, this region is prone to naturally occurring fires, but the widespread nature of the fires and their location along clearings and roads suggests that many could be human-caused. In southern Brazil, eastern Argentina, and Uruguay, an expansive grassland known as the Pampas was also experiencing numerous fires at the time of this image. Large farms and ranches exist in the fertile plains of the Pampas, and the fires seen here could be natural or human-caused. The high-resolution image provided above has a spatial resolution of 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2006235-0823/Brazil.A2006235.1735 ] including MODIS' maximum resolution of 250 meters per pixel. You can also download a 250 m resolution KMZ file [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Aug2006/Brazil.A2006235.1735.250m.kmz ] for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html ] NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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South Atlantic Phytoplankton
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| Title |
South Atlantic Phytoplankton Bloom |
| Description |
Off the east coast of Argentina, the South Atlantic Ocean is blooming with color. This true-color Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image from the Terra satellite on February 10, 2003, shows the waters off southern Argentina swirling with the blues and greens that indicate massive amounts of microscopic marine plants called phytoplankton. The blues and greens are caused by sunlight reflecting off the chlorophyll contained in the tiny, often single-celled plants. Blooms in this area occur regularly due to the existence of what oceanographers call a convergence zone ?where two strong ocean currents meet. In this case, the convergence is that of the warmer, lower-nutrient Brazil Current, which flows southward toward the pole along the coast of South America and the northward-flowing Falkland Current. Although the exact meeting point varies, convergence is usually somewhere around 39 degrees south latitude. The turbulence caused by the convergence of the two currents causes upwelling in some areas, and cold-nutrient rich water is drawn up from the depths of the ocean, supporting phytoplankton blooms. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC |
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South Atlantic Phytoplankton
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| Title |
South Atlantic Phytoplankton Bloom |
| Description |
Off the east coast of Argentina, the South Atlantic Ocean is blooming with color. This true-color Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image from the Terra satellite on February 10, 2003, shows the waters off southern Argentina swirling with the blues and greens that indicate massive amounts of microscopic marine plants called phytoplankton. The blues and greens are caused by sunlight reflecting off the chlorophyll contained in the tiny, often single-celled plants. Blooms in this area occur regularly due to the existence of what oceanographers call a convergence zone ?where two strong ocean currents meet. In this case, the convergence is that of the warmer, lower-nutrient Brazil Current, which flows southward toward the pole along the coast of South America and the northward-flowing Falkland Current. Although the exact meeting point varies, convergence is usually somewhere around 39 degrees south latitude. The turbulence caused by the convergence of the two currents causes upwelling in some areas, and cold-nutrient rich water is drawn up from the depths of the ocean, supporting phytoplankton blooms. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC |
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Fires in the Pampas and Sout
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| Title |
Fires in the Pampas and Southern Argentina |
| Description |
This true-color image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) show fires (red dots) in Argentina on January 18, 2003. Across the Pampas, which is a large, relatively flat grassland (image right), a few small fires were detected, while to the south, larger fires were burning and producing grayish smoke plumes. In southern Argentina, the rainy season comes in the winter (Northern Hemisphere summer), and fire season continues from late spring into early summer (Northern Hemisphere fall and winter). Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC |
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Fires in the Pampas and Sout
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| Title |
Fires in the Pampas and Southern Argentina |
| Description |
This true-color image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) show fires (red dots) in Argentina on January 18, 2003. Across the Pampas, which is a large, relatively flat grassland (image right), a few small fires were detected, while to the south, larger fires were burning and producing grayish smoke plumes. In southern Argentina, the rainy season comes in the winter (Northern Hemisphere summer), and fire season continues from late spring into early summer (Northern Hemisphere fall and winter). Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC |
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