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The Original Seven
In this 1960 photograph, the …
11/27/07
Description In this 1960 photograph, the seven original Mercury astronauts participate in U.S. Air Force survival training exercises at Stead Air Force Base in Nevada. Pictured from left to right are: L. Gordon Cooper, M. Scott Carpenter, John Glenn, Alan Shepard, Virgil I. Grissom, Walter Schirra and Donald K. Slayton. Portions of their clothing have been fashioned from parachute material, and all have grown beards from their time in the wilderness. The purpose of this training was to prepare astronauts in the event of an emergency or faulty landing in a remote area. Forty-five years ago today on May 24, 1962, Scott Carpenter went on to fly the second American manned orbital flight. He piloted his Aurora 7 spacecraft through three revolutions of the Earth, reaching a maximum altitude of 164 miles. The spacecraft landed in the Atlantic Ocean about 1,000 miles, about 1,609 kilometers, southeast of Cape Canaveral after the 4 hour, 54 minute flight. Image credit: NASA
Date 11/27/07
Hubble Discovers Dark Cloud …
Title Hubble Discovers Dark Cloud in the Atmosphere of Uranus
Sequence of Clouds, Snow Cov …
Title Sequence of Clouds, Snow Cover, Sea Ice, Sea Surface Temperature and Biosphere
Abstract This animation is part of an NSF-funded, international project, Exploring Time. The two-hour television special, broadcast on the Discovery Channel in the spring of 2007, explores how the world changes over different timescales ... from billionths of seconds to billions of years. This animation portrays a variety of remotely sensed data elements at different temporal resolutions. Initially, the animation shows cloud cover in motion over North America in half-hour increments from Nov. 26 to Dec. 7, 2005. The temporal pace quickens to show a 5-day moving average of daily MODIS snow cover along with daily AMSR-E sea ice from Dec. 7, 2005 to Mar. 15, 2006. As the view swings south over the Gulf of Mexico, the AMSR-E Sea Surface Temperature reveals warming ocean temperatures from March through August, 2006. As it passes over the Atlantic Ocean, the biosphere fades into view, showing both chlorophyll concentration in the ocean along with Normalized Difference Vegetation Index over the land areas. The biosphere animates over time while the view pans over northern Africa and Europe, showing data collected from September 2002 through February 2006. This program was also broadcast in Japan through a partnership with the NHK international broadcasting service and in France through a partnership with the ARTE television network.
Completed 2006-11-29
Sequence of Clouds, Snow Cov …
Title Sequence of Clouds, Snow Cover, Sea Ice, Sea Surface Temperature and Biosphere
Abstract This animation is part of an NSF-funded, international project, Exploring Time. The two-hour television special, broadcast on the Discovery Channel in the spring of 2007, explores how the world changes over different timescales ... from billionths of seconds to billions of years. This animation portrays a variety of remotely sensed data elements at different temporal resolutions. Initially, the animation shows cloud cover in motion over North America in half-hour increments from Nov. 26 to Dec. 7, 2005. The temporal pace quickens to show a 5-day moving average of daily MODIS snow cover along with daily AMSR-E sea ice from Dec. 7, 2005 to Mar. 15, 2006. As the view swings south over the Gulf of Mexico, the AMSR-E Sea Surface Temperature reveals warming ocean temperatures from March through August, 2006. As it passes over the Atlantic Ocean, the biosphere fades into view, showing both chlorophyll concentration in the ocean along with Normalized Difference Vegetation Index over the land areas. The biosphere animates over time while the view pans over northern Africa and Europe, showing data collected from September 2002 through February 2006. This program was also broadcast in Japan through a partnership with the NHK international broadcasting service and in France through a partnership with the ARTE television network.
Completed 2006-11-29
Sequence of Clouds, Snow Cov …
Title Sequence of Clouds, Snow Cover, Sea Ice, Sea Surface Temperature and Biosphere
Abstract This animation is part of an NSF-funded, international project, Exploring Time. The two-hour television special, broadcast on the Discovery Channel in the spring of 2007, explores how the world changes over different timescales ... from billionths of seconds to billions of years. This animation portrays a variety of remotely sensed data elements at different temporal resolutions. Initially, the animation shows cloud cover in motion over North America in half-hour increments from Nov. 26 to Dec. 7, 2005. The temporal pace quickens to show a 5-day moving average of daily MODIS snow cover along with daily AMSR-E sea ice from Dec. 7, 2005 to Mar. 15, 2006. As the view swings south over the Gulf of Mexico, the AMSR-E Sea Surface Temperature reveals warming ocean temperatures from March through August, 2006. As it passes over the Atlantic Ocean, the biosphere fades into view, showing both chlorophyll concentration in the ocean along with Normalized Difference Vegetation Index over the land areas. The biosphere animates over time while the view pans over northern Africa and Europe, showing data collected from September 2002 through February 2006. This program was also broadcast in Japan through a partnership with the NHK international broadcasting service and in France through a partnership with the ARTE television network.
Completed 2006-11-29
Sequence of Clouds, Snow Cov …
Title Sequence of Clouds, Snow Cover, Sea Ice, Sea Surface Temperature and Biosphere
Abstract This animation is part of an NSF-funded, international project, Exploring Time. The two-hour television special, broadcast on the Discovery Channel in the spring of 2007, explores how the world changes over different timescales ... from billionths of seconds to billions of years. This animation portrays a variety of remotely sensed data elements at different temporal resolutions. Initially, the animation shows cloud cover in motion over North America in half-hour increments from Nov. 26 to Dec. 7, 2005. The temporal pace quickens to show a 5-day moving average of daily MODIS snow cover along with daily AMSR-E sea ice from Dec. 7, 2005 to Mar. 15, 2006. As the view swings south over the Gulf of Mexico, the AMSR-E Sea Surface Temperature reveals warming ocean temperatures from March through August, 2006. As it passes over the Atlantic Ocean, the biosphere fades into view, showing both chlorophyll concentration in the ocean along with Normalized Difference Vegetation Index over the land areas. The biosphere animates over time while the view pans over northern Africa and Europe, showing data collected from September 2002 through February 2006. This program was also broadcast in Japan through a partnership with the NHK international broadcasting service and in France through a partnership with the ARTE television network.
Completed 2006-11-29
Sequence of Clouds, Snow Cov …
Title Sequence of Clouds, Snow Cover, Sea Ice, Sea Surface Temperature and Biosphere
Abstract This animation is part of an NSF-funded, international project, Exploring Time. The two-hour television special, broadcast on the Discovery Channel in the spring of 2007, explores how the world changes over different timescales ... from billionths of seconds to billions of years. This animation portrays a variety of remotely sensed data elements at different temporal resolutions. Initially, the animation shows cloud cover in motion over North America in half-hour increments from Nov. 26 to Dec. 7, 2005. The temporal pace quickens to show a 5-day moving average of daily MODIS snow cover along with daily AMSR-E sea ice from Dec. 7, 2005 to Mar. 15, 2006. As the view swings south over the Gulf of Mexico, the AMSR-E Sea Surface Temperature reveals warming ocean temperatures from March through August, 2006. As it passes over the Atlantic Ocean, the biosphere fades into view, showing both chlorophyll concentration in the ocean along with Normalized Difference Vegetation Index over the land areas. The biosphere animates over time while the view pans over northern Africa and Europe, showing data collected from September 2002 through February 2006. This program was also broadcast in Japan through a partnership with the NHK international broadcasting service and in France through a partnership with the ARTE television network.
Completed 2006-11-29
Sequence of Clouds, Snow Cov …
Title Sequence of Clouds, Snow Cover, Sea Ice, Sea Surface Temperature and Biosphere
Abstract This animation is part of an NSF-funded, international project, Exploring Time. The two-hour television special, broadcast on the Discovery Channel in the spring of 2007, explores how the world changes over different timescales ... from billionths of seconds to billions of years. This animation portrays a variety of remotely sensed data elements at different temporal resolutions. Initially, the animation shows cloud cover in motion over North America in half-hour increments from Nov. 26 to Dec. 7, 2005. The temporal pace quickens to show a 5-day moving average of daily MODIS snow cover along with daily AMSR-E sea ice from Dec. 7, 2005 to Mar. 15, 2006. As the view swings south over the Gulf of Mexico, the AMSR-E Sea Surface Temperature reveals warming ocean temperatures from March through August, 2006. As it passes over the Atlantic Ocean, the biosphere fades into view, showing both chlorophyll concentration in the ocean along with Normalized Difference Vegetation Index over the land areas. The biosphere animates over time while the view pans over northern Africa and Europe, showing data collected from September 2002 through February 2006. This program was also broadcast in Japan through a partnership with the NHK international broadcasting service and in France through a partnership with the ARTE television network.
Completed 2006-11-29
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 rain—more than half the average yearly rainfall—fell 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.
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 rain—more than half the average yearly rainfall—fell 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.
Floods in South Africa
Title Floods in South Africa
Description Days of heavy rain brought floods to South Africa's Western Cape province in late July and early August 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 a flooded river flowing into Saint Helena Bay on July 31, 2007. The lower image, acquired on July 21, shows the region before the flooding started. In the top image, the flood-swollen river is bright blue, colored with sediment. By contrast, the Atlantic Ocean to the west is black. Additional flooding is visible in the large image. Floods in Cape Town (south of the area shown here) forced up to 40,000 people from their homes in shanty towns outside the city, reported ABC News [ http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/07/31/1992458.htm ] on July 31. Even as southwestern South Africa grappled with floods, intense fires [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14418 ] raged in the northeast. These images were made with a combination of visible and infrared light to highlight the presence of water on the ground. Water is blue or black, and plant-covered land is green. Crops growing in the wide valley east of the river are bright green. Natural vegetation elsewhere in the image is darker green. Bare or sparsely vegetated land is tan. The large image provided above is at MODIS' maximum resolution of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System produces daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_SouthAfrica2/2007212 ] of South Africa in false color (as shown here) and photo-like true color. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC.
Haze off the U.S. East Coast
Title Haze off the U.S. East Coast
Description Thick haze extended off the U.S. East Coast on October 8, 2007. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite took this picture the same day. In this image, the translucent haze obscures the view of the Atlantic Ocean just off the coast. East of the Carolinas, the haze narrows into a thin band that continues eastward. The haze clouding the skies in early October was likely smog, and it might have been partially caused by unseasonably warm temperatures. Much of the east coast experienced temperatures around 32 degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit) at the time this haze formed. Ground -level ozone [ http://www.epa.gov/air/ozonepollution/ ] is a primary ingredient in smog, and such ozone forms in the presence of sunny skies and warm temperatures, along with pollutants released by industry and transportation. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] NASA GSFC
Haze off the United States E …
Title Haze off the United States East Coast
Description Plumes of haze blew off the east coast of the United States and over the Atlantic Ocean in late June 2007. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite took these pictures on June 23, 2007 (top), and June 24, 2007 (bottom). In these images, the haze appears as a blue-gray blur sweeping out over the ocean. While the plume of haze extends well to the south in the June 23 image, it follows a narrower path in the June 24 image. The haze plumes coincided with some air quality advisories for the Carolinas. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's AirNOW [ http://airnow.gov/ ] Website, both North and South Carolina experienced ozone levels in the moderate range on June 23 and 24. Under that category, "unusually sensitive people should consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion." Besides plumes of haze, these satellite images show intermittent cloud cover in the region, as well as sunglint. Sunglint results from sunlight bouncing off the water's surface and into the satellite sensor. In the June 23 image, the sunglint is especially bright near the bottom right corner. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. The Rapid Response Team provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA8 ] of this region.
Haze off the United States E …
Title Haze off the United States East Coast
Description Plumes of haze blew off the east coast of the United States and over the Atlantic Ocean in late June 2007. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite took these pictures on June 23, 2007 (top), and June 24, 2007 (bottom). In these images, the haze appears as a blue-gray blur sweeping out over the ocean. While the plume of haze extends well to the south in the June 23 image, it follows a narrower path in the June 24 image. The haze plumes coincided with some air quality advisories for the Carolinas. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's AirNOW [ http://airnow.gov/ ] Website, both North and South Carolina experienced ozone levels in the moderate range on June 23 and 24. Under that category, "unusually sensitive people should consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion." Besides plumes of haze, these satellite images show intermittent cloud cover in the region, as well as sunglint. Sunglint results from sunlight bouncing off the water's surface and into the satellite sensor. In the June 23 image, the sunglint is especially bright near the bottom right corner. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. The Rapid Response Team provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA8 ] of this region.
Haze off the United States E …
Title Haze off the United States East Coast
Description Haze collected off the coasts of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida on August 6, 2007. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] flying on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image the same day. In this image, the haze appears as a blue-gray blur extending toward the Atlantic Ocean. Over land, the haze appears especially thick over Georgia. Although this image shows some wildfires, marked by red dots, the haze likely results from fires farther away, in the U.S. Northwest. [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14433 ] An August 6, 2007, posting on the U.S. Air Quality [ http://alg.umbc.edu/usaq/ ] (Smog Blog) at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, described poor air quality along the U.S. East Coast, and provided a map of aerosol optical depth measured by Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES). Aerosol optical depth indicates how much sunlight is intercepted by tiny suspended particles of solid or liquid in the air column. In the same area where this haze appears, GOES showed high readings, confirming the presence of aerosols. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC.
Dust Plume off Mauritania
Title Dust Plume off Mauritania
Description A thick plume of dust blew off the coast of Mauritania in western Africa on October 2, 2007. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite observed the dust plume as it headed toward the southwest over the Atlantic Ocean. In this image, the dust varies in color from nearly white to medium tan. The dust plume is easier to see over the dark background of the ocean, but the plume stretches across the land surface to the east, as well. The dust plume's structure is clearest along the coastline, where relatively clear air pockets separate distinct puffs of dust. West of that, individual pillows of dust push together to form a more homogeneous plume. Near its southwest tip, the plume takes on yet another shape, with stripes of pale dust fanning out toward the northwest. Occasional tiny white clouds dot the sky overhead, but skies are otherwise clear. Sandy Mauritania provides ample material for dust storms. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, [ http://www.britannica.com/eb/print?articleId=110759&fullArticle=true&tocId=9110759 ] Mauritania possesses three kinds of landscape. One type is a skeletal soil where the underlying rock outcrops have weathered slightly, and saline soils from evaporated lakes rest on the surface. Another type is a reg, a desert "pavement" of tightly packed round pebbles. The third type of landscape is sand dunes. Sand covers most of the country, especially in its eastern region. Saharan dust is a trans-oceanic traveler, periodically crossing the Atlantic during Northern Hemisphere summer. Satellite imagery of dust storms have helped scientists better understand the wide-ranging influence of Earth's largest desert on distant locations. Scientists have connected Saharan dust storms to red tides in the Gulf of Mexico, to disease outbreaks on Caribbean coral reefs, and to soil fertility in the Amazon Rainforest. Some scientists also believe that Saharan dust outbreaks influence the formation of hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] NASA GSFC
Dust Plume off Western Afric …
Title Dust Plume off Western Africa
Description On June 22, 2007, a plume of Saharan dust blew off the west coast of Africa. Over the next few days, the dust cloud remained relatively intact as it traveled [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14326 ] across the Atlantic Ocean to South America. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite observed the dust plume's progress. Terra acquired both of these images, on June 22, 2007 (top), and June 25, 2007 (bottom). The June 22 image shows the massive dust plume blowing off the west coast of Africa toward the west in a slightly clockwise direction. As the dust blows, vortex streets—swirling clouds that occur in the wake of air-flow obstacles such as islands—meander southward from Cape Verde. Cape Verde receives regular doses of African dust, but dust often travels much farther west, as the June 25 image shows. Although less distinct than it appeared three days earlier, the plume is still discernible as it approaches the Caribbean and mainland South America. In the south, cloud cover obscures the view of the plume. Saharan dust brings mixed blessings as it crosses the Atlantic. Although the dust may bring pathogens [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/Dust/ ] that harm Caribbean corals and worsen asthma symptoms among humans, the dust is also beneficial. Without Saharan dust, islands in the Caribbean might be little more than hulks of barren rock, the dust supplies the islands with soil. Likewise, a study published in 2006 identified the Sahara's Bodele Depression [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17512 ] as a major source of soil nutrients in the Amazon. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center
Dust Plume off Western Afric …
Title Dust Plume off Western Africa
Description On June 22, 2007, a plume of Saharan dust blew off the west coast of Africa. Over the next few days, the dust cloud remained relatively intact as it traveled [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14326 ] across the Atlantic Ocean to South America. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite observed the dust plume's progress. Terra acquired both of these images, on June 22, 2007 (top), and June 25, 2007 (bottom). The June 22 image shows the massive dust plume blowing off the west coast of Africa toward the west in a slightly clockwise direction. As the dust blows, vortex streets—swirling clouds that occur in the wake of air-flow obstacles such as islands—meander southward from Cape Verde. Cape Verde receives regular doses of African dust, but dust often travels much farther west, as the June 25 image shows. Although less distinct than it appeared three days earlier, the plume is still discernible as it approaches the Caribbean and mainland South America. In the south, cloud cover obscures the view of the plume. Saharan dust brings mixed blessings as it crosses the Atlantic. Although the dust may bring pathogens [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/Dust/ ] that harm Caribbean corals and worsen asthma symptoms among humans, the dust is also beneficial. Without Saharan dust, islands in the Caribbean might be little more than hulks of barren rock, the dust supplies the islands with soil. Likewise, a study published in 2006 identified the Sahara's Bodele Depression [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17512 ] as a major source of soil nutrients in the Amazon. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center
Dust Plume off Western Afric …
Title Dust Plume off Western Africa
Description Saharan dust that blew off the west coast of Africa on June 22, 2007, continued its westward journey across the Atlantic Ocean the following day. Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometers (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] and Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellites tracked the dust plume's progress. This image was composed from a combination of Terra and Aqua observations on June 23, 2007. Terra recorded the dust plume in the eastern Atlantic around 13:00 UTC, and Aqua recorded its progress in the western Atlantic around 14:20 UTC. The high-resolution image of this dust plume has a resolution of 500 meters per pixel. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center
Dust Plume off Western Afric …
Title Dust Plume off Western Africa
Description A thick plume of dust blew off the west coast of northern Africa on July 20, 2007. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] flying on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite took this picture the same day. This image shows the beige-tan plume—thick enough to be completely opaque in places—over the Atlantic Ocean. The source of the plume is not obvious in this image, and given the plume's diffuse shape, it may have originated farther east. South of the plume, a wave pattern appears. Both airborne dust and clouds can make waves in the atmosphere visible to satellite sensors. The northern portions of these waves are faint, but as they meld with cloud formations in the south, the waves become easier to discern. Just north of the waves, the ocean water takes on a pale green color, which may be due to shallow water, sediment and/or algae. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center
Dust Plumes off Iceland
Title Dust Plumes off Iceland
Description Plumes of dust blew off the southern coast of Iceland in late June 2007. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] flying on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image on June 23, 2007. The dust appears as grayish blurs emanating from the coast southward over the North Atlantic Ocean. Blue-green algal blooms also fringe the coastline. Iceland's winter of 2006-2007 brought relatively light snow, leaving the local vegetation little shelter from frost. Both the vegetation and soil dried further in two weeks of arid weather prior to this dust storm. Strong winds from the north added the final ingredient needed for dust plumes in late June. You can download a 250-meter-resolution KMZ file of Iceland [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Jul2007/iceland_tmo_2007174.kmz ] suitable for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/ ] NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. Image interpretation by Ingibjörg Jónsdóttir, University of Iceland.
Dust Storm from the Sahara D …
Title Dust Storm from the Sahara Desert
Description On February 21, 2007, a dust storm several hundred kilometers across clogged the skies over Algeria and Mali. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite took this picture the same day. This image shows the dust cloud over the Sahara Desert. As the dust is only slightly lighter than the sand below, the storm is easiest to discern in the east, over more variegated terrain. The Sahara Desert ranks unsurprisingly among the world's most dust-prone regions. Dust from this desert not only crosses national boundaries, but can also travel across the Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean. NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center.
Dust Storm out of Western Af …
Title Dust Storm out of Western Africa
Description Saharan dust blew off the west coast of Africa and over the Cape Verde Islands on February 28, 2007. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite took this picture the same day. This image shows a thin veil of dust over the Atlantic Ocean and the Cape Verde Islands. The dust appears thicker near the coast, and some source points for the dust plume appear just east of the shoreline. As the dust reaches the islands, it thins somewhat, but still can be detected from space. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team.
Dust Storm over the Canary I …
Title Dust Storm over the Canary Islands
Description On March 10, 2007, thick plumes of dust blew off the west coast of Africa and over the Canary Islands. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite took this picture the same day. In this image, the tan dust strikes a strong contrast with the navy blue ocean. The dust plumes are thickest over the Canary Islands, almost thick enough to completely obscure the satellite's view of them. The dust plumes thin somewhat north and south of the islands. In the areas with thinner dust plumes, in a few isolated spots, the seawater appears green under the dust. This may result from sediment, shallow water, or both. Whereas many deserts consist of largely of bedrock and gravel, with just some sand, one-fifth of the Sahara is covered in sand, with dunes rising to 300 meters (1,000 feet) in places. As the Sahara regularly exports dust across the Atlantic Ocean, giving the Canary Islands a dusting requires a relatively short trip: the easternmost island is just over 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the African coast. In many instances, Saharan dust travels all the way to the Caribbean. There, the dust plays a dual role. While it can carry bacteria and fungi that harm Caribbean corals, it also provides soil for the local islands. Without Saharan dust, few plants might grow in the Caribbean. Saharan dust may also play a role in mitigating the Atlantic hurricane season. On February 27, 2007, William Lau of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and Kyu-Myong Kim of the University of Maryland published an article in EOS hypothesizing that repeated dust storms from Africa in summer 2006 blocked incoming sunlight, cooled the sea surface, and hampered hurricane development. NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center.
Hydrogen Sulfide Eruption of …
Title Hydrogen Sulfide Eruption off Namibia
Description The brilliant burst of neon blue and green that hugs the shore of Namibia in this photo-like image might be beautiful from space, but it is deadly on the ground. The color is caused by hydrogen sulfide erupting to the surface. The foul-smelling gas is toxic by itself, but it also robs the water of oxygen when it erupts to the surface, leading to large fish kills. Ironically, it is the ocean's productivity in this region that causes the deadly eruptions. Strong ocean currents sweep nutrient-rich water to the sunlit surface of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Namibia. The ample supply of nutrients allows tiny free-floating plants (phytoplankton) to proliferate. When the large phytoplankton blooms die, the plants sink to the ocean floor, where bacteria break them down. The anaerobic bacteria that complete the decay process release toxic hydrogen sulfide into the ocean. The gas builds near the ocean floor until a bubble erupts to the surface. As it rises, the hydrogen combines with oxygen to form water molecules, leaving solid, yellow sulfur. The sulfur scatters yellow light, lending the water a brilliance that can range from milky white to electric blue. This particular eruption surrounds Walvis Bay and stretches north along the Skeleton Coast and south to the orange dune fields of the Namib Desert. The city of Walvis Bay is a faint gray discoloration on the southern shore of the bay. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) flying on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image on July 25, 2007. The large image provided above has a resolution of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides the image in additional resolutions. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC
Phytoplankton Bloom off Nami …
Title Phytoplankton Bloom off Namibia
Description A flash of blue and green lit the waters off Namibia in early November 2007 as a phytoplankton bloom grew and faded in the Atlantic Ocean. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this photo-like image on November 8, 2007. The bloom stretches from north to south along hundreds of kilometers, though it is brightest in the center of this image. Such blooms are common in the coastal waters off southwest Africa where cold, nutrient-rich currents sweep north from Antarctica and interact with the coastal shelf. At the same time, the easterly trade winds push surface water away from the shore, allowing water from the ocean's floor to rise to the surface, bringing with it iron and other material. The suffusion of nutrients from both the currents and upwelling water creates an environment where tiny surface-dwelling ocean plants (phytoplankton) thrive. Phytoplankton blooms are so abundant off Namibia that their death and decomposition often robs the water of dissolved oxygen. As the plants die, they sink to the ocean floor where bacteria consume them. There is so much plant material that the bacteria use all of the oxygen available int he water before they finish breaking down the plants, creating a dead-zone in the water where fish can't survive. Anaerobic bacteria, which don't require oxygen, take over in the decomposition process, releasing sulfur dioxide as a byproduct. The sulfur dioxide interacts with the ocean water to create solid sulfur and hydrogen sulfide, a poisonous gas, which eventually erupts to the surface, sometimes killing fish. Though no eruption is readily apparent in this image, hydrogen sulfide eruptions are often visible in satellite imagery because the solid sulfur colors the water a milky yellow-green. The bloom shown here persisted over several days. It first became distinct on October 28 [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?NBenguela/2007301 ] (though clouds covered the region on previous days, so it may have developed earlier) and was just beginning to fade on November 14. [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?NBenguela/2007318 ] The daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?NBenguela/2007312 ] provided by the MODIS Rapid Response System show the bloom growing and fading throughout that period. You can download a 250-meter-resolution KMZ file of the bloom [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Nov2007/namibia_amo_2007312.kmz ] suitable for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/ ] NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC.
Fires in Georgia and Florida
Title Fires in Georgia and Florida
Description Several large fires were burning in southern Georgia on April 29, 2007, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite passed overhead and captured this image. Places where MODIS detected actively burning fires are outlined in red. The Roundabout Fire sprang up on April 27, according to the U.S. Southern Area Coordination Center, [ http://gacc.nifc.gov/sacc/predictive/intelligence/intelligence.htm ] and was about 3,500 acres as of April 30. That fire was threatening homes in the community of Kirkland. Meanwhile, south of Waycross, two large blazes were burning next to each other in the northern part of Okefenokee Swamp. The Sweat Farm Road Fire (previous images [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14230 ]) threatened the town of Waycross in previous weeks, but at the end of April, activity had moved to the southeastern perimeter. The fire had affected more than 50,000 acres of timber (including pine tree plantations) and swamps. Scores of residences scattered throughout the rural area are threatened. The Big Turnaround Complex is burning to the east. The 26,000-acre fire was extremely active over the weekend, with flame lengths more than 60 feet (just over 18 meters) in places. The two blazes appeared to overlap in fire perimeter maps available from the U.S. Geospatial Multi-Agency Coordination Team. [ http://geomac.usgs.gov/# ] According to the Southern Area Coordination Center morning report on April 30, the Sweat Farm Road Fire "will be a long term fire. Containment and control will depend on significant rainfall, due to the inaccessible swamp terrain." No expected containment date was available for the Big Turnaround Complex Fire, either. Describing that fire, the report stated, "Heavy fuel loading, high fire danger, and difficulty of access continue to hamper suppression efforts." The large image provided above has a spatial resolution (level of detail) of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides twice-daily [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA7 ] images of the region in additional resolutions. They also provide a version of the image that shows smoke plumes stretching out across the Atlantic Ocean. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center
Smoke from fires in Idaho an …
Title Smoke from fires in Idaho and Montana
Description Some things are so large that the perspective from space is necessary to appreciate them. One of those things is the long-distance impact that pollutants like smoke or dust can have on air quality. On August 4, 2007, for example, fires raging in Montana and Idaho polluted the air over much of the United States. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) onboard NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image of the smoke and fires on the afternoon of August 4. The lower image is a mosaic of four separate flyovers (separated by faint diagonal lines), while the top image is a close-up view of the smoke and haze along the northeastern seaboard. Strong winds on August 4 created uncontrollable firestorms that forced the evacuation of at least two communities in Montana, reported the Missoulian. Fires in Montana and Idaho are marked with red dots in the lower image and are more clearly visible in the large image. In addition to fueling the flames, the winds blew dense plumes of smoke northeast. The thickest plumes rise from the fires in northwestern Montana. By the time the smoke reached eastern Montana, the plumes were no longer distinct. The air was clouded with a soupy, gray haze that curves north into Canada. High-level winds pushed the smoke south over the western Great Lakes, and into the central and southern United States. From the bank of clouds over Illinois to the Gulf of Mexico, the air was white-gray with haze. From the central United States, the plume of pollution snaked over the Mid-Atlantic States and the Chesapeake Bay to the Atlantic Ocean, where it turned north and flowed along the coast. Some additional haze may line the coast south of Cape Hatteras, but reflected sunlight has turned the ocean's surface into a mirror, effectively masking the presence of any haze. The top image provides a closer view of the haze over the Atlantic Ocean from the Delmarva Peninsula along the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay, to the Gulf of Maine, north of Cape Cod. By this point, smoke from the western wildfires is probably only one component of the haze. High temperatures and stagnant air also amplified the impact of urban pollution, creating Code Orange [ http://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=static.aqi#unh ] air quality conditions, which are unhealthy for sensitive groups such as active children or adults or individuals with respiratory ailments. The jetstream—the fast-moving, high-level winds that steer weather systems—is defined by the stark boundary between the hazy air over the Mid-Atlantic and the clear air over New England. Jetstream winds are clearly blocking the smoke from traveling north. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC, which provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/fas/ ] of the United States in a clickable map.
Smoke from fires in Idaho an …
Title Smoke from fires in Idaho and Montana
Description Some things are so large that the perspective from space is necessary to appreciate them. One of those things is the long-distance impact that pollutants like smoke or dust can have on air quality. On August 4, 2007, for example, fires raging in Montana and Idaho polluted the air over much of the United States. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) onboard NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image of the smoke and fires on the afternoon of August 4. The lower image is a mosaic of four separate flyovers (separated by faint diagonal lines), while the top image is a close-up view of the smoke and haze along the northeastern seaboard. Strong winds on August 4 created uncontrollable firestorms that forced the evacuation of at least two communities in Montana, reported the Missoulian. Fires in Montana and Idaho are marked with red dots in the lower image and are more clearly visible in the large image. In addition to fueling the flames, the winds blew dense plumes of smoke northeast. The thickest plumes rise from the fires in northwestern Montana. By the time the smoke reached eastern Montana, the plumes were no longer distinct. The air was clouded with a soupy, gray haze that curves north into Canada. High-level winds pushed the smoke south over the western Great Lakes, and into the central and southern United States. From the bank of clouds over Illinois to the Gulf of Mexico, the air was white-gray with haze. From the central United States, the plume of pollution snaked over the Mid-Atlantic States and the Chesapeake Bay to the Atlantic Ocean, where it turned north and flowed along the coast. Some additional haze may line the coast south of Cape Hatteras, but reflected sunlight has turned the ocean's surface into a mirror, effectively masking the presence of any haze. The top image provides a closer view of the haze over the Atlantic Ocean from the Delmarva Peninsula along the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay, to the Gulf of Maine, north of Cape Cod. By this point, smoke from the western wildfires is probably only one component of the haze. High temperatures and stagnant air also amplified the impact of urban pollution, creating Code Orange [ http://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=static.aqi#unh ] air quality conditions, which are unhealthy for sensitive groups such as active children or adults or individuals with respiratory ailments. The jetstream—the fast-moving, high-level winds that steer weather systems—is defined by the stark boundary between the hazy air over the Mid-Atlantic and the clear air over New England. Jetstream winds are clearly blocking the smoke from traveling north. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC, which provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/fas/ ] of the United States in a clickable map.
Smoke Plume over Eastern Can …
Title Smoke Plume over Eastern Canada
Description In late May, a massive smoke plume hundreds of kilometers across blew eastward over New Brunswick toward the Atlantic Ocean. On May 26, 2007, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite captured this image at 11:40 a.m. local time. By the time MODIS took this picture, the smoke appeared to have completely detached itself from the source, a large fire burning in southwestern Quebec, beyond the western edge of this image. In this image, the smoke appears as a gray-beige opaque mass with fuzzy, translucent edges. The plume is thickest in the southwest and diminishes toward the northeast. Just southwest of the plume is a red outline indicating a hotspot—an area where MODIS detected anomalously warm surface temperatures, such as those resulting from fires. This hotspot, however, is not the source for this smoke plume. According to a bulletin [ http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/FIRE/DATA/SMOKE/2007E261650.html ] from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the southwestern Quebec fire (visible in this wider-area view [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA4/2007146/USA4.2007146.terra ] as a semi-circular arrangement of hotspots at image left) was the source. According to reports from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre [ http://www.ciffc.ca/firewire.htm ] on May 29, that fire was estimated at 63,211 hectares (156,197 acres), and it was classified as "being held." At the same time, more than 20 wildfires burned in Quebec, news sources reported, and firefighters from other Canadian provinces and the United States had been brought in to provide reinforcements for the area's firefighters. NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center.
Fires in the Canary Islands
Title Fires in the Canary Islands
Description Two large forest fires raged on the Canary Islands on the afternoon of July 30, 2007, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this photo-like image. Clusters of red dots mark out the locations of the fires on the islands of Tenerife (left) and Gran Canaria (right). More than 2,000 people were evacuated from the fire on Gran Canaria, which had burned through 8,645 acres of woodland, reported the Associated Press on July 30. Thick plumes of smoke blow southwest over the Atlantic Ocean from the fires. The desert coast of Western Sahara and Morocco makes up the right edge of the image. A faint tan veil of dust hangs over the ocean near the coast. The large image provided above has a resolution of 250 meters per pixel. The image is available in additional resolutions [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2007211-0730/CanaryIslands.A2007211.1445 ] from the MODIS Rapid Response System. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC
Flooding in Honduras
Title Flooding in Honduras
Description An unusual cold front brought heavy rains to the Atlantic coast of Honduras in early March 2007. By March 10, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image, the Aguan River and nearby waterways were swollen. The floods cut off 100,000 people by damaging roads and bridges, said the Dartmouth Flood Observatory. [ http://www.dartmouth.edu/~floods/Archives/2007sum.htm ] These images were made with infrared and visible light to increase the contrast between water and land. Water is typically black in this type of image, but dirt in the water scatters light, giving the flooded rivers a blue color. In the March 10 image, the rivers dump plumes of sediment into the Atlantic Ocean, coloring the water bright blue. Scattered clouds are pale blue and white, while plant-covered land is green. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team.
Tropical Storm Noel Floods t …
Title Tropical Storm Noel Floods the Dominican Republic
Description Tropical Storm Noel [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14605 ] left floods and landslides in its wake after crossing Hispaniola, the island shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti, on October 28, 2007. As of November 2, 79 people had been reported dead and 65,000 displaced in the Dominican Republic, said the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/EGUA-78KQAQ?OpenDocument&rc=2&emid=TC-2007-000198-DOM ] 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 floods near the northern shore of the Dominican Republic on November 1. The image was made with a combination of infrared and visible light so that water is black, plant-covered land is bright green, and clouds are pale blue and white. Run-off from the floods filled the Yuna River with sediment, coloring the water blue. The sediment also colors the Atlantic Ocean near the mouth of the river. As the lower image shows, the Yuna River is not visible in MODIS imagery under normal conditions, but in the November 1 image, the river has swollen enough to be clearly seen beneath a thin veil of clouds. The flooded delta covers several kilometers. You can download a 250-meter-resolution KMZ file of the flooding [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Nov2007/hispaniola_tmo_2007305.kmz ] suitable for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/ ] NASA image courtesy Jesse Allen, made with data provided by the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC.
Tropical Storm Noel Floods t …
Title Tropical Storm Noel Floods the Dominican Republic
Description Tropical Storm Noel [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14605 ] left floods and landslides in its wake after crossing Hispaniola, the island shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti, on October 28, 2007. As of November 2, 79 people had been reported dead and 65,000 displaced in the Dominican Republic, said the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/EGUA-78KQAQ?OpenDocument&rc=2&emid=TC-2007-000198-DOM ] 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 floods near the northern shore of the Dominican Republic on November 1. The image was made with a combination of infrared and visible light so that water is black, plant-covered land is bright green, and clouds are pale blue and white. Run-off from the floods filled the Yuna River with sediment, coloring the water blue. The sediment also colors the Atlantic Ocean near the mouth of the river. As the lower image shows, the Yuna River is not visible in MODIS imagery under normal conditions, but in the November 1 image, the river has swollen enough to be clearly seen beneath a thin veil of clouds. The flooded delta covers several kilometers. You can download a 250-meter-resolution KMZ file of the flooding [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Nov2007/hispaniola_tmo_2007305.kmz ] suitable for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/ ] NASA image courtesy Jesse Allen, made with data provided by the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC.
Floods in Chad
Title Floods in Chad
Description Ghana, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14528 ] Senegal, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14526 ] Mali, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14534 ] Uganda, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14536 ] and Sudan [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14499 ] are available on the Earth Observatory. Daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/ ] of Africa's Sahel region, where the floods were concentrated, 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., The Sahel grassland is a rain-dependent ecosystem. With no mountain snowpacks to provide water during the dry season or daily infusions of water from moist air masses, the fortunes of the great African grasslands depend entirely on seasonal rain. The contrast between the dry season and the rainy season is illustrated by this pair of images, both captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite. MODIS took the top image on September 18, 2007, after several weeks of unusually heavy rain had fallen over the Sahel. At the time, as many as 17 countries were flooded, from Senegal, bordering on the Atlantic Ocean in the west, to Kenya on the continent's east coast. The lower image was taken on July 4, 4007, a short time before the rains started in earnest. The images show Lake Firtri and the Batha River in southern Chad, a short distance east of Lake Chad. In the combination of infrared and visible light used to create these images, water is typically black, though in this case, it is bright blue. Sediment in the water scatters light, creating the blue color. In July, the only visible water is in Lake Fitri. Traces of green vegetation in the wetlands around the lake and along the Batha River are the only indication that water might be present elsewhere in the scene. Beyond these green areas, the landscape around the lake is mostly the rosy tan of barren land. The cluster of waves in the land to the north of Lake Fitri is likely a dune field along the southernmost edge of the Sahara Desert. Clouds, turquoise blue in this false-color image, gather on the southern edge of the scene. By September 18, water had changed southern Chad completely. The region went from dry to flooded. Lake Fitri had nearly doubled in size as the wetlands filled with water. The Batha River ran high, its channel clearly defined by a bold blue line of water. The land is vibrant green, covered with the grasses that sprang up in response to the rains. The rains and resulting floods cut off or severely hampered access to refugee camps along Chad's southeastern border with the Darfur region of Sudan, making the delivery of supplies difficult, said the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in a report [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/LRON-778HGZ?OpenDocument&rc=1&emid=FL-2007-000151-TCD ] issued on September 20. The rains were expected to continue through early October. Chad was just one of many African countries that were flooded in September 2007. As many as 17 countries and more than a million people were affected by flooding across Africa, reported BBC News on September 17. Images of flood areas in Nigeria, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14532 ]
Eclipsed Moon Rising Over En …
Title Eclipsed Moon Rising Over England
Explanation Last Thursday, part of our Moon turned dark. The cause, this time, was not a partial lunar phase [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap051113.html ] -- the Moon was full -- but rather that part of the Moon went into Earth's shadow. The resulting partial lunar eclipse [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap041103.html ] was visible from the eastern Atlantic Ocean [ https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/zh.html ] through Europe [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap051207.html ], Africa [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africa ], and Asia [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asia ] and into the western Pacific Ocean [ https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/zn.html ]. The darkest part of the lunar eclipse, when part of the Moon was completely shielded from sunlight [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060909.html ], lasted about 90 minutes. Pictured above, a partially eclipsed Moon is seen rising over an estate in Huddersfield [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huddersfield_%28UK_Parliament_constituency%29 ], England [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Isles_%28terminology%29 ]. The above image was taken far away from the house in the foreground, as only this would allow it to appear as angularly small as the half-degree Moon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap031011.html ] far in the background. A setting twilight Sun lit the foreground. The next eclipse [ http://mreclipse.com/Special/LEnext.html ] of the Moon will occur in March 2007.
Snow over the Northeastern U …
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle …
On February 14-15, 2007, a s …
ge_07431
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2007-02-19
creator NASA -- NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
identifier ge_07431
Dust Plumes off Iceland: Nat …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Plumes of dust blew off the …
iceland_tmo_2007174
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2007-06-23
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier iceland_tmo_2007174
Dust Storm from the Sahara D …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
On February 21, 2007, a dust …
sahara_tmo_2007052
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2007-02-21
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier sahara_tmo_2007052
Dust Plume off Western Afric …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Saharan dust that blew off t …
atlantic_tmo_2007174
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2007-06-23
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier atlantic_tmo_2007174
Haze off the United States E …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Haze collected off the coast …
georgia_tmo_2007218
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2007-08-06
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier georgia_tmo_2007218
Phytoplankton Bloom off Nami …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
A flash of blue and green li …
namibia_amo_2007312
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2007-11-08
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier namibia_amo_2007312
Fires and Thick Smoke over S …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Throughout September 2007, i …
samerica_mop_200709
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2007-09-30
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier samerica_mop_200709
Haze off the United States E …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
* eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/ima …
ecoast_amo_2007175
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2007-06-24
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier ecoast_amo_2007175
Dust Plume off Mauritania: N …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
A thick plume of dust blew o …
wafrica_amo_2007275
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2007-10-02
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier wafrica_amo_2007275
Floods in Southern Brazil: N …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
* eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/ima …
Brazil_TMO_2007253
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2007-09-25
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier Brazil_TMO_2007253
Floods in South Africa: Natu …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
* eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/ima …
SouthAfrica_TMO_2007212
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2007-07-31
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier SouthAfrica_TMO_2007212
Fires in the Canary Islands: …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Two large forest fires raged …
ge_18794
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2007-07-30
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier ge_18794
Floods in Northern Argentina …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
* eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/ima …
SParana_TMO_2007093
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2007-04-03
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier SParana_TMO_2007093
Tropical Storm Noel Floods t …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
* eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/ima …
hispaniola_tmo_2007305
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2007-11-01
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier hispaniola_tmo_2007305
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