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Exploring the Wetlands of Ti
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| Description |
Exploring the Wetlands of Titan |
| Full Description |
Cassini peers through the murky orange haze of Titan to spy what are believed to be bodies of liquid hydrocarbons, two of them as large as seas on Earth, near the moon's north pole. This movie blends a near natural-color view and an infrared glimpse of Titan's surface obtained by the visual cameras, followed by a transition to imagery collected by the radar instrument aboard Cassini, for a dramatic reveal of the north pole of Saturn's largest moon. As the movie zooms in on the north pole, the most readily visible bodies are outlined in blue. The largest of these, on the left, is as big as the Caspian Sea on Earth, the next largest, on the right, is about the size of Lake Superior. When compared to the surface area of Titan however (which is six times smaller than Earth's), these bodies are equivalent in size to the Bay of Bengal and Timor Sea, respectively. Geographically speaking, they are more like seas. The movie continues with a gradual transition to a polar map of the radar imagery taken so far by Cassini of the north polar region. It is clear that one of the radar swaths has intersected a small upper bay of the largest sea, and has almost entirely imaged the second one. The extreme darkness of these regions in the radar data argues strongly for the presence of liquid hydrocarbons, such as methane and ethane, which remain liquid at Titan's frigid temperature of minus 180 degrees Celsius (minus 288 degrees Fahrenheit). See Titan (T25) Viewed by Cassini's Radar - Feb. 22, 2007. The movie continues with a pan across the pole and the radar imagery that has uncovered a multitude of much smaller lakes. Features of strikingly similar morphology to these dark northern seas and smaller lakes were first discovered in Cassini Imaging Science Subsystem images in June 2005, at Titan's south pole (see Land of Lakes?). The lake-like shoreline of the largest of these, called Ontario Lacus, its size (about the size of Lake Victoria), and its proximity to the south pole where the largest field of clouds yet seen on Titan had been observed, earned it the reputation as the best candidate for a body of liquid hydrocarbons on Titan up until that point, though the case for liquids was weak. When adjusted for the size of Titan, Ontario Lacus is equivalent in size to the Black Sea. Now, by inference, scientists are more confident that it, and the smaller features that dot the south pole, are also likely open bodies of liquid, and in aggregate make up a southern wetlands on Titan, similar to the one observed in the north polar movie. The images used to make this movie were taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Feb. 25, 2007, at a distance of approximately 1.3 million kilometers (800,000 miles) from Titan. The infrared images were taken with a special filter centered at 938 nanometers that provides the cameras' best view of Titan's surface features. This view was then composited with images taken at 619, 568 and 440 nanometers to, create a near natural color appearance. The radar data were acquired in synthetic aperture radar mode. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org . Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute |
| Date |
March 15, 2007 |
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Haze and Sediment in Banglad
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| Title |
Haze and Sediment in Bangladesh and India |
| Description |
On January 27, 2007, haze sprawled from the southern edge of the Himalaya Mountains southward over the Bay of Bengal. In between, it clouded the skies over northern India and Bangladesh. In the south, thick sediment colored the Mouth of the Ganges shades of pale brown and blue-green. Such sediment is a natural occurrence, although land-use changes such as deforestation and agriculture can increase the sediment volume. The haze, mostly a mixture of urban and industrial pollution, often collects at the base of the mountains in the wintertime. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite captured this image on January 27, 2007. In this image, the haze appears thickest in the northwest. It thins toward the south, but haze is still clearly visible over the ocean. The haze appears to follow a distinct path toward the ocean, concentrating over the border between India and western Bangladesh. Farther west in India, and on the east side of Bangladesh, skies appear clear. Along the coastline of India and Bangladesh, the dark green Sundarbans [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sundarbans ] mangrove forests stand out from the otherwise brown landscape. NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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Tropical Cyclone 03B
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone 03B |
| Description |
Cyclonic storms in the Arabian Sea are rare, but not unheard of. Two tropical cyclones in the space of a month, on the other hand, is quite rare indeed. Unlike its predecessor, Tropical Cyclone Gonu, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14295 ] Cyclone 03B originated on the opposite side of the Indian Peninsula in the Bay of Bengal. At 11:10 a.m. local time (06:10 UTC) on June 25, 2007, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image, Tropical Cyclone 03B was reforming in the Arabian Sea south of the Pakistan coast after having crossed over India. The storm system has a discernible spiraling shape, but does not appear well-formed in this image. The storm has no distinct eye, suggesting that it was not particularly well organized. At the time, sustained winds were measured at 60 kilometers per hour (40 miles per hour) according to the University of Hawaii's Tropical Storm Information Center. [ http://www.solar.ifa.hawaii.edu/Tropical/ ] The storm flooded India's Andhra Pradesh province, resulting in 45 deaths, according to Weather Underground. [ http://www.wunderground.com/ ] It also caused flooding and wind damage in Karachi, Pakistan, where the death toll was around 200, according to BBC News. [ http://news.bbc.co.uk/ ] After crossing land, the storm reached the Arabian Sea and began to reform. As of June 26, forecasts were calling for the storm to gain some organization and power, skirt the Pakistan coast, and make landfall again somewhere near the border between Iran and Pakistan. Storm surge from Cyclone 03B was predicted to be moderately high, even though the storm was not strong, since the offshore waters are shallow, similar to the northern Gulf of Mexico. Because these kinds of storms are rare in the area, coastal communities are particularly vulnerable to storm surge damage. You can download a 250-meter-resolution Cyclone 03B KMZ file [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Jun2007/ cyc03b_tmo_2007158.kmz ] for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html ] NASA image by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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Tropical Cyclone Gonu
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Gonu |
| Description |
This data visualization shows Tropical Cyclone Gonu and its spiral pattern of winds as recorded by NASA's QuikSCAT [ http://winds.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/quikscat/index.cfm ] satellite on June 4, 2007. Varying wind speeds within the storm form a bull's-eye of color, with the highest wind speeds shown in purple in the center of the storm and gradually decreasing speeds radiating outward. Wind direction is depicted with small barbs. White barbs point to areas of heavy rain. You might expect to see such a well-developed storm hovering over the warm waters of the Caribbean or in the South Pacific, but Tropical Cyclone Gonu showed up in an unusual place. On June 4, 2007, when it was observed by the QuikSCAT satellite, Cyclone Gonu was approaching the northeastern shore of Oman, a region better known for hot desert conditions. Though rare, cyclones like Gonu are not unheard of in the northern Indian Ocean basin. Most cyclones that form in the region form over the Bay of Bengal, east of India. Those that take shape over the Arabian Sea, west of the Indian peninsula, tend to be small and fizzle out before coming ashore. Cyclone Gonu is a rare exception. As of June 4, 2007, the powerful storm had reached a dangerous Category 4 [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshs.shtml ] status, and it was forecast to graze Oman's northeastern shore, following the coastline of the Gulf of Oman. According to storm statistics maintained on Unisys Weather, [ http://weather.unisys.com/hurricane/ ], the last storm of this size to form over the Arabian Sea was Cyclone 01A, which tracked northwest along the coast of India between May 21 and May 28, 2001. Unlike Gonu's forecasted track, Cyclone 01A's path never brought it ashore. Ground or aircraft-based measurements of the wind strength of Cyclone Gonu would likely show sustained winds significantly higher than those estimated by QuikSCAT. QuikSCAT uses a scatterometer, a device that sends pulses of microwave energy through the atmosphere to the ocean surface and measures the energy that bounces back from the wind-roughened surface. The energy of the microwave pulses changes depending on wind speed and direction, giving scientists a way to monitor wind around the world. This technique does not work over land, but allows measurements in storms over oceans. Wind speeds in trropical cyclones, however, are difficult for QuikSCAT to measure. To relate the radar signal the sensor measures to actual wind speed, scientists compare measurements taken from buoys and other ground stations to data the satellite acquired at the same time and place. Because the high wind speeds generated by cyclones are rare, scientists do not have enough corresponding ground information to know how to translate data from the satellite for wind speeds above 50 knots (about 93 km/hr, or 58 mph). Also, the unusually heavy rain found in a cyclone distorts the microwave pulses in a number of ways, making a conversion to accurate wind speed difficult. Instead, the scatterometer provides a nice picture of the relative wind speeds within the storm and shows wind direction. NASA image courtesy of David Long, Brigham Young University, on the QuikSCAT Science Team [ http://winds.jpl.nasa.gov/ ], and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. |
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Tropical Cyclone Gonu
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Gonu |
| Description |
MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center., You might expect to see a storm with near-perfect symmetry and a well-defined eye hovering over the warm waters of the Caribbean or in the South Pacific, but Tropical Cyclone Gonu showed up in an unusual place. On June 4, 2007, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image, Tropical Cyclone Gonu was approaching the northeastern shore of Oman, a region better known for hot desert conditions. Though rare, cyclones like Gonu are not unheard of in the northern Indian Ocean basin. Most cyclones that form in the region form over the Bay of Bengal, east of India. Those that take shape over the Arabian Sea, west of the Indian peninsula, tend to be small and fizzle out before coming ashore. Cyclone Gonu is a rare exception. As of June 4, 2007, the powerful storm had reached a dangerous Category 4 [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshs.shtml ] status, and it was forecast to graze Oman's northeastern shore, following the Gulf of Oman. According to storm statistics maintained on Unisys Weather, [ http://weather.unisys.com/hurricane/ ] the last storm of this size to form over the Arabian Sea was Cyclone 01A, which tracked northwest along the coast of India between May 21 and May 28, 2001. Unlike Gonu's forecasted track, Cyclone 01A's path never brought it ashore. MODIS acquired this photo-like image at 12:00 p.m. local time (9:00 UTC), a few hours after the Joint Typhoon Warning Center [ https://metocph.nmci.navy.mil/jtwc.php ] estimated Gonu's sustained winds to be over 240 kilometers per hour (145 miles per hour). The satellite image confirms that Gonu was a super-powerful cyclone. The storm has the hallmark tightly wound arms that spiral around a well-defined, circular eye. The eye is surrounded by a clear wall of towering clouds that cast shadows on the surrounding clouds. Called hot towers, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17662 ] these clouds are a sign of the powerful uplift that feeds the storm. The symmetrical spirals, clear eye, and towering clouds are all features regularly seen in satellite images of other particularly powerful cyclones, which are also known as typhoons or hurricanes when they form in other parts of the world. 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. [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2007155-0604/Gonu.A2007155.0900 ] You can download a 250-meter-resolution Cyclone Gonu KMZ file [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Jun2007/Gonu.A2007155.0900.250m.kmz ] for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html ] NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, |
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Tropical Cyclone Gonu
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Gonu |
| Description |
A storm with near-perfect symmetry and a well-defined eye hovering over the warm waters of the Caribbean or in the South Pacific is not unusual, but Tropical Cyclone Gonu showed up in a rather different place: the Arabian Sea. Though rare, cyclones like Gonu are not unheard of in the northern Indian Ocean basin. Most cyclones that form in the region form over the Bay of Bengal, east of India. Those that take shape over the Arabian Sea, west of the Indian peninsula, tend to be small and fizzle out before coming ashore. Cyclone Gonu was a rare exception. According to storm statistics maintained on Unisys Weather, [ http://weather.unisys.com/hurricane/ ] the last storm of this size to form over the Arabian Sea was Cyclone 01A, which tracked northwest along the coast of India between May 21 and May 28, 2001. Unlike Gonu's forecasted track, Cyclone 01A's path never brought it ashore. At 9:35 a.m. local time (06:35 UTC) on June 5, 2007, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image, Tropical Cyclone Gonu was approaching the northeastern shore of Oman. At this time, the powerful storm had reached a dangerous Category 4 [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshs.shtml ] status. Sustained winds were measured at 250 kilometers per hour (155 miles per hour) according to the University of Hawaii's Tropical Storm Information Center, [ http://www.solar.ifa.hawaii.edu/Tropical/ ] at the time of this MODIS image. The storm has the hallmark tightly wound arms that spiral around a well-defined, circular eye. The eye is surrounded by a wall of towering clouds that cast shadows on the surrounding clouds. Called hot towers, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17662 ], these clouds are a sign of the powerful uplift that feeds the storm. The symmetrical spirals, distinct eye, and towering clouds are all features regularly seen in satellite images of other particularly powerful cyclones, which are also known as typhoons or hurricanes when they form in other parts of the world. The forecast as of June 5 called for the storm to graze Oman's shore, but with the center of the storm staying offshore in the Gulf of Oman. The storm's first landfall was predicted to be in southern Iran. The cooler water along the Oman coast was expected to rob the storm of some of its intensity, and it was predicted to strike the Iranian coast at around Category 1 strength. If, however, the forecast track is not quite right and the storm stays farther from shore over shallower and much warmer waters in the Gulf of Oman, it could make landfall while still packing Category 3 winds. In either case, communities along the Gulf of Oman are poorly prepared for hurricanes, given their rarity, and severe damage to cities and oil platforms is possible due to winds and storm surge. 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. [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2007156-0605/Gonu.A2007156.0635 ] You can download a 250-meter-resolution Cyclone Gonu KMZ file [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Jun2007/Gonu.A2007156.0635.250m.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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Tropical Cyclone Sidr
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Sidr |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Sidr was continuing its northward progress over the Bay of Bengal on November 14, 2007. It was moving north toward the Mouths of the Ganges at a speed of 13 kilometers per hour (8 miles per hour), and winds in the storm system were raging at 220 km/hr (140 mph) near the storm's center, making it a Category 4 strength [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshs.shtml ] tropical cyclone. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite acquired this photo-like image at 10:15 a.m. local time (4:45 UTC) on November 14, 2007. Tropical Cyclone Sidr appears here as a well-developed and distinct ball of circling clouds, the storm has a distinct but cloudy eye at its center. An extended arm of clouds reaches northward from the storm across Bangladesh, bringing the influence of the storm onshore already even though it was hundreds of kilometers to the south. Western Bangladesh, where the storm appeared to be headed as of November 15, is the most heavily populated low-lying area in the world, with a history of severe causalities from previous storms due to both direct flooding and storm surge. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center [ https://metocph.nmci.navy.mil/jtwc.php ] was predicting that the storm would weaken, but still make landfall with hurricane-force winds. In 1970, a Category 3 storm that made landfall in the same vicinity caused 300,000 deaths and was one of the most deadly natural disasters in modern history. Another 138,000 people perished in 1991 from another such cyclone. 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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Tropical Cyclone Sidr
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Sidr |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Sidr crept steadily north and west over the warm waters of the Bay of Bengal after forming on November 11, 2007. This image shows the storm as observed by NASA's QuikSCAT [ http://winds.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/quikscat/index.cfm ] satellite on November 11, 2007. At the time, the center of the developing storm sat west of the southern edge of the Andaman Islands. The colors chart out the storm's wind speed, and not surprisingly, the strongest winds are in the center of the storm. Small barbs show wind direction, and white barbs point to heavy rainfall. On November 12, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center [ https://metocph.nmci.navy.mil/jtwc.php ] forecast that Sidr would grow to the equivalent of a Category 2 storm, with sustained winds of 170 kilometers/hour (100 mph or 90 knots) by November 14. NASA image courtesy of David Long, Brigham Young University, on the QuikSCAT Science Team, [ http://winds.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. |
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Tropical Cyclone Sidr
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Sidr |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Sidr was gathering strength when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this photo-like image on November 12, 2007. The storm's swirling clouds straddle the center of the Bay of Bengal, with the eastern shores of Sri Lanka and India forming the left edge of the image. At the time that this image was taken, Sidr was relatively small, with sustained winds estimated at 100 kilometers per hour (60 miles per hour or 55 knots), the equivalent of an Atlantic tropical storm. Despite its small size, Sidr is well-formed, with a dark spot near the center where an eye may be developing surrounded by tight bands of clouds. On November 12, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center [ https://metocph.nmci.navy.mil/jtwc.php ] forecast that Sidr would grow to the equivalent of a Category 2 storm, with sustained winds of 170 km/hr (100 mph or 90 knots) by November 14. NASA image by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. |
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Flooding in Eastern India
| Title |
Flooding in Eastern India |
| Description |
India's annual monsoon triggered widespread flooding throughout the country in early July 2007. In West Bengal, ABC News [ http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/07/08/1972766.htm ] reported, nearly a million people were stranded by flooding. Every major river in the East Indian state was swollen from torrential rain and releases from too-full reservoirs, ABC added. As of July 10, at least 187 people had died and 7 million had been affected by flooding across India, said Reuters. [ http://www.reuters.com/article/homepageCrisis/idUSDEL267798._CH_.2400 ] This image shows extensive flooding in West Bengal (top) and northern Orissa (lower left) as seen by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) flying on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on July 9, 2007. The lower image was taken on May 31, before the monsoon rains started. In this type of image, water is typically black, as seen in the Bay of Bengal. However, the water is heavily laden with mud in the flooded landscape, so its coloring is light blue. The extensive floods cut between the channels of the Ganges River, which flow into the Bay of Bengal in the center of the image, and extend southwest along the coast. Additional flooding is visible in the large image, which shows a broader area. Clouds, which appear light blue and white in this image made from infrared and visible light, cover the floods in Bangladesh to the east. In addition to causing floods, the monsoon rains have brought new life to eastern India. The landscape has gone from the tan-pink of bare earth to the bright green that indicates plant cover. You can download a 250-meter-resolution KMZ file of the flooding [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Jul2007/eindia_tmo_2007190.kmz ] and comparison imagery from May 31, 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. |
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Flooding in Eastern India
| Title |
Flooding in Eastern India |
| Description |
India's annual monsoon triggered widespread flooding throughout the country in early July 2007. In West Bengal, ABC News [ http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/07/08/1972766.htm ] reported, nearly a million people were stranded by flooding. Every major river in the East Indian state was swollen from torrential rain and releases from too-full reservoirs, ABC added. As of July 10, at least 187 people had died and 7 million had been affected by flooding across India, said Reuters. [ http://www.reuters.com/article/homepageCrisis/idUSDEL267798._CH_.2400 ] This image shows extensive flooding in West Bengal (top) and northern Orissa (lower left) as seen by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) flying on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on July 9, 2007. The lower image was taken on May 31, before the monsoon rains started. In this type of image, water is typically black, as seen in the Bay of Bengal. However, the water is heavily laden with mud in the flooded landscape, so its coloring is light blue. The extensive floods cut between the channels of the Ganges River, which flow into the Bay of Bengal in the center of the image, and extend southwest along the coast. Additional flooding is visible in the large image, which shows a broader area. Clouds, which appear light blue and white in this image made from infrared and visible light, cover the floods in Bangladesh to the east. In addition to causing floods, the monsoon rains have brought new life to eastern India. The landscape has gone from the tan-pink of bare earth to the bright green that indicates plant cover. You can download a 250-meter-resolution KMZ file of the flooding [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Jul2007/eindia_tmo_2007190.kmz ] and comparison imagery from May 31, 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. |
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Flooding in Eastern India
| Title |
Flooding in Eastern India |
| Description |
Abutting the southern front of the snow-clad Himalaya Mountains, the broad, flat Ganges Plain is laced with rivers that transport glacial melt to the Bay of Bengal or the Arabian Sea. Not surprisingly, these rivers lead something of a Dr. Jekyll–Mr. Hyde existence: during the dry winter, the rivers are small and sedate, their headwaters largely locked in ice. In the summer, temperatures in the mountains climb, melting mountain-top snow and fueling the Asian monsoon, and the rivers swell into roaring giants. Not every year is the same however—the monsoon may be wetter in a particular year or winter snows might be greater, leading to more snowmelt—and 2007 numbered among the more extreme flood years. Heavy rain throughout July pushed the Ganges and its many tributaries over their banks, submerging large tracts of land in northeastern India. As of August 3, nearly 20 million people had been displaced in India, Bangladesh, and Nepal, and 125 had died in India, reported BBC News. [ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6927389.stm ] Among the most severely hit states was India's northeastern Bihar state. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) flying on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image of flooding on the Ganges and its tributaries on August 3, 2007. The lower image, captured by Aqua MODIS on June 4, 2007, shows the plain before the summer monsoon and snowmelt swelled the rivers. In these images (made with a combination of infrared and visible light), water is black or dark blue. Water takes on a brighter shade of blue when tinged with sediment. Clouds, pale blue and white, are scattered over the flooded region, which is bright green with vegetation. Sparsely vegetated areas or bare earth in the lower image are rose-tinted tan. On August 3, the Ganges, Gandak, and Kosi Rivers were so swollen that it was hard to see exactly where the rivers normally flow. The tributaries that feed the Kosi River, not even visible on June 4, have combined in a vast web of water-covered land. The light blue area under the clouds in the lower left corner of the image is probably water-soaked earth, not standing water. Though destructive, seasonal flooding in the Ganges River system blankets the plain with fertile alluvial soil, making it productive farmland. Because the plain is so fertile, it is one of the most densely populated regions on Earth.Daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_India3/2007215 ] of northeastern India are available from the MODIS Rapid Response System in both 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. |
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Floods in Bangladesh
| Title |
Floods in Bangladesh |
| Description |
Bangladesh's annual monsoon started with unusually heavy rain, intensified by a storm from the Bay of Bengal on June 9-10, 2007. By June 11, more than one-third of the southeastern coastal city of Chittagong was under water, reported the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. [ http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200706/s1948143.htm ] In addition to the floods, the rains triggered devastating landslides in the deforested hills on which the city is built. The country-wide death toll from the floods and landslides neared 130 on June 12, said Reuters. [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/LRON-744DMF?OpenDocument ] Most of the deaths were a result of the landslides or from buildings collapsing in the rain. This image shows rainfall totals over Bangladesh between June 4 and June 11, 2007. The rainfall totals are from the Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis, which is based on measurements from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ]) satellite. Rainfall totals range from 0 to 100 millimeters (4 inches), shown in blue, to 400 mm (15.7 inches) to 500 mm (19.7 inches), shown in red. Most of the country received between 200 and 300 millimeters (7.9 to 11.8 inches) of rain during the week-long period, though there are several pockets of heavier rain. Chittagong sits in one such pocket, where up to 400 mm (15.7 inches) of rain fell. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency, JAXA. NASA images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC). |
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Floods in East India
| Title |
Floods in East India |
| Description |
Monsoon rains combined with a tropical depression to leave portions of India's Orissa state flooded starting on September 22, 2007, said the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/LRON-77FJAN?OpenDocument&rc=3&emid=FF-2007-000083-IND ]). By September 27, every river system except the Mahanadi was flooded. This image, captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on September 30, 2007, shows significant flooding in northeastern Orissa, one of the hardest-hit regions of the state. The most severe flooding shown in the image is around the Brahmani River, where water covers tens of kilometers of land that had been dry a little more than two weeks earlier (lower image). Clouds, light blue and white in this combination of infrared and visible light, still cover parts of the flood scene. Unlike the Bay of Bengal, which is black in these images, the water in the river systems and flood areas is bright blue against a backdrop of green, plant-covered land. This is a sign that mud-laden run-off fills the rivers. A cloud of sediment runs from the mouth of the Mahanadi River into the Bay of Bengal. This sediment may come from floods, but it may also be from coastal erosion. The tropical depression that brought the flood-inducing rain also brought battering waves to the coast of India. As much as 50 meters of shore washed away in the Paradeep port, near the sediment plume, said the IFRC. The floods are just the latest in a series of floods that have swept across India since the summer monsoon started in June. Earlier in September, MODIS observed extensive flooding in northeastern India's Bihar [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14518 ] state, and Orissa and West Bengal [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14364 ] were flooded in July. The late-September flood claimed at least 88 lives in Orissa and West Bengal, reported the AFP news service [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/THOU-77K3CT?OpenDocument&rc=3&emid=FF-2007-000083-IND ] on September 29. With these new deaths, more than 3,100 people have died as a result of floods or rain throughout India during the 2007 summer monsoon, said AFP.Daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_India3 ] of East India 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. |
|
Floods in East India
| Title |
Floods in East India |
| Description |
Monsoon rains combined with a tropical depression to leave portions of India's Orissa state flooded starting on September 22, 2007, said the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/LRON-77FJAN?OpenDocument&rc=3&emid=FF-2007-000083-IND ]). By September 27, every river system except the Mahanadi was flooded. This image, captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on September 30, 2007, shows significant flooding in northeastern Orissa, one of the hardest-hit regions of the state. The most severe flooding shown in the image is around the Brahmani River, where water covers tens of kilometers of land that had been dry a little more than two weeks earlier (lower image). Clouds, light blue and white in this combination of infrared and visible light, still cover parts of the flood scene. Unlike the Bay of Bengal, which is black in these images, the water in the river systems and flood areas is bright blue against a backdrop of green, plant-covered land. This is a sign that mud-laden run-off fills the rivers. A cloud of sediment runs from the mouth of the Mahanadi River into the Bay of Bengal. This sediment may come from floods, but it may also be from coastal erosion. The tropical depression that brought the flood-inducing rain also brought battering waves to the coast of India. As much as 50 meters of shore washed away in the Paradeep port, near the sediment plume, said the IFRC. The floods are just the latest in a series of floods that have swept across India since the summer monsoon started in June. Earlier in September, MODIS observed extensive flooding in northeastern India's Bihar [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14518 ] state, and Orissa and West Bengal [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14364 ] were flooded in July. The late-September flood claimed at least 88 lives in Orissa and West Bengal, reported the AFP news service [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/THOU-77K3CT?OpenDocument&rc=3&emid=FF-2007-000083-IND ] on September 29. With these new deaths, more than 3,100 people have died as a result of floods or rain throughout India during the 2007 summer monsoon, said AFP.Daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_India3 ] of East India 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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Tropical Cyclone Sidr: Natur
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Tropical Cyclone Sidr was ga
…
sidr_tmo_2007316
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-11-12 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
sidr_tmo_2007316 |
|
Tropical Cyclone Sidr: Natur
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Tropical Cyclone Sidr was co
…
sidr_tmo_2007318
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-11-14 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
sidr_tmo_2007318 |
|
Tropical Cyclone Sidr: Natur
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Tropical Cyclone Sidr crept
…
Sidr_QST_2007315
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-11-11 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
Sidr_QST_2007315 |
|
Flooding in Eastern India: N
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
* eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/ima
…
eindia_tmo_2007190
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-07-09 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
eindia_tmo_2007190 |
|
Floods in East India: Natura
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
* eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/ima
…
Orissa_TMO_2007273
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-09-30 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
Orissa_TMO_2007273 |
|
Tropical Cyclone Gonu: Natur
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
You might expect to see a st
…
gonu_amo_2007155
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-06-04 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
gonu_amo_2007155 |
|
Floods in Bangladesh: Natura
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Bangladesh's annual monsoon
…
Bangladesh_TRM_2007162
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-06-11 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
Bangladesh_TRM_2007162 |
|
Tropical Cyclone Gonu: Natur
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
This data visualization show
…
gonu_qsc_2007155
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-06-04 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
gonu_qsc_2007155 |
|
Monsoon Floods Inundate East
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nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
Abutting the southern front
…
Bihar_AMO_2007215
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-08-03 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA image courtesy the rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov MODIS Rapid Response Team, Goddard Space Flight Center. |
| identifier |
Bihar_AMO_2007215 |
|
Tropical Cyclone 03B: Natura
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Cyclonic storms in the Arabi
…
cyc03b_tmo_2007176
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-06-25 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
cyc03b_tmo_2007176 |
|
Tropical Cyclone Gonu: Image
…
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
You might expect to see a st
…
ge_07743
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-06-04 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov MODIS Rapid Response Team, Goddard Space Flight Center. |
| identifier |
ge_07743 |
|
Tropical Cyclone Gonu: Image
…
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
You might expect to see a st
…
ge_07743
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-06-04 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov MODIS Rapid Response Team, Goddard Space Flight Center. |
| identifier |
ge_07743 |
|
Tropical Cyclone Gonu: Natur
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
A storm with near-perfect sy
…
gonu_tmo_2007156
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-06-05 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
gonu_tmo_2007156 |
|
Haze and Sediment in Banglad
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nasa, nasanaturalhazards
On January 27, 2007, haze sp
…
himben_amo_2007027
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-01-27 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
himben_amo_2007027 |
|
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