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Browse All : Images of Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and Florida from 2005

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National Map Showing Habitat …
Title National Map Showing Habitat Suitability for Tamarisk Invasion
Abstract The spread of invasive species is one of the most daunting environmental, economic, and human-health problems facing the United States and the World today. It is one of several grand challenge environmental problems being addressed by NASA's Science Mission Directorate through a national application partnership with the US Geological Survey. NASA and USGS are working together to develop a National Invasive Species Forecasting System (ISFS) for the management and control of invasive species on Department of Interior and adjacent lands. The system provides a framework for using USGS's early detection and monitoring protocols and predictive models to process MODIS, ETM+, ASTER and commercial remote sensing data, to create on-demand, regional-scale assessments of invasive species likely habitats. Recent work on the Invasive Species Forecasting System (ISFS) project has shown the importance of remotely-sensed time-series data in geostatistical models for mapping the distribution of Tamarisk and other invasive plant species. This video shows the habitat suitability for a Tamarisk invasion in the continental United States. Red indicates areas that are highly suitable and yellow indicates areas which are less suitable. Texas, New Mexico, and Nevada are the most highly suitable states. Utah and Arizona have the next greatest risk. California, Arizona, Montana, Colorado, Oregon, Ohio, Wyoming, and Florida also have a significant risk.
Completed 2005-10-18
National Map Showing Habitat …
Title National Map Showing Habitat Suitability for Tamarisk Invasion
Abstract The spread of invasive species is one of the most daunting environmental, economic, and human-health problems facing the United States and the World today. It is one of several grand challenge environmental problems being addressed by NASA's Science Mission Directorate through a national application partnership with the US Geological Survey. NASA and USGS are working together to develop a National Invasive Species Forecasting System (ISFS) for the management and control of invasive species on Department of Interior and adjacent lands. The system provides a framework for using USGS's early detection and monitoring protocols and predictive models to process MODIS, ETM+, ASTER and commercial remote sensing data, to create on-demand, regional-scale assessments of invasive species likely habitats. Recent work on the Invasive Species Forecasting System (ISFS) project has shown the importance of remotely-sensed time-series data in geostatistical models for mapping the distribution of Tamarisk and other invasive plant species. This video shows the habitat suitability for a Tamarisk invasion in the continental United States. Red indicates areas that are highly suitable and yellow indicates areas which are less suitable. Texas, New Mexico, and Nevada are the most highly suitable states. Utah and Arizona have the next greatest risk. California, Arizona, Montana, Colorado, Oregon, Ohio, Wyoming, and Florida also have a significant risk.
Completed 2005-10-18
Hurricane Dennis
Title Hurricane Dennis
Abstract The formation of Hurricane Dennis on July 5 made that the earliest date on record that four named storms formed in the Atlantic basin. Dennis proved to be a powerful and destructive storm in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. It crossed over Cuba on July 8 and 9, leaving at least 10 dead, and caused additional deaths in Haiti. After re-emerging over open water, Dennis re-strengthened into a dangerous Category 4 hurricane with top wind speeds of 233 kilometers per hour (145 mph). The storm passed within 90 kilometers (55 miles) of Pensacola, Florida, and hit land about 80 kilometers (50 miles) east of where Hurricane Ivan struck in September, 2004. A large storm surge of more than 10 feet was created in certain areas, and many homes and businesses in low-lying areas were flooded.
Completed 2005-07-11
Hurricane Dennis
Title Hurricane Dennis
Abstract The formation of Hurricane Dennis on July 5 made that the earliest date on record that four named storms formed in the Atlantic basin. Dennis proved to be a powerful and destructive storm in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. It crossed over Cuba on July 8 and 9, leaving at least 10 dead, and caused additional deaths in Haiti. After re-emerging over open water, Dennis re-strengthened into a dangerous Category 4 hurricane with top wind speeds of 233 kilometers per hour (145 mph). The storm passed within 90 kilometers (55 miles) of Pensacola, Florida, and hit land about 80 kilometers (50 miles) east of where Hurricane Ivan struck in September, 2004. A large storm surge of more than 10 feet was created in certain areas, and many homes and businesses in low-lying areas were flooded.
Completed 2005-07-11
Hurricane Dennis
Title Hurricane Dennis
Abstract The formation of Hurricane Dennis on July 5 made that the earliest date on record that four named storms formed in the Atlantic basin. Dennis proved to be a powerful and destructive storm in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. It crossed over Cuba on July 8 and 9, leaving at least 10 dead, and caused additional deaths in Haiti. After re-emerging over open water, Dennis re-strengthened into a dangerous Category 4 hurricane with top wind speeds of 233 kilometers per hour (145 mph). The storm passed within 90 kilometers (55 miles) of Pensacola, Florida, and hit land about 80 kilometers (50 miles) east of where Hurricane Ivan struck in September, 2004. A large storm surge of more than 10 feet was created in certain areas, and many homes and businesses in low-lying areas were flooded.
Completed 2005-07-11
Hurricane Dennis
Title Hurricane Dennis
Abstract The formation of Hurricane Dennis on July 5 made that the earliest date on record that four named storms formed in the Atlantic basin. Dennis proved to be a powerful and destructive storm in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. It crossed over Cuba on July 8 and 9, leaving at least 10 dead, and caused additional deaths in Haiti. After re-emerging over open water, Dennis re-strengthened into a dangerous Category 4 hurricane with top wind speeds of 233 kilometers per hour (145 mph). The storm passed within 90 kilometers (55 miles) of Pensacola, Florida, and hit land about 80 kilometers (50 miles) east of where Hurricane Ivan struck in September, 2004. A large storm surge of more than 10 feet was created in certain areas, and many homes and businesses in low-lying areas were flooded.
Completed 2005-07-11
MAP '05 Models Hurricane Kat …
Title MAP '05 Models Hurricane Katrina's Winds from August 23, 2005 through August 31, 2005
Abstract During the summer of 2005, the Earth-Sun Exploration Division of NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center(GSFC) brought together resources from NASA to study tropical cyclones. The MAP '05 Project, so named for its affiliation with NASA's Modeling, Analysis, and Prediction (MAP) program, applies NASA's advanced satellite remote sensing technologies and earth system modeling capabilities to improve our understanding of tropical cyclones that develop in and move across the Atlantic basin. MAP '05 implemented the most recent version of the NASA/Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) fifth-generation global atmospheric model and the Gridpoint Statistical Interpolation (GSI) analysis system under development as a collaboration between NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) and the Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) at GSFC. This animation displays MAP '05's wind analysis data for every 6 hour interval from August 23 through August 31, 2005.
Completed 2006-05-30
MAP '05 Models Hurricane Kat …
Title MAP '05 Models Hurricane Katrina's Winds from August 23, 2005 through August 31, 2005
Abstract During the summer of 2005, the Earth-Sun Exploration Division of NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center(GSFC) brought together resources from NASA to study tropical cyclones. The MAP '05 Project, so named for its affiliation with NASA's Modeling, Analysis, and Prediction (MAP) program, applies NASA's advanced satellite remote sensing technologies and earth system modeling capabilities to improve our understanding of tropical cyclones that develop in and move across the Atlantic basin. MAP '05 implemented the most recent version of the NASA/Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) fifth-generation global atmospheric model and the Gridpoint Statistical Interpolation (GSI) analysis system under development as a collaboration between NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) and the Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) at GSFC. This animation displays MAP '05's wind analysis data for every 6 hour interval from August 23 through August 31, 2005.
Completed 2006-05-30
Progression of Hurricane Den …
Title Progression of Hurricane Dennis, 2005 (WMS)
Abstract The formation of Hurricane Dennis on July 5 made that the earliest date on record that four named storms formed in the Atlantic basin. Dennis proved to be a powerful and destructive storm in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. It crossed over Cuba on July 8 and 9, leaving at least 10 dead, and caused additional deaths in Haiti. After re-emerging over open water, Dennis re-strengthened into a dangerous Category 4 hurricane with top wind speeds of 233 kilometers per hour (145 mph). The storm passed within 90 kilometers (55 miles) of Pensacola, Florida, and hit land about 80 kilometers (50 miles) east of where Hurricane Ivan struck in September, 2004. A large storm surge of more than 10 feet was created in certain areas, and many homes and businesses in low-lying areas were flooded.
Completed 2005-07-18
Progression of Hurricane Den …
Title Progression of Hurricane Dennis, 2005 (WMS)
Abstract The formation of Hurricane Dennis on July 5 made that the earliest date on record that four named storms formed in the Atlantic basin. Dennis proved to be a powerful and destructive storm in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. It crossed over Cuba on July 8 and 9, leaving at least 10 dead, and caused additional deaths in Haiti. After re-emerging over open water, Dennis re-strengthened into a dangerous Category 4 hurricane with top wind speeds of 233 kilometers per hour (145 mph). The storm passed within 90 kilometers (55 miles) of Pensacola, Florida, and hit land about 80 kilometers (50 miles) east of where Hurricane Ivan struck in September, 2004. A large storm surge of more than 10 feet was created in certain areas, and many homes and businesses in low-lying areas were flooded.
Completed 2005-07-18
Progression of Hurricane Den …
Title Progression of Hurricane Dennis, 2005 (WMS)
Abstract The formation of Hurricane Dennis on July 5 made that the earliest date on record that four named storms formed in the Atlantic basin. Dennis proved to be a powerful and destructive storm in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. It crossed over Cuba on July 8 and 9, leaving at least 10 dead, and caused additional deaths in Haiti. After re-emerging over open water, Dennis re-strengthened into a dangerous Category 4 hurricane with top wind speeds of 233 kilometers per hour (145 mph). The storm passed within 90 kilometers (55 miles) of Pensacola, Florida, and hit land about 80 kilometers (50 miles) east of where Hurricane Ivan struck in September, 2004. A large storm surge of more than 10 feet was created in certain areas, and many homes and businesses in low-lying areas were flooded.
Completed 2005-07-18
Progression of Hurricane Den …
Title Progression of Hurricane Dennis, 2005 (WMS)
Abstract The formation of Hurricane Dennis on July 5 made that the earliest date on record that four named storms formed in the Atlantic basin. Dennis proved to be a powerful and destructive storm in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. It crossed over Cuba on July 8 and 9, leaving at least 10 dead, and caused additional deaths in Haiti. After re-emerging over open water, Dennis re-strengthened into a dangerous Category 4 hurricane with top wind speeds of 233 kilometers per hour (145 mph). The storm passed within 90 kilometers (55 miles) of Pensacola, Florida, and hit land about 80 kilometers (50 miles) east of where Hurricane Ivan struck in September, 2004. A large storm surge of more than 10 feet was created in certain areas, and many homes and businesses in low-lying areas were flooded.
Completed 2005-07-18
TRMM Satellite and TMI Swath
Title TRMM Satellite and TMI Swath
Abstract The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite was launched on November 27, 1997, as a joint mission of NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA. TRMM has five Earth-observing instruments on board and circles the Earth every 92 minutes in an equatorial orbit between 35 degrees north and south latitude so that those instruments can measure precipitation in the tropics. One of the instuments, TMI, observes five frequencies of microwave emissions in a 780-kilometer wide swath along the orbit in order to measure the amount of rain and ice in the atmosphere. This animation shows the TRMM satellite orbiting for one day, August 27, 2005, showing a set of TRMM measurements at a frequency of 85.5 GHz. In this frequency band, atmospheric ice crystals scatter microwaves and so areas with ice crystals appear colder than areas with no ice. Both Hurricane Katrina, just to the west of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico, and Typhoon Talim, in the westerm Pacific between Japan and New Guinea, show up as bright swirling patterns. This measurement is just one of the TMI measurements that go into calculating the total instantaneous rainfall in the tropics.
Completed 2006-04-04
Florida Fire South of Tucson …
Title Florida Fire South of Tucson, Arizona
Description Lightning triggered a wildfire in the Coronado National Forest in southern Arizona that grew to more than 11,000 acres by July 13, 2005. The fire was threatening homes in Madera Canyon, as well as structures at the Mt. Hopkins Observatory. Habitat for the spotted owl and migratory birds was threatened. This image of the Florida Fire south of Tucson was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA?s Aqua satellite on July 12, 2005. The high-resolution image provided above has a spatial resolution of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, Goddard Space Flight Center
Heavy Rain in the Northeaste …
Title Heavy Rain in the Northeastern United States
Description Rain was still falling a full week after a wet weather front moved up the U.S. East Coast. The rain had not abated when this image was created using data collected by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] satellite between October 7 and October 14, 2005. The image shows rainfall totals in colors ranging from blue, lightest totals, to orange, the heaviest totals. The central and northern Appalachian Mountains are covered with a wide swath of yellow and green, representing 100-150 millimeters (4 to 6 inches) of rainfall. Orange over parts of northern New Jersey and southeastern New York State shows regions that received up to 200 millimeters (8 inches) of rain. As the rain continued to fall, flash floods swamped many regions, and rivers rose. Many evacuated in the face of flooding, say news reports. The rain was brought to the region by a slow-moving frontal system. Stretching from the Florida panhandle to Maine, the front drew tropical moisture—including the remnants of Tropical Storm Tammy—up the East Coast. The front parked itself off the coast, allowing an area of low pressure to form just off of the Delmarva Peninsula. The low brought a second round of heavy rain to the Northeast. The rainfall totals shown here were taken from the TRMM-based, near-real time Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (MPA) at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. MPA provides rainfall estimates over the global Tropics. The image is an example of the value of the TRMM satellite, which was launched in November 1997 to provide better estimates of rainfall over the global Tropics. Since that time, TRMM has been providing unprecedented estimates of rainfall over the Tropics using its array of passive and active sensors. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Image produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC).
Heavy Rain in the Northeaste …
Title Heavy Rain in the Northeastern United States
Description Rain was still falling a full week after a wet weather front moved up the U.S. East Coast. The rain had not abated when this image was created using data collected by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] satellite between October 7 and October 14, 2005. The image shows rainfall totals in colors ranging from blue, lightest totals, to orange, the heaviest totals. The central and northern Appalachian Mountains are covered with a wide swath of yellow and green, representing 100-150 millimeters (4 to 6 inches) of rainfall. Orange over parts of northern New Jersey and southeastern New York State shows regions that received up to 200 millimeters (8 inches) of rain. As the rain continued to fall, flash floods swamped many regions, and rivers rose. Many evacuated in the face of flooding, say news reports. The rain was brought to the region by a slow-moving frontal system. Stretching from the Florida panhandle to Maine, the front drew tropical moisture—including the remnants of Tropical Storm Tammy—up the East Coast. The front parked itself off the coast, allowing an area of low pressure to form just off of the Delmarva Peninsula. The low brought a second round of heavy rain to the Northeast. The rainfall totals shown here were taken from the TRMM-based, near-real time Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (MPA) at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. MPA provides rainfall estimates over the global Tropics. The image is an example of the value of the TRMM satellite, which was launched in November 1997 to provide better estimates of rainfall over the global Tropics. Since that time, TRMM has been providing unprecedented estimates of rainfall over the Tropics using its array of passive and active sensors. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Image produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC).
Drought in the Southern Unit …
Title Drought in the Southern United States
Description Rainfall across the United States in the winter of 2005-06 has shown the classic pattern of a La Niña event. La Niña is a climate anomaly (departure from average conditions) that consists of cooler-than-average sea surface temperatures (SSTs) across the central and eastern Pacific and warmer-than-average SSTs over the western Pacific. Changes in the atmospheric circulation occur during La Niña events, as well. These combined ocean-atmosphere changes are likely responsible for the drought in the Southwest, the South, the central Plains, and Florida that has led to several devastating wildfires this season. This image shows where daily rainfall was above and below average in the United States between October 2005 and January 2006 compared to the eight-year average for that time frame. Places where rainfall was above average are in blue and green, while places rainfall was below average are in orange and red. The data are from the Tropical-Rainfall-Measuring-Mission-based, near-real-time, Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. The Pacific Northwest (green and blue areas), especially along the coast and over the coastal ranges of Northern California, Oregon, and Washington (blue areas) received more precipitation than usual. Almost the entire rest of the country, barring New England, had below-normal rainfall. The most intense rainfall deficits (orange and red areas) include the area stretching from Texas up through the central Plains and Upper Midwest, as well as the Gulf Coast, most of Florida, and along the southern Atlantic coast. In the Southwest, the rainfall deficit added to the stress of several years of below-average rainfall. Most of Arizona, New Mexico, West Texas, and central Oklahoma have received less than 25 percent of their normal rainfall for the period. The current La Niña is expected to persist for the next several months. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite was launched in November 1997. It measures rainfall over the global tropics using both passive and active sensors, including the first precipitation radar in space. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency, JAXA. Image produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC).
Hurricane Dennis
Title Hurricane Dennis
Description More than a million people are evacuating the coastal areas of Florida and Alabama as Hurricane Dennis steadily approaches. The first hurricane of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, Dennis has already been a deadly storm. It crossed over Cuba on July 8 and 9, leaving at least 10 dead, and caused additional deaths in Haiti. After re-emerging over open water, Dennis re-strengthened into a dangerous Category 3 hurricane with winds approaching 115 miles per hour when this image was taken at 2:45 p.m. EDT on July 9, 2005. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] on NASA?s Aqua [ http://www.aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image of the storm sliding up Florida?s west coast. The National Hurricane Center warns that Dennis continues to strengthen and may become a powerful Category 4 hurricane before making landfall over the northern Gulf Coast on July 10. For additional information and warnings about this storm, please visit the National Hurricane Center. This image is available in additional resolutions from the MODIS Rapid Response Team. NASA image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Hurricane Dennis
Title Hurricane Dennis
Description After striking Cuba on July 8, 2005, Hurricane Dennis had lost strength from passing over land. However in the Gulf of Mexico, it recovered and strengthened into a powerful Category 4 storm once again during the early morning hours of July 9th, with maximum sustained winds back up to 125 knots (144 mph). Fortunately for residents in the Florida panhandle, Dennis weakened just before making landfall due to the storm's passage over slightly cooler water. Dennis made landfall around 3:30 p.m. CDT on July 10th just east of Pensacola, Florida, as a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph. This image shows Hurricane Dennis at 22:41 UTC (5:31 p.m. CDT) on July 10th, just after the storm had made landfall. The eye is already open to the south as hurricanes tend to quickly weaken over land, and almost all of the rain is occurring north and east of the center (green and blue areas). Rain rates in the center of the swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), the only radar measuring precipitation from space. Rain rates in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). The rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). This image shows a rejuvenated Dennis with maximum sustained winds back up to 90 knots (104 mph). The eye is well formed and contains intense 2-inch-per-hour rain rates (dark red area) in the northeastern part of the eyewall, an indication that strong heating is occurring in the core and is reinvigorating the system. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite has been monitoring the progress of Dennis since it formed in the eastern Caribbean. Launched in 1997 to measure rainfall over the Tropics, TRMM continues to prove itself as an excellent platform for observing tropical cyclones. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC).
Hurricane Dennis
Title Hurricane Dennis
Description Hurricane Dennis was bearing down on the Gulf Coast of the United States on July 10, 2005, at 12:15 p.m. (16:15 UTC) when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] on NASA?s Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image. With winds of 135 miles per hour (217 kph), Dennis was a powerful Category 4 storm just hours away from making landfall. At the time this image was taken, the eye of the storm was about 55 miles (90 kilometers) south, southeast of Pensacola, Florida, and the storm was moving northwest at about 18 miles per hour (29 kph). The size of the storm put clouds of rain over most of the southeastern United States well before the storm came ashore. In this image, Dennis covers all of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and stretches over parts of Louisiana. The northern fringes of the storm appear to be over Tennessee and North Carolina. For additional information and warnings about this storm, please visit the National Hurricane Center. This image is available in additional resolutions from the MODIS Rapid Response Team. NASA image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Dust Storm Off the Coast of …
Title Dust Storm Off the Coast of Western Africa
Description On May 16, 2005, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ], flying onboard the Aqua [ http://www.aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite, captured this image of a dust storm off the West Coast of Africa sprawling toward the Cape Verde Islands. Dust storms often cross the Atlantic entirely, bringing mixed blessings to the Americas. Residents of Florida may suffer more respiratory illnesses, and the dust sometimes carries microorganisms that harm Caribbean coral reefs. However, the dust also brings iron and other nutrients that benefit marine and terrestrial ecosystems. NASA image courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ], NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center.
Hurricane Katrina
Title Hurricane Katrina
Description Hurricane Katrina had just become a category 1 hurricane when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image on August 25, 2005, at 12:30 p.m., Eastern Daylight Savings Time. The hurricane formed as a tropical depression late on August 23 and developed quickly into a tropical storm by 11 a.m. the next morning. By the time MODIS acquired this image, the storm had developed into a category 1 hurricane, the lowest category in the hurricane-strength scale. Katrina had winds of 120 kilometers per hour (75 miles per hour). A more serious danger is Katrina's rains. The storm was moving quite slowly as of August 26, just 10 km/hr (6 mph). This means that Katrina's heavy rains will linger longer over one area, dumping 15-25 centimeters (6-10 inches) of rain over Florida and the Bahamas and possibly up to 38 cm (15 inches) in some regions, the National Hurricane Center warns. For more information about the storm, please visit the National Hurricane Center [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ ]. This image is available in multiple resolutions [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2005237-0825/Katrina.A2005237.1630 ] from the MODIS Rapid Response Team. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC
Hurricane Katrina
Title Hurricane Katrina
Description Hurricane Katrina was sprawled across all or part of 16 states at 2:15 p.m. CDT on August 29, 2005, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image. After nearly eight hours over land, Katrina was still a Category 1 storm, with winds of 150 kilometers per hour (95 miles per hour) and stronger gusts. In this image, Katrina measures about 1,260 kilometers (780 miles) from east to west and about the same distance from north to south across its center. While most states under its clouds have only experienced rain so far, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida have all been pummeled by furious winds, heavy rain, and a powerful storm surge. Katrina was a strong Category 3 storm when its eye moved ashore earlier in the day. The large image provided above has a resolution of 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides the image in additional resolutions, including MODIS' maximum resolution of 250 meters per pixel. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC
Hurricane Katrina
Title Hurricane Katrina
Description Tropical Storm Katrina had just become the eleventh named storm of the 2005 Atlantic Hurricane season when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image on August 24, 2005, at 11:50 a.m., Eastern Daylight Savings Time. The storm formed late on August 23 and developed quickly into a tropical storm by 11 a.m. the next morning. By the time MODIS acquired this image, the storm was just starting to take the recognizable swirling shape of a hurricane. Katrina had winds of 64 kilometers per hour (40 miles per hour) and was expected to get stronger as it approached the south Florida coast, possibly becoming a Category 1 hurricane before coming ashore. A more serious danger is Katrina's rains. The storm is moving slowly, just 13 km/hr (8 mph), and it is expected to slow as it moves over land. This means that Katrina's heavy rains will linger longer over one area, dumping 15-25 centimeters (6-10 inches) of rain over Florida and the Bahamas and possibly up to 38 cm (15 inches) in some regions, the National Hurricane Center warns. For more information about the storm, please visit the National Hurricane Center [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ ]. This image is available in multiple resolutions [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2005236-0824/Katrina.A2005236.1550 ] from the MODIS Rapid Response Team. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC
Hurricane Katrina Erodes the …
Title Hurricane Katrina Erodes the U.S. Gulf Coast
Description Gulf Coast cities weren't the only land surfaces to take a beating from Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. Barrier islands stretching from Texas to Florida were also scoured by the wind and waves of the powerful storm. Permanent changes to the shape and elevation of Timbalier Island and its northeastern companions are visible in this pair of infrared-enhanced images from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite. Timbalier Island, the largest island pictured here, sits at the interface between the Gulf of Mexico (south) and Terrebonne Bay (north) along the Louisiana coast southwest of New Orleans. Compared to the image from 2000 (bottom), a large swath of bright sand dominates the eastern side of Timbalier Island in the September 13 image, having either been piled there or exposed by waves and storm surge. To the east-northeast, two small, curving islands have disappeared completely, while farther north, the fierce seas turned two small slots in a barrier island into a single large gap. NASA images courtesy Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]
Hurricane Katrina Erodes the …
Title Hurricane Katrina Erodes the U.S. Gulf Coast
Description Gulf Coast cities weren't the only land surfaces to take a beating from Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. Barrier islands stretching from Texas to Florida were also scoured by the wind and waves of the powerful storm. Permanent changes to the shape and elevation of Timbalier Island and its northeastern companions are visible in this pair of infrared-enhanced images from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite. Timbalier Island, the largest island pictured here, sits at the interface between the Gulf of Mexico (south) and Terrebonne Bay (north) along the Louisiana coast southwest of New Orleans. Compared to the image from 2000 (bottom), a large swath of bright sand dominates the eastern side of Timbalier Island in the September 13 image, having either been piled there or exposed by waves and storm surge. To the east-northeast, two small, curving islands have disappeared completely, while farther north, the fierce seas turned two small slots in a barrier island into a single large gap. NASA images courtesy Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]
Hurricane Katrina Erodes the …
Title Hurricane Katrina Erodes the U.S. Gulf Coast
Description Gulf Coast cities weren't the only land surfaces to take a beating from Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. Barrier islands stretching from Texas to Florida were also scoured by the wind and waves of the powerful storm. Permanent changes to the shape and elevation of Horn and Petit Bois Islands south of Pascagoula, Mississippi, are visible in these infrared-enhanced images captured by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite. The eastern and western tips of Horn island have been eroded so greatly that they are now below sea level, their white sandy beaches (August 7 image) now covered by blue water (September 17 image). The sound (northern) side of the island is layered with sand, which stands out in grayish-white against the red of vegetation. On Petit Bois Island, the changes appear more subtle, but there, too, the red of the island's vegetation appears softened by bright sand. NASA images courtesy Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]
Hurricane Katrina Erodes the …
Title Hurricane Katrina Erodes the U.S. Gulf Coast
Description Gulf Coast cities weren't the only land surfaces to take a beating from Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. Barrier islands stretching from Texas to Florida were also scoured by the wind and waves of the powerful storm. Permanent changes to the shape and elevation of Horn and Petit Bois Islands south of Pascagoula, Mississippi, are visible in these infrared-enhanced images captured by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite. The eastern and western tips of Horn island have been eroded so greatly that they are now below sea level, their white sandy beaches (August 7 image) now covered by blue water (September 17 image). The sound (northern) side of the island is layered with sand, which stands out in grayish-white against the red of vegetation. On Petit Bois Island, the changes appear more subtle, but there, too, the red of the island's vegetation appears softened by bright sand. NASA images courtesy Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]
Hurricane Katrina Erodes the …
Title Hurricane Katrina Erodes the U.S. Gulf Coast
Description A fringe of barrier islands line the coast of Mississippi, protecting the mainland from the pounding waves of most ocean storms, but the islands could not shelter the mainland from Hurricane Katrina's exceptionally powerful storm surge. The battering waves ate away at the islands, permanently altering their shape. The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]) captured the top image of East and West Ship Islands and Cat Island on September 8, 2005. The lower image is made up of two difference ASTER scenes. The scene on the left was acquired on June 4, 2005, while the scene on the right was taken on April 22, 2001. A diagonal line where the ocean changes color indicates the division between the two images. The most dramatic change can be seen in East Ship Island. Compared to April 2001, most of East Ship Island has disappeared beneath the ocean by September 8, 2005. Some of the erosion may have occurred in other storms between 2001 and 2005, but Katrina is probably responsible for much of the damage. The ghost shores of the island are faintly visible under the water as a lighter shade of blue. West Ship Island, which hosts a civil war fort and a historic lighthouse, and Cat Island have also shrunk slightly. The southern tip of Cat Island is missing and the pointed tips of Ship Island have been rounded out. The section of the northwestern shore that holds the lighthouse and fort seems to be unchanged. East and West Ship Islands are no strangers to the type of erosion Katrina inflicted on them. The islands had been a single island until Hurricane Camille cleft it in two in 1969. In general, barrier islands are constantly changing, their shorelines building and eroding at remarkable speed, with dramatic change occurring routinely when powerful storms strike. In competition with nature, humans also have a large impact on barrier islands. Such islands are popular vacation spots. Construction can interfere with beach building and can degrade the vegetation that anchors dunes on the islands. Of the barrier islands along the U.S. coast, East Ship Island is one of the few that remains in its natural state, unchanged by population. To preserve the islands, Congress added them to Gulf Islands National Seashore [ http://www.nps.gov/guis/extended/MIS/MNature/Islands.htm ], the United States' largest national seashore, under the National Park Service. Cat Island forms the western boundary of the park, which consists of a string of islands along the Mississippi and Florida coasts, including East and West Ship Island. NASA images courtesy Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]
Hurricane Katrina Erodes the …
Title Hurricane Katrina Erodes the U.S. Gulf Coast
Description A fringe of barrier islands line the coast of Mississippi, protecting the mainland from the pounding waves of most ocean storms, but the islands could not shelter the mainland from Hurricane Katrina's exceptionally powerful storm surge. The battering waves ate away at the islands, permanently altering their shape. The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]) captured the top image of East and West Ship Islands and Cat Island on September 8, 2005. The lower image is made up of two difference ASTER scenes. The scene on the left was acquired on June 4, 2005, while the scene on the right was taken on April 22, 2001. A diagonal line where the ocean changes color indicates the division between the two images. The most dramatic change can be seen in East Ship Island. Compared to April 2001, most of East Ship Island has disappeared beneath the ocean by September 8, 2005. Some of the erosion may have occurred in other storms between 2001 and 2005, but Katrina is probably responsible for much of the damage. The ghost shores of the island are faintly visible under the water as a lighter shade of blue. West Ship Island, which hosts a civil war fort and a historic lighthouse, and Cat Island have also shrunk slightly. The southern tip of Cat Island is missing and the pointed tips of Ship Island have been rounded out. The section of the northwestern shore that holds the lighthouse and fort seems to be unchanged. East and West Ship Islands are no strangers to the type of erosion Katrina inflicted on them. The islands had been a single island until Hurricane Camille cleft it in two in 1969. In general, barrier islands are constantly changing, their shorelines building and eroding at remarkable speed, with dramatic change occurring routinely when powerful storms strike. In competition with nature, humans also have a large impact on barrier islands. Such islands are popular vacation spots. Construction can interfere with beach building and can degrade the vegetation that anchors dunes on the islands. Of the barrier islands along the U.S. coast, East Ship Island is one of the few that remains in its natural state, unchanged by population. To preserve the islands, Congress added them to Gulf Islands National Seashore [ http://www.nps.gov/guis/extended/MIS/MNature/Islands.htm ], the United States' largest national seashore, under the National Park Service. Cat Island forms the western boundary of the park, which consists of a string of islands along the Mississippi and Florida coasts, including East and West Ship Island. NASA images courtesy Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]
Hurricane Katrina Erodes the …
Title Hurricane Katrina Erodes the U.S. Gulf Coast
Description A fringe of barrier islands line the coast of Mississippi, protecting the mainland from the pounding waves of most ocean storms, but the islands could not shelter the mainland from Hurricane Katrina's exceptionally powerful storm surge. The battering waves ate away at the islands, permanently altering their shape. The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]) captured the top image of East and West Ship Islands and Cat Island on September 8, 2005. The lower image is made up of two difference ASTER scenes. The scene on the left was acquired on June 4, 2005, while the scene on the right was taken on April 22, 2001. A diagonal line where the ocean changes color indicates the division between the two images. The most dramatic change can be seen in East Ship Island. Compared to April 2001, most of East Ship Island has disappeared beneath the ocean by September 8, 2005. Some of the erosion may have occurred in other storms between 2001 and 2005, but Katrina is probably responsible for much of the damage. The ghost shores of the island are faintly visible under the water as a lighter shade of blue. West Ship Island, which hosts a civil war fort and a historic lighthouse, and Cat Island have also shrunk slightly. The southern tip of Cat Island is missing and the pointed tips of Ship Island have been rounded out. The section of the northwestern shore that holds the lighthouse and fort seems to be unchanged. East and West Ship Islands are no strangers to the type of erosion Katrina inflicted on them. The islands had been a single island until Hurricane Camille cleft it in two in 1969. In general, barrier islands are constantly changing, their shorelines building and eroding at remarkable speed, with dramatic change occurring routinely when powerful storms strike. In competition with nature, humans also have a large impact on barrier islands. Such islands are popular vacation spots. Construction can interfere with beach building and can degrade the vegetation that anchors dunes on the islands. Of the barrier islands along the U.S. coast, East Ship Island is one of the few that remains in its natural state, unchanged by population. To preserve the islands, Congress added them to Gulf Islands National Seashore [ http://www.nps.gov/guis/extended/MIS/MNature/Islands.htm ], the United States' largest national seashore, under the National Park Service. Cat Island forms the western boundary of the park, which consists of a string of islands along the Mississippi and Florida coasts, including East and West Ship Island. NASA images courtesy Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]
Hurricane Katrina Floods the …
Title Hurricane Katrina Floods the Southeastern United States
Description Though still a weak hurricane at the time, Hurricane Katrina dumped heavy rain on the southern tip of Florida on August 25 and August 26, 2005. On August 28, a few clouds lingered over Florida, but the storm had moved away to reveal extensive flooding. These false-color images were taken by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] and Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellites. In this color combination, water appears black, vegetation appears bright green, and clouds are pale blue and white. The most visible flooding is in Everglades National Park. The park's boundaries are clearly visible in the lower image, taken on August 8, 2005. The northeastern boundary of the park is defined by a bright green line formed by the Highway 41 corridor. On the east side of the peninsula, the land is a lighter green where the water has been drained away and the land cultivated. Numerous cities, including Miami, dot the landscape with patches of cement-colored gray. Everglades National Park surrounds the developed land to the south and west and is defined by the deeper green of native vegetation and swampland. On August 28, top, water filled much of the park, but there is little sign of flooding to the east. Extensive flooding was reported in southeastern Florida, but it is not visible in this image. The effects of Hurricane Katrina on the ocean are clear. As the storm passed, its rains and wind churned the ocean, bringing clouds of sediment to the surface. This sludge from the ocean floor colors the water an electric blue in the top image. The large images provided above are at MODIS' maximum resolution of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides daily images in additional resolutions [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA8 ]. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC.
Hurricane Katrina Floods the …
Title Hurricane Katrina Floods the Southeastern United States
Description Though still a weak hurricane at the time, Hurricane Katrina dumped heavy rain on the southern tip of Florida on August 25 and August 26, 2005. On August 28, a few clouds lingered over Florida, but the storm had moved away to reveal extensive flooding. These false-color images were taken by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] and Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellites. In this color combination, water appears black, vegetation appears bright green, and clouds are pale blue and white. The most visible flooding is in Everglades National Park. The park's boundaries are clearly visible in the lower image, taken on August 8, 2005. The northeastern boundary of the park is defined by a bright green line formed by the Highway 41 corridor. On the east side of the peninsula, the land is a lighter green where the water has been drained away and the land cultivated. Numerous cities, including Miami, dot the landscape with patches of cement-colored gray. Everglades National Park surrounds the developed land to the south and west and is defined by the deeper green of native vegetation and swampland. On August 28, top, water filled much of the park, but there is little sign of flooding to the east. Extensive flooding was reported in southeastern Florida, but it is not visible in this image. The effects of Hurricane Katrina on the ocean are clear. As the storm passed, its rains and wind churned the ocean, bringing clouds of sediment to the surface. This sludge from the ocean floor colors the water an electric blue in the top image. The large images provided above are at MODIS' maximum resolution of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides daily images in additional resolutions [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA8 ]. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC.
Hurricane Katrina Floods the …
Title Hurricane Katrina Floods the Southeastern United States
Description Though still a weak hurricane at the time, Hurricane Katrina dumped heavy rain on the southern tip of Florida on August 25 and August 26, 2005. On August 28, a few clouds lingered over Florida, but the storm had moved away to reveal extensive flooding. These false-color images were taken by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] and Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellites. In this color combination, water appears black, vegetation appears bright green, and clouds are pale blue and white. The most visible flooding is in Everglades National Park. The park's boundaries are clearly visible in the lower image, taken on August 8, 2005. The northeastern boundary of the park is defined by a bright green line formed by the Highway 41 corridor. On the east side of the peninsula, the land is a lighter green where the water has been drained away and the land cultivated. Numerous cities, including Miami, dot the landscape with patches of cement-colored gray. Everglades National Park surrounds the developed land to the south and west and is defined by the deeper green of native vegetation and swampland. On August 28, top, water filled much of the park, but there is little sign of flooding to the east. Extensive flooding was reported in southeastern Florida, but it is not visible in this image. The effects of Hurricane Katrina on the ocean are clear. As the storm passed, its rains and wind churned the ocean, bringing clouds of sediment to the surface. This sludge from the ocean floor colors the water an electric blue in the top image. The large images provided above are at MODIS' maximum resolution of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides daily images in additional resolutions [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?USA8 ]. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC.
Hurricane Ophelia
Title Hurricane Ophelia
Description Over the second week of September, Ophelia meandered off of the southeast coast of the United States due to weak steering currents. The system, which began as a depression over the Bahamas on September 6, 2005, twice stalled out and made loops: once just east of Cape Canveral, Florida, and the other farther out to sea east of Georgia. Ophelia also flip-flopped several times between a strong tropical storm and a weak Category 1 hurricane. Despite its very slow movement, which usually leads to weakening due to upwelling of cooler water, Ophelia has maintained itself as a result of warm waters and its proximity to the Gulf Stream. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (or TRMM) satellite has been following Ophelia's progress along the East Coast. This image shows the height of the precipitation columns within Ophelia with a cutaway view through the southern part of the eye. The large eye is easily visible in the center along with the area of intense rain in the southwest corner of the eye (dark red area). However, there are no tall towers surrounding the eye that might indicate imminent strengthening. Launched in 1997 to measure rainfall over the tropics, TRMM has proven to be a valuable tool for monitoring and studying tropical cyclones. TRMM's compliment of instruments includes the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), the only radar capable of measuring precipitation from space, and the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI), a passive intrument that can also measure rainfall. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC).
Hurricane Ophelia
Title Hurricane Ophelia
Description Ophelia was once again a hurricane when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image at 11:35 a.m. local time, on September 11, 2005. A Category 1 hurricane, Ophelia had sustained winds of 110 kilometers per hour (70 miles per hour). Tropical Storm Ophelia formed off the Atlantic Coast of Florida. As it gathered strength and size, it brought winds and rain to parts of the Florida coast, though the storm's center remained offshore. By September 8, Ophelia briefly reached hurricane strength, but it soon weakened again. Over the following two days, the center of the storm system moved eastwards off the Florida coast and began a gradual track north and east, paralleling the U.S. coastline. As Ophelia moved, the storm again rebuilt into a Category 1 hurricane. It is unusual for a storm system to build just offshore in this fashion, especially as having rain bands over land tends to break up the storm formation. It is also unusual to have so many storms in such a short time: the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season looks likely to go into the record books as the most active season on record yet. Ophelia is the earliest "O" named storm in a season since the storm naming system was devised. The large image provided above has a spatial resolution of 250 meters per pixel. It is available in additional resolutions [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2005254-0911/Ophelia.A2005254.1535 ] from the MODIS Rapid Response Team. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC
Hurricane Ophelia
Title Hurricane Ophelia
Description Over the last several days, Ophelia has meandered off of the southeast coast of the United States. The storm system, which began as a depression over the Bahamas on September 6, 2005, has twice stalled out and made loops: once just east of Cape Canveral, Florida, and the other farther out to sea east of Georgia. Ophelia has also flip-flopped several times between a strong tropical storm and a weak Category 1 hurricane. Despite its very slow movement, which usually leads to weakening due to upwelling of cooler water, Ophelia has maintained itself as a result of warm waters an its proximity to the Gulf Stream. The hurricane was grazing along the North Carolina coastline without making landfall when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image at 2:20 p.m. Eastern time on September 15, 2005. At the time, Ophelia had winds of 120 kilometers per hour (75 miles per hour), easing off slightly from its latest peak and heading back down yet again to tropical storm status. The slow-moving storm was initially forecasted to dump heavy rain on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, but proved less destructive than feared. One death (due to a car accident in Raleigh attributed to slick roads) has been attributed to the storm, but fears of substantial flooding have largely not been realized. The large image provided above has a resolution of 250 meters per pixel. The image is available in additional resolutions from the MODIS Rapid Response Team. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC
Hurricane Ophelia
Title Hurricane Ophelia
Description Tropical Storm Ophelia gathered strength and size off the Atlantic Coast of Florida for several days. During this time, it brought winds and rain over a growing area including the Florida coast, though the storm's center remained offshore. By September 8, it briefly reached hurricane strength, though this status lasted only a few hours before the storm lost some intensity and was again classified as a tropical storm. It is unusual for a storm system to build just offshore in this fashion, especially as having rain bands over land tends to break up the storm formation. It is also unusual to have so many storms in such a short time: the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season looks likely to go into the record books as the most active season on record yet. Ophelia is the earliest "O" named storm since the storm naming system was devised. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image at 2:15 p.m. local time, on September 8, 2005. At that time, Ophelia had peak sustained wind speeds of around 120 kilometers per hour (75 miles per hour). The large image provided above has a spatial resolution of 250 meters per pixel. It is available in additional resolutions [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2005251-0908/Ophelia.A2005251.1815 ] from the MODIS Rapid Response Team. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC
Hurricane Rita
Title Hurricane Rita
Description A tropical depression formed in the Bahamas on September 17, 2005. Once it was organized enough to have winds of over 62 kilometers per hour (39 miles per hour), it was classified as a tropical storm and given the name Rita, becoming the 17th named storm system of the 2005 hurricane season. With the season not yet over, 2005 is already the 5th most active storm season since naming records were started in 1851. According to the National Hurricane Center, 21 tropical storms formed in 1933, 19 developed in 1995 and 1887, and 18 formed in 1969. Rita is also the earliest "R" named storm in a season. Rita crossed the threshold to tropical storm status around 5:00 p.m. (local time) on September 18, 2005. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image of Rita roughly fives hours earlier at 11:40 a.m. while the storm was still an organizing tropical depression. The classical spiral structure of a hurricane is not yet fully formed, nor is there a well-organized eye of the storm, but these nascent features of the developing system are apparent already. Forecasters are particularly concerned about Rita as it is projected to pass through the Florida Key Islands as it reaches hurricane strength. The storm track projections as of September 19 have it crossing the Gulf of Mexico to make landfall in the general vicinity of southern Texas, but forecasting hurricanes several days in advance is still an uncertain science and there are fears that Rita could turn in the Gulf and head into areas recently battered by Katrina. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response team.
Hurricane Rita
Title Hurricane Rita
Description After the immense devastation brought by Hurricane Katrina, all eyes were on Hurricane Rita as it passed over the Florida Keys and the Gulf of Mexico. Rita formed from a tropical disturbance east of the Turks and Caicos Islands into a depression (TD #18) on September 17, 2005. The system moved west through the Caicos and strengthened into a tropical storm on the 18th before entering into the southern Bahamas. Category 2 Hurricane Rita was passing between the Florida Keys and Cuba when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image at 2:35 p.m. Eastern time on September 20, 2005. At the time, Rita had peak sustained winds of 160 kilometers per hour (100 miles per hour), with hurricane-strength winds extending well away from the storm's center, including settlements in the Key Islands and in Cuba's capital, Havana. The large image provided above has a resolution of 250 meters per pixel. The image is available in additional resolutions from the MODIS Rapid Response Team. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC.
Hurricane Rita
Title Hurricane Rita
Description The onslaught from the 2005 hurricane season continued with the arrival of Hurricane Rita, the second Category 5 storm to threaten the Gulf of Mexico in less than a month. As it was passing south of the Florida Keys on September 20, 2005, Hurricane Rita was in the process of slowly intensifying from a Category 1 storm into a Category 2 storm. However, upon entering the Gulf of Mexico, Rita tapped into a deep layer of very warm water located in the southeast part of the Gulf associated with the Loop Current. This allowed Rita to undergo a process known as rapid deepening, which transformed it into a powerful Category 5 hurricane with the 3rd lowest air pressure ever recorded in an Atlantic Basin storm. Fortunately, as Rita moved across the Gulf away from the loop current, it slowly began to weaken. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite observed Rita at 13:45 UTC (9:45 am EDT) on September 23, 2005 as the hurricane was passing south of the central Louisiana coast. The center of the storm lies within the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) swath. Areas of very heavy rain (dark red areas) associated with an outer rainband are approaching the the Louisiana coast. The eyewall is not as symmetrical as in earlier observations, one sign of a weakening storm. Rita, however, was still strong with sustained winds of 220 kilometers per hour (140 miles per hour) when this image was taken. The TRMM satellite is one of many being used to monitor hurricanes and typhoons. Launched in November of 1997 to measure rainfall over the tropics, TRMM has proven to be a valuable platform for observing tropical cyclones and can provide unique images and information on these storms. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and captioned by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC).
Hurricane Rita
Title Hurricane Rita
Description After the immense devastation brought by Hurricane Katrina, all eyes were on Hurricane Rita as it passed over the Florida Keys and the Gulf of Mexico. Rita formed from a tropical disturbance east of the Turks and Caicos Islands into a depression (TD #18) on September 17, 2005. The system moved west through the Caicos and strengthened into a tropical storm on the 18th before entering into the southern Bahamas. This image shows the horizontal distribution of rain intensity within Rita measured by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission's (TRMM) sensors. Rain rates in the center part of the swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), the only radar capable of measuring precipitation from space. The PR can provide fine-resolution rainfall data and details on the vertical structure of the storm. Rain rates in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). The rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). The image was taken at 08:28 UTC (4:28 a.m. EDT) on September 20 as Rita was passing through the Florida Straits. Although the center of Rita does not fall within the PR swath, it is obvious from TRMM that Rita is becoming better organized. A ragged eye is present, surrounded by areas of moderate rain (green areas) with good banding in the outer rainbands, all signs that the storm's circulation is improving. Rita was still a tropical storm at the time of this image, with sustained winds of 110 kilometers per hour (70 miles per hour). By early afternoon the same day, Rita would become a Category 2 hurricane as it passed south of the Florida Keys and headed for the Gulf of Mexico. The TRMM satellite is one of a number of satellites being used to monitor Hurricane Rita and storms like it. Launched in November of 1997 to measure rainfall over the tropics, TRMM has proven itself to be a valuable platform for observing tropical cyclones, which include hurricanes and typhoons. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC).
Hurricane Wilma
Title Hurricane Wilma
Description Hurricane Wilma was still gathering strength when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite took this image at 11:55 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, on October 18, 2005. At that time, Wilma was rapidly building in power and size. While lacking the classic, tightly wound spiral of a well-developed hurricane, Wilma was becoming a force to be reckoned with. Less than 24 hours later, Hurricane Wilma exploded in strength to the very top of the wind strength scale as a Category 5 hurricane. When this image was taken, Wilma's sustained winds were 120 kilometers per hour (75 miles per hour). Just 18 hours later, they were 280 km/hr (175 mph)! At that point, Wilma became the most powerful storm in terms of both wind speeds and air pressure ever measured in an Atlantic hurricane. Wilma also set records by becoming the 21st named storm of the 2005 Atlantic Hurricane season. This made 2005 the most active hurricane season on record, tied with 1933. Wilma's projected course on October 19 had the storm entering the Gulf of Mexico between western Cuba and the Yucatan Peninsula, then heading eastward across southern Florida. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response team.
Hurricane Wilma
Title Hurricane Wilma
Description Hurricane Wilma remained a powerful Category 4 storm when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite took this image at 12:25 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, on Friday, October 21, 2005. Two days earlier, Wilma had surged from tropical storm to Category 5 hurricane in record time. Winds around the eyewall of the storm were raging at 280 kilometers per hour (175 miles per hour). National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) aircraft had also measured a record-low air pressure of 882 millibars in the center of Hurricane Wilma, making it the most intense hurricane ever observed in the Atlantic basin. Since then, Wilma has lost some of her history-making strength, but this is little comfort to those in her path. In this image, the storm eye is about to cross Cozumel, a small island just off the Yucatan Peninsula coast. Winds were peaking at 230 km/hr (145 mph) as the eyewall passed over the island, and hurricane-strength winds extended for 130 kilometers (85 miles) from the storm's center. As of Friday afternoon, Wilma was projected to continue into the Gulf of Mexico, bringing powerful winds and heavy rain to both western Cuba and the Yucatan Peninsula before turning toward southern Florida. Florida residents have already begun to prepare for the storm's arrival. Terra MODIS data acquired by direct broadcast at the University of South Florida (Judd Taylor) Image processed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (Liam Gumley)
Hurricane Wilma
Title Hurricane Wilma
Description After setting the all-time record for the lowest recorded pressure in the Atlantic basin as a powerful Category 5 hurricane in the western Caribbean, Hurricane Wilma weakened to a still-powerful Category 4 storm. On October 21, 2005, Wilma slowly crossed over Cozumel as a strong Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds reported at up to 230 kilometers per hour (144 miles per hour) by the National Hurricane Center (NHC). The center of Wilma then drifted over the far northeastern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula delivering torrential rains and strong winds. Before being caught up in the westerlies, Wilma stalled out over the Yucatan, resulting in a sustained period of heavy rain and flooding. The rainfall was observed by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite. The TRMM-based, near-real time Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (MPA) at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center provides estimates of rainfall over the global tropics. MPA rainfall totals due solely to Wilma are shown for October 17-25, 2005, with storm symbols marking the storm track. Rainfall totals on the order of 300 to 400 millimeters (12 to 16 inches: darker red areas) are located over the northeastern part of the Yucatan Peninsula. After drifting over the Yucatan and weakening to a Category 2 storm, Wilma was picked up by a mid-latitude weather system known as a "trough." The storm accelerated off to the northeast across the southeastern Gulf of Mexico toward Florida, where it made landfall on the morning of October 24 just south of Marco Island. Wilma raced across southern Florida with winds in excess of 160 km/hr (100 mph) in just 6 hours. This quick transit kept rainfall totals down. MPA rainfall amounts over Florida are generally 150 mm (6 inches or less: green areas). TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency, JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC).
Hurricane Wilma
Title Hurricane Wilma
Description *Hurricane Wilma* Hurricane Wilma had just crossed Florida when 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 October 24, 2005, at 2:25 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The storm made landfall eight hours earlier, at about 6:30 a.m., near Naples, Florida. At the time, Wilma was a strong Category 3 storm with winds gusting to 200 kilometers per hour (125 miles per hour). The storm weakened as it crossed Florida, but regained strength as it re-emerged over the Atlantic. By the time this image was taken, Wilma was back up to Category 3 status with winds of 185 km/hr (115 mph) and gusts to 210 km/hr (130 mph). Early news reports say that Wilma has brought widespread coastal flooding and wind damage to southern Florida. The large image provided above has a resolution of 250 meters per pixel, MODIS' maximum resolution. The image is available in additional resolutions [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2005297-1024/Wilma.A2005297.1825 ] from the MODIS Rapid Response Team. NASA image acquired by direct broadcast and processed by Liam Gumley at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
Hurricane Wilma
Title Hurricane Wilma
Description (MISR) acquired this sequence of images and cloud-top height observations for Hurricane Wilma as it progressed across the Caribbean in October 2005. Each pair in the sequence has a photo-like view of the storm on the left and a matching color-coded image of cloud-top height on the right. Cloud-top heights range from 0 (purple) to 18 (red) kilometers altitude. Areas where cloud heights could not be determined are shown in dark gray. The pair on the left shows Wilma on Tuesday, October 18, when Hurricane watches were posted for Cuba and Mexico. The central pair shows the eye of Hurricane Wilma just hours before the storm began to cross the Yucatan Peninsula on Friday, October 21. At that time, Wilma was a powerful Category 4 Hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale, and had a minimum recorded central pressure of 930 millibars. Hurricane Wilma surged from tropical storm to Category 5 hurricane status in record time, but the storm slowed and weakened considerably after battering Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and the Caribbean. The right-hand image pair displays the eastern edges of a weakened Wilma, when Wilma had been reduced to Category 2 status and was just starting to reach southern Florida on the morning of Sunday, October 23. Wilma gathered speed and strengthened on Sunday night, crossing Florida as a Category 3 storm on Monday, October 24. On the 18th, Wilma looked a bit ragged. Its eye is located at the center of the left edge, and its outer bands of clouds appear to be dominated by a rather loose collection of thunderstorms. In the photo-like images, these look like areas of "boiling clouds," and in the cloud-height image, these appear as orange blobs, sometimes topped with pinkish-red. On October 21 (center), when Wilma was a Category 4 storm, cloud-top height on the eastern side of the storm near the eye reached 18 kilometers in altitude, with lower heights on the western side. The image from the 23rd shows the eastern edge of Wilma as it approached Florida (upper right) and Cuba (center right). MISR has nine different cameras that view the Earth from a variety of angles. Shifts in the clouds' apparent position from one camera's perspective to another's allows MISR to measure the height of the cloud-tops. MISR scientists have programmed computers to compare the different views, identify features that appear to shift from view to view, and use that information to calculate cloud height automatically. The height fields pictured have not been corrected for the effects of cloud motion. Wind-corrected heights (which have higher accuracy but sparser spatial coverage) are within about 1 kilometer of the heights shown here. The Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer observes the daylit Earth continuously, viewing the entire globe between 82° North and 82° South latitude every nine days. Each image covers an area of about 380 kilometers by 1,830 kilometers. The data products were generated from a portion of the imagery acquired during Terra orbits, 31037, 31081 and 31110, and utilize data from within blocks 68-83 within World Reference System-2 paths 13, 16 and 18, respectively. Image courtesy NASA/GSFC/LaRC/JPL, MISR Team. Text by Clare Averill (Raytheon RIS/JPL) and Greg McFarquhar (University of Illinois)., Information on cloud-top heights at different stages in the life cycle of the rapidly intensifying Hurricane Wilma may prove useful for evaluating the ability of numerical weather models to predict the intensity changes of hurricanes. NASA's Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer [ http://www-misr.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]
Hurricane Wilma
Title Hurricane Wilma
Description Hurricane Wilma was a powerful Category 3 storm after subjecting Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula to two days of rain and high winds. When the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite took this image at 12:15 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, on October 23, 2005, Wilma was regaining some power as it crossed the Gulf of Mexico's warm waters. The outer edges of the hurricane were just starting to reach southern Florida at this time. While weaker than in recent days, Wilma was still a very powerful and dangerous storm. The eye of the storm is 80 kilometers (50 miles) wide, a size usually associated with the most powerful storms. Winds within the hurricane were reaching peak gusts of 230 kilometers per hour (145 miles per hour). As such storms are prone to do, it has been spawning tornadoes within the hurricane's reach, including one that touched down at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, causing some structural damage, though no reported injuries. Elsewhere, three deaths in Mexico had been attributed to the storm. The high-resolution image provided above has a spatial resolution of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides this image at additional resolutions. [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2005296-1023/Wilma.A2005296.1615 ] NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ]Goddard Space Flight Center
Hurricane Wilma
Title Hurricane Wilma
Description When Wilma became a named tropical storm on October 17, 2005, it tied a record dating back to 1933 for the most named storms in a season. When Wilma became a hurricane on October 18, it tied the record dating back to 1969 for the most hurricanes in a season. However, when Wilma shot from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane on the morning of October 19, it broke the all-time record for the lowest pressure ever measured in the Atlantic Basin. A hurricane's central pressure is an indicator of its intensity—the lower the pressure, the more intense the storm. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite observed Wilma approaching the Yucatan Peninsula at 00:55 UTC on October 21, 2005 (8:55 pm EDT October 20, 2005). This 3-D perspective of Wilma shows a cut-away view of the eye, with cloud height on the top right side of the storm and rain rates in the lower left side of the storm. TRMM measures the cloud height with radar, which detects the location of precipitation (and therefore clouds). In this image, clouds tower over 10 kilometers above the ocean around the eye. The deep ring of red at the base of the eye shows that heavy rain is falling in the same area. TRMM reveals that Wilma had a well-defined, closed inner eye of intense rain surrounded by larger concentric rings of more moderate rain. (The concentric rings are easier to see in the version of the image that does not include the 3-D cloud height overlay, available here.) The sharply curved features in the rain field surrounding the inner eye are the mark of well-developed, intense circulation. At the time of the image, Wilma was a Category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds reported at 240 kilometers per hour (150 miles per hour) by the National Hurricane Center. At its height, Wilma had sustained winds of 280 km/hr (175 mph). At the time these images were taken, Wilma was drifting very slowly to the northwest towards Cozumel, Mexico. The storm was expected to enter the Gulf of Mexico as a weaker hurricane before making landfall along the west coast of Florida. The TRMM satellite is one of many satellites monitoring hurricanes and typhoons. Launched in November of 1997 to measure rainfall over the Tropics, TRMM has a number of instruments that are valuable for observing tropical cyclones. In these images, rain rates in the central portion of the swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR). Rain rates in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). The rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS).TRMM [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC).
Hurricane Wilma
Title Hurricane Wilma
Description When Wilma became a named tropical storm on October 17, 2005, it tied a record dating back to 1933 for the most named storms in a season. When Wilma became a hurricane on October 18, it tied the record dating back to 1969 for the most hurricanes in a season. However, when Wilma shot from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane on the morning of October 19, it broke the all-time record for the lowest pressure ever measured in the Atlantic Basin. A hurricane's central pressure is an indicator of its intensity—the lower the pressure, the more intense the storm. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite observed Wilma approaching the Yucatan Peninsula at 00:55 UTC on October 21, 2005 (8:55 pm EDT October 20, 2005). This 3-D perspective of Wilma shows a cut-away view of the eye, with cloud height on the top right side of the storm and rain rates in the lower left side of the storm. TRMM measures the cloud height with radar, which detects the location of precipitation (and therefore clouds). In this image, clouds tower over 10 kilometers above the ocean around the eye. The deep ring of red at the base of the eye shows that heavy rain is falling in the same area. TRMM reveals that Wilma had a well-defined, closed inner eye of intense rain surrounded by larger concentric rings of more moderate rain. (The concentric rings are easier to see in the version of the image that does not include the 3-D cloud height overlay, available here.) The sharply curved features in the rain field surrounding the inner eye are the mark of well-developed, intense circulation. At the time of the image, Wilma was a Category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds reported at 240 kilometers per hour (150 miles per hour) by the National Hurricane Center. At its height, Wilma had sustained winds of 280 km/hr (175 mph). At the time these images were taken, Wilma was drifting very slowly to the northwest towards Cozumel, Mexico. The storm was expected to enter the Gulf of Mexico as a weaker hurricane before making landfall along the west coast of Florida. The TRMM satellite is one of many satellites monitoring hurricanes and typhoons. Launched in November of 1997 to measure rainfall over the Tropics, TRMM has a number of instruments that are valuable for observing tropical cyclones. In these images, rain rates in the central portion of the swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR). Rain rates in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). The rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS).TRMM [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC).
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