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Galileo Earth Views (WMS)
| Title |
Galileo Earth Views (WMS) |
| Abstract |
The Galileo spacecraft was launched from the Space Shuttle Atlantis on October 18, 1989 on a six-year trip to Jupiter. On the way, the trajectory of the spacecraft took it past Venus once and Earth twice. Galileo took the Earth images in this animation just after the first flyby of the Earth, on December 11 and 12, 1990. This six-hour sequence of images taken two minutes apart clearly shows how the Earth looks from space and how fast (or slow) the cloud features change when looked at from a distance. The path of the sun can be seen crossing Australia by its reflection in the nearby ocean, and the terminator region between night and day can be seen moving across the Indian Ocean. In the original images, the Earth's rotation is so dominant that cloud movement is hard to see, but these images have been mapped to the Earth is such a way that a viewer can watch just the clouds move in the ocean around Antarctica or across the Austrailian land mass. In this animation, New Zealand can ony be seen as a stationary disturbance under a moving cloud bank. The black area with the sharp boundary to the north and east of Australia is the side of the Earth that could not be seen from Galileo's position. |
| Completed |
2004-08-06 |
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Floods in Northern Australia
| Title |
Floods in Northern Australia |
| Description |
Though Cyclone George was a very weak storm when it passed over Australia's Northern Territory on March 1 and March 2, 2007, it brought widespread rain and high tides to the region. The rain and tides triggered floods along the coast and in river systems, which are shown in the top image, captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on March 8. The lower image, taken on February 15, 2007, shows the area before the storm came ashore. In these images, made with visible and infrared light, water is black or dark blue. Most striking in the March 8 image are the dark pools of water along the coast and in coastal inlets. The wetlands that jut in from the northern shore have expanded into wide, triangular rivers. To the southwest, the Daly River and nearby wetlands are also flooded. Signs of flooding are also visible in the Indian Ocean. Though sunlight reflecting off the water makes the color hard to distinguish, the water near shore is blue, not black as it was in February. When flood water drains into the ocean, it carries sediment from the run-off. The sediment scatters light, lending the water the blue color seen here. Clouds in this type of image are pale blue and white. According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation News, the floods swamped the rail line that connects Darwin to southern Australia, cutting off rail travel. The floods also inundated the small community of Oenpelli, in the upper right corner of the image. By March 8, when the image was captured, the floods had started to recede. Daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?Australia2/2007067 ] of the flood area are available from the MODIS Rapid Response System. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
|
Floods in Northern Australia
| Title |
Floods in Northern Australia |
| Description |
Though Cyclone George was a very weak storm when it passed over Australia's Northern Territory on March 1 and March 2, 2007, it brought widespread rain and high tides to the region. The rain and tides triggered floods along the coast and in river systems, which are shown in the top image, captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on March 8. The lower image, taken on February 15, 2007, shows the area before the storm came ashore. In these images, made with visible and infrared light, water is black or dark blue. Most striking in the March 8 image are the dark pools of water along the coast and in coastal inlets. The wetlands that jut in from the northern shore have expanded into wide, triangular rivers. To the southwest, the Daly River and nearby wetlands are also flooded. Signs of flooding are also visible in the Indian Ocean. Though sunlight reflecting off the water makes the color hard to distinguish, the water near shore is blue, not black as it was in February. When flood water drains into the ocean, it carries sediment from the run-off. The sediment scatters light, lending the water the blue color seen here. Clouds in this type of image are pale blue and white. According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation News, the floods swamped the rail line that connects Darwin to southern Australia, cutting off rail travel. The floods also inundated the small community of Oenpelli, in the upper right corner of the image. By March 8, when the image was captured, the floods had started to recede. Daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?Australia2/2007067 ] of the flood area are available from the MODIS Rapid Response System. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
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Floods in Northwestern Austr
…
| Title |
Floods in Northwestern Australia |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Monty brought heavy rain to drought-stricken regions of Western Australia. While welcome, the rain pushed the Fortescue River over its banks, cutting off a few small communities and isolated homesteads in the rural area. These false-color Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] (MODIS) images show the Fortescue River on February 24, 2004, before Monty came ashore, and on March 3, just after the cyclone moved across the area. Blue-green streaks in the image taken on March 3 show where water covers the land. The Fortescue River appears particularly flooded near the coast, where a large fan shape has replaced the slender line water running into the Indian Ocean. The high-resolution images provided above are at MODIS' maximum resolution of 250 meters per pixel. Images courtesy Jesse Allen, based on data from the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC (March 3) and the EOS Data Pool (February 24). |
|
Floods in Northwestern Austr
…
| Title |
Floods in Northwestern Australia |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Monty brought heavy rain to drought-stricken regions of Western Australia. While welcome, the rain pushed the Fortescue River over its banks, cutting off a few small communities and isolated homesteads in the rural area. These false-color Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] (MODIS) images show the Fortescue River on February 24, 2004, before Monty came ashore, and on March 3, just after the cyclone moved across the area. Blue-green streaks in the image taken on March 3 show where water covers the land. The Fortescue River appears particularly flooded near the coast, where a large fan shape has replaced the slender line water running into the Indian Ocean. The high-resolution images provided above are at MODIS' maximum resolution of 250 meters per pixel. Images courtesy Jesse Allen, based on data from the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC (March 3) and the EOS Data Pool (February 24). |
|
Floods in Northwestern Austr
…
| Title |
Floods in Northwestern Australia |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Monty brought heavy rain to drought-stricken regions of Western Australia. While welcome, the rain pushed the Fortescue River over its banks, cutting off a few small communities and isolated homesteads in the rural area. These false-color Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] (MODIS) images show the Fortescue River on February 24, 2004, before Monty came ashore, and on March 3, just after the cyclone moved across the area. Blue-green streaks in the image taken on March 3 show where water covers the land. The Fortescue River appears particularly flooded near the coast, where a large fan shape has replaced the slender line water running into the Indian Ocean. The high-resolution images provided above are at MODIS' maximum resolution of 250 meters per pixel. Images courtesy Jesse Allen, based on data from the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC (March 3) and the EOS Data Pool (February 24). |
|
Floods in Western Australia
| Title |
Floods in Western Australia |
| Description |
Although eight days had passed since Cyclone Emma drenched northwestern Australia, flooding was more dramatic than it had been immediately after the storm came ashore on March 1, 2006. By March 8, top image, upstream floodwater had swollen the web of rivers in the center of the image and spread across the dry landscape. Additional flooding is apparent near the shore along the top of the image, and the cloud of bright blue offshore indicates that mud-laden water is draining into the Indian Ocean. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that the floods had stranded or killed cattle in the rural region.Daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?Australia1/ ] of northwestern Australia are available from the MODIS Rapid Response Team. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
|
Floods in Western Australia
| Title |
Floods in Western Australia |
| Description |
Although eight days had passed since Cyclone Emma drenched northwestern Australia, flooding was more dramatic than it had been immediately after the storm came ashore on March 1, 2006. By March 8, top image, upstream floodwater had swollen the web of rivers in the center of the image and spread across the dry landscape. Additional flooding is apparent near the shore along the top of the image, and the cloud of bright blue offshore indicates that mud-laden water is draining into the Indian Ocean. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that the floods had stranded or killed cattle in the rural region.Daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?Australia1/ ] of northwestern Australia are available from the MODIS Rapid Response Team. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
|
Floods in Western Australia
| Title |
Floods in Western Australia |
| Description |
The largest flood on record on Australia's Murchison River was expected to peak at the river's mouth on March 16, 2006, reported the Australian Broadcasting Corporation [ http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200603/s1592969.htm ]. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image on the afternoon of March 16. On the right side of the image, the upper reaches of the Murchison River are clearly flooded with a wide blue band expanding out from the river's normal banks. As it enters Kalbarri National Park, the river winds through deep gorges that prevented it from spreading out. Only when it reaches the coast is the river wide again. A bright blue fan of sediment pours from the mouth of the river where mud-laden flood water is draining into the Indian Ocean. The river overflowed after Cyclone Emma inundated the basin with heavy rain on March 1. The excess water took 15 days to drain to the ocean. The floods near the shore threatened the city of Kalbarri, which sits just south of the river. The floods may also have caused damage to Kalbarri National Park, which is centered around the river and the 80 kilometers of gorges it has cut in the red rock. Even without superimposed borders, the park's southern boundary is clearly evident in this image. To the south of the river, a stark line separates the green park from the tan and pink land outside the park. The park's western border is the Indian Ocean. The park's northern and eastern borders are not visible. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?Australia4/2006075 ] of Western Australia. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
|
Floods in Western Australia
| Title |
Floods in Western Australia |
| Description |
The Murchison River of central Western Australia was still grossly swollen on March 12, 2006, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image. The flooding started when Cyclone Emma dumped heavy rain over the river basin on March 1. Since then, the glut of flood water has steadily made its way downstream, making the river bulge as it went. On March 9, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that the river was at its highest level on record, expanding to more than ten kilometers wide in places. In the days following March 12, the flood water was expected to drain into the Indian Ocean through Kalbarri National Park and the city of Kalbarri. In the image, the flood-widened river is a ribbon of blue, particularly in the southwestern reaches of the river. In these areas, the river had been a barely discernable blue line on February 20, lower image, before the cyclone hit. The large images have a resolution of 500 meters per pixel. They are available in additional resolutions [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?Australia4/2006071/Australia4.2006071.terra.721 ], including MODIS' maximum resolution of 250 meters per pixel, from the MODIS Rapid Response Team. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
|
Floods in Western Australia
| Title |
Floods in Western Australia |
| Description |
The Murchison River of central Western Australia was still grossly swollen on March 12, 2006, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image. The flooding started when Cyclone Emma dumped heavy rain over the river basin on March 1. Since then, the glut of flood water has steadily made its way downstream, making the river bulge as it went. On March 9, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that the river was at its highest level on record, expanding to more than ten kilometers wide in places. In the days following March 12, the flood water was expected to drain into the Indian Ocean through Kalbarri National Park and the city of Kalbarri. In the image, the flood-widened river is a ribbon of blue, particularly in the southwestern reaches of the river. In these areas, the river had been a barely discernable blue line on February 20, lower image, before the cyclone hit. The large images have a resolution of 500 meters per pixel. They are available in additional resolutions [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?Australia4/2006071/Australia4.2006071.terra.721 ], including MODIS' maximum resolution of 250 meters per pixel, from the MODIS Rapid Response Team. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
|
Cyclone Jacob
| Title |
Cyclone Jacob |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Jacob was in the eastern Indian Ocean off the shore of Western Australia on March 10, 2007. This storm had been moving towards the Pilbara coast of northwestern Australia for several days, coming in from the northeast after forming south of Java several days earlier. This photo-like image of Jacob was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] on the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on March 10, 2007, at 2:10 p.m. local time (06:10 UTC). The storm was a moderate-strength tropical cyclone with an irregular shape and no obvious eyewall (ring of towering clouds) at its center. According to the University of Hawaii's Tropical Storm Information Center, [ http://www.solar.ifa.hawaii.edu/Tropical/ ] Cyclone Jacob has sustained winds of 140 kilometers per hour (90 miles per hour) around the time this image was acquired. Jacob was forecast to come ashore near Port Hedland, not far from where Cyclone George [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14163 ] made landfall days earlier. Jacob was not expected to be nearly as powerful, but it will hinder efforts to recover from George. 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/?2007069-0310/Jacob.A2007069.0610 ] You can also download a 250-meter-resolution Cyclone Jacob KMZ file [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Mar2007/Jacob.A2007069.0610.250m.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. |
|
Cyclones Flood Western Austr
…
| Title |
Cyclones Flood Western Australia |
| Description |
In the course of a week, the northern coast of Western Australia went from dry desert to riverine landscape under the onslaught of two successive tropical cyclones. Powerful Cyclone George [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14163 ] roared ashore on March 8, 2007, with winds gusting up to 275 kilometers per hour (170 miles per hour). The storm caused extensive damage, including three deaths, reported the Australia Broadcasting Corporation News. The much weaker Cyclone Jacob [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14162 ] came ashore just east of George's landing point on March 12. The top image, captured on March 13, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite, shows the cumulative impact of the two storms on the DeGrey River basin. The DeGrey River flows west through Western Australia before it turns north to empty into the Indian Ocean at Poissonnier Point east of the city of Port Hedland, the city most severely damaged by Cyclone George. On March 6, before both storms struck, the river was barely distinguishable in MODIS imagery. One week later, the river and its many tributaries cut a tangle of blue across the landscape. The heavy rain brought by the storms has also prompted plant growth. The land has gone from desert pink—the color of bare or sparsely vegetated land in this type of image—to the bright green of plant-covered land. The images were made with both infrared and visible light to highlight the presence of water on the ground. In this type of image, water is black or dark blue (where laced with sediment), and clouds are pale blue and white. Similar false-color and photo-like true color images are available daily from the MODIS Rapid Response Team. [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?Australia1/2007072 ] NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
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Fire Near Dwellingup, Wester
…
| Title |
Fire Near Dwellingup, Western Australia |
| Description |
In Western Australia, the government declared a bushfire emergency after a busy weekend (February 3-4, 2007) of fires across the state. This image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite shows a large fire near the town of Dwellingup, which is about 83 kilometers (about 52 miles) south-southeast of Perth. According to news reports, the fire had destroyed 16 homes and burned at least 11,000 hectares (~27,000 acres) as of February 5. The area in which MODIS detected actively burning fire is outlined in red in this image. Smoke spreads west over the southern Indian Ocean. The large image provided above has a spatial resolution (level of detail) of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides twice-daily [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/fas/?SWAustralia1/ ] images of the region in additional resolutions. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center |
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North Reef Island, Andaman S
…
| Title |
North Reef Island, Andaman Sea |
| Description |
On December 26, 2004, one of the largest earthquakes in recorded history struck offshore of the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. The ocean floor heaved in some places and sank in others, creating catastrophic tsunamis that raced across the Indian Ocean. Hundreds of thousands of people died as the waves struck coastlines from Thailand to Sri Lanka to Somalia. In addition to tsunami damage, satellite images of reefs, islands, and coastlines identified signs of permanent elevation change—sinking or uplift—along the fault between the Indo-Australia and Burma plates. [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=12640 ] In places such as North Reef Island, shown in this pair of 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, the quake lifted the reefs permanently out of the water. The images use visible and infrared light detected by ASTER to make different land surfaces stand out clearly from one another: water is blue, vegetation is red, coral or bare sand appears white. In the "before" image, from December 2, 2004, the submerged reef creates a bright blue glow around the island. In the "after" image, from February 4, 2005, the white coral stands completely up out of the water. It is even tinged with red, which suggests the exposed coral had died, and algae had colonized it. In the weeks and months after the earthquake, satellite images provided broad coverage of an area where ground-based observations were initially very limited. A team of scientists led by Caltech Ph.D. geology student Aron Meltzner discovered changes in elevation along nearly 1,600 kilometers (994 miles) of the tectonic plate boundary. The images revealed that the earthquake rupture extended 100 kilometers (62 miles) farther north than estimates based on seismic and Global Positioning System (GPS) data suggested. The feature article Rise and Fall: Satellites Reveal Full Length of Tsunami-Generating Earthquake [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/Aceh/aceh.html ] describes how scientists used satellite images to map the length of the earthquake rupture zone. The article includes additional satellite and ground-based images of elevation changes resulting from the 2004 Aceh-Andaman earthquake. NASA images created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] |
|
North Reef Island, Andaman S
…
| Title |
North Reef Island, Andaman Sea |
| Description |
On December 26, 2004, one of the largest earthquakes in recorded history struck offshore of the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. The ocean floor heaved in some places and sank in others, creating catastrophic tsunamis that raced across the Indian Ocean. Hundreds of thousands of people died as the waves struck coastlines from Thailand to Sri Lanka to Somalia. In addition to tsunami damage, satellite images of reefs, islands, and coastlines identified signs of permanent elevation change—sinking or uplift—along the fault between the Indo-Australia and Burma plates. [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=12640 ] In places such as North Reef Island, shown in this pair of 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, the quake lifted the reefs permanently out of the water. The images use visible and infrared light detected by ASTER to make different land surfaces stand out clearly from one another: water is blue, vegetation is red, coral or bare sand appears white. In the "before" image, from December 2, 2004, the submerged reef creates a bright blue glow around the island. In the "after" image, from February 4, 2005, the white coral stands completely up out of the water. It is even tinged with red, which suggests the exposed coral had died, and algae had colonized it. In the weeks and months after the earthquake, satellite images provided broad coverage of an area where ground-based observations were initially very limited. A team of scientists led by Caltech Ph.D. geology student Aron Meltzner discovered changes in elevation along nearly 1,600 kilometers (994 miles) of the tectonic plate boundary. The images revealed that the earthquake rupture extended 100 kilometers (62 miles) farther north than estimates based on seismic and Global Positioning System (GPS) data suggested. The feature article Rise and Fall: Satellites Reveal Full Length of Tsunami-Generating Earthquake [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/Aceh/aceh.html ] describes how scientists used satellite images to map the length of the earthquake rupture zone. The article includes additional satellite and ground-based images of elevation changes resulting from the 2004 Aceh-Andaman earthquake. NASA images created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] |
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Ocean Blooms in the Wake of
…
| Title |
Ocean Blooms in the Wake of Cyclone Willy |
| Description |
As tropical cyclones go, Cyclone Willy didn?t amount to much. With winds hovering around 170 kilometers per hour (100 mph) at its strongest, the storm never made landfall, but instead skirted the western coast of Australia into the southern Indian Ocean. Despite that, Tropical Storm Willy was powerful enough to churn up ocean waters, leaving a trail of cool water and thriving plant life in its wake. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA?s Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite recorded high chlorophyll concentrations in the cold water wake left by the storm on March 16, 2005. A diagonal strip of cooler water, shown in purple in the right image, corresponds well with the lighter blue path of high chlorophyll concentrations in the left image. The storm?s powerful winds stirred the ocean, bringing cool water and nutrients to the surface. With added nutrients in the sun-drenched surface waters, small ocean plants (phytoplankton) multiply quickly, raising chlorophyll concentrations. The profusion of plant life does not extend beyond the path of the storm, further corroborating the connection between the phytoplankton bloom and cyclone. NASA image courtesy Normal Kuring, MODIS Ocean Color Team [ http://oceancolor.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ]. |
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Ocean Blooms in the Wake of
…
| Title |
Ocean Blooms in the Wake of Cyclone Willy |
| Description |
As tropical cyclones go, Cyclone Willy didn?t amount to much. With winds hovering around 170 kilometers per hour (100 mph) at its strongest, the storm never made landfall, but instead skirted the western coast of Australia into the southern Indian Ocean. Despite that, Tropical Storm Willy was powerful enough to churn up ocean waters, leaving a trail of cool water and thriving plant life in its wake. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA?s Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite recorded high chlorophyll concentrations in the cold water wake left by the storm on March 16, 2005. A diagonal strip of cooler water, shown in purple in the right image, corresponds well with the lighter blue path of high chlorophyll concentrations in the left image. The storm?s powerful winds stirred the ocean, bringing cool water and nutrients to the surface. With added nutrients in the sun-drenched surface waters, small ocean plants (phytoplankton) multiply quickly, raising chlorophyll concentrations. The profusion of plant life does not extend beyond the path of the storm, further corroborating the connection between the phytoplankton bloom and cyclone. NASA image courtesy Normal Kuring, MODIS Ocean Color Team [ http://oceancolor.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ]. |
|
Ocean Blooms in the Wake of
…
| Title |
Ocean Blooms in the Wake of Cyclone Willy |
| Description |
As tropical cyclones go, Cyclone Willy didn?t amount to much. With winds hovering around 170 kilometers per hour (100 mph) at its strongest, the storm never made landfall, but instead skirted the western coast of Australia into the southern Indian Ocean. Despite that, Tropical Storm Willy was powerful enough to churn up ocean waters, leaving a trail of cool water and thriving plant life in its wake. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA?s Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite recorded high chlorophyll concentrations in the cold water wake left by the storm on March 16, 2005. A diagonal strip of cooler water, shown in purple in the right image, corresponds well with the lighter blue path of high chlorophyll concentrations in the left image. The storm?s powerful winds stirred the ocean, bringing cool water and nutrients to the surface. With added nutrients in the sun-drenched surface waters, small ocean plants (phytoplankton) multiply quickly, raising chlorophyll concentrations. The profusion of plant life does not extend beyond the path of the storm, further corroborating the connection between the phytoplankton bloom and cyclone. NASA image courtesy Normal Kuring, MODIS Ocean Color Team [ http://oceancolor.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ]. |
|
Ocean Blooms in the Wake of
…
| Title |
Ocean Blooms in the Wake of Cyclone Willy |
| Description |
As tropical cyclones go, Cyclone Willy didn?t amount to much. With winds hovering around 170 kilometers per hour (100 mph) at its strongest, the storm never made landfall, but instead skirted the western coast of Australia into the southern Indian Ocean. Despite that, Tropical Storm Willy was powerful enough to churn up ocean waters, leaving a trail of cool water and thriving plant life in its wake. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA?s Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite recorded high chlorophyll concentrations in the cold water wake left by the storm on March 16, 2005. A diagonal strip of cooler water, shown in purple in the right image, corresponds well with the lighter blue path of high chlorophyll concentrations in the left image. The storm?s powerful winds stirred the ocean, bringing cool water and nutrients to the surface. With added nutrients in the sun-drenched surface waters, small ocean plants (phytoplankton) multiply quickly, raising chlorophyll concentrations. The profusion of plant life does not extend beyond the path of the storm, further corroborating the connection between the phytoplankton bloom and cyclone. NASA image courtesy Normal Kuring, MODIS Ocean Color Team [ http://oceancolor.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ]. |
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Phytoplankton in Shark Bay
| Title |
Phytoplankton in Shark Bay |
| Description |
A streak of blue across the mouth of Shark Bay in Western Australia probably points to the presence of phytoplankton in the water. These microscopic plants reflect light, making the ocean surface appear bright blue. A phytoplankton bloom such as this is not surprising: Shark Bay teems with life. The 2.5-million hectare bay has been placed on the World Heritage list partly because of its biological diversity, and phytoplankton is the most basic form of food for marine animals. The streak could also be caused by sediment resuspended from the shallow bay floor. Like phytoplankton, sediment reflects light and can tint the water a brilliant blue. Other marine vegetation may be visible in this image. Protected from the rough Indian Ocean, vast meadows of seagrass grow in the clear, shallow waters of Shark Bay. The plants may give the waters of the bay the dark green tint seen along the shores. Again, sediment may also contribute to the coloring of the water near the shore. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA?s Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image on November 6, 2004. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC |
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Rainstorms in Central Austra
…
| Title |
Rainstorms in Central Australia |
| Description |
A persistent low-pressure system sat over Australia's "Red Center" for several days at the end of January and into February 2006, bringing rain to a landscape better known for its dry conditions and parched starkness. Storms are normal phenomena, however, in the Australian monsoon season (locally known as "The Wet"). The Australian Bureau of Meteorology reported moderate rain falling through most of the area, with occasional heavy rains of 20-40 millimeters (1-2 inches). While this amount is not an impressive-sounding quantity, sustained over several days, it amounted to considerable rain totals, and streambeds that are typically completely dry filled and overflowed, causing flooding in many areas. The satellite image shows the swirling clouds associataed with the low-pressure system. This image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite on February 1, 2006, at 01:50 UTC (10:50 a.m. local time). In the southern hemisphere, low-pressure systems develop spiral patterns that wind clockwise around the center of the system because of the rotation of the Earth. (Low-pressure systems spin counter-clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere). This particular system was being fed moisture from the Indian Ocean, where warm seas evaporate water into the air. The moist air was then carried along in a low-pressure frontal system. Called a "monsoon trough," such systems typically bring intense rains of themselves. When the monsoon trough combines with low-pressure systems such as the one pictured here, heavy monsoon rains fall in northern Australia. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response team. |
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Fires in Northwest Australia
| Title |
Fires in Northwest Australia |
| Description |
Scattered fires in Australia's northern Western Australia state and Northern Territories send smoke streaming off in the northwestward-blowing wind. The smoke plumes appear as streaks of gray moving away from the fires, which are marked in red. In the lower center of the image, right on the border between the two states, sits man-made Lake Argyle, the largest freshwater body in the Southern Hemisphere. The lake was created in the early 1970s as part of the Ord River Irrigation Project, which was designed to transform the area around the Ord River into a highly productive agricultural oasis. To the north of Lake Argyle is the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf, which shows clouds of tan and green in its waters. The majority of these clouds are caused by sediment and silt from rivers emptying into the Gulf, though they may also indicate the presence of microscopic marine life. Similar clouds appear off the coast of the Northern Territories (upper right) between the mainland and Melville Island in the Van Diemen Gulf, as well as off the coast of Western Australia. Beyond the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf is the Timor Sea, and in the upper left corner of the image is the eastern edge of the Indian Ocean. This true-color Aqua MODIS image was acquired on April 24, 2003. The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at MODIS' maximum spatial resolution of 250 meters. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC |
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Smoke Over Great Australian
…
| Title |
Smoke Over Great Australian Bight |
| Description |
Smoke from fires in southwestern Australia [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=12636 ] spread in brownish-gray streamers and swirls over the Great Australian Bight on December 22, 2004. (A "bight" is an indentation or scallop along a coastline that forms an open bay. In the case of the Great Australian Bight, the bay is created by the Indian Ocean.) Over the third week of December, several bushfires, at least some of which were triggered by lightning, burned across the southern coastal areas of Western Australia. The winds that fanned the flames also blew the smoke southeastward over the Bight. Image provided by the SeaWiFS Project [ http://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ], NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, and ORBIMAGE. |
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Thunderstorm over the Indian
…
| Title |
Thunderstorm over the Indian Ocean |
| Description |
On January 24, 2007, a minor cloud system blossomed in the Indian Ocean between Indonesia and northwestern Australia. The storm lacked the circulation of a tropical storm, so it never received a name. It did not strike any major populated centers, so it never was a news item. But newsworthy and fascinating are not always the same thing, and the symmetrical shape of the storm and the apparently expanding ring of cloud ripples shown in this image suggest some intriguing atmospheric physics in action. This photo-like image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] on the Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on January 24, 2007, at 10:10 a.m. local time (2:10 UTC). The circular cloud system in the image was driven by powerful thunderstorms that previously raged beneath the now-ragged cirrus clouds at the system's center. The clouds formed from an afternoon convection system, a vigorous overturning of the air that is common this time of year near Australia's tropical northern coast. The system traveled westward over Austalia's Northern Territory, eventually reaching the coast of Western Australia. Over the Indian Ocean, the cloud system grew rapidly, drawing warm, moist ocean air up into the top of the storm. At the top of this convection system, the air ceased to flow upward and spilled out into an expanding ring. This same process almost always occurs in thunderstorms, but in this case there appears to have been relatively constant wind through a deep layer of the atmosphere, allowing the uplifted air to spread out equally in all directions. The clouds at the top of the storm dispersed as an expanding disk of cirrus cloud. The outflowing air may also have disturbed and amplified existing clouds, making them more reflective. Increased reflection of sunlight makes the clouds seem more brightly white to the MODIS sensor. NASA image by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center. Image interpretation provided by George Huffman, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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Fires on Borneo and Sumatra
| Title |
Fires on Borneo and Sumatra |
| Description |
On August 22, 2004, clouds and smoke swirled over the islands that sit between Australia and Asia, at the crossroads of the Indian Ocean to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east. Large islands pictured here are Borneo (right), Java (bottom), and Sumatra (left) At top left is the southern tip of mainland Malaysia. In each of these places, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Aqua satellite detected actively burning fires (marked in red). Over the weekend of August 21, the haze in Singapore (at the southern tip of mainland Malaysia), at least some of which was smoke from the fires, was so severe that air traffic was interrupted. NASA image by Jesse Allen, based on data from the MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA-GSFC |
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Tropical Cyclone Clare
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Clare |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Clare is a moderately strong storm system in the Indian Ocean off the Australian coast. When the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite observed the cyclone at 06:05 UTC (2:05 p.m. local time) on January 9, 2006, it was a well-developed system with peak sustained winds of around 100 kilometers per hour (60 miles per hour). The cyclone (the local term for a hurricane or typhoon) was about 200 kilometers offshore from Port Hedland in Western Australia, the nearest major city. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response team. |
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Tropical Cyclone Fay
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Fay |
| Description |
After meandering off the coast of western Australia, Cyclone Fay finally came ashore back on the 27th of March 2004 as a powerful Category 4 cyclone with maximum sustained winds estimated at 115 knots (132 mph). The cyclone quickly weakened over land. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite captured several unique images of Fay along its path (please, see the previous TRMM story on Cyclone Fay). The TRMM-based, near-real time Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (MPA) at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center monitors rainfall over the global tropics. MPA rainfall totals are shown for western Australia and the eastern Indian Ocean in association with the passage of Fay for the period 20 to 27 March 2004. The heaviest rainfall totals are by far and away located over the eastern Indian Ocean. The darker red areas show rainfall totals due to Fay on the order of 12 inches in this region. The heaviest totals appear to the right of the storm track (shown by the white storm symbols plotted every 06Z). These heavy amounts are the product of an intense rain band located well to the north west of the center that was observed by TRMM starting back on the 19th of March. The highest totals over land appear right along the coast and are on the order of 3 to 5 inches (green areas). A swath of 1 to 2 inch amounts (blue areas) extends inland over Western Australia. 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). |
|
Tropical Cyclone Fay
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Fay |
| Description |
After meandering off the coast of western Australia, Cyclone Fay finally came ashore back on the 27th of March 2004 as a powerful Category 4 cyclone with maximum sustained winds estimated at 115 knots (132 mph). The cyclone quickly weakened over land. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite captured several unique images of Fay along its path (please, see the previous TRMM story on Cyclone Fay). The TRMM-based, near-real time Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (MPA) at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center monitors rainfall over the global tropics. MPA rainfall totals are shown for western Australia and the eastern Indian Ocean in association with the passage of Fay for the period 20 to 27 March 2004. The heaviest rainfall totals are by far and away located over the eastern Indian Ocean. The darker red areas show rainfall totals due to Fay on the order of 12 inches in this region. The heaviest totals appear to the right of the storm track (shown by the white storm symbols plotted every 06Z). These heavy amounts are the product of an intense rain band located well to the north west of the center that was observed by TRMM starting back on the 19th of March. The highest totals over land appear right along the coast and are on the order of 3 to 5 inches (green areas). A swath of 1 to 2 inch amounts (blue areas) extends inland over Western Australia. 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). |
|
Tropical Cyclone Floyd
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Floyd |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Floyd formed northwest of Australia in the Timor Sea on March 21, 2006. The cyclone gained power gradually and was heading west into the Indian Ocean. It was not predicted to travel over any large landmasses, though it may pose a threat to Christmas Island well off the Western Australia coast in the Indian Ocean. When the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite observed the storm at 11:55 a.m. Australian Western Daylight Saving time (02:35 UTC) on March 22, 2006, Tropical Cyclone Floyd was continuing to slowly build power and size. When MODIS made this observation, the storm had peak winds of around 120 kilometers per hour (75 miles per hour), and forecasts at the time called for it to continue to gather strength for at least several days, with predicted peak winds of 170 kilometers per hour (105 mph), according to the University of Hawaii's Tropical Storm Information Center. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response team. |
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Tropical Cyclone Glenda
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Glenda |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Glenda formed off the northwestern coast of Australia on March 27, 2006. Powerful winds whipped up surf along the coastline of Western Australia's Pilbara region, and the storm brought heavy rains to the islands off the Kimberly coast. On March 29, it was classified as a Category 5 storm, the highest rating on the cyclone-strength scale. However, as it came ashore a day later, it had lost a small fraction of its strength. By March 31, 2006, the storm had lost considerable power and was ranked as a mere tropical depression. This photo-like image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite on March 31, 2006, at 10:30 a.m. local time (02:30 UTC), roughly 40 hours after coming ashore near Onslow. The remnants of Cyclone Glenda still have a vaguely spiral appearance, but they lack the well-developed eye and tight-wound shape of the mature, powerful storm of previous days. Clouds from the storm cover most of the Indian Ocean coast of Western Australia. Sustained, peak winds in the storm system were considerably diminished, roughly 65 kilometers per hour (40 miles per hour) around the time the image was captured. Damage assessments in Onslow showed the town fared better than expected in the face of such a powerful storm. However, it will be many days before clean-up operations are concluded. Meteorologists were also concerned about the widespread flooding potential as the storm continued to travel inland. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response team. |
|
Tropical Cyclones Monty and
…
| Title |
Tropical Cyclones Monty and Evan |
| Description |
The image also shows rainrates overlaid on IR data as before, only now the PR passes directly over the center of the storm. TRMM shows that Monty still has a tight, well-organized circulation with a closed eye still visible and good banding surrounding the center. These bands are evident in the green areas associated with moderate rainrates. TRMM reveals that the bulk of the heavier rainfall (green areas) is on the left hand side of the storm as it is making landfall. TRMM also captured a remarkable image (right) of Cyclone Evan just as it was entering Dalumbu Bay before crossing Groote Eylandt. This image was taken at 2:20 pm, Northern Australia/Darwin Time (04:50 UTC) on March 1. An area of intense rainfall (darker reds) appear near Evan's center, but the tight banding seen in Monty is not apparent. Even though this region of intense rainfall could fuel the storm, Evan is too close to land for it to have a chance to intensify. As it crossed Groote Eylandt on March 2, the storm dumped a record 316 millimeters (12 inches) of rain on the island. The island's previous 24-hour rainfall record was 158 millimeters (6 inches). The TRMM-based, near-real time Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (MPA) at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center monitors rainfall over the global tropics. The linked titled "Rainfall Totals" shows MPA rainfall totals for northern Australia in association with these two cyclones from February 23 to March 1, 2004. A swath of heavy rainfall (red areas) on the order of 8 to 12 inches is observed mainly offshore in association with Monty though some heavy and moderate (green areas) totals are evident over the coast. The rain associated with Evan, however, is embedded within a broad area of moderate (green areas) rainfall with locally heavier amounts (red areas) covering the Gulf of Carpentaria, the Northern Territory, and northern Queensland. Images and movies produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC)., Two tropical cyclones made landfall in Australia just hours apart. Cyclone Monty came ashore along the northwest coast of Western Australia on the evening of March 1, 2004, (local standard time) while Cyclone Evan made landfall a few hours later in the early morning hours of March 2nd along the east coast of the Northern Territory. Monty formed into a tropical depression on February 26 from an area of low pressure that moved off of the coast of Western Australia into the Indian Ocean. The depression strengthened into a tropical storm early on February 27 and continued heading westward parallel to the coastline. It also continued to intensify. By 10 pm, Western Australia time (12:00 UTC) on the 29th, Monty had become a powerful cyclone with sustained winds estimated at 125 miles per hour (200 kilometers per hour). It was rated as a Category 4 Cyclone by the Bureau of Meteorology's Tropical Cyclone Warning Center in Perth. An advancing cold front coming up from the southwest then steered Monty back towards the coastline, towards the southeast, where it then came ashore as a strong Category 3 storm near the town of Mardie. Meanwhile, Cyclone Evan formed in the Gulf of Carpentaria becoming a depression on February 29. Evan also moved westward but did not become nearly as strong, achieving Category 1 status at 7 pm Australia North time (9:30 UTC) on March 1 just before crossing the island of Groote Eylandt. Evan hit the mainland on the east coast of the Northern Territory early the next morning while still a Category 1 storm according to the Tropical Cyclone Cyclone Warning Center in Darwin. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite captured several unique images of these two cyclones. The image on the left shows Cyclone Monty off of the coast of Western Australia, north of Barrow Island. The image was taken at 11:31 pm Western Australia time (15:31 UTC) on February 29, 2004. At the time, Monty was a powerful Category 4 cyclone. The image shows the horizontal distribution of rain rates as seen from overhead by the TRMM satellite. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), the first precipitation radar in space, while 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). Monty' center falls within the TMI swath in this image, and the TMI does not have as fine a resolution as the Precipitation Radar. However, the TMI does show some heavy rainfall (red area) on the northwest side of the eye. Tropical cyclones rely on the heat that is released when water vapor condenses into cloud droplets to drive their circulation. These smaller droplets eventually form into larger raindrops that are easier to observe. The next image of Monty (click on link marked Cyclone Monty, March 1), taken at 10:35 pm, Western Australia Time (14:35 UTC) on March 1, captures the storm just as it was hitting the coast. |
|
Tropical Cyclones Monty and
…
| Title |
Tropical Cyclones Monty and Evan |
| Description |
The image also shows rainrates overlaid on IR data as before, only now the PR passes directly over the center of the storm. TRMM shows that Monty still has a tight, well-organized circulation with a closed eye still visible and good banding surrounding the center. These bands are evident in the green areas associated with moderate rainrates. TRMM reveals that the bulk of the heavier rainfall (green areas) is on the left hand side of the storm as it is making landfall. TRMM also captured a remarkable image (right) of Cyclone Evan just as it was entering Dalumbu Bay before crossing Groote Eylandt. This image was taken at 2:20 pm, Northern Australia/Darwin Time (04:50 UTC) on March 1. An area of intense rainfall (darker reds) appear near Evan's center, but the tight banding seen in Monty is not apparent. Even though this region of intense rainfall could fuel the storm, Evan is too close to land for it to have a chance to intensify. As it crossed Groote Eylandt on March 2, the storm dumped a record 316 millimeters (12 inches) of rain on the island. The island's previous 24-hour rainfall record was 158 millimeters (6 inches). The TRMM-based, near-real time Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (MPA) at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center monitors rainfall over the global tropics. The linked titled "Rainfall Totals" shows MPA rainfall totals for northern Australia in association with these two cyclones from February 23 to March 1, 2004. A swath of heavy rainfall (red areas) on the order of 8 to 12 inches is observed mainly offshore in association with Monty though some heavy and moderate (green areas) totals are evident over the coast. The rain associated with Evan, however, is embedded within a broad area of moderate (green areas) rainfall with locally heavier amounts (red areas) covering the Gulf of Carpentaria, the Northern Territory, and northern Queensland. Images and movies produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC)., Two tropical cyclones made landfall in Australia just hours apart. Cyclone Monty came ashore along the northwest coast of Western Australia on the evening of March 1, 2004, (local standard time) while Cyclone Evan made landfall a few hours later in the early morning hours of March 2nd along the east coast of the Northern Territory. Monty formed into a tropical depression on February 26 from an area of low pressure that moved off of the coast of Western Australia into the Indian Ocean. The depression strengthened into a tropical storm early on February 27 and continued heading westward parallel to the coastline. It also continued to intensify. By 10 pm, Western Australia time (12:00 UTC) on the 29th, Monty had become a powerful cyclone with sustained winds estimated at 125 miles per hour (200 kilometers per hour). It was rated as a Category 4 Cyclone by the Bureau of Meteorology's Tropical Cyclone Warning Center in Perth. An advancing cold front coming up from the southwest then steered Monty back towards the coastline, towards the southeast, where it then came ashore as a strong Category 3 storm near the town of Mardie. Meanwhile, Cyclone Evan formed in the Gulf of Carpentaria becoming a depression on February 29. Evan also moved westward but did not become nearly as strong, achieving Category 1 status at 7 pm Australia North time (9:30 UTC) on March 1 just before crossing the island of Groote Eylandt. Evan hit the mainland on the east coast of the Northern Territory early the next morning while still a Category 1 storm according to the Tropical Cyclone Cyclone Warning Center in Darwin. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite captured several unique images of these two cyclones. The image on the left shows Cyclone Monty off of the coast of Western Australia, north of Barrow Island. The image was taken at 11:31 pm Western Australia time (15:31 UTC) on February 29, 2004. At the time, Monty was a powerful Category 4 cyclone. The image shows the horizontal distribution of rain rates as seen from overhead by the TRMM satellite. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), the first precipitation radar in space, while 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). Monty' center falls within the TMI swath in this image, and the TMI does not have as fine a resolution as the Precipitation Radar. However, the TMI does show some heavy rainfall (red area) on the northwest side of the eye. Tropical cyclones rely on the heat that is released when water vapor condenses into cloud droplets to drive their circulation. These smaller droplets eventually form into larger raindrops that are easier to observe. The next image of Monty (click on link marked Cyclone Monty, March 1), taken at 10:35 pm, Western Australia Time (14:35 UTC) on March 1, captures the storm just as it was hitting the coast. |
|
Tropical Cyclones Monty and
…
| Title |
Tropical Cyclones Monty and Evan |
| Description |
The image also shows rainrates overlaid on IR data as before, only now the PR passes directly over the center of the storm. TRMM shows that Monty still has a tight, well-organized circulation with a closed eye still visible and good banding surrounding the center. These bands are evident in the green areas associated with moderate rainrates. TRMM reveals that the bulk of the heavier rainfall (green areas) is on the left hand side of the storm as it is making landfall. TRMM also captured a remarkable image (right) of Cyclone Evan just as it was entering Dalumbu Bay before crossing Groote Eylandt. This image was taken at 2:20 pm, Northern Australia/Darwin Time (04:50 UTC) on March 1. An area of intense rainfall (darker reds) appear near Evan's center, but the tight banding seen in Monty is not apparent. Even though this region of intense rainfall could fuel the storm, Evan is too close to land for it to have a chance to intensify. As it crossed Groote Eylandt on March 2, the storm dumped a record 316 millimeters (12 inches) of rain on the island. The island's previous 24-hour rainfall record was 158 millimeters (6 inches). The TRMM-based, near-real time Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (MPA) at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center monitors rainfall over the global tropics. The linked titled "Rainfall Totals" shows MPA rainfall totals for northern Australia in association with these two cyclones from February 23 to March 1, 2004. A swath of heavy rainfall (red areas) on the order of 8 to 12 inches is observed mainly offshore in association with Monty though some heavy and moderate (green areas) totals are evident over the coast. The rain associated with Evan, however, is embedded within a broad area of moderate (green areas) rainfall with locally heavier amounts (red areas) covering the Gulf of Carpentaria, the Northern Territory, and northern Queensland. Images and movies produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC)., Two tropical cyclones made landfall in Australia just hours apart. Cyclone Monty came ashore along the northwest coast of Western Australia on the evening of March 1, 2004, (local standard time) while Cyclone Evan made landfall a few hours later in the early morning hours of March 2nd along the east coast of the Northern Territory. Monty formed into a tropical depression on February 26 from an area of low pressure that moved off of the coast of Western Australia into the Indian Ocean. The depression strengthened into a tropical storm early on February 27 and continued heading westward parallel to the coastline. It also continued to intensify. By 10 pm, Western Australia time (12:00 UTC) on the 29th, Monty had become a powerful cyclone with sustained winds estimated at 125 miles per hour (200 kilometers per hour). It was rated as a Category 4 Cyclone by the Bureau of Meteorology's Tropical Cyclone Warning Center in Perth. An advancing cold front coming up from the southwest then steered Monty back towards the coastline, towards the southeast, where it then came ashore as a strong Category 3 storm near the town of Mardie. Meanwhile, Cyclone Evan formed in the Gulf of Carpentaria becoming a depression on February 29. Evan also moved westward but did not become nearly as strong, achieving Category 1 status at 7 pm Australia North time (9:30 UTC) on March 1 just before crossing the island of Groote Eylandt. Evan hit the mainland on the east coast of the Northern Territory early the next morning while still a Category 1 storm according to the Tropical Cyclone Cyclone Warning Center in Darwin. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite captured several unique images of these two cyclones. The image on the left shows Cyclone Monty off of the coast of Western Australia, north of Barrow Island. The image was taken at 11:31 pm Western Australia time (15:31 UTC) on February 29, 2004. At the time, Monty was a powerful Category 4 cyclone. The image shows the horizontal distribution of rain rates as seen from overhead by the TRMM satellite. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), the first precipitation radar in space, while 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). Monty' center falls within the TMI swath in this image, and the TMI does not have as fine a resolution as the Precipitation Radar. However, the TMI does show some heavy rainfall (red area) on the northwest side of the eye. Tropical cyclones rely on the heat that is released when water vapor condenses into cloud droplets to drive their circulation. These smaller droplets eventually form into larger raindrops that are easier to observe. The next image of Monty (click on link marked Cyclone Monty, March 1), taken at 10:35 pm, Western Australia Time (14:35 UTC) on March 1, captures the storm just as it was hitting the coast. |
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Flooding in Indonesia
| Title |
Flooding in Indonesia |
| Description |
*Animations:* ÿÿlarge (1.5 MB MPEG) ÿÿsmall [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/Images/java_rain.qt ] (882 KB QuickTime) This rainfall accumulation map, generated by NASA?s Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) satellite, shows locally heavy rains which fell over the mountainous terrain of Java, Indonesia, during the last week of December. These rains produced severe flash flooding, mudslides, and numerous deaths across the island. More than 365,000 inhabitants were displaced from their homes due to the severe weather. A larger and persistent area of heavy rain has recently occurred throughout Indonesia, and may be the result of a slow-moving, wavelike tropical disturbance called the Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO). The MJO is generated over the Indian Ocean and moves eastward, crossing over Indonesia, northern Australia, and southern Asia. The disturbance often occurs on a six- to nine-week cycle and can bring several days of torrential rains as it passes over a region. More images of extreme rain over southeast Asia and surrounding areas may found on the TRMM [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/redirect?http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] Web site. Image and animations courtesy of Jeff Halverson, TRMM Outreach Scientist, and Hal Pierce, TRMM Visualizer, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center |
|
Flooding in Indonesia
| Title |
Flooding in Indonesia |
| Description |
*Animations:* ÿÿlarge (1.5 MB MPEG) ÿÿsmall [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/Images/java_rain.qt ] (882 KB QuickTime) This rainfall accumulation map, generated by NASA?s Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) satellite, shows locally heavy rains which fell over the mountainous terrain of Java, Indonesia, during the last week of December. These rains produced severe flash flooding, mudslides, and numerous deaths across the island. More than 365,000 inhabitants were displaced from their homes due to the severe weather. A larger and persistent area of heavy rain has recently occurred throughout Indonesia, and may be the result of a slow-moving, wavelike tropical disturbance called the Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO). The MJO is generated over the Indian Ocean and moves eastward, crossing over Indonesia, northern Australia, and southern Asia. The disturbance often occurs on a six- to nine-week cycle and can bring several days of torrential rains as it passes over a region. More images of extreme rain over southeast Asia and surrounding areas may found on the TRMM [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/redirect?http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] Web site. Image and animations courtesy of Jeff Halverson, TRMM Outreach Scientist, and Hal Pierce, TRMM Visualizer, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center |
|
Flooding in Western Australi
…
| Title |
Flooding in Western Australia |
| Description |
Heavy seasonal rains recently fell over a small region of Western Australia from January 23rd to the 25th. While rainfall normally occurs this time of year as part of the southern summer monsoon trough, several large, organized cloud clusters bearing heavy rains moved eastward off the Indian Ocean during a 48-72 hour period, sweeping over the same region. The portion of the country receiving the heavy rains is also mountainous (the Hamersley Range), which may have contributed to the flooding by focussing heavy downpours over small regions, and concentrating the runoff into narrow stream valleys. The image shows the isolated nature of the rain accumulation over a nine day period starting on January 20, 2003. Local area accumulations approaching twenty inches are indicated on the rainmap, which was created using data from NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) satellite combined with data from other rain measuring satellites. The heavy rains followed a yearlong drought in this region, which was also ravaged by severe wildfires, and washed out roads connecting small towns.*animations* ÿÿsmall (1.8 MB MPEG) ÿÿlarge [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Jan2003/australia.qt ] (3.3 MB MPEG) Image courtesy of Hal Pierce, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. |
|
Flooding in Western Australi
…
| Title |
Flooding in Western Australia |
| Description |
Heavy seasonal rains recently fell over a small region of Western Australia from January 23rd to the 25th. While rainfall normally occurs this time of year as part of the southern summer monsoon trough, several large, organized cloud clusters bearing heavy rains moved eastward off the Indian Ocean during a 48-72 hour period, sweeping over the same region. The portion of the country receiving the heavy rains is also mountainous (the Hamersley Range), which may have contributed to the flooding by focussing heavy downpours over small regions, and concentrating the runoff into narrow stream valleys. The image shows the isolated nature of the rain accumulation over a nine day period starting on January 20, 2003. Local area accumulations approaching twenty inches are indicated on the rainmap, which was created using data from NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) satellite combined with data from other rain measuring satellites. The heavy rains followed a yearlong drought in this region, which was also ravaged by severe wildfires, and washed out roads connecting small towns.*animations* ÿÿsmall (1.8 MB MPEG) ÿÿlarge [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Jan2003/australia.qt ] (3.3 MB MPEG) Image courtesy of Hal Pierce, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. |
|
Cyclones Flood Western Austr
…
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
In the course of a week, the
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ge_07500
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-03-06 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA image courtesy the rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. |
| identifier |
ge_07500 |
|
Cyclones Flood Western Austr
…
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
In the course of a week, the
…
ge_07500
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-03-06 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA image courtesy the rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. |
| identifier |
ge_07500 |
|
Cyclones Flood Western Austr
…
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
In the course of a week, the
…
ge_07500
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-03-06 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA image courtesy the rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. |
| identifier |
ge_07500 |
|
Cyclones Flood Western Austr
…
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
In the course of a week, the
…
ge_07500
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-03-06 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA image courtesy the rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. |
| identifier |
ge_07500 |
|
Floods in Western Australia:
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
* eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/ima
…
Australia_AMO_2006075
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2006-03-16 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
Australia_AMO_2006075 |
|
Cyclone Helen hits Northern
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
A variety of weather phenome
…
naustralia_trmm_2008009
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2008-01-08 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
naustralia_trmm_2008009 |
|
Cyclone Jacob: Natural Hazar
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Tropical Cyclone Jacob was i
…
jacob_amo_2007069
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-03-10 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
jacob_amo_2007069 |
|
Fire Near Dwellingup, Wester
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
In Western Australia, the go
…
DwellFire_TMO_2007036
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-02-05 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
DwellFire_TMO_2007036 |
|
Floods in Northern Australia
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
* eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/ima
…
Darwin_TMO_2007067
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-03-08 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
Darwin_TMO_2007067 |
|
Thunderstorm over the Indian
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
On January 24, 2007, a minor
…
nwaust_tmo_2007024
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-01-24 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
nwaust_tmo_2007024 |
|
Smoke Over Great Australian
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Smoke from http://earthobser
…
SWAustrmoke.OSWA2004357
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2004-12-22 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
SWAustrmoke.OSWA2004357 |
|
Tropical Cyclone Glenda: Nat
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Tropical Cyclone Glenda form
…
glenda_tmo_2006090
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2006-03-31 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
glenda_tmo_2006090 |
|
|
