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Rabaul, Papua New Guinea L,C
…
This is a radar image of the
…
11/18/94
| Date |
11/18/94 |
| Description |
This is a radar image of the Rabaul volcano on the island of New Britain, Papua New Guinea taken almost a month after its September 19, 1994, eruption that killed five people and covered the town of Rabaul and nearby villages with up to 75 centimeters (30 inches) of ash. More than 53,000 people have been displaced by the eruption. The image was acquired by the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) aboard the space shuttle Endeavour on its 173rd orbit on October 11, 1994. This image is centered at 4.2 degrees south latitude and 152.2 degrees east longitude in the southwest Pacific Ocean. The area shown is approximately 21 kilometers by 25 kilometers (13 miles by 15.5 miles). North is toward the upper right. The colors in this image were obtained using the following radar channels: red represents the L-band (horizontally transmitted and received), green represents the L-band (horizontally transmitted and vertically received), blue represents the C- band (horizontally transmitted and vertically received). Most of the Rabaul volcano is underwater and the caldera (crater) creates Blanche Bay, the semi-circular body of water that occupies most of the center of the image. Volcanic vents within the caldera are visible in the image and include Vulcan, on a peninsula on the west side of the bay, and Rabalanakaia and Tavurvur (the circular purple feature near the mouth of the bay) on the east side. Both Vulcan and Tavurvur were active during the 1994 eruption. Ash deposits appear red-orange on the image, and are most prominent on the south flanks of Vulcan and north and northwest of Tavurvur. A faint blue patch in the water in the center of the image is a large raft of floating pumice fragments that were ejected from Vulcan during the eruption and clog the inner bay. Visible on the east side of the bay are the grid-like patterns of the streets of Rabaul and an airstrip, which appears as a dark northwest-trending band at the right-center of the image. Ashfall and subsequent rains caused the collapse of most buildings in the town of Rabaul. Mudflows and flooding continue to pose serious threats to the town and surrounding villages. Volcanologists and local authorities expect to use data such as this radar image to assist them in identifying the mechanisms of the eruption and future hazardous conditions that may be associated with the vigorously active volcano. ----- Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) is part of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth. The radars illuminate Earth with microwaves, allowing detailed observations at any time, regardless of weather or sunlight conditions. SIR-C/X-SAR uses three microwave wavelengths: L-band (24 cm), C-band (6 cm) and X-band (3 cm). The multi- frequency data will be used by the international scientific community to better understand the global environment and how it is changing. The SIR-C/X-SAR data, complemented by aircraft and ground studies, will give scientists clearer insights into those environmental changes which are caused by nature and those changes which are induced by human activity. SIR-C was developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. X-SAR was developed by the Dornier and Alenia Spazio companies for the German space agency, Deutsche Agentur fuer Raumfahrtangelegenheiten (DARA), and the Italian space agency, Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI), with the Deutsche Forschungsanstalt fuer Luft und Raumfahrt e.v.(DLR), the major partner in science, operations and data processing of X-SAR. ##### |
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Continued Eruption of Manam
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| Title |
Continued Eruption of Manam Volcano |
| Description |
The island of Manam sits in the Bismarck Sea across the Stephan Strait from the east coast of mainland Papua New Guinea. Only 10 kilometers wide, the island results from the activity of the Manam Volcano, one of the country?s most active. In this image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA?s Aqua satellite on October 24, 2004, a large ash plume has spread northwestward from an eruption of Manam, located at bottom right. The thermally active areas on the volcano have been detected by MODIS and are outlined in red. Interestingly, the winds higher up in the atmosphere appear to have been blowing in the opposite direction at the time this image was captured. Streamers of clouds stretch from the coast northeastward over the ash plume and farther out to sea. In the afternoon sunlight, the thicker clouds cast shadows down onto the ash plume. North of the cloud streamers, the tail of the ash plume is being rippled by the wind into rows of evenly spaced, nearly parallel waves. The Manam Volcano has an interesting structure. Its 1,870-meter summit is bare and carved by four large avalanche valleys that radiate from the summit down the flanks. These valleys are spaced roughly 90 degrees apart around the cone-shaped mountain, and lava and pyroclastic debris flows have funneled through these valleys and reached the coast in past eruptions. The volcano has two summit craters, and both are active. The island is inhabited, and emergency agencies urged residents to move to safer parts of the island, however, according to news reports on October 27, no casualties had yet been reported. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA-GSFC |
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Continued Eruption of Manam
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| Title |
Continued Eruption of Manam Volcano |
| Description |
The vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean floats over the Earth's molten core on a section of the Earth's crust called the Pacific Plate. Along its edges, the plate crashes against the plates holding the continents with often violent force. In most places, the cold Pacific plate is pulled under the continental plates, where it crumbles into hot magma, a process called subduction. Along the edges of the plates, the clashing and breaking crust generates powerful earthquakes, and the shallow molten rock fuels volcanoes. The result is the "Pacific Ring of Fire," a circle of high volcanic and seismic activity along the rim of the Pacific Ocean. Papua New Guinea's Manam Volcano sits in the southwest segment of the Pacific Ring of Fire where the Pacific Plate sinks beneath the Indo-Australian Plate. One of the region's most active volcanoes, Manam forms a tiny 10-kilometer wide island that rises from the Bismarck Sea 13 kilometers off the shore of Papua New Guinea. The volcano has erupted frequently since its first recorded eruption in 1616, and was erupting on November 15, 2004, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) flew overhead on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite. In this true-color image, dark ash rises from the volcano and is drifting southwest over Papua New Guinea. The current eruption began on October 24 with an explosive eruption that forced thousands of villages on Manam Island out of their homes. According to news reports, the ongoing eruption has not caused any injuries. NASA image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC |
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Cyclone Ingrid
| Title |
Cyclone Ingrid |
| Description |
Cyclone Ingrid crossed the eastern shoreline of Queensland, Australia just south of the town of Lockhart River on the morning of March 10, 2005, (local time) as a powerful Category 4 storm. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology's Cyclone Warning Centre in Queensland estimated the storm's wind gusts to be as strong as 240 kilometers per hour (149 mph). Fortunately, damage was not widespread because of the compact size of the storm and the sparse population in the impacted region. Five people did drown, however, when their boat capsized in heavy seas south of Papua New Guinea. This series of images shows Cyclone Ingrid as it developed in the Coral Sea and moved over Queensland. The images were acquired by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite, which, since its launch in the fall of 1997, has provided unprecedented and valuable information on tropical cyclones around the tropics. With an active radar and a passive microwave sensor, TRMM can peer into the heart of these storms and relay important details on storm structure and location to forecasters. The upper left image was taken at 17:31 UTC on March 6, as Ingrid was intensifying over the Coral Sea. The image shows the horizontal distribution of rain intensity (top down view) as viewed by the TRMM satellite. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), 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). The center of Ingrid falls within the TMI swath in this image. TRMM shows that Ingrid already has a well-defined eye outlined by an area of moderate rain intensity (green areas) with evidence of good banding surrounding the eye (green arcs). At the time of this image, Ingrid was the equivalent of a minimal typhoon with maximum sustained winds estimated at 65 knots (75 mph) by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. The upper right image was taken on March 7, at 08:29 UTC. The PR shows that there are heavy rain rates (red areas) in the southwestern part of the eyewall and in a rainband just south of the center. The eye is small and symmetrical. In addition, Ingrid itself is shown to be a small storm. These rather small, compact cyclones are often referred to as "midget" cyclones. Ingrid, however, was now an intense cyclone with maximum sustained winds estimated at 120 knots (138 mph), equivalent to a Category 4 typhoon. As Ingrid continued to move east towards Australia it strengthened further before starting to weaken as it neared the coast and made landfall on the March 10. The lower left image shows Ingrid on March 9, just before the storm's center moved ashore. The lower right image was taken at 07:11 UTC (5:11 pm Australian CST) on March 10. After having crossed to the western side of the Cape York Peninsula, Ingrid weakened substantially. There is no longer any evidence of an eye and no signs of organization in the rain field., Ingrid is expected to re-emerge over the warm waters of the Gulf of Carpentaria and head for the Northern Territory.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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Cyclone Ingrid
| Title |
Cyclone Ingrid |
| Description |
Cyclone Ingrid crossed the eastern shoreline of Queensland, Australia just south of the town of Lockhart River on the morning of March 10, 2005, (local time) as a powerful Category 4 storm. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology's Cyclone Warning Centre in Queensland estimated the storm's wind gusts to be as strong as 240 kilometers per hour (149 mph). Fortunately, damage was not widespread because of the compact size of the storm and the sparse population in the impacted region. Five people did drown, however, when their boat capsized in heavy seas south of Papua New Guinea. This series of images shows Cyclone Ingrid as it developed in the Coral Sea and moved over Queensland. The images were acquired by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite, which, since its launch in the fall of 1997, has provided unprecedented and valuable information on tropical cyclones around the tropics. With an active radar and a passive microwave sensor, TRMM can peer into the heart of these storms and relay important details on storm structure and location to forecasters. The upper left image was taken at 17:31 UTC on March 6, as Ingrid was intensifying over the Coral Sea. The image shows the horizontal distribution of rain intensity (top down view) as viewed by the TRMM satellite. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), 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). The center of Ingrid falls within the TMI swath in this image. TRMM shows that Ingrid already has a well-defined eye outlined by an area of moderate rain intensity (green areas) with evidence of good banding surrounding the eye (green arcs). At the time of this image, Ingrid was the equivalent of a minimal typhoon with maximum sustained winds estimated at 65 knots (75 mph) by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. The upper right image was taken on March 7, at 08:29 UTC. The PR shows that there are heavy rain rates (red areas) in the southwestern part of the eyewall and in a rainband just south of the center. The eye is small and symmetrical. In addition, Ingrid itself is shown to be a small storm. These rather small, compact cyclones are often referred to as "midget" cyclones. Ingrid, however, was now an intense cyclone with maximum sustained winds estimated at 120 knots (138 mph), equivalent to a Category 4 typhoon. As Ingrid continued to move east towards Australia it strengthened further before starting to weaken as it neared the coast and made landfall on the March 10. The lower left image shows Ingrid on March 9, just before the storm's center moved ashore. The lower right image was taken at 07:11 UTC (5:11 pm Australian CST) on March 10. After having crossed to the western side of the Cape York Peninsula, Ingrid weakened substantially. There is no longer any evidence of an eye and no signs of organization in the rain field., Ingrid is expected to re-emerge over the warm waters of the Gulf of Carpentaria and head for the Northern Territory.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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Cyclone Ingrid
| Title |
Cyclone Ingrid |
| Description |
Cyclone Ingrid crossed the eastern shoreline of Queensland, Australia just south of the town of Lockhart River on the morning of March 10, 2005, (local time) as a powerful Category 4 storm. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology's Cyclone Warning Centre in Queensland estimated the storm's wind gusts to be as strong as 240 kilometers per hour (149 mph). Fortunately, damage was not widespread because of the compact size of the storm and the sparse population in the impacted region. Five people did drown, however, when their boat capsized in heavy seas south of Papua New Guinea. This series of images shows Cyclone Ingrid as it developed in the Coral Sea and moved over Queensland. The images were acquired by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite, which, since its launch in the fall of 1997, has provided unprecedented and valuable information on tropical cyclones around the tropics. With an active radar and a passive microwave sensor, TRMM can peer into the heart of these storms and relay important details on storm structure and location to forecasters. The upper left image was taken at 17:31 UTC on March 6, as Ingrid was intensifying over the Coral Sea. The image shows the horizontal distribution of rain intensity (top down view) as viewed by the TRMM satellite. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), 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). The center of Ingrid falls within the TMI swath in this image. TRMM shows that Ingrid already has a well-defined eye outlined by an area of moderate rain intensity (green areas) with evidence of good banding surrounding the eye (green arcs). At the time of this image, Ingrid was the equivalent of a minimal typhoon with maximum sustained winds estimated at 65 knots (75 mph) by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. The upper right image was taken on March 7, at 08:29 UTC. The PR shows that there are heavy rain rates (red areas) in the southwestern part of the eyewall and in a rainband just south of the center. The eye is small and symmetrical. In addition, Ingrid itself is shown to be a small storm. These rather small, compact cyclones are often referred to as "midget" cyclones. Ingrid, however, was now an intense cyclone with maximum sustained winds estimated at 120 knots (138 mph), equivalent to a Category 4 typhoon. As Ingrid continued to move east towards Australia it strengthened further before starting to weaken as it neared the coast and made landfall on the March 10. The lower left image shows Ingrid on March 9, just before the storm's center moved ashore. The lower right image was taken at 07:11 UTC (5:11 pm Australian CST) on March 10. After having crossed to the western side of the Cape York Peninsula, Ingrid weakened substantially. There is no longer any evidence of an eye and no signs of organization in the rain field., Ingrid is expected to re-emerge over the warm waters of the Gulf of Carpentaria and head for the Northern Territory.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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Cyclone Ingrid
| Title |
Cyclone Ingrid |
| Description |
Cyclone Ingrid crossed the eastern shoreline of Queensland, Australia just south of the town of Lockhart River on the morning of March 10, 2005, (local time) as a powerful Category 4 storm. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology's Cyclone Warning Centre in Queensland estimated the storm's wind gusts to be as strong as 240 kilometers per hour (149 mph). Fortunately, damage was not widespread because of the compact size of the storm and the sparse population in the impacted region. Five people did drown, however, when their boat capsized in heavy seas south of Papua New Guinea. This series of images shows Cyclone Ingrid as it developed in the Coral Sea and moved over Queensland. The images were acquired by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite, which, since its launch in the fall of 1997, has provided unprecedented and valuable information on tropical cyclones around the tropics. With an active radar and a passive microwave sensor, TRMM can peer into the heart of these storms and relay important details on storm structure and location to forecasters. The upper left image was taken at 17:31 UTC on March 6, as Ingrid was intensifying over the Coral Sea. The image shows the horizontal distribution of rain intensity (top down view) as viewed by the TRMM satellite. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), 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). The center of Ingrid falls within the TMI swath in this image. TRMM shows that Ingrid already has a well-defined eye outlined by an area of moderate rain intensity (green areas) with evidence of good banding surrounding the eye (green arcs). At the time of this image, Ingrid was the equivalent of a minimal typhoon with maximum sustained winds estimated at 65 knots (75 mph) by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. The upper right image was taken on March 7, at 08:29 UTC. The PR shows that there are heavy rain rates (red areas) in the southwestern part of the eyewall and in a rainband just south of the center. The eye is small and symmetrical. In addition, Ingrid itself is shown to be a small storm. These rather small, compact cyclones are often referred to as "midget" cyclones. Ingrid, however, was now an intense cyclone with maximum sustained winds estimated at 120 knots (138 mph), equivalent to a Category 4 typhoon. As Ingrid continued to move east towards Australia it strengthened further before starting to weaken as it neared the coast and made landfall on the March 10. The lower left image shows Ingrid on March 9, just before the storm's center moved ashore. The lower right image was taken at 07:11 UTC (5:11 pm Australian CST) on March 10. After having crossed to the western side of the Cape York Peninsula, Ingrid weakened substantially. There is no longer any evidence of an eye and no signs of organization in the rain field., Ingrid is expected to re-emerge over the warm waters of the Gulf of Carpentaria and head for the Northern Territory.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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Earthquake Raises Reefs in t
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| Title |
Earthquake Raises Reefs in the Solomon Islands |
| Description |
When people talk about change happening on a geologic time scale, most of the time, they mean that the change happens over the course of millions of years: the Colorado River gradually cuts through the soft rock of the Colorado Plateau until it has made a 4,000-foot-deep chasm, the Grand Canyon, continents drift centimeters at a time, slowly changing the shape and position of landmasses on the Earth. Most of the time, change is slow, but sometimes, geologic change happens all at once. This was the case on Ranongga Island in the Solomon Islands. In the early morning hours of April 2, 2007, a magnitude 8.1 earthquake shook the Solomon Islands, its epicenter southwest of Ranongga Island. The huge quake pushed much of the island up, raising the coral reefs that ringed the island above the water. In the course of a few minutes, Ranongga Island acquired several meters of new beach. The newly exposed reef forms a gray rim along the eastern shore of the island in the left image, acquired by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on April 12, 2007. In the right image, taken on March 31, 2006, the shallowly submerged reefs color the water a lighter shade of blue. The uplift may be more dramatic than the images show. When ASTER took the 2007 image, the tide was 29.4 centimeters higher than it was when the 2006 image was taken, and yet the uplift is still visible. The lush vegetation that covers the tropical island is bright red in this image, which is made from both visible and infrared light. Out of its aquatic environment, the reef died, becoming the foundation of new land. Such evolution is common in earthquake zones in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. During the December 26, 2004, earthquake that generated the massive Indian Ocean tsunami, Simeulue Island was lifted as much as 150 centimeters (4.9 feet), exposing the reef that surrounded it. A similar set of exposed fossilized reefs on the shores of Papua New Guinea, near the Solomon Islands, provided proof that wobbles in the Earth's orbit trigger ice ages. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]Thanks to Aron Meltzner, California Institute of Technology, for help with image interpretation. |
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Earthquake Raises Reefs in t
…
| Title |
Earthquake Raises Reefs in the Solomon Islands |
| Description |
When people talk about change happening on a geologic time scale, most of the time, they mean that the change happens over the course of millions of years: the Colorado River gradually cuts through the soft rock of the Colorado Plateau until it has made a 4,000-foot-deep chasm, the Grand Canyon, continents drift centimeters at a time, slowly changing the shape and position of landmasses on the Earth. Most of the time, change is slow, but sometimes, geologic change happens all at once. This was the case on Ranongga Island in the Solomon Islands. In the early morning hours of April 2, 2007, a magnitude 8.1 earthquake shook the Solomon Islands, its epicenter southwest of Ranongga Island. The huge quake pushed much of the island up, raising the coral reefs that ringed the island above the water. In the course of a few minutes, Ranongga Island acquired several meters of new beach. The newly exposed reef forms a gray rim along the eastern shore of the island in the left image, acquired by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on April 12, 2007. In the right image, taken on March 31, 2006, the shallowly submerged reefs color the water a lighter shade of blue. The uplift may be more dramatic than the images show. When ASTER took the 2007 image, the tide was 29.4 centimeters higher than it was when the 2006 image was taken, and yet the uplift is still visible. The lush vegetation that covers the tropical island is bright red in this image, which is made from both visible and infrared light. Out of its aquatic environment, the reef died, becoming the foundation of new land. Such evolution is common in earthquake zones in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. During the December 26, 2004, earthquake that generated the massive Indian Ocean tsunami, Simeulue Island was lifted as much as 150 centimeters (4.9 feet), exposing the reef that surrounded it. A similar set of exposed fossilized reefs on the shores of Papua New Guinea, near the Solomon Islands, provided proof that wobbles in the Earth's orbit trigger ice ages. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]Thanks to Aron Meltzner, California Institute of Technology, for help with image interpretation. |
|
Earthquake Raises Reefs in t
…
| Title |
Earthquake Raises Reefs in the Solomon Islands |
| Description |
When people talk about change happening on a geologic time scale, most of the time, they mean that the change happens over the course of millions of years: the Colorado River gradually cuts through the soft rock of the Colorado Plateau until it has made a 4,000-foot-deep chasm, the Grand Canyon, continents drift centimeters at a time, slowly changing the shape and position of landmasses on the Earth. Most of the time, change is slow, but sometimes, geologic change happens all at once. This was the case on Ranongga Island in the Solomon Islands. In the early morning hours of April 2, 2007, a magnitude 8.1 earthquake shook the Solomon Islands, its epicenter southwest of Ranongga Island. The huge quake pushed much of the island up, raising the coral reefs that ringed the island above the water. In the course of a few minutes, Ranongga Island acquired several meters of new beach. The newly exposed reef forms a gray rim along the eastern shore of the island in the left image, acquired by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on April 12, 2007. In the right image, taken on March 31, 2006, the shallowly submerged reefs color the water a lighter shade of blue. The uplift may be more dramatic than the images show. When ASTER took the 2007 image, the tide was 29.4 centimeters higher than it was when the 2006 image was taken, and yet the uplift is still visible. The lush vegetation that covers the tropical island is bright red in this image, which is made from both visible and infrared light. Out of its aquatic environment, the reef died, becoming the foundation of new land. Such evolution is common in earthquake zones in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. During the December 26, 2004, earthquake that generated the massive Indian Ocean tsunami, Simeulue Island was lifted as much as 150 centimeters (4.9 feet), exposing the reef that surrounded it. A similar set of exposed fossilized reefs on the shores of Papua New Guinea, near the Solomon Islands, provided proof that wobbles in the Earth's orbit trigger ice ages. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]Thanks to Aron Meltzner, California Institute of Technology, for help with image interpretation. |
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Eruption of Anatahan
| Title |
Eruption of Anatahan |
| Description |
Explosive volcanic eruptions inject gases and ash into the Earth?s atmosphere, creating hazardous conditions for passing aircraft and the potential for climate effects. By the end of April 2005, two largest explosive eruptions had occurred at Manam (Papua New Guinea) on January 27-28, 2005, and at Anatahan (Mariana Islands) on April 5-6, 2005. These eruptions were of similar magnitude and both occurred on small islands causing major damage and evacuations on Manam island (which is inhabited) and concern over ashfall on islands south of Anatahan (which is uninhabited), respectively. The above image of Anatahan shows sulfur dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere on April 7, 2005, over 30 hours after the eruption. Sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions from the eruption were measured by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on NASA?s EOS/Aura satellite. OMI detects the total column amount of SO2 between the sensor and the Earth?s surface and maps this quantity as it orbits the planet. A new perspective on the vertical distribution of the SO2 is revealed by combining the OMI data with coincident measurements made by the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS), also part of the Aura mission. The MLS data crisscross the OMI image and clearly show that some, but not all, of the SO2 measured by OMI east of the volcano was in the upper troposphere or above. At these altitudes, sulfur dioxide?and the sulfate aerosols that form from it?can stay in the atmosphere and affect the climate for a longer period of time. A weaker SO2 signal was also measured in the same region during the nighttime MLS overpass, which crosses the image from upper right to lower left. The daytime data, running from upper left to lower right, coincide with the OMI measurements. The MLS data west of Anatahan show no significant SO2 signal, indicating that the SO2 measured by OMI in this region was in the lower troposphere. MLS measures thermal emissions from the Earth?s limb, so unlike the OMI sensor it also collects data at night. It is designed to measure vertical profiles of atmospheric gases that are important for studying the Earth?s ozone layer, climate, and air quality, such as SO2. These images, derived from preliminary, unvalidated OMI and MLS data, show MLS SO2 columns (filled circles) measured every 165 km along the Aura orbit, plotted over the OMI SO2 map. The MLS SO2 columns shown here are derived from profile measurements made from the upper troposphere into the stratosphere (~215 ? 0 hPa or ~12 km altitude and above), and the circles do not represent the actual size of the MLS footprint, which is roughly 165 kilometers by 6 kilometers. The Manam image, from January 28, 2005, shows larger SO2 amounts measured by MLS and OMI, though these data were collected only approximately 14 hours after the eruption on January 27-28. For both eruptions, peak SO2 amounts were measured by MLS at or just above the likely tropopause altitude, at the lowermost boundary of the stratosphere. Sulfate particles (aerosols) that form from sulfur gases in the stratosphere have a cooling effect on the Earth?s surface. The principal source of sulfate particles is large explosive volcanic eruptions, and the remaining sulfates in the atmosphere are believed to come from carbonyl sulfide, a gas emitted from marshes, soils, forests, and some industrial processes. Recent studies suggest, however, that there must be some other source of sulfates in the stratosphere, carbonyl sulfide concentrations are too small to account for observed sulfates. Could smaller, but more frequent volcanic eruptions, such as those at Anatahan and Manam, be contributing to this "excess" background sulfate aerosol? OMI offers much improved spatial resolution and sensitivity to SO2 compared to its predecessor, the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS), and Aura's MLS is a major technological advance over the older MLS flown on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) since 1991. The Aura mission will therefore allow scientists to investigate the source of sulfate aerosols in far greater detail. The OMI instrument is a Dutch-Finnish Instrument, provided to the EOS/Aura mission by The Netherlands and Finland. NIVR (the Dutch space agency) is the overall program manager, in coordination with FMI (the Finnish Meteorological Institute). The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) is the Principal Investigator institute. Images and caption courtesy Simon Carn, Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology [ http://www.jcet.umbc.edu/ ] (JCET), University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC). |
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Eruption of Anatahan
| Title |
Eruption of Anatahan |
| Description |
Explosive volcanic eruptions inject gases and ash into the Earth?s atmosphere, creating hazardous conditions for passing aircraft and the potential for climate effects. By the end of April 2005, two largest explosive eruptions had occurred at Manam (Papua New Guinea) on January 27-28, 2005, and at Anatahan (Mariana Islands) on April 5-6, 2005. These eruptions were of similar magnitude and both occurred on small islands causing major damage and evacuations on Manam island (which is inhabited) and concern over ashfall on islands south of Anatahan (which is uninhabited), respectively. The above image of Anatahan shows sulfur dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere on April 7, 2005, over 30 hours after the eruption. Sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions from the eruption were measured by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on NASA?s EOS/Aura satellite. OMI detects the total column amount of SO2 between the sensor and the Earth?s surface and maps this quantity as it orbits the planet. A new perspective on the vertical distribution of the SO2 is revealed by combining the OMI data with coincident measurements made by the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS), also part of the Aura mission. The MLS data crisscross the OMI image and clearly show that some, but not all, of the SO2 measured by OMI east of the volcano was in the upper troposphere or above. At these altitudes, sulfur dioxide?and the sulfate aerosols that form from it?can stay in the atmosphere and affect the climate for a longer period of time. A weaker SO2 signal was also measured in the same region during the nighttime MLS overpass, which crosses the image from upper right to lower left. The daytime data, running from upper left to lower right, coincide with the OMI measurements. The MLS data west of Anatahan show no significant SO2 signal, indicating that the SO2 measured by OMI in this region was in the lower troposphere. MLS measures thermal emissions from the Earth?s limb, so unlike the OMI sensor it also collects data at night. It is designed to measure vertical profiles of atmospheric gases that are important for studying the Earth?s ozone layer, climate, and air quality, such as SO2. These images, derived from preliminary, unvalidated OMI and MLS data, show MLS SO2 columns (filled circles) measured every 165 km along the Aura orbit, plotted over the OMI SO2 map. The MLS SO2 columns shown here are derived from profile measurements made from the upper troposphere into the stratosphere (~215 ? 0 hPa or ~12 km altitude and above), and the circles do not represent the actual size of the MLS footprint, which is roughly 165 kilometers by 6 kilometers. The Manam image, from January 28, 2005, shows larger SO2 amounts measured by MLS and OMI, though these data were collected only approximately 14 hours after the eruption on January 27-28. For both eruptions, peak SO2 amounts were measured by MLS at or just above the likely tropopause altitude, at the lowermost boundary of the stratosphere. Sulfate particles (aerosols) that form from sulfur gases in the stratosphere have a cooling effect on the Earth?s surface. The principal source of sulfate particles is large explosive volcanic eruptions, and the remaining sulfates in the atmosphere are believed to come from carbonyl sulfide, a gas emitted from marshes, soils, forests, and some industrial processes. Recent studies suggest, however, that there must be some other source of sulfates in the stratosphere, carbonyl sulfide concentrations are too small to account for observed sulfates. Could smaller, but more frequent volcanic eruptions, such as those at Anatahan and Manam, be contributing to this "excess" background sulfate aerosol? OMI offers much improved spatial resolution and sensitivity to SO2 compared to its predecessor, the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS), and Aura's MLS is a major technological advance over the older MLS flown on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) since 1991. The Aura mission will therefore allow scientists to investigate the source of sulfate aerosols in far greater detail. The OMI instrument is a Dutch-Finnish Instrument, provided to the EOS/Aura mission by The Netherlands and Finland. NIVR (the Dutch space agency) is the overall program manager, in coordination with FMI (the Finnish Meteorological Institute). The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) is the Principal Investigator institute. Images and caption courtesy Simon Carn, Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology [ http://www.jcet.umbc.edu/ ] (JCET), University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC). |
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Eruption of Anatahan
| Title |
Eruption of Anatahan |
| Description |
Explosive volcanic eruptions inject gases and ash into the Earth?s atmosphere, creating hazardous conditions for passing aircraft and the potential for climate effects. By the end of April 2005, two largest explosive eruptions had occurred at Manam (Papua New Guinea) on January 27-28, 2005, and at Anatahan (Mariana Islands) on April 5-6, 2005. These eruptions were of similar magnitude and both occurred on small islands causing major damage and evacuations on Manam island (which is inhabited) and concern over ashfall on islands south of Anatahan (which is uninhabited), respectively. The above image of Anatahan shows sulfur dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere on April 7, 2005, over 30 hours after the eruption. Sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions from the eruption were measured by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on NASA?s EOS/Aura satellite. OMI detects the total column amount of SO2 between the sensor and the Earth?s surface and maps this quantity as it orbits the planet. A new perspective on the vertical distribution of the SO2 is revealed by combining the OMI data with coincident measurements made by the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS), also part of the Aura mission. The MLS data crisscross the OMI image and clearly show that some, but not all, of the SO2 measured by OMI east of the volcano was in the upper troposphere or above. At these altitudes, sulfur dioxide?and the sulfate aerosols that form from it?can stay in the atmosphere and affect the climate for a longer period of time. A weaker SO2 signal was also measured in the same region during the nighttime MLS overpass, which crosses the image from upper right to lower left. The daytime data, running from upper left to lower right, coincide with the OMI measurements. The MLS data west of Anatahan show no significant SO2 signal, indicating that the SO2 measured by OMI in this region was in the lower troposphere. MLS measures thermal emissions from the Earth?s limb, so unlike the OMI sensor it also collects data at night. It is designed to measure vertical profiles of atmospheric gases that are important for studying the Earth?s ozone layer, climate, and air quality, such as SO2. These images, derived from preliminary, unvalidated OMI and MLS data, show MLS SO2 columns (filled circles) measured every 165 km along the Aura orbit, plotted over the OMI SO2 map. The MLS SO2 columns shown here are derived from profile measurements made from the upper troposphere into the stratosphere (~215 ? 0 hPa or ~12 km altitude and above), and the circles do not represent the actual size of the MLS footprint, which is roughly 165 kilometers by 6 kilometers. The Manam image, from January 28, 2005, shows larger SO2 amounts measured by MLS and OMI, though these data were collected only approximately 14 hours after the eruption on January 27-28. For both eruptions, peak SO2 amounts were measured by MLS at or just above the likely tropopause altitude, at the lowermost boundary of the stratosphere. Sulfate particles (aerosols) that form from sulfur gases in the stratosphere have a cooling effect on the Earth?s surface. The principal source of sulfate particles is large explosive volcanic eruptions, and the remaining sulfates in the atmosphere are believed to come from carbonyl sulfide, a gas emitted from marshes, soils, forests, and some industrial processes. Recent studies suggest, however, that there must be some other source of sulfates in the stratosphere, carbonyl sulfide concentrations are too small to account for observed sulfates. Could smaller, but more frequent volcanic eruptions, such as those at Anatahan and Manam, be contributing to this "excess" background sulfate aerosol? OMI offers much improved spatial resolution and sensitivity to SO2 compared to its predecessor, the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS), and Aura's MLS is a major technological advance over the older MLS flown on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) since 1991. The Aura mission will therefore allow scientists to investigate the source of sulfate aerosols in far greater detail. The OMI instrument is a Dutch-Finnish Instrument, provided to the EOS/Aura mission by The Netherlands and Finland. NIVR (the Dutch space agency) is the overall program manager, in coordination with FMI (the Finnish Meteorological Institute). The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) is the Principal Investigator institute. Images and caption courtesy Simon Carn, Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology [ http://www.jcet.umbc.edu/ ] (JCET), University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC). |
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Eruption of Langila Volcano,
…
| Title |
Eruption of Langila Volcano, New Britain |
| Description |
Since June 2, 2005, Langila Volcano, in Papua New Guinea?s West New Britain province, has erupted continuously, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The volcano has discharged unusually heavy loads of ash. Initially, winds carried the ash clouds northward over the ocean. Changing winds, however, have begun returning the ash to the island. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]), flying on NASA?s Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image on June 13, 2005. A cloud of volcanic ash appears over the ocean, north of the Langila Volcano near the bottom right corner of the image. Approximately 10,000 people live in the volcano?s vicinity, in a remote area where radio communication is unreliable and access is only by boat or helicopter. Because lightning damaged instruments at the region?s volcano observatory, the Langila Volcano must be monitored visually. Meanwhile, fallen ash has damaged food crops and exacerbated the dry season. It has also caused widespread eye and respiratory irritation. On June 6, 2005, visitors from the West New Britain provincial disaster office determined that the volcano had affected more than 3,000 residents. This number is expected to rise to as many as 6,000. The provincial authorities are encouraging voluntary evacuation. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the MODIS Rapid Response team. |
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Eruption of Langila Volcano,
…
| Title |
Eruption of Langila Volcano, New Britain |
| Description |
Three volcanoes in Papua New Guinea?s West New Britain province spewed ash on June 21, 2005. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ], flying on NASA?s Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image of Langila, Ulawun, and Rabaul the same day. At the time MODIS captured this image, Langila showed the biggest plume of volcanic ash, followed by Ulawun. Both volcanoes are enlarged below the main image. In all cases, winds pushed the ash clouds to the northwest, over the ocean. Unlike ash from a wood fire, volcanic ash [ http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/fs027-00/ ] is neither soft nor fluffy. It consists of hard, abrasive particles of glass and rock that pose serious health hazards to humans and livestock. Langila, Ulawun, and Rabaul regularly supply the local neighborhood with ash and excitement. Langila is one of New Britain?s most active volcanoes, and it has produced mild or moderate eruptions since the 19th century. Recorded eruptions of Ulawun date back to the 18th century, with large eruptions generating lava and pyroclastic flows occurring since 1970. Before 1994, Rabaul?s caldera sheltered New Britain?s largest city, but the city had to be temporarily abandoned after powerful, simultaneous eruptions of nearby Vulcan and Tavurvur Volcanoes. NASA image courtesy Jesse Allen, based on data from the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC |
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Manam and Langila
| Title |
Manam and Langila |
| Description |
On August 9, 2006, two volcanoes in the region of Papua New Guinea emitted plumes at the same time. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite managed to catch both volcanoes in the act. The top image shows the larger region with each volcano emitting a modest plume. An enlarged picture of Manam Volcano appears at lower left, and an enlarged picture of Langila Volcano appears at lower right. In both cases, the volcanic plume is easily distinguished from the nearby clouds by its gray-beige color. Both plumes blow toward the northwest. Just north of mainland Papua New Guinea, Manam Volcano [ http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=0501-02= ] occupies an island just 10 kilometers wide. Its summit sports two craters, and historical eruptions have been observed there since the 17th century. It remains one of Papua New Guinea's most active volcanoes. On the western end of the island of New Britain, Langila Volcano [ http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=0502-01= ] is one of that island's most active volcanoes. The volcano actually consists of four overlapping cones. Recorded eruptions have occurred at Langila since the 19th century. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. |
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Manam, Papau New Guinea
| Title |
Manam, Papau New Guinea |
| Description |
An unusually clear day in Papua New Guinea provided the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite with this view of the Manam Volcano on May 9, 2006. The volcano is one of the country's most active volcanoes, and it has erupted frequently since 1616. Its current eruption began on October 24, 2004 [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=12556 ], when the volcano erupted explosively. Though MODIS has detected many ash plumes from the volcano since that time, none have been so large. Evidence that the volcano was still rumbling on May 9 comes from the tan plume of ash that streams southeast from the mountains's summit. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained courtesy of MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. |
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Manam, Papau New Guinea
| Title |
Manam, Papau New Guinea |
| Description |
Manam Volcano continued to emit a volcanic plume of ash and/or steam on May 25, 2006. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite took this picture the same day. In this image, a faint plume moves away from the volcano toward the northwest. The volcanic plume is thinner and darker that the bright, fluffy clouds near the volcano's summit. Brown-green sediment plumes from mainland Papua New Guinea continue to push into the ocean. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. |
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Manam, Papau New Guinea
| Title |
Manam, Papau New Guinea |
| Description |
The Manam Volcano emitted a plume of volcanic ash and/or steam on May 23, 2006. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] flying onboard NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite took this picture the same day. In this image, a volcanic plume flows westward away from the island and toward the mainland. Clouds hover over Manam's summit, a common occurrence over volcanoes. Also visible in this image are two brown-green sediment plumes flowing northward into the ocean from mainland Papua New Guinea. Lying just 13 kilometers (8 miles) off the coast of mainland Papua New Guinea, the island of Manam is only 10 kilometers (6 miles) wide. It is also one of Papua New Guinea's most active volcanoes. The volcano is built from layers of hardened lava, ash, and volcanic rocks. The volcano's summit sports two craters, the southern crater having been the more active in recent history. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. |
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Manam, Papau New Guinea
| Title |
Manam, Papau New Guinea |
| Description |
The island volcano of Manam released a volcanic plume of ash and/or steam on August 26, 2006. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite took this picture the same day. In this image, a dingy plume blows away from the volcano toward the northwest. Clouds often gather over peaks, and volcanoes are no exception, over Manam's summit are opaque white clouds. To the west of the volcano is a brownish-green sediment plume pushing northward into the Bismarck Sea from mainland Papua New Guinea. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. |
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Manam, Papau New Guinea
| Title |
Manam, Papau New Guinea |
| Description |
Two kinds of plumes are obvious in this image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite on September 3, 2006. A greenish-tan plume of sediment is running off into the Pacific Ocean from a river on the east coast of mainland Papua New Guinea and curving northwest. An ash and/or steam plume from Manam Volcano [ http://volcano.und.edu/vwdocs/volc_images/southeast_asia/manam.html ] casts a bright grayish pall over the center of the scene, though the plume is not as bright as the sprinkling of clouds. Manam has billowed out clouds of ash and steam several times throughout 2006. The volcano has been in an active state since 1974, and particularly strong eruptions in 2004 caused many of the island's residents to evacuate to the mainland. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the Goddard Earth Sciences DAAC. [ http://daac.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] |
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Plume at Mount Bagana, Bouga
…
| Title |
Plume at Mount Bagana, Bouganville Island |
| Description |
Bouganville Island is geographically part of the Solomon Islands chain to the east of Papua New Guinea. (Politically, the island is part of Papua New Guinea.) Bouganville is typical of many Pacific Rim islands in that volcanism has played a large part in both its geological and recorded history. The island hosts three large volcanoes along its northwest-southeast trending axis: Mount Balbi, Mount Bagana, and the Mount Takuan volcanic complex. Mount Bagana, located near image center in this astronaut photograph, is the only historically active volcano on the island. Within Bouganville's lush landscape, light green vegetation and brown lava flows mark the 1,750-meter-high lava cone of Mount Bagana. The lighter color of vegetation could result from volcanic activity, higher altitude, or both. The eruptive style of the volcano is typically non-explosive, producing thick lobes of lava that run down the flanks and maintain a dome in the summit crater. Occasional pyroclastic flows of rock fragments and volcanic ash have also occurred. The most recent phase of activity, which began on March 7, was characterized by vapor plumes with occasional ash-producing emissions. This astronaut photograph, acquired 20 days after the last reported activity at Bagana, shows a diffuse white vapor plume extending west-southwest from the summit. The Solomon Island region experiences other effects due to the geologic setting. On April 1, 2007, a large but shallow earthquake [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17603 ] shook the region and induced a tsunami that hit the western part of the Solomon Island chain. The featured astronaut photograph ISS014-E-18844 [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS014&roll=E&frame=18844 ] was acquired on April 2, 2007, with a Kodak digital camera using an 180 mm lens, and is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment and the Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, Johnson Space Center. The image in this article has been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast. The International Space Station Program [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/home/index.html ] supports the laboratory to help astronauts take pictures of Earth that will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public, and to make those images freely available on the Internet. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth. [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/ ] |
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Plume from Bagana, Bougainvi
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| Title |
Plume from Bagana, Bougainville Island |
| Description |
Bagana Volcano on Bougainville Island in Papua New Guinea sent a wispy plume southward on June 28, 2007. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] flying on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite took this picture the same day. In this image, Bagana's plume appears dingy gray, snaking its way over Bougainville and the Solomon Sea.Bagana [ http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=0505-02= ] is a symmetrical cone formed from hardened lava left by previous eruptions. At approximately 1,750 meters (5,740 feet) high, the volcano is one of the youngest and most active volcanoes in Melanesia. You can download a 250-meter-resolution KMZ file of Bagana [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Jul2007/bagana_tmo_2007179.kmz ] suitable for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/ ] NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. |
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Plume from Manam
| Title |
Plume from Manam |
| Description |
On April 28, 2007, Manam Volcano, just off the coast of mainland Papua New Guinea, released a plume of ash and/or steam. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite captured this image the same day. This image shows a small, faint plume from the volcano blowing toward the west. Forming an arc around the plume on the eastern side is a small bank of clouds. This image also captures two brownish-green sediment plumes flowing off Papua New Guinea east of Manam.Manam [ http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=0501-02= ] is a stratovolcano composed of alternating layers of solidified lava, hardened ash, and volcanic rocks. The 10-kilometer- (6-mile-) wide island ranks among Papua New Guinea's most active volcanoes. You can download a 250-meter-resolution Manam KMZ file [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/May2007/manam_tmo_2007118.kmz ] for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html ] NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. |
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Fires in New Guinea
| Title |
Fires in New Guinea |
| Description |
On October 22, 2003, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite captured this image of the island of New Guinea. This image is focused on the western part of the island, which is the Irian Jaya region of Indonesia. (The eastern part of the island is the country of Papua New Guinea.) Numerous fires burned across the southern part of the island, they were detected by MODIS and are marked with red dots in this image. Image courtesy Jesse Allen, based on data from the MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC |
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Fires in New Guinea
| Title |
Fires in New Guinea |
| Description |
Fires continued to burn across the southern part of the island of New Guinea on October 27, 2003. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite captured this image of dozens of active fires burning across both Irian Jaya (left) and Papua New Guinea (right), fires have been marked with red dots. The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at MODIS? maximum spatial resolution of 250 meters. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC |
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Torrential Rains in Indonesi
…
| Title |
Torrential Rains in Indonesia |
| Description |
Heavy rains dumped a foot or more of water over several Indonesian island regions during March 29-April 1. The image graphically portrays heavy rain accumulations particularly over and offshore of Papua New Guinea and over the easternmost islands of Flores and Timor in Jakarta. The accumulation map was created using a technique that combines rainfall information from a number of NASA and DoD satellites. NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) satellite plays a key role in mapping the rain. The heavy rains occurred sporadically in the form of intense clusters of thunderstorms, embedded within the larger Winter Asian Monsoon circulation, and modulated by the passage of an atmospheric wave called the tropical intraseasonal oscillation. The very localized but extreme rain amounts over the island of Flores resulted in violent landslides that killed 23 people. *animations* ÿÿsmall [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Apr2003/new_guinea_small.qt ] (656 KB) ÿÿlarge [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Apr2003/new_guinea.qt ] (3.3 MB) This image was created by Hal Pierce of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. More information on TRMM can be found at trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov |
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Fires on Cape York Peninsula
…
| Title |
Fires on Cape York Peninsula and New Guinea |
| Description |
Across the lowlands of southern New Guinea, numerous fires (marked in red) were burning on October 11, 2004, when this image was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Aqua satellite. The island is occupied by two different nations: the western (left) half by the Indonesian territory of Irian Jaya and the eastern (right) half by Papua New Guinea. The image is roughly centered on the boundary between the two, and fires are burning across both countries. Both countries are struggling to control illegal logging. The Website of the Food and Agriculture Organization [ http://www.fao.org/forestry/foris/webview/forestry2/index.jsp?siteId=5081&sitetreeId=18927&langId=1&geoId=0 ] of the United Nations reports that some estimates suggest that 40 to 60 percent of the industrial roundwood in Indonesia is not legally harvested. In Papua New Guinea, logging continues, despite an official ban on logging exports, according to information from the U.S. State Department. [ http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2797.htm ] Whether these particular fires are related to illegal logging is unknown, but often fire is used by timber operators and tree plantation owners to degrade undisturbed rainforest in the hopes of gaining concessions to the land. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the MODIS Rapid Response team. |
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Fires on New Guinea
| Title |
Fires on New Guinea |
| Description |
Numerous fires were burning on the southern portion of the island of Papua New Guinea on October 31, 2002. This image was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC |
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Fires on New Guinea
| Title |
Fires on New Guinea |
| Description |
Numerous fires were burning on the southern portion of the island of Papua New Guinea on October 31, 2002. This image was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC |
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Tropical Cyclone Kujira
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Kujira |
| Description |
*animations* ÿÿsmall (379 KB) ÿÿlarge [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Apr2003/blend.14th.qt ] (1.7 MB) These images were created by Hal Pierce of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. More information on TRMM can be found at trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov, This remarkable mosaic was obtained from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) and shows the evolution of Super Typhoon Kujira's eye in the Western Pacific during April 14-16, 2003. The storm, located over open water well to the north of Papua New Guinea, was steadily intensifying during the period of TRMM observations, and achieved maximum sustained winds of 130 knots. The dates and times of these images are as follows: Upper left (April 14, 11:00 UTC), upper right (April 14, 21 UTC), bottom left (April 15, 20 UTC), and bottom right (April 16, 11 UTC). Earth's natural microwave energy upwelling from the lower layers of the atmosphere passes through clouds unimpeded, but is partially blocked by large precipitating ice particles (such as snowflakes) high in deep clouds. The TMI measures the amount of energy scattered by the ice particles. The more ice there is, the more energy is scattered, meaning smaller amounts of energy are received by TRMM. Low values of returned energy (200 degrees Kelvin, shown by the color scale) represent the most intense clouds (colored red on the image). The dark blue color in the center of the eye signifies very warm temperatures and (essentially) the absence of any ice-producing clouds. In addition to adding artificial color, the energy values have been rendered in terms of three dimensions, with the coldest, tallest clouds rising above all others. Thus, the eyewall appears as a tall ring of deep, intense convective clouds at the center of the storm. By following the sequence of images, we can watch the structure of the eyewall change with time. Initially on April 14th, Kujira's eye is quite symmetric and very circular. It's "healthy" appearance signifies continued intensification. But only a few hours later on the 14th (top right panel), the storm's circulation evolves into several heavy rainbands. More interestingly, the eyewall appears to assume a double structure, with a partial eyewall ring embedded within the larger outer eyewall. Very powerful tropical cyclones such as super typhoons frequently undergo one or more of these "eyewall replacement cycles," where a new eyewall develops and replaces an existing one. When this happens, the intensity of the tropical cyclone can dramatically fluctuate. The lower left panel (15 April) shows the super typhoon during its mature stage, and a single eyewall is again present. The extent of the circulation has also greatly expanded, with broad rainbands wrapping in from the south. However, on the 16th (lower right panel), the storm's circulation is finally beginning to weaken, marked by the disappearance of rainbands in the southeast quadrant and an asymmetric eyewall. Loss of a contiguous eyewall usually heralds a decrease in storm intensity. Like a CAT Scan, TRMM peers through the clouds and shows us the evolution of a powerful typhoon in Pacific, with the associated structural changes that signify intensification, peak intensity and weakening phases over a multi-day period. |
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Tropical Cyclone Kujira
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Kujira |
| Description |
*animations* ÿÿsmall (379 KB) ÿÿlarge [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Apr2003/blend.14th.qt ] (1.7 MB) These images were created by Hal Pierce of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. More information on TRMM can be found at trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov, This remarkable mosaic was obtained from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) and shows the evolution of Super Typhoon Kujira's eye in the Western Pacific during April 14-16, 2003. The storm, located over open water well to the north of Papua New Guinea, was steadily intensifying during the period of TRMM observations, and achieved maximum sustained winds of 130 knots. The dates and times of these images are as follows: Upper left (April 14, 11:00 UTC), upper right (April 14, 21 UTC), bottom left (April 15, 20 UTC), and bottom right (April 16, 11 UTC). Earth's natural microwave energy upwelling from the lower layers of the atmosphere passes through clouds unimpeded, but is partially blocked by large precipitating ice particles (such as snowflakes) high in deep clouds. The TMI measures the amount of energy scattered by the ice particles. The more ice there is, the more energy is scattered, meaning smaller amounts of energy are received by TRMM. Low values of returned energy (200 degrees Kelvin, shown by the color scale) represent the most intense clouds (colored red on the image). The dark blue color in the center of the eye signifies very warm temperatures and (essentially) the absence of any ice-producing clouds. In addition to adding artificial color, the energy values have been rendered in terms of three dimensions, with the coldest, tallest clouds rising above all others. Thus, the eyewall appears as a tall ring of deep, intense convective clouds at the center of the storm. By following the sequence of images, we can watch the structure of the eyewall change with time. Initially on April 14th, Kujira's eye is quite symmetric and very circular. It's "healthy" appearance signifies continued intensification. But only a few hours later on the 14th (top right panel), the storm's circulation evolves into several heavy rainbands. More interestingly, the eyewall appears to assume a double structure, with a partial eyewall ring embedded within the larger outer eyewall. Very powerful tropical cyclones such as super typhoons frequently undergo one or more of these "eyewall replacement cycles," where a new eyewall develops and replaces an existing one. When this happens, the intensity of the tropical cyclone can dramatically fluctuate. The lower left panel (15 April) shows the super typhoon during its mature stage, and a single eyewall is again present. The extent of the circulation has also greatly expanded, with broad rainbands wrapping in from the south. However, on the 16th (lower right panel), the storm's circulation is finally beginning to weaken, marked by the disappearance of rainbands in the southeast quadrant and an asymmetric eyewall. Loss of a contiguous eyewall usually heralds a decrease in storm intensity. Like a CAT Scan, TRMM peers through the clouds and shows us the evolution of a powerful typhoon in Pacific, with the associated structural changes that signify intensification, peak intensity and weakening phases over a multi-day period. |
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Tropical Cyclone Monica
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Monica |
| Description |
Cyclone Monica became the strongest storm of the 2006 Australian cyclone season with wind gusts reaching 350 kilometers per hour (215 miles per hour) as reported by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology's Cyclone Warning Centre. The Category 5 cyclone hit along the sparsely populated coastline of the Northern Territory, sparing the city of Darwin. Monica originated in the Coral Sea below the southeastern tip of Papua New Guinea, becoming a minimal tropical storm on April 17, 2006. The storm tracked due west towards the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, where it came ashore just south of Lockart River on the afternoon of April 19 as a Category 3 cyclone. Monica weakened as it crossed the peninsula, but when it reached the warm waters of the Gulf of Carpentaria on the other side, it re-organized and re-intensified. The image above shows Cyclone Monica during this re-intensification. The visualization combines data from several different instruments from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite, which observed the storm at 16:08 UTC on April 22, 2006 (1:38 a.m., April 23, Australian CST). With an active radar and a passive microwave sensor, TRMM can peer into the core of these storms and relay important details on storm structure and location to forecasters. In this case, TRMM showed a pattern of very heavy rain (red) forming an intense symmetric eyewall around a small, complete eye with tightly curved rainbands spiraling into the center—the signature of a mature, intense tropical cyclone. Rain rates in the center swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar, and rain rates in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager. The rain rates are overlaid on infrared data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner. At the time of this TRMM overpass, Monica's sustained winds were estimated to be 230 kilometers/hour (144 mph) or equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Soon after these images were taken, Monica reached Category 5 status with sustained winds estimated at 285 km/hr (178 mph). The cyclone tracked westward, skirting the northern coastline of Australia before coming ashore west of Maningrida in the Northern Territory just after 8 p.m. local time. The storm quickly lost strength as it moved inland and passed by the main population center of Darwin. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency, JAXA. TRMM made several passes over Monica, during both the early and the mature stages of the storm. Since its launch in 1997, TRMM has provided valuable information on tropical storms. With an active radar and a passive microwave sensor, TRMM can peer into the core of these storms and relay details on storm structure and location to forecasters. Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC). |
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Ulawun Erupts
| Title |
Ulawun Erupts |
| Description |
A wispy plume of steam rises from the Ulawun Volcano on the Papua New Guinean island of New Britain in this photo-like Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) image. The image was taken by NASA?s Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on June 6, 2005, as the volcano was exhaling ash and steam. Ulawun is one of Papua New Guinea?s most active volcanoes. It rises to a height of 2,334 meters on the northwest shore of New Britain, making it the highest volcano in the Bismarck Islands. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the GSFC Earth Sciences DAAC. |
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Volcanic Activity on Manam
| Title |
Volcanic Activity on Manam |
| Description |
The volcanic island of Manam, located off the coast of mainland Papua New Guinea, released a plume beginning on June 17, 2007. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite captured this image on June 18. In this image, the plume blows eastward from the tiny island toward the mainland. The plume's pale color suggests that it is comprised predominantly of water vapor. At the summit is a particularly bright white puff, which could be part of the plume or a cloud. (Clouds often collect at volcanic summits.)Manam [ http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=0501-02= ] is a stratovolcano composed of alternating layers of hardened lava, solidified ash, and rocks ejected by previous eruptions. The 1,807-meter (5,928-foot) island is one of Papua New Guinea's most active volcanoes. You can download a 250-meter-resolution KMZ file of Manam [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Jun2007/manam_amo_2007169.kmz ] for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html ] NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. |
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Coral Reef Management, Papua
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nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
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While many fish stocks aroun
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manus_l7_2000051
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2000-02-20 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided by Timon McPhearson, American Museum of Natural History, sciencebulletins.amnh.org/ Science Bulletins. |
| identifier |
manus_l7_2000051 |
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Manam, Papau New Guinea: Nat
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nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Manam Volcano continued to e
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manam_amo_2006145
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2006-05-25 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
manam_amo_2006145 |
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Louisiade Archipelago: Image
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nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
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Off the southeast tip of Pap
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louisiade_tmo_2002254
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2002-09-11 |
| creator |
NASA -- Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, |
| identifier |
louisiade_tmo_2002254 |
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Earthquake Raises Reefs in t
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nasa, nasanaturalhazards
When people talk about chang
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eranongga_ast_2006090_lrg
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-04-12 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
eranongga_ast_2006090_lrg |
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Earthquake Raises Reefs in t
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
When people talk about chang
…
eranongga_ast_2006090_lrg
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-04-12 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
eranongga_ast_2006090_lrg |
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Earthquake Raises Reefs in t
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
When people talk about chang
…
eranongga_ast_2006090_lrg
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-04-12 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
eranongga_ast_2006090_lrg |
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Forest Change, Mainland Papu
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nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
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In June 2008, an internation
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ge_08810
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
? 8/21/1990 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
ge_08810 |
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Forest Change, Mainland Papu
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nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
In June 2008, an internation
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ge_08810
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
? 8/21/1990 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
ge_08810 |
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Forest Change, Mainland Papu
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nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
In June 2008, an internation
…
ge_08810
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
? 8/21/1990 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
ge_08810 |
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Forest Change, Mainland Papu
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nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
In June 2008, an internation
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ge_08810
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
? 8/21/1990 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
ge_08810 |
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Flooding Starts to Break Que
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nasa, nasanaturalhazards
The east coast of Australia
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brisbane_trmm_2008008
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2008-01-08 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
brisbane_trmm_2008008 |
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Volcanic Activity on Manam:
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nasa, nasanaturalhazards
The volcanic island of Manam
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manam_amo_2007169
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-06-18 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
manam_amo_2007169 |
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Plume from Bagana, Bougainvi
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nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Bagana Volcano on Bougainvil
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bagana_tmo_2007179
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-06-28 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
bagana_tmo_2007179 |
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Forest Change on New Ireland
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nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
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Located north of Australia,
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ge_08842
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2008 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
ge_08842 |
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Forest Change on New Ireland
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nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
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Located north of Australia,
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ge_08842
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2008 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
ge_08842 |
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