Cool Geo-Video: Mapping Dust from the Sahara to the Amazon

Cool Geo-Pics from NASA's Earth Observatory.



Quick "Cut & Paste":
"....Hundreds of millions of tons of sand and dust particles are lifted from North African deserts each year and carried across the Atlantic Ocean. So much dust is kicked up that the microscopic particles amass into sweeping tan plumes that are visible to satellites......"

"....The data show that wind and weather pick up on average 182 million tons of dust each year and carry it past the western edge of the Sahara. The dust then travels 1,600 miles across the Atlantic Ocean, though some drops to the surface or is flushed from the sky by rain. Near the eastern coast of South America, 132 million tons remain in the air and 27.7 million tons fall to the surface over the Amazon basin....."

References:

1. Barcelona Dust Forecast Center (2105, March 2) Dusty February in the Middle East. Accessed March 2, 2015.
2. NASA (2015, February 24) NASA Satellite Reveals How Much Saharan Dust Feeds Amazon’s Plants. Accessed March 2, 2015.
3. NASA Earth Observatory (2013, August 29) Tracking Dust Across the Atlantic.
4. NASA Earth Observatory (2014, July 5) Saharan Dust on the Move.

NASA Earth Observatory images by Jesse Allen, using Aqua and Terra MODIS data from the Land Atmosphere Near real-time Capability for EOS (LANCE), and the University of Wisconsin’s Space Science and Engineering Center for Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership data from the VIIRS instrument. Suomi NPP is the result of a partnership between NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Department of Defense. Caption by Michael Carlowicz and Ellen Gray, with image interpretation from Lorraine Remer, Santiago Gassó, and Ralph Kahn.

Instrument(s): 

Terra - MODIS

Aqua - MODIS

Suomi NPP - VIIRS

Cool Geo-Pic - Fires in Los Angeles County

This Cool Geo-Pic comes again from NASA's Earth Observatory. I particularly liked how the image reveals the difficult canyon terrain that challenged fire fighting efforts.

Quick "Cut & Paste" Highlights:

" ... Two weeks after an arsonist ignited the drought-dry forest north of Los Angeles, the Station fire had become the ninth largest fire in California since 1933...."

" .... On the morning of September 8, 2009, the fire had burned more than 250 square miles (about 650 square kilometers) of land, according to the Station Fire Incident Report from September 8.... "

" ....This image, captured by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on NASA’s Terra satellite on September 6, shows the extent of the burned area. ...."

" .... The burned area covers much of the San Gabriel Mountains, edging down into residential areas northwest of Pasadena .... The image also illustrates why fighting the Station fire has been so difficult. The fire burned over steep mountains riddled with canyons. The rugged landscape looks wrinkled, particularly in the burned area where plants no longer soften the ridgelines and canyons .... "

Full Article - Click Here

References / Credits:

Bloomekatz, A.B. (2009, September 6). Station fire, among state’s top 10, moves toward Littlerock, Juniper Hills. Los Angeles Times. Accessed September 8, 2009.

InciWeb. (2009, September 8). Station Fire. Accessed September 8, 2009.

Mount Wilson Observatory. Accessed September 8, 2009.

More images of this event in Natural Hazards

NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. Caption by Holli Riebeek.

Instrument:
Terra - ASTER