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

"Un-Cool" Geo-Pic: Gulf Oil Slick Approaching Loop Current

This "Un-Cool" Geo-Pic comes again from NASA's Earth Observatory.

Given the news hype, this image from NASA helped quantity the oil slick flow.

Quick "Cut & Paste" Highlights:
" ...This pair of sea surface temperature images shows how the warm waters of the Loop Current connect the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean (top image, May 1–8, 2010) and the dynamic northern margin of the Loop Current a week and a half later, on May 18 (bottom image). ...."

" ....Oil was very close to the Loop Current, whose warm waters appear in yellow near the bottom of the image. However, there is also an eddy of cooler water (purple) circulating counterclockwise at the top of the Loop Current. According to NOAA, “Some amount of any oil drawn into the Loop Current would likely remain in the eddy, heading to the northeast, and some would enter the main Loop Current, where it might eventually head to the Florida Strait.” 


" .... Updated, May 20: In a web posting, NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration confirmed that "a small portion of the oil slick has reached the Loop Current in the form of light to very light sheens.....”
Full Article - Click Here

 References / Credits:

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (2010, May 18). Deepwater Horizon Incident, NOAA Situation Update 18 May 10. Accessed May 19, 2010.


Related Resources:
Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Response, the official site of the Deepwater Horizon unified command.


Current information about the extent of the oil slick is available from the Office of Response and Restoration at the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration.


Information about the impact of the oil slick on wildlife is provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.


More images of this event in Natural Hazards


NASA Earth Observatory image created by Jesse Allen, using data obtained from the Goddard Level 1 and Atmospheric Archive and Distribution System (LAADS) and Ocean Color Web. Caption by Rebecca Lindsey.


Instrument: Aqua - MODIS

Cool Geo-Pic: Currents Collide and Coastal Waters Bloom off Patagonia

This Cool Geo-Pic comes again from NASA's Earth Observatory. I love the nutrient patterns based on the blooms from change ocean currents.  The pathways from my fridge to the couch are much less interesting ....

Quick "Cut & Paste" Highlights:
" ...Located over the continental shelf of southeastern South America is one of the world’s most productive and complex marine ecosystems. Covering about 1.2 million square kilometers (4.6 million square miles) of coastal waters, the Patagonia Large Marine Ecosystem stretches from the Rio de le Plata (a wide estuary at the mouth of the Paraná River) to the southern tip of the continent...."



"... In November 2009, as summer approached in the Southern Hemisphere, the foundation of the ecosystem’s food web—plant-like microorganisms called phytoplankton—bloomed expansively, brightening the waters with living ribbons of color...."
"....The sea surface temperature image (right) reveals one of the reasons for the region’s productivity: the convergence of two wind-driven ocean currents. The warm, salty Brazil Current meanders south over the continental shelf, where it meets the cold, less-salty Falklands/Malvinas Current, a north-flowing branch off the Antarctic Circumpolar Current...."

"....In the spring and summer, the convergence zone occurs at about the latitude of the Rio de la Plata, which is where it seems to be based on the water temperatures shown in the sea surface temperature image. Blues and purples (cooler water) dominate the image south of the estuary, while pinks and yellows (warmer water) dominate the image north of there...."


Full Article - Click Here



References / Credits:
These images are made from data collected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite in November 2009. Aqua has been collecting data on the ecological and physical state of the ocean since its launch in 2002. Monthly maps of chlorophyll and sea surface temperature from Aqua are available in Global Maps on the Earth Observatory.


NASA Earth Observatory images created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the Ocean Color Group team at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Caption by Rebecca Lindsey.
Instrument: 
Aqua - MODIS

Cool Geo-Pic: Winter Temperatures and the Arctic Oscillation

This Cool Geo-Pic comes again from NASA's Earth Observatory.  What I find fascinating is that the changes in climate patterns vary by geography, terrain and element (land/water).

Quick "Cut & Paste" Highlights:
" ... Much of the Northern Hemisphere experienced cold land surface temperatures, but the Arctic was exceptionally warm. This weather pattern is a tale-tell sign of the Arctic Oscillation.



The Arctic Oscillation is a climate pattern that influences winter weather in the Northern Hemisphere. It is defined by the pressure difference between air at mid-latitudes (around 45 degrees North, about the latitude of Montreal, Canada or Bordeaux, France) and air over the Arctic. A low-pressure air mass usually dominates the Arctic, and while higher pressure air sits over the mid-latitudes.

This pressure difference generates winds that confine extremely cold air to the Arctic. Sometimes, the pressure systems weaken, decreasing the pressure difference between the Arctic and midlatitudes and allowing chilly Arctic air to slide south while warmer air creeps north..... When the pressure systems are strong, the Arctic Oscillation is positive.... Cold Arctic air chilled the land surface at midlatitudes, while Arctic land, such as Greenland and Alaska, was much warmer than usual...."


Full Article - Click Here





References / Credits:
Climate Prediction Center. (2010, January 8). Arctic Oscillation. National Weather Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Accessed January 8, 2010.


National Snow and Ice Data Center. The Arctic Oscillation. Accessed January 8, 2010.


Wallace, J.M. (2000, July 17). On the Arctic and Antarctic Oscillations. University of Washington. Accessed January 8, 2010.


National Snow and Ice Data Center. (2010, January 5). Extreme negative phase of the Arctic Oscillation yields a warm Arctic. Accessed January 8, 2010.


NASA Earth Observatory image by Kevin Ward, based on data provided by the NASA Earth Observations (NEO) Project. Caption by Holli Riebeek.


Instrument: Terra - MODIS

Cool Geo-Pic: Hurricane Jimena by Visual & Radar

This Cool Geo-Pic comes again from NASA's Earth Observatory.

What I like most about the image is the "satellite to radar" comparison. I can happily report "all has been quiet" on the hurricane front for us Floridians.

Quick "Cut & Paste" Highlights:

" ... The center of Hurricane Jimena was coming ashore over Baja California on September 2, 2009, when these images were taken. The top image is from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite. The lower image was made from data collected by a radar instrument flying on the Cloudsat satellite. Together, the images show the structure of the Category 1 hurricane shortly after it make landfall. The storm brought both damaging wind and drought-breaking rain to the peninsula...."


Full Article - Click Here

download large image (32 KB, PNG) acquired September 2, 2009

References / Credits:

National Hurricane Center. (2009, September 4). Hurricane Jimena Advisory Archive. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Weather Service. Accessed September 4, 2009.

Stevenson, M. (2009, September 3). Jimena weakening after plowing into Mexico. Associated Press. Accessed September 4, 2009.

More images of this event in Natural Hazards

NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using CloudSat FirstLook data provided courtesy of the CloudSat team at Colorado State University.

Instrument:
CloudSat - CPR

Cool Geo-Pic: Snow and Fog in Pacific Northwest

This Cool Geo-Pic comes again from NASA's Earth Observatory. Great example of what you see (in this case white in the top image) isn't always what you expect (false color results).

Snow and Fog in Pacific Northwest - Posted January 28, 2009

download large image (6 MB, JPEG) acquired January 18, 2009
download large image (8 MB, JPEG)

Quick "Cut & Paste" Highlights:

" ...The top image is a natural-color view that covers parts of British Columbia, Alberta, Washington, Idaho, and Montana. This photo-like view is made from MODIS’ observations of visible light. In this image, the landscape appears in shades of dark green, brown, and white. From an initial glance, you might decide that snow not only draped the mountain peaks and blanketed the prairie of Alberta, but also lined the deep valleys of the Rocky Mountains and the Columbia Plateau in central Washington.

The false-color version of the scene (bottom image) reveals that not all the white is snow, however. This picture is made from a combination of red light and shortwave infrared light, which our eyes cannot see. Snow and ice are red, while clouds and fog are white or pale peach. Liquid water on the ground is dark red, nearly black, and vegetation is green....."

Full Article - Click Here

References / Credits:

What do the different band combinations mean? from the MODIS Rapid Response Project FAQs.
NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Caption by Michon Scott and Rebecca Lindsey.
Instrument:
Terra - MODIS