“Saturn’s giant moon Titan hides behind a thick, smoggy atmosphere that’s well known to scientists as one of the most complex chemical environments in the solar system. It’s a productive “factory” cranking out hydrocarbons that rain down on Titan’s icy surface and cloak it in soot.” Quoted from the NASA press release.
The map above shows global temperature anomalies for March 2012. [...] For the month, the eastern two-thirds of the United States, as well as the Canadian provinces of Ontario, Quebec, and Manitoba, saw temperatures [...] approaching as much as 10 degrees Celisius above normal (deepest reds on the map). Temperatures were similarly extreme in the Arctic Ocean around Svalbard, the Barents Sea, and the Kara Sea. Far eastern Siberia, Alaska, and northwestern North America were significantly colder, while much of Europe and western Russia were warmer than normal.
“Aurora are colorful lights in the night time sky primarily appearing in Earth’s polar regions. But what causes them? The culprit behind aurora is our own Sun and the solar plasma that is ejected during a magnetic event like a flare or a coronal mass ejection.” Quoted from the NASA video release.
“With support from the National Science Foundation, computer scientist Amy McGovern at the University of Oklahoma is working to find answers to key questions about tornado formation. Why do tornadoes occur in some storms, but not in others?” Quoted from the National Science Foundation press release.
“This year we see a quite early start of the tornado season with a high frequency of the events coming close to the record year 2008 for this time of the year.” Quoted from Peter Hoeppe, Munich Re.
“This image shows rainfall totals between Papua New Guinea and Fiji from March 26 to April 2, 2012. By April 2, 2012, heavy rains [in Fiji] had claimed at least three lives, [...] washed out roads, severed drinking water supplies, downed power lines, and hampered communications.” Quoted from the Earth Observatory press release.
“Surface wind data comes from the National Digital Forecast Database. These are near-term forecasts, revised once per hour. So what you’re seeing is a living portrait.” Quoted from the Wind Map Project.
“Heavy rains soaked northeastern Australia in February and March 2012, with some areas receiving more than 1,500 millimeters (59 inches) of precipitation. This image shows rainfall, as observed by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission, over parts of Queensland, Northern Territory, and the Gulf of Carpentaria. The date range is from February 22 to March 23, 2012.” Quoted from the Earth Observatory image release.
“On Tuesday, March 6, 2012, a large solar flare erupted from the Sun. Data from NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center suggest that the coronal mass ejection – the blast of plasma from the Sun’s surface -could reach Earth by early Thursday morning (March 8, 2012). This animation shows the output from the WSA-Enlil space weather model for solar winds, developed in partnership with NASA and academia and run operationally by NOAA. The white through yellow and orange plumes indicate the density of the coronal mass ejection plasma as it heads towards Earth (orange is the highest density).” Quoted from the NOAA video release.
“The U.S. Geological Survey deployed a temporary monitoring network of water-level sensors at 212 locations along the Atlantic coast from South Carolina to Maine during August 2011 to record the timing, areal extent, and magnitude of inland hurricane storm tide and coastal flooding generated by Hurricane Irene. ” Quoted from the USGS publication release.
“Englishman Richard Carrington is credited with the key observation in 1859 that connected solar flares with communications disruptions as well as the aurora borealis.” Quoted from the NOAA website.
“This video begins as the International Space Station is passing over the dark waters of the North Pacific Ocean northeast towards Vancouver Island. The Aurora Borealis can be seen far north, where both the under side and top of the aurora are visible. The pass continues over Canada until the sun begins to come up in the east while over Quebec.” Quoted from the NASA video release.
“From February 17 to 19, a severe storm blasted the Lebanese coast with 100-kilometer (60-mile) winds and dropped as much as 2 meters (7 feet) of snow on parts of the country! Temperatures dropped to near freezing along the coast, while snowplows struggled to clear the main roadway between Beirut and Damascus.” Quoted from the Earth Observatory website.
Sometimes the amount of snow on the ground in a drainage basin is a measure of flood threat. At other times it is a measure of water supply opportunity. Researchers are working to find rapid and accurate ways to estimate the amount of water tied up in drainage basin snow cover.
Following one of the longest and weakest periods of activity in many cycles, the Sun is brimming with activity again. In late January 2012, our nearest star offered a preview of what may be to come in the solar maximum of 2012–13.
“According to NOAA scientists, 2011 was a record-breaking year for climate extremes, as much of the United States faced historic levels of heat, precipitation, flooding and severe weather, while La Niña events at both ends of the year impacted weather patterns at home and around the world.” Quoted from the NOAA press release.
High latitude areas around the Earth are seeing spectacular aurora displays in response to an intense solar storm that occurred last week. These displays are expected to be very frequent over the next two years as the sun goes through a period of frequent activity.
Derrick Pitts, Chief Astronomer at the Franklin Institute explains the recent “medium class” solar storm and how it might compare storms that will occur in 2013 when a solar maximum occurs.
“ESA satellites show that a large dome of fresh water has been building up in the ArcticOcean over the last 15 years. A change in wind direction could cause the water to spill into the north Atlantic, cooling Europe.” Quote from the ESA website.
“This winter, understanding the differences behind National Weather Service’s advisories, watches and warnings could save your life or someone you love by knowing the appropriate action to take.” Quoted from the NOAA article.
“Torrential rain inundated southeastern Brazil in early January 2012, causing severe damage in multiple states. The floods forced thousands from their homes, damaged roads and homes, and broke through a levee in northern Rio de Janeiro State.” Quoted from the Earth Observatory image release.
New groundwater and soil moisture drought indicator maps produced using data from NASA’s Grace satellite show unusually low groundwater storage levels in Texas.
The National Weather Service expects strong Santa Ana winds to produce gusts of 80 miles per hour or higher in southern California on Thursday and Friday.
A powerful storm moving across the Bering Sea has brought 80 mph winds to the western Alaska coastline and is expected to cause storm surges of over ten feet.
An article in the Proceedings of the Royal Society speculates that Vikings might have used Iceland spar (clear calcite) to detect the position of the sun while sailing in thick fog.
A new satellite to monitor the atmosphere for conditions that could lead to severe weather has been launched. NOAA’s NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP) satellite will begin transmitting data in about 90 days with the goal of replacing data from the NOAA-19 satellite.
“The critical low levels of freshwater in Tuvalu and Tokelau are just further wake-up calls about the vulnerability of SIDS [small island developing States] to the threats posed by increasing demands on natural resources…” Quoted from the United Nations press release.
“In a matter of five days, the Philippines and southeastern Asia were hammered by two intense tropical storms in late September and early October 2011. Several months worth of rain fell within a week—a deluge even by tropical standards—on Luzon in the northern Philippines, as well as in northern Vietnam and the Chinese island of Hainan.” Quoted from the NASA image release.
“A NASA-led study has documented an unprecedented depletion of Earth’s protective ozone layer above the Arctic last winter and spring caused by an unusually prolonged period of extremely low temperatures in the stratosphere.” Quoted from the NASA press release.
“When cold air flows over warm water, some surface water evaporates into the cold air and saturates it, raising its relative humidity to 100 percent. The phenomenon is alternately known as evaporation fog, steam fog, even sea smoke, explains Michael Pidwirny of the University of British Columbia.
On September 22, 2011, fog formed over Lake Baikal in southeastern Siberia. [...] The fog almost perfectly mimics the lake’s area, only thinning at the southwestern end, and leaving a few parts of the water surface fog-free.” Quoted from the NASA image release.
“The Sun unleashed a large X class (strongest category) flare late on September 7 and into early September 8, 2011. [...] The video clip presents the flash of the flare and a mass of ejecta that rose above the Sun, some of which fell back to the surface.” Quoted from the NASA video release.
“Scientists at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science have found an intriguing relationship between hurricane tracks and climate variability.” Quoted from the University of Miami press release.
The UARS (Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite) is expected to fall from orbit in late September or early October with parts of the seven-ton spacecraft expected to survive the fall through Earth’s atmosphere.
Tropical Storm Lee has been dumping heavy rain on the Gulf Coast and while many areas are experiencing heavy floods, New Orleans, so far (Sunday evening), has not had severe problems. Some of the most up-to-date information is on the NOLA.com website (the site is very busy because so many people are using it and can be unresponsive).
Hurricane Katia has formed in the Atlantic Ocean and is expected to pass north of Puerto Rico early next week.
“KATIA IS A CATEGORY ONE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON HURRICANE WIND SCALE. SOME STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS…AND KATIA COULD BECOME A MAJOR HURRICANE THIS WEEKEND.” Quote from the National Hurricane Center.
“As Hurricane Irene rumbles through the Atlantic Ocean, it needs fuel to sustain itself. Warm water is the main fuel, and there is plenty of it right now, as there usually is this time of year.” Quoted from the Earth Observatory image release.
A “cone of uncertainty” on a hurricane map shows the forecast track of the storm. It shows where forecasters think that the storm is going to go. The cone grows in width along the path of the storm because it is more difficult to predict a storms path with increasing time into the future.
The white area on the map at right is the cone of uncertainty for Hurricane Irene from the morning of Thursday, August 25, 2011.
This NASA video gives an excellent introduction to solar flares and their potential impact on earth. Powerful flares can create long lasting radiation storms, damage satellites, disable communications systems, and confuse power grids.
“The lightning threat in the U.S. is very real and impacts people in every state. Safety experts discuss the seriousness of lightning threat and stress the importance of following safety advice.” Quoted from the U.S. National Weather Service video release.
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