View allAll Photos Tagged AIRS
Lufthansa Airbus A321-131 D-AIRS Husum is towed towards the Lufthansa maintenance facility in the western part of the airport by a Goldhofer AST-2 towbarless aircraft tractor.
MSN 595 has had its first flight on 01.04.96 with the test registration D-AVZX and was delivered to Lufthansa on 28.04.96.
The jet is powered by 2x IAE V2530-A5 turbofans and has a variable cabin layout with 190 Business and Economy Class seats.
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The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured this infrared image of Tropical Cyclone Evan (04P) over the Samoa Islands on Dec. 13 at 0059 UTC. Evan's maximum sustained winds had increased to 90 knots (103 mph/166.7 kph) at the time of this image. The purple rounded area is Evan's center of circulation and is populated by strong thunderstorms that reach high into the troposphere where temperatures are as cold as -63 Fahrenheit (-52 Celsius). Those areas shaded in purple also indicate heavy rainfall.
Image Credit: NASA JPL, Ed Olsen
Text Credit: NASA Goddard, Rob Gutro
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission.
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Chevrolet Bel Airs - 60th Anniversary ..
(Bel Airs - production '55 ~ '56~ '57)
Classic American Auto day ..
@ Brooklands - Weybridge - Surrey -UK
6th September 2015
From Profoto & Hasselblad demo day. AcuteB2 600 AirS with new lighter battery & improved capasity = good. Size of the generator is about the same as old AcuteB.
Hill Aerospace Museum
The AIRS (Advanced Inertial Reference Sphere) is the most accurate inertial navigation (INS) system ever developed, and perhaps marks the end of a long process of continuous refinement of INS technology. The AIRS was designed for use in the LGM-118A Peacekeeper ICBM.
The most novel aspect of the AIRS is that it has no gimbals. Gimbals are pivots that are provided for each of three spatial axes so that the guidance platform can move freely in all directions (and thus maintain its absolute alignment with the outside world). The AIRS consists of a beryllium sphere that floats in a fluorocarbon fluid within an outer shell and can thus rotate in any direction. The importance of this innovation is that it eliminates the possibility of gimbal lock (where the axes of two gimbals line up and destroy the three-dimensional freedom of motion), and is free from arbitrary limits to range of motion found in some gimbal designs.
The temperature of the fluid is controlled with extreme accuracy by transfer of heat from the fluid through "Power shells" to freon-cooled heat exchangers. The alignment of the sphere is controlled by three hydraulic thrust valves directed by the inertial sensors in the sphere.
Like other INS systems, the sphere houses three accelerometers and three gyroscopes. The accelerometer design is called a SFIR (specific force integrating reciever). This is essentially the same approach as the pendulous integrating gyro accelerometer (of PIGA) used in the Minuteman II. The SFIR/PIGA works by measuring the rate of precession (and thus force applied) to a gyroscope at right angles to its axis of rotation. The gyroscope is a floated gas bearing gyroscope design.
In the summer of 2010, months of record-breaking drought and temperatures culminated with a rash of fires that ravaged western Russia for weeks. Temperatures in Moscow soared to an average of 104?F (40?C) during late July and early August -- more than 18?F (10 ?C) above normal. Hundreds of fires broke out producing some $15 million in damages. The heat and smoked killed about 56,000 people, making the Russian wildfires fires one of the most lethal natural disasters of the year.
Meanwhile, some 930 kilometers (1,500 miles) away, relentless rainfall was simultaneously pounding Pakistan and generating intense flooding. The Pakistan Meteorological Department reported nationwide rain totals 70 percent above normal in July and 102 percent above normal in August.
New research conducted by William Lau, an atmospheric scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., suggests the two seemingly disconnected events were actually closely linked.
Under normal circumstances, the jet stream pushes weather fronts through Eurasia in four or five days, but something unusual happened in July of 2010. A large-scale, stagnant weather pattern -- known as an Omega blocking event -- slowed the Rossby wave over Russia and prevented the normal progression of weather systems from west to east.
As a result, a large region of high-pressure formed over Russia trapping a hot, dry air mass over the area. As the high lingered, the land surface dried and the normal transfer of moisture from the soil to the atmosphere slowed. Precipitation ceased, vegetation dried out, and the region became a taiga tinderbox.
Meanwhile, the blocking pattern created unusual downstream wind patterns over Pakistan. Areas of low pressure on the leading edge of the Rossby wave formed in response to the high, pulling cold, dry Siberian air into lower latitudes.
This cold air from Siberia clashed with warm, moist air arriving over Pakistan from the Bay of Bengal as part of the monsoon. There's nothing unusual about moisture moving north over India toward the Himalayas. It's a normal part of the monsoon. However, in this case, the unusual wind patterns associated with the blocking high brought upper level air disturbances farther south than typical, which in effect helped shifted the entire monsoon system north and west.
This brought heavy monsoon rains -- centered over parts of India -- squarely over the northern part of Pakistan, a region ill-prepared to handle large amounts of rain.
Platforms/Sensors/Data Sets:
MERRA
TRMM and DMSP/SSM/I and TMI/3B4XRT
Aqua/AIRS
Aqua/MODIS
Terra/MODIS
______________________________________________________________________
About AIRS
The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder, AIRS, in conjunction with the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit, AMSU, sense emitted infrared and microwave radiation from the Earth to provide a three-dimensional look at Earth's weather and climate. Working in tandem, the two instruments make simultaneous observations all the way down to the Earth's surface, even in the presence of heavy clouds. With more than 2,000 channels sensing different regions of the atmosphere, the system creates a global, 3-dimensional map of atmospheric temperature and humidity, cloud amounts and heights, greenhouse gas concentrations, and many other atmospheric phenomena. The AIRS and AMSU fly onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft and are managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, under contract to NASA. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
Credit
NASA/JPL AIRS Project
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio
Download the image
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1) Right-click on the image. Click on a size next to "View all sizes".
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Resources
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How to get the AIRS data
Morning meeting to determine the workflow for providing image and data products for volcanic disaster response events using data from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite. AIRS uses cutting edge infrared technology to create three- dimensional maps of air and surface temperature, water vapor and cloud properties. AIRS can also measure trace greenhouse gases such as ozone, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and methane. airs.jpl.nasa.gov
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Vintage postcard showing military schooling of cavalry horses in the early 1900s in Europe.
I'll have to locate these cards to obtain more information. These scans are from 2010.
The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured infrared imagery of Hurricane Sandy on Sat. Oct 27 at 2:23 p.m. EDT that showed some strong thunderstorms (purple) and the extent of Sandy's reach (blue) from the Carolinas into the Ohio Valley and eastern Canada. The thunderstorms in the purple areas were reaching high into the troposphere where cloud top temperatures are as cold as -63 Fahrenheit (-52 Celsius). Sandy's center is clearly identifiable as the circular purple area off shore.
Image Credit: NASA JPL, Ed Olsen/ Text Credit: NASA Rob Gutro
For the latest info from NASA on Hurricane Sandy go to: 1.usa.gov/Ti5SgS
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission.
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( July 1, 2010 ) Senator-elect Vicente "Tito" Sotto III takes his oath of office before Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Reynato Corona.
In line with his campaign promise, Senator Sotto commenced his legislative initiatives as he filed recently Senate Bills seeking for the creation of Special Drug Courts and a National Penitentiary for drug crimes which shall be deliberated upon in the 15th Congress slated to open on July 26,2010.
July 3, 2010 Compiled news clipping from Manila Bulletin on-line
DFA airs concern on rising OFW drug cases
By MADEL R. SABATER
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) expressed concern on Saturday on Filipinos continuously being used as “drug mules” following the recent arrest of three Filipinas in Hong Kong and Macau.
According to the Philippine Consulate-General (PCG) in Macau, a Filipina was arrested last June 26 for allegedly smuggling almost one kilogram of drugs hidden in three pairs of sports shoes in her luggage.
Consul-General to Macau Renato Villapando said the DFA is concerned with the increasing number of Filipinos serving sentences in Macau for drug trafficking. Currently, 17 Filipinos are detained in Macau.
He stressed that the DFA will help the Filipina who was recently caught in Macau for alleged drug trafficking.
In Hong Kong, two Filipinas were also arrested in separate occasions for alleged drug trafficking.
The first of the two Filipinas was arrested last June 2 at the Hong Kong International Airport after authorities allegedly found 1,040 grams of heroin hidden inside the soles of three pairs of shoes in her suitcase. The estimated street value of the drugs was HK$930,000 or US$119,500.
The second Filipina was arrested last June 24 for taking in 876 grams of heroin with an estimated street value of HK$780,000 (US$100,300). She is currently confined at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and will later be taken for custodial remand to the Tai Lam Center for Women.
"The Consulate-General will ensure that these Filipinas will have legal representation in all their court appearances and will continue to monitor their cases," Philippine Consul-General to Hong Kong Claro Cristobal said.
It will be recalled that the DFA has been warning Filipinos against becoming drug couriers.
In China, drug trafficking of 50 grams or more of illegal drugs is punishable by 15 years in prison, life imprisonment, or death. In Muslim countries, drug trafficking is punishable by death, according to Shariah law.
June 28, 2010 Compiled news clipping from Manila Standard
Pasay admits worsening menace of illegal drugs
Pasay Mayor-elect Antonino Calixto admits a worsening case of drugs and the need for the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency to be stationed in the city.
“Illegal drugs has become one of Pasay’s biggest problems. This has a become a big threat not only to the security of our constituents but also to our economic progress,” he said.
Calixto said he would ask the PDEA to establish a detachment before drug trafficking goes out of hand.
In the past weeks, PDEA has been raiding suspected drug dens in Pasay leading to the arrest of a local policeman selling cocaine.
“The presence of a PDEA unit here makes a lot of difference. Drug traffickers will become increasingly wary of their activities, and sooner or later they will leave the city and shift their business somewhere,” Calixto said.
Last month, the entire 12-man anti-illegal drugs unit and its commander was sacked after a series of PDEA raids.
Senior Supt. Raul Petrasanta said Chief Insp. Salvador Solana, head of the Station Anti-Illegal Drugs-Special Operations Task Force has been placed in floating status while his 12 men were sent to desk jobs at the Pasay police headquarters.
On April 27, PDEA agents arrested nine suspected drug traffickers inside the Apelo Cruz Compound, resulting in the confiscation of several grams of shabu and drug paraphernalia.
This was followed by the arrest of PO1 Rodelio Raña, of Precinct who yielded 1.5 kilos of cocaine during a sting operation at the parking lot of SM Mall of Asia.
PDEA agents also raided Barangay 43, 44, and 45 in Tramo district and arrested at least 15 people following reports of rampant sale of shabu. Ferdinand FabellaBan:
June 28, 2010 compiled news clipping from mb.com.ph
Drug trafficking, abuse hindering MDG efforts
By MADEL R. SABATER
Drug abuse and drug trafficking are hindering efforts to achieve the United Nations’ Millenium Development Goals, according to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.
“Our work to achieve the MDGs and fight drugs must go hand-in-hand. In seeking to eradicate illicit crops, we must also work to wipe out poverty,” Ban said.
Drug-related crimes “deepen vulnerability to instability and poverty,” he said.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)’s 2010 World Drug Report released last week said that the Philippines is among three Southeast Asian countries which have the highest annual prevalence of using prohibited drugs (amphetamines) in East and Southeast Asia, the other two are Laos and Thailand.
The report said that Amphethamine – type stimulants (ATS) abuse is highest in East and Southeast Asia at 36 percent, with the global number of people using ATS expected to exceed those using opium and cocaine.
The report also said the Philippines was among countries that have significant ATS manufacture since 2000, along with Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China, the Czech Republic, Germany, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Republic of Moldova, Myanmar, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, the Russian Federation, Slovakia, South Africa, and USA.
Ban noted that aside from deepening poverty, prohibited drugs also help spread HIV/AIDS through injected drugs. It also undermines achieving environmental sustainability through such side-effects as chemical runoffs from cocaine laboratories.
June 23, 2010 - compiled news clipping from Inquirer.net
Shabu hidden in false bottom of Malaysian's luggage seized at Naia
By Jerome Aning
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 22:16:00 06/23/2010
CUSTOMS POLICEMEN SEIZED 10 kilograms of methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu) from a Malaysian who arrived from Thailand at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Tuesday night.
Bureau of Customs (BOC) Duty Collector Romulo Mahor identified the male passenger as How Eng Pheow, 41, who arrived at Naia Terminal 2 on board Philippine Airlines Flight 337 from Bangkok at around 7:30 p.m.
Roque said that while at the customs examination lane, the suspect went back and forth to a counter manned by collector Manuel Mendoza several times. Pheow then left the trolley bag he was carrying in front of Mendoza’s counter and tried to leave the customs area.
Mendoza alerted customs policemen and told them not to allow Pheow to leave and to return him to the examination counter.
Pheow’s luggage contained personal items on top, but Mendoza said a further search revealed that the bag had a false bottom.
Inside were several plastic bags containing the suspected banned substance.
Roque said an on site chemical test on one of the bags indicated that the contents were shabu.
The cache has been turned over to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and Airport Police for verification.
Pheow was placed under arrest and later charged with violation of Republic Act No. 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
The BOC, PDEA and airport policemen have organized a team force to find out if Pheow had contacts at the airport premises or if a syndicate could have been involved in the drug smuggling.
Only a little over two months ago, a Malaysian national was arrested after arriving in the country with 14 kilos of shabu.
July 10, 2010 Compiled news clipping from the philstar.com
100-million shabu seized in Sta. Ana drug raid
By Non Alquitran
MANILA, Philippines - The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) arrested five Chinese nationals and confiscated from them 20 kilos of shabu with a street value of P100 million during a raid in Manila Thursday.
NCRPO chief Director Roberto Rosales said the five suspects reportedly belong to a drug syndicate believed behind the operation of a clandestine shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride) laboratory discovered in Taguig City recently.
“This anti-drug operation is a continuing process. We expect to arrest other members of the syndicate in due time,” Rosales said in an interview.
Those arrested were identified as Ming Yuan Yuet, 40; Danny Tan, 30; Aga Co, 33; Eugene Co, 32, and Michelle Lee, 24, all Chinese nationals.
After the raid in Taguig City months back, Rosales directed Superintendent Leo Francisco, head of the regional police intelligence and operation unit (RPIOU), to conduct follow-up raids.
Based on information given by suspects arrested in the Taguig raid, Francisco conducted surveillance operation on tenants of Unit 63 Eurovilla Homes along New Panaderos street in Sta. Ana.
Rosales said samples bought during a test buy were determined by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) as high-grade shabu.
Francisco served Thursday a search warrant in the presence of barangay chairman Abraham Sejosta; Manila assistant prosecutor Ma. Theresa Basillo and Jean Banaay, administrator of the Eurovilla Townhomes. The warrant was issued by Manila Regional Trial Court Judge Amor Reyes.
Francisco said the five suspects gave themselves up peacefully. Aside from 20 kilos of high-grade shabu, the raiding team also seized two containers of a brown liquid they suspect to be raw material for the manufacture of shabu, as well as various other laboratory equipment.
Police also found six plastic bags of brown capsules, 14,500-milliliter bottles of glucose solution, a washing machine and dryer, and two weighing scales.
The NCRPO chief said the Chinese nationals chose to remain silent. “They pretend that they cannot speak our dialect. Our agents engaged them only in a sign language,” Rosales said, adding that they are hiring an interpreter.
Rosales ordered that all confiscated items be turned over to the PDEA while the five suspects were charged for possession of dangerous drugs and other paraphernalia before the Manila prosecutor’s office.
July 6, 2010 - compiled news clipping from Inquirer Headlines / Metro
Judge denies ‘Alabang Boy’s’ petition for bail
By Julie M. Aurelio
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 21:58:00 07/06/2010
A JUDGE HAS JUNKED THE PETItion for bail filed by one of the so-called “Alabang Boys” nearly two years after the three were arrested on drug peddling charges.
In his July 2 order, Judge Jaime Salazar of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 103 said the evidence Joseph Tecson had presented in court to back up his petition—a denial of the accusation that he sold cocaine to a Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) agent—was weak.
“A denial, per jurisprudence, is a weak kind of evidence when arrayed against an affirmative and positive identification. In a bail petition, the main concern is whether the prosecution’s evidence is strong and such positive identification of the accused is strong,” Salazar said.
He added that the defense’s questioning of the PDEA’s administrative procedures could be fully explored during a court trial.
“As [for] the alleged noncompliance with certain administrative procedures by the PDEA team, the same will be assessed when the case is studied on the issue of guilt or innocence of the accused,” the judge said.
Tecson was arrested in September 2008 after he allegedly sold cocaine to Louie Valdez, a PDEA agent, in Cubao, Quezon City. Separate operations led to the arrest of Richard Brodett and Jorge Joseph for drugs in Ayala, Alabang.
July 16, 2010 Compiled news clipping from philstar.com
Nahulihan ng 2.5 kilo ng heroin sa Indonesia, Pinay mabibitay
Ni Ellen Fernando (Pilipino Star Ngayon)
MANILA, Philippines - Isa na namang Filipina ang mahaharap sa parusang bitay matapos mahulihan ito ng 2.5 kilo ng heroin sa kanyang bagahe habang papasok sa Ngurah Rai Airport sa Bali, Indonesia.
Sa natanggap na ulat kahapon ng Department of Foreign Affairs mula sa RP embassy sa Indonesia, ang naarestong may dala ng 2.5 kilo ng heroin ay si Carolina Sarmiento, 41 anyos. Naaresto ito ng Customs Police noong Martes sa Ngurah Rai Airport.
Si Sarmiento ay agad na inaresto matapos ang isinagawang pagsusuri ng Customs officers sa kanyang luggage ilang minuto lamang pagkababa niya sa nasabing paliparan noong Lunes ng gabi.
Lumabas naman sa report ng The Jakarta Post na nagmula sa Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia si Sarmiento at tinangkang pumasok dala ang 2.5 kilong heroin na nagkakahalaga ng Rp5 bilyon (pera ng Malaysia) o P26.5 milyon papasok sa Indonesia.
Sinabi ng Bali Customs officials na nadiskubre ang heroin habang nakatago sa loob ng hardcase luggage ng nasabing turistang Pinay.
Ang pagkaka-aresto umano sa Pinay ay ang ikalawang insidente ng pagkakasabat sa mga hinihinalang drug mules sa loob lamang ng 24 oras sa Indonesia matapos na matiklo din ng Customs officers ang isang babaeng Malaysian na may dalang 220 gramo ng methamphetamine hydrochloride o shabu na nakatago sa ibaba ng kanyang suot na pantalon habang papasok sa Dumai seaport noong Martes.
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In this animation, NASA instruments show the seasonal cycle of vegetation and the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The animation begins on January 1, when the northern hemisphere is in winter and the southern hemisphere is in summer. At this time of year, the bulk of living vegetation, shown in green, hovers around the equator and below it, in the southern hemisphere.
As the animation plays forward through mid-April, the concentration of carbon dioxide, shown in orange-yellow, in the middle part of Earth's lowest atmospheric layer, the troposphere, increases and spreads throughout the northern hemisphere, reaching a maximum around May. This blooming effect of carbon dioxide follows the seasonal changes that occur in northern latitude ecosystems, in which deciduous trees lose their leaves, resulting in a net release of carbon dioxide through a process called respiration. Carbon dioxide is also released in early spring as soils begin to warm. Almost 10 percent of atmospheric carbon dioxide passes through soils each year.
After April, the northern hemisphere moves into late spring and summer and plants begin to grow, reaching a peak in the late summer. The process of plant photosynthesis removes carbon dioxide from the air. The animation shows how carbon dioxide is scrubbed out of the atmosphere by the large volume of new and growing vegetation. Following the peak in vegetation, the drawdown of atmospheric carbon dioxide due to photosynthesis becomes apparent, particularly over the boreal forests.
Note that there is roughly a three-month lag between the state of vegetation at Earth's surface and its effect on carbon dioxide in the middle troposphere.
Data like these give scientists a new opportunity to better understand the relationships between carbon dioxide in Earth's middle troposphere and the seasonal cycle of vegetation near the surface.
Creating the Animation
This animation was created with data taken from two NASA spaceborne instruments. The concentration of carbon dioxide data from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), a weather and climate instrument that flies aboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft, is overlain on measurements of vegetation index from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument, also on NASA's Aqua spacecraft, to better understand how photosynthesis and respiration influences the atmospheric carbon dioxide cycle over the globe. The animation runs from January through December and repeats. The AIRS tropospheric carbon dioxide seasonal cycle values were made by averaging AIRS data collected between 2003 and 2010, from which the annual carbon dioxide growth trend of 2 parts per million per year has been removed. For example, the data used for January 1 is actually an average of eight years of AIRS carbon dioxide data taken each year on January 1. The vegetation values were made using data averaged over a four-year period, from 2003 to 2006.
Further Detail
AIRS uses infrared technology to determine the concentration of atmospheric water vapor and several important trace gases as well as information about temperature and clouds. AIRS orbits Earth from pole-to-pole at an altitude of 438 miles (705 kilometers), measuring Earth's infrared spectrum in 3,278 channels spanning a wavelength range from 3.74 microns to 15.4 microns. Originally designed to improve weather forecasts, AIRS has improved operational five-day weather forecasts more than any other single instrument over the past decade. AIRS has also been found to be sensitive to atmospheric carbon dioxide in the middle troposphere, at an altitude of 5 to 10 kilometers or 3 to 6 miles.
______________________________________________________________________
About AIRS
The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder, AIRS, in conjunction with the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit, AMSU, sense emitted infrared and microwave radiation from the Earth to provide a three-dimensional look at Earth's weather and climate. Working in tandem, the two instruments make simultaneous observations all the way down to the Earth's surface, even in the presence of heavy clouds. With more than 2,000 channels sensing different regions of the atmosphere, the system creates a global, 3-dimensional map of atmospheric temperature and humidity, cloud amounts and heights, greenhouse gas concentrations, and many other atmospheric phenomena. The AIRS and AMSU fly onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft and are managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, under contract to NASA. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
Credit
NASA/JPL AIRS Project
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio
Download the image
Various sizes of the image are available, and there are two ways to download:
1) Right-click on the image. Click on a size next to "View all sizes".
2) Click on the "Actions" menu located above the image. Select "View all sizes".
Resources
Additional formats and stills ›
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder web site ›
How to get the AIRS data
The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured infrared imagery of Hurricane Sandy on Sun. Oct 28 at 1:29 p.m. EDT that showed some strong thunderstorms (purple) and the extent of Sandy's reach (blue) from the Carolinas into the Ohio Valley and eastern Canada. The thunderstorms in the purple areas were reaching high into the troposphere where cloud top temperatures are as cold as -63 Fahrenheit (-52 Celsius). Sandy's center is clearly identifiable as the circular purple area off shore.
Image Credit: NASA JPL, Ed Olsen/ Text Credit: NASA Rob Gutro
For the latest info from NASA on Hurricane Sandy go to: 1.usa.gov/Ti5SgS
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission.
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Hurricane Ivan is the most powerful hurricane to hit the Caribbean in 10 years. On September 7 and 8 it damaged 90 percent of the homes in Grenada and killed at least 16 people as it swept over Grenada, Barbados and the other islands in the area. By Thursday morning on September 9, Ivan's sustained winds reached 160 mph making it a rare category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. By Monday September 13, Ivan is blamed for 67 deaths and skirts western Cuba with winds clocked at 156 mph. The National Hurricane Center predicted the eye of Ivan will make landfall across Mobile Bay in Alabama late Wednesday or early Thursday.
These images of Hurricane Ivan were acquired by the AIRS infrared, microwave, and visible sensors on September 15 at 1:30 pm local time as the storm moves in to Alabama. Ivan at category 4 strength is about 150 miles south of Mobile, Alabama and is moving north at 14 mph. Maximum sustained winds are reported to be at 135 mph and extend 105 miles from the center, while tropical storm-force winds extend 290 miles from the center. Ivan pounded the Gulf coast all day Wednesday, and is expected to make landfall between midnight and 3am in Mobile Bay, Alabama.
This image shows how the storm looks through an AIRS Infrared window channel, and reveals a very large eye - about 75 km (50 miles) across. Window channels measure the temperature of the cloud tops or the surface of the Earth in cloud-free regions. The lowest temperatures are associated with high, cold cloud tops that make up the top of the hurricane. The infrared signal does not penetrate through clouds, so the purple color indicates the cool cloud tops of the storm. In cloud-free areas, the infrared signal is retrieved at the Earth's surface, revealing warmer temperatures. Cooler areas are pushing to purple and warmer areas are pushing to red.
______________________________________________________________________
About AIRS
The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder, AIRS, in conjunction with the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit, AMSU, sense emitted infrared and microwave radiation from the Earth to provide a three-dimensional look at Earth's weather and climate. Working in tandem, the two instruments make simultaneous observations all the way down to the Earth's surface, even in the presence of heavy clouds. With more than 2,000 channels sensing different regions of the atmosphere, the system creates a global, 3-dimensional map of atmospheric temperature and humidity, cloud amounts and heights, greenhouse gas concentrations, and many other atmospheric phenomena. The AIRS and AMSU fly onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft and are managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, under contract to NASA. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
Credit
NASA/JPL AIRS Project
Download the image
Various sizes of the image are available, and there are two ways to download:
1) Right-click on the image. Click on a size next to "View all sizes".
2) Click on the "Actions" menu located above the image. Select "View all sizes".
Resources
More images can be found on the Jet Propulsion Laboratory Photojournal ›.
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder web site ›
How to get the AIRS data
The continuing heat wave in the United States in July 2011 has broken temperature records in many locations, killed dozens and seen nearly half of all Americans under heat advisories at its peak. These four movies, created from data from NASA's Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument on NASA's Aqua spacecraft for the period from July 16-24, show the movement of a dome of heat across the eastern two-thirds of the country. They highlight two familiar temperatures: surface air temperature and surface skin temperature, during both daytime and nighttime conditions.
Surface air temperature is something we experience whenever we go outside. High surface air temperature makes even shady places feel hot. Surface skin temperature is what we feel when we touch the ground. During daytime, the surface skin temperature is generally much warmer than surface air temperature because dark surfaces are so effective at absorbing sunlight. The surface air and skin temperatures are related by something invisible but actually quite familiar: infrared -- or heat -- radiation. Our skin is very sensitive to infrared radiation, making a sun-heated wall feel warm even from a few feet away after sunset. Air absorbs very little sunlight, but easily absorbs infrared radiation emitted by the warm surface. It's the sun-warmed surface -- not sunlight -- that heats the air during daytime.
The four movies illustrate the extraordinarily high temperatures in the US heat wave. Both types of temperature, for daytime and nighttime, are shown as a difference (anomaly) from the average over the previous eight years of AIRS data. Over the Northeast and northern Midwest, temperatures are 20 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than normal. During normal weather there, daytime surface air temperatures are around 85 degrees Fahrenheit, while nights cool to around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures 20 degrees above average show daytime highs over 100 degrees Fahrenheit and nighttime lows in the mid-80s. These high temperatures, along with high humidity (also observed by AIRS but not shown here), make the central and eastern US one of the hottest regions on the planet in late July 2011.
______________________________________________________________________
About AIRS
The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder, AIRS, in conjunction with the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit, AMSU, sense emitted infrared and microwave radiation from the Earth to provide a three-dimensional look at Earth's weather and climate. Working in tandem, the two instruments make simultaneous observations all the way down to the Earth's surface, even in the presence of heavy clouds. With more than 2,000 channels sensing different regions of the atmosphere, the system creates a global, 3-dimensional map of atmospheric temperature and humidity, cloud amounts and heights, greenhouse gas concentrations, and many other atmospheric phenomena. The AIRS and AMSU fly onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft and are managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, under contract to NASA. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
Credit
NASA/JPL AIRS Project
Download the image
Various sizes of the image are available, and there are two ways to download:
1) Right-click on the image. Click on a size next to "View all sizes".
2) Click on the "Actions" menu located above the image. Select "View all sizes".
Resources
Additional images can be found on the Jet Propulsion Laboratory Photojournal ›
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder web site ›
How to get the AIRS data
On July 12, 2008, Okmok Volcano, in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands erupted, releasing a plume of ash and steam. Besides emissions visible to human eyes, Okmok also released sulfur dioxide, a gas our eyes cannot see, but which can affect both human health and climate.
The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument on NASA’s Aqua satellite measured the sulfur dioxide from Okmok Volcano from July 12-20, 2008. This image shows the estimated sulfur dioxide at altitudes around 16 kilometers (10 miles) released by the volcano over that time span, with red indicating the highest levels, and pale pink indicating the lowest. The sulfur dioxide was most intense southeast of the volcano, but lower levels spread both to the south and east, forming a large L shape, and spreading over parts of the continental United States and Canada.
To estimate the sulfur dioxide, Fred Prata of the Norwegian Institute for Air Research NILU examined the amount of thermal infrared (heat) radiation with wavelengths around 7.3 microns that AIRS detected coming from Earth. Sulfur dioxide absorbs radiation with that wavelength very strongly, preventing it from escaping to space. So when the gas is present in the atmosphere, the temperature that AIRS detects at that wavelength drops. Because thermal infrared energy is detectable day or night, Okmok emissions could be observed at all times of day.
Near the Earth’s surface, sulfur dioxide poses hazards, including aggravation of respiratory ailments, impaired visibility, and acid rain. In the presence of sunlight, sulfur dioxide can also mix with oxygen and water vapor to produce volcanic smog, or vog. The sulfur dioxide measured by AIRS, however, occurred above 16 kilometers. At higher altitudes, sulfur dioxide can affect climate. At high altitudes, oxidation transforms this gas into sulfate aerosol particles. The particles create a bright haze that reflects sunlight back into space, preventing it from reaching the Earth.
______________________________________________________________________
About AIRS
The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder, AIRS, in conjunction with the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit, AMSU, sense emitted infrared and microwave radiation from the Earth to provide a three-dimensional look at Earth's weather and climate. Working in tandem, the two instruments make simultaneous observations all the way down to the Earth's surface, even in the presence of heavy clouds. With more than 2,000 channels sensing different regions of the atmosphere, the system creates a global, three-dimensional map of atmospheric temperature and humidity, cloud amounts and heights, greenhouse gas concentrations, and many other atmospheric phenomena. The AIRS and AMSU fly onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft and are managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, under contract to NASA. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
Credit
Fred Prata, NILU
Download the image
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1) Right-click on the image. Click on a size next to "View all sizes".
2) Click on the "Actions" menu located above the image. Select "View all sizes".
Resources
Original feature story on NASA's Earth Observatory ›
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder web site ›
How to get AIRS data
This movie of temperature observations from NASA's Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument on NASA's Aqua spacecraft depicts the first major North American weather event of 2014: cold air moving out of the Arctic and south to cover much of the continent. The temperatures shown are at a pressure of 850 hectopascals (hPa, formerly knows as millibars; sea level pressure is normally around 1000 hPa). Pressures of 850 hPa correspond to an altitude of about 3,000 feet (1 kilometer) above sea level. The temperatures in the movie range from about minus 18 degrees Fahrenheit (245 Kelvin or minus 28 degrees Celsius) to warmer than 66 degrees Fahrenheit (290 Kelvin or about 17 degrees Celsius). The very coldest temperatures in purples and blues are minus 18 to 17 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 28 to about minus 8 degrees Celsius).
The most obvious feature of the movie is the tongue of cold air moving out of Canada and southward to cover much of the eastern United States during early January 2014. This event was covered extensively in the media, and introduced the term 'polar vortex' to a broader audience.
This global perspective illustrates some features not noted in all the recent media attention. Perhaps most obvious: this is not a global phenomenon. The eastern half of the United States includes only about one percent of the total surface area of the planet (about two million of 197 million square miles). One advantage of satellite observations, as from AIRS, is coverage of the entire planet. A truly global perspective is required when studying variations in climate, and this event must be compared against a number of other phenomena occurring around the planet. Note that Alaska and northern Eurasia were warm during this period of unusual cold over the eastern United States.
A narrated version of this visualization along with other available formats can be found on the Jet Propulsion Laboratory web site at:
www.jpl.nasa.gov/video/details.php?id=1269
.......................................................................................
About AIRS
The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder, AIRS, in conjunction with the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit, AMSU, sense emitted infrared and microwave radiation from the Earth to provide a three-dimensional look at Earth's weather and climate. Working in tandem, the two instruments make simultaneous observations all the way down to the Earth's surface, even in the presence of heavy clouds. With more than 2,000 channels sensing different regions of the atmosphere, the system creates a global, three-dimensional map of atmospheric temperature and humidity, cloud amounts and heights, greenhouse gas concentrations, and many other atmospheric phenomena. The AIRS and AMSU fly onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft and are managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, under contract to NASA. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
More information about AIRS can be found at airs.jpl.nasa.gov.
Image Credit: NASA/JPL
Drought, combined with the worst heat wave Russia has seen in 130 years, have sparked a devastating outbreak of wildfires across the nation this summer, primarily in the country's western and central regions. According to wire service reports and Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry, as of Aug. 6, 2010, some 558 fires were burning. The fires have killed at least 52 people, destroyed some 2,000 homes and charred more than 1,796 square kilometers (693 square miles). Russia's capital, Moscow, is currently blanketed in a thick smog, which has curtailed activities and disrupted air traffic. According to the Associated Press, levels of carbon monoxide pollution in Moscow are at an all-time high, four times higher than normal.
The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument on NASA's Aqua spacecraft is tracking the concentration and transport of carbon monoxide from the Russian fires. The figures presented here show the abundance of carbon monoxide present in the atmosphere at an altitude of 5.5 kilometers (18,000 feet). AIRS is sensitive to carbon monoxide in the mid-troposphere at heights between 2 and 10 kilometers (1.2 and 6.2 miles), with a peak sensitivity at an altitude of approximately 5 kilometers (3.1 miles). This region of Earth's atmosphere is also conducive to the long-range transport of the pollution which is lofted to this altitude.
As shown in the top figure in the graphic, acquired July 21, 2010, the concentration of carbon monoxide from the fires on that date was largely limited to the European part of Russia (Western and Central Russia). This contrasts dramatically with the data in bottom figure of the graphic, acquired on August 1, when the carbon monoxide concentration was much higher and the area of the fires had increased significantly. The concentration of carbon monoxide is continuing to grow.
The plotted chart (Figure 1 found on JPL Photojournal page, link below) shows changes in the total amount of carbon monoxide above Western Russia in megatons through August 1, 2010 (shown by the red curve). The changes are plotted again the base year of 2009, which saw normal levels of seasonal carbon monoxide. This is contrasted against the year 2002, when peat fires predominated in Russia and a year for which similar measurements of carbon monoxide are available from the Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere (MOPITT) instrument on NASA's Terra spacecraft. On August 1, 2010, the excess carbon monoxide content almost reached the maximum values seen in 2002. The rate of growth (approximately 0.7 megatons, or 700,000 metric tons, per day) characterizes the rate of emission; the current rate is approximately three times higher than in 2002.
______________________________________________________________________
About AIRS
The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder, AIRS, in conjunction with the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit, AMSU, sense emitted infrared and microwave radiation from the Earth to provide a three-dimensional look at Earth's weather and climate. Working in tandem, the two instruments make simultaneous observations all the way down to the Earth's surface, even in the presence of heavy clouds. With more than 2,000 channels sensing different regions of the atmosphere, the system creates a global, 3-dimensional map of atmospheric temperature and humidity, cloud amounts and heights, greenhouse gas concentrations, and many other atmospheric phenomena. The AIRS and AMSU fly onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft and are managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, under contract to NASA. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
Credit
NASA/JPL AIRS Project, UMBC
Download the image
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1) Right-click on the image. Click on a size next to "View all sizes".
2) Click on the "Actions" menu located above the image. Select "View all sizes".
Resources
Jet Propulsion Laboratory Photojournal ›
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder web site ›
How to get AIRS data
The continuing heat wave in the United States in July 2011 has broken temperature records in many locations, killed dozens and seen nearly half of all Americans under heat advisories at its peak. These four movies, created from data from NASA's Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument on NASA's Aqua spacecraft for the period from July 16-24, show the movement of a dome of heat across the eastern two-thirds of the country. They highlight two familiar temperatures: surface air temperature and surface skin temperature, during both daytime and nighttime conditions.
Surface air temperature is something we experience whenever we go outside. High surface air temperature makes even shady places feel hot. Surface skin temperature is what we feel when we touch the ground. During daytime, the surface skin temperature is generally much warmer than surface air temperature because dark surfaces are so effective at absorbing sunlight. The surface air and skin temperatures are related by something invisible but actually quite familiar: infrared -- or heat -- radiation. Our skin is very sensitive to infrared radiation, making a sun-heated wall feel warm even from a few feet away after sunset. Air absorbs very little sunlight, but easily absorbs infrared radiation emitted by the warm surface. It's the sun-warmed surface -- not sunlight -- that heats the air during daytime.
The four movies illustrate the extraordinarily high temperatures in the US heat wave. Both types of temperature, for daytime and nighttime, are shown as a difference (anomaly) from the average over the previous eight years of AIRS data. Over the Northeast and northern Midwest, temperatures are 20 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than normal. During normal weather there, daytime surface air temperatures are around 85 degrees Fahrenheit, while nights cool to around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures 20 degrees above average show daytime highs over 100 degrees Fahrenheit and nighttime lows in the mid-80s. These high temperatures, along with high humidity (also observed by AIRS but not shown here), make the central and eastern US one of the hottest regions on the planet in late July 2011.
______________________________________________________________________
About AIRS
The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder, AIRS, in conjunction with the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit, AMSU, sense emitted infrared and microwave radiation from the Earth to provide a three-dimensional look at Earth's weather and climate. Working in tandem, the two instruments make simultaneous observations all the way down to the Earth's surface, even in the presence of heavy clouds. With more than 2,000 channels sensing different regions of the atmosphere, the system creates a global, 3-dimensional map of atmospheric temperature and humidity, cloud amounts and heights, greenhouse gas concentrations, and many other atmospheric phenomena. The AIRS and AMSU fly onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft and are managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, under contract to NASA. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
Credit
NASA/JPL AIRS Project
Download the image
Various sizes of the image are available, and there are two ways to download:
1) Right-click on the image. Click on a size next to "View all sizes".
2) Click on the "Actions" menu located above the image. Select "View all sizes".
Resources
Additional images can be found on the Jet Propulsion Laboratory Photojournal ›
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder web site ›
How to get the AIRS data
Lufthansa Airbus A321-131 D-AIRS Husum is on short final for runway 07L in Frankfurt.
MSN 595 has had its first flight on 01.04.96 with the test registration D-AVZX and was delivered to Lufthansa on 28.04.96.
The jet is powered by 2x IAE V2530-A5 turbofans and has a variable cabin layout with 205 Business and Economy Class seats.
This is flight LH179 from Berlin (TXL).
The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured 2 infrared images of Post-Tropical Storm Sandy on Oct. 30 at 2:11 a.m. EDT that were stitched together to show the storm's clouds (blue and purple) over the Ohio Valley and upper Midwest, stretching into Canada. The strongest storms, with coldest cloud top temperatures appear in darker blue and purple.
Credit: NASA JPL, Ed Olsen
For the latest info from NASA on Hurricane Sandy go to: 1.usa.gov/Ti5SgS
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission.
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Title / Titre :
John Thomas Miner releasing a Canada Goose into the air /
John Thomas Miner relâchant une bernache du Canada dans les airs
Creator(s) / Créateur(s) : Ronny Jaques
Date(s) : April 1941 / avril 1941
Reference No. / Numéro de référence : MIKAN 4324916, 4324965
collectionscanada.gc.ca/ourl/res.php?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&...
collectionscanada.gc.ca/ourl/res.php?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&...
Location / Lieu : Ontario, Canada
Credit / Mention de source :
Ronny Jaques. Library and Archives Canada, e010958794, /
Ronny Jaques. Bibliothèque et Archives Canada, e010958794
Northeast Africa continues to reel from the effects of the worst drought to strike the region in decades. The arid conditions are contributing to famines that the U.S. Department of State says are affecting more than 11.5 million people, particularly in Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti. The drought is tied to strong La Nina conditions that prevailed in late 2010 and early 2011. La Nina shifts ocean temperatures and air pressure over the Pacific Ocean, causing effects that ripple through weather patterns around the world. In East Africa, La Nina typically brings drought.
The current dry conditions are illustrated in this new map, created using nine years of data on surface relative humidity from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument on NASA's Aqua spacecraft. Surface relative humidity measures the percent of water vapor in the air nearest to Earth's surface, where people, animals and plants live.
Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., created a climatology for the region by averaging eight years of July AIRS surface relative humidity data from 2003 through 2010, and then subtracting the result from the AIRS relative humidity data for July 1-18, 2011. Areas shown in greens, yellows, oranges and reds represent regions that are drier in July 2011 than the average of all the previous Julys dating back to 2003. The driest conditions, shown in red, are found in northeast Africa, while large regions throughout the Middle East are moderately dry. Areas in blue were moister in 2011 than in the previously studied years. White areas represent data voids caused primarily by the effects of mountain and highland topography.
In regions that are traditionally dry, the additional drying of more than 15 percent relative humidity is very stressful to crops, causing them to dry out and die.
__________
About AIRS
The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder, AIRS, in conjunction with the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit, AMSU, sense emitted infrared and microwave radiation from the Earth to provide a three-dimensional look at Earth's weather and climate. Working in tandem, the two instruments make simultaneous observations all the way down to the Earth's surface, even in the presence of heavy clouds. With more than 2,000 channels sensing different regions of the atmosphere, the system creates a global, 3-dimensional map of atmospheric temperature and humidity, cloud amounts and heights, greenhouse gas concentrations, and many other atmospheric phenomena. The AIRS and AMSU fly onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft and are managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, under contract to NASA. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
Credit
NASA/JPL AIRS Project
Resources
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder web site ›
How to get the AIRS data
This image shows Hurricane Frances as captured by instruments onboard two different satellites: the AIRS infrared instrument onboard Aqua, and the SeaWinds scatterometer onboard QuikSCAT. Both are JPL-managed instruments. AIRS data are used to create global three-dimensional maps of temperature, humidity and clouds, while scatterometers measure surface wind speed and direction over the ocean.
The red vectors in the image show Frances' surface winds as measured by SeaWinds on QuikSCAT. The background colors show the temperature of clouds and surface as viewed in the infrared by AIRS, with cooler areas pushing to purple and warmer areas are pushing to red. The color scale on the right gives the temperatures in degrees Kelvin. (The top of the scale, 320 degrees Kelvin, corresponds to 117 degrees Fahrenheit, and the bottom, 180 degrees K is -135 degrees F.) The powerful circulation of this storm is evident from the combined data as well as the development of a clearly-defined central "eye." The infrared signal does not penetrate through clouds, so the light blue areas reveal the cold clouds tops associated with strong thunderstorms embedded within the storm. In cloud-free areas the infrared signal comes from Earth's surface, revealing warmer temperatures.
The power of the SeaWinds scatterometer data set lies in its ability to generate global maps of wind speed and direction, giving us a snapshot of how the atmosphere is circulating. Weather prediction centers, including the Tropical Prediction Center - a branch of NOAA that monitors the creation of ocean-born storms, use scatterometer data to help it "see" where these storms are brewing so that warnings can be issued and the storms, with often erratic motions, can be tracked.
While the SeaWinds instrument isn't designed to gather hurricane data, having difficulty seeing the surface in heavy rain, it's data can be used in combination with other data sets to give us an insight into these storms. In this combination image, the AIRS infrared data reveals the temperature of the atmosphere around the storm, but doesn't tell us about the wind direction or relative intensity. The directional vectors of the SeaWinds data set show how the air is circulating around the storm.
Scatterometers measure surface wind speed and direction by bouncing microwave pulses off the ocean's surface. The SeaWinds instruments measure the backscattered radar energy from wind-generated ocean waves. By making multiple measurements from different looks at the same location, we can infer the vector wind averaged over each 25 km resolution cell. The primary mission objective of the SeaWinds and QuikSCAT scatterometers is to obtain long-term, global coverage of the ocean vector winds for oceanographic and climate research. While not specifically designed for detailed mapping and tracking of hurricanes, both instruments have been found to be useful resources for operational forecasters.
______________________________________________________________________
About AIRS
The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder, AIRS, in conjunction with the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit, AMSU, sense emitted infrared and microwave radiation from the Earth to provide a three-dimensional look at Earth's weather and climate. Working in tandem, the two instruments make simultaneous observations all the way down to the Earth's surface, even in the presence of heavy clouds. With more than 2,000 channels sensing different regions of the atmosphere, the system creates a global, 3-dimensional map of atmospheric temperature and humidity, cloud amounts and heights, greenhouse gas concentrations, and many other atmospheric phenomena. The AIRS and AMSU fly onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft and are managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, under contract to NASA. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
Credit
NASA/JPL AIRS Project
Download the image
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Resources
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder web site ›
How to get the AIRS data
is visualization is a time-series of the global distribution and variation of the concentration of mid-tropospheric carbon dioxide observed by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on the NASA Aqua spacecraft. For comparison, it is overlain by a graph of the seasonal variation and interannual increase of carbon dioxide observed at the Mauna Loa, Hawaii observatory. The AIRS data show the average concentration (parts per million) over an altitude range of 3 km to 13 km, whereas the Mauna Loa data show the concentration at an altitude of 3.4 km and its annual increase at a rate of approximately 2 parts per million (ppm) per year.
The two most notable features of this visualization are the seasonal variation of CO2 and the trend of increase in its concentration from year to year. The global map clearly shows that the carbon dioxide in the northern hemisphere peaks in April-May and then drops to a minimum in September-October. Although the seasonal cycle is less pronounced in the southern hemisphere it is opposite to that in the northern hemisphere. This seasonal cycle is governed by the growth cycle of plants. The northern hemisphere has the majority of the land masses, and so the amplitude of the cycle is greater in that hemisphere. The overall color of the map shifts toward the red with advancing time due to the annual increase of carbon dioxide.
Although the mid-latitude jet streams are not visible in the map, we can see their influence upon the distribution of carbon dioxide around the globe. These rivers of air occur at an altitude of about 5 km and rapidly transport carbon dioxide around the globe at that altitude. In the northern hemisphere, the mid-latitude jet stream squirms like a released garden hose over the period of a few days due to the continental landmasses.
In the southern hemisphere the jet stream flow is more directly West to East, and during the period from July to October the carbon dioxide concentration is enhanced in a belt delineated by the jet stream and lofting of carbon dioxide into the free troposphere by the high Andes is visible in this period. The zonal flow of carbon dioxide around the globe at the latitude of South Africa, southern Australia and southern South America is readily apparent.
The eastward flow of carbon dioxide from Indonesia and the Celebes sea can be seen in the November to February time frame.
______________________________________________________________________
About AIRS
The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder, AIRS, in conjunction with the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit, AMSU, sense emitted infrared and microwave radiation from the Earth to provide a three-dimensional look at Earth's weather and climate. Working in tandem, the two instruments make simultaneous observations all the way down to the Earth's surface, even in the presence of heavy clouds. With more than 2,000 channels sensing different regions of the atmosphere, the system creates a global, 3-dimensional map of atmospheric temperature and humidity, cloud amounts and heights, greenhouse gas concentrations, and many other atmospheric phenomena. The AIRS and AMSU fly onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft and are managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, under contract to NASA. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
Credit
NASA/JPL AIRS Project
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio
Download the image
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Resources
Additional formats and stills ›
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder web site ›
How to get the AIRS data
The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder, AIRS, was launched aboard the Aqua Spacecraft in 2002 as part of NASA's Earth Observing System Afternoon Constellation of satellites known as the 'A-Train. The most important trace gas retrieved by AIRS for the study of anthropogenic effects on climate is carbon dioxide. AIRS CO2 retrievals use an analytical method for the determination of carbon dioxide and other minor gases in the troposphere from AIRS spectra. AIRS has provided the first satellite retrieval of mid-tropospheric CO2 under cloudy conditions, without the use of a priori information from models. AIRS retrievals use cloud-cleared thermal IR radiance spectra in the 15 micron band with an accuracy better than 2 ppm, making it ideal for mapping the distribution and transport of carbon dioxide levels in the free troposphere.
Arctic CO2 in the mid-troposphere (8-12 km altitude) over the period February 2010 through February 2011. The AIRS data have been combined over a 9-day window and then assimilated by a Fixed Rank Kriging (FRK) process that smoothes the data based upon spatial covariances that are neither stationary nor isotropic. The FRK methodology was developed by a group in the Program in Spatial Statistics and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University.
______________________________________________________________________
About AIRS
The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder, AIRS, in conjunction with the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit, AMSU, sense emitted infrared and microwave radiation from the Earth to provide a three-dimensional look at Earth's weather and climate. Working in tandem, the two instruments make simultaneous observations all the way down to the Earth's surface, even in the presence of heavy clouds. With more than 2,000 channels sensing different regions of the atmosphere, the system creates a global, 3-dimensional map of atmospheric temperature and humidity, cloud amounts and heights, greenhouse gas concentrations, and many other atmospheric phenomena. The AIRS and AMSU fly onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft and are managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, under contract to NASA. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
Credit
NASA/JPL AIRS Project
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio
Download the image
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Resources
Additional formats and stills ›
"Trapped in the Troposphere" ›
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder web site ›
How to get the AIRS data
Superstar Wrestling - Chapelle-Lez-Herlaimont - Kevin Rahino Vs Risher, The Rotation
Kevin Rahino def. (Pin) Risher (le prince des airs), The Rotation
Info on the match : Pin sur Rotation
( La Superstar Wrestling debarque pour la premiere fois a Chapelle-Lez-Herlaimont pour un show de catch qui s'annonce ENORME!!!
Au programme:
- 6 combats professionels
- Plus de 12 catcheurs
- Sons et lumieres
- Stand merchandising
- Dedicace )
I arise from dreams of thee,
And a spirit in my feet
Has led me -- who knows how? --
To thy chamber-window, sweet!
The wandering airs they faint
On the dark, the silent stream, --
The champak odors fall
Like sweet thoughts in a dream,
- by Percy Bysshe Shelley
Although originally designed to measure atmospheric water vapor and temperature profiles for weather forecasting, data from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument on NASA's Aqua spacecraft are now also being used by scientists to observe atmospheric carbon dioxide.
This visualization shows Aqua/AIRS mid-tropospheric carbon dioxide from July 2003. Low concentrations, 360 ppm, are shown in blue and high concentrations, 385 ppm, are shown in red. Notice that despite carbon dioxide's high degree of mixing, the regional patterns of atmospheric sources and sinks are still apparent in mid-troposphere carbon dioxide concentrations.
In the southern hemisphere the jet stream flow is more directly West to East, and during the period from July to October the carbon dioxide concentration is enhanced in a belt delineated by the jet stream and lofting of carbon dioxide into the free troposphere by the high Andes is visible in this period. The zonal flow of carbon dioxide around the globe at the latitude of South Africa, southern Australia and southern South America is readily apparent.
______________________________________________________________________
About AIRS
The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder, AIRS, in conjunction with the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit, AMSU, sense emitted infrared and microwave radiation from the Earth to provide a three-dimensional look at Earth's weather and climate. Working in tandem, the two instruments make simultaneous observations all the way down to the Earth's surface, even in the presence of heavy clouds. With more than 2,000 channels sensing different regions of the atmosphere, the system creates a global, 3-dimensional map of atmospheric temperature and humidity, cloud amounts and heights, greenhouse gas concentrations, and many other atmospheric phenomena. The AIRS and AMSU fly onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft and are managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, under contract to NASA. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
Credit
NASA/JPL AIRS Project
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio
Download the image
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1) Right-click on the image. Click on a size next to "View all sizes".
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Resources
Additional formats and stills ›
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder web site ›
How to get AIRS data
Mass evacuations are underway in the northeastern Australian state of Queensland in anticipation of what forecasters expect will be the largest cyclone ever to hit the continent. Yasi has intensified rapidly and currently has winds gusting up to 295 kilometers per hour (183 mph). It is expected to maintain that intensity-equivalent to a Category Five hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale -- until landfall in northeastern Queensland between Cairns and Innisfail during the late evening local time on Feb. 2 (early morning Feb. 2 in the United States).
Shown here is the latest infrared image of Yasi from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument on NASA's Aqua satellite, built and managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. It was taken on Feb. 1, 2011, at 7:17 a.m. PST (10:17 a.m. EST). A distinct eye is visible, and the outer bands of the storm can be seen nearing the Australian coast.
The AIRS data create an accurate 3-D map of atmospheric temperature, water vapor and clouds, data that are useful to forecasters. The image shows the temperature of Yasi's cloud tops or the surface of Earth in cloud-free regions. The coldest cloud-top temperatures appear in purple, indicating towering cold clouds and heavy precipitation. The infrared signal of AIRS does not penetrate through clouds. Where there are no clouds, AIRS reads the infrared signal from the surface of the ocean waters, revealing warmer temperatures in orange and red.
______________________________________________________________________
About AIRS
The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder, AIRS, in conjunction with the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit, AMSU, sense emitted infrared and microwave radiation from the Earth to provide a three-dimensional look at Earth's weather and climate. Working in tandem, the two instruments make simultaneous observations all the way down to the Earth's surface, even in the presence of heavy clouds. With more than 2,000 channels sensing different regions of the atmosphere, the system creates a global, 3-dimensional map of atmospheric temperature and humidity, cloud amounts and heights, greenhouse gas concentrations, and many other atmospheric phenomena. The AIRS and AMSU fly onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft and are managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, under contract to NASA. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
Credit
NASA/JPL AIRS Project
Download the image
Various sizes of the image are available, and there are two ways to download:
1) Right-click on the image. Click on a size next to "View all sizes".
2) Click on the "Actions" menu located above the image. Select "View all sizes".
Resources
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder web site ›
How to get the AIRS data
A large number of wildfires, many of them triggered by powerful lightning storms on June 21, erupted around California over the next several weeks. At their peak, more than 2,000 fires were active, from northern California down to Santa Barbara County. Cumulatively the fires have burned nearly 1,480 square miles (more than 978,000 acres) and destroyed well over 100 homes in what officials have called the largest fire event in California history.
In this animation created with data retrieved by NASA's spaceborne instrument called the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder, or AIRS, on NASA's Aqua spacecraft, we visualize the rapid increases in carbon monoxide emitted by fires burning in California in June and July 2008. Only the largest values of carbon monoxide detected by AIRS are shown to highlight the impact of the fires. AIRS primarily observes carbon monoxide in a layer from 2 to 7 kilometers above Earth's surface. Thus, it tends to see where the wind blows the carbon monoxide and not just the smoke directly above the fires. However, many of these intense fires lofted a significant amount of carbon monoxide directly above the fires, making the hotspots also visible to AIRS.
For example, carbon monoxide appears over a fire in Butte County on June 11-14, and over the Piute Fire in Kern County on June 23. The most intense carbon monoxide plumes emanated from the fires in Northern California started by dry lightning on June 20 and 21. The activity of these fires flared again from July 8-10. AIRS can even see the large amount of carbon monoxide from this smoke filling California's Central Valley during both of these episodes and lingering as seen on July 12.
Although the carbon monoxide amounts seen by AIRS are not directly harmful, carbon monoxide along with other chemicals in wildfire smoke can lead to the production of dangerous levels of ozone pollution. Smoke from these fires contributed to severe ozone and particulate pollution in portions of California's Central Valleys during June 22-29 and July 7-10.
The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) in conjunction with the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU) sense emitted infrared and microwave radiation from the Earth to provide a three-dimensional look at Earth's weather and climate. Working in tandem, the two instruments can make simultaneous observations all the way down to the Earth's surface, even in the presence of heavy clouds. With more than 2,000 channels sensing different regions of the atmosphere, the system creates a global, 3-D map of atmospheric temperature and humidity, cloud amounts and heights, greenhouse gas concentrations, and many other atmospheric phenomena. The AIRS and AMSU fly onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft and are managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, under contract to NASA. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
More information about AIRS can be found at airs.jpl.nasa.gov.
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Image Credit:
NASA/JPL/Earth Surface Science Group
Clancy leaping around me while taking a break from his crate in the truck this weekend.
Clancy and I spent the weekend at a tracking test, where I had the secretary's job. As we moved around a lot, he sent most of each day in his crate in the truck. When we had free time, I would take him out and play with him to let him get some exercise and enjoy the cold weather. At one time I had my camera and did several bursts of shots to see what I might get of Mr Goofy jumping around!! I put together a collage of his goofiness.
Global carbon monoxide measurements from NASA's Atmospheric Infrared Sounder are important because scientists can monitor the transport of fire emissions around the globe on a daily basis. Previously, carbon monoxide measurements came from satellite instruments that saw only part of the Earth each day or from weather balloons. Prior to AIRS, scientists had to integrate those observations with computer models to infer the day-to-day impact of fire emissions on the atmosphere. AIRS provides daily, global coverage. AIRS also measures some of the key atmospheric gases that affect climate, including ozone, methane, and dust and other aerosols.
Tropospheric carbon monoxide abundances are retrieved from the 4.67 m region of AIRS spectra as one of the last steps of the AIRS team algorithm. AIRS' 1600 km cross-track swath and cloud-clearing retrieval capabilities provide daily global carbon monoxide maps over approximately 70% of the Earth.
The streak of red, orange, and yellow across South America, Africa, and the Atlantic Ocean in this animation points to high levels of carbon monoxide, as measured by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument flying on NASA's Aqua satellite. The carbon monoxide primarily comes from fires burning in the Amazon basin, with some additional contribution from fires in southern Africa.
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About AIRS
The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder, AIRS, in conjunction with the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit, AMSU, sense emitted infrared and microwave radiation from the Earth to provide a three-dimensional look at Earth's weather and climate. Working in tandem, the two instruments make simultaneous observations all the way down to the Earth's surface, even in the presence of heavy clouds. With more than 2,000 channels sensing different regions of the atmosphere, the system creates a global, 3-dimensional map of atmospheric temperature and humidity, cloud amounts and heights, greenhouse gas concentrations, and many other atmospheric phenomena. The AIRS and AMSU fly onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft and are managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, under contract to NASA. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
Credit
NASA/JPL AIRS Project
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio
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Resources
Additional formats and stills ›
"Following the Carbon Monoxide Trail" ›
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder web site ›
How to get AIRS data