1998 EARTH SCIENCE VIDEOTAPES |
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Tape Title | Record ID | Date Produced | TRT: |
Synopsis |
| TRMM ONE YEAR OF DRAMATIC OBSERVATIONS | G98-055 | 11/24/98 | 00:20:09 | The world's first space mission, dedicated to observing and understanding tropical rainfall, successfully has completed the first year of continuous data gathering. Launched last Thanksgiving, the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), spacecraft continues to provide exciting new insight into tropical cloud systems.
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TAPE CONTENTS: |
| ITEM (1a): HURRICANE CAT SCANS - The world's only spaceborne rain radar allowed scientists to create 3-D views of precipitation and height of the rain column inside some of this season's powerful hurricanes. Red color indicates rain rates in excess of 2 inches per hour. Sequence of Hurricane Mitch (10/27/98), Hurricane Georges (9/27/98), and Hurricane Earl (9/2/98).
ITEM (1b): HURRICANE BONNIE - Unexpected phenomena observed by TRMM were the massive tall chimney clouds in Hurricane Bonnie. While monitoring the progress of one of this years most dramatic hurricanes, researchers obtained compelling images of Hurricane Bonnie showing a (cumulonimbus) storm cloud, towering like a sky scraper, 59,000 feet (18 kilometers) into the sky from the eyewall. This new view of "hot towers" in hurricanes could help forecasters predict intensity earlier, and identify those storms that will go "super nova." Images from 8/22/98 and 8/25/98.
ITEM (1c): MIRACLE SWATH - TRMM was able to capture this dramatic view of four storms (remnants of tropical storm Howard, Hurricane Isis, Hurricane Earl, Hurricane Danielle) in a single pass on September 2, 1998.
ITEM (1d): TROPICAL STORM SUSAN - First animation shows the relative position of tropical cyclone Susan. The second scene is from TRMM's precipitation radar. Red colors indicate rain rates in excess of 2 inches per hour. Image recorded January 7, 1998.
ITEM (1e): LANDBASED STORM - OVER HOUSTON - First animation shows the relative position of a severe thunderstorm over Texas. The second scene was generated from TRMM's precipitation radar. A line of thunderstorms can be seen in the taller red areas. Red colors indicate rain rates in excess of 2 inches per hour. Scientists now have a powerful tool to study the key differences between land and ocean based storms. Image recorded February 10,1998.
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| ITEM (2): GLOBAL PRECIPITATION MAP - More than two-thirds of all precipitation occurs in the tropical regions near the equator. Scientists are using data from TRMM to generate rainfall maps that can help reduce uncertainties in the quantity of global rainfall by a factor of two. Scientists want to better understand rainfall patterns so they can improve global climate models.
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| ITEM (3): A BUDDING LA NINA - TRMM research team members successfully retrieved sea-surface temperature data from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). The temperature data allows scientists to obtain sea-surface temperatures even in cloudy conditions. Scientists used the data to study transition from El Nino to La Nina.
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| ITEM (4): NEW INSIGHTS IN LIGHTNING - TRMM's sensors provided direct observational evidence that faster and stronger convective updrafts over land, are contributing to the formation of "taller" continental storms with more lightning. Scientists long have theorized that convection is different over land than over the ocean. TRMM data shows the relative absence of lightning over the worlds tropical oceans. TRMM's sensors show that over 95% of all lightning occurs over land. Data shows lightning events from April and May, 1998.
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| ITEM (5): TRMM ANIMATION -The TRMM mission, a joint U.S.-Japanese mission, is the first Earth Science mission dedicated to studying tropical and subtropical rainfall. Tropical rainfall, that which falls within 35 degrees north and 35 degrees south of the equator, comprises more than two-thirds of global rainfall.
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| ITEM (6): WATER CYCLE -Animation showing sunlight being absorbed by the Ocean. Energy is used to evaporate water. Water vapor rises in atmosphere. Condensation releases energy into atmosphere. Water drops fall back to Earth. Rain cycle repeats itself.
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| ITEM (7): TRMM LAUNCH -TRMM was launched on Nov. 27, 1997, from the Japanese Space Center, Tanegashima, Japan, and has produced continuous data since Dec. 8, 1997.
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| ITEM (8): BUILDING TRMM - TRMM final preparations before launch in the clean room at the Goddard Space Flight Center.
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| ITEM (9): TRMM DATA ACQUISITION CENTER - Over 100 scientific groups in the US, Japan, and across the world are currently busy analyzing these and other early findings from TRMM in an overall effort to better understand the climate machine. In the US, the TRMM research is part of NASA's Earth Science Enterprise; a long-term research program designed to study the Earth's land, oceans, air, ice and life as a total system.
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| ITEM (10): INTERVIEW EXCERPT WITH MARSHALL SHEPARD, RESEARCH METEOROLOGIST, NASA'S GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER
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