For more information contact:

Kathryn Stofer
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, MD
(301) 286-5687

Wade Sisler
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, MD
(301) 286-6256

John Bluck
NASA Ames Research Center
Moffett Field, CA
(650) 604-5026 or 604-9000

Alan Buis
Jet Propulsion Lab
Pasadena, CA
(818) 354-0474

Producer: Kathryn Stofer and Michael Starobin

Caption for Image 1: Earth View

View of the Earth as seen by the Apollo 17 crew traveling toward the Moon. This translunar coast photograph extends from the Mediterranean Sea area to the Antarctica South polar ice cap. This is the first time the Apollo trajectory made it possible to photograph the South polar ice cap. Note the heavy cloud cover in the Southern Hemisphere. Almost the entire coastline of Africa is clearly visible. The Arabian Peninsula can be seen at the Northeastern edge of Africa. The large island off the coast of Africa is the Malagasy Republic. The Asian mainland is on the horizon toward the Northeast. CREDIT: NASA

Caption for Image 2: Artist's conception of Topex/Poseidon.

Caption for Image 3: Landsat image of the Ganges.

Caption for Image 4: This image from the SeaWiFS research team marks the first continuous record of surface chlorophyll concentration in the ocean. The power of these three years of collected data can be summed up by a single word: continuity. By taking three years of continuous data as a whole, experts have been able to map trends and anomalies in the global circulation of carbon to a degree of detail than has never been done before. It is a baseline measurement to by which all future measurements will be compared.

Caption for Image 5: These two images show exactly the same area, Kerguelen Island in the southern Indian Ocean. The image on the left was created using the best global topographic data set previously available, the U.S. Geological Survey's GTOPO30. In contrast, the much more detailed image on the right was generated with data from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, which collected enough measurements to map 80 percent of Earth's landmass at this level of precision.

Caption for Image 6: California mosaic from Shuttle Radar Topography Mission data

Caption for Image 7: Artist's concept of the Aqua satellite in orbit.

Caption for Image 8: AIRS captures Typhoon Ramasun on July 3, 2002

Caption for Image 9: Data gathered from AMSR-E onboard Aqua has delivered an impressive picture of the entire planet's sea surface temperature. Until now, few space based systems could resolve ocean temperature through clouds, often forcing experts to undertake complicated stitching techniques to get global pictures. Sea surface temperature is an important indicator for many complex geophysical processes.

Caption for Image 10: THE FIRST DAY IN THE LIFE OF AQUA MODIS - In its first day of operations, June 24, 2002, Aqua MODIS observed significant Earth events occurring all over the globe. As Super Typhoon Chataan was rapidly approaching Japan, there was severe flooding in southeast Texas and a vast, thick pall of smoke from Canadian wildfires blanketed almost the entire U.S. east coast. MODIS collected and beamed to Earth these images in very near real-time.

Caption for Image 11: These still images illustrate the distribution of active fires across the planet on 11 Oct 2001. Active fires detected by Terra's MODIS sensor are shown in red. Credit: NASA/MODIS Rapid Response Team/Scientific Visualization Studio

Caption for Image 12: On September 24, 2002, the Antarctic ozone hole split into two holes for the first time since satellite measurements have been taken. Dark blue indicates the hole, an area with at least 20% less ozone than normal.

Caption for Image 13: The Arctic Ozone "Hole" The blue colors in this sequence depict the depleted region of ozone over the North Pole that occurred in the winter of 2000. Though ozone "holes" appear each year over the South Pole, low levels of ozone only occasionally form over the northern polar regions during very cold winters. Scientists say the northern ozone hole may reappear for several consecutive years after a period of high volcanic activity. A northern ozone hole could be significant because more people live in Arctic regions than near the South Pole. The data for these images were collected by the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) satellite.

Caption for Image 14: Urban Heat Island
This animation shows an urban area with high concentrations of buildings, roads and other artificial surfaces. Such surfaces retain heat and lead to warmer surrounding temperatures, and create a phenomenon known as an urban heat-island. Credit: Susan Gonnelli Byrne, Goddard TV Animation, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Caption for Image 15: Iowa River after 1993 Midwest Flood
Aerial view of the Iowa River in eastern Iowa after floodwaters had receded (Sept. 1993). The sediment deposition clearly denotes the maximum extent of floodwater inundation. Note the amount of water left behind in the low-lying areas.

Along with direct damage from floods, which are extreme events with localized effects, crop damage from excess soil moisture associated with heavy rainfall tends to be longer lasting and wider spread. Too much water in the soil drowns roots and prevents them from growing, increases the risk of plant diseases and insect infestation, and can delay planting and harvesting by making it hard to operate machinery on wet land. Credit: USGS

Caption for Image 16: Red Cross medical teams use boats to reach flood victims cut off by deep water in Huang Peng township, Anhui Province. CREDIT: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

Caption for Image 17: This is a photograph of a series of mature thunderstorms located near the Parana River in southern Brazil, in February 1984, as seen by NASA's space shuttle. In southern Brazil, warm temperatures and moisture-laden air make large thunderstorms commonplace. CREDIT: NASA Image # STS41B-041-2347

Caption for Image 18: A 3-D VIEW OF ERIN'S HOT EYE
This is a 3-dimensional view of Hurricane Erin's eye. The eye itself is a "hole" of descending air which is in the middle of this image that resembles a mountain. The outer part shown here are the clouds that surround the eye (called the eyewall), which contain the warmest air in the storm.

Sensors (dropsondes) dropped from NASA's ER-2 aircraft provided data that showed the warmest portion around Hurricane Erin's eye, depicted in red. The green color represents the spiraled pattern of rainfall in the eyewall as shown by the Tropical Measuring Mission Satellite (TRMM).

Hurricane Erin's eye was very warm from the ocean to the top of the lower atmosphere at around 10 miles altitude. The warmest part of Erin’s eye was almost 21 degrees (Fahrenheit) warmer than the surrounding air, a dramatic difference from the air around it. Above 7.5 miles high, the eye’s temperature dropped quickly to the same temperature as the air outside the eye.

Caption for Image 19: Map of U.S. showing cases of WNV in humans, 1999-2002.

West Nile Virus first appeared in the Western Hemisphere in New York during the summer of 1999, after milder than normal weather allowed mosquito larvae to survive the winter. Since then, the virus has infected humans in 34 states, the District of Columbia, and parts of Canada. The colors in this map represent states where humans were infected, moving westward each year. Yellow = 1999, Gold = 2000, Orange = 2001, Red = 2002. Credit data source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC.

Caption for Image 20: After the calving, or "breaking off," of the B-15 iceberg in March of 2000, researchers used imagery from NASA's SeaWiFS (Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor) satellite and data from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program to see the effect that large icebergs have on phytoplankton (minute floating plants) blooms. The B-15 iceberg that broke off the Ross Ice Shelf and drifted into the southwestern Ross Sea was as large as the state of Connecticut (approximately 10,000 square kilometers or 3,900 square miles)

Caption for Image 21: Infrared image of coffee fields.

Caption for Image 22: This world map compares satellite data collected during the summer(July-September) between 1979 and 1986 and 1997 to 2000 and reflects the changes in phytoplankton concentrations over the last 20 years in the open ocean (away from the coast). Deep blues show the greatest loss of phytoplankton, yellow represents almost no change and browns, reds and oranges show phytoplankton increases. Black indicates that no data is available.

Unless otherwise noted, all images are credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

The Top Story Archive listing can be found by clicking on this link.

All stories found on a Top Story page or the front page of this site have been archived from most to least current on this page.

For a list of recent press releases, click here.

February 2003 - (date of web publication)

MYRIAD MILESTONES

	Animation 1 (34.6 MB) - Click on pic to download animation
	Click here for the text of the reporter's package

Apollo 17 Anniversary: Celebrating Thirty Years of Earth-Observing

	Image 1

December 7, 2002, marks the thirtieth birthday of one of the most breathtaking photographs ever taken. It was on this day in 1972 that NASA launched the sixth and final Apollo lunar-landing mission: Apollo 17. The legacy of Apollo 17 lives on through its crew, its scientific discoveries, and a single photograph taken during its magnificent journey. This snapshot has become one of the most widely recognized and requested photographs of all time. It represents not only a milestone in space exploration but also a giant stepping-stone in the quest to understand and protect our home planet.

Topex/Poseidon Turns Ten

	Image 2
	Credit: NASA JPL

On August 10, 1992, NASA and the French Space Agency launched a joint experiment to study ocean currents called Topex/Poseidon. Its precise radar altimeter measures sea surface topography to within 4 centimeters (less than 2 inches) over 90 percent of Earth's ice-free oceans. Designed to fly three to five years, the ten-year-old spacecraft has become the world's longest-running Earth-orbiting radar mission and still enriches oceanography and climate research.

Landsat Paints a Portrait of Our Changing Planet

	Image 3

Thanks to Landsat satellites, we now have a 30-year record of the Earth's surface. These satellites, along with documentation of our planet, provide valuable information that will help us understand and protect our home planet. Continuity of data with previous Landsat missions is a fundamental goal of the Landsat program. No other current or planned remote-sensing system, public or private, fills the role of Landsat in global change research or in civil and commercial applications. The thirty-years of data acquired by the Landsat satellites constitutes the longest continuous record of the Earth's continental surfaces.

Top 10 Earth Events Seen by SeaWiFS

	Image 4

Right now, tiny single-celled sea plants called phytoplankton produce almost half the oxygen you breathe. With the launch of the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) five years ago on board the Orbview 2 satellite, scientists have a new tool for studying how these plants interact with the world. Their discoveries will revolutionize our understanding of our planet.

Shuttle Radar Topography Mission Begins Release of Data

	Image 5
	Credit: NASA JPL

NASA and the National Imagery and Mapping Agency are beginning the release of international topography data collected from around the world by the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission. During a February 2000 flight on Space Shuttle Endeavour, the mission acquired high-resolution digital elevation measurements of 80 percent of Earth's landmass, where 95 percent of the world's population resides. These data will be used to create the world's most accurate and complete topographic map. The data have wide-ranging military and civilian applications: aviation safety, urban planning, disaster recovery, earthquake and volcano studies, and communications among others. The mission is a cooperative project between NASA, the National Imagery and Mapping Agency, and the German and Italian Space Agencies.

	Image 6
	Credit: NASA JPL

January Shuttle Radar Topography Mission

	Image 7

Afternoon Light: The Aqua Era Begins

Scientists and engineers call it "first light"-the first images from a newly activated spacecraft. Aqua launched May 4, 2002, a powerful Earth observing platform. Aqua's six advanced instruments will look at nterrelated geophysical properties of our home planet, with a particular emphasis on water.

Aqua's Instruments:

	Image 8
	Credit: NASA JPL

Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) - JPL

First Images from NASA's 'Thermometer in the Sky' Sizzle - The three sounding instruments, with visible, infrared and microwave detectors, provide a three-dimensional look at Earth's weather. Working in tandem, the three instruments can make simultaneous observations from space all the way to Earth's surface, even in the presence of heavy clouds.

	Image 9

AMSR-E

Using the AMSR-E (Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for the Earth Observing System) instrument, Aqua researchers have created a striking picture of the world's sea surface temperatures, an important characteristic in monitoring the status and changing conditions of our planet. The National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) manages the AMSR-E instrument.

	Image 10

MODIS

Roughly 438 miles above the Earth, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite opened its Earth-view door on June 24 and took its first look at our planet. This event, called "first light," marks a milestone in Earth observation, allowing scientists to conduct the most comprehensive daily examination of our planet by combining data from two MODIS instruments on sister satellites in Earth orbit. MODIS' twin flies aboard the Terra satellite.

FLAMES, FUMES, AND FLOODS

	Animation 2 (31.1 MB) - Click on pic to download animation
	Click here for the text of the reporter's package

Fire Towers in the Sky: New Maps Show Global Fire Portrait Over the Course of a Year

	Image 11

New satellite maps showing fire activity across the entire Earth for the past year provide a unique picture of seasonal and yearly fire activity. The maps represent a milestone in the use of satellite data for creating a long-term fire record that is crucial for understanding the impact of fire on life and climate. This video collection contains highlights from the new global maps and some of the most dramatic satellite pictures from the active 2002 U.S. fire season.

Seeing Double: Unusual Weather Splits 2002 Antarctic Ozone 'Hole'

	Image 12

For the first year on record, the Antarctic ozone 'hole' has split in two in September, due to abnormally active winter weather, NASA and NOAA scientists report. In addition to the early split, the 'hole' is the smallest since 1988 and ozone amounts have not dipped as low as recent years. The split and smaller hole do not signal a recovery of the ozone layer from yearly damage due to human-produced compounds like chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), but rather result from peculiar winter weather conditions in the stratosphere over Antarctica.

Northern Ozone 'Hole' May Form After Large Volcanic Eruptions

	Image 13

An ozone 'hole' could form over the northern polar regions after periods of high volcanic activity, according to the March 5, 2002 cover story of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. A northern ozone hole could be significant because more people live in regions potentially under a North Pole ozone hole than one over the South Pole. The ozone layer absorbs harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun, preventing them from reaching Earth.

Urban Heat Islands Increase Rainfall Around Cities

	Image 14

NASA researchers used a rainfall-measuring satellite to confirm that "urban heat-islands" create more summer rain over and downwind of major cities,. Scientists found that urban areas with high concentrations of buildings, roads and other artificial surfaces retain heat, leading to warmer surrounding temperatures and creating urban heat-islands. Increased heat may promote rising air and alter the weather around cities. Since a July 2002 United Nations study estimates that 80% of the world's population will live in cities by 2025, a better understanding of the impact of urban land use change on Earth's water cycle system is vital.

RAIN REACTION

	Animation 3 (29.2) - Click on pic to download animation
	Click here for the text of the reporter's package

Climate Change Brings Extreme Rain and Crop Losses

	Image 15

In the U.S. Corn Belt, when it does rain, it often pours. Crops drown. Soggy fields delay harvests and plantings and increase the risks of plant diseases and insect infestation. Scientists tracking rainfall found that extreme rainfall events increased in the U.S. over the last century. A new study using climate and crop models predicts the frequency of extreme rain events may continue to increase. Scientists foresee doubling of crop damage due to excess soil moisture in US Corn Belt states over the next 30 years. This is the first climate impact study that takes a close look at how soil moisture impacts crop production.

Soot is Singled Out From the 'Asian Brown Cloud' For Intensifying Floods and Droughts in China and India

	Image 16

Research published in the September 27, 2002 issue of SCIENCE magazine highlights the 'Asian Brown Cloud' and singles out soot for intensifying floods and droughts in China and India. Industrial pollution, traffic, outdoor fires and household burning of coal and biomass fuels produce soot, also called black carbon, as a byproduct of low-temperature burning. Soot absorbs the Sun's energy thus heating the air. The heated air makes the atmosphere unstable, and as the air rises clouds begin to form, bringing rain to heavily polluted regions. At the same time, the air in the neighboring regions sinks to compensate. Since clouds can no longer form, these regions become drier, causing drought-like conditions.

Pollution's Effect on Stormy Skies

	Image 17

The effects of pollution may adversely affect thunderstorms that typically deliver much-needed rain during spring and summer, says one scientist. Using instruments like the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) and other NASA spacecraft, a researcher from Yale University found that pollutant aerosols impair the formation of large cumulonimbus clouds and may alter their subsequent ability to produce rain.

NASA Looks a Hurricane's Temperature in the Eye

	Image 18

The eye of a hurricane may be the calm of the storm, but it also houses the heat that fuels the strength of its fury. During the 2001 hurricane season, NASA researchers improved hurricane forecasting. by taking the temperature of the eye of Hurricane Erin. They found that the warmest portion around a hurricane's eye corresponds with falling pressure, causing winds to spiral inward at destructive speeds. The new data help scientists understand the inner workings of hurricanes at very high altitudes, where the secrets to storm intensity spin to life.

OUR CHANGING PLANET: OTHER TOP EARTH SCIENCE STORIES OF 2002

Remote Sensing Tracks West Nile Virus

	Image 19

NASA scientists are developing tools that may one day allow public health officials to better track and predict the spread of West Nile Virus. Scientists hope to better understand the seasonal migration of this emerging infectious disease in the United States. Mosquitoes transmit the virus from infected birds to other birds, animals, and humans. Variations in temperature and vegetation levels dictate where these mosquitoes and birds thrive, giving NASA scientists and health officials a method of early detection for possible disease outbreaks. Instruments aboard satellites deliver temperature and vegetation distribution data over time. Scientists then interpret seasonal variations in areas ripe for mosquitoes and West Nile Virus. Eventually, public health officials will combine satellite data with West Nile case data to form detailed risk maps and databases for distinct regions of the U.S. Public health officials will be able to use these maps to help prepare them for virus detection and prevention before the peak season occurs.

Massive Icebergs May Affect Antarctic Sea Life and Food Chain

	Image 20

Large icebergs that have broken off from Antarctica's Ross Ice Shelf caused a 40 percent reduction in the magnitude of the 2000-2001 plankton bloom in one of Antarctica's most biologically productive areas. The B-15 iceberg broke off the Ross Ice Shelf and drifted into the southwestern Ross Sea. As large as the state of Connecticut (about 10,000 square kilometers or 3,861 square miles), B-15 impeded normal ice flow in the Ross Sea, altering wind and current patterns. The resulting ice jam greatly reduced the area of open water available for phytoplankton reproduction. This NASA-funded research using satellite data is the first study of the ecological impact of icebergs.

NASA Scans Coffee Plantations From Above to Help Growers

	Image 21
	Credit: Clark University, Worcester, MA, Prfo. Stanley Herwitz. For photo usage guidelines for this image, click here.

Researchers from NASA Ames Research Center and Clark University, Worcester, Mass., tested the commercial use of a solar-powered ninhabited aerial vehicle (UAV) in agriculture. Pathfinder Plus, an environmentally-friendly remotely-piloted aircraft, flew over Kauai Coffee Plantation in Hawaii like a mobile satellite, equipped with cameras designed for Earth resource monitoring. The craft's long-duration flights can be used for agriculture management and disaster relief by providing near-real-time high-resolution imagery.

Global Phytoplankton Decline

	Image 22

The lowest step in the ocean food chain is shrinking. Scientists at NASA and NOAA say phytoplankton concentrations in the ocean declined by 6 percent since the early 1980s). Warmer ocean temperatures and low winds may be depriving the tiny ocean plants of necessary nutrients.

The Official Reproduction Guidelines
for Use of NASA Images and Emblems

This multimedia project is the work of a dedicated team of researchers, animators, and media specialists. A detailed companion video to this web site is available from NASA-TV. Below are a list of agencies, departments, and researchers who provided expertise and data for this production:

NASA - Goddard Space Flight Center
Scientific Visualization Studio
Television Production NASA-TV/GSFC
GSFC Studio 1

Back to Top