Month: May 2013

This article from IEEE  talks about how satellite data can predict agricultural output and famine.  Terra plays a large role in measuring the National Data Vegetation Index (NDVI), which is measured using spectral bands 1 and 2 (infrared to visible light) of the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer. NDVI compares the amount of light reflected in near-infrared with that reflected in visible light; if there is more infrared, the vegetation in that spot is likely to be dense and thus yield more of the crop.” Armed with this information and data from other satellites researchers are able to get a better picture of how the worlds crops are faring.  Read more

For the third time this century, Alaska’s Pavlof Volcano is erupting. The Alaska Volcano Observatory first detected earthquakes associated with the movement of magma and heat at Pavlof’s summit on May 13, 2013. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite captured this image of a small ash plume and lava flow on the morning of May 14. Read more

When the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument on NASA’s Terra satellite passed over northern Minnesota on May 12, 2013, spring had transformed winter’s snowy white landscape into shades of green and brown. But several lakes remained stubbornly white. In 2013, unseasonably cool spring weather has left ice choking many of Minnesota’s lakes weeks longer than usual. Read more

NASA has selected the winners of NASA’s educational “REEL Science Communications” video contest. The three winning videos were created by students in New Jersey, North Carolina and California. There were also six videos chosen as runners-up.

The three winning videos were “All About Ozone,” produced by Michelle Goffreda and Ananya Joshi of Lincroft, N.J.; “Hurricanes,” by Erik Borchers and Will Reiss of Raleigh, N.C.; and “Ship Tracks,” by Michelle Ko of Pasadena, Calif. Read more