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Climate Variability and Change

Posted on by Tassia Owen Posted in News and Events

NASA Earth Observatory images by Jesse Allen, using MODIS data from the Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (LPDAAC). Caption by Michael Carlowicz.

For many residents of North America, the winter of 2013-14 has felt like one of the coldest in many years. Waves of Arctic air brought extended periods of cold weather and above-average snowfall to the middle and eastern portions of the United States and Canada. Seven Midwestern states had one of their top-ten coldest winters, and the Great Lakes were chilled until they reached nearly 91 percent ice cover. Even portions of Mexico and Central America were cooler than normal. Read More

NASA Earth Observatory images by Jesse Allen, using MODIS data from the Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (LPDAAC). Caption by Michael Carlowicz.

Posted on by Tassia Owen Posted in News and Events

NASA Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen, using data from the Land Atmosphere Near real-time Capability for EOS (LANCE). Caption by Adam Voiland.

Soggy winters are not unusual in the United Kingdom, but this winter has been in a category of its own. UK Met Office meteorologists had just declared January 2014 the wettest month on record for parts of southern Britain when another series of storms swept across the area in early February.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this image of an extratropical cyclone bearing down on the United Kingdom on February 12, 2014. Mature extratropical cyclones often feature comma-shaped cloud patterns that are the product of “conveyor belt” circulation. While heavy precipitation is often present near the low-pressure head of the comma, a slot of dry air usually trails the west side of the tail. Read more

NASA Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen, using data from the Land Atmosphere Near real-time Capability for EOS (LANCE). Caption by Adam Voiland.

Posted on by Tassia Owen Posted in News and Events

NASA Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided by Inbal Reshef, Global Agricultural Monitoring Project. Caption by Mike Carlowicz.

Persistent dry weather has grown more worrisome in the American West, with nearly two thirds of the region experiencing some level of drought. By most measures, the state of California is suffering through the worst of it. The effects of the dry spell are visible in the mountains, where snow pack is lacking, and now in the vegetation cover on the landscape. Nearly all of California was in a state of extreme drought at the end of January 2014. The past three months (November to January), six months (since August) and twelve months were all the driest periods in California since record-keeping started in 1885. From February 1, 2013, through January 31, 2014, a statewide average of 6.97 inches (177.04 millimeters) of rain fell; the norm is 22.51 inches (571.75 millimeters). The map above shows the impact of drought on California’s farms, forests, and wild lands. Based on data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites, the map contrasts plant health from January 17 to February 1, 2014, against average conditions for the same period over the past decade. Read more

NASA Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided by Inbal Reshef, Global Agricultural Monitoring Project. Caption by Mike Carlowicz.

Posted on by Tassia Owen Posted in News and Events

ASTER satellite image of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games Coastal Cluster, the site for arena sports and the opening and closing ceremonies. Image credit: NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team

If Satellites won gold metals, Terra may win for most striking view of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi Russia. Using the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emissions and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) the mountains of the Rosa Khutar ski resort near Sochi, Russia. Snow is shown as white, while vegetation is red and buildings are gray. At the bottom of the image the Black Sea appears black. read more from JPL news

ASTER satellite image of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games Coastal Cluster, the site for arena sports and the opening and closing ceremonies. Image credit: NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team

Or see what these other news sources had to say:
Washington Post

Science World Report

Guardian

Space Coast Daily

Wall Street Journal

Posted on by Tassia Owen Posted in News and Events

NASA Earth Observatory images by Jesse Allen and Jeff Schmatltz, using data from the Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (LPDAAC) and the LANCE/EOSDIS Rapid Response. Caption by Adam Voiland.

While much of the continental United States endured several cold snaps in January 2014, record-breaking warmth gripped Alaska. Spring-like conditions set rivers rising and avalanches tumbling.

This map depicts land surface temperature anomalies in Alaska for January 23-30, 2014. Based on data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite, the map shows how 2014 temperatures compared to the 2001-2010 average for the same week. Areas with warmer than average temperatures are shown in red; near-normal temperatures are white; and areas that were cooler than the base period are blue. Gray indicates oceans or areas where clouds blocked the satellite from collecting usable data. Read more

NASA Earth Observatory images by Jesse Allen and Jeff Schmatltz, using data from the Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (LPDAAC) and the LANCE/EOSDIS Rapid Response. Caption by Adam Voiland.