Earth ID: 30465

Analyzing Superstorm Sandy

Released on October 30, 2013

A rare convergence of environmental conditions during Hurricane Sandy’s lifecycle led to a storm of unforgettable destruction—hence its nickname, Superstorm Sandy. Scientists can analyze the structure and lifecycle of severe storms like Sandy using weather prediction models and incorporate what they learn into newer models, which hopefully result in even more accurate hurricane forecasts in the future. Scientists at NASA used the Goddard Earth Observing System Model, Version 5 (GEOS-5) to simulate surface wind speeds across the Atlantic during Sandy’s lifecycle. The large image above shows surface wind speeds on October 29, 2012, as simulated by the GEOS-5 at 7-kilometer (~4.3-mile) resolution just before the storm made landfall near Atlantic City, New Jersey. Wind speeds range from approximately 10 miles per hour (15 kilometers per hour), shown as dark blue, to 80 miles per hour (130 kilometers per hour), shown as very light purple. In the days following landfall, the remnants of Sandy moved inland over Northern New England and Canada before finally dissipating. The three smaller images show how GEOS-5 simulations of sea level pressure [left], surface wind speeds [center], and accumulated rainfall amounts [right] from October 26, 2012 to October 31, 2012, compare to observations from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Hurricane Center.

Used in 2014 Calendar.

For More Information

http://eospso.gsfc.nasa.gov/publications/25

http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/goto?30019

Credits

Mark Malanoski (GST): Project Support
Heather Hanson (GST): Writer

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Scientific Visualization Studio

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https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/30465

Data Used:

GEOS Atmospheric Model

Model - NASA GMAO

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Note: While we identify the data sets used in these visualizations, we do not store any further details nor the data sets themselves on our site.

This item is part of this series:
SMD 2014 Calendar images

Keywords:
DLESE >> Atmospheric science
DLESE >> Natural hazards
GCMD >> Earth Science >> Atmosphere >> Atmospheric Phenomena >> Hurricanes
GCMD >> Earth Science >> Atmosphere >> Atmospheric Winds >> Surface Winds
SVS >> Hyperwall
SVS >> GEOS
NASA Science >> Earth

GCMD keywords can be found on the Internet with the following citation: Olsen, L.M., G. Major, K. Shein, J. Scialdone, S. Ritz, T. Stevens, M. Morahan, A. Aleman, R. Vogel, S. Leicester, H. Weir, M. Meaux, S. Grebas, C.Solomon, M. Holland, T. Northcutt, R. A. Restrepo, R. Bilodeau, 2013. NASA/Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Earth Science Keywords. Version 8.0.0.0.0