1
00:00:00,380 --> 00:00:04,390
[ Reporter ] NASA is unveiling a new global portrait of rain and snow.

2
00:00:04,410 --> 00:00:08,980
Here to show us this portrait and tell us a little about it is Dr. Eric Brown de Colstoun.

3
00:00:09,000 --> 00:00:09,980
Thanks for joining us.

4
00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:13,320
[ Dr. Brown de Colstoun ] Thanks for having me.

5
00:00:13,340 --> 00:00:15,290
[ Reporter ] This global view is very compelling.

6
00:00:15,310 --> 00:00:18,210
What makes this map so special?

7
00:00:18,230 --> 00:00:25,270
[ Dr. Brown de Colstoun ] First of all, we don't have a full global picture all the time,

8
00:00:25,290 --> 00:00:28,220
so the data from this joint Japan/US mission,

9
00:00:28,240 --> 00:00:31,290
called the Global Precipitation Measurement Mission,

10
00:00:31,310 --> 00:00:34,730
gives us, really, a global picture from pole to pole

11
00:00:34,750 --> 00:00:36,730
of precipitation every 30 minutes,

12
00:00:36,750 --> 00:00:43,680
and about at the size of about 6 miles across.

13
00:00:43,700 --> 00:00:48,650
So what we're seeing is intense storms across ...

14
00:00:48,670 --> 00:00:53,430
all the way from the eastern Pacific all the way to the southern Atlantic.

15
00:00:53,450 --> 00:00:56,720
[ Reporter ] Can you take us on a tour and show us some of the surprising things you've seen?

16
00:00:56,740 --> 00:00:58,880
[ Dr Brown de Colstoun ] Sure ... sure.

17
00:00:58,900 --> 00:01:02,280
So one of things that we have here is, I think,

18
00:01:02,300 --> 00:01:09,300
a clip of several events in one week in August, so it was a busy time on Earth.

19
00:01:09,320 --> 00:01:14,320
And so you see here, actually, Hurricane Iselle and Tropical Storm Julio

20
00:01:14,340 --> 00:01:17,980
going through Hawaii - it was the first storm to hit Hawaii in 22 years.

21
00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:21,990
You also see what we call this "popcorn" precipitation and clouds

22
00:01:22,010 --> 00:01:24,220
over the Amazon river basin.

23
00:01:24,240 --> 00:01:31,370
And obviously all that rainfall falls into the Amazon and feeds the tropical forest.

24
00:01:31,390 --> 00:01:35,550
You see all these big storm tracks through the southern ocean.

25
00:01:35,570 --> 00:01:40,670
Where you actually see in blue, you see the snow and ice on the top of the clouds.

26
00:01:40,690 --> 00:01:45,720
And then the red and greens are the rainfall.

27
00:01:45,740 --> 00:01:48,750
[ Reporter ] This is the first satellite designed to measure falling snow.

28
00:01:48,770 --> 00:01:51,800
Show us a recent snowstorm.

29
00:01:51,820 --> 00:01:54,850
[ Dr. Brown de Colstoun ] A recent snowstorm.

30
00:01:54,870 --> 00:01:58,960
On the east coast of the US we have a couple examples that we can show you.

31
00:01:58,980 --> 00:02:04,690
So, I think what's interesting here is we can actually see this sort of CAT scan

32
00:02:04,710 --> 00:02:07,120
or three dimensional structure of the storm

33
00:02:07,140 --> 00:02:11,170
which I think is really exciting as well, and scientists do.

34
00:02:11,190 --> 00:02:15,180
What you see is the top of the clouds are blue and purple

35
00:02:15,200 --> 00:02:19,260
which is ice or snow, and then at the bottom is the rain.

36
00:02:19,280 --> 00:02:23,400
Again, the reds and purples are stronger precipitations.

37
00:02:23,420 --> 00:02:28,430
This is a storm in February of this year in the eastern US.

38
00:02:28,450 --> 00:02:31,540
And the other part, as well, is we can track the snow

39
00:02:31,560 --> 00:02:34,580
all the way from top of the atmosphere all the way to the ground.

40
00:02:34,600 --> 00:02:38,730
And so you get this really, pretty cool three dimensional picture

41
00:02:38,750 --> 00:02:42,760
of every storm everywhere on Earth.

42
00:02:42,780 --> 00:02:46,850
[ Reporter ] How will forecasters and emergency managers use this map?

43
00:02:46,870 --> 00:02:51,040
[ Dr. Brown de Colstoun ] This is kind of the step in technology.

44
00:02:51,060 --> 00:02:55,080
We're now able to see the whole globe every 30 minutes

45
00:02:55,100 --> 00:03:00,270
so that's critical for all kinds of forecasts, not only for weather forecasting

46
00:03:00,290 --> 00:03:02,290
and climate forecasting as well.

47
00:03:02,310 --> 00:03:05,490
Here you have an example of Typhoon Haiyan,

48
00:03:05,510 --> 00:03:09,550
Super Typhoon Haiyan hitting Japan.

49
00:03:09,570 --> 00:03:12,630
When we're looking at the accumulation of rainfall,

50
00:03:12,650 --> 00:03:15,700
not only over the oceans, but over land,

51
00:03:15,720 --> 00:03:19,810
obviously you can see the applications for first responders

52
00:03:19,830 --> 00:03:22,830
to know where the areas of flooding could occur,

53
00:03:22,850 --> 00:03:29,020
but any number of different applications for emergency responders.

54
00:03:29,040 --> 00:03:30,560
[ Reporter ] Thanks so much for joining us.

55
00:03:30,580 --> 00:03:36,363
[ Dr. Brown de Colstoun ] Thank you.