A New Multi-dimensional View of a Hurricane
- Visualizations by:
- Alex Kekesi
- Written by:
- George Huffman and
- Ryan Fitzgibbons
- Edited by:
- Ryan Fitzgibbons
- Scientific consulting by:
- George Huffman
- Produced by:
- Ryan Fitzgibbons
- View full credits
Movies
- 12635_Hurricane_Matthew_facebook_720.mp4 (1280x720) [271.2 MB]
- 12635_Hurricane_Matthew_prores_youtube_720.mp4 (1280x720) [362.8 MB]
- 12635_Hurricane_Matthew_twitter_720.mp4 (1280x720) [49.8 MB]
- 12635_Hurricane_Matthew_prores.mov (1920x1080) [3.0 GB]
- 12635_Hurricane_Matthew.mp4 (1920x1080) [236.9 MB]
- 12635_Hurricane_Matthew_prores.webm (1920x1080) [25.4 MB]
- 12635_Hurricane_Matthew_youtube_1080.mp4 (1920x1080) [362.9 MB]
Captions
- 12635_Hurricane_Matthew.en_US.srt [4.1 KB]
- 12635_Hurricane_Matthew.en_US.vtt [4.1 KB]
Images
- Matthew_screengrab_print.jpg (1024x574) [158.4 KB]
- Matthew_screengrab_thm.png (80x40) [8.1 KB]
- Matthew_screengrab_searchweb.png (320x180) [114.3 KB]
Music: "Buoys," Donn Wilkerson, Killer Tracks; "Late Night Drive," Donn Wilkerson, Killer Tracks.
Complete transcript available.
Credits
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Visualizers
- Alex Kekesi (GST) [Lead]
- Horace Mitchell (NASA/GSFC)
Writers
- George Huffman (NASA/GSFC) [Lead]
- Ryan Fitzgibbons (KBRwyle) [Lead]
Editor
- Ryan Fitzgibbons (KBRwyle) [Lead]
Scientists
- George Huffman (NASA/GSFC) [Lead]
- Dalia B Kirschbaum (NASA/GSFC)
Producer
- Ryan Fitzgibbons (KBRwyle) [Lead]
Narrator
- Ryan Fitzgibbons (KBRwyle) [Lead]
Technical support
- Greg Shirah (NASA/GSFC)
Missions
This visualization is related to the following missions:Series
This visualization can be found in the following series:Related pages
Intense String of Hurricanes Seen From Space
Oct. 4th, 2017
Read moreWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available.Music credits: 'Micro Currents' by Jean-Patrick Voindrot [SACEM], 'Sink Deep' by Andrew Michael Britton [PRS], David Stephen Goldsmith [PRS], Mikey Rowe [PRS] from Killer Tracks. Rapid intensification is the hardest aspect of a storm to forecast and it can be most critical to people's lives. This GIF is optimized for posting on Twitter. Rapidly intensifying storms typically occur up to twice in a hurricane season. But in 2017, we have seen four storms rapidly intensify and scientists attribute this to warmer ocean waters and favorable winds. This GIF is optimized for posting on Twitter. In 2017, we have seen four Atlantic storms rapidly intensify with three of those storms - Hurricane Harvey, Irma and Maria - making landfall. When hurricanes intensify a large amount in a short period, scientists call this process rapid intensification. This is the hardest aspect of a storm to forecast and it can be most critical to people’s lives.While any hurricane can threaten lives and cause damage with storm surges, floods, and extreme winds, a rapidly intensifying hurricane can greatly increase these risks while giving populations limited time to prepare and evacuate. For More InformationSee [https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hurricanes/main/index.html](https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hurricanes/main/index.html) Related pages
Flying Over Hurricanes For New NASA Mission
July 25th, 2017
Read moreMusic credit: 'Cellular Signals' by Laurent Levesque [SACEM] from Killer TracksComplete transcript available.Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel. NASA scientists are investigating key questions about hurricanes in a new mission from the skies. This August, the East Pacific Origins and Characteristics of Hurricanes, or EPOCH, mission will fly over East Pacific storms to better understand how they form and intensify. EPOCH will conduct up to six 24-hour science flights using the Global Hawk unmanned aircraft. Three of the flights are being supported through a partnership with the NOAA UAS Program. Data will be collected using three instruments (EXRAD, HAMSR, and AVAPS) aboard the aircraft that will map out the 3-D patterns of temperature, pressure, humidity, precipitation, and wind speed - key factors that influence hurricane behavior. NASA scientists use a combination of ground, modeled, and satellite data to re-create multi-dimensional pictures of hurricanes and other major storms in order to study complex atmospheric interactions. For More InformationSee [https://atmospheres.gsfc.nasa.gov/meso/index.php?section=260](https://atmospheres.gsfc.nasa.gov/meso/index.php?section=260) Related pages
GPM Sees Hurricane Matthew's Life Cycle
Oct. 17th, 2016
Read moreMusic: "New Lands" by Mark Russell, Atmosphere Music Ltd.Additional footage: Nelson Aerial ProductionsComplete transcript available. Hurricane Matthew dropped a lot of rain, caused flooding and deaths in the state of North Carolina. Flooding is still widespread in North Carolina. Some rivers in North Carolina such as the Tar and the Neuse Rivers were still rising on Oct. 12.At NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland a rainfall analysis was accomplished using data from NASA's Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for GPM (IMERG). The GPM or Global Precipitation Measurement mission is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA.This rainfall analysis was created using IMERG real time data covering the period from Sept. 28 through Oct. 10, 2016. The totals included some rain from a low pressure area that moved through the area near the end of September.Hurricane Matthew’s interaction with a frontal boundary caused extreme rainfall in North Carolina resulting in over 20 inches (508 mm) of rain being reported in North Carolina. The area was already saturated before Hurricane Matthew arrived. Heavy rainfall from a slow moving low and frontal system moved through during the last week of September. Maximum rainfall total estimates for the real-time IMERG product have been adjusted to reflect observed values. Related pages
NASA Studies Hurricane Matthew
July 30th, 2017
Read moreThis data visualization follows Hurricane Matthew throughout its destructive run in the Caribbean and Southeast U.S. coast. By utilizing different data sets from NOAA's GOES satellite, NASA/JAXA's GPM, MERRA-2 model runs, IMERG, Goddard's soil moisture product, and sea surface temperatures, scientists are able to put together a clearer picture of how this hurricane quickly intensified and eventually weakened. Animated time stamp to accompany data visualization of Hurricane Matthew. This is provided for video editors who would like to include accurate date and time information while showing the Hurricane Matthew visualization. Wind height colorbar. Color bar for frozen precipitation rates (ie, snow rates). Shades of cyan represent low amounts of frozen precipitation, whereas shades of purple represent high amounts of precipitation. Color bar for liquid precipitation rates (ie, rain rates). Shades of green represent low amounts of liquid precipitation, whereas shades of red represent high amounts of precipitation. Sea Surface Temperature Colorbar. Soil Moisture Anomaly Colorbar. Hurricane Matthew was the first Category 5 Atlantic hurricane in almost ten years. Its torrential rains and winds caused significant damage and loss of life as it coursed through the Caribbean and up along the southeastern U.S. coast. Researchers use a combination of satellite observations to re-create a multi-dimensional picture of the hurricane in order to study the complex atmospheric interactions. Related pages
GPM Monitors Hurricane Matthew Flooding the Carolinas
Oct. 11th, 2016
Read moreThis data visualization resumes where the visualization "GPM Captures Hurricane Matthew Nearing Florida" leaves off. In this animation Hurricane Matthew travels up the east coast from Florida to the Carolinas. On October 8, 2016 Matthew (still a category 2 hurricane) dumps massive amounts of rain throughout the southeast dousing North and South Carolina. GPM then flies over the area revealing precipitation rates on the ground. As we zoom in closer, GPM's DPR sensor reveals a curtain of 3D rain rates within the massive weather system. This visualization is the same as above except without colorbars and dates overlayed. (Useful for broadcasters who wish to organize the annotation layout differently.) Color bar for frozen precipitation rates (ie, snow rates). Shades of cyan represent low amounts of frozen precipitation, whereas shades of purple represent high amounts of precipitation. Color bar for liquid precipitation rates (ie, rain rates). Shades of green represent low amounts of liquid precipitation, whereas shades of red represent high amounts of precipitation. NASA's Global Precipitation Measurement mission or GPM core observatory satellite flew over Hurricane Matthew as the category 2 hurricane drenched North and South Carolina with record-breaking rainfall on October 8, 2016 resulting in historical flooding throughout the Carolinas.The GPM Core Observatory carries two instruments that show the location and intensity of rain and snow, which defines a crucial part of the storm structure – and how it will behave. The GPM Microwave Imager sees through the tops of clouds to observe how much and where precipitation occurs, and the Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar observes precise details of precipitation in 3-dimensions.GPM data is part of the toolbox of satellite data used by forecasters and scientists to understand how storms behave. GPM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Current and future data sets are available with free registration to users from NASA Goddard's Precipitation Processing Center website. Related pages
GPM Monitors Hurricane Matthew Nearing Florida
Oct. 6th, 2016
Read moreThis data visualization resumes where the visualization "GPM Captures Hurricane Matthew Over Haiti" leaves off. After dissolving away GPM's DPR and GPROF data over Haiti on October 3rd, 2016, we follow Matthew to October 4th as the eye makes landfall over Haiti. GPM's GPROF sweeps in to show the tremendous amounts of rainfall throughout Haiti. We then move forward in time to October 6th as Matthew approaches Florida. Another GPM GPROF swath shows how close the outer bands of precipitation are to the Florida coast. Finally, we move a little further into the same day revealing the massive amounts of rainfall being produced by this storm as it begins to impact Florida. This visualization is the same as above except without colorbars and dates overlayed. (Useful for broadcasters who wish to organize the annotation layout differently.) Color bar for frozen precipitation rates (ie, snow rates). Shades of cyan represent low amounts of frozen precipitation, whereas shades of purple represent high amounts of precipitation. Color bar for liquid precipitation rates (ie, rain rates). Shades of green represent low amounts of liquid precipitation, whereas shades of red represent high amounts of precipitation. NASA's Global Precipitation Measurement mission or GPM core observatory satellite flew over Hurricane Matthew several times as the category 4 storm headed toward Florida.The GPM Core Observatory carries two instruments that show the location and intensity of rain and snow, which defines a crucial part of the storm structure – and how it will behave. The GPM Microwave Imager sees through the tops of clouds to observe how much and where precipitation occurs, and the Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar observes precise details of precipitation in 3-dimensions.GPM data is part of the toolbox of satellite data used by forecasters and scientists to understand how storms behave. GPM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Current and future data sets are available with free registration to users from NASA Goddard's Precipitation Processing Center website. Related pages
GPM Captures Hurricane Matthew Over Haiti
Oct. 6th, 2016
Read moreThis animation starts with an overview of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. As the camera slowly pushes in, Hurricane Matthew begins to form. By the morning of October 2nd, 2016 Matthew is a Category 4 Hurricane immediately south of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Time then slows down to see GPM's GPROF swath reveal ground precipitation from the hurricane. Now, with the camera closer in the view rotates to reveal a curtain of 3-dimensional radar data from GPM's DPR instrument. DPR shows the 3-D structure of the hurricane's precipitation rates. Areas in blue and purple are frozen precipitation, whereas areas in greens and reds are liquid precipitation. The data for October 2nd then fades away and the hurricane advances to October 3rd, stopping over Haiti. A new satellite pass of GPM GPROF ground precipitation is revealed, followed by a new curtain of 3-D DPR data. This visualization is the same as above except without colorbars and dates overlayed. (Useful for broadcasters who wish to organize the annotation layout differently.) Color bar for frozen precipitation rates (ie, snow rates). Shades of cyan represent low amounts of frozen precipitation, whereas shades of purple represent high amounts of precipitation. Color bar for liquid precipitation rates (ie, rain rates). Shades of green represent low amounts of liquid precipitation, whereas shades of red represent high amounts of precipitation. On October 2nd and 3rd, 2016 NASA's Global Precipitation Measurement mission or GPM core observatory satellite flew over Hurricane Matthew. The first pass shows Matthew immediately after it became a category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 150 mph on October 2nd, 2016. The second pass shows it over Haiti on October 3rd as it buffets Haiti with sustained winds of 140 mph.The GPM Core Observatory carries two instruments that show the location and intensity of rain and snow, which defines a crucial part of the storm structure – and how it will behave. The GPM Microwave Imager sees through the tops of clouds to observe how much and where precipitation occurs, and the Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar observes precise details of precipitation in 3-dimensions.GPM data is part of the toolbox of satellite data used by forecasters and scientists to understand how storms behave. GPM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Current and future data sets are available with free registration to users from NASA Goddard's Precipitation Processing Center website. Related pages
GPM Captures Hurricane Matthew Before Haiti Landfall
Oct. 4th, 2016
Read moreThis animation starts with an overview of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. As the camera slowly pushes in, Hurricane Matthew begins to form. By the morning of October 2nd, 2016 Matthew is a Category 4 Hurricane immediately south of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Time then slows down to see GPM's GPROF swath reveal ground precipitation from the hurricane. Now, with the camera closer in the view rotates to reveal a curtain of 3-dimensional radar data from GPM's DPR instrument. DPR shows us the 3-D structure of the hurricane's precipitation rates. Areas in blue and purple are frozen precipitation, whereas areas in greens and reds are liquid precipitation. Color bar for frozen precipitation rates (ie, snow rates). Shades of cyan represent low amounts of frozen precipitation, whereas shades of purple represent high amounts of precipitation. Color bar for liquid precipitation rates (ie, rain rates). Shades of green represent low amounts of liquid precipitation, whereas shades of red represent high amounts of precipitation. On October 2, 2016 at approximately 4:50 a.m. EST (0950 UTC), NASA's Global Precipitation Measurement mission or GPM core observatory satellite flew over Hurricane Matthew. At that time, Matthew had maximum sustained winds of 150 mph making it a strong category 4 hurricane.The GPM Core Observatory carries two instruments that show the location and intensity of rain and snow, which defines a crucial part of the storm structure – and how it will behave. The GPM Microwave Imager sees through the tops of clouds to observe how much and where precipitation occurs, and the Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar observes precise details of precipitation in 3-dimensions.GPM data is part of the toolbox of satellite data used by forecasters and scientists to understand how storms behave. GPM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Current and future data sets are available with free registration to users from NASA Goddard's Precipitation Processing Center website. Related pages
SVS Demo Reel
July 25th, 2019
Read moreThis is the SVS Demo Reel presented at SIGGRAPH 2019 in Los Angeles, CA. Related pages
NASA Has Eyes On The Atlantic Hurricane Season
June 3rd, 2019
Read moreComplete transcript available.Music credits: “Northern Breeze” by Denis Levaillant [SACEM], “Stunning Horizon” by Maxime Lebidois [SACEM], Ronan Maillard [SACEM], “Magnetic Force” by JC Lemay [SACEM] from Killer TracksWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.This video can be freely shared and downloaded. While the video in its entirety can be shared without permission, some individual imagery provided by pond5.com is obtained through permission and may not be excised or remixed in other products. Specific details on stock footage may be found here. For more information on NASA’s media guidelines, visit https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/guidelines/index.html.Notes on footage:• 0:03 - 0:17 provided by Pond5• 1:38 - 1.43 provided by Pond5• 1:49 - 1:52 provided by Pond5• 2:21 - 1:27 provided by Pond5 GIFThe Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center created this visualization using the Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) computer model. When combined with data from NASA’s satellites, the model becomes a tool for scientists to fully understand aerosols’ impact and how they fit into the global Earth system. GIFFrom space, NASA satellites can monitor hurricanes as they form, develop and dissapate. GIFNASA's Global Precipitation Measurement Mission tracks rainfall in near-real time and can create detailed, 3D images of storms as they form. GIFResearch scientist Doug Morton of Goddard was part of the team of NASA researchers who had surveyed Puerto Rico's forests six months before the storm with Goddard’s Lidar, Hyperspectral, and Thermal (G-LiHT) Airborne Imager, a system designed to study the structure and species composition of Puerto Rican forests. Shooting 600,000 laser pulses per second, G-LiHT produces a 3D view of the forest structure in high resolution. In April 2018, post-Maria, they went back and surveyed the same tracks as in 2017. NASA has a unique and important view of hurricanes around the planet. Satellites and aircraft watch as storms form, travel across the ocean and sometimes, make landfall. After the hurricanes have passed, the satellites and aircraft see the aftermath of hurricanes, from downed forests to mass power loss. Related pages
Monitoring Hurricane Matthew
Jan. 22nd, 2017
Read moreThis example visualization shows how all of the below data visualizations could be arranged on NASA's 3x3 hyperwall display. NOAA Climate Prediction Center (CPC) Infrared Cloud Cover of Hurricane Matthew. Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for GPM (IMERG) precipitation from Hurricane Matthew. Global Precipitation Mission (GPM) Goddard PROFiling (GPROF) and Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) data of Hurricane Matthew. Color bar for frozen precipitation rates (ie, snow rates). Shades of cyan represent low amounts of frozen precipitation, whereas shades of purple represent high amounts of precipitation. Color bar for liquid precipitation rates (ie, rain rates). Shades of green represent low amounts of liquid precipitation, whereas shades of red represent high amounts of precipitation. JPL Multi-Scale Ultra-high Resolution (MUR) Sea Surface Temperature data during Hurricane Matthew. Sea Surface Temperature colorbar. Accumulated IMERG precipitation of Hurricane Matthew. Accumulated IMERG colorbar. Low amounts of accumulated rain are in shades of blue. The highest amounts of rainfall are in yellow and red. NASA/Goddard Soil Moisture Anomaly from Hurricane Matthew. Soil Moisture Anomaly colorbar. Goddard Earth Observing System Model, Version 5 (GEOS-5) Sea Level Pressure during Hurricane Matthew. Sea Level Pressure colorbar. The darkest colors represents very low pressure which coincides with the eye of Hurricane Matthew. GEOS-5 Surface Wind Speeds of Hurricane Matthew. Surface Wind Speed colorbar. GEOS-5 winds of Hurricane Matthew. Wind height colorbar. Hurricane Matthew ravaged the Caribbean and United States from late September to early October 2016. Earth observing satellites provide insights into Matthew's rapid intensification and fast decline. This show was designed for the NASA Hyperwall to be shown at the 2017 American Meteorlogical Society (AMS) Conference. The show highlight's NASA's GPM Core System that works hand-in-hand with numerous other datasets, including model runs. Related pages