{ "count": 17, "next": null, "previous": null, "results": [ { "id": 10829, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/10829/", "result_type": "Produced Video", "release_date": "2011-10-06T00:00:00-04:00", "title": "27 Storms: Arlene To Zeta", "description": "By the numbers the 2005 Atlantic tropical storm season was unlike any other: A total 27 tropical storms, including 15 hurricanes, made it a record-breaking year. The season also gave rise to Katrina, one of the most intense and costliest hurricanes that resulted in 1,200 deaths and more than $100 billion in damages. The unusually high frequency and strength of these tropical storms were linked to favorable development conditions observed in the ocean and atmosphere between the Caribbean Sea and west coast of Africa where they form. Easterly winds blowing off the African continent seeded the Atlantic with a large number of proto-hurricanes—swirling air masses that grow over tropical waters. Ideal open ocean wind patterns on the surface and high above permitted storm clouds to easily mature into vigorous convective cells—the building blocks of hurricanes. Warmer ocean surface waters slightly above their 80 degrees Fahrenheit average further strengthened the storms and sent the spinning hurricanes into overdrive. The visualization below tracks the paths of all 27 tropical storms that made up this historical year. || ", "hits": 34 }, { "id": 3773, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3773/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2010-07-28T00:00:00-04:00", "title": "Towers In The Tempest", "description": "Massive accumulations of heat pulled from the top layers of tropical ocean water and set spinning due to planetary rotation form a hurricane's spiraling vortex. But powering the inside of these storms we find one of nature's most astounding natural engines: hot towers. Scientists discovered hot towers in recent years by observing storms from space and creating advanced supercomputer models to decipher how a hurricane sustains its winding movement. The models show that when air spirals inward toward the eye of a hurricane it collides with an unstable region of air at the eyewall, where the strongest winds are found, and suddenly deflects upwards. This rush of warm, moist air is accelerated by surrounding patches of convective clouds, called hot towers, which strengthen and propel the hurricane by keeping the vertical ring of clouds in motion. Watch the first video below as NASA researchers look under the hood of these cloud super-engines to reveal exciting findings about a hurricane's internal motor. || ", "hits": 44 }, { "id": 3413, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3413/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2007-05-10T00:00:00-04:00", "title": "Towers in the Tempest", "description": "This visualization won Honorable Mention in the National Science Foundation's Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge in September 2007. It was also shown during the SIGGRAPH 2008 Computer Animation Festival in Los Angeles, CA. 'Towers in the Tempest' is a 4.5 minute narrated animation that explains recent scientific insights into how hurricanes intensify. This intensification can be caused by a phenomenon called a 'hot tower'. For the first time, research meteorologists have run complex simulations using a very fine temporal resolution of 3 minutes. Combining this simulation data with satellite observations enables detailed study of 'hot towers'. The science of 'hot towers' is described using: observed hurricane data from a satellite, descriptive illustrations, and volumetric visualizations of simulation data. The first section of the animation shows actual data from Hurricane Bonnie observed by NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) spacecraft. Three dimensional precipitation radar data reveal a strong 'hot tower' in Hurricane Bonnie's internal structure. The second section uses illustrations to show the dynamics of a hurricane and the formation of 'hot towers'. 'Hot towers' are formed as air spirals inward towards the eye and is forced rapidly upwards, accelerating the movement of energy into high altitude clouds. The third section shows these processes using volumetric cloud, wind, and vorticity data from a supercomputer simulation of Hurricane Bonnie. Vertical wind speed data highlights a 'hot tower'. Arrows representing the wind field move rapidly up into the 'hot tower, boosting the energy and intensifying the hurricane. Combining satellite observations with super-computer simulations provides a powerful tool for studying Earth's complex systems. The complete script is available here . The storyboard is available here . There is also a movie of storyboard drawings with narration below. || ", "hits": 69 }, { "id": 3354, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3354/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2006-05-31T00:00:00-04:00", "title": "27 Storms: Arlene to Zeta", "description": "Many records were broken during the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season including the most hurricanes ever, the most category 5 hurricanes, and the most intense hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic as measured by atmospheric pressure. This visualization shows all 27 named storms that formed in the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season and examines some of the conditions that made hurricane formation so favorable.The animation begins by showing the regions of warm water that are favorable for storm development advancing northward through the peak of hurricane season and then receding as the waters cool. The thermal energy in these warm waters powers the hurricanes. Strong shearing winds in the troposphere can disrupt developing young storms, but measurements indicate that there was very little shearing wind activity in 2005 to impede storm formation.Sea surface temperatures, clouds, storm tracks, and hurricane category labels are shown as the hurricane season progresses.This visualization shows some of the actual data that NASA and NOAA satellites measured in 2005 — data used to predict the paths and intensities of hurricanes. Satellite data play a vital role in helping us understand the land, ocean, and atmosphere systems that have such dramatic effects on our lives.NOTE: This animation shows the named storms from the 2005 hurricane season. During a re-analysis of 2005, NOAA's Tropical Prediction Center/National Hurricane Center determined that a short-lived subtropcial storm developed near the Azores Islands in late September, increasing the 2005 tropical storm count from 27 to 28. This storm was not named and is not shown in this animation.'27 Storms: Arlene to Zeta' played in the SIGGRAPH 2007 Computer Animation Festival in August 2007. It was also a finalist in the 2006 NSF Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge. || ", "hits": 34 }, { "id": 3355, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3355/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2006-05-20T23:55:00-04:00", "title": "A Short Tour of the Cryosphere", "description": "A newer version of this animation is available here.This narrated, 5-minute animation shows a wealth of data collected from satellite observations of the cryosphere and the impact that recent cryospheric changes are making on our planet. This is a shorter version of a narrated, 7 1/2 minute animation entitled 'A Tour of the Cryosphere'.See the above link for a detailed description of the full animation.Two sections have been removed from the original animation: one showing a flyby of the South Pole station and glaciers feeding the Ross Ice Shelf and one showing solar data related to the Earth's energy balance.For more information on the data sets used in this visualization, visit NASA's EOS DAAC website. || ", "hits": 32 }, { "id": 3181, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3181/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2005-12-04T23:55:00-05:00", "title": "A Tour of the Cryosphere", "description": "A new HD version of this animation is available here.Click here to go to the media download section.The cryosphere consists of those parts of the Earth's surface where water is found in solid form, including areas of snow, sea ice, glaciers, permafrost, ice sheets, and icebergs. In these regions, surface temperatures remain below freezing for a portion of each year. Since ice and snow exist relatively close to their melting point, they frequently change from solid to liquid and back again due to fluctuations in surface temperature. Although direct measurements of the cryosphere can be difficult to obtain due to the remote locations of many of these areas, using satellite observations scientists monitor changes in the global and regional climate by observing how regions of the Earth's cryosphere shrink and expand.This animation portrays fluctuations in the cryosphere through observations collected from a variety of satellite-based sensors. The animation begins in Antarctica, showing ice thickness ranging from 2.7 to 4.8 kilometers thick along with swaths of polar stratospheric clouds. In a tour of this frozen continent, the animation shows some unique features of the Antarctic landscape found nowhere else on earth. Ice shelves, ice streams, glaciers, and the formation of massive icebergs can be seen. A time series shows the movement of iceberg B15A, an iceberg 295 kilometers in length which broke off of the Ross Ice Shelf in 2000. Moving farther along the coastline, a time series of the Larsen ice shelf shows the collapse of over 3,200 square kilometers ice since January 2002. As we depart from the Antarctic, we see the seasonal change of sea ice and how it nearly doubles the size of the continent during the winter.From Antarctica, the animation travels over South America showing areas of permafrost over this mostly tropical continent. We then move further north to observe daily changes in snow cover over the North American continent. The clouds show winter storms moving across the United States and Canada, leaving trails of snow cover behind. In a close-up view of the western US, we compare the difference in land cover between two years: 2003 when the region received a normal amount of snow and 2002 when little snow was accumulated. The difference in the surrounding vegetation due to the lack of spring melt water from the mountain snow pack is evident.As the animation moves from the western US to the Arctic region, the areas effected by permafrost are visible. In December, we see how the incoming solar radiation primarily heats the Southern Hemisphere. As time marches forward from December to June, the daily snow and sea ice recede as the incoming solar radiation moves northward to warm the Northern Hemisphere.Using satellite swaths that wrap the globe, the animation shows three types of instantaneous measurements of solar radiation observed on June 20, 2003: shortwave (reflected) radiation, longwave (thermal) radiation and net flux (showing areas of heating and cooling). Correlation between reflected radiation and clouds are evident. When the animation fades to show the monthly global average net flux, we see that the polar regions serve to cool the global climate by radiating solar energy back into space throughout the year.The animation shows a one-year cycle of the monthly average Arctic sea ice concentration followed by the mean September minimum sea ice for each year from 1979 through 2004. A red outline indicates the mean sea ice extent for September over 22 years, from 1979 to 2002. The minimum Arctic sea ice animation clearly shows how over the last 5 years the quantity of polar ice has decreased by 10 - 14% from the 22 year average.While moving from the Arctic to Greenland, the animation shows the constant motion of the Arctic polar ice using daily measures of sea ice activity. Sea ice flows from the Arctic into Baffin Bay as the seasonal ice expands southward. As we draw close to the Greenland coast, the animation shows the recent changes in the Jakobshavn glacier. Although Jakobshavn receded only slightly from 1042 to 2001, the animation shows significant recession over the past three years, from 2002 through 2004.This animation shows a wealth of data collected from satellite observations of the cryosphere and the impact that recent cryospheric changes are making on our planet.For more information on the data sets used in this visualization, visit NASA's EOS DAAC website. || ", "hits": 77 }, { "id": 3087, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3087/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2005-01-19T12:00:00-05:00", "title": "Long Island Size Iceberg Collides with Ice Sheet", "description": "Several days ago the iceberg B-15A collided with an ice sheet that is next to the Drygalski Ice Tongue. This collision did not slow the iceberg down. It is still heading towards the Drygalski Ice Tongue. || ", "hits": 14 }, { "id": 3086, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3086/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2005-01-18T12:00:00-05:00", "title": "Antarctic Iceberg Breaks Up Ice Sheet", "description": "The B-15A iceberg has collided into a neighboring ice sheet. This collision has caused the ice sheet to break up into smaller parts. The B-15A iceberg has been blocking shipping lanes and the feeding grounds of 3,000 Adele penguins, for over 4 years. || ", "hits": 29 }, { "id": 3084, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3084/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2005-01-17T12:00:00-05:00", "title": "Snap! Crackle! POP! Goes the Iceberg!", "description": "The iceberg B-15A, which has been blocking sea ice from escaping out to sea for four years, has collided with the ice sheet near the Drygalski Ice Tongue. This might mean that the sea ice could float out to sea clearing the path for shipping and the 3,000 Adele Penguins and their feeding grounds. || ", "hits": 13 }, { "id": 3080, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3080/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2005-01-06T12:00:00-05:00", "title": "Long Island Size Iceberg Blocks Penguins Feeding Grounds", "description": "An iceberg (B-15A) roughly the size of Long Island has been blocking the path to the Adele Penguins feeding grounds. || ", "hits": 12 }, { "id": 3079, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3079/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2004-12-30T12:00:00-05:00", "title": "Long Island Size Iceberg Slows Shipping Lanes", "description": "The iceberg B-15A has slowed shipping lanes to McMurdo Station. In the summertime sea ice usually gets flushed out to sea, however this large iceberg has been blocking the sea ice from doing so. The size of this iceberg is 1,200 square miles, roughly the same size of Long Island, NY, which is 1, 377 square miles. || ", "hits": 17 }, { "id": 2897, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/2897/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2004-02-11T12:00:00-05:00", "title": "Cold Water Trails from Hurricanes Fabian and Isabel (WMS)", "description": "This visualization shows the cold water trails left first by Hurricanes Fabian and then by Hurricane Isabel in the Atlantic Ocean from August 27, 2003 through September 23, 2003. The colors on the ocean represent the sea surface temperatures, and satellite images of the hurricane clouds are laid over the temperatures to clearly show the hurricane positions. Orange and red depict regions that are 82 degrees F and higher, where the ocean is warm enough for hurricanes to form. Hurricane winds are sustained by the heat energy of the ocean, so the ocean is cooled as the hurricane passes and the energy is extracted to power the winds. A hurricane can experience a dramatic reduction in wind speed when it crosses the cold track of a previous hurricane. However, in this case, the cold water track from Fabian warmed up before Isabel crossed it, so Isabel's winds did not decrease. The sea surface temperatures were measured by the AMSR-E instrument on the Aqua satellite, while the cloud images were taken by the Imager on the GOES-12 satellite. || ", "hits": 20 }, { "id": 2885, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/2885/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2004-01-31T12:00:00-05:00", "title": "Great Zoom out of Houston, Texas: Reliant Stadium (with spin)", "description": "Using data from different spacecraft and some powerful computer technology, visualizers at the Goddard Space Flight Center present you with a collection of American cities in a way you have never seen them before. Starting with our camera high above the Earth, we rush in towards the surface at what would be an impossible speed for any known vehicle. Passing though layers of atmosphere, the colors of our destinations shimmer with their own unique characteristics, and suddenly we find ourselves floating in virtual space just above the ground. Special thanks to Digital Globe and Space Imaging for providing the highest reolution data sets used. This animation was produced to accompany the NASA/Columbia tribute during the Super Bowl XXXVIII pregame show. || ", "hits": 16 }, { "id": 2886, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/2886/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2004-01-31T12:00:00-05:00", "title": "Great Zoom into Houston, Texas: Reliant Stadium (with spin)", "description": "Using data from different spacecraft and some powerful computer technology, visualizers at the Goddard Space Flight Center present you with a collection of American cities in a way you have never seen them before. Starting with our camera high above the Earth, we rush in towards the surface at what would be an impossible speed for any known vehicle. Passing though layers of atmosphere, the colors of our destinations shimmer with their own unique characteristics, and suddenly we find ourselves floating in virtual space just above the ground. Special thanks to Digital Globe and Space Imaging for providing the highest reolution data sets used. This animation was produced to accompany the NASA/Columbia tribute during the Super Bowl XXXVIII pregame show. || ", "hits": 10 }, { "id": 2887, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/2887/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2004-01-31T12:00:00-05:00", "title": "Great Zoom out of Houston, Texas: Reliant Stadium", "description": "Using data from different spacecraft and some powerful computer technology, visualizers at the Goddard Space Flight Center present you with a collection of American cities in a way you have never seen them before. Starting with our camera high above the Earth, we rush in towards the surface at what would be an impossible speed for any known vehicle. Passing though layers of atmosphere, the colors of our destinations shimmer with their own unique characteristics, and suddenly we find ourselves floating in virtual space just above the ground. Special thanks to Digital Globe and Space Imaging for providing the highest reolution data sets used. This animation was produced to accompany the NASA/Columbia tribute during the Super Bowl XXXVIII pregame show. || ", "hits": 12 }, { "id": 2888, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/2888/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2004-01-31T12:00:00-05:00", "title": "Great Zoom into Houston, Texas: Reliant Stadium", "description": "Using data from different spacecraft and some powerful computer technology, visualizers at the Goddard Space Flight Center present you with a collection of American cities in a way you have never seen them before. Starting with our camera high above the Earth, we rush in towards the surface at what would be an impossible speed for any known vehicle. Passing though layers of atmosphere, the colors of our destinations shimmer with their own unique characteristics, and suddenly we find ourselves floating in virtual space just above the ground. Special thanks to Digital Globe and Space Imaging for providing the highest reolution data sets used. This animation was produced to accompany the NASA/Columbia tribute during the Super Bowl XXXVIII pregame show. || ", "hits": 18 }, { "id": 2824, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/2824/", "result_type": "Visualization", "release_date": "2003-09-30T12:00:00-04:00", "title": "Cold Water Trails from Hurricanes Fabian and Isabel", "description": "As the hurricanes move through the ocean, they each leave a wake of cold water. This visualization shows the cold water trails left by Hurricanes Fabian and Isabel. 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