Earth  ID: 10852

Chameleon Earth

Story by Patrick Lynch | Visualizations by Cindy Starr Released on October 27, 2011
Download Options
Watch the ever-changing features of our planet unfold.
Satellites have the unique ability to observe Earth's many dynamic features in motion. Precise, calibrated instruments capture the movement of clouds swirling across continents and the regenerative sprouting of vegetation on land. Peering beneath the ocean surface, these same satellites are able to discern the invisible boundary between areas of warm and cold water and locations teeming with microscopic life. The visualization below explores these features and many others through multiple layers of satellite data collected in the Northern Hemisphere over various time periods and played at different speeds. First, clouds move across North America over 12 days. Then, with the clouds removed and the visualization moving faster, snow and ice cover creep from the Arctic and parts of Canada into the United States over approximately three months. Panning south, a golden mass of warm ocean water trails across the Atlantic. As the visualization speeds up, nearly four years of phytoplankton blooms represented by vibrant shades of green, yellow and red along the west coast of Africa are shown as well as the seasonal greening and browning of vegetation across Europe.
Download Options
Layers of satellite data form this variegated map of land, ocean, vegetation and sky in the Northern Hemisphere.
Download Options
Snow covers the western U.S., clouds blanket the Atlantic coast and sea ice begins to creep across Hudson Bay, seen in data from Dec. 5, 2005.
Download Options
Shades of gold in the Caribbean Sea and along parts of the U.S. coastline represent water that is around 80 degrees Fahrenheit or above.
Download Options
Aqua, a flagship of NASA's Earth Observing System, includes instruments that observe clouds, oceans, snow cover, ice and vegetation.
 

Related Story

Sequence of Clouds, Snow Cover, Sea Ice, Sea Surface Temperature and Biosphere

Story Credits

Lead Visualizer/Animator:
Cindy Starr (Global Science and Technology, Inc.)

Visualizers/Animators:
Greg Shirah (NASA/GSFC)
Alex Kekesi (Global Science and Technology, Inc.)
Tom Bridgman (Global Science and Technology, Inc.)

Lead Writer:
Patrick Lynch (Wyle Information Systems)

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

Short URL to share this page:
https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/10852

Keywords:
NASA Science >> Earth
SVS >> App