NASA Scientific Visualization Studio Global Datasets These animations were produced in the Scientific Visualization Studio to illustrate various global data sets. [Lower Left] Global Rainfall This is a three-hour global rainmap from August 27 through September 8, 2003, as observed by the TRMM satellite. [Lower Center] Snow Cover and Sea Ice Surface Temperature This animation shows MODIS daily measurements of both snow cover and sea ice surface temperature in the Northern Hemisphere for the winter of 2002-2003. MODIS can only take measurements in daylight, so measurements during the polar winter night are taken from the last valid measurement. [Lower Right] Global Ozone This visualization shows the total ozone concentrations for the Earth from January 1, 2000 through December 31, 2003. Low ozone (less than 200 Dobson units) is depicted as regions of dark blue, with high ozone (greater than 330 Dobson units) depicted as yellow and red. The most visible and dynamic feature of the ozone distribution is the ozone hole that forms over Antartica during September of each year. The amount of ozone in the stratosphere over Antarctica is reduced during this period due to unique atmospheric conditions which chemically reduce the amount of ozone in the region and prevent that ozone from mixing with the higher ozone concentrations just outside the hole. Ozone blocks harmful ultraviolet 'B' rays, and loss of statospheric ozone has been linked to skin cancer in humans and other adverse biological effects in plants and animals. The 2000 Antarctic ozone hole reached 11.5 million square miles on September 10, 2000, the largest hole ever recorded, slightly larger than the North American continent. The 2002 ozone hole was much smaller than normal, dividing into two parts on September 24 before dissipating completely, while the 2003 hole was the second largest observed, reaching 10.9 million square miles on September 11. This data was measured by the TOMS instrument on the Earth Probe satellite. TOMS experienced some days during this period for which data was not measured due to instrument problems. [Center Left] Global Sea Surface Temperature The temperature of the surface of the world's oceans provides a clear indication of the state of the Earth's climate and weather. The AMSR-E instrument on the Aqua satellite measures the temperature of the top 1 millimeter of the ocean every day, even through the clouds. In this visualization sequence covering the period from June, 2002, to September, 2003, the most obvious effects are the north-south movement of warm regions across the equator due to the seasonal movement of the sun and the seasonal advance and retreat of the sea ice near the North and South poles. It is also possible to see the Gulf Stream, the warm river of water that parallels the east coast of the United States before heading towards northern Europe, in this data. Around January 1, 2003, a cooler than normal region of the ocean appears just to the west of Peru as part of a La Nina and flows westward, driven by the trade winds. The waves that appear on the edges of this cooler area are called tropical instability waves and can also be seen in the equatorial Atlantic Ocean about the same time. [Center] Global Biosphere By monitoring the color of reflected light via satellite, scientists can determine how successfully plant life is photosynthesizing. A measurement of photosynthesis is essentially a measurement of successful growth, and growth means successful use of ambient carbon. This animation represents the first six years' worth of data taken by the SeaWiFS instrument, showing the abundance of life both on land and in the sea. In the ocean, dark blue represents warmer areas where there is little life due to lack of nutrients, and greens and reds represent cooler nutrient-rich areas. The nutrient-rich areas include coastal regions where cold water rises from the sea floor bringing nutrients along and areas at the mouths of rivers where the rivers have brought nutrients into the ocean from the land. On land, green represents areas of abundent plant life, such as forests and grasslands, while tan and white represent areas where plant life is sparse or non-existent, such as the deserts in Africa and the Middle East and snow-cover and ice at the poles. [Center Right] Global Atmospheric Carbon Monoxide This visualization shows global carbon monoxide concentrations at the 500 millibar altitude in the atmosphere from March 1, 2000 through December 31, 2000. Areas in red have 200 parts per billion of carbon monoxide or more at that altitude (around 5,500 meters), while areas in blue are 50 parts per billion or less. Carbon monoxide is an atmospheric pollutant and the highest concentrations come from grassland and forest fires in Africa and South America, although there is evidence that industrial sources may also be a factor. Atmospheric circulation rapidly moves the carbon monoxide to other parts of the world once it has reached this altitude. This data was measured by the MOPITT instrument on the Terra satellite. [Upper Left] 304 Angstrom Solar Imagery This view from SOHO/EIT in the 304 Angstrom band, shows a group of active regions rotating back into view. Some solar flares are not as visible at this wavelength as at the 195 Angstrom band. [Upper Center] Auroral Imagery When the charged particles flowing outward from the Sun (the solar wind) hit the Earth's magnetic field, they are channeled down the magnetic field lines to the ionosphere at the North and South Poles. The impact of these particles on atmospheric molecules causes the molecules to emit light, which forms the visible aurora. This visualization shows the development of the aurora over the North Pole for about three hours on April 17, 1999, as seen by the ultraviolet VIS Earth Camera on the POLAR spacecraft. The two main features of these ultraviolet images are the very bright ultraviolet emission from the reflected solar radiation on the dayside of the Earth and the bright ring of the auroral oval circling the North Pole. The aurora seen in this visualization is the diffuse aurora, a very large bright band that is actually too dim to be seen well from the ground by the human eye. What we normally think of as the aurora are the even brighter curtains of light within the diffuse auroral caused by very energetic electrons. These curtains are too small to be seen in this image. The diffuse aurora appears as a ring around the pole rather than as a bright spot over the entire pole because the solar particles actually spend extended time wandering about within the Earth's magnetic field before traveling down a very select set of magnetic field lines to the Earth. Near the end of this three hour period, the spacecraft was getting so close to the Earth that the edges of the globe were outside the camera's image, which accounts for the growing circular data gaps over Asia and the Pacific Ocean. [Upper Right] Infrared Cloud Imagery The GOES-12 satellite sits at 75 degrees west longitude at an altitude of 36,000 kilometers over the equator, in geosynchronous orbit. At this position its Imager instrument takes pictures of cloud patterns in several wavelengths for all of North and South America, a primary measurement used in weather forecasting. Every three hours the Imager takes a picture of the full disk of the Earth. This animation shows a sequence of these full disk images in the longwave infrared wavelengths, from 10.2 to 11.2 microns, during the period that Hurricane Katrina passed through the Gulf of Mexico. This wavelength band is the most common one for observing cloud motions and severe storms throughout the day and night.
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