North Atlantic Sea Surface Temperature and Winds 

This visualization provides a regional perspective of the directional flow and magnitude of surface winds (calibrated to a 10 meter reference height) and sea surface temperature in the North Atlantic region to highlight tropical cyclone activity from June 1, 2011 to October 31, 2011. The wind data are from the Cross-Calibrated Multi-Platform project, while SST data are from the Multi-scale Ultra-high Resolution (MUR) Sea Surface Temperature (SST) analysis—both funded by the NASA MEaSUREs program. 

Notice how the SST cools in the wake of large storms such as hurricanes. Warm surface water powers these storms and as they absorb energy (heat), the water they pass over tends to cool. A great example is Hurricane Irene, which became a Category 1 hurricane as it crossed the island of Puerto Rico on August 22, 2011. As Irene enters the open Atlantic, the storm intensifies and the SST cooling effect is clearly visible in the wake of the storm. This cooling effect takes place due to latent and sensible heat fluxes as well as wind-induced upwelling. The wind-induced upwelling is most pronounced to the right of the storm track. On August 24 the NHC reported that Irene was a Category 3 hurricane. The storm eventually lost energy from southwesterly wind shear and moved into cooler northern waters. Continuing to weaken, Irene was downgraded to a Category 1 hurricane before making landfall on the Outer Banks of North Carolina on August 27. 


For more information: podaac.jpl.nasa.gov 

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