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One of the unique features of our home planet is the water
that covers approximately 71% of the Earth’s surface. It is
life-sustaining—nourishing every plant, animal and human
cell on Earth—and it plays a major role in the Earth’s climate
system. NASA’s Earth Observing System (EOS) improves our
understanding of natural phenomena like El Niño, and helps
predict these events more accurately to reduce their harmful
consequences.
One of the unique features of our home planet is the water
that covers approximately 71% of the Earth’s surface. It is
life-sustaining—nourishing every plant, animal and human
cell on Earth—and it plays a major role in the Earth’s climate
system. NASA’s Earth Observing System (EOS) improves our
understanding of natural phenomena like El Niño, and helps
predict these events more accurately to reduce their harmful
consequences.
EOS satellites monitor ecosystems and provide critical
information for freshwater management. They also monitor
processes such as sea-level change to determine their effects
on coastal areas. EOS data increase our knowledge of the
hydrologic cycle, a key factor in understanding the
interaction between the atmosphere, the ocean, and the land.
EOS satellites monitor ecosystems and provide critical
information for freshwater management. They also monitor
processes such as sea-level change to determine their effects
on coastal areas. EOS data increase our knowledge of the
hydrologic cycle, a key factor in understanding the
interaction between the atmosphere, the ocean, and the land.
El Niño and La Niña have far reaching
impacts on global climate and demonstrate
the importance of satellite observations
that provide early detection and tracking.
This images of sea surface height from the
TOPEX/Poseidon satellite and sea surface
temperature from the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA)
Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer
(AVHRR) shows El Niño-induced change
during November 1997.
The image depicts the peak of the 1997-98
El Niño, when warmer sea surface
temperatures (red) were as much as 5°C
(9°F) above normal and sea surface heights
(contour relief), were as much as 35
centimeters (14 inches) above normal.
Image credit: Greg Shirah, NASA/GSFC Scientific Visualization Studio, using data from TOPEX/Poseidon and AVHRR
A Look at El NiñoA Look at El Niño
Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies (°C)
-5 0 +5
This images of sea surface height from
the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite and sea
surface temperature from the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration’s (NOAA) Advanced Very
High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR)
shows the peak of the 1998-99 La Niña,
when sea surface temperatures were
3°C (5°F) below normal and sea surface
heights were as much as 18 centimeters
(7 inches) below normal.
Image credit: Greg Shirah, NASA/GSFC Scientific
Visualization Studio, using data from
TOPEX/Poseidon and AVHRR
A Look at La NiñaA Look at La Niña
Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies (˚C)
-5 0 +5
This Sea-Viewing Wide Field-of-View
Sensor (SeaWiFS) image, captured on
September 19, 2000, shows a bloom of
coccolithophores in the Bering Sea off
the coast of Alaska. Coccolithophores
are marine single-celled plants that are
a member of the phytoplankton family
that forms the base for the marine food
chain. Coccolithophores periodically
shed their tiny scales, called
“coccoliths,” into the surrounding
waters, which then turns the normally
dark water a bright, milky aquamarine
as seen in this image. The fishing
industry uses color image data to locate
heavy concentrations of fish.
Image credit: The SeaWiFS Project, NASA/GSFC,
and ORBIMAGE
Colors in the Bering SeaColors in the Bering Sea
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Emergency food supplies rushed to
thousands of flood victims in Southeast
Asia from June to September 2001 were
planned with the help of images such as the
one at the left from the Moderate
Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer
(MODIS) instrument, and a unique global
flood monitoring system funded by NASA.
Maps were produced showing the precise
locations of flooded areas along the Mekong
River and were used by United Nations
World Food Program staff to pinpoint the
worst-hit areas. Observations of floods in a
region over successive years help disaster
relief agencies identify the largest flood
events and allocate limited resources
accordingly.
Image credit: Robert Brakenridge,Dartmouth Flood Observatory
Water as a Destructive ForceWater as a Destructive Force
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The image at the left was acquired on August
27, 1998, by NOAA’s Geostationary Operational
Environmental Satellite (GOES), and the TRMM
Microwave Imager (TMI) aboard the Tropical
Rainfall Measuring Mission, a joint mission
between NASA and the National Space
Development Agency of Japan (NASDA).
In this scene, Hurricane Bonnie is approaching
the Carolina Coast and Hurricane Danielle is
following roughly in its path. Bonnie left a
cooler trail of water in its wake, causing
Danielle’s wind speeds to drop markedly;
however, when Danielle left Bonnie’s wake, its
wind speeds increased due to energy supplied
by warmer surface water. Dark blues represent
temperatures around 24°C (75°F), greens 29°C
(84°F), and yellows 32°C (90°F).
Image credit: TRMM Project, Remote Sensing Systems, and NASA/GSFC Scientific Visualization Studio
Sea Surface TemperatureSea Surface Temperature
Sea Surface Temperature (°F)
75 80 85 90
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Danielle
Bonnie
On May 2, 2001, MODIS obtained the data
for this spectacular image of the Atlantic
Ocean’s Gulf Stream. Red highlights
warmer temperatures (approaching 25°C,
or 77°F), green intermediate (12-13°C, or
53-55°F), and blue relatively low
temperatures (less than 10°C, or 50°F).
Notice the considerable detail in the swirls
and gyres of the current patterns in the
Gulf Stream where heat is released into
the atmosphere, which then raises the
humidity and moderates the temperatures
of coastal areas.
Image credit: Liam Gumley, MODIS Atmosphere
Team, University of Wisconsin-Madison Cooperative
Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies
Swirling in the Gulf StreamSwirling in the Gulf Stream
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Brightness Temperature (°C)
0 5 10 15 20 25
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Fed by unusually high levels of rainfall and
water overflowing from the Aswan High
Dam on the Nile River, four lakes formed in
southern Egypt in an area that was
previously desert; the first lake having
appeared in 1998. The Aswan’s
overflowing waters are channeled through
an arroyo into a reservoir, as expected,
but as the high rains have continued, so
has the overflow. Consequently, the
reservoir has grown in size and three more
lakes have formed.
In this image, obtained from data collected
by the Moderate Resolution Imaging
Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on October 10,
2000, the lakes are the areas of dark
pixels located about 50 kilometers west of
Lake Nasser.
Image credit: Robert Simmon, Reto Stöckli, and Brian Montgomery, NASA/GSFC
The Birth of Four LakesThe Birth of Four Lakes
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Lake Nasser
New Overflow Lakes
There is a large amount of sediment clearly visible in
this image of the Persian Gulf, acquired on November
1, 2001, by MODIS. Carried by the confluence of the
Tigris and Euphrates Rivers (at center), the sediment-
laden waters gradually dissipate into swirls as they
drift southward. The nutrients these sediments carry
are helping to support a phytoplankton bloom in the
region. The confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates
Rivers marks the southernmost boundary between
Iran (upper right) and Iraq (upper left). South of Iraq
are the countries of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
Image credit: Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response
Team, NASA/GSFC
The Persian GulfThe Persian Gulf
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The Aral Sea was once one of the Earth’s largest bodies of land-locked water. Since 1960, the sea has lost
much of its volume. The associated drop in sea level has lowered the surrounding water table. The depletion
of the Aral Sea was caused by the rerouting of two large rivers, major sources of fresh water, for the
irrigation of cotton fields.
If the shrinkage continues at the same rate, it is predicted the Aral Sea will disappear altogether by the year
2020. The images above dated 1973 and 1987 are from the Landsat MultiSpectral Scanner (MSS) and the
image dated 2000 comes from the Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM+) instrument flying on Landsat 7.
Image credit: U.S. Geological Survey EROS Data Center, based on data provided by the Landsat science team
A Shrinking SeaA Shrinking Sea
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1973 1987 2000
The hydrologic cycle describes the pilgrimage of water as water molecules make their way through the Earth/atmosphere system. This gigantic system is powered by energy from the sun and is a continuous exchange of moisture between the oceans, the atmosphere, and the land. Studies have revealed that the oceans, seas, and other bodies of water (lakes, rivers, streams) provide nearly 90% of the moisture in our atmosphere. Liquid water leaves these sources as a result of evaporation, the process by which water changes from a liquid to a gas. In addition, a very small portion of water vapor enters the atmosphere through sublimation, the process by which water changes directly from a solid (ice or snow) to a gas. The remaining 10% of the moisture found in the atmosphere is released by plants through transpiration.
The Hydrologic CycleThe Hydrologic Cycle
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For the Classroom…For the Classroom…
Introduce major concepts of “Water – The Basis for Life” by
dividing the class into small teams to research several of the
questions on the next page. Students can research their
answers using these slides and other sources. Students can
prepare presentations to cooperatively instruct other teams
using pre-established teacher criteria.
Introduce major concepts of “Water – The Basis for Life” by
dividing the class into small teams to research several of the
questions on the next page. Students can research their
answers using these slides and other sources. Students can
prepare presentations to cooperatively instruct other teams
using pre-established teacher criteria.
For the Classroom…For the Classroom…
• How can a growing population’s needs affect nearby lakes or rivers?
• How can that then affect other population centers far away?
• How can surface temperature over a large area of the Pacific Ocean affect the weather in the eastern United States?
• Can you think of any beneficial effects of a hurricane?
• Name several things that contribute to the depletion of ground water, as well as water in lakes and rivers
• How can a growing population’s needs affect nearby lakes or rivers?
• How can that then affect other population centers far away?
• How can surface temperature over a large area of the Pacific Ocean affect the weather in the eastern United States?
• Can you think of any beneficial effects of a hurricane?
• Name several things that contribute to the depletion of ground water, as well as water in lakes and rivers