One of the unique features of our home planet is the water that covers approximately 71% of the...

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

QuickTime™ and aPhoto - JPEG decompressor

are needed to see this picture.



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





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





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



Brightness Temperature (°C)

0 5 10 15 20 25


are needed to see this picture.QuickTime™ and a

Photo - JPEG decompressorare needed to see this picture.

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




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





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










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




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

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