The earth’s ozone is the only atmospheric gas thatcan absorb large quantities of ultraviolet radiationfrom the Sun, so it protects the planet from deadly

solar rays. Scientists study Earth’s ozone layer withthe Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer, or TOMS,which is hooked up to a satellite. Computers useTOMS data and color-coding to map ozone concen-trations around the world.

Hurricanes do damage with highwinds and extensive rainfall. This

leads to flooding, which can meandisaster for people living in the region.Hurricane Mitch devastated ruralareas of Central America in October1998, taking thousands of lives.

Satellites can keep an eye ondangerous rainfall levels by measuringdifferent types of energy in storm

clouds. Infrared, or visible light,readings during storms match up to rainfall measurements on theground. This could be a lifesaver inunderdeveloped areas. Satellite mapscan help warn residents in ruralcommunities of flash floods so theycan coordinate evacuation efforts.

Thanks tosatellites,

weather mapping isbecoming moreprecise. Weathermaps provide aforecast for an areaand give scientistsenough informationto predict climatechanges on a globalscale. Check outhow weather mapstell the real story—both the presentand the future—inthese three cases.

October ’79 October ’81 October ’82 October ’85 October ’88

Weather Or NotWeather Or NotEye of the Storm

Rainfallamounts per hour

48-56 inches

24-48 inches

16-24 inches

4-16 inches

A satellite image shows the areasof heaviest rainfall from HurricaneMitch in October 1998.

The maps of the South Pole at rightshow a hole in the ozone layer aboveAntarctica and how it has changedover time. Compare the maps with thescale. What do the color patternssince October 1979 tell you about theozone hole over Antarctica?

Over Exposure

DISCOVERY EDUCATION SCIENCE CONNECTION

FOLLOW THE FRONTS Collectweather maps from USA Today forone week. What information is onall of the maps? Is thereinformation you think should beadded to the map to make moresense? Is there a connectionbetween front lines andmountains? Between front linesand oceans? Would the map makemore sense if mountains and riverswere not included?

DISCOVERY EDUCATION SCIENCE CONNECTION

When water temperatures in the Pacific Ocean change drastically,scientists know El Niño is on its way. This weather event occurs

about every seven years, starting as a current of warm water off the west coast of South America. Itbrings above-average rainfall and severe storms, winds, and flooding to countries around the world.

The U.S. Climate Diagnostics Center uses weather maps to get a handle on when El Niño is nextapproaching. Higher temperatures in the Midwest, Alaska, and Canada and below-averagetemperatures in the southeastern U.S. are an early indication. The weather map above, made in 1998,illustrates how the current spreads in the Pacific Ocean. Satellites create such maps using multi-spectral scanning, or MSS, which picks up radiation data to show different temperatures on theearth’s surface. Weather maps show this data in patterns of color.

October ’90 October ’92 October ’94 October ’96 October ’97

WATCHING EL NIÑO

The colors on this scalerepresent the ozone’sdifferent levels ofthickness: Purple andviolet indicate greaterUV exposure.

86˚F (30˚C) Warmcurrent moveswest to east.

66˚F (19˚C) Warm currents bringheavy rain to the Pacific Coast.

46˚F (8˚C)

86˚F (30˚C)

Temperature Range

71˚F (27˚C)

66˚F (19˚C) 46˚F (8˚C)

51˚F (11˚C)

59˚F (15˚C)

Dobson Spectrometer scale

100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450