1999 EARTH SCIENCE VIDEOTAPES |
| |
Tape Title | Record ID | Date Produced | TRT: |
Synopsis |
| HURRICANE "CAT SCAN" 3-D IMAGES PROBE INNER SECRETS OF SUPER STORMS | G99-045 | 5/28/99 | 00:09:26 | Weather forecasters are predicting that the 1999 Hurricane Season will be another busy one, with four intense hurricanes and greater chances the U.S. will be hit by a major storm. Researchers at NASA will be using a high-tech weather satellite to learn what's happening inside this season's powerful storms.
The world's first and only spaceborne rain radar on the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM, pronounced "Trim") satellite allows scientists to create spectacular 3-D "CAT scans" of precipitation rates and the height of the rain column inside powerful hurricanes.
|
TAPE CONTENTS: |
| ITEM (1): HURRICANE CAT SCANS - The world's only spaceborne rain radar allows scientists to create 3-D views of precipitation and height of the rain column inside powerful hurricanes. Red color indicates rain rates in excess of 2 inches per hour. The following sequences are of Hurricane Mitch (10/27/98), Hurricane Georges (9/27/98), and Hurricane Earl (9/2/98). Courtesy NASA/NASDA
|
| ITEM (2): MIRACLE SWATH - TRMM was able to capture this dramatic view of four storms (remnants of tropical storm Howard, Hurricane Isis, Hurricane Earl, Hurricane Danielle) in a single pass on September 2, 1998. Courtesy NASA/NASDA
|
| ITEM (3): HURRICANE BONNIE - Unexpected phenomena observed by TRMM were the massive tall chimney clouds in Hurricane Bonnie. While monitoring the progress of one of last years most dramatic hurricanes, researchers obtained compelling images of Hurricane Bonnie showing a (cumulonimbus) storm cloud, towering like a sky scraper, 59,000 feet (18 kilometers) into the sky from the eyewall. This new view of "hot towers" in hurricanes could help forecasters predict intensity earlier, and identify those storms that will go "super nova." Image from 8/22/98. Courtesy NASA/NASDA
|
| ITEM (4): TROPICAL STORM SUSAN - First animation shows the relative position of tropical Cyclone Susan. The second scene is from TRMM's precipitation radar. Red colors indicate rain rates in excess of 2 inches per hour. Image recorded Jan. 7, 1998 . Courtesy NASA/NASDA
|
| ITEM (5): THE HURRICANE CONNECTION - Animation compares the effects of La Nina and El Nino on the formation of Atlantic hurricanes. La Nina tends to enhance the formation of hurricanes, while El Nino tends to suppress the formation. During El Nino, the subtropical jet is displaced southward toward hurricane generation areas in the Atlantic. The quick moving air aloft tends to blow the tops of the developing clouds in a hurricane which inhibits full growth of the system and decreases the number of hurricanes making North American landfall.
During La Nina, the subtropical jet is displaced northward away from hurricane generation areas. Hurricanes are not inhibited by the shearing effect of the quick moving air aloft, and are more free than normal to develop and make North American landfall. Courtesy NASA
|
| ITEM (6): HURRICANE ENGINE ANIMATION - TRMM is providing a closer look at hurricanes using a unique combination of passive and active microwave instruments designed to peer inside cloud systems and measure rainfall. TRMM allows scientists to study the combustion process in the hurricane engine and relate this process to intensification or weakening.
a) Hurricane Peel Away - Hurricanes can be compared to huge engines which convert heat from tropical oceans and atmosphere to wind and waves. To better understand what powers the hurricane engine, scientists need to take a closer look at the mechanisms that strengthen or weaken hurricanes.
b) Hurricane Energy Process - As water vapor is evaporated from the warm ocean surface, it is forced upward in towering convective clouds in the eyewall and rain band regions of the storm. As the water vapor changes from a gas to a liquid (cloud water), latent heat is released.
c) Cloud Growth - The release of latent heat warms the surrounding air, making it lighter, which promotes more vigorous cloud development. It is suspected that rapid bursts of cloud growth, particularly in the eyewall region of hurricanes, may relate to the intensification phase of a storm. Towering eyewall clouds are potential precursors to intensification of hurricanes. Courtesy NASA
|
| ITEM (7): TRMM ANIMATION - The TRMM mission, a joint U.S.-Japanese mission, is the first Earth Science mission dedicated to studying tropical and subtropical rainfall. Tropical rainfall, that which falls within 35 degrees north and 35 degrees south of the equator, comprises more than two-thirds of global rainfall. TRMM was launched on Nov. 27, 1997, from the Japanese Space Center, Tanegashima, Japan, and has produced continuous data since Dec. 8, 1997. Courtesy NASA/NASDA
|
| ITEM (9): INTERVIEW EXCERPTS WITH DR. MARSHALL SHEPHERD, RESEARCH METEOROLOGIST, LABORATORY FOR ATMOSPHERES, NASA GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER Courtesy NASA/NASDA
|
Earth Science Gallery