Pacific Hurricane Season 2003 Forecast SST Data

  • Credit

    NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio

AMSR_E Pacific Sea Surface Temperature Data Used to Forecast 2003 Hurricane Season

Researchers and forecasters often study sea surface temperatures for an activity predictions for 2003 in part to changing conditions in the Pacific Ocean, such as the demise of El Nino. This sequence traces the evolution of the warmer-than-normal waters associated with the weak El Nino that developed in the late fall of 2002. By January, the warm conditions began to dissipate. Fewer than normal hurricanes generally form when El Nino is present. Researchers say the Pacific may transition to the colder-than-normal La Nina phase. Areas in red represent warmer than normal and areas in blue represent cooler than normal.

This animation show a year in the life of global ocean temperatures, June 2, 2002 to May 11, 2003. Green indicates the coolest water, yellow the warmest.

Metadata

  • Sensor

    Aqua/AMSR-E

  • Animation ID

    2753

  • Video ID

    SVS2003-0006

  • Start Timecode

    01:14:57:00

  • End Timecode

    01:16:06:00

  • Animator

    Lori Perkins

  • Studio

    SVS

  • Visualization Date

    2003/05/20

  • Scientist

    David Adamec (NASA/GSFC)

  • Keywords

    Hurricane, Hurricane Forecasting, El Nino

  • DLESE Subject

    Natural hazards, Climatology, Physical oceanography, Atmospheric science

  • Data Date

    06/02/2003 - 05/11/2003

  • Pao ID

    G03-036

  • Story URL

    http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/topstory/2003/0529hurricane03.html

  • Animation Type

    Regular