- Original Caption Released with Image:
-
The image of Tropical Cyclone Gonu in the upper panel was taken by the
Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument on NASA's Aqua
satellite on June 5, 2007, at approximately 20:20 UTC. NASA's CloudSat
satellite, carrying the cloud profiling radar, flies in formation with
Aqua, and passes over the same location approximately one minute later.
The line from A to B on the upper panel represents the ground track of the
CloudSat satellite and corresponds to the cloud profiling radar
observations in the lower panel. In the lower panel, taken by CloudSat,
the vertical axis represents the altitude from the ground to the top of
the atmosphere, and the variations of color intensity are an indication of
the differing amounts of water and ice in the storm clouds. The bright
line at the bottom of the panel is the ground return from the radar. This
indicates that the radar penetrated to the ground most of the time, even
through heavy rainfall. Where the ground return disappears is an
indication that the radar was attenuated by heavy precipitation, likely
exceeding 30 millimeters per hour, based on previous studies. From one
side to the other, the bottom panel is approximately 800 kilometers, and
the scale from top to bottom is approximately 30 kilometers. The CloudSat
data provide analysts and forecasters with a view of hurricanes never
before available. Cross-sections like these provide a view of the
internal structure of these storms, giving information about the
intensity, rainfall rates and cloud organization.
Quicklook Images can viewed at the CloudSat Data Processing Center.
- Image Credit:
-
NASA/JPL/The Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA),
Colorado State University
|
