MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov
Contact: Stephanie R. Zeluck
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJanuary 7, 1998
EXPLORATION OF EL NIÑO TO BE DISCUSSED IN EVENING TALK
"Forecasting an El Niño: TOPEX/Poseidon Brings News of a Wet
Winter" will be the theme for two free public lectures, one on
Thursday, Jan.15 at 7 p.m. in JPL's von Karman Auditorium, the
other on Friday, Jan. 16 at 7 p.m. in The Forum at Pasadena City
College. Seating is limited and will be on a first-come, first-
served basis.
The lecture will be presented by Annette deCharon, Outreach
Leader for JPL's Earth Science Flight Projects. She has also
served as an engineering and science planner for the Magellan
mission to Venus, the Shuttle Imaging Radar (SIR-C) mission, and
the Galileo mission to Jupiter.
Earth observations from space have allowed unprecedented
predictions of severe weather associated with the 1997-1998 El
Niño. In normal years, warm ocean water is found near Australia,
held in check by steadily blowing trade winds. In spring 1997,
triggered by a complex "dialog" between the ocean and atmosphere,
this pool of warm water migrated to the coast of South America.
Since then, it has affected weather patterns and ocean habitats
globally.
Data from JPL's Earth-observing satellites such as
TOPEX/Poseidon, coupled with a network of ocean-based
measurements, have provided insight into the formation and
development of the current El Niño. This wealth of data will
help scientists improve prediction of future El Niños and thereby
mitigate the damage from associated storms and drought. This talk
will discuss both the technologies involved in studying El Niño
and the phenomenon itself.
Pasadena City College is located at 1570 East Colorado Blvd.
Visitors can park in staff parking on Bonnie Avenue south of
Colorado Boulevard between Hill & Allen Avenues.
This lecture is part of the von Karman Lecture Series
sponsored monthly by the JPL Media Relations Office. A web site
on the lecture series is located at
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/lecture. For directions and other
information, call the Media Relations Office at (818) 354-5011.
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