Researchers from NASA, the National Snow and Ice Data Center and others using satellite data have detected a significant loss in Arctic sea ice this year.
All Atlantic hurricanes begin as a small disturbance in the atmosphere above equatorial Africa, but only some develop into tropical depressions, grow into tropical storms and finally evolve into full-blown hurricanes. "The mystery is why does it happen," says JPL researcher Bjorn Lambrigtsen, who recently headed off to Costa Rica with a group of NASA researchers to learn more about the birth of hurricanes.
Two rare species, California spotted owls in the Sierra Nevada and the Delmarva fox squirrel in the mid-Atlantic U.S. have something in common. Using NASA technology, scientists have been able to identify habitats to help forest managers monitor and protect these species and other wildlife.
A coronal mass ejection hit Earth's magnetic field on Sept. 15, but it did not spark the strong display of auroras many people were hoping to see. In the CME's wake, a fast solar wind stream is blowing past Earth and buffeting our planet's magnetic field. This could cause mild geomagnetic storms. This event now makes September 2005 the most active month on the Sun since March 1991 and the Sept. 7 record-setting X-17 flare the fifth largest ever observed.
Scientists using satellite imagery found that at least 23 percent of the water released from the mouth of the Mississippi River from July through September 2004 traveled quite a distance--into the Gulf of Mexico, around the Florida Keys, and into the Atlantic Ocean.
Two NASA satellites, planned for launch no earlier than Oct. 26, will give us a unique view of Earth's atmosphere. CloudSat and Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) are undergoing final preparations for launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
NASA satellite images can allow scientists to more quickly and accurately assess deforestation in the Amazon.
New research finds that deforestation in different areas of the globe affects rainfall patterns over a considerable region.