NASA: National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationEarth Observatory

NASA News: November 2002

  1. October 2002
  2. December 2002
  1. The Arctic Perennial Sea Ice Could Be Gone by End of the Century November 27, 2002

    A NASA study finds that perennial sea ice in the Arctic is melting faster than previously thought—at a rate of 9 percent per decade.

  2. NASA’s Ready to Study Cool Ice, Hot Plasma, and Ocean Winds November 26, 2002

    The month of December will see the launch of three NASA research missions to help us better understand and protect our home planet while continuing to search for life in our universe and inspire the next generation of explorers.

  3. New NASA Theory May Help Improve Weather Predictions November 26, 2002

    Less precipitation and more lightning eventually may be forecast as a result of a NASA study that shows that cloud droplets freeze from the outside inward instead of the opposite.

  4. Goddard Scientist Honored by the World Meteorological Organization November 25, 2002

    NASA research scientist Dr. Joanne Simpson has been awarded the prestigious International Meteorological Organization Prize by the Executive Council of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the first woman ever to win this prize.

  5. Earth and Space Science Featured in NASA Briefing November 22, 2002

    NASA experts in Earth and Space Science will brief reporters about two upcoming launches at noon, Tuesday, Nov. 26 in the NASA Headquarters auditorium in Washington.

  6. Muddy Waters: NASA Scientists at Stennis Space Center Study Water Quality in Own Back Yard November 20, 2002

    NASA scientists at Stennis Space Center are using satellite data to gather information about the pollution content of Mississippi streams in order to assess threats to the local population.

  7. NASA Satellite Flies High to Monitor Sun’s Influence on Ozone November 14, 2002

    In October, the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) completed the first measurement of the solar ultraviolet radiation spectrum over the duration of an 11 year solar cycle, a period marked by cyclical shifts in the Sun’s activity. This long measurement record by two instruments aboard UARS will give researchers better insight into how fluctuations in the Sun’s energy affect ozone and the Earth’s climate. In turn, the data set gives scientists tools to document the influence of man-made chemicals on ozone loss.

  8. Astronauts Capture High-Resolution Glacier Imagery November 14, 2002

    Russian researchers are studying images taken by the crew of the International Space Station to better understand the catastrophic glacier collapse and landslide that occurred on the northern slope of Mount Kazbek in September — information that may help us better understand our home

  9. New Method Strikes an Improvement in Lightning Predictions November 7, 2002

    A new lightning index that uses measurements of water vapor in the atmosphere from Global Positioning Systems has improved lead-time for predicting the first lightning strikes from thunderstorms. The index will help greatly aid NASA Space Shuttle launches at Kennedy Space Center, Fla, and other commercial and US Department of Defense launches from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.

  10. Ocean Temperatures Affect Intensity of South Asian Monsoon and Rainfall November 6, 2002

    Warmer or colder sea surface temperatures (SST) may affect one of the world’s key large-scale atmospheric circulations that regulate the intensity and breaking of rainfall associated with the South Asian and Australian monsoons, according to new research from NASA.

  11. NASA Joins International Ozone Study in Arctic November 5, 2002

    NASA researchers will join more than 350 scientists from the United States, the European Union, Canada, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Poland, Russia and Switzerland this winter to measure ozone and other atmospheric gases using aircraft, large and small balloons, ground-based instruments and satellites.

  12. Transition from El Niño to La Niña Affected Vegetation November 5, 2002

    NASA scientists using satellite data have shown that shifts in rainfall patterns from one of the strongest El Niño events of the century in 1997 to a La Niña event in 2000 significantly changed vegetation patterns over Africa.