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Pumice Rafts: The Floating Rocks of the Sea
Do rocks float? The answer to that is “Depends on which rocks you’re talking about.” We just looked at what happens in the atmosphere when a volcano like Copahue erupts. We also looked at the impact the 1912 eruption of … Continue reading
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Tagged false color, I-1, I-2, I-3, New Zealand, pumice rafts, Raoul Island, resolution, RGB composite, volcano
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Copahue, the Stinky Volcano
On the border between Chile and Argentina sits the volcano Copahue. (If you say it out loud, it is pronounced “CO-pa-hway”.) In the local Mapuche language, copahue means “sulfur water”. This name was given to the volcano as the most … Continue reading
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Tagged Argentina, ash detection, Chile, M-14, M-15, M-16, M-3, M-4, M-5, MODIS, RGB composite, split window difference, true color, VIIRS, volcano
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End of Autumn in the Alps
Much of the United States has had a below-average amount of snow this fall (and below-average precipitation for the whole year). Look at how little snow cover there was in the month of November. Parts of Europe, however, have seen … Continue reading
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Tagged Alps, Europe, false color, I-1, I-2, I-3, ice and snow, M-10, M-11, M-15, M-5, M-7, Meteosat, resolution, RGB composite, VIIRS
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The Case of the 100-year-old Ash Cloud
Lost in all the commotion caused by Hurricane Sandy, a curious event occurred on the other side of the country on 30 October 2012. A cloud of ash obscured the skies of Kodiak Island, Alaska, diverting flights in the region … Continue reading
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Tagged Alaska, ash detection, false color, M-10, M-12, M-14, M-15, M-16, M-3, M-4, M-5, M-6, M-7, RGB composite, split window difference, true color, volcano
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Remote Islands, part III: Îles Kerguelen and Heard Island
“At 10 o’clock the Captain was walking on deck and saw what he supposed to be an immense iceberg. … the atmosphere was hazy, and then a heavy snow squall came up which shut it out entirely from our … Continue reading
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Tagged false color, gravity waves, Heard Island, I-1, I-2, I-3, ice and snow, Kerguelen, remote island, RGB composite, VIIRS
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Greenland Eddies and Swirls
Last time we visited Greenland, it was because VIIRS saw evidence of the rapid ice melt event in July 2012. We return to Greenland because of this visible image VIIRS captured on 18 October 2012: This image was taken by … Continue reading
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Tagged false color, Greenland, I-1, I-5, ice and snow, M-10, M-3, M-4, M-5, M-7, RGB composite, sea surface temperature, true color
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Aurora Australis from the Day-Night Band
How fast does an aurora move? I “googled” it, and got answers ranging from “fast” to “very fast”. Not very scientific. It also doesn’t help that the majority of aurora videos on the Internet are time-lapse footage, and there’s no … Continue reading
The Outback on Fire
I’m not talking about a Subaru. I’m talking about the vast expanse of sparsely-populated Australia. We’ve already seen fires in the United States, Russia and the Canary Islands. Well, they have been happening down under, too. (Is there any part … Continue reading
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Tagged Australia, false color, fire, M-10, M-11, M-13, M-5, M-7, RGB composite, VIIRS
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VIIRS Captures a Glimpse of Hell
VIIRS has seen Hell and, luckily, it did not get scared. No, I’m not talking about Hell, Michigan, which is actually a nice place (and not as scary as their website would indicate). I’m talking about the Gates of Hell … Continue reading
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Tagged day/night band, fire, M-12, oil rig, resolution, Turkmenistan, VIIRS
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Hurricane Isaac: Before, During and After
While Hurricane Isaac (then a tropical storm) did not destroy Tampa, Florida as many people feared, it certainly left its mark on the Gulf Coast. With many locations from Florida to Louisiana receiving more than 12″ of rain, and levees … Continue reading
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Tagged false color, flood, Florida, I-1, I-2, I-3, Isaac, Louisiana, M-6, resolution, RGB composite, tropical storm, VIIRS
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