Tag Archives: NASA

NASA satellites see Tropical Storm Irina getting loopy

Tropical Storm Irina

his image from NASA's TRMM satellite shows rainfall in the remnants of Tropical Cyclone Irina on March 5 at 2:23 a.m. local time/South Africa. Numerous intense storms in the southern and eastern quadrant were dropping rainfall at a rate of over 50mm per hr / ~2 inches (red). Light to moderate rainfall is depicted in blue and green was falling at a rate between .78 to 1.57 inches (20 to 40 mm) per hour. Credit: Credit: SSAI/NASA, Hal Pierce

Two NASA satellites have been measuring rainfall and cloud top temperatures in Tropical Storm as it has been “going loopy” in the Mozambique Channel over the last couple of days. Irina is making a cyclonic loop, something that a tropical cyclone does on occasion whenever there are a couple of weather systems that push it in different directions.

On March 5, 2012, Irina’s maximum sustained winds had increased to near 50 knots (57.5 mph/92.6 kph), , up from 40 knots (46 mph/74 kph) over the last several days. Forecasters at the Joint Typhoon Warning Center expect Irina to strengthen more at sea over the next day, and then begin to weaken.

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ENSO forecast: La Niña at least up to April 2012, El Niño possible

Comparing the different ENSO forecast models we conclude the first half of 2012 will most likely (on average) be dominated by the current La Niña phase. Most models however show progression towards neutral and some to El Niño before the … Continue reading →

NASA GISS: 2011 9th-warmest year on record – hot for a strong La Niña

Graph of the day: world temperature record between 1880 and 2011, showing annual and 5-year mean temperature, NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) data. Image credit: NASA Earth Observatory, Robert Simmon.

No reason to assume cold European winter ahead – too many sunspots

The cold winter of 2011-2012 that some meteorologists have predicted for Ireland, England, Scotland, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark is in fact to be called unlikely.

World average land temperatures have risen by almost 1 degree since 1955 – says 4th consecutive study

Whom would you rather believe? The world’s three best-established atmospheric research institutes – or a Berkeley dream team with the current Physics Nobel Prize laureate, backed up by the largest collection of land temperature measurements ever? So sorry to confuse … Continue reading →

2011 Antarctic ozone hole reached 16.17 million square kilometers

In April the WMO announced the Arctic ozone hole had reached record proportions – perhaps even doubling the previous depletion record of 2005, a Nature publication recently added. On the southern hemisphere the story seems much the same. New data … Continue reading →

Dinosaurs not struck by Baptistina asteroid – search on for other cause C-T extinction

We’re now one hypothesis down and know one thing more: tens of millions of years ago there was an enormous piece of floating rock that did not cause the dinosaurs to die out at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary, NASA scientists say.