Topic: NOAA

NASA reports on the effects of Strong Solar Flares

May 14, 2013 |

Written by Karen C. Fox
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

Greenbelt, MD – Given a legitimate need to protect Earth from the most intense forms of space weather — great bursts of electromagnetic energy and particles that can sometimes stream from the sun — some people worry that a gigantic “killer solar flare” could hurl enough energy to destroy Earth, but this is not actually possible.

Solar activity is indeed currently ramping up toward what is known as solar maximum, something that occurs approximately every 11 years. However, this same solar cycle has occurred over millennia so anyone over the age of 11 has already lived through such a solar maximum with no harm.

The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory spacecraft captured this image of a solar flare as it erupted from the sun early on Nov 4, 2003. This was the most powerful flare measured with modern methods, classified as an X28.
(Credit: ESA and NASA/SOHO)

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City of Clarksville prepared for Additional Rainfall this Weekend

May 4, 2013 |

Clarksville, TN – The National Weather Center is anticipating a rain event this weekend. According to the latest predictions, the rain may last longer in duration but it is not expected that Clarksville will see as much accumulation as last weekend.

Even so, the Clarksville Street Department is ready with equipment and personnel to address any excess water issues in the City including the Woodstock neighborhood. «Read the rest of this article»

American Red Cross Responds to Severe Storms and Flooding

April 28, 2013 |

Emergency Shelters Opened in Dover and Erin Tennessee

Clarksville, TN – The American Red Cross has set up an emergency shelter to provide a safe place to stay for those who have been affected by strong storms and flooding in the area.

In Dover Tennessee, there is an emergency shelter setup at First Baptist Church located at 220 Church Street. For Erin Tennessee, a shelter has been setup at First Assembly of God located at 270 Arlington Street. «Read the rest of this article»

Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office provides tips on Lightning Safety

April 20, 2013 |

Nashville, TN – As spring storms pop up this month, the Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office wants to remind Tennesseans to keep safety in mind when lightning and storms are imminent.

“Lightning strikes can cause fires. And, as the season’s warmer weather gives rise to storm activity, we want Tennesseans to know what the risks and precautions are,” says State Fire Marshal and Commerce & Insurance Commissioner Julie Mix McPeak. “It is important to monitor weather conditions and get to a safe place before the climate becomes threatening.”

Lightning strikes can cause fires. (NOAA)

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NOAA predicts mixed bag of drought, flooding and warm weather for spring

March 22, 2013 |

Washington, D.C. – NOAA issued the three-month U.S. Spring Outlook today, stating that odds favor above-average temperatures across much of the continental United States, including drought-stricken areas of Texas, the Southwest and the Great Plains.

Spring promises little drought relief for most of these areas, as well as Florida, with below- average spring precipitation favored there. Meanwhile, river flooding is likely to be worse than last year across the country, with the most significant flood potential in North Dakota.

U.S. Spring Flood Risk Map for 2013. Read the full National Hydrologic Assessment. (Credit: NOAA)

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United Nations forum places Space Weather on the Agenda

February 14, 2013 |

Written by Dr. Tony Phillips
Science at NASA

Washington, D.C. – Rewind to the late 1950s. The Soviet Union had just launched the first artificial satellite, Sputnik. The United States, caught short, was scrambling to catch up, kick-starting a Cold War space race that would last for decades.  Space was up for grabs, and it seemed like anything could happen.

Into this void stepped the United Nations. In 1958, the General Assembly “recognizing the common interest of mankind in furthering the peaceful use of outer space … and desiring to avoid the extension of present national rivalries into this new field….” established the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS).

The UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS). (Credit: UN Information Service)

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NASA scientists report on long term Global Warming Trend

January 16, 2013 |

Written by Dr. Tony Phillips
Science at NASA

Washington, D.C. – NASA scientists say 2012 was the ninth warmest of any year since 1880, continuing a long-term trend of rising global temperatures. With the exception of 1998, the nine warmest years in the 132-year record all have occurred since 2000, with 2010 and 2005 ranking as the hottest years on record.

NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York, which monitors global surface temperatures on an ongoing basis, released an updated analysis Tuesday that compares temperatures around the globe in 2012 to the average global temperature from the mid-20th century. The comparison shows how Earth continues to experience warmer temperatures than several decades ago.

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National Research Council report shows more ways the Sun effects Earth’s Climate

January 10, 2013 |

Written by Dr. Tony Phillips
Science at NASA

Washington, D.C. – In the galactic scheme of things, the Sun is a remarkably constant star. While some stars exhibit dramatic pulsations, wildly yo-yoing in size and brightness, and sometimes even exploding, the luminosity of our own sun varies a measly 0.1% over the course of the 11-year solar cycle.

There is, however, a dawning realization among researchers that even these apparently tiny variations can have a significant effect on terrestrial climate. A new report issued by the National Research Council (NRC), “The Effects of Solar Variability on Earth’s Climate,” lays out some of the surprisingly complex ways that solar activity can make itself felt on our planet.

These six extreme UV images of the sun, taken by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, track the rising level of solar activity as the sun ascends toward the peak of the latest 11-year sunspot cycle.

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NASA-NOAA Suomi National Polar-orbiting satellite captures intriguing images of the Earth at Night

December 7, 2012 |

Written by Dr. Tony Phillips
Science at NASA

Washington, D.C. – At the American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco, scientists unveiled an unprecedented new look at our planet at night.

A global composite image, constructed using cloud-free night images from a new NASA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellite, shows the glow of natural and human-built phenomena across Earth in greater detail than ever before.

This image of the continental United States at night is a composite assembled from data acquired by the Suomi NPP satellite in April and October 2012. The image was made possible by the satellite’s “day-night band” of the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), which detects light in a range of wavelengths from green to near-infrared and uses filtering techniques to observe dim signals such as city lights, gas flares, auroras, wildfires and reflected moonlight. (Credit: NASA Earth Observatory/NOAA NGDC)

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NASA’s Aqua spacecraft provides scientists with relative humidity data that could help forecast Hurricane Strengths

December 3, 2012 |

Written by Alan Buis
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Pasadena, CA – Forecasters could soon be better able to predict how intense tropical cyclones like Hurricane Sandy will be by analyzing relative-humidity levels within their large-scale environments, finds a new NASA-led study.

Scientists from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, UCLA and the University of Hawaii at Manoa analyzed relative humidity data from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument on NASA’s Aqua spacecraft for nearly 200 North Atlantic hurricanes between 2002 and 2010.

Hurricane Sandy as seen by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument on NASA’s Terra spacecraft on Oct. 28th, 2012, when the Category 1 storm was centered off the southeastern U.S. coast. A new NASA-led study finds that analysis of relative humidity levels in the large-scale environment of tropical cyclones may be useful in improving forecasts of their intensity. (Image credit: NASA GSFC/LANCE MODIS Rapid Response Team)

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