28.2N 77.1W
September 2nd, 2010
Category: Image of the day, Tropical Cyclones
Hurricane Earl (07L) - September 1st, 2010
Track of TS 07L
At 8:00 PM EDT (00:00 UTC), the eye of Hurricane Earl (07L) was located near latitude 27.2 North, longitude 73.5 West. Earl is moving toward the north-northwest near 18 mph (30 km/hr).
This motion is expected to continue tonight with a turn to the north on Thursday. On the forecast track, the core of the hurricane will approach the North Carolina coast by late Thursday, and move near or over the Outer Banks of that state by Thursday night.
Maximum sustained winds are near 135 mph (215 km/hr) with higher gusts.E arl is a category four hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale. Some fluctuations in intensity are likely tonight and Thursday, but a gradual weakening trend is anticipated thereafter.
Earl is a large hurricane. Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 90 miles (150 km) from the center, and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 200 miles (325 km). The estimated minimum central pressure is 941 mb (27.79 inches).
There are various hazards affecting land. Tropical storm force winds are expected to reach the North Carolina coast within the warning area by Thursday afternoon with hurricane force winds occurring by late Thursday. Tropical storm force winds will likely reach the coast from Virginia northward to New Jersey by late Thursday night or early Friday.
A dangerous storm surge will raise water levels by as much as 3 to 5 feet above ground level within the hurricane warning
area and the lower Chesapeake Bay. Elsewhere within the tropical storm warning area, a storm surge will raise water levels by as much as 1 to 3 feet above ground level. Near the coast, the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves.
Rainfall accumulations of 2 to 4 inches, with isolated maximum amounts of 6 inches, are expected over portions of eastern North Carolina including the Outer Banks. With regards to surf, large swells from Earl will continue to affect the Bahamas
and the east coast of the United States through Friday. These swells will likely cause dangerous surf conditions and rip currents.
Tags: 07L Atlantic Coast Bahamas Hurricane Earl USA | 
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7.1S 55.3W
September 1st, 2010
Category: Climate Change, Fires, Rivers
Brazil - August 4th, 2010
Many areas of deforestation can be observed in this image of the Brazilian states of Amazonas (upper left), Rondônia (lower left), Mato Grosso (lower right) and Pará (upper right). These areas appear to be located near roads and settlements.
The image is crossed by several tan lines. The thicker, curved lines are rivers such as the Manicoré River in Amazonas, in north-western Brazil (upper left). The straight lines are roads, such as Route 230, running diagonally southwest to northeast, south of the river, and Route 16e, running diagonally northwest to southeast, through the town of Novo Progresso.
While some thick clouds are present near the top, the rest of the image is slightly covered by a thin veil of smoke. Upon opening the full image, several fires, probably agriculture-related, can be seen in the lower left quadrant.
Tags: Brazil Deforestation Fires Manicoré River Novo Progresso | Print This Post
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20.7N 68.6W
September 1st, 2010
Category: Tropical Cyclones
Hurricane Earl (07L) - August 31st, 2010
Enhanced image
Track of TS 07L
On August 30 at 11:00 AM AST, Earl (07L) intensified into a category 3 hurricane, making it the second major hurricane of the season after Hurricane Danielle (06L). Later that day, Earl intensified further into a category 4 hurricane and could further develop into a category 5 hurricane.
Earl is the first Cape Verde-type hurricane to affect the Leeward Islands since Hurricane Georges. It is currently predicted to affect the Grand Strand of South Carolina, Outer Banks of North Carolina and possibly Atlantic Canada.
As of 1100 PM AST (0300 UTC), the center of Hurricane Earl was located near latitude 23.0 North, longitude 69.9 West.E arl is moving toward the northwest near 15 mph (24 km/hr).
This general motion is expected to continue on Wednesday with a gradual turn to the north-northwest thereafter. On the forecast track, the core of the hurricane will be passing well east and northeast of the Turks and Caicos Islands Tuesday night and northeast of the Bahamas Wednesday.
Maximum sustained winds are near 135 mph (215 km/hr) with higher gusts. Earl is a category four hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale. Little change in strength is expected through Wednesday.
Earl is a large hurricane. Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 90 miles (150 km) from the center, and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 200 miles (325 km). Estimated minimum central pressure is 940 mb (27.76 inches).
Hazards affecting land include winds, storm surges and rainfall. Tropical storm conditions are probably occurring in the vicinity of the Turks and Caicos Islands. Weather conditions will likely improve in these islands on Wednesday. Above normal tides, accompanied by large and dangerous battering waves, are possible in the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeastern Bahamas tonight. Rainfall accumulations of 1 to 3 inches, with isolated maximum amounts of 6 inches, are expected for the southeastern Bahamas and for the Turk and Caicos Islands.
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9.8S 124.3E
September 1st, 2010
Category: Rivers, Sediments
Australia - August 30th, 2010
Sediments spilling out of the mouth of the Fitzroy River turn King Sound tan in color. The rest of the coastline of Western Australia visible to the northeast of the sound is also framed by sediments, although these appear less dense and greenish in color.
Several islands can be observed to the north. Most belong to the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara, located in the eastern portion of the Lesser Sunda Islands, including West Timor. The provincial capital is Kupang, located on West Timor. The highest point is Mount Mutis of Timor Tengah Selatan, which is 2427 meters above sea level.
The province consists of about 550 islands, but is dominated by the three main islands of Flores, Sumba, and West Timor, the western half of the island of Timor. The eastern part of Timor is the independent country of East Timor. Other islands include Adonara, Alor, Komodo, Lembata, Menipo, Raijua, Rincah, Rote Island (the southernmost island in Indonesia), Savu, Semau, and Solor.
Tags: Australia Indonesia King Sound Lesser Sunda Islands Timor | Print This Post
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20.0N 72.7W
August 31st, 2010
Category: Snapshots
Haiti and Dominican Republic - August 5th, 2010
This image focuses on the island of Hispaniola, home to the countries of Haiti (left half) and the Dominican Republic (right half). Two large islands are visible near the Haitian shores: Gonâve Island, to the west, in the Gulf of Gonâve, and Tortuga, to the northwest. Both belong to Haiti.
Other islands can be observed to the north. The group just north of the shallow, light blue bank, belong to the Turks and Caicos archipelago. The one in the upper left corner is Mayaguana Island, belonging to the Bahamas. In the full image, the island of Puerto Rico can also be seen to the east of Hispaniola.
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0.1N 50.2W
August 31st, 2010
Category: Image of the day, Rivers, Sediments
Brazil - August 27th, 2010
The Amazon River in South America is the second longest river in the world after the Nile. It is 4,080 miles long and runs from the Andes Mountains in Peru through Brazil to the Atlantic Ocean.
Here, it can be seen at its mouth, where it is releasing a heavy load of sediments into the Atlantic. Despite the clouds dotted over the Brazilian terrain, the channels of the river and its mouth can be observed quite clearly.
It contains more water than any other river in the world- more than the Mississippi, the Nile and the Yangtze combined. In one second the Amazon pours more than 55 million gallons, or 600,000 cubic meters of water, into the Atlantic Ocean, which dilutes the ocean’s saltiness for 100 miles from shore.
The Amazon is the widest river in the world. Many kilometers inland from its mouth it can be as wide as 11 kilometers, and 40 kilometers in the wet season; at the place where it meets the Atlantic, it is as much as 325 kilometers. It is interesting that it is widening by as much as 2 meters a year due to waves from ships breaking down the banks.
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