Start Date: End Date: Published Date Data Date
Sea Ice Ebbs and Flows
720 x 342 JPEG
Published April 21, 2009
These satellite-based maps show sea ice concentration in the Arctic and Antarctic during September 2008 and February 2009, the months of the sea ice maximums and minimums in the respective hemispheres.
Related images:
Sea Ice Extent as the Equinox Approaches
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Published March 21, 2009
Arctic sea ice reaches its maximum extent in mid-March, around the time of the Vernal Equinox. After the Equinox, sunlight shines at the North Pole constantly until fall, and the sea ice will gradually decline.
Sea Surface Temperature and Hurricane Bertha
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Published July 26, 2008
On land, the passage of a severe storm might be marked by fallen trees or swollen streams. In the ocean, a hurricane leaves a swath of cold water in its path. That trail of cold water marks the passage of Hurricane Bertha through the North Atlantic Ocean in this sea surface temperature image.
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La Nina and Pacific Decadal Oscillation Cool the Pacific
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Published April 29, 2008
The cool water anomaly in the center of the image shows the lingering effect of the year-old La Niña. However, the much broader area of cooler-than-average water off the coast of North America from Alaska (top center) to the equator is a classic feature of the cool phase of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO).
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Record Sea Ice Minimum
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Published October 13, 2007
Arctic sea ice reached a record low in September 2007, below the previous record set in 2005 and substantially below the long-term average.
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Northwest Passage Nearly Open
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Published August 28, 2007
This image shows sea ice around the Northwest Passage as observed by the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS (AMSR-E) aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite on August 22, 2007. McClure Strait, Parry Channel, Victoria Strait, and McClintock Channel (north of Victoria Strait), all appear nearly ice-free. North of McClure Strait, an area of sea ice remains, but it is fragmented.
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La Niña In Progress
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Published February 9, 2006
La Niña is an occurrence of unusually cold water temperatures in the Pacific Ocean along the equator (the precise area affected is outlined in black in the image above). La Niña and its opposite, El Niño, are linked to seesaw variations in air pressure over the tropical Pacific and affect weather patterns across the globe. NASA monitors developing El Ni&ntidle;o and La Niña events by observing sea surface temperatures. This image compares the water temperatures observed in late January 2006 to long-term average conditions for that time of year. The recent data were collected by the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS (AMSR-E). Red shows where sea surface temperatures are warmer than normal and blue where they are colder than normal.
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2005 Atlantic Hurricane Season
Published December 17, 2005
The 2005 Atlantic Hurricane season broke record after record: most named storms, lowest pressure measured in the Atlantic, longest-lived December hurricane, and the list goes on. This image provides a summary of the season, with the track of each named storm marked in black. In all, 30 tropical depressions, tropical storms, and hurricanes formed in 2005. Of these, 26 were named storms, a status given to tropical storms and hurricanes.
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