An unusually warm US Midwest was caught off-guard on Monday as freak clusters of out-of-season tornados struck throughout the region, causing structural damage in Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Illinois and Arkansas and killing two in Missouri.
Monitoring Volcano Threats from Space
Volcanoes can have extremely wide ranging effects. Even a single eruption can cause disastrous climate changes at great distance from the source. Thus, it is important to have a system to monitor even the most remote volcanoes. The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on the Terra spacecraft and other satellite sensors provide imagery that is critical to the global volcano monitoring solution.
Natural Hazards: Unique Imagery: Oil Spill off South Korea
After the 146,000-ton tanker, Hebei Spirit, collided with another vessel on Friday, December 7, around 10,000 tons of crude oil spilled into the coastal waters of the Yellow Sea just Southwest of Seoul, Korea. The extent of the spill is shown here in an image taken using Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR).
Fires and Haze Fill The Skies In West Africa
Widespread agricultural burning in Senegal and Mali combined with blowing dust to create hazy skies.
Floods in Southeastern Mexico Displace Hundreds of Thousands
Days of heavy rains inundated southeastern Mexico in late October and early November 2007, causing massive displacement of people. Mexico’s president Felipe Calderón calls the flood one of the worst natural disasters in the nation’s history.
News: Massive California Fires Consistent With Climate Change
The catastrophic fires that are sweeping Southern California are consistent with what climate change models have been predicting for years, experts say, and they may be just a prelude to many more such events in the future – as vegetation grows heavier than usual and then ignites during prolonged drought periods.
Southern California Wildfires Burn Out of Control: NASA Satellite Images Show Fires' Rapid Growth
NASA satellites continue to capture remarkable new images of the wildfires raging in Southern California. At least 14 massive fires are reported to have scorched about 425 square miles from north of Los Angeles to southeast of San Diego.
Australian Fires Add to Fears on Climate Change
Extreme weather, including a drought that has persisted in some places for six years, has focused the Australian public on climate change, and it is shaping up as a major issue in the general elections that are expected to be called in the next few weeks.
South Struggles to Cope With Drought
Georgia’s governor declared a state of emergency for 85 counties
Lonely Planet
This brief article describes the how satellite imagery can deliver the not-so-good news.