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COLLECTION NAME:
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NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Collection
mediaCollectionId
NVA2~14~14
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Collection
Collection
true
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Title:
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TOPEX/El Nino
title
TOPEX/El Nino
Title
false
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Creator:
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NASA/JPL-Caltech
creator
NASA/JPL-Caltech
Creator
false
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Description:
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These three panels show the evolution of sea surface elevation over the global oceans from October to December, 1994. The red- colored strips in the central and eastern tropical Pacific reflect the formation of the present El Nino condition. The images were created with the sea surface elevation data taken by the radar altimeter onboard the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite. The color coded maps show monthly sea surface elevation relative to the two-year average taken during 1993-94. Higher sea surface elevation is shown in red and yellow while lower elevation is in purple and blue. The higher sea surface elevation associated with the El Nino reflects an excessive amount of unusually warm water in the upper ocean. El Nino begins when a phenomenon called a Kelvin wave is created in the western tropical Pacific when the trade winds weaken. The Kelvin wave subsequently travels eastward along the equator carrying with it an unusually warm water mass under a bulge of high sea surface elevation. These maps show a new Kelvin wave arriving at the western coast of South America in November 1994. In December, scientists believe the trailing part of the wave was somehow reinforced, causing the wave to stagnate in its present location. The red and white feature shown in the Indian Ocean is caused by seasonal monsoon winds. TOPEX/Poseidon is a joint program of NASA and the Centre Nationale d'Etudes Spatiales, the French space agency. Scientists use the TOPEX/Poseidon sea surface elevation data to produce global maps of ocean circulation. Launched Aug. 10, 1992, the satellite has completed two and a half years of its three-year prime mission and has provided oceanographers with unprecedented global sea surface elevation that is accurate to better than 5 centimeters (2 inches). The Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite for NASA's Office of Mission to Planet Earth. #####
description
These three panels show the evolution of sea surface elevation over the global oceans from October to December, 1994. The red- colored strips in the central and eastern tropical Pacific reflect the formation of the present El Nino condition. The images were created with the sea surface elevation data taken by the radar altimeter onboard the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite. The color coded maps show monthly sea surface elevation relative to the two-year average taken during 1993-94. Higher sea surface elevation is shown in red and yellow while lower elevation is in purple and blue. The higher sea surface elevation associated with the El Nino reflects an excessive amount of unusually warm water in the upper ocean. El Nino begins when a phenomenon called a Kelvin wave is created in the western tropical Pacific when the trade winds weaken. The Kelvin wave subsequently travels eastward along the equator carrying with it an unusually warm water mass under a bulge of high sea surface elevation. These maps show a new Kelvin wave arriving at the western coast of South America in November 1994. In December, scientists believe the trailing part of the wave was somehow reinforced, causing the wave to stagnate in its present location. The red and white feature shown in the Indian Ocean is caused by seasonal monsoon winds. TOPEX/Poseidon is a joint program of NASA and the Centre Nationale d'Etudes Spatiales, the French space agency. Scientists use the TOPEX/Poseidon sea surface elevation data to produce global maps of ocean circulation. Launched Aug. 10, 1992, the satellite has completed two and a half years of its three-year prime mission and has provided oceanographers with unprecedented global sea surface elevation that is accurate to better than 5 centimeters (2 inches). The Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite for NASA's Office of Mission to Planet Earth. #####
Description
false
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Date:
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1/24/95
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Identifier:
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P-45140
identifier
P-45140
Identifier
false
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MediaType:
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Image
mediatype
Image
MediaType
false
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Year:
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1995
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Contributor:
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JPL Archives
contributor
JPL Archives
Contributor
false
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What:
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Altimeter
what
Altimeter
What
false
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What:
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TOPEX/Poseidon
what
TOPEX/Poseidon
What
false
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Where:
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Indian Ocean
where
Indian Ocean
Where
false
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Where:
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Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
where
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
Where
false
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