News•October 31, 2014
Picture This: Amazing Antarctic & Halloween Treats
The weather news this week was dominated by remembrances of Hurricane Sandy and the impact it is still having on rebuilding and resiliency efforts, as well as climate research. A brewing storm that could bring snow to parts of the East was also much Tweeted. But the most impressive pictures came from weather and climate-related events happening elsewhere around the globe, from a cyclone spinning over the Arabian Sea, to NASA research planes flying over the icy expanse of Antarctica to study seasonal ice melt. And then, of course, there were the signs of the season, from fall leaves and a frosty pumpkin, to some Halloween tricks and treats.
Awe-inspiring Antarctica
NASA kicked off the Antarctic leg of the 2014 Operation IceBridge campaign earlier this month, flying long missions over the southernmost continent in their DC-8 research plane.
The IceBridge campaign’s aim is right in its name: It is bridging the gap between the termination of the ICESat satellite in 2009 and the expected 2016 launch of ICESat-2, its successor. IceBridge planes spend the Northern and Southern hemisphere summers collecting data from the Arctic and Antarctic, respectively, to maintain continuity between the two missions.
The also take some truly spectacular photos.
So far during the Antarctic campaign, their photographers aboard the plane have snapped images of the rugged Shackleton Range (named after an early 20th century Antarctic explorer, Ernest Shackleton):
The mountains of Antarctica's Shackleton Range seen during IceBridge's survey of Recovery Glacier on Oct. 25, 2014.
Click image to enlarge. Credit: NASA / Jim Yungel
Along with the stark white expanse of the Antarctic Peninsula, one of the fastest warming places on the planet (air temperatures there have risen by about 5°F in the last 50 years):
Antarctic Peninsula on the way back to Punta Arenas with @NASA_ICEpic.twitter.com/L5Yfrdh3rX
— Ellen Stofan (@EllenStofan) October 29, 2014
And then this stunning shot showing the shadow of the plane on sea ice rimming the continent, which reached a record high 20 million square kilometers (7.7 square miles) this winter. The rapid growth of Antarctic sea ice in recent years is more than offset by the precipitous decline of Arctic sea ice, and may be linked to global warming, which could be altering winds around the continent and melting more of the ice at the continent’s edge, providing a stable water layer for sea ice to form in:
New video: #IceBridge on the trail of a sea ice mystery. http://t.co/RXyt47fKZ4pic.twitter.com/t1BaO7loUB
— NASA ICE (@NASA_ICE) October 29, 2014
Arabian Sea Storm
Hurricane season may be winding down in the Atlantic Ocean basin, but elsewhere it’s still going strong. In the Arabian Sea this week, Cyclone Nilofar spun up to Category 4 status on Oct. 28, the strongest storm in the sea since Phet in 2010.
NASA’s Terra satellite took an image of the storm that day, with it’s 14-mile-wide eye clearly visible:
NASA's Terra satellite captured Tropical Cyclone Nilofar moving north in the Arabian Sea on Oct. 28, 2014.
Credit: NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid Response Team
Before reaching northwest India, the cyclone was torn apart by wind shear, helping those areas dodge the worst effects, though heavy downpours and flooding were still a threat.
Happy Halloween!
We couldn’t resist showing some of our favorite weather-related Halloween pics that popped up on Twitter today.
First up, a Jack-o-lantern that got some impromptu decoration thanks to an overnight snowfall in Wisconsin:
MT @JeffLast RT @WeatherHolley: #Snow on the pumpkin in Wausau, WI. pic.twitter.com/h7ZXppsOD4
— Jonathan Erdman (@wxjerdman) October 31, 2014
Find out here if your city has had snow on Halloween before.
One weatherman had fun with his green screen, giving folks a spine-tingling forecast:
Let the kids watch @WDRBNews this morning. Bones Redfield will be showing up soon! They will love it! pic.twitter.com/bIkONoYx9n
— Jude Redfield (@JudeRedfield) October 31, 2014
And one tyke should surely win any costume contest he enters, dressing up as the man synonymous with hurricane coverage, Jim Cantore:
The mouth wide open is a slam dunk 😊 MT @ShawnRTV6: Best. Costume. Ever. Mini @JimCantore@weatherchannelpic.twitter.com/ShifCwX2ab
— Jim Cantore (@JimCantore) October 31, 2014
Give that kid extra candy! And have a Happy Halloween!