“For me, the most compelling aspect of Ida was its rapid intensification up to landfall,” said Scott Braun, a scientist who specializes in hurricanes at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
More than 1 million customers in Louisiana had reportedly lost power by midday on August 30. Another 100,000 customers lost electricity in Mississippi and 12,000 in Alabama.
The storm lingered over southern Louisiana for most of August 29, dropping flood-provoking rainfall before moving north and east into Mississippi and Alabama on August 30.
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
We now have the first continuous near real-time observations of how humans are increasing Earth’s greenhouse effect, developed by @NASA & university partners. The research directly demonstrates how human activities are responsible for changing the climate. go.nasa.gov/3ck7PNf
In the long run, all planets balance the energy they receive and the energy they emit back to space. Most of the energy coming from the Sun is shortwave radiation, or visible light. Energy absorbed by Earth warms the planet and longer wave (heat) energy is emitted back to space.
Some light isn't absorbed by Earth because it is reflected by the atmosphere, particles, and clouds, or light colored surfaces. Some heat heading to space is trapped by clouds and the atmosphere and gets re-radiated back down — the greenhouse effect — causing more warming.
Take a close look at photos of these four key features found near Lake Salda. The Perseverance team hopes to find similar features on Mars. 👀
1. Microbialites
Lake Salda has hydromagnesite sediments eroded from large mounds called “microbialites”—rocks formed with the help of microbes. It would be huge news, if Jezero Crater has microbialites as well.
Earth is a big, weird place in space. There’s so much happening on this planet all at once that it’s easy to forget some minor details. We asked our friends here at @NASA — and we want to share with you — the facts about Earth that live rent free in our heads.
Dust from the Sahara fertilizes the Amazon rainforest. 27.7 million tons blow all the way across the Atlantic Ocean to the rainforest each year, where it brings phosphorus -- a nutrient plants need to grow. go.nasa.gov/3aiOtWP
2020 was tied with 2016 for the warmest year on record, part of a long-term warming trend driven by human activity. @NASA works to monitor how our climate is changing — melting ice, warming temperatures, longer fire seasons, and more. go.nasa.gov/2XDI6rh
Recent NASA research has shown how the warming ocean is melting glaciers in Greenland. go.nasa.gov/3c4pdWO
Combined, Greenland and Antarctica are losing 318 gigatons of ice per year. As the ice melts into the ocean, sea levels rise globally. go.nasa.gov/3cb0bCC
Over the last 35 years, fire seasons have been burning longer. In the United States, changes to the timing of snowmelt and precipitation — linked to climate change — contributed to the longer fire seasons. go.nasa.gov/3pmxY2h
Globally, 2020 was the hottest year on record, effectively tying 2016, the previous record. Overall, Earth’s average temperature has risen more than 2 degrees F since the 1880s. The effects of rising temperatures are felt around the world. go.nasa.gov/3iakW5c
2020 was a year of extremes, with record-breaking hurricane and fire seasons. Higher surface temperatures and more heat in the climate system can fuel different extreme events, directly and indirectly, like increasing tropical storm intensity.
This year, we saw record-setting fires in Australia and the western U.S., after years of high temperature and drought set the stage. Smoke from fires in both regions reached so high into the atmosphere that it formed clouds. go.nasa.gov/396zPBt go.nasa.gov/33oxoqO
We know that as human activity warms the planet, global sea level is rising. We know that about 2/3 of sea level rise so far has come from melting ice. But how do we know this? We can measure it from space. #SeeingTheSeas
Sea level isn’t uniform around the planet. Tides and currents, the density and temperature of water, and landforms can affect where the ocean piles up. We know this because we measure the shape of the ocean using radar altimetry. go.nasa.gov/3n0EpGB
Altimetry works by bouncing radio waves off the ocean surface and timing how quickly they return. Then comes the next challenge: Calculating the natural and seasonal changes in ocean height to determine how much more global warming has made seas rise.