University of Leicester releases stunning satellite imagery of cyclone Yasi from space

Earth observation photographs show cyclone's approach to Australian coast

2011-02-04

(Press-News.org) Earth observation scientists at the University of Leicester have recorded stunning images of tropical cyclone Yasi by orbiting satellites.

Japanese Meteorological Agency and European Space Agency satellite instruments have been observing the intense storm over Australia from their vantage points in space.

University of Leicester scientists have used two instruments, MTSAT-2 and MERIS, which have enabled the scientists to follow the progress of the storm as it headed towards and then struck the Australian coast. They have provided unique views from space of a storm system which is larger than the UK.

The newly operational MTSAT-2 images from February 2nd are particularly striking. The images, showing the coldest clouds as white, reveal the extent of swirling white cloud and the deep eye of the storm which is clearly visible just off the coast of Northern Australia. The MERIS images taken on February 1st, shows the cloud system in greater detail (the colour scale runs from white clouds to green vegetation); MERIS on Envisat was recently placed in a new operational orbit to extend its mission lifetime. A movie of MTSAT-2 data shows the rapid approach of the storm and the real strengthening of the cyclone as it nears the coast.

Dr David Moore from the University's Space Research Centre in the Department of Physics and Astronomy said "What these images reveal is the sheer scale of tropical cyclone Yasi. This particular storm system has intensified over the past several days into a system larger than the UK. Indeed, the size of the storm's eye is itself larger than the Isle of Anglesey!"

Professor John Remedios, Head of Earth Observation Science at the University of Leicester, said, "The strength of the storm and the clarity of the eye are quite remarkable. Satellite systems allow us to monitor and improve the forecast for the areas at risk. They also really show us the immense energy of natural systems which still have a profound effect on our daily lives. In Australia, it really has been a most difficult few months with the combination of a number of intense weather events."

The MTSAT-2 is a dual mission satellite for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Japan Meteorological Agency and is part of a series of geostationary satellites centred over the Pacific Ocean. The instrument became operational in July 2010 and is capable of measuring over visible and infrared wavelengths in five channels.

The MERIS instrument is flown on the European Space Agency (ESA) satellite, Envisat, launched in 2002. The MERIS instrument is able to observe vegetation greenness and ocean colour, and their change over the seasons. The Envisat recently underwent a controlled orbit change to extend its lifetime to 2013. The images show that the instrument is working very well.

INFORMATION:

Notes to editors:

Images available via pt91@le.ac.uk

You can view a short video showing the approach of the cyclone on YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1VZ-T24Rgw

A very hi-resolution AVI and image are available via Dr David Moore, e-mail dpm9@leicester.ac.uk

Image captions:
Aus_cyclone_credits.jpg: MERIS images taken on February 1st. Credit: MERIS data @ESA, University of Leicester
Australia_correct_tag.bmp: Taken by MTSAT on February 2nd, 2pm. Credit: MTSAT (Japanese Meteorological Agency), image produced by University of Leicester.
Queensland_ortho_correct_tag.bmp: Taken by MTSAT on February 2nd, 2pm. Credit: MTSAT (Japanese Meteorological Agency), image produced by University of Leicester.

A video showing the approach of the cyclone is online on YouTube – see notes to editors for hi-res version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1VZ-T24Rgw

[Attachments] See images for this press release:

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Discovery may lead to turning back the clock on ovarian cancer

2011-02-04

Cancer researchers have discovered that a type of regulatory RNA may be effective in fighting ovarian cancer. Ovarian cancer isn't typically discovered until it's in the advanced stages, where it is already spreading to other organs and is very difficult to fight with chemotherapy. This new discovery may allow physicians to turn back the clock of the tumor's life cycle to a phase where traditional chemotherapy can better do its job. Scientists at the Ovarian Cancer Institute Laboratory at the Georgia Institute of Technology have found in initial tests that a regulatory ...

Same rules apply to some experimental systems regardless of scale

2011-02-04

New experiments show that common scientific rules can apply to significantly different phenomena operating on vastly different scales. The results raise the possibility of making discoveries pertaining to phenomena that would be too large or impractical to recreate in the laboratory, said Cheng Chin, associate professor in physics and the James Franck Institute at the University of Chicago. Chin and associates Chen-Lung Hung, Xibo Zhang and Nathan Gemelke published their results in the Jan. 26 Advance Online Publication (Feb. 10 print edition) of the journal Nature. Chin ...

Rheumatoid arthritis researchers redefine remission

2011-02-04

ATLANTA – The American College of Rheumatology today announced the release of two new provisional definitions of rheumatoid arthritis remission, which are to be applied to future RA clinical trials. According to research presented in the March issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism, a person with RA who is enrolled in a clinical trial would need to meet one of the following definitions to be considered in remission: 1. Tender joint count, swollen joint count (on 28 joint counts), C-reactive protein (in mg/dl), and patient global assessment scores (on a scale of zero to 10) ...

Microbiologists at TU Muenchen aim to optimize bio-ethanol production

2011-02-04

Food versus fuel -- this rivalry is gaining significance against a backdrop of increasingly scarce farmland and a concurrent trend towards the use of bio-fuels. Researchers at the Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM) are helping to resolve this rivalry: They are working to effectively utilize residual field crop material – which has been difficult to use thus far – for the industrial production of bio-ethanol. They took a closer look at bacteria that transform cellulose into sugar, thereby increasing the energy yield from plants utilized. If this approach works, both ...

New national study finds mountain bike-related injuries down 56 percent

2011-02-04

Mountain biking, also known as off-road biking, is a great way to stay physically active while enjoying nature and exploring the outdoors. The good news is that mountain biking-related injuries have decreased. A new study conducted by researchers at the Center for Injury Research and Policy of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital found the number of mountain bike-related injuries decreased 56 percent over the 14-year study period (1994 to 2007) – going from a high of more than 23,000 injuries in 1995 to just over 10,000 injuries in 2007. "The large ...

BU School of Public Health finds simple interventions reduce newborn deaths in Africa

2011-02-04

Training community birth attendants in rural Zambia in a simple newborn resuscitation protocol reduced neonatal deaths by nearly 50 percent – a finding that shows high potential to save lives in similar remote settings, a team of Boston University School of Public Health [BUSPH] international health researchers is reporting. Findings published Feb. 3 in the BMJ by the team from the BU Center for Global Health and Development show that training and equipping Zambian traditional birth attendants to perform a neonatal resuscitation intervention led to a net reduction of ...

Analyzing long-term impacts of biofuel on the land

2011-02-04

Madison WI, FEBRUARY 03, 2011 – The growing development and implementation of renewable biofuel energy has considerable advantages over using declining supplies of fossil fuels. However, meeting the demands of a fuel-driven society may require utilizing all biofuel sources including agricultural crop residues. While a useful biofuel source, crop residues also play a crucial role in maintaining soil organic carbon stock. This stock of organic carbon preserves soil functions and our global environment as well ensures the sustainable long-term production of biofuel feedstock. In ...

New drought record from long-lived Mexican trees may illuminate fates of past civilizations

2011-02-04

WASHINGTON — A new, detailed record of rainfall fluctuations in ancient Mexico that spans more than twelve centuries promises to improve our understanding of the role drought played in the rise and fall of pre-Hispanic civilizations. Prior evidence has indicated that droughts could have been key factors in the fates of major cultures in ancient Mexico and Central America (Mesoamerica). But there have been many gaps in the paleoclimate record, such as the exact timing and geographic extension of some seemingly influential dry spells. The new, 1,238-year-long tree-ring ...

Helping feed the world without polluting its waters

2011-02-04

A growing global population has lead to increasing demands for food. Farmers around the world rely, at least in part on phosphorus-based fertilizers in order to sustain and improve crop yields. But the overuse of phosphorus can lead to freshwater pollution and the development of a host of problems, such as the spread of blue-green algae in lakes and the growth of coastal 'dead zones'. A further issue is that phosphorus comes from phosphate rock, a non-renewable resource of which there are limited supplies in such geopolitically charged areas as Western Sahara and China. Now, ...

New discoveries improve climate models

2011-02-04

New discoveries on how underwater ridges impact the ocean's circulation system will help improve climate projections. An underwater ridge can trap the flow of cold, dense water at the bottom of the ocean. Without the ridge, deepwater can flow freely and speed up the ocean circulation pattern, which generally increases the flow of warm surface water. Warm water on the ocean's surface makes the formation of sea ice difficult. With less ice present to reflect the sun, surface water will absorb more sunlight and continue to warm. U.S. Geological Survey scientists looked ...

University of Leicester releases stunning satellite imagery of cyclone Yasi from space

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: