(Press-News.org) NASA satellites are providing valuable data to forecasters as Tropical Cyclone Iggy nears Western Australia. NASA's Aqua satellite provided visible and infrared data on Iggy, observing colder cloud tops and strengthening storm. Iggy has already triggered warnings and watches along coastal areas.
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology (ABM) has issued a Cyclone Warning for coastal areas from Mardie to Ningaloo including Exmouth and Onslow. ABM has also issued a Cyclone Watch east to Port Hedland and south to Coral Bay. In addition, a Blue Alert has been posted for "People in or near coastal and island communities between Mardie and Coral Bay including the communities of Mardie, Onslow, Exmouth and Coral Bay need to prepare for cyclonic weather."
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured a true color image of Tropical Storm Iggy on January 27 at 0655 UTC (2:30 a.m. EST), and showed Iggy as a rounded area of clouds with no visible eye. Animated infrared satellite imagery showed a slight cooling of cloud tops in Iggy's main band of thunderstorms, located west of the center. Dropping cloud-top temperatures mean that the strength in the storm is increasing and pushing those cloud tops higher in the atmosphere, where it is colder. Higher cloud tops mean stronger thunderstorms within the tropical cyclone.
At 1500 UTC (10 a.m. EST) on January 27, Iggy's maximum sustained winds were near 55 knots (63 mph/102 kph). Iggy's tropical-storm-force-winds extend 115 nautical miles (132 miles/213 km) from the center. Iggy is about 230 nm (~265 miles/426 km) in diameter. Iggy was centered about 270 nautical miles (~311 miles/500 km) northwest of Learmouth, Australia, near 19.1 South latitude and 110.7 East longitude. Iggy is moving slowly to the south-southeast, toward Western Australia's Pilbara coastline.
ABM classified Iggy as a "Category two" cyclone, with wind gusts of 130 kph (~81 mph). ABM forecasters expect Iggy to become a category three storm on January 28. For updates on tropical cyclone warnings from the ABM, visit: http://www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/.
Because of low wind shear and warm waters, Iggy is expected to continue strengthening on its approach to the Australian coastline. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center forecast as of January 27 takes the center of Iggy's center very close to Learmouth on January 30 and 31 before turning to the southwest and heading back to sea.
INFORMATION:
NASA eyes cyclone Iggy's threat to western Australia
2012-01-30
[Attachments] See images for this press release:
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Kindle Bedbugs Tale With The Bedbugs' Point Of View!
2012-01-30
Vellum Publishing, Inc. announces the release of a new digital single that explores life in the bedroom from both the human and the bedbug point of view.
Bedbugs have returned to the sleeping quarters of America big time, and now there's a new lighthearted short digital single available for Kindle readers that explores the trials of this harrowing cohabitation between humans and bedbugs. At www.newkindlebooks.com, Vellum Publishing, Inc. has announced the release of an exciting new digital single exclusively for the Kindle which humorously demonstrates this unique relationship ...
UT researchers' innovation addresses major challenge of drug delivery
2012-01-30
A new physical form of proteins developed by researchers at The University of Texas at Austin could drastically improve treatments for cancer and other diseases, as well as overcome some of the largest challenges in therapeutics: delivering drugs to patients safely, easily and more effectively.
The protein formulation strategy, developed by faculty and students in the Cockrell School of Engineering's Department of Chemical Engineering, is unprecedented and offers a new and universal approach to drug delivery – one that could revolutionize treatment of cancer, arthritis ...
That which does not kill yeast makes it stronger
2012-01-30
KANSAS CITY, MO— Cells trying to keep pace with constantly changing environmental conditions need to strike a fine balance between maintaining their genomic integrity and allowing enough genetic flexibility to adapt to inhospitable conditions. In their latest study, researchers at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research were able to show that under stressful conditions yeast genomes become unstable, readily acquiring or losing whole chromosomes to enable rapid adaption.
The research, published in the January 29, 2012, advance online issue of Nature, demonstrates that ...
UCLA astronomers solve mystery of vanishing electrons
2012-01-30
UCLA researchers have explained the puzzling disappearing act of energetic electrons in Earth's outer radiation belt, using data collected from a fleet of orbiting spacecraft.
In a paper published today in the journal Nature Physics, the team shows that the missing electrons are swept away from the planet by a tide of solar wind particles during periods of heightened solar activity.
"This is an important milestone in understanding Earth's space environment," said lead study author Drew Turner, an assistant researcher in the UCLA Department of Earth and Space Sciences ...
Northridge Dentists, Dr. Elyson and Dr. Assili, are Now Offering Invisalign Aligners at a Discounted Price
2012-01-30
New Year is a time to experience new places and reunite with friends and family. This also means that it is time to show off a bright and healthy smile. For those that are not confident with their appearance, one cosmetic dentist in Northridge is now offering cutting edge service at an all-time low price this coming season.
Invisalign has fast become one of the most reliable and beloved teeth straightening systems in the field of dentistry. Unlike traditional metal braces that are both unsightly and uncomfortable, the Invisalign system takes an ultra-modern approach ...
Body clock receptor linked to diabetes in new genetic study
2012-01-30
A study published in Nature Genetics today has found new evidence for a link between the body clock hormone melatonin and type 2 diabetes. The study found that people who carry rare genetic mutations in the receptor for melatonin have a much higher risk of type 2 diabetes.
The findings should help scientists to more accurately assess personal diabetes risk and could lead to the development of personalised treatments.
Previous research has found that people who work night shifts have a higher risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Studies have also found that if ...
Oxford, Harvard scientists lead data-sharing effort
2012-01-30
Led by researchers at University of Oxford (UK) and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) at Harvard University, (USA), more than 50 collaborators at over 30 scientific organizations around the globe have agreed on a common standard that will make possible the consistent description of enormous and radically different databases
compiled in fields ranging from genetics to stem cell science, to environmental studies.
The new standard provides a way for scientists in widely disparate fields to co-ordinate each other's findings by allowing behind-the-scenes combination ...
Genetics study reveals how bacteria behind serious childhood disease evolve to evade vaccines
2012-01-30
Genetics has provided surprising insights into why vaccines used in both the UK and US to combat serious childhood infections can eventually fail. The study, published today in Nature Genetics, which investigates how bacteria change their disguise to evade the vaccines, has implications for how future vaccines can be made more effective.
Pneumococcus (Streptococcus pneumoniae) causes potentially life-threatening diseases including pneumonia and meningitis. Pneumococcal infections are thought to kill around a million young children worldwide each year, though the success ...
Spread-Betting.org Adds New Spread Betting Company Comparison Section
2012-01-30
The London based financial website www.Spread-Betting.org, which features a range of reviews, analysis and trading guides, has launched a new set of comparisons tables that compare and contrast a range of spread betting companies.
There is an array of financial spread betting companies that investors can choose from. However, these firms vary in many ways: Does the company offer candlestick charts? Are the markets open 24 hours a day? What kind of trading orders are available?
These are just some of the questions that spread bettors face when looking to sign up with ...
Stealthy leprosy pathogen evades critical vitamin D-dependent immune response
2012-01-30
A team of UCLA scientists has found that the pathogen that causes leprosy has a remarkable ability to avoid the human immune system by inhibiting the antimicrobial responses important to our defenses.
In one of the first laboratory studies of its kind, researchers discovered that the leprosy pathogen Mycobacterium leprae was able to reduce and evade immune activity that is dependent on vitamin D, a natural hormone that plays an essential role in the body's fight against infections.
The pathogen manipulated micro-RNAs, tiny molecules made of ribonucleic acids that ...