(Press-News.org) Tropical Depression 25W was raining on southern Vietnam on Nov. 14 when NASA's TRMM satellite passed overhead and measured rainfall rates within the storm. TRMM noticed that the heaviest rainfall was limited to a small area and was located over open waters.
NASA's TRMM or Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite was launched in 1997, and can read that rate at which rain falls in storms on Earth from its orbit in space. NASA's TRMM satellite flew over Tropical Depression 25W on Nov. 14 at 0133 UTC and captured rainfall rate data. The TRMM data showed a small area of heavy rainfall away from the center of circulation, where rain was falling at 2 inches/50 mm per hour over the open waters of the South China Sea. Rainfall throughout the rest of the storm was light to moderate.
TRMM also provides cloud height estimates. The height of thunderstorms within a tropical cyclone is related to their strength. The higher the thunderstorms, the stronger they are, and the more likely they have heavier rainfall rates. When TRMM passed over TD25W, the data showed some thunderstorms as high as 10 kilometers (6.2 miles). As TD25W continued interacting with land, however, those cloud heights likely fell.
On Nov. 14 at 1800 UTC (1 p.m. EDT), the Joint Typhoon Warning Center issued their final advisory on TD25W as it was moving over southern Vietnam. At that time, TD25W's maximum sustained winds were near 25 knots (28.7 mph/46.3 kph) and weakening as a result of wind shear and land interaction. The depression was centered near 8.7 North latitude and 107.2 East longitude, about 148 nautical miles (170 miles/274 km) south-southeast of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. TD25W was moving to the west-northwest at 13 knots (15 mph/24 kph).
Satellite imagery captured after TRMM's early morning overpass revealed that the bulk ofTD25W's rainfall was being pushed to the northwest as a result of strong southeasterly wind shear.
By Nov. 15 at 11 a.m. EDT (1600 UTC), most of the remnant rainfall from Tropical Depression 25W had moved over the Andaman Sea. The depression's center had elongated from north to south as the storm continued to weaken. At that time, some rainfall from the storm's northern extent was occurring over Yangon, Burma.
Tropical Depression 25W is expected to dissipate later on Nov. 15 over the Andaman Sea.
INFORMATION:
NASA catches small area of heavy rain in fading Tropical Depression 25W
2012-11-16
[Attachments] See images for this press release:
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Most-distant galaxy candidate found
2012-11-16
Pasadena, CA— A team of astronomers including Carnegie's Daniel Kelson have set a new distance record for finding the farthest galaxy yet seen in the universe. By combining the power of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, Spitzer Space Telescope, and one of nature's own natural "zoom lenses" in space, they found a galaxy whose light traveled 13.3 billion years to reach Earth. Their work will be published in The Astrophysical Journal.
The diminutive blob--only a tiny fraction of the size of our Milky Way galaxy--offers a peek back in time to when the universe was 3 percent ...
Hinode views 2 solar eclipses
2012-11-16
VIDEO:
The JAXA/NASA Hinode mission witnessed two solar eclipses on Nov. 13, 2012, near in time to when a solar eclipse was visible in the southern hemisphere. This movie shows the...
Click here for more information.
Observers in Australia and the South Pacific were treated to a total solar eclipse on Nov. 13, 2012. The orbit of Hinode resulted in two eclipses this time, each with a somewhat different perspective. The first eclipse was total. During the second, the moon skimmed ...
Letter from doctor boosts cholesterol medication use
2012-11-16
Chicago --- In a new study, Northwestern Medicine researchers found that patients at high risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) are more likely to receive a prescription for cholesterol-lowering medication, and to achieve lower long-term cholesterol levels, when doctors use electronic health records (EHRs) to deliver personalized risk assessments via mail.
"It is important to get high priority preventive care messages to patients in a variety of ways," said Stephen Persell, MD, assistant professor of general internal medicine and geriatrics at Feinberg, and first author ...
NASA great observatories find candidate for most distant object in the universe to date
2012-11-16
By combining the power of NASA's Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes and one of nature's own natural "zoom lenses" in space, astronomers have set a new record for finding the most distant galaxy seen in the universe.
The farthest galaxy appears as a diminutive blob that is only a tiny fraction of the size of our Milky Way galaxy. But it offers a peek back into a time when the universe was 3 percent of its present age of 13.7 billion years.The newly discovered galaxy, named MACS0647-JD, was observed 420 million years after the big bang, the theorized beginning of the universe. ...
Innovative sobriety project reduces DUI and domestic violence arrests, study finds
2012-11-16
An innovative alcohol monitoring program imposed upon thousands of alcohol-involved offenders in South Dakota helps reduce repeat DUI arrests and domestic violence arrests, according to a new RAND Corporation study.
Examining the first six years of South Dakota's 24/7 Sobriety Project, researchers found that frequent alcohol testing with swift and moderate sanctions for those caught using alcohol reduced county-level repeat DUI arrests by 12 percent and domestic violence arrests by 9 percent. There was mixed evidence about whether the program reduced traffic crashes.
The ...
ORNL pushes the boundaries of electron microscopy to unlock the potential of graphene
2012-11-16
Electron microscopy at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory is providing unprecedented views of the individual atoms in graphene, offering scientists a chance to unlock the material's full potential for uses from engine combustion to consumer electronics.
Graphene crystals were first isolated in 2004. They are two-dimensional (one-atom in thickness), harder than diamonds and far stronger than steel, providing unprecedented stiffness, electrical and thermal properties. By viewing the atomic and bonding configurations of individual graphene atoms, scientists ...
Supercharged
2012-11-16
MANHATTAN, Kan. -- Supercharging is a technique no longer confined to automotive enthusiasts.
Artem Rudenko, a new assistant professor of physics at Kansas State University and member of the James R. Macdonald Laboratory, was one of the principal investigators in an international physics collaboration that used the world's most powerful X-ray laser to supercharge an atom. By stripping a record 36 electrons from a xenon atom, researchers were able to bring the atom to a high positively charged state thought to unachievable with X-ray energy.
The findings will help scientists ...
A class of RNA molecules protects germ cells from damage, Penn vet researchers show
2012-11-16
PHILADELPHIA — Passing one's genes on to the next generation is a mark of evolutionary success. So it makes sense that the body would work to ensure that the genes the next generation inherits are exact replicas of the originals.
New research by biologists at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine has now identified one way the body does exactly that. This protective role is fulfilled in part by a class of small RNA molecules called pachytene piwi-interacting RNAs, or piRNAs. Without them, germ-cell development in males comes to a halt. Because ...
Researchers sequence swine genome, discover associations that may advance animal and human health
2012-11-16
MANHATTAN, Kan. -- An international scientific collaboration that includes two Kansas State University researchers is bringing home the bacon when it comes to potential animal and human health advancements, thanks to successfully mapping the genome of the domestic pig.
The sequenced genome gives researchers a genetic blueprint of the pig. It includes a complete list of DNA and genes that give pigs their traits like height and color. Once all of the genetic information is understood, scientists anticipate improvements to the animal's health as well as human health, as ...
UI study explores Greek membership on political orientation, activism
2012-11-16
Colleges are often perceived as leaning left, but research by social scientists at the University of Iowa suggests the reality is more nuanced and that higher education attracts students from across the political spectrum.
The researchers say fraternities and sororities in particular tend to be a locus for students who are more conservative than classmates unaffiliated with the Greek system. They also provide a buffer from influences that can make students more liberal over the course of their college careers.
Study co-author Michael Hevel, an alumnus of the University ...