Science Communication Material

AIRS/AMSU/HSB
2001AIRS.pdf

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), together with the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU) and the Humidity Sounder for Brazil (HSB) (Note: The HSB instrument failed after reaching orbit.) on the Aqua mission, represents the most advanced sounding system ever deployed in space. The system is capable of measuring the atmospheric temperature in the troposphere with radiosonde accuracies of 1 K over 1 km-thick layers under both clear and cloudy conditions, while the accuracy of the derived moisture profiles exceed that obtained by radiosondes.

GRACE
2001_Gravity_by_GRACE.pdf

This lithograph displays the most accurate map to date of Earth’s long wavelength gravity field and is the first version to be released by NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission. We call these maps gravity anomaly maps because they show us how much Earth’s actual gravity field departs from "normal," as defined by a simplified mathematical gravity model that assumes the Earth is perfectly smooth and featureless. The maps reveal that the Earth is a restless, dynamic planet, both at its surface and deep within its interior.

MOPITT
2001_MOPPITT_litho.pdf

MOPITT is an infrared gas correlation radiometer that is making the first long-term global observations of carbon monoxide and methane as Terra circles the Earth from pole to pole, 14.4 times every day. From these measurements the sources, motions and sinks of CO can be determined.

Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS (AMSR-E)
amsr-e.pdf

How clouds, water vapor, precipitation, sea ice, soil moisture, and snow cover respond to increasing atmospheric levels of greenhouse gases is still unclear, and they all have the potential to either enhance or suppress global warming. The same can be said for their influence on natural climate fluctuations. The data that AMSR-E provides is being utilized by climate researchers to develop a better understanding of climate change.

EOS Data Products Handbook Volume 2 (2000)
data_products_vol2.pdf

The EOS Data Products Handbook provides brief descriptions of the data products that are being produced from a range of missions of the Earth Observing System (EOS) and associated projects. Volume 1, originally published in 1997, covers the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), the Terra mission, and the Data Assimilation System, while Volume 2 covers the Active Cavity Radiometer Irradiance Monitor Satellite (ACRIMSAT), Aqua, Jason-1, Landsat 7, Meteor 3M/Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment III (SAGE III), the Quick Scatterometer (QuikScat), the Quick Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (QuikTOMS), and the Vegetation Canopy Lidar (VCL) missions. Volume 2 follows closely the format of Volume 1, providing a list of products and an introduction and overview descriptions of the instruments and data processing, all introductory to the core of the book which presents the individual data product descriptions, organized into 11 topical chapters. The product descriptions are followed by five appendices, which provide contact information for the EOS data centers that are archiving and distributing the data sets, contact information for the science points of contact for the data products, references, acronyms and abbreviations, and a data products index.

Using Satellites to Track Rift Valley Fever
2000_RVF.pdf

Rift Valley Fever (RVF), at least in the African country of Kenya, has been well known for over 60 years. As early as 1913, a disease fitting the description of RVF was blamed for the loss of sheep in the Rift Valley in kenya. However, it was not until scientists studied an outbreak of the disease in 1931 that a virus was isolated and shown to cause the disease. By using satellites to closely monitor the vegetation in the region affected by increased rainfall, scientists can identify likely habitats for the mosquitoes that carry the RVF virus, and provide advance warning of large-scale outbreaks of the disease.

1999 Earth Science Reference Handbook
1999ReferenceHandbook.pdf

The 1999 EOS Reference Handbook provides a historical guide to the satellite missions and other elements of NASA's Earth science program, known then as the Earth Science Enterprise.

1999 EOS Science Plan (Revised)
SciencePlan.pdf

The Earth Observing System (EOS) Science Plan is the product of leading scientists around the world who are participating in NASA's EOS program. The purpose of the 1999 Plan was to state the concerns and problems facing Earth Science at that time, and to indicate contributions that would be made toward providing solutions to those problems, primarily through the use of satellite-based observations obtained with EOS satellites and instruments. Within this publication, the reader will find types and quality of data expected to be produced from the satellite observations from 1999 forward, how they were expected to improve over existing measurements, and how the data would be applied to solving the problems described. Seven "topical" chapters discuss the nature of the science being reviewed: radiation, clouds, water vapor, precipitation, and atmospheric circulation; ocean circulation, productivity, and exchange with the atmosphere; greenhouse gases and atmospheric chemistry; land ecosystems and hydrology; cryospheric systems; ozone and stratospheric chemistry; and volcanoes and climate effects of aerosols. In addition to the topical chapters, there is a chapter that broadly defines the scope of EOS science.

Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES)
CERES_brochure.pdf

NASA’s Earth Observing System (EOS) is part of an international program for studying the Earth from space using a multiple-instrument, multiple-satellite approach. This EOS program is critical for improving our scientific understanding of ongoing natural and human-induced global climate change and providing a sound scientific basis for developing global environmental policies.

Landsat 7
1999_Landsat7_writer_guide.pdf

The flagship EOS satellite, Terra (formerly EOS AM-1), launched in July 1999, is providing key measurements of the physical and radiative properties of clouds; air-land and air-sea exchanges of energy, carbon, and water; trace gases; and volcanoes. Flying in formation with Terra, Landsat 7 is making global high spatial resolution measurements of land surface and surrounding coastal regions.