The View from the Top

There have been many images of the full disc of Earth from space—a view often referred to as “the Blue Marble”—but few have looked quite like this. Using natural-color images from the Visible/Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the recently launched Suomi-NPP satellite, a NASA scientist has compiled a new view showing the Arctic and high latitudes.
Ocean scientist Norman Kuring of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center pieced together this composite image of Europe, Asia, North Africa, and the entire Arctic. It was compiled from 15 satellite passes made by Suomi-NPP on May 26, 2012. The spacecraft circles the Earth from pole to pole at an altitude of 824 kilometers (512 miles), so it takes multiple passes to gather enough data to show an entire hemisphere without gaps in the view.
Kuring stitched the image swaths together and then set up this view looking down from 70 degrees North, 60 degrees East. (That is, the view is artificial, as the satellite does not see the full disc at one time.) He was able to show the Arctic in this image because northern hemisphere spring spreads enough sunlight over the North Pole to allow a natural-light view.
VIIRS is a scanning radiometer that acquires data in 22 spectral bands, covering visible, near-infrared, and thermal infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. It was designed to extend and improve upon the measurements of land masses, oceans, ice, and the atmosphere made over the past two decades by the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS).

1. Further Reading

2. NASA Suomi NPP Images and Data.
3. NASA Earth Observatory Earth, Behind the Scenes.
4. NASA Ocean Color Web.

Image by Norman Kuring, NASA/GSFC/Suomi NPP. Caption by Michael Carlowicz. Suomi NPP is the result of a partnership between NASA, NOAA and the Department of Defense.

Instrument: 

Suomi NPP - VIIRS - NASA

Bangladesh landslide death toll hits 110

Army personnel take part in a rescue operation after a landslide in Chittagong.
Image by: STRINGER/BANGLADESH / REUTERS

The death toll in floods and landslides triggered by heavy rain in south-eastern Bangladesh has risen to 110 officials say.

The government has called in the army for rescue and relief operations.

The rescuers have retrieved 110 bodies from remote parts of the affected area, said S M Golam Kibria, an official at the Food and Disaster Management Ministry.

The deaths were caused by mudslides, flashfloods, electrocution and lightning in last five days, he said.

The government sent out contingents of soldiers for rescue operations in the most affected districts of Chittagong, Bandarban and Cox's Bazar where many people are still marooned by floods.

The army also began distribution of relief materials, he added.

The government opened the National Disaster Response Coordination Centre to monitor the overall flood situation as more areas in the north-east have been inundated due to downpours upstream in the Indian state of Meghalaya.

The Meteorological department in Dhaka forecast that the rainfall would decrease as the storm in the Bay of Bengal is over.

Authorities announced the resumption of flights at Shah Amanat International Airport in the port city of Chittagong Thursday, two days after they closed it when the runway flooded.

- Times Live

Rabies deaths 'often misdiagnosed'

A rabies specialist says while the official number of rabies deaths in the province stands at three this year, the figure could be higher as many cases, especially in rural areas, are misdiagnosed.

Grant Lindsay says the deaths of many patients who showed symptoms of encephalopathy, such as salivating profusely, confusion and paranoia, are ruled as "natural causes".

This medical term refers to any disorder or disease of the brain.

Lindsay says it's believed that nine out of 10 cases of encephalopathy-related deaths may have been misdiagnosed - which means these people could have died from rabies.

"It's a very difficult diagnosis, and I think as a doctor a lot of my colleagues miss the diagnosis. You have to have a high suspicion that it is rabies and you have to take a very, very good history - and then often in the history you'll then pick up the animal contact, the canine contact, within the previous few weeks."

The Department's currently embarked on a campaign to vaccinate around 600 000 dogs in the the province, following outbreaks in the Ugu district, Port Shepstone, uThungulu, Bergville and Winterton areas.

More than 97 cases of rabies in cats and dogs were reported throughout the province this year.

- East Coast Radio News

Ideas and suggestions to spread the word about severe weather and disaster observation in South Africa

SAWDOS is thinking...... and that can be dangerous or disastrous. We need to come up with a plan, idea, project to encourage more members of the public to become SAWDOS members(Observers). We need to spread the word of what we are doing and how we monitor severe weather and disasters etc. in South Africa.

I have a few ideas:

1. The SAWDOS now have 359 social media members. If each one of the 359 members recruit only one new member we will double the membership. Please this is not a statistical drive to boast with how many members we have. This is getting more members of the public in areas were we do not have weather observers. On the other hand say we already have 50 members in Mossel Bay, the more we have the better. We urgently need more weather observers in South Africa.

2. Should we look at advertising the SAWDOS on radio and the media. For this we will need money which we do not have. Alternatively would there be an interest in advertising by selling SAWDOS T-shirts, Golf -shirts, Jackets, caps, mugs etc. Another option: Using advertising banners at events. (However these are very expensive) The money earned by selling the above can be used for advertising purposes.

3. The SAWDOS receive so many great images from our observers. Should we run a three monthly photo competition and choose 12 of the best and rare images to be used in a yearly almanac/calendar. Money earned by selling the calendar can be used for advertising purposes. Another idea which I am looking into is to compile a coffee table book of weather and disaster images received from our viewers. However we will need permission from the photographers that took the chosen images. Would this be feasible?

4. The SAWDOS received several requests in the past to enlist weather observers in a formal data base. Observers will have to complete an official application form, send two ID photos to SAWDOS whereby a SAWDOS ID card will be issued to observers. I looked into these requests. This can be done but I am hesitant as we will lose many informal observers. 98% of data and information is received via social media. I have noticed that people today prefer the informal route for obvious reasons. Any ideas on this?

5. Should the SAWDOS go the commercial route and become a fully fledged private weather forecasting service in South Africa? Eish this would really raise the eyebrows of certain entities. We already have quite a few private weather- and forecasting web-sites. Is there space for another?

Okay enough for now. I have a few more ideas but will publish them later. Please give feedback on the above but most important if you have any further ideas please share them with us. We need to brainstorm continuously to stay relevant in today's fast moving and changing world. Looking forward to receive your positive and negative comments and ideas.

Post comments and ideas on the SAWDOS Facebook Group,  Twitter @SAWDOS1 or SAWDOS Email.

Johan Terblanche
Founder: SAWDOS
Mossel Bay
28 June 2012

SA National Severe Weather Warnings: 28 June 2012 04h00 SAST

Kwazulu Natal Province - Watch: Be prepared

Subject: Fire Danger
Detail: Valid 29-06-2012: A high veldfire danger rating is expected in the extreme northeastern parts on Friday.

Mpumalanga Province - Watch: Be prepared

Subject: Fire Danger
Detail: Valid 28-09-2012: A high veldfire danger rating is expected in the Lowveld on Friday.

Western Cape Province - Watch: Be prepared

Subject: Very rough seas and Gale Force Winds
Detail: Valid 29 to 30-06-2012: 1. Very rough seas with wave heights between 4 to 6m is expected later Friday between Cape Point and Cape Agulhas spreading to Cape Columbine and Plettenberg Bay Saturday. 2. Gale force NW winds (35kt/65kmph) is expected later Friday between Cape Point and Cape Agulhas persiting through to Saturday Morning.

All other Provinces - No warnings nor advisories in effect

Subject: No Alerts
Detail: No Alerts

SA Weather Satellite Image: 28 June 2012 09h00 SAST

Image: Eumetsat (Click on image for larger view.)

GFS Medium Range Forecasts of Vertical Velocity and Precipitation

Image: U.S. National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Click on image for larger view.

Polar Mesospheric Clouds, Northern Hemisphere

In both the Northern and Southern Hemisphere, during their respective late spring and early summer seasons, polar mesospheric clouds are at the peak of their visibility. Visible from aircraft in flight, the International Space Station (ISS), and from the ground at twilight, the clouds typically appear as delicate, shining threads against the darkness of space—hence their other names of “noctilucent” or “night-shining” clouds.
On June 13, 2012, when this image was taken from the ISS as it passed over the Tibetan Plateau, polar mesospheric clouds were also visible to aircraft flying over Canada. In addition to the still image above, the ISS crew took a time-lapse image sequence of polar mesospheric clouds several days earlier (June 5) while passing over western Asia. It is first such sequence of images of the phenomena taken from orbit.
Polar mesospheric clouds form between 76 to 85 kilometers (47 to 53 miles) above Earth’s surface when there is sufficient water vapor at these high altitudes to freeze into ice crystals. The clouds are illuminated by the Sun when it is just below the visible horizon, lending them their night-shining properties. In addition to the polar mesospheric clouds trending across the center of the image, lower layers of the atmosphere are also illuminated. The lowest layer of the atmosphere visible in this image—the stratosphere—is indicated by dim orange and red tones near the horizon.
While the exact cause for the formation of polar mesospheric clouds is still debated—dust from meteors, global warming, and rocket exhaust have all been suggested as contributors—recent research suggests that changes in atmospheric gas composition or temperature has caused the clouds to become brighter over time.

Astronaut photograph ISS031-E-116058 was acquired on June 13, 2012, with a Nikon D2Xs digital camera using a 180 mm lens, and is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment and Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, Johnson Space Center. The image was taken by the Expedition 31 crew. It has been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast, and lens artifacts have been removed. The International Space Station Program supports the laboratory as part of the ISS National Lab to help astronauts take pictures of Earth that will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public, and to make those images freely available on the Internet. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth. Caption by William L. Stefanov, Jacobs/ESCG at NASA-JSC.

Instrument: 

ISS - Digital Camera - NASA

Weather Observation: Cape Town (27 June 2012)

Photo taken facing Simons Town / Cape Point Obs. Jakes ZS1TP

Gift of the Givers: Free State Tornado Disaster

                                                   FREE STATE TORNADO DISASTER
                                                                        Greetings of Peace

Dear Recipients

How can we not respond to a community that has exhibited overwhelming generosity to neighbours who lost material possessions, sustained physical injury and some ultimately paid with their lives through a freak tornado reminiscent of a similar disaster in Ficksburg and Duduza last year.

The South African spirit of ubuntu never fails and the compassion of our people never ceases to amaze.  Not a single soul had to endure the indignity of communal living in a hall provided for temporary shelter; neighbours in the true spirit of all scriptures "lived the word" and housed fellow humans with open arms in a period of crisis given the total loss of more than fifty houses and the concomitant effects of the biting Free State winter.

Gift of the Givers teams are on the way to Kestell with tents, blankets, mattresses, winter clothing, food parcels, supplies for bulk feeding and hygiene packs.  Our building teams are already at work preparing temporary shelters in the form of Zozo's, similar to the 120 we erected at Duduza and Ficksburg in the aftermath of that disaster.

Those South Africans wanting to contribute to fellow South Africans in their hour of need can do so in cash or kind.  Visit www.giftofthegivers.org or call 0800786911.  Further details Salim Sayed 0836512006.

Imtiaz Sooliman

Weather Observation: Kalk Bay harbour facing East (27 June 2012)

Image: Jakes ZS1TP (Click on image for larger view.)

Billboard worker electrocuted, flung twelve meters

A man was critically injured when, while working in a billboard, was electrocuted by overhead power lines and flung from the platform, plunging twelve meters to the ground below.

The cause of the incident and the series of events preceding it remain uncertain.

Common cause information suggests that the man had been doing maintenance work on the billboard on the N1 near

Nasrec Road. He had been using a long steel rod which is thought to have made contact with the high voltage power lines which are near the elevated billboard.

The current passed through the man’s body and flung him from the platform.

Netcare911 Paramedics arrived at the scene to find the man lying at the base of the billboard. Medics treated and stabilised the man at the scene and transported him by ambulance to the Netcare Milpark Hospital.  

Jeffrey Wicks
Media Liaison Officer - Gauteng
Netcare LimitedNetcare 911

Woman seriously injured in Parys quad biking incident

A woman was seriously injured when she fell from a quad bike on a mountain trail on the outskirts of Parys in the Free State this afternoon.

The cause of the incident and the series of events preceding it remain uncertain.

Common cause information suggests that the woman hit a section of rocks while riding on the trail and then was flung from the quad, striking the handle bars on her way forward.

Free State Paramedics managed to navigate t injured woman who was unable to move. Given the mountainous terrain, they called for the assistance of the Netcare1 Aeromedical Helicopter.

The helicopter landed in a clearing and the flight doctor and paramedic took over care of the injured woman.  She was airlifted to the Netcare Milpark Hospital in a stable condition. 

Jeffrey Wicks
Media Liaison Officer - Gauteng
Netcare LimitedNetcare 911

GFIMS Global Fire Alerts: South Africa

Your Area of Interest (Country) : South Africa

Fires detected over the past 24 hours in your area-of-interest : 153

(NOTE: Cloud cover might obscure active fire detections. The fire points will be listed only when the total number of active fires detected is less than or equal to 50)

This email was generated on 2012-06-28 , 04:01:04 UTC.


- UN-FAO/UMD/NASA

Raw vision of shark feast

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water...

Incredible photos and vision of sharks feasting on a whale carcass in Western Australia may not do much for tourism but they certainly are a spectacular reminder of what lurks off the state's coast.

Surfer Rachel Campbell posted the images and footage - apparently from Warrorra Station, on the north-west coast of WA - on on her tumblr.com blog.

Campbell wrote that she would happily surf the waters of Western Australia's north coast again - but preferably without any finned and feed-hungry friends.

"Picture about thirty sharks, most of which seemed to be tiger sharks, all destroying a whale laying only a few feet from the shore," she said.

"The nightmare part was the mass of sharks devouring the one victim. The horror was only growing as I scanned along the beach.

"Over-sized beasts lined a stretch as far as I could see. Before long I realised there was about 100 sharks in total, some as long as 4m, all in a frenzy over fresh whale flesh."

- Stuff.co.nz

Rainfall from Debby

Tropical Storm Debby, the fourth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, formed in the central Gulf of Mexico on June 23, 2012. It was the earliest date on record for the fourth named storm in a season.
Debby began as an area of low pressure that moved out of the northwestern Caribbean and into the Gulf. After forming on the afternoon of June 23, Debby moved very slowly under the influence of weak steering currents. The storm drifted slowly northward before turning northeast on the morning of June 24. Despite its lack of wind intensification, Debby lashed Florida with heavy rain as well as tornadoes.
The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) captured this image of Debby when it passed over the storm at 11:51 Universal Time (6:51 AM Central Daylight Time) on June 24, 2012. At the time of this image, Debby was a moderate tropical storm with sustained winds reported at 60 mph by the National Hurricane Center.
The image shows a top-down view of the rain intensities within Debby. Rain rates in the center of the swath are from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR), while those in the outer swath are from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). The rain rates are overlaid on infrared (IR) and visible data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS).
TRMM reveals that most of the rain associated with Debby was well away from the center, which is marked by a white dot. A large area of moderate rain (shown in green) north and east of the center extends from near Tampa Bay all the way around to near Panama City. A large band of intense rain (shown in darker red) lies just off shore, while light (blue areas) to moderate rain covers a broad area of the Florida peninsula. Curved red symbols mark the locations of tornado reports.
Storm speed is what matters most when it comes to rainfall; the slower the storm, the more time it has to rain over a given area. Debby dumped nearly 7 inches of rain on Gainesville, Florida on June 24, the second highest one-day total on record. Numerous other reports of 6 to 10 inches (15 and 25 centimeters) of rainfall were reported.
TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA.

Images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang and Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC).

Instrument: 

TRMM

Waldo Canyon Fire

The Waldo Canyon Fire was discovered on June 23, 2012, in Pike National Forest near Colorado Springs, Colorado. By June 27, it had burned 15,517 acres (6,280 hectares), was just 5 percent contained, and had forced at least 32,000 people to evacuate their homes.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this image of the fire on June 26, 2012. Thick smoke, partially obscured by clouds, is visible blowing toward the northeast. The red outlines indicate hot spots where MODIS detected the unusually warm surface temperatures associated with fires.

• References

• Inciweb. Waldo Canyon Fire. Accessed June 27, 2012.
• CNN. 32,000 Evacuated in Fast-Moving Colorado Springs Wildfire. Accessed June 27, 2012.

NASA image courtesy MODIS Rapid Response Team, Goddard Space Flight Center. Caption by Adam Voiland.

Instrument: 

Aqua - MODIS

SA National Severe Weather Warnings: 27 June 2012 16h00 SAST

Eastern Cape Province - Warning: Take action

Subject: Very Rough Seas
Detail: Valid 27-06-2012: Very rough seas with wave heights from 4 to 6m are expected between Cape Columbine and Port Alfred.

Kwazulu Natal Province - Watch: Be prepared

Subject: Fire Danger
Detail: Valid 28-06-2012: A high veldfire danger rating is expected in the Mpumalanga Lowveld,extreme northeastern part of Kwazulu-Natal and Swaziland on Friday.

Mpumalanga Province - Watch: Be prepared

Subject: Fire Danger
Detail: Valid 28-06-2012: A high veldfire danger rating is expected in the Mpumalanga Lowveld, extreme northeastern part of Kwazulu-Natal and Swaziland on Friday.

Western Cape Province - Watch: Be prepared

Subject: Very rough seas and Gale Force Winds
Detail: Valid 28-06-2012: 1. Very rough seas with wave heights between 4 to 6m is expected later Friday between Cape Point and Cape Agulhas spreading to Cape Columbine and Plettenberg Bay Saturday. 2. Gale force NW winds (35kt/65kmph) is expected later Friday between Cape Point and Cape Agulhas persisting through to Saturday Morning.

All other Provinces - No warnings nor advisories in effect

Subject: No Alerts
Detail: No Alerts.

- SAWS

SA Weather Satellite Images: 27 June 2012 13h38 + 15h05 SAST

Image: NOAA18 15H05 SAST (Ben Engelbrecht, Dundee)

Image: NOAA19 13H38 SAST (Ben Engelbrecht, Dundee)

Weather Observation: Cape Town (27 June 2012)

The quality is not so good on the small photo. That was the noon day gun. The other photos were taken from the One and Only Hotel area. facing Table Mountain. Obs. Jakes ZS1TP

Landslide in Bangladesh on Wednesday, 27 June, 2012 at 07:57 (07:57 AM) UTC.

More than 55 people have been killed in landslides in southeast Bangladesh after three days of rains that triggered flash floods and severed transport links, officials said Wednesday. The army has been deployed to help with search and rescue efforts in the affected hill region of Chittagong, said the region's chief administrator, Sirajul Haq Khan, who warned that the toll could rise. According to Khan, at least 26 people died in a series of landslides and flash floods in and around Chittagong port and the district of Cox's Bazar. In neighbouring Bandarban district, 30 bodies have been recovered from multiple landslide sites, local administrator Tariqul Islam said. "Rescue efforts had been hampered as communications have been largely snapped because of flash floods and heavy rain," Islam said. "Ten of the victims were children and scores of others were injured," he said. Bandarban police chief Saiful Ahmed said most of the victims were asleep when the huge chunks of mud buried them alive. "One family has lost 12 members," Ahmed said. Chittagong port received 40 centimetres (16 inches) of rain in a single 12-hour period on Tuesday. Flights in and out of Chittagong's Shah Amanat International Airport have been suspended since Tuesday afternoon. According to the state Disaster Management Information Centre, around 50,000 people were affected by the flash floods, and many of them forced to take shelter on higher ground. Train links between Chittagong and the rest of the country were also severed after a railway bridge collapsed due to a rain-triggered flash flood.

- RSOE Edis

Colorado Springs under threat as 32,000 flee Waldo fire

More than 32,000 people have fled their homes in the US state of Colorado as a growing wildfire breached perimeter lines and moved into the city of Colorado Springs.

Traffic and smoke choked the streets as people hurried to evacuate the city and a nearby Air Force Academy.

Over 800 firefighters are battling a fire that has scorched over 6,200 acres (2,509 hectares) and is 5% contained.

Extreme fire warnings are in place across several western US states.

The Waldo Canyon Fire began on Saturday but quickly became the top national priority for firefighters as winds of up to 65mph (104km/h) sent the flames surging towards Colorado Springs.

"It was like looking at the worst movie set you could imagine," Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper said after surveying the fire from the air on Tuesday.

"It's almost surreal. You look at that, and it's like nothing I've seen before."

Heavy ash and smoke was billowing from the hillsides west of Colorado Springs and southbound traffic was temporarily closed on the Interstate 25 motorway, which runs through the town.

The city is Colorado's second largest, situated just off the main north-south highway.

Elsewhere in Colorado, the High Park fire in the west of the state has been burning for weeks and remains just 45% contained, although fewer homes are under imminent threat.

Fires or fire warnings are also in place in Montana, Utah and Wyoming, just weeks into the annual wildfire season.

Dry, hot temperatures are expected to continue across much of the US this week, with little rain forecast to dampen the blazes.

- BBC

Over 5 000 people hit by Cape flooding

Cape Town - Over 5 000 people were affected by overnight flooding in Cape Town, the city's disaster risk management centre said on Wednesday.

Spokesperson Wilfred Solomons-Johannes said 5 560 people were helped in Nomzamo, Monwabisi Park and Site C in Khayelitsha.

All would be provided with food and blankets.

The city anticipated light showers over the next two days and there was a possibility of heavy rain on Tuesday.

The city would issue a weather advisory if necessary.

- SAPA/News24

Sunrise: Mossel Bay (27 June 2012 07h42 SAST)

Images: SAWDOS (Click on images for large view.)

Important Notice: SAWDOS

IMPORTANT: The S.A. Weather and Disaster Observation Service provides a weather and disaster observation (Weather and Disaster Watching/Spotting) service  in South Africa and not a weather prediction or disaster management service. Do not use the information on this web-page to predict weather or disasters.

The SAWDOS is not responsible for, nor do we endorse the opinions, accuracy, or comments of re-posted articles from other sites, unless specifically so indicated in our post. Often we may refer to articles which are diametrically opposed to our vision and mission, in order to provoke additional thought and further education.

Johan Terblanche
Founder: SA Weather and Disaster Observation Service
Mossel Bay

"SAWDOS - A SERVICE BY THE PEOPLE FOR THE PEOPLE"