A seafloor vent called a "white smoker" spews mineral-rich water into the ocean and serves as an energy hub for living creatures. Some scientists think life on Earth may have begun around similar vents on the ocean floor billions of years ago.  https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23686
White Smoker Ocean Vents
This image shows a simulated snapshot of ocean turbulence in the North Atlantic Ocean in March 2012, from a groundbreaking super-high-resolution global ocean simulation (approximately 1.2 miles, or 2 kilometers, horizontal resolution) developed at JPL (http://wwwcvs.mitgcm.org/viewvc/MITgcm/MITgcm_contrib/llc_hires/llc_4320/). The colors represent the magnitude of surface relative vorticity, a measure of the spin of fluid parcels. The image emphasizes fast-rotating, small-scale (defined here as 6.2 to 31-mile, or 10 to 50 kilometer, range) turbulence, especially during the winter. High levels of relative vorticity caused by small-scale turbulence are believed to strongly transport heat and carbon vertically in the ocean.  The image appears in a study (Su et al. 2018), entitled "Ocean submesoscales as a key component of the global heat budget," published recently in Nature Communications. The study suggests that upper-ocean small-scale turbulence transports heat upward in the ocean at a level five times larger than larger-scale heat transport by ocean eddies, significantly affecting the exchange of heat between the ocean interior and atmosphere. Such interactions have a crucial impact on the Earth's climate.  A movie is available at https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22256
NASA Simulation Shows Ocean Turbulence in the North Atlantic
Mangoro River on Madagascar's east coast leads to the Indian Ocean in this photograph from the Indian Ocean as it orbited 263 miles above
Mangoro River on Madagascar's east coast leads to the Indian Ocean
An Ocean Runs Through It
An Ocean Runs Through It
STS054-95-042 (13-19 Jan 1993) --- The Equatorial Pacific Ocean is represented in this 70mm view.  The international oceanographic research community is presently conducting a program called Joint Global Ocean Flux Study (JGOFS) to study the global ocean carbon budget.  A considerable amount of effort within this program is presently being focused on the Equatorial Pacific Ocean because of the high annual average biological productivity.  The high productivity is the result of nearly constant easterly winds causing cool, nutrient-rich water to well up at the equator.  In this view of the sun glint pattern was photographed at about 2 degrees north latitude, 103 degrees west longitude, as the Space Shuttle passed over the Equatorial Pacific.  The long narrow line is the equatorial front, which defines the boundary between warm surface equatorial water and cool, recently upwelled water.  Such features are of interest to the JGOFS researchers and it is anticipated that photographs such as this will benefit the JGOFS program.
Equatorial Wave Line, Pacific Ocean
The cloud cover over the Southern Ocean occasionally parts as it did on January 1, 2015 just west of the Drake Passage where the VIIRS instrument on the Suomi NPP satellite glimpsed the above collection of ocean-color delineated eddies which have diameters ranging from a couple of kilometers to a couple of hundred kilometers. Recent studies indicate that eddy activity has been increasing in the Southern Ocean with possible implications for climate change.  Credit: NASA's OceanColor/Suomi NPP/VIIRS  <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html" rel="nofollow">NASA image use policy.</a></b>  <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a></b> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission.  <b>Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASAGoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a></b>  <b>Like us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a></b>  <b>Find us on <a href="http://instagrid.me/nasagoddard/?vm=grid" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a></b>
Eddies in the Southern Ocean
iss071e457356 (July 18, 2024) --- The Moon illuminates a cloud-covered Pacific Ocean as stars glitter in the background above the Earth's airglow. The International Space Station's solar arrays dominate the foreground as the orbital outpost soared 268 miles above.
The Moon illuminates a cloud-covered Pacific Ocean
iss071e456772 (July 18, 2024) --- The Moon's glint beams off the Pacific Ocean as stars glitter in the background above the Earth's airglow. The Moon is obscured behind a solar array in this photograph from the International Space Station as it orbited 264 miles above.
The Moon's glint beams off the Pacific Ocean
On July 23, 2013 the deep blue waters of the central North Atlantic Ocean provided a background for a spectacular bloom of phytoplankton. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) captured this true-color image of the event at 16:25 UTC (12:25 p.m. EDT) that same day.  Phytoplankton are tiny single-celled photosynthetic organisms that live suspended in a watery environment. They are primary producers in the ocean, forming the base of the marine food chain, and, like terrestrial plants, take up carbon dioxide, make carbohydrates from energy from light, and release oxygen.  Phytoplankton live in the ocean year round, but are usually not visible. When light, nutrients and water temperature are just right, however, a colony can explode into growth, creating huge blooms that stain the ocean for miles. While each organism lives only a short time, the high reproductive means that a bloom can last for days or weeks.  Credit: NASA/GSFC/Jeff Schmaltz/MODIS Land Rapid Response Team  <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html" rel="nofollow">NASA image use policy.</a></b>  <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a></b> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission.  <b>Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASA_GoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a></b>  <b>Like us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a></b>  <b>Find us on <a href="http://instagram.com/nasagoddard?vm=grid" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a></b>
Phytoplankton bloom in the North Atlantic Ocean
STS044-79-077 (24 Nov.-1 Dec. 1991) --- This photograph, captured from the Earth-orbiting Space Shuttle Atlantis, shows sunglint pattern in the western tropical Indian Ocean. Several large internal waves reflect around a shallow area on the sea floor. NASA scientists studying the STS-44 photography believe the shallow area to be a sediment (a submerged mountain) on top of the Mascarene Plateau, located northeast of Madagascar at approximately 5.6 degrees south latitude and 55.7 degrees east longitude. Internal waves are similar to surface ocean waves, except that they travel inside the water column along the boundary between water layers of different density. At the surface, their passage is marked on the sea surface by bands of smooth and rough water. These bands appear in the sunglint pattern as areas of brighter or darker water. NASA scientists point out that, when the waves encounter an obstacle, such as a near-surface seamount, they bend or refract around the obstacle in the same manner as surface waves bend around an island or headland.
Internal Waves, Western Indian Ocean
STS049-71-042 (8 May 1992) --- This photograph, taken from the Earth-orbiting Space Shuttle Endeavour, shows a collapsed thunderstorm in the southwestern Pacific Ocean.  The clouds were pushed from this circular area of the ocean's surface by relatively cool air that spread downward and outward from a dying thunderstorm.  Around the edges of the downdrafted air, new, though smaller, storms are developing.  The photo was taken on May 8, 1992, between Borneo and the Philippine island of Mindoro.  Two coral atolls can be seen near the center of the photograph.  The crew members used a handheld Hasselblad camera, 250-mm lens, color film to expose the image.
Collapsed Thunderstorm, Southwest Pacific Ocean
This image shows ocean surface currents around the world during the period from June 2005 through Decmeber 2007.   <b>Go here to view a video of this data: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/7009056027/">www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/7009056027/</a></b>  NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio  <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html" rel="nofollow">NASA image use policy.</a></b>  <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a></b> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission.  <b>Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASA_GoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a></b>  <b>Like us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a></b>  <b>Find us on <a href="http://instagrid.me/nasagoddard/?vm=grid" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a></b>
Perpetual Ocean - Gulf Stream
Santa Monica High School's winning team in the 2021 National Ocean Sciences Bowl Los Angeles regional competition, including Ingo Gaida, (lower right) who's been leading Santa Monica in the bowl for more than two decades. The competition took place Saturday, March 6.  https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23728
Santa Monica High School 2021 Ocean Sciences Bowl Regional Competition Winners
This large tabular iceberg, broken off from the Antarctic Ice Sheet, was spotted in the South Atlantic Ocean (57.0S, 57.0W) southeast of the tip of South America as it was slowly being moved north and east by wind, current and tidal influences. This type of iceberg, never to be seen in the northern hemisphere, is typical for Antarctica. Although some such icebergs are as large as 100 km in length, this one measures about 35 by 69 km.
Large Tabular Iceberg, South Atlantic Ocean
On Oct. 16 at 17:45 UTC NASA's Terra satellite captured this image of Hurricane Gonzalo in the Atlantic Ocean.  Image Credit: NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid Response Team--  NASA and NOAA satellites have been providing continuous coverage of Hurricane Gonzalo as it moves toward Bermuda.  NASA's Terra satellite saw thunderstorms wrapped tightly around the center with large bands of thunderstorms wrapping into it. NOAA's GOES-East satellite provided and &quot;eye-opening&quot; view of Gonzalo, still a Category 4 hurricane on Oct. 16.  A hurricane warning is in effect for Bermuda and that means that hurricane conditions are expected within the warning area, meaning the entire island.  Read more: <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/gonzalo-atlantic-ocean/index.html#.VEFIDN6FxgM" rel="nofollow">www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/gonzalo-atlantic-ocean/index...</a>  <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html" rel="nofollow">NASA image use policy.</a></b>  <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a></b> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. <b>Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASAGoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a></b> <b>Like us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a></b> <b>Find us on <a href="http://instagram.com/nasagoddard?vm=grid" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a></b>
Hurricane Gonzalo in the Atlantic Ocean
STS032-80-036 (9-20 Jan. 1990) --- This oblique view of Tropical Storm Sam in the eastern Indian Ocean off the western coast of Australia was photographed with a 70mm camera by the astronauts. Tropical Storm Sam (known as Willy-Willy in Australia) was born in the eastern Indian Ocean near the islands of Timor and Sumba in Indonesia. The storm tracked southwestward attaining sustained winds in excess of 60 knots (70 miles per hour). Other than on Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands south of Java, and for strong swells along the western Australia coast, the storm had little impact on land areas. At the time this photograph was taken, the storm was beginning to dissipate in the south Indian Ocean. The eye of the storm is still visible near center, with the swirling bands of the storm propagating in a clockwise direction toward the center.  Winds aloft have begun to shear the tops of thunderstorms associated with the storm, forming a high cirrus cloud cover over the center portions of the storm. This picture was used by the crew at their January 30, 1990 Post-Flight Press Conference (PFPC).
Tropical Storm Sam, Eastern Indian Ocean
The greens and blues of the ocean color from NASA satellite data have provided new insights into how climate and ecosystem processes affect the growth cycles of phytoplankton—microscopic aquatic plants important for fish populations and Earth’s carbon cycle. At the bottom of the ocean’s food chain, phytoplankton account for roughly half of the net photosynthesis on Earth. Their photosynthesis consumes carbon dioxide and plays a key role in transferring carbon from the atmosphere to the ocean. Unlike the plant ecosystems on land, the amount of phytoplankton in the ocean is always followed closely by the abundance of organisms that eat phytoplankton, creating a perpetual dance between predators and prey. This new analysis shows how tiny imbalances in this predator-prey relationship, caused by environmental variability, give rise to massive phytoplankton blooms, having huge impacts on ocean productivity, fisheries and carbon cycling. The study was released Thursday, Sept. 25, in the journal Nature Climate Change.  “The continuous year-in and year-out measurements provided by NASA’s ocean color satellites have dramatically changed our understanding of phytoplankton dynamics on the Earth,” said Mike Behrenfeld, author of the study and phytoplankton ecologist at Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon. “What we now see is a closely linked system of phytoplankton cell division and consumption lying at the heart of the plant’s annual cycle.”  Behrenfeld calls this close predator-prey relationship the “Dance of the Plankton.” This view is different from previous perspectives that have simply focused on environmental resources used by phytoplankton to grow, such as nutrients and light. The new view is important because it reveals that tiny imbalances can greatly impact Earth’s ecology.  Read more: <a href="http://1.usa.gov/ZkVMHG" rel="nofollow">1.usa.gov/ZkVMHG</a>  Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Norman Kuring; USGS  <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html" rel="nofollow">NASA image use policy.</a></b>  <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a></b> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. <b>Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASAGoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a></b> <b>Like us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a></b> <b>Find us on <a href="http://instagram.com/nasagoddard?vm=grid" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a></b>
NASA Ocean Data Shows ‘Climate Dance’ of Plankton
This is a radar image showing surface features on the open ocean in the northeast Atlantic Ocean. There is no land mass in this image. The purple line in the lower left of the image is the stern wake of a ship. The ship creating the wake is the bright white spot on the middle, left side of the image. The ship's wake is about 28 kilometers (17 miles) long in this image and investigators believe that is because the ship may be discharging oil. The oil makes the wake last longer and causes it to stand out in this radar image. A fairly sharp boundary or front extends from the lower left to the upper right corner of the image and separates two distinct water masses that have different temperatures. The different water temperature affects the wind patterns on the ocean. In this image, the light green area depicts rougher water with more wind, while the purple area is calmer water with less wind. The dark patches are smooth areas of low wind, probably related to clouds along the front, and the bright green patches are likely due to ice crystals in the clouds that scatter the radar waves. The overall "fuzzy" look of this image is caused by long ocean waves, also called swells. Ocean radar imagery allows the fine detail of ocean features and interactions to be seen, such as the wake, swell, ocean front and cloud effects, which can then be used to enhance the understanding of ocean dynamics on smaller and smaller scales.  The image is centered at 42.8 degrees north latitude, 26.2 degrees west longitude and shows an area approximately 35 kilometers by 65 kilometers (22 by 40 miles). The colors in the image are assigned to different frequencies and polarizations of the radar as follows: red is L-band horizontally transmitted, horizontally received; green is C-band horizontally transmitted, horizontally received; blue is L-band vertically transmitted, vertically received. This image was acquired by the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) imaging radar when it flew aboard the space shuttle Endeavour on April 11, 1994. SIR-C/X-SAR, a joint mission of the German, Italian and United States space agencies, is part of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth.   http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA01799
Space Radar Image of North Atlantic Ocean
iss069e008558 (May 3, 2-23) --- The waxing gibbous Moon is pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 268 miles above the southern Atlantic Ocean.
The waxing gibbous Moon above the southern Atlantic Ocean
Tenarife Island is one of the most volcanically active of the Canary Island archipelago, Atlantic Ocean, just off the NW coast of Africa, (28.5N, 16.5W). The old central caldera, nearly filled in by successive volcanic activity culminating in two stratocones. From those two peaks, a line of smaller cinder cones extend to the point of the island. Extensive gullies dissect the west side of the island and some forests still remain on the east side.
Tenarife Island, Canary Island Archipelago, Atlantic Ocean
Federica Polverari, post doctorate researcher at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in front of NASA's Beechcraft B-200 Super King Air, N801NA, in N248 in support of NASA’s Sub-Mesoscale Ocean Dynamics Experiment, or S-MODE, mission.
Sub-Mesoscale Ocean Dynamics Experiment, or S-MODE, Activities
Sean Whelan, a Marine Technician for the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, prepares CTD instruments used to measure Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth, onboard the Institute's research vessel Knorr on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass.  The CTDs will be deployed in the Atlantic Ocean as part of the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS) which is set to sail on Sept. 6.  The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet.  Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)
A sensor-laden buoy is lifted onboard the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's research vessel Knorr on wednesday, Sept. 5, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass.  The buoy will be deployed in the Atlantic Ocean as part of the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS) which is set to sail on Sept. 6.  The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet.  Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)
CTD instruments used to measure Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth, are seen onboard the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's research vessel Knorr on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass.  The CTDs will be deployed in the Atlantic Ocean as part of the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS) which is set to sail on Sept. 6.  The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet.  Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)
A sensor-laden buoy is seen prior to being loaded onboard the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's vessel Knorr on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass.  The buoy will be deployed in the Atlantic Ocean as part of the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS) which is set to sail on Sept. 6.  The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet.  Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)
A sensor-laden buoy is lifted onboard the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's research vessel Knorr on wednesday, Sept. 5, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass.  The buoy will be deployed in the Atlantic Ocean as part of the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS) which is set to sail on Sept. 6.  The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet.  Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)
A sensor-laden buoy is lifted onboard the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's research vessel Knorr on wednesday, Sept. 5, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass.  The buoy will be deployed in the Atlantic Ocean as part of the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS) which is set to sail on Sept. 6.  The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet.  Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)
A sensor-laden buoy is seen prior to being loaded onboard the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's vessel Knorr on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass.  The buoy will be deployed in the Atlantic Ocean as part of the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS) which is set to sail on Sept. 6.  The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet.  Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)
An worker prepares to attached a crane hook onto a sensor-laden buoy so that it may be loaded onboard the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's research vessel Knorr on wednesday, Sept. 5, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass.  The buoy will be deployed in the Atlantic Ocean as part of the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS) which is set to sail on Sept. 6.  The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet.  Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)
A sensor-laden buoy is lifted onboard the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's research vessel Knorr on wednesday, Sept. 5, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass.  The buoy will be deployed in the Atlantic Ocean as part of the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS) which is set to sail on Sept. 6.  The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet.  Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)
STS004-41-1206 (27 June-4July 1982) --- Sunglint reflects off the water of the North Atlantic Ocean in an area to the east of the Bahamas Islands sometimes called the Sargasso Sea. The area has also been referred to as the ?Bermuda Triangle.? Astronauts Thomas K. Mattingly II, STS-4 commander, and Henry W. Hartsfield Jr., pilot, spent seven days and one hour aboard the Earth-orbiting space shuttle Columbia and performed a variety of duties in addition to those of recording 70mm and 35mm imagery. Photo credit: NASA
Clouds and Open Ocean near the Bahamas
NASA Aquarius instrument on the Aquarius/SAC-D observatory gives an unprecedented look at a key factor involved in the formation of an oceanic wave feature in the tropical Pacific and Atlantic Oceans that influences global climate patterns.
NASA Aquarius Maps Ocean Salinity Structure
This artist concept of Jupiter moon Ganymede, the largest moon in the solar system, illustrates the club sandwich model of its interior oceans. Scientists suspect Ganymede has a massive ocean under an icy crust.
Possible Moonwich of Ice and Oceans on Ganymede Artist Concept
The Pacific Ocean doesnt show signs of anything that looks like the whopper El Niño of 1997-1998, according to the latest information from NASA U.S.-French ocean-observing satellite Topex/Poseidon.
Pacific Ocean in Holding Pattern for El Niño
NASA's Oceans Melting Greenland airborne mission found that most of Greenland's glaciers that empty into the ocean are at greater risk of rapid ice loss than previously understood. OMG's six-year field campaign studied the ocean's role in glacial ice loss by gathering precise measurements of ocean depth, temperature, and salinity in front of more than 220 glaciers. The mission's goal was to clarify our understanding of sea level rise over the next 50 years. This photo of Apusiaajik Glacier was taken near Kulusuk, Greenland, on Aug. 26, 2018, during OMG's field operations.  https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA24983
Apusiaajik Glacier, Greenland
NASA image acquired January 17, 2001  Though the above image may resemble a new age painting straight out of an art gallery in Venice Beach, California, it is in fact a satellite image of the sands and seaweed in the Bahamas. The image was taken by the Enhanced Thematic Mapper plus (ETM+) instrument aboard the Landsat 7 satellite. Tides and ocean currents in the Bahamas sculpted the sand and seaweed beds into these multicolored, fluted patterns in much the same way that winds sculpted the vast sand dunes in the Sahara Desert.  Image courtesy Serge Andrefouet, University of South Florida  Instrument: Landsat 7 - ETM+  Credit: NASA/GSFC/Landsat  <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a></b> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission.  <b>Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASA_GoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a></b>  <b>Join us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a></b>
Ocean Sand, Bahamas
Dan Weishaar, crew chief for the Ames Aircraft Management Office, prepares to deploy NASA's Beechcraft B-200 Super King Air, N801NA, from N248 in support of NASA’s Sub-Mesoscale Ocean Dynamics Experiment, or S-MODE, mission.
Sub-Mesoscale Ocean Dynamics Experiment, or S-MODE, Activities
Hurricane Cristobal is located west of Bermuda still holding to hurricane strength with a small window of opportunity for strengthening further before it moves to higher latitudes and over cooler waters in a couple of days. Currently, the satellite presentation resembles a subtropical cyclone with weak convection which is not concentrated near the center. Cristobal slowed down earlier this morning, but it has resumed a northward motion at 10 knots. This image was taken by GOES East at 1145Z on August 27, 2014.  Caption Credit: NASA/NOAA via <b><a href="www.nnvl.noaa.gov/" rel="nofollow"> NOAA Environmental Visualization Laboratory</a></b>  <b><a href="http://goes.gsfc.nasa.gov/" rel="nofollow">Credit: NOAA/NASA GOES Project</a></b>  <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html" rel="nofollow">NASA image use policy.</a></b>  <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a></b> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. <b>Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASAGoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a></b> <b>Like us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a></b> <b>Find us on <a href="http://instagram.com/nasagoddard?vm=grid" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a></b>
Hurricane Cristobal in the Atlantic Ocean
In the midst of a cold snap that sent temperatures 20–40°F (11–22°C) below normal across much of the United States, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite captured this image of cloud streets over the Atlantic Ocean on January 7, 2014. Cloud streets—long parallel bands of cumulus clouds—form when cold air blows over warmer waters and a warmer air layer (or temperature inversion) rests over the top of both.  The comparatively warm water gives up heat and moisture to the cold air above, and columns of heated air called thermals naturally rise through the atmosphere. The temperature inversion acts like a lid, so when the rising thermals hit it, they roll over and loop back on themselves, creating parallel cylinders of rotating air. As this happens, the moisture cools and condenses into flat-bottomed, fluffy-topped cumulus clouds that line up parallel to the direction of the prevailing wind. On January 7, the winds were predominantly out of the northwest.  Cloud streets can stretch for hundreds of kilometers if the land or water surface underneath is uniform. Sea surface temperature need to be at least 40°F (22°C) warmer than the air for cloud streets to form.  More info: <a href="http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=82800" rel="nofollow">earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=82800</a>  NASA Earth Observatory image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz LANCE/EOSDIS MODIS Rapid Response Team, GSFC. Caption by Adam Voiland.  Instrument:  Terra - MODIS  Credit: <b><a href="http://www.earthobservatory.nasa.gov/" rel="nofollow"> NASA Earth Observatory</a></b>  <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html" rel="nofollow">NASA image use policy.</a></b>  <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a></b> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission.  <b>Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASA_GoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a></b>  <b>Like us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a></b>  <b>Find us on <a href="http://instagram.com/nasagoddard?vm=grid" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a></b>
Cloud Streets over the Atlantic Ocean
Autonomous wave gliders are seen onboard the the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution research vessel Knorr on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass.  The autonomous gliders will be deployed in the Atlantic Ocean as part of the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS) which is set to sail on Sept. 6.  The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet.  Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Senior Engineer Steve Faluotico works on the SPURS buoy prior to it being loaded onto the Institute's research vessel Knorr, Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass.  The SPURS buoy will be deployed in the Atlantic Ocean as part of the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS) which is set to sail on Sept. 6.  The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet.  Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)
NASA Physical Oceanography Program Scientist Eric Lindstrom talks about the instruments onboard the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution research vessel Knorr on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass.  Various scientific instruments will be deployed in the Atlantic Ocean as part of the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS) which is set to sail on Sept. 6.  The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet.  Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)
Autonomous wave gliders are seen onboard the the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution research vessel Knorr on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass.  The autonomous gliders will be deployed in the Atlantic Ocean as part of the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS) which is set to sail on Sept. 6.  The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet.  Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)
Autonomous wave gliders are seen onboard the the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution research vessel Knorr on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass.  The autonomous gliders will be deployed in the Atlantic Ocean as part of the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS) which is set to sail on Sept. 6.  The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet.  Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)
Two EcoMapper AUVs (autonomous underwater vehicles) are seen onboard the the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution research vessel Knorr on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass.  The EcoMappers will be deployed in the Atlantic Ocean as part of the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS) which is set to sail on Sept. 6.  The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet.  Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)
Chip Beniot, left, and Ken Decoteau, both of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, move scientific instruments to the research vessel Knorr on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass.  The instruments will be deployed in the Atlantic Ocean as part of the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS) which is set to sail on Sept. 6.  The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet.  Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)
NASA Physical Oceanography Program Scientist Eric Lindstrom inspects an autonomous wave glider onboard the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution research vessel Knorr on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass.  The autonomous gliders will be deployed in the Atlantic Ocean as part of the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS) which is set to sail on Sept. 6.  The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet.  Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)
NASA Physical Oceanography Program Scientist Eric Lindstrom inspects an autonomous wave glider onboard the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution research vessel Knorr on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass.  The autonomous gliders will be deployed in the Atlantic Ocean as part of the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS) which is set to sail on Sept. 6.  The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet.  Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Senior Engineer Steve Faluotico works on the SPURS buoy prior to it being loaded onto the Institute's research vessel Knorr, Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass.  The SPURS buoy will be deployed in the Atlantic Ocean as part of the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS) which is set to sail on Sept. 6.  The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet.  Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)
NASA Physical Oceanography Program Scientist Eric Lindstrom inspects a sensor-laden buoy prior to it being loaded onboard the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's vessel Knorr on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass.  The buoy will be deployed in the Atlantic Ocean as part of the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS) which is set to sail on Sept. 6.  The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet.  Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Scientist Dave Fratantoni works on the EcoMapper AUVs (autonomous underwater vehicles) onboard the Institute's research vessel Knorr, Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass.  The EcoMappers will be deployed in the Atlantic Ocean as part of the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS) which is set to sail on Sept. 6.  The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet.  Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)
Ken Decoteau, left, and Chip Beniot, both of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, move scientific instruments to the research vessel Knorr on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass.  The instruments will be deployed in the Atlantic Ocean as part of the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS) which is set to sail on Sept. 6.  The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet.  Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)
An artist concept of the Ocean Surface Topography Mission/Jason 2 Earth satellite.  The Ocean Surface Topography Mission/Jason 2 is an Earth satellite designed to make observations of ocean topography for investigations into sea-level rise and the relationship between ocean circulation and climate change. The satellite also provides data on the forces behind such large-scale climate phenomena as El Niño and La Niña.  The mission is a follow-on to the French-American Jason 1 mission, which began collecting data on sea-surface levels in 1992.  http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA18158
Ocean Surface Topography Mission/Jason 2 Artist Concept
A Rosette water sampler system that will be used during the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS) is seen onboard the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's research vessel Knorr on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass.  Knorr is scheduled to depart for the NASA-sponsored expedition on Sept. 6 and will head into the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet.  Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)
AST-19-1555 (24 July 1975) --- A sunglint in the South Western Pacific Ocean, as photographed from the Apollo spacecraft in Earth orbit during the joint U.S.-USSR Apollo-Soyuz Test Project mission. The island is Bougainville of the Solomon Islands group.  The horizon of Earth is in the background.  The picture was taken at an altitude of 231 kilometers (143 statute miles), with a 70mm Hasselblad camera using medium-speed Ektachrome QX-807 type film.
Sunglint in South Western Pacific Ocean
This morphing animation compares the eddies in Earth's oceans to the turbulent clouds in Jupiter's atmosphere.  In the movie, a zoom occurs around a vortex dipole: a typical structure consisting of a cyclone and an anticyclone that is present both in Earth's ocean and Jupiter's atmosphere.  The ocean image showing the spring phytoplankton bloom in the southern Gulf of Bothnia was generated from data collected by the MODIS instrument about NASA's Aqua satellite. The Jupiter image is from JunoCam.  Scientist Lia Siegelman observed the similarities between the richness of turbulence around Joviancyclones and the filaments around smaller eddies seen in Earth's oceans. These similarities were especially evident in high-resolution satellite images of plankton blooms.  Movie available at https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA25069
Earth's Ocean and Jupiter's Atmosphere
STS035-607-024 (2-10 Dec. 1990) --- This is one of 25 visuals used by the STS-35 crew at its Dec. 20, 1990 post-flight press conference. Space Shuttle Columbia's flight of almost nine days duration (launched December 2 from Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and landed December 10 at Edwards Air Force Base) carried the Astro-1 payload and was dedicated to astrophysics.  The mission involved a seven-man crew.  Crew members were astronauts Vance D. Brand, Guy S. Gardner, Jeffrey A. Hoffman, Robert A.R. Parker and John M. (Mike) Lounge; and payload specialists Samuel T. Durrance and Ronald A. Parise. Thunderstorm systems over the Pacific Ocean, with heavy sunglint, as photographed with a handheld Rolleiflex camera aimed through Columbia's aft flight deck windows.
Thunderstorms, Indian Ocean
The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's research vessel Knorr is seen docked on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass.  Knorr is scheduled to depart on Sept. 6 to take part in the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS).  The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet.  Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)
The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's research vessel Knorr is seen docked on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass.  Knorr is scheduled to depart on Sept. 6 to take part in the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS).  The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet.  Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)
The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's research vessel Knorr is seen docked on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass.  Knorr is scheduled to depart on Sept. 6 to take part in the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS).  The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet.  Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)
The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's research vessel Knorr is seen docked on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass.  Knorr is scheduled to depart on Sept. 6 to take part in the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS).  The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet.  Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)
The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's research vessel Knorr is seen docked on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass.  Knorr is scheduled to depart on Sept. 6 to take part in the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS).  The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet.  Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)
This extraordinary image captures the meeting place of the deep waters of the Tongue of the Ocean and the much shallower, completely submerged Grand Bahama Bank. This image is from NASA EarthKAM.
Tongue of the Ocean and Grand Bahama Bank
These images acquired on October 11, 2001 by NASA Terra satellite portray an occluded extratropical cyclone situated in the Southern Ocean, about 650 kilometers south of the Eyre Peninsula, South Australia.
Extratropical Cyclone in the Southern Ocean
Blocks in the Europan Crust Provide More Evidence of Subterranean Ocean
Blocks in the Europan Crust Provide More Evidence of Subterranean Ocean
Two NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) buoys are seen on the stern of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's research vessel Knorr on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass.  Knorr is scheduled to depart on Sept. 6 to take part in the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS).  The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet.  Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)
Two NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) buoys are seen on the stern of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's research vessel Knorr on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass.  Knorr is scheduled to depart on Sept. 6 to take part in the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS).  The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet.  Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)
Two NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) buoys are seen on the stern of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's research vessel Knorr on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass.  Knorr is scheduled to depart on Sept. 6 to take part in the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS).  The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet.  Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)
University of Washington Graduate Student Jesse Anderson tries to find her cabin onboard the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution research vessel Knorr on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass.  Anderson will work with the Argo Floats instruments in the Atlantic Ocean as part of the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS) which is set to sail on Sept. 6.  The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet.  Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)
Autonomous wave gliders, right, are seen onboard the the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution research vessel Knorr on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass.  The autonomous gliders will be deployed in the Atlantic Ocean as part of the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS) which is set to sail on Sept. 6.  The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet.  Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Scientist Dave Fratantoni works on the EcoMapper AUVs (autonomous underwater vehicles) onboard the Institute's research vessel Knorr, Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass.  The EcoMappers will be deployed in the Atlantic Ocean as part of the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS) which is set to sail on Sept. 6.  The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet.  Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)
A full suite of instruments are seen onboard the the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution research vessel Knorr on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass.  The various instruments will be deployed in the Atlantic Ocean as part of the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS) which is set to sail on Sept. 6.  The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet.  Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)
University of Washington Graduate Student Jesse Anderson settles into her cabin onboard the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution research vessel Knorr on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass.  Anderson will work with the Argo Floats instruments in the Atlantic Ocean as part of the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS) which is set to sail on Sept. 6.  The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet.  Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)
University of Washington Graduate Student Jesse Anderson settles into her cabin onboard the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution research vessel Knorr on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass.  Anderson will work with the Argo Floats instruments in the Atlantic Ocean as part of the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS) which is set to sail on Sept. 6.  The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet.  Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)
Generally the old saying “where there is smoke, there is fire” rings true, but when thick, hot smoke rises high aloft into the atmosphere it may travel hundreds, sometimes thousands of kilometers away from the source.  This was the case on July 6, 2013 when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument flying on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this true-color image of a thick river of smoke curling across the Atlantic Ocean.  In the west of the image, the green land of Canada can be seen, most of which is covered by a thin gray haze. A thick veil of smoke obscures much of southern Canada, and this tan-gray veil blows to the east, then to the northeast. The color of the smoke appears both tan and gray, and is stretched into brush-stroke like curves across the ocean, which disappears from view under the smoke. The smoke filled plume is so high that it even hides the bright white clouds from view as it travels over them.  Fires have been burning across Canada since early June, especially in Manitoba and Quebec. Rain in Quebec on July 5 helped diminish the fires in that location, although a severe fire was ignited when a freight train carrying oil derailed in the small, picturesque town of Lac-Megantic. This accident, which occurred on July 6, the same day this image was captured, killed at least 35 people and poured thick smoke into the skies.  Credit: NASA/GSFC/Jeff Schmaltz/MODIS Land Rapid Response Team  <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html" rel="nofollow">NASA image use policy.</a></b>  <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a></b> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission.  <b>Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASA_GoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a></b>  <b>Like us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a></b>  <b>Find us on <a href="http://instagram.com/nasagoddard?vm=grid" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a></b>
Smoke from Canadian fires over the Atlantic Ocean
This GOES-West satellite image shows four tropical cyclones in the North Western, Central and Eastern Pacific Ocean on September 1, 2015. In the Western Pacific (far left) is Typhoon Kilo. Moving east (to the right) into the Central Pacific is Hurricane Ignacio (just east of Hawaii), and Hurricane Jimena. The eastern-most storm is Tropical Depression 14E in the Eastern Pacific.  Credit: NASA/NOAA GOES Project  <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html" rel="nofollow">NASA image use policy.</a></b>  <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a></b> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission.  <b>Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASAGoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a></b>  <b>Like us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a></b>  <b>Find us on <a href="http://instagrid.me/nasagoddard/?vm=grid" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a></b>
Four Tropical Cyclones Across the Entire Pacific Ocean
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution workers load scientific instruments onboard the Institution's research vessel Knorr on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass.  Knorr is scheduled to depart on Sept. 6 to take part in the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS).  The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet.  Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)
The bow of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's research vessel Knorr is seen from the bridge on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass.  Knorr is scheduled to depart on Sept. 6 to take part in the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS).  The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet.  Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)
Crates containing scientific instruments are seen on the stern of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's research vessel Knorr on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass.  Knorr is scheduled to depart on Sept. 6 to take part in the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS).  The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet.  Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)
Scientific instruments are loaded onboard the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's research vessel Knorr on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass.  Knorr is scheduled to depart on Sept. 6 to take part in the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS).  The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet.  Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)
An engineer is raised by crane to work on the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's research vessel Knorr on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass.  Knorr is scheduled to depart on Sept. 6 to take part in the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS).  The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet.  Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)
NASA Physical Oceanography Program Scientist Eric Lindstrom poses for a photograph next to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution research vessel Knorr on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass.  Lindstrom will depart on Knorr Sept. 6 to take part in the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS).  The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet.  Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)
A sculpture resembling the Roman god Neptune is seen dockside of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution research vessel Knorr on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass. Knorr is scheduled to depart on Sept. 6 to take part in the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS).  The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet.  Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)
NASA Physical Oceanography Program Scientist Eric Lindstrom poses for a photograph next to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution research vessel Knorr on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, in Woods Hole, Mass.  Lindstrom will depart on Knorr Sept. 6 to take part in the Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS).  The NASA-sponsored expedition will sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet.  Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study (SPURS)
The Crew Module Test Article (CMTA), a full scale mockup of the Orion spacecraft, is seen in the Pacific Ocean as teams practice Artemis recovery operations during  Underway Recovery Test-12 onboard USS Somerset off the coast of California, Saturday, March 29, 2025. During the test, NASA and Department of Defense teams are practicing to ensure recovery procedures are validated as NASA plans to send Artemis II around the Moon and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.  Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
NASA Artemis Underway Recovery Test 12
Teams with NASA and the Department of Defense (DoD) rehearse recovery procedures for a launch pad abort scenario off the coast of Florida near the agency’s Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. Utilizing mannequin crew members inside the Crew Module Test Article (CMTA) – a full-scale mockup of the Orion spacecraft – the simulations practiced abort timelines and joint NASA and DoD recovery procedures supported by Artemis II launch and flight control teams, as NASA prepares to send four astronauts around the Moon and back next year as part of the agency’s first crewed Artemis mission.
VALENT Exercise Atlantic Ocean
Teams with NASA and the Department of Defense (DoD) rehearse recovery procedures for a launch pad abort scenario off the coast of Florida near the agency’s Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. Utilizing mannequin crew members inside the Crew Module Test Article (CMTA) – a full-scale mockup of the Orion spacecraft – the simulations practiced abort timelines and joint NASA and DoD recovery procedures supported by Artemis II launch and flight control teams, as NASA prepares to send four astronauts around the Moon and back next year as part of the agency’s first crewed Artemis mission.
VALENT Exercise Atlantic Ocean
Teams with NASA and the Department of Defense (DoD) rehearse recovery procedures for a launch pad abort scenario off the coast of Florida near the agency’s Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. Utilizing mannequin crew members inside the Crew Module Test Article (CMTA) – a full-scale mockup of the Orion spacecraft – the simulations practiced abort timelines and joint NASA and DoD recovery procedures supported by Artemis II launch and flight control teams, as NASA prepares to send four astronauts around the Moon and back next year as part of the agency’s first crewed Artemis mission.
VALENT Exercise Atlantic Ocean
Teams with NASA and the Department of Defense (DoD) rehearse recovery procedures for a launch pad abort scenario off the coast of Florida near the agency’s Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. Utilizing mannequin crew members inside the Crew Module Test Article (CMTA) – a full-scale mockup of the Orion spacecraft – the simulations practiced abort timelines and joint NASA and DoD recovery procedures supported by Artemis II launch and flight control teams, as NASA prepares to send four astronauts around the Moon and back next year as part of the agency’s first crewed Artemis mission.
VALENT Exercise Atlantic Ocean
Teams with NASA and the Department of Defense (DoD) rehearse recovery procedures for a launch pad abort scenario off the coast of Florida near the agency’s Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. Utilizing mannequin crew members inside the Crew Module Test Article (CMTA) – a full-scale mockup of the Orion spacecraft – the simulations practiced abort timelines and joint NASA and DoD recovery procedures supported by Artemis II launch and flight control teams, as NASA prepares to send four astronauts around the Moon and back next year as part of the agency’s first crewed Artemis mission.
VALENT Exercise Atlantic Ocean
Teams with NASA and the Department of Defense (DoD) rehearse recovery procedures for a launch pad abort scenario off the coast of Florida near the agency’s Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. Utilizing mannequin crew members inside the Crew Module Test Article (CMTA) – a full-scale mockup of the Orion spacecraft – the simulations practiced abort timelines and joint NASA and DoD recovery procedures supported by Artemis II launch and flight control teams, as NASA prepares to send four astronauts around the Moon and back next year as part of the agency’s first crewed Artemis mission.
VALENT Exercise Atlantic Ocean
Teams with NASA and the Department of Defense (DoD) rehearse recovery procedures for a launch pad abort scenario off the coast of Florida near the agency’s Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. Utilizing mannequin crew members inside the Crew Module Test Article (CMTA) – a full-scale mockup of the Orion spacecraft – the simulations practiced abort timelines and joint NASA and DoD recovery procedures supported by Artemis II launch and flight control teams, as NASA prepares to send four astronauts around the Moon and back next year as part of the agency’s first crewed Artemis mission.
VALENT Exercise Atlantic Ocean
Teams with NASA and the Department of Defense (DoD) rehearse recovery procedures for a launch pad abort scenario off the coast of Florida near the agency’s Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. Utilizing mannequin crew members inside the Crew Module Test Article (CMTA) – a full-scale mockup of the Orion spacecraft – the simulations practiced abort timelines and joint NASA and DoD recovery procedures supported by Artemis II launch and flight control teams, as NASA prepares to send four astronauts around the Moon and back next year as part of the agency’s first crewed Artemis mission.
VALENT Exercise Atlantic Ocean
Teams with NASA and the Department of Defense (DoD) rehearse recovery procedures for a launch pad abort scenario off the coast of Florida near the agency’s Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. Utilizing mannequin crew members inside the Crew Module Test Article (CMTA) – a full-scale mockup of the Orion spacecraft – the simulations practiced abort timelines and joint NASA and DoD recovery procedures supported by Artemis II launch and flight control teams, as NASA prepares to send four astronauts around the Moon and back next year as part of the agency’s first crewed Artemis mission.
VALENT Exercise Atlantic Ocean
Teams with NASA and the Department of Defense (DoD) rehearse recovery procedures for a launch pad abort scenario off the coast of Florida near the agency’s Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. Utilizing mannequin crew members inside the Crew Module Test Article (CMTA) – a full-scale mockup of the Orion spacecraft – the simulations practiced abort timelines and joint NASA and DoD recovery procedures supported by Artemis II launch and flight control teams, as NASA prepares to send four astronauts around the Moon and back next year as part of the agency’s first crewed Artemis mission.
VALENT Exercise Atlantic Ocean
Teams with NASA and the Department of Defense (DoD) rehearse recovery procedures for a launch pad abort scenario off the coast of Florida near the agency’s Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. Utilizing mannequin crew members inside the Crew Module Test Article (CMTA) – a full-scale mockup of the Orion spacecraft – the simulations practiced abort timelines and joint NASA and DoD recovery procedures supported by Artemis II launch and flight control teams, as NASA prepares to send four astronauts around the Moon and back next year as part of the agency’s first crewed Artemis mission.
VALENT Exercise Atlantic Ocean
Teams with NASA and the Department of Defense (DoD) rehearse recovery procedures for a launch pad abort scenario off the coast of Florida near the agency’s Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. Utilizing mannequin crew members inside the Crew Module Test Article (CMTA) – a full-scale mockup of the Orion spacecraft – the simulations practiced abort timelines and joint NASA and DoD recovery procedures supported by Artemis II launch and flight control teams, as NASA prepares to send four astronauts around the Moon and back next year as part of the agency’s first crewed Artemis mission.
VALENT Exercise Atlantic Ocean
Teams with NASA and the Department of Defense (DoD) rehearse recovery procedures for a launch pad abort scenario off the coast of Florida near the agency’s Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. Utilizing mannequin crew members inside the Crew Module Test Article (CMTA) – a full-scale mockup of the Orion spacecraft – the simulations practiced abort timelines and joint NASA and DoD recovery procedures supported by Artemis II launch and flight control teams, as NASA prepares to send four astronauts around the Moon and back next year as part of the agency’s first crewed Artemis mission.
VALENT Exercise Atlantic Ocean
Teams with NASA and the Department of Defense (DoD) rehearse recovery procedures for a launch pad abort scenario off the coast of Florida near the agency’s Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. Utilizing mannequin crew members inside the Crew Module Test Article (CMTA) – a full-scale mockup of the Orion spacecraft – the simulations practiced abort timelines and joint NASA and DoD recovery procedures supported by Artemis II launch and flight control teams, as NASA prepares to send four astronauts around the Moon and back next year as part of the agency’s first crewed Artemis mission.
VALENT Exercise Atlantic Ocean
Teams with NASA and the Department of Defense (DoD) rehearse recovery procedures for a launch pad abort scenario off the coast of Florida near the agency’s Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. Utilizing mannequin crew members inside the Crew Module Test Article (CMTA) – a full-scale mockup of the Orion spacecraft – the simulations practiced abort timelines and joint NASA and DoD recovery procedures supported by Artemis II launch and flight control teams, as NASA prepares to send four astronauts around the Moon and back next year as part of the agency’s first crewed Artemis mission.
VALENT Exercise Atlantic Ocean