Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies (SSTA) show ocean regions with warmer or colder temperatures than the long-term average for a given month. Globally, SSTA are an important driver of atmospheric circulation and rainfall patterns. Climate modes such as the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in the tropical Pacific Ocean, including El Nino (warm SSTA) and La Nina (cold SSTA) phases, give us rise to predictable changes in rainfall patterns. The strong El Nino event that develped in 2015 appears as warm SSTA in the easter Pacific Ocean. Changing ocean temperatures reduced rainfall in Indonesia and the eastern Amazon, with large increases in fire activity under drought conditions. The impact of SSTA on rainfall was also detected as a Terrestrial Water Storage Anomaly (TWSA) on land by NASA's twin GRACE satellites. The GRACE satellites monitor changes in Earth's gravity from the movement of water. Drought conditions appear as negative TWSA, highlighting areas with greater fire risk as soil water is depleted. This visualization attempts to explore the connections between SSTA and TWSA, including the lag times between changing ocean temperatures and terrestrial water storage, as climate modes linked to tropical ocean temperatures redistribute rainfall across the globe. For more information on the GRACE mission please visit http://ift.tt/1z7Hogm
from NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio: Most Recent Items http://ift.tt/1ReA7Ji
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