Scientists have developed new methods of retrieving
information about cloud heights, winds, airborne particles, and
Earth’s surface using data from the Multi-angle Imaging
SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument orbiting on NASA’s Terra
satellite.
MISR acquires images of the Earth at nine angles
simultaneously, using nine separate cameras pointed forward,
downward, and backward along its flight path. Examples of images
and atmospheric information that MISR can provide are available
at
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/pictures/misr/ .
The first example gives three views of Hurricane Debby. One
shows the storm’s eastern edge as seen by the instrument’s
downward-looking camera. The others display cloud heights and
motions generated by taking advantage of the instrument’s multi-
angle stereoscopic imaging capability.
The second example illustrates how MISR can detect and
measure the abundance of particles, including pollution, in the
atmosphere. The downward-looking view of the Appalachian
Mountains looks clear, while another image, from a camera viewing
at a large slant angle, reveals a thin layer of haze. The third
panel is a map of the amount of airborne particulates derived
from the images.
These demonstrations are based upon samples of MISR’s
advanced data products. The samples and MISR camera image data
are available to the public though the Atmospheric Sciences Data
Center (ASDC) at NASA’s Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va.,
http://eosweb.larc.nasa.gov/ .
MISR, built and managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is
one of several Earth-observing experiments aboard Terra, which
was launched in December 1999.
The MISR science team includes members in the United States,
England, and Italy. More information about MISR is available at:
http://www-misr.jpl.nasa.gov .
JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology
in Pasadena.
