NASA scientists will present findings on a variety of Earth
and space science topics at the American Geophysical Union’s 2002
Spring Meeting, to be held at the Washington Convention Center in
Washington, May 28-31.

Selected examples of some of the topics addressed by NASA
scientists include:

MODIS Observations of Smoke and Fires

The MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer – a key
instrument aboard the Terra and Aqua satellites) aerosol data
presented in a movie form is used to observe the generation of
smoke plumes and their dispersion around the globe. For example,
a key conclusion is that smoke in particular from Southern Africa
can pollute significantly the “pristine” Southern Hemisphere and
the Northern Pacific.

The Impact of the Oceans on the Earth’s Rotation
Changes in the angular momentum of the oceans, a result of
changes in the mass distribution in the oceans and ocean
currents, cause Earth’s rotation to change, including both its
speed and the location of the rotation pole with respect to
Earth’s crust.

Global Earthquake System Science (Monitoring Earthquakes From
Space

Satellites may be used to detect telltale infrared emissions,
electric and magnetic signals, and changes in the ionosphere that
may occur days before large earthquakes, according to the team.

Special AGU Session: Fleet of NASA Spacecraft Observe
Atmosphere’s Response to Recent Solar Storms

Data of the Sun’s activities during a recent series of strong
solar storms was gathered by an entire fleet of NASA’s Sun-Earth
Connection spacecraft including atmospheric data from NASA’s
newest solar spacecraft, TIMED (Thermosphere, Ionosphere,
Mesosphere, Energetics and Dynamics). TIMED is providing
important new information on the final link in the Sun-Earth
Connection chain of physical processes that connect the Sun and
Earth. Preliminary TIMED data will be featured in a special AGU
session on May 31.

For a additional details about the Earth and space science topics
addressed by NASA scientists during the AGU conference, visit the
Internet at:

http://www.nasa.gov/newsinfo/agu2002.html