vania-janet/multiturn-rag-retrieval-data huggingface dataset:
The Emerald Isles of Hạ Long Bay
The Emerald Isles of Hạ Long Bay

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The Emerald Isles of Hạ Long Bay

December 1, 2021
December 1 - 1, 2021JPEG

Hạ Long Bay covers about 1,500 square kilometers (600 square miles) along the northeastern coast of Vietnam and holds more than 1,600 islands. The mountainous limestone islands—the tallest of which tower up to 400 meters (1,300 feet) above the water—are some of the world’s most visible and famous examples of karst features.
Karst landscapes form in humid environments with highly soluble and fractured carbonate or evaporite rocks, like limestone or gypsum. These landscapes have distinctive features such as sinking streams, sinkholes, caves, springs, and fluted rock outcrops.
Hạ Long Bay and nearby Bai Tu Long Bay—on the northeast coast of Vietnam, about 170 kilometers (100 miles) east of Hanoi—are shown in the above image, which was acquired on December 1, 2021, by the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8.
The two bays contain a notable range of karst formations, including pillars, conical peaks, arches, and caves. Cát Bà island, seen in the lower left of the image, is known for its many caves as well as its national park.
NASA Ocean Color
For example, highly productive waters where phytoplankton are abundant can appear green, whereas less productive waters with fewer constituents typically appear blue.
 
The spectral nature of color of the water, that is, the intensity at which different wavelengths absorb and scatter photons, can be used to infer the quality and quantity of materials that comprise natural waters - allowing scientists, policymakers, and society as a whole to understand their composition on local to global scales. This understanding can lend insight into how aquatic organisms at the base of the food chain thrive or decline under changing conditions of their environments.

News

 PACE Data is Now Available to Users: On 11 April 2024, the PACE sensors began transmitting data. The data are now available at OB.DAAC via Earthdata Search, OB.DAAC direct data access via File Search API!
	
 SeaDAS v.9.0 Release: On 11 April 2024, SeaDAS released version 9, which includes new features and support for the PACE mission. 
 	

Ocean Color Social Media


	 SUPPORTED MISSIONS
Learn about satellites and the instruments capturing ocean color data.

2024 Feb 8 OCI
The Ocean Color Instrument (OCI) is the primary instrument aboard the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, and ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission. Its optical spectrometer will be used to measure properties of light over portions of the electromagnetic spectrum and enable continuous measurements at finer resolutions than previous sensors.

2022 Nov 10 NOAA-21 VIIRS
The Visible and Infrared Imager/Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) is currently being flown on the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) series on JPSS-2 (a.k.a. NOAA-21). JPSS is a multi-platform, multi-agency program that consolidates the polar orbiting spacecraft of NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

2018 Dec 3 HawkEye
The Hawkeye instrument, flown onboard the SeaHawk CubeSat, was optimized to provide high quality, high resolution imageryÂ Â (120 meter) of the open ocean, coastal zones, lakes, estuaries and land features.Â This ability provides a valuableÂ complement to the lower resolution measurements from previous missions like SeaWiFS, MODIS and VIIRS.

2018 Apr 25 S3B OLCI
FAQs • San Bruno, CA • CivicEngage
WHAFIS will be eventually be replaced as 2-D models become able to handle topography and development characteristics on a finer scale; but until that time, FEMA will continue to use WHAFIS.Please also note that Letters of Map Revision (LOMRs) that are based on better topography or changed site conditions can now be carried out with relatively little effort and at modest cost using WHAFIS. Use of a 2-D overland wave model would make these map revisions more challenging and expensive. At some point in the future, when 2-D models overcome the technical issues mentioned above, and as their use becomes more widespread, flood studies and flood map revisions using the 2-D overland wave models will become feasible. 

18.
Why is the Base Flood Elevation (BFE) near my property different than the BFE near my neighbor’s property?

Even a small difference in the 1-%-annual-chance water level or wave height can change a BFE from one whole foot to another. Larger differences in BFEs can result when:The scale of the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) prevents mapping every whole foot BFE (flood zones would be too narrow to see on the FIRM) so BFEs are mapped two or more feet apart; andIn instances where wave run-up determines BFEs, changes in dune/bluff/structure slope can result in adjacent BFEs that have differences of several feet. 

19.
What is the Limit of Moderate Wave Action (LiMWA)?

The Limit of Moderate Wave Action (LiMWA) is the location where the 1-%-annual-chance wave height equals 1.5 feet. FEMA began showing the LiMWA on Flood Insurance Rate Maps to communicate the higher risk that exists in the area. Because the 1.5-foot breaking wave in the LiMWA zone can potentially cause foundation failure, communities are encouraged to adopt building construction standards similar to Zone VE in those areas.Residents and business owners living or working in the LiMWA zone should be aware of the potential wave action along with floating debris, erosion and scour that could cause significant damage on their property. They are encouraged to build safer and higher to minimize the risk to life and property. 

20.
How is the LiMWA mapped?
News Around NOAA
December 13, 2017 - New Marine Graphical Atlantic Forecast Becomes Operational
On Tuesday December 12, NOAA began delivering High Seas Gridded Forecasts from NHC, and Offshore Gridded Forecasts from OPC, for the first time operationally in the Atlantic basin.

December 12, 2017 - Report Highlights Social and Economic Impacts of Space Weather
A new report funded by NOAA's National Weather Service begins to quantify impacts from space weather on the United States economy.

December 5, 2017 - A Season to Remember
The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season is in the record books and it won’t be forgotten.

November 19, 2017 - New National Hurricane Center Capabilities Introduced this Hurricane Season
The National Hurricane Center describes three new capabilities introduced in the 2017 hurricane season.

October 19, 2017 - NWS Aviation Team Bids Farewell to an Old Friend
After serving the nation as one of the primary products of the Aviation Weather Center since the 1930s the CONUS Aviation Area Forecast is now retired.

October 18, 2017 - United Nations Calls for Support for World Tsunami Awareness Day
Recognizing that the tsunami hazard poses a global threat that requires international attention and cooperation, the United Nations General Assembly designated November 5 as World Tsunami Awareness Day.

September 13, 2017 - The Atlantic highlights how NWS is building a Weather-Ready Nation
A feature article in The Atlantic on September 12 titled, “The National Weather Service’s New Philosophy” gave the public an insider’s view of backup hurricane forecast operations at WPC and showcased our important strategic goal to create a Weather-Ready Nation.

August  2, 2017 - FV3: The Next Step for NOAA’s Global Forecast Modeling
The NWS is overhauling its old global modelling software piece by piece. The new core of our global model comes from NOAA Research, and it's powering the future of forecasts using some impressive advances.

July 26, 2017 - Q&A with Polar Modeler Bob Grumbine
Bob Grumbine of the National Weather Service’s Environmental Modeling Center is one of hundreds of scientists working to improve weather and sea-ice forecasting in the Arctic and Antarctic through The Year of Polar Prediction (YOPP).

July 14, 2017 - WFO Los Angeles/Oxnard Provides Support to Emergency Managers Who Rescued 80 Children Trapped by Wildfire
Offshore Wind Farms Make Wakes
Nov 7, 2016

Nov 9, 2016

References & Resources

The European and Wind Energy Association (2016, July) The European offshore wind industry—key trends and statistics 1st half 2016. Accessed November 7, 2016.
The European and Wind Energy Association (2016, February) The European offshore wind industry—key trends and statistics 2015. Accessed November 7, 2016.
LORC List of Offshore Wind Farms. Accessed November 7, 2016.
USGS Landsat Missions Image Gallery (2016, September 27) Landsat Confirms Spatial Extent of Wind Tower Sediment Plumes. Accessed November 7, 2016.
Vanhellemont, Q. and Ruddick, K. (2014, April 5) Turbid wakes associated with offshore wind turbines observed with Landsat 8. Remote Sensing of Environment, 145, 105-115.

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History
Seasat-A was an ocean remote-sensing satellite, with experimental instruments for measuring surface temperature, sea surface height and wind velocity. The satellite also carried a synthetic aperture radar for both ocean and land surface studies. Seasat-A failed prematurely, but all of its instruments later flew on other JPL missions, including the US/France TOPEX/Poseidon and its successors in the Jason series of ocean altimetry satellites, QuikScat and RapidScat. Spare equipment from the synthetic aperture radar experiment also flew on the second space shuttle mission in 1981. JPL's synthetic aperture radar, SIR-A, being installed in space shuttle Shuttle Columbia in August 1981. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech During the 1980s, as NASA was developing its space shuttle, the agency had also begun to develop an Earth Observing System concept to advance understanding of our planet's processes. JPL won competitions for a number of instruments on the EOS Terra, Aqua, and Aura satellites, including the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder for meteorological research, and the Multi-Angle Imaging Spectroradiometer for aerosol science. Launched between 1999 and 2004, the missions were still operating as of 2019.NASA also developed a parallel program of smaller, lower-cost missions, the Earth System Science Pathfinders. JPL entered the program with an ingenious mission to map the movement of water and melting ice by proxy, through changes in the gravitational pull of shifting masses on orbiting satellites. The Gravity Recovery and Climate Satellite (GRACE) launched in 2002 and operated until 2017. Its successor, GRACE-Follow On, launched in 2018. JPL also won a cloud research mission, CloudSat, launched in 2006, as well as a series of atmospheric carbon dioxide measuring missions, the Orbiting Carbon Observatories, and the Aquarius sea surface salinity mission. JPL's most recent ESSP mission, ECOSTRESS, was attached to the International Space Station in May 2019. The Cloudsat spacecraft being assembled.
NASA
“This will improve prediction of sea ice loss, ice sheet melt, and sea level rise, creating a better understanding of how our planet’s system will change in the coming years — crucial information to farmers tracking changes in weather and water, fishing fleets working in changing seas, and coastal communities building resilience.”</p>

<p>Ground controllers successfully established communications with the CubeSat at 8:48 EDT. The second PREFIRE CubeSat will set off on its own Electron rocket from Launch Complex 1 in the coming days. Following a 30-day checkout period during which engineers and scientists will make sure both CubeSats are working normally, the mission is expected to operate for 10 months.</p>

<p>At the heart of the PREFIRE mission is Earth’s energy budget – the balance between incoming heat energy from the Sun and the outgoing heat given off by the planet. The difference between the two is what determines the planet’s temperature and climate. A lot of the heat radiated from the Arctic and Antarctica is emitted as far-infrared radiation, but there is currently no detailed measurement of this type of energy.</p>

<p>The water vapor content of the atmosphere, along with the presence, structure, and composition of clouds, influences the amount of far-infrared radiation that escapes into space from Earth’s poles. Data collected from PREFIRE will give researchers information on where and when far-infrared energy radiates from the Arctic and Antarctic environments into space.</p>

<p>“The PREFIRE CubeSats may be small, but they’re going to close a big gap in our knowledge about Earth’s energy budget,” said Laurie Leshin, director, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “Their observations will help us understand the fundamentals of Earth’s heat balance, allowing us to better predict how our ice, seas, and weather will change in the face of global warming.”</p>

<p>The mission’s CubeSats each carry an instrument called a thermal infrared spectrometer, which use specially shaped mirrors and sensors to measure infrared wavelengths. Miniaturizing the instruments to fit on CubeSats necessitated downsizing some parts while scaling up other components.</p>
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 December 17, 2019 - Feeling the [wind] chill?
World of Change: Development of Orlando, Florida
National Geographic (2007, March) Beyond Disney. Accessed July 17, 2015.
Orlando My Way (2015, July 17) Best amusement parks list released by TripAdvisor. Accessed July 17, 2015.
The Orlando Sentinel (2015, June 3) Universal Orlando visitation spikes, Sea World’s plunges. Accessed July 17, 2015.
Time (2014, October 1) This Map Shows That Disney World Has Grown Like Crazy. Accessed July 17, 2015.
United States Census Bureau (2015) Seeking the Sunshine. Accessed July 17, 2015.
United States Census Bureau (2015) Celebration CDP, Florida. Accessed July 17, 2015.
United States Census Bureau (2013, August) The Racial and Ethnic Composition of Local Government Employees in Large Metro Areas, 1960-2010. Accessed July 17, 2015.
Visit Orlando (2015, April 9) Orlando Becomes First Destination to Surpass 60 Million Visitors, Sets New Record for U.S. Tourism. Accessed July 17, 2015.
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts (2014) Walt Disney World Fact Sheet. Accessed July 17, 2015.

World of Change: Development of Orlando, Florida

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Lake Victoria’s Falling Waters
Since 1960, when water levels on the lake jumped due to heavy rains, the population surrounding the lake has sky-rocketed. The Lake Victoria region has the densest rural population in the world, and population growth around the lake continues to increase faster than anywhere else in Africa. The current economy—fisheries, transport, resorts, and even the Nalubaale Dam Complex—has developed to operate around a much fuller Lake Victoria.
 
Declining water levels in Lake Victoria are disrupting shoreline infrastructure like this small dock. (Photograph courtesy USDA Foreign Agricultural Service.)
 

 

“Now they have to shut down the dams and they will have less hydropower generation,” says Reynolds, pointing out a newspaper article that reported that the Kiira extension to the Nalubaale Dam will be closed. “This [the drop in the water level] places additional costs onto the other economic users.” Ships have to dock in deeper water far from the shore; beach-side resorts are a long walk from the water; and the shallow alcoves where some fish breed are gone.
“What is the best operation?” Reynolds muses. “Future water releases will need to follow the 1954 policy, but first water releases need to be reduced to allow the lake to return to pre-2000 water levels.” However, he sounds as if he does not envy the task because he knows towns, governments, and power companies want more energy. Will government policies allow the lake to return to levels experienced before 2005? To answer that question, “the USDA and NASA will continue to monitor the water levels, and we can quickly report to the international community whether any progress has been made,” says Reynolds.
References:
Mugabe, D. and E. Kisambira. (2006) Lake Victoria levels at Jinja raise eyebrows. East African Business Week. January 16, 2006. Accessed March 13, 2006.
Olupot, M. (2006) Govt May Close Jinja Dam Over Water Levels. New Vision, January 6, 2006. Accessed February 3, 2006.
Oywa, J. (2006) Shrinking Lake Leaves Transporters Very Worried. February 3, 2006.
Europa's Ocean Ascending – NASA's Europa Clipper
Europa's Ocean Ascending – NASA's Europa Clipper

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Europa Clipper

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| July 3, 2018

Europa's Ocean Ascending

Jay R. Thompson

This animation demonstrates how deformation in the icy surface of Europa could transport subsurface ocean water to the moon’s surface.
This is just one of several simulated behaviors reported in a new study performed by scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The study focused on linear features called “bands” and “groove lanes” found on Jupiter’s moons Europa and Ganymede. Scientists have used the same numerical model to solve mysteries about motion in Earth’s crust.
The animation is a two-dimensional simulation of a possible cross-section of a band running through Europa’s ice shell. At the extreme bottom is Europa’s ocean, and the thick white line across the top represents the moon’s surface ice. The midsection is the bulk of Europa’s ice shell, with warmer colors (red, orange, yellow) representing stronger, more rigid ice. Depth is marked on the left side of the animation while numbers on the bottom measure distance from the center of the band feature on Europa’s surface. Bands on Europa and Ganymede are typically tens of miles wide and hundreds of miles long. Numbers at the top mark the passage of time in thousands of years.

This image, taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft, shows a same-scale comparison between Arbela Sulcus on Jupiter's moon Ganymede (left) and an unnamed band on another Jovian moon, Europa (right).

As the animation runs forward, the ice shell is deformed by gravitational interactions with Jupiter. The cold, brittle ice at the surface gets pulled apart. At the same time, faults in the upper ice form, heal, and re-form (visible as diagonal yellow, green and blue lines in the upper center of the animation).