1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,840 So far on today's show, we've learned how data collected by the hurricane hunters helps 2 00:00:05,840 --> 00:00:10,120 meteorologists at the Weather Channel predict hurricanes. 3 00:00:10,120 --> 00:00:11,120 But what about NASA? 4 00:00:11,120 --> 00:00:13,320 What does NASA have to do with hurricanes? 5 00:00:13,320 --> 00:00:16,120 I thought you'd never ask. 6 00:00:16,120 --> 00:00:21,080 Without NASA, or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, we wouldn't be able 7 00:00:21,080 --> 00:00:24,160 to see Earth from space. 8 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:29,960 NASA's bird's eye view of our planet has revolutionized observations of the Earth's atmosphere, continents, 9 00:00:29,960 --> 00:00:30,960 and oceans. 10 00:00:30,960 --> 00:00:36,400 A few years back, NASA launched geostationary satellites that monitor the weather above 11 00:00:36,400 --> 00:00:38,400 the Earth. 12 00:00:38,400 --> 00:00:42,680 Geostationary means that the satellite orbits the Earth at about the same speed the Earth 13 00:00:42,680 --> 00:00:43,680 rotates. 14 00:00:43,680 --> 00:00:48,400 The satellite collects weather data as it hovers over the same point on the Earth. 15 00:00:48,400 --> 00:00:51,360 The data is then sent back to Earth for our use. 16 00:00:51,360 --> 00:00:56,800 Thanks to NASA, today there is a worldwide network of satellites above our Earth, collecting 17 00:00:56,800 --> 00:01:02,120 weather data over the whole world, and transferring these data back to us on the ground. 18 00:01:02,120 --> 00:01:07,160 But NASA's always looking towards the future, towards developing new and better technologies 19 00:01:07,160 --> 00:01:12,160 for observing and predicting severe weather, like hurricanes and tornadoes. 20 00:01:12,160 --> 00:01:16,200 We're here at the NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, to meet a scientist 21 00:01:16,200 --> 00:01:25,080 who's developing a gift for future meteorologists. 22 00:01:25,080 --> 00:01:28,680 How will gifts provide a more complete picture of the Earth's atmosphere? 23 00:01:28,680 --> 00:01:31,200 How does remote sensing work? 24 00:01:31,200 --> 00:01:36,120 What does the information collected about the water vapor tell us about a storm? 25 00:01:36,120 --> 00:01:40,240 NASA Langley Research Center is developing a new technology which will allow meteorologists 26 00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:45,400 to better predict how strong a hurricane will be and where it will come ashore. 27 00:01:45,400 --> 00:01:48,960 Scientists like me are working with professors and students at the University of Wisconsin 28 00:01:48,960 --> 00:01:55,480 and at the Utah State University on the Geostationary Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer, because 29 00:01:55,480 --> 00:01:58,840 acronyms are easier to say, we call it the GIFS. 30 00:01:58,840 --> 00:02:03,120 GIFS is actually an instrument that will be flown aboard a geostationary satellite about 31 00:02:03,120 --> 00:02:05,900 22,000 miles above the Earth. 32 00:02:05,900 --> 00:02:10,680 We believe our new technology will be a gift to mankind in that it will enable people to 33 00:02:10,680 --> 00:02:15,840 avoid the loss of their property and even possibly their lives by warning them of approaching 34 00:02:15,840 --> 00:02:18,960 hazardous weather such as tornadoes and hurricanes. 35 00:02:18,960 --> 00:02:21,720 Okay, but how will GIFS improve weather predictions? 36 00:02:21,720 --> 00:02:26,360 Well, GIFS will provide meteorologists with a complete picture of our Earth's atmosphere. 37 00:02:26,360 --> 00:02:31,160 Currently upper air observations like temperature, water vapor and wind are obtained by launching 38 00:02:31,160 --> 00:02:32,760 weather balloons. 39 00:02:32,760 --> 00:02:36,720 Every day, twice a day, these balloons rise through the atmosphere and collect weather 40 00:02:36,720 --> 00:02:38,480 data over land areas. 41 00:02:38,480 --> 00:02:43,800 However, the balloons are spaced very far apart and give us only spotty data. 42 00:02:43,800 --> 00:02:48,560 GIFS will collect the same data from space every 10 seconds over land as well as over 43 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:51,080 the sea where hurricanes come from. 44 00:02:51,080 --> 00:02:53,080 Wow, every 10 seconds? 45 00:02:53,080 --> 00:02:56,080 Dr. Smith, how will it do that? 46 00:02:56,080 --> 00:03:00,440 Using new infrared digital camera technology, GIFS will have several thousand times more 47 00:03:00,440 --> 00:03:05,640 sensors than current satellites to measure atmospheric temperature, water vapor and wind. 48 00:03:05,640 --> 00:03:07,400 Let's take water vapor for instance. 49 00:03:07,400 --> 00:03:12,500 Water vapor is actually water in its gaseous state, so it's invisible to the human eye. 50 00:03:12,500 --> 00:03:17,020 When water vapor molecules become liquid water or ice crystals, a cloud forms. 51 00:03:17,020 --> 00:03:20,900 Current satellites measure water in the form of clouds, but they do not measure very well 52 00:03:20,900 --> 00:03:24,100 the water vapor that causes the clouds to form. 53 00:03:24,100 --> 00:03:28,940 Being able to sense the water vapor before clouds form will allow us to predict how, 54 00:03:28,940 --> 00:03:32,580 when and where storms will form and where they will go. 55 00:03:32,580 --> 00:03:33,580 That's great! 56 00:03:33,580 --> 00:03:37,900 Sounds like GIFS will provide meteorologists with information on hurricanes even before 57 00:03:37,900 --> 00:03:39,060 they form. 58 00:03:39,060 --> 00:03:43,660 This can only help save more lives because the more forecasters know, the quicker they 59 00:03:43,660 --> 00:03:44,660 can warn people on the coast. 60 00:03:44,660 --> 00:03:48,660 But you keep saying that GIFS will sense water vapor. 61 00:03:48,660 --> 00:03:50,660 What do you mean by sense? 62 00:03:50,660 --> 00:03:52,460 Oh, good question. 63 00:03:52,460 --> 00:03:56,140 GIFS measures elements of the atmosphere like temperature and water vapor without touching 64 00:03:56,140 --> 00:03:57,260 them. 65 00:03:57,260 --> 00:04:00,580 It's called remote sensing and our eyes do it every day. 66 00:04:00,580 --> 00:04:04,380 Your eyes can sense or measure how a person is feeling without touching them. 67 00:04:04,380 --> 00:04:07,860 All you need to do is look at them and you'll be able to tell how they are feeling. 68 00:04:07,860 --> 00:04:08,860 Oh, okay. 69 00:04:09,660 --> 00:04:12,460 I understand how people sense things, but GIFS is an instrument. 70 00:04:12,460 --> 00:04:14,380 How does it sense water vapor? 71 00:04:14,380 --> 00:04:15,980 By using an infrared camera. 72 00:04:15,980 --> 00:04:17,140 Let me show you. 73 00:04:17,140 --> 00:04:21,140 This picture of a man in glasses was taken with an infrared camera, seeing through the 74 00:04:21,140 --> 00:04:27,820 air and sensing only hard, solid objects like the wall, his face and his glasses. 75 00:04:27,820 --> 00:04:31,920 Here we see the brightness of the man's face and the darkness of his glasses. 76 00:04:31,920 --> 00:04:36,820 This means his face is giving off heat and is relatively warm, whereas his glasses and 77 00:04:36,820 --> 00:04:41,300 the wall are not giving off as much heat and are therefore relatively cold. 78 00:04:41,300 --> 00:04:45,500 This picture is a good example of what current satellites can see from space. 79 00:04:45,500 --> 00:04:50,260 The second picture was taken with an infrared camera, seeing air molecules as well as hard, 80 00:04:50,260 --> 00:04:51,860 solid objects. 81 00:04:51,860 --> 00:04:55,080 Here we can see his breath, exhaled from his mouth. 82 00:04:55,080 --> 00:04:59,900 This is because the infrared camera senses that his breath, which contains water vapor, 83 00:04:59,900 --> 00:05:02,940 is warm relative to the cold wall behind him. 84 00:05:03,260 --> 00:05:07,140 The second picture is a good example of how GIFS technology will improve weather detection. 85 00:05:07,140 --> 00:05:12,380 You said that water vapor in his breath is warm, so I guess that means it gives off heat. 86 00:05:12,380 --> 00:05:16,740 Yes, both water vapor and clouds give off or radiate heat. 87 00:05:16,740 --> 00:05:21,420 GIFS can't feel the heat, but being an infrared camera, it can sense the amount of heat the 88 00:05:21,420 --> 00:05:23,260 water vapor radiates. 89 00:05:23,260 --> 00:05:27,260 An analogy is when you close your eyes on a partly cloudy day. 90 00:05:27,260 --> 00:05:31,220 When the sun comes out from behind the clouds, you don't have to open your eyes to know the 91 00:05:31,220 --> 00:05:32,460 sun is there. 92 00:05:32,460 --> 00:05:36,180 You can sense or feel the heat of the sun radiating on your face. 93 00:05:36,180 --> 00:05:39,100 Speaking of heat, remember the graph Valerie showed you? 94 00:05:39,100 --> 00:05:43,340 Heat, but specifically temperature, is an important variable when describing what is 95 00:05:43,340 --> 00:05:45,220 going on in a hurricane. 96 00:05:45,220 --> 00:05:49,180 GIFS will measure the heat from water vapor even before clouds form. 97 00:05:49,180 --> 00:05:53,660 This will allow us to predict the formation and intensity of upcoming storms, like how 98 00:05:53,660 --> 00:05:56,620 much rain will fall or how severe the winds will be. 99 00:05:56,620 --> 00:05:57,620 Cool! 100 00:05:57,620 --> 00:05:59,620 Hurricanes are known for their winds. 101 00:05:59,620 --> 00:06:02,220 Will GIFS sense winds, too? 102 00:06:02,220 --> 00:06:03,220 Absolutely. 103 00:06:03,220 --> 00:06:07,900 Dr. Lyons told us earlier that the steering winds determine where a hurricane is going. 104 00:06:07,900 --> 00:06:11,900 There are very few clouds away from the storm where the steering winds are. 105 00:06:11,900 --> 00:06:15,300 GIFS measures the movement of the water vapor at all altitudes. 106 00:06:15,300 --> 00:06:18,860 These motions are the steering winds which determine the speed and the direction of the 107 00:06:18,860 --> 00:06:19,860 hurricane. 108 00:06:19,860 --> 00:06:24,660 Well, Dr. Smith, GIFS really is a gift for forecasters and for people who are affected 109 00:06:24,660 --> 00:06:26,660 by severe storms like hurricanes. 110 00:06:26,660 --> 00:06:27,660 That's right. 111 00:06:27,660 --> 00:06:31,660 In fact, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenville, Maryland is working with us 112 00:06:31,660 --> 00:06:34,940 to integrate GIFS technology on future weather satellites. 113 00:06:34,940 --> 00:06:39,940 Visit this website to learn more about GIFS technology and NASA's dedication to help 114 00:06:39,940 --> 00:06:42,140 science better understand our planet. 115 00:06:42,140 --> 00:06:43,820 Thanks, Dr. Smith. 116 00:06:43,820 --> 00:06:48,260 You know, future NASA technology, like GIFS, will provide us with more accurate satellite 117 00:06:48,260 --> 00:06:49,260 measurements. 118 00:06:49,260 --> 00:06:53,580 By combining GIFS technology with the data from the hurricane hunters, meteorologists 119 00:06:53,580 --> 00:06:57,780 like Dr. Lyons will be better able to predict hurricanes and help save lives.