In the wintertime, the view of much of the Northern Hemisphere from above is alternating swaths of brown and white. Satellites record images of the extent of snowstorms and give detailed looks of just where the snow fell and how the land below was affected.
Snowfall in Appalachia
The photo taken of the Appalachian Mountains on December 7, 2002, records the storm that passed over the area a few days before. The landscape of Kentucky and Tennessee still hung on to some of its greenery when the early snowstorm passed through. In some places the snow tapered off gradually, while in others a more distinct line between snowy and non-snowy areas is seen. Larger bodies of water show blue through the ice because they have not yet been chilled enough by the weather and snow storm to freeze over.
Snowstorm over the United States' Midsection
In the image of the central US from December 15, 2007, the result of a major snowstorm is seen over many states. Although snow is covering most the states, the difference in ground temperature is evident by the white snow-covered lakes in Minnesota and the warmer blue lakes poking out from the snow in Kansas. A look at the Rockies provides a nice example of a precipitation shadow, or rainshadow, that occurs on the leeward side of mountains. On the windward side of mountains, which is generally the west side in the United States, the storms come in and dump their precipitation. Due to orographic lifting, as the air mass is pushed up when it encounters mountainous terrain, the storm clouds cool on the western slopes and more precipitation is released, leaving less to fall on the eastern or leeward side. The picture easily illustrates how the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains are browner and less snowy, explaining why places such as Denver are dry and not good for skiing.
Snowstorm Cripples Parts of China
In early 2008, a snowstorm crippled parts of China on the biggest holiday of the year, the Lunar New Year. Transportation systems were shut down in the great storm, blocking people from seeing their families. For some Chinese workers, the Lunar New Year is the only time of the year they have to travel back home and spend time with their families.
One of the problems with seeing snow from space is the white on the ground can be confused by white cloud cover. This image uses both visible light and infrared to make a distinction between clouds and snow. The red and orange areas are snow, and the white and peach areas are clouds. The clouds still obscure some of the snow-covered land. Bluish regions are free of snow or cloud cover.
The use of satellites in snowfalls helps scientists get a better picture of what is happening on the ground and allows for a clearer picture of what regions are hit hardest in winter storms.
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