European Heat Wave

Credit: Credit: Reto Stockli and Robert Simmon, NASA’s Earth Observatory Team, Posted on: Saturday, 16 August 2003, 06:00 CDT Download full size image

Europe is experiencing a historic heat wave that has been responsible for at least 3,000 deaths in France alone. Compared to July 2001, temperatures in July 2003 were sizzling. This image shows the differences in day time land surface temperatures collected in the two years by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite. A blanket of deep red across southern and eastern France (left of image center) shows where temperatures were 10 degrees Celsius (18 degrees Fahrenheit) hotter this summer. White areas show where temperatures were similar, and blue shows where temperatures were cooler in 2003 than 2001.

Even the Alps, which arc across southeastern France, Switzerland, Austria, and northern Italy (just below image center), are very warm this year. Glaciers are melting rapidly and swelling rivers and lakes to dangerously high levels. Climbers had to be evacuated from Switzerland’s famous Matterhorn after melting triggered the collapse

More Images

Mars
Kasei Valles And Sacra Fossae, In Perspective.Mars Express flew over the boundary between Kasei Valles and Sacra Fossae and imaged the region, acq...

---

Universe
Shadows Side by Side.A pair of moon shadows and a series of spokes adorn this ring image taken about a month after Saturn...

---