• Tropical Cyclone Garry formed in South Pacific

    The tenth tropical cyclone in the Southern Pacific Ocean season gained its strength north of Samoa in South Pacific Ocean. This tropical disturbance was named Garry (TC 10P) on January 22, 2013 as it was passing near Samoa. A gale warning remained  in effect for

  • Volcanic activity at Chilean Villarrica resumed after 6 months

    After six months of sleep, Chilean stratovolcano Villarrica has started a new active phase. Weak explosive activity deep within the summit crater has resumed during last 2 weeks as evident in terrestrial and satellite observations. Observations also indicate that magma

  • Polar mesospheric clouds over South Pacific Ocean

    Polar mesospheric clouds—also known as noctilucent or “night shining” clouds—form between 76 to 85 kilometers (47 to 53 miles) above the Earth’s surface, near the boundary of the mesosphere and thermosphere, a region known as the…

  • Dust over Saudi Arabia and Red Sea

    Dust can be seen in the air over Saudi Arabia and blowing westward over the Red Sea. Unsettled weather is typical in Saudi Arabia in winter, with strong winds a frequent occurrence. The Rub’ al Khali desert, the world’s largest sand sea, covers large parts of the

  • West Africa veiled by dust and smoke

    Dust from the Bodélé Depression, in the Sahara Desert, blows southwestward towards Lake Chad, and can also be seen south of the lake. The lower portion of the image is also covered by a hazy veil, although this is due to fires in Chad and the Central African Republic

  • Long-term effects of megadrought on Amazonian forests

    The rainforests in southern and western Amazonia may be showing the first signs of potential large-scale degradation due to climate change as Amazon rainforest continues to suffer from the effects of a megadrought that began in 2005, attributed to the long-term