Latest news with #GOESEast
Newsweek
23-04-2025
- Climate
- Newsweek
New Jersey Jones Road Wildfire Seen From Space
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Jones Road Wildfire in New Jersey was large enough to be seen from space, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shared the satellite video on social media on Wednesday. Why It Matters The scale and speed of the Jones Road fire triggered widespread evacuations, road closures and power outages, impacting thousands of New Jersey residents. Environmental Commissioner Shawn LaTourette warned during a Wednesday morning press conference that the blaze "could very well end up being the largest wildfire in New Jersey in 20 years," citing dry conditions and unpredictable winds. A state of emergency was declared for Ocean County early Wednesday by Acting Governor Tahesha Way, with more than 5,000 people temporarily evacuated and more than 25,000 residents losing power. Evacuation orders have since been lifted. What to Know As of the most recent update from the New Jersey Forest Fire Service, the fire has grown to 12,500 acres and was 40 percent contained. Officials estimated that it would surpass 15,000 acres before full containment was reached. New Jersey Forest Fire Service fire crews work to extinguish the Jones Road Fire near Lacey Township in Ocean County, New Jersey, on April 23, 2025. New Jersey Forest Fire Service fire crews work to extinguish the Jones Road Fire near Lacey Township in Ocean County, New Jersey, on April 23, 2025. Matthew Hatcher/Getty NOAA shared satellite video of the fire on Wednesday. The video was taken on Tuesday utilizing NOAA's GOES East, a geostationary satellite. "Yesterday, @NOAA's #GOESEast monitored the rapidly growing #JonesRoadFire in Ocean County, NJ," the post said. "The satellite is able to detect the fire's intense heat signature and track the large smoke plume. According to @NJDepForestFire, the blaze has consumed 11,500 acres, and prompted evacuations of the area." Yesterday, @NOAA's #GOESEast 🛰️ monitored the rapidly growing #JonesRoadFire in Ocean County, NJ. The satellite is able to detect the fire's intense heat signature and track the large smoke plume. According to @NJDepForestFire, the blaze has consumed 11,500 acres, and prompted… — NOAA Satellites (@NOAASatellites) April 23, 2025 In the video, the smoke was pushing east, toward the state's coast. Air quality alerts were issued across the Atlantic City region on Wednesday because of the smoke. AccuWeather senior meteorologist Carl Erickson told Newsweek that the smoke could continue to shift further north after sunset. There's a chance the smoke could impact the New York City area. Firefighters have implemented backfiring tactics—intentionally burning areas ahead of the main fire to remove fuel—and deployed fire engines, bulldozers, and ground crews. What People Are Saying New Jersey Forest Fire Service in a post on X: "An observational flight over the fire this afternoon confirmed burnout operations are improving and strengthening containment lines. Crews are currently mopping up hotspots and mitigating snags around the fire perimeter." CBS Meteorologist Grant Gilmore posted on X, "There is so much smoke/ash in the air that it's showing up on the radar. The radar beam that is picking up on the smoke is nearly 2,000 ft above the ground. Meaning, that's at least how high the smoke is." What Happens Next The fire is still active, and officials continue to monitor it. Rain could fall across the area this weekend, which will improve air quality.
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
The newest GOES weather satellite in NOAA's fleet is now fully operational (video)
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The final satellite in NOAA's GOES-R weather satellite series has a new place in orbit … and a new name. The GOES-19 weather satellite, which launched into orbit in June 2024, has officially taken the place of its predecessor GOES-16 to watch over the Western Hemisphere from its perch 22,236 miles (35,785 kilometers) above us. To mark the milestone, the satellite has the new name of GOES East to serve as the dominant geostationary satellite in the fleet, NOAA officials said in a statement. "With GOES-19 now in operation, NOAA has delivered the full fleet of GOES-R satellites to orbit, providing the most sophisticated technology ever flown in space to help forecast weather on Earth," said Stephen Volz, assistant administrator for NOAA's Satellite and Information Service, in the statement. "GOES-19 supports NOAA's mission to provide secure and timely access to global environmental data and information to promote and protect the nation's security, environment, economy and quality of life." As GOES East, the satellite will be responsible for keeping a watchful eye on tropical development in the Atlantic Ocean, and monitor weather such as severe storms, wildfires, and atmospheric rivers. Just like its siblings, GOES-19 is equipped with technology to produce high-resolution imagery, take measurements of the atmosphere, and track the location and intensity of lightning in real-time. If that's not exciting enough for scientists, this satellite also hosts NOAA's first compact coronagraph instrument (CCOR-1), monitoring the sun's activity. "CCOR-1 is a game-changer for ensuring our nation is resilient to solar storms, monitoring massive eruptions of energy from the sun in real time," Clinton Wallace, director of NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center, said in the statement. "With dramatically improved resolution and faster detection, it helps us better predict dangerous space weather that can impact satellites, GPS, astronaut safety, aviation and power grids, ensuring we can protect critical technology and infrastructure like never before."
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Weather satellite operational, completes fleet to forecast severe storms on Earth
April 8 (UPI) -- The final piece of an advanced series of weather satellites officially began operating Tuesday to help provide better forecasts on Earth and in space, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. GOES-19 satellite replaces GOES-16 to cover the GOES East orbit 22,236 miles above Earth's equator. It also completes NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites, or R-series, to provide the Western Hemisphere's "most sophisticated weather-observing and environmental-monitoring system." "With GOES-19 now in operation, NOAA has delivered the full fleet of GOES-R satellites to orbit, providing the most sophisticated technology ever flown in space to help forecast weather on Earth," said Stephen Volz, assistant administrator for NOAA's Satellite and Information Service. "GOES-19 supports NOAA's mission to provide secure and timely access to global environmental data and information to promote and protect the nation's security, environment, economy and quality of life," Volz continued. GOES-19, which launched on June 25, 2024, will track hurricanes and tropical storms in the Atlantic Ocean. It will also monitor severe weather, atmospheric rivers, wildfires, volcanic eruptions and other environmental events. The satellite is also equipped with space weather instruments to monitor the sun. NOAA's first compact coronagraph instrument, called CCOR-1, will provide "critical information about impending geomagnetic storm conditions." "CCOR-1 is a game-changer for ensuring our nation is resilient to solar storms, allowing us to monitor massive eruptions of energy from the sun in real time," said Clinton Wallace, director of NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center. "With dramatically improved resolution and faster detection, it helps us better predict dangerous space weather that can impact satellites, GPS, astronaut safety, aviation and power grids, ensuring we can protect critical technology and infrastructure like never before," according to Wallace. GOES-18 launched in March 2022 and was the "third in this new advanced series." The GOES-R Series Program includes four satellites, built and launched by NASA and operated by NOAA. GOES-19 joins GOES-18, or GOES West, to watch over more than half of Earth from Africa to New Zealand and from the Arctic Circle to the Antarctic Circle. The fleet of satellites is expected to provide valuable information about this year's Atlantic hurricane season, which is forecast to rival 2024, one of the most devastating and costliest hurricane seasons on record for the Southeast and Florida, due to damage caused by Beryl, Helene and Milton.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
World's largest iceberg runs aground before collision with sub-Antarctic island
The world's largest and oldest iceberg, A23a, has come to a halt less than 60 miles from the remote South Georgia Island in the South Atlantic, with surveyors warning that the dangers are far from over. The British Antarctic Survey reports that the massive iceberg originally broke free from Antarctica's ice shelf in 1986 but only began moving toward the island in 2020. NOAA's GOES East satellite captured imagery of the iceberg slowly drifting northeastward away from Antarctica and toward South Georgia Island, but in February, it ran aground southwest of the island. "If the iceberg stays grounded, we don't expect it to significantly affect the local wildlife of South Georgia. In the last few decades, the many icebergs that end up taking this route through the Southern Ocean soon break up, disperse, and melt. Commercial fisheries have been disrupted in the past, however, and as the berg breaks into smaller pieces, this might make fishing operations in the area both more difficult and potentially hazardous," Dr. Andrew Meijers, an oceanographer at the British Antarctic Survey, said in a statement. Antarctica's 'Doomsday Glacier' Is Melting Away Differently Than Scientists First Thought Despite coming to a halt, A23a's future remains uncertain, as warm waters and waves are expected to gradually break the iceberg apart. The event is still expected to alter the marine environment but not as significantly as a full-blown collision, which has always been a distinct possibility. "Nutrients stirred up by the grounding and from its melt may boost food availability for the whole regional ecosystem, including for charismatic penguins and seals. We have several ongoing studies looking at exactly how 'megabergs' influence the ocean circulation, its chemistry, and the ecosystems they support," Meijers stated. According to NOAA, the island has an extensive population of penguins, seals and birds in what is considered a milder climate compared to the extremes faced at the South Pole. Due to the island's location about 1,700 miles off the coast of Antarctica, the territory has had several encounters with icebergs that have caused significant disruptions to wildlife. In 2004, an iceberg known as A-38B ran aground near the island's continental shelf, causing extensive hardships for marine life. World's Largest Iceberg On Possible Collision Course With Island In South Atlantic Ocean In addition to environmental impacts, researchers say the broken pieces of ice could pose significant risks to vessels, as the clumps of ice are more difficult to track. "Discussions with fishing operators suggest that past large bergs have made some regions more or less off-limits for fishing operations for some time due to the number of smaller - yet often more dangerous - bergy bits," Meijers stated. While events the size of A23a are rare, Meijers said that icebergs are a normal part of the lifecycle of the globe's ice sheets. Complexes of ice are a growing concern as warming ocean temperatures contribute to the increased calving of ice from around the poles. The U.S. National Ice Center constantly tracks dozens of icebergs that pose a threat to shipping routes around the waters of Antarctica, many of which are under observation by organizations such as the article source: World's largest iceberg runs aground before collision with sub-Antarctic island
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Satellites watch world's largest iceberg on crash course with Antarctic penguin island (photo/video)
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The world's largest iceberg, A23a, is drifting toward South Georgia Island, a remote and ecologically vital wildlife haven. This massive block of ice, about the size of Rhode Island, poses a significant threat to the delicate ecosystem of the island, home to penguins and seals. Satellite images, including recent data captured by NOAA's GOES East satellite on Jan. 22, 2025, are closely monitoring the iceberg's slow journey through the Southern Ocean, where it could soon reach the shallow waters surrounding South Georgia. Iceberg A23a has been a concern for scientists since it broke away from the Antarctic ice shelf in 1986. After remaining immobile for over three decades, the iceberg finally broke free in 2020 and began drifting northward. Measuring roughly 1,350 square miles (3,500 square kilometers) across, A23a is the world's largest and oldest iceberg according to AFP News. Its imposing size and slow, steady movement have captivated oceanographers and researchers alike, though predicting its exact path has proven difficult due to the unpredictable forces of ocean currents. Unlike many previous "megabergs" that crumble into smaller chunks, A23a has shown little sign of breaking apart, which has only intensified concerns over its collision with South Georgia Island. According to Andrew Meijers, a physical oceanographer at the British Antarctic Survey, the iceberg is currently moving northeastward, but prevailing currents suggest that it could strike the shallow continental shelf around South Georgia in two to four weeks. If it does, the consequences could be dire for the island's wildlife Meijers told AFP News. The potential impact on South Georgia Island's ecosystem is worrying. Penguins, seals, and other marine animals depend on the island's surrounding waters for food and breeding. If A23a grounds itself on the continental shelf or disrupts the currents, it could block access to essential feeding areas. Meijers warned that icebergs have previously grounded near the island, causing significant mortality among penguin chicks and seal pups, particularly when their feeding grounds were cut off by the ice. Such a scenario could hinder the survival of these already vulnerable species, especially during the crucial breeding season. Despite these concerns, there is still a degree of uncertainty surrounding the iceberg's path. It's possible that A23a could avoid the shelf and drift into open water, bypassing South Georgia altogether. Alternatively, the iceberg could become stuck for months or break apart into smaller pieces, both of which could seriously impede seals and penguins trying to feed and raise young on the island, according to Meijers. Raul Cordero from Chile's University of Santiago and part of the National Antarctic Research Committee said he was confident the iceberg would not impact South Georgia. "The island acts as an obstacle for ocean currents and therefore usually diverts the water long before it reaches the island," Cordero told AFP News. RELATED STORIES: — Satellite data reveals Antarctica's Thwaites Glacier is melting faster than we thought — Climate change hits Antarctica hard, sparking concerns about irreversible tipping points — A Switzerland-size hole opened in Antarctica's sea ice in 2016-17. Now we know why "The iceberg is moved by that water flow, so the chances of it hitting are not that high," though chunks could, Cordero said. Glaciologist Soledad Tiranti, who is currently part of an Argentinian exploration mission in Antarctica, explained that icebergs like A23a are so massive that they typically become grounded on the seabed before reaching an island or the mainland, according to AFP News. The situation remains fluid, and scientists are keeping a close eye on the iceberg's progress with regular satellite imagery and ocean monitoring.
