The Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) acquired these natural
color images and cloud top height measurements for Monty before and
after the storm made landfall over the remote Pilbara region of Western
Australia, on February 29 and March 2, 2004 (shown as the left and
right-hand image sets, respectively). On February 29, Monty was upgraded
to category 4 cyclone status. After traveling inland about 300
kilometers to the south, the cyclonic circulation had decayed
considerably, although category 3 force winds were reported on the
ground. Some parts of the drought-affected Pilbara region received more
than 300 millimeters of rainfall, and serious and extensive flooding has
occurred.
The natural color images cover much of the same area, although the
right-hand panels are offset slightly to the east. Automated
stereoscopic processing of data from multiple MISR cameras was utilized
to produce the cloud-top height fields. The distinctive spatial patterns
of the clouds provide the necessary contrast to enable automated feature
matching between images acquired at different view angles. The height
retrievals are at this stage uncorrected for the effects of the high
winds associated with cyclone rotation. Areas where heights could not be
retrieved are shown in dark gray.
The Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer observes the daylit Earth
continuously and every 9 days views the entire globe between 82 degrees
north and 82 degrees south latitude. These data products were generated
from a portion of the imagery acquired during Terra orbits 22335 and
22364. The panels cover an area of about 380 kilometers x 985
kilometers, and utilize data from blocks 105 to 111 within World
Reference System-2 paths 115 and 113.
MISR was built and is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, for NASA's Office of Earth Science, Washington, DC. The Terra satellite is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology.
Image credit: NASA/GSFC/LaRC/JPL, MISR Team.
Text acknowledgment: Clare Averill (Raytheon ITSS / Jet Propulsion Laboratory).
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