This animation displays one year of Outgoing Long-wave Radiation (OLR) Terra-CERES data (March 1, 2000 to May 25, 2001) with a 14-day boxcar average. Endpoints have the average re-weighted for the smaller amount of data. The data are 2.5 degree resolution.

This animation displays one year of Reflected Solar Radiation (RSR) Terra-CERES data (March 1, 2000 to May 25, 2001) with a 14-day boxcar average. Endpoints have the average re-weighted for the smaller amount of data. The data are 2.5 degree resolution.

In this animation of total ozone, the luminance values of the colors bounding areas of missing data are used in interpolating over these regions. The missing data are mapped to the grayscale portion of the color map.

In this animation of total ozone, the luminance values of the colors bounding areas of missing data are used in interpolating over these regions. The missing data are mapped to the grayscale portion of the color map.

In this animation of total ozone, the luminance values of the colors bounding areas of missing data are used in interpolating over these regions. The missing data are mapped to the grayscale portion of the color map.

El Nino, a periodic warming of the Eastern Pacific Ocean, is among Earths most powerful phenomena. Satellite, ship, and buoy observations show the 1997-98 event as the strongest on record. Visualizing how sea-surface height, sea-surface temperature, and sea-surface winds differ from normal conditions reveals the events magnitude.

TOMS provides dramatic visual evidence of the annual growth and decay of the Antarctic ozone hole. The ozone losses over Antarctica result from reactions with the products of man-made chlorine and bromine compounds. Because of the tilt of the Earths axis, continuous darkness falls at the South Pole from March 21 to September 21. The dark region in the middle of the July 1 total ozone picture is polar night, where TOMS cannot make measurements. Ozone losses are in blue. Beginning in August, returning sunlight reaches the edges of Antarctica providing chlorine and bromine compounds with energy to rapidly destroy ozone. By mid September, the ozone loss peaks, creating an ozone hole over Antarctic. For more information see www.gsfc.nasa.gov-topstory-2003-1208toms.html

A relatively warm Antarctic winter in 2004 kept the thinning of the protective ozone layer over Antarctica, known as the ozone hole, slightly smaller than in 2003. Each year the hole expands over Antarctica, sometimes reaching populated areas of South America and exposing them to ultraviolet rays normally absorbed by ozone. Scientists have new tools to study this annual phenomenon, and the human-produced compounds that contribute to ozone breakdown are decreasing. On September 22, 2004, ozone thinning over Antarctica reached its maximum extent for the year at 24.2 million square kilometers (9.4 million square miles). The largest maximum area on record was 29.2 million square kilometers, in 2000. On October 5, 2004, the ozone layer reached a low value of 99 Dobson Units.

Here the 20-year seasonal surface temperature trend for the autumn is shown over the Arctic region. This animation shows the warming and cooling regions in steps from the regions of least change to the areas of greatest change. Blue hues indicate cooling regions; red hues depict warming. Light regions indicate less change while darker regions indicate more. The temperature scale used ranges from -0.4 to +0.4 degrees Celsius in increments of .02 degrees. (See color bar below)

Here the 20-year seasonal surface temperature trend for the spring is shown over the Arctic region. This animation shows the warming and cooling regions in steps from the regions of least change to the areas of greatest change. Blue hues indicate cooling regions; red hues depict warming. Light regions indicate less change while darker regions indicate more. The temperature scale used ranges from -0.4 to +0.4 degrees Celsius in increments of .02 degrees. (See color bar below)

Here the 20-year seasonal surface temperature trend for the summer is shown over the Arctic region. This animation shows the warming and cooling regions in steps from the regions of least change to the areas of greatest change. Blue hues indicate cooling regions; red hues depict warming. Light regions indicate less change while darker regions indicate more. The temperature scale used ranges from -0.4 to +0.4 degrees Celsius in increments of .02 degrees. (See color bar below)

Here the 20-year surface temperature trend is shown over the Arctic region. This animation shows the warming and cooling regions in steps from the regions of least change to the areas of greatest change. Blue hues indicate cooling regions; red hues depict warming. Light regions indicate less change while darker regions indicate more. The temperature scale used ranges from -0.4 to +0.4 degrees Celsius in increments of .02 degrees. (See color bar below)

Here the 20-year seasonal surface temperature trend for the winter is shown over the Arctic region. This animation shows the warming and cooling regions in steps from the regions of least change to the areas of greatest change. Blue hues indicate cooling regions; red hues depict warming. Light regions indicate less change while darker regions indicate more. The temperature scale used ranges from -0.4 to +0.4 degrees Celsius in increments of .02 degrees. (See color bar below)

This image shows the 22-year surface temperature trend over the Arctic region. Blue hues indicate areas that are cooling; gold hues depict areas that are warming. Lighter colors indicate less change while darker colors indicate more. The temperature scale steps from zero degrees Celsius in increments of .02 degrees. (See color bar below) The data ranges from -0.162 to +0.487 degrees Celsius.

This series of animations shows a two-dimensional unstructured mesh particle-magneto-hydrodynamic solar wind flow simulation of the interaction of the solar wind with the Earths magnetosphere.

This series of animations shows a two-dimensional unstructured mesh particle-magneto-hydrodynamic solar wind flow simulation of the interaction of the solar wind with the Earths magnetosphere.

An animation of the three-dimensional structure of global methane evolving over time, from a global data assimilation model

The earths magnetosphere protects the earth from high-energy charged particles coming from the sun. Some charged particles are deflected by the magnetosphere, while others become trapped and produce the aurora. This presentation shows a 3-dimensional model of the magnetosphere. The features that it highlights are flat ribbons representing the paths of charged particles deflected by the magnetosphere, triangular ribbons representing magnetic field lines, and colored surfaces representing constant values of magnetic force.

This educational brief explains the idea that nuclear fusion is thought to be the mechanism by which virtually all of the elements around us are created. Topics include the proton-proton cycle, the carbon-nitrogen-oxygen cycle, and endothermic reactions in supernova explosions. There is also a discussion of the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE), a spacecraft intended to study the origin and evolution of the elements produced by our Sun.