NASA's atmospheric infrared detector tracks record-breaking heat waves in the northwest Pacific
According to foreign media reports, the AIRS instrument on NASA's Aqua satellite collected the temperature readings of the atmosphere and surface during the unprecedented heat wave in the Pacific Northwest and western Canada that started around June 26th. An unprecedented heat wave that started around June 26th broke many historical temperature records in the Pacific Northwest and western Canada. NASA's Atmospheric Infrared Detector (AIRS) on Aqua satellite captured the progress of this slow-moving "hot dome" in this area from June 21 to 3.
The animation of some AIRS data shows that the surface air temperature is abnormal-higher or lower than the long-term average. The surface air temperature is what people feel directly when they are outdoors.
in many cases, the maximum temperature exceeds the previous temperature record by several degrees or more. On June 28th, Quillayute, Washington set a record for the highest temperature of 11 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius), breaking the record of 99 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius). Many weather stations have broken records for several days, showing the unprecedented extreme high temperature, which is also attributed to some deaths. In British Columbia, Lytton Village set a new Canadian record on June 29th with a reading of 119 degrees Fahrenheit (48 degrees Celsius), but broke the record the next day with a reading of 121 degrees Fahrenheit (49 degrees Celsius).
The AIRS instrument recorded a similar temperature anomaly at a height of about 1, feet (3,48 meters), indicating that extreme high temperature also affected mountainous areas. The temperature anomaly at about 18, feet (5,486 meters) shows that the "thermal dome" extends to the high place in the troposphere of the earth, creating conditions for the high temperature on the earth's surface, which is usually found further south.
AIRS senses infrared and microwave radiation from the Earth together with Advanced Microwave Detection Unit (AMSU) to provide three-dimensional observation of the weather and climate of the Earth. These two instruments work together to observe the earth's surface at the same time. The system has more than 2, channels to sense different regions of the atmosphere, creating a global three-dimensional map of atmospheric temperature and humidity, cloud cover and height, greenhouse gas concentration and many other atmospheric phenomena. AIRS and AMSU instruments were launched into Earth orbit with NASA's Aqua satellite in 22 and managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.