This spring if you thought there was less snow than usual in parts of the Midwest and western United States, Terra satellite data agree with you. Early results from Terra's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) clearly observed a lot less snow cover than normal.

"The winter of 1999-2000 brought relatively little snow cover to parts of the North American continent, and the snow melted early as compared to normal years. Low snow cover can result in drier soil conditions, affect crop production, and lead to wildfires," said Dr. Dorothy K. Hall of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

Using data from MODIS and other satellites, scientists can determine the extent of spring snow cover which can be a harbinger of flood or drought conditions. Hall presented the results from MODIS at the International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS) yesterday in Hawaii.

Full Story: http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast27jul_2m.htm?list

Equation:
Sunspots = Solar Flares = Magnetic Shift = Shifting Ocean and Jet Stream Currents = Extreme Weather

Mitch Battros
Producer - Earth Changes TV
http://www.earthchangesTV.com