TIMES NORTH AMERICA FEATURE NASA EARTH OBSERVATORY IMAGES GLOBAL MAPS FEATURES NOTES PHYSICAL CAUSE DROUGHT THE SPRING SUMMER SKIES DRIED REGION COVERING PERCENT TOTAL NORTHERN NORTH WORST DRY SPELL PRODUCTIVE AGRICULTURAL LANDS CAUSING BILLION CROP DAMAGES RESEARCHERS WATCHING SATELLITE THE EVENT GAVE OPPORTUNITY STUDY DETAIL THE DROUGHT GENERALLY CONTRIBUTORS TO LAND AND SEA SURFACE ATMOSPHERIC CIRCULATION SOIL MOISTURE CONTENT GUILLEMOT PARAMETERS CHANGING ONE OF THEM CHAIN OF EVENTS CAUSES THE OTHER VICIOUS CYCLE FEEDING PRODUCE EXTREME CLIMATE CONDITIONS FLOOD GLOBAL CLIMATE MODELS FIND THAT AVERAGE TEMPERATURES RISE INCREASE WATER EVAPORATION LEADING EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS IN SUMMER LAND SURFACE AVAILABILITY MOISTURE SOILS THE HEAT INCOMING SUNLIGHT USED TO KEPT COOLER THE SOIL LITTLE AVAILABLE CONTINUE THE SURFACE CONDITIONS HOTTER THUS BEGINNING THE CHAIN TOWARD PATTERNS BREAK VICIOUS DRYING SCIENTISTS OBSERVE CONNECTED TEMPERATURE HEAT OCEAN CREATES GRADIENTS THE ATMOSPHERE EVAPORATES COLD SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURES CLOUD FORMATION RAINFALL DOWNWIND THE GENERAL FLOW REMOTE SENSING CONFIRMED DIRECT RELATIONSHIP SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURE VARIATIONS THE ATLANTIC PACIFIC OCEANS RAIN SPELLS SATELLITES DETERMINE HIGH PLANT GROWTH ON LAND REFER TO SEEMINGLY UNRELATED SURFACE TEMPERATURE LAND PLANT CLIMATE SYSTEM ROLE THE GROUND THE DAY RISES ENCOUNTERS COLDER HIGH ABOVE AFTERNOON REMAINS THE COOL THE CYCLE REPEATS THE NEXT DAY ANIMATION SOIL THE OPPOSITE ENOUGH COURTESY SUSAN NASA TELECONNECTION WARM AIR LESS DENSE UPWARD TRANSPORT ANOMALIES AFFECT INTENSITY LOCATION AREAS EL NIO LA NIA INFLUENCE CONVECTION SCALE THE LOCATION THE INTERTROPICAL CONVERGENCE ZONE SHIFT SOUTHWARD NORTHWARD ITCZ THE PACIFIC THE COURSE PACIFIC AIR MASSES FLOWING EASTWARD TOWARD NORTH POSITION WEATHER PATTERNS ALL OVER THE REGION CIRCLES THE EQUATOR THE TRADE WINDS SOUTHERN HEMISPHERES COME TOGETHER INTENSE EXPOSURE AS IT ALMOST PRECIPITATION CHANGE CERTAIN REGIONS SEEM PARTICULARLY SUSCEPTIBLE AIR CURRENT THE GREAT PLAINS WORTH RECENT PERIOD LASTED DAYS THE SUMMER MONTHS NORTH AMERICAN RAINS FELL THE GULF NEW MEXICO THE EARTH OBSERVATORY PRESENTS SIDEBAR PACIFIC THEREFORE THE NORTH AMERICAN NORMAL MORE RAIN WESTERN CENTRAL ABOVE EXTRA CONVERSELY LEAD WESTERN NORTH AMERICA LACK MARIT PRINT ENTIRE ARTICLE TODAY CONTACT IMAGE POLICY PRIVACY POLICY NOTICES NATIONAL CLIMATE EARTH PROJECT SCIENCE OFFICE NASA GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT WEBMASTER PAUL CHARLES
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