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 in the unprecedented heat wave in the Pacific Northwest and western Canada that began around June 26th. An unprecedented heat wave that began around June 26th broke many historical temperature records in the Pacific Northwest and western Canada. The Atmospheric Infrared Detector (AIRS) carried by NASA on Aqua satellite captured the progress of this slowly moving "hot dome" in this area from June 2/KLOC-0 to June 30.

Some animations of AIRS data show that the surface temperature is abnormal-higher or lower than the long-term average. The surface temperature is directly felt when people are outdoors.

In many cases, the maximum temperature exceeds the previous temperature record by several degrees or more. On June 28th, Quelayut, Washington set a record for the highest temperature of 1 10 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius), breaking the record of 99 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius). Many weather stations broke records for several days, showing unprecedented extreme temperatures, which were also attributed to some deaths. In British Columbia, Lytton Village set a new Canadian record with a reading of 1 19 degrees Fahrenheit (48 degrees Celsius) on June 29th, but broke the record with a reading of 12 1 Fahrenheit (49 degrees Celsius) the next day.

AIRS instrument recorded a similar temperature anomaly at a height of about 10000 feet (3048 meters), indicating that extreme high temperature also affected mountainous areas. The temperature anomaly of about18,000 feet (5,486 meters) shows that the "thermal dome" extends to the upper troposphere of the earth, creating conditions for the high temperature on the earth's surface, which usually appears farther south.

AIRS, together with Advanced Microwave Detection Device (AMSU), senses infrared and microwave radiation from the Earth to provide three-dimensional observation of the weather and climate of the Earth. These two instruments work together and observe the surface of the earth at the same time. The system has more than 2,000 channels to sense different regions of the atmosphere and create 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 by NASA's Aqua satellite in 2002 and managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.