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Newsweek
10-06-2025
- Climate
- Newsweek
Deadly Tornado's Impact on Kentucky So Big It's Visible From Space
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The path of a recent tornado that tore across the state of Kentucky has been photographed from above, revealing the massive scar it left across the land. On May 16, a deadly tornado ravaged three counties in Kentucky, taking 20 lives, destroying hundreds of houses and leaving a trail of destruction in its wake just over 55 miles long and up to a mile wide. The image of the devastation was captured the Operational Land Imager-2 (OLI-2) instrument aboard NASA's Landsat 9 Earth-imaging satellite. The track of the twister was made particularly clear in the images as it passed through the Daniel Boone National Forest, where it ripped up trees in its path. The tornado's track, taking by the NASA Earth Observatory using Landsat data from the US Geological Survey. The tornado's track, taking by the NASA Earth Observatory using Landsat data from the US Geological Survey. Wanmei Liang/NASA Earth Observatory/ Landsat According to NASA and the National Weather Service (NWS), the tornado was one of the strongest ever recorded in the area, peaking at a four on the Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale. This is the second-highest ranking on the scale, with three-second gusts between 166 to 200 miles per hour. In fact, the tornado in question was estimated to have reached speeds as high as 170 miles per hour. The Kentucky tornado was part of a severe weather outbreak over several days which hit multiple states, including Alabama, Kansas, Missouri and Virginia. At least 20 people were killed in Kentucky alone, with the office of Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear reporting that 17 people died in Laurel County, one in McCracken County, one in Pulaski County and one in Russell County. Read more Violent tornadoes leave at least 27 dead in multiple states: What to know Violent tornadoes leave at least 27 dead in multiple states: What to know "I promise that we will be there for our people until every home and every life is rebuilt. And I want to thank all our heroic first responders for the work they've done over the past few days," Beshear said in a statement. "This is another incredibly tough time for Kentucky. And it's another reminder that life is short and it's our duty to be kind and do good. As always—we will get through this together." A 2024 study on the National Land Cover Database (which is based on Landsat observations) has found that tornado damage to forests in the southeastern U.S. is on the rise, despite a slight decrease in tornado activity across the states as a whole. Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about tornados? Let us know via science@ Reference Munro, H. L., Loehle, C., Bullock, B. P., Johnson, D. M., Vogt, J. T., & Gandhi, K. J. K. (2024). Tornado damage in forest ecosystems of the United States. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 350.
Newsweek
23-04-2025
- Science
- Newsweek
NASA Image Reveals Boston Feature That's 'One of Only Three in the World'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. NASA Earth Observatory has unveiled a new image of Boston Harbor's drumlin islands, highlighting these rare geological formations—one of only three worldwide—that were carved out by glaciers more than 20,000 years ago. Captured by the Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager on 19 July 2024, the photograph shows an aerial view of the harbor, and the 34 islands and peninsulas that form the National and State park, drawing attention to its historical and cultural importance. The space agency explains that during the Wisconsin Glaciation—which began between 100,000–75,000 years ago and ended about 11,000 years ago—a massive ice sheet, more than one mile thick in places, entirely covered the land that is now occupied by the small islands. As the icy coat melted away, it left behind piles of sediment and glacial debris in hundreds of elongated, streamlined hills known as drumlins, which were later partially submerged by rising sea levels and turned into tiny islands. Today, several of these drumlin islands make up part of the Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park, which works to preserve many distinctive geological, historical, and natural resources in the area. Aerial view of the Boston Harbour drumlins shared by NASA. Aerial view of the Boston Harbour drumlins shared by NASA. NASA Earth Observatory image by Wanmei Liang, using Landsat 8 - OLI According to NASA, these little glacial islands are the only partially submerged drumlin field in North America and one of only three in the world. A similar example can be spotted in Clew Bay, Ireland. According to local folklore, there are about 365 drumlin islands in the Irish site, one for every day of the year. Studying the formation of these islands has given scientists new insights into the role that glaciers have played in shaping many existing land-forms. Jasper Knight, a geoscientist at the University of Witwatersrand, in South Africa, told NASA back in 2016: "Previous ideas of slow, steady advance, or retreat, really don't hold. Glaciers are dynamic." Only four of the Boston Harbor drumlin islands, Deer Island, Nut Island, World's End and Webb Memorial, are accessible by car, while four others, including Spectacle Island, Georges Island, Peddocks Island and Thompson Island are served by seasonal ferries, and several more are accessible by private boat. The drumlin islands feature diverse ecosystems including salt marshes, sandy beaches, sea-grass beds, tidal pools, mudflats, grasslands and hardwood forests—alongside a wide range of wild animals and marine life, including mussels, barnacles and dozens of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians. They also boast several historical landmarks, including the Boston Lights, America's oldest operating lighthouse, located on Little Brewster Island, open since 1716, and Fort Warren, a civil-war-era fortress on Georges Island. The fort was used as a prison for confederate officers and government officials during the civil war, and it's known for housing confederate vice president Alexander Stephens. Another major historical landmark is Long Wharf, opened in the 1720s, which once served as a hub for Boston's maritime trade, and is now used by recreational boats. Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about glacial landforms? Let us know via science@
National Geographic
29-01-2025
- Science
- National Geographic
The world's largest iceberg is on a collision course with vital penguin sanctuary
Seen via satellite on November 28, 2023, A23a was stuck on the seafloor for decades. The massive iceberg ground to a halt in shallow waters. Photograph By Wanmei Liang, Using MODIS data from NASA Where did A23a come from? In 1986, A23a—icebergs are named sequentially based on the Antarctic quadrant in which they were first seen—calved from the Filchner Ice Shelf. Iceberg calving is the natural process of icebergs breaking off from the ice shelf, which happens all the time. A23a is notable for its size: 'several tens of kilometers in length and a few hundred meters in depth,' says Martin Siegert, a polar scientist at the University of Exeter. 'It's not uncommon, it's not unnatural, but it is unusual because it's just so big; very, very big.' At just over 1,400 square miles, A23a could currently fill all of New York City, Los Angeles, and Houston combined. Because of its epic proportions, the behemoth 'almost immediately got stuck' on the seabed around the continental shelf, which was too shallow for its keel to pass over, he says. Save $5 on a Nat Geo Digital Subscription Your interests, backed by facts and science—now only $19 SAVE NOW 'It kept sitting there until about 2020' says Andrew Meijers, science leader of the British Antarctic Survey's polar oceans program. As it lingered, the iceberg gradually melted and was buffeted by winds and ocean currents as chunks of ice tumbled into the water. Eventually, it freed itself into the deep ocean.
