A World-Class Stamp Dedication Celebrates Earth Day 2014

In celebration of Earth Day 2014, the U.S. Postal Service today issued an Earth Day 2014 Forever Stamp depicting Earth temperatures generated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).  The stamp was dedicated at a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) “Community Day” event to celebrate Earth Day 2014.

The Global: Sea Surface Temperatures Forever Stamp goes on sale today for customers to mail a one-ounce First-Class letter overseas.  

The 1.27 inch diameter stamp depicts a visual representation of the planet’s sea surface temperatures. It shows the Earth with North America at the center and parts of South America, Asia and Europe just visible on the edges, surrounded by vivid bands of color throughout the oceans.

The image on the stamp is one frame in a 1,460-frame animation created from a computer model of Earth’s climate by NOAA’s Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory. The animation has been used by Science On a Sphere, a room-sized educational display that projects a variety of images and views onto a sphere six feet in diameter. The full animation shows how the surface temperatures of the oceans vary seasonally and change over time, and how surface ocean currents transport heat and water around the globe.

The image also combines the depiction of sea-surface temperatures with visible vegetation on land masses, an element derived from a satellite composite created by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Postal Service Art Director William Gicker designed the stamp.