WEEKLY WATER NEWS

WEEKLY WATER NEWS

DATASTREME WES WEEK SIX: 9-13 October 2006

Water in the News

(Thurs.) Oil and waves seen from space -- Photographs taken by astronauts on the International Space Station not only show interesting sun glint patterns in intersecting ocean waves surrounding the Bajo Nuevo Reef in the western Caribbean Sea, but also oily surfactants that have affected the surface tension of the water. [NASA Earth Observatory]
(Thurs.) Iowa considering ban on manure application to soybeans -- The Iowa Environmental Protection Commission is considering imposing a ban on spreading manure on land planted in soybeans because of the increased risk of nitrate pollution of the Hawkeye State's waterways. [US Water News Online]
(Thurs.) Spa owners fear new wells could drain hot spring aquifer -- Spa owners in Truth or Consequences, NM have asked the city commission to impose a moratorium on new wells, as they fear that these new wells could drain the aquifer that supplies the hot spring water. [US Water News Online]
(Tues.) New radar on an airplane should provide 3-D hurricane wind data -- NOAA has contracted with a Texas company to build and test a tail Doppler radar system for its Gulfstream-IV hurricane surveillance aircraft that would provide three-dimensional wind data from the core of hurricanes which the aircraft would penetrate on missions. [NOAA News]
(Tues.) El Niño event could continue through spring -- Researchers at the Climate Prediction Center said that the El Niño pattern that has developed could continue through both Northern Hemisphere winter and the spring of 2007. These researchers felt that this anomalous atmospheric and ocean circulation patterns most often associated with a warming in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean would be weak to moderate, but less intense than the major El Niño event of 1997-98. [USA Today] NASA scientists have been collecting data from their Aqua and Jason satellites that tend to confirm their NOAA colleagues' assessment of the onset of weak El Niño event. [NASA Life on Earth] [NASA Earth Observatory]
(Tues.) A new interocean canal proposed by Nicaragua -- The President of Nicaragua wants to build a canal similar to the current Panama Canal that would link the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans across his country for an estimated cost of $18 billion. [ENN]
(Tues.) Marine life is threatened by sewage and coastal destruction -- The United Nations Environment Programme recently released a report entitled "State of the Marine Environment" in which sewage is blamed as a growing threat to the world ocean, putting marine life and their habitat at increased risk. In addition, concern was also voiced over increased damage to coastal ecosystems by increased human activity. [ENN]
Eye on the tropics --
- As of Sunday afternoon, no tropical cyclones were found in the North Atlantic, eastern North Pacific or the western North Pacific basins.
- Last week, Tropical Storm Bebinca weakened as it moved northward across the western Pacific, to the east of the Philippines, an island nation that has experienced several recent tropical weather systems, including Typhoon Xangsane the previous week, accompanied by flooding rain. Rains associated with Bebinca and another system resulted in flash floods that caused six deaths near Manila. [USA Today] A visible image from the Japanese MTSAT satellite shows Tropical Depression Bebinca to the south of Japan at the end of last week. [NOAA OSEI]
- The death toll from Typhoon Xangsane continued to climb across the Philippines and Viet Nam, with at least 169 people in both countries being reportedly killed by this typhoon as of the start of last week. [USA Today]
Another downward revision in a hurricane forecast -- Last week, hurricane expert Prof. Bill Gray of Colorado State University and his associate Phillip Klotzbach, reduced their previous forecast of the number of hurricanes that they expected to develop in the North Atlantic basin for the remainder of this hurricane season to six hurricanes and the number of named tropical storms to eleven. They cited the onset of an El Niño event as being responsible for their updated forecast, which would be slightly more than the long-term averages for the basin. [USA Today]
Celebrate Earth Science Week -- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, including the National Weather Service, along with NASA, the US Geological Survey and several professional scientific organizations such as the American Geological Institute have recognized this coming week (8-14 October 2006) as Earth Science Week to help the public gain a better understanding and appreciation for the earth sciences and to encourage stewardship of the Earth. This year's theme is "Be a Citizen Scientist!" and will focus on increasing scientific literacy and encouraging the public to become more observant of their environment as "citizen scientists," regardless of their career or level of academic achievement. Learn about what geoscientists do, how their work is important to society and what is needed to become a geoscientist. [American Geological Institute]
Satellite data helps in assessment of coral reef health -- Data collected from NASA satellites are being used to help scientists make a comprehensive assessment of the health of coral reefs in NOAA's Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. [NASA GSFC]
Alaskan storm helps break giant Antarctic iceberg -- Scientists from the University of Chicago, Northwestern University and the University of Wisconsin report that a potent early season winter storm moving across the Gulf of Alaska produced ocean swells that propagated more than 8300 miles southward to break B15A, a giant iceberg floating off the Antarctic coast. [EurekAlert!]
Weekend rain causes flooding in Virginia -- Up to nine inches of rain fell across parts of Virginia at the beginning of the weekend due to a slow moving storm system, causing flooding of area rivers, such as the James River in Richmond. [USA Today]
Water leaks in New Orleans cut in half -- Water managers in New Orleans, LA metropolitan area recently reported that the potable water leaking out of water pipes and valves broken by last year's Hurricane Katrina has been cut in half, as 40 to 50 million gallons per day continue to leak out currently. [US Water News Online]
Global and US Hazards/Climate Extremes -- A review and analysis of the global impacts of various weather-related events, including drought, floods, and storms during the current month. [NCDC]
Global Water News Watch -- Other water news sources can be obtained through the SAHRA Project at the University of Arizona [SAHRA Project]
Earthweek -- Diary of the Planet [earthweek.com] Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Concept of the Week: Bottled Water

During the 1990s, bottled water soared in popularity among Americans. Today, they spend more than $7 billion a year on bottled water. Although 120 to 7500 times more costly per gallon than tap water, the demand for bottled water (especially in individualized containers) continues to climb for several reasons including convenience, health concerns, and dissatisfaction with the quality and taste of municipal tap water. Furthermore, clever ad campaigns have been very successful at persuading consumers of the advantages of drinking bottled water.

Although enamored by bottled water, the U.S. consumer must navigate through a variety of different brands (more than 900), and a potentially confusing terminology on labels mostly having to do with the source of the water. According to the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA), bottled water is defined as drinking water that is sugar-free, calorie-free, and contains no sweeteners or chemical additives other than small amounts of flavors or extracts. Bottled water may also have trace amounts of sodium. Beverages containing 1% or more by weight of flavors or extracts are classified as soft drinks. Soda water, seltzer water, and tonic water are considered soft drinks not bottled water because they may contain sugar and are not calorie-free.

About 75% of all bottled water comes from the subsurface. Bottled water from a well that taps a confined aquifer under hydrologic pressure is artesian water or artesian well water. Mineral water is groundwater that contains at least 250 parts per million (ppm) of dissolved solids from natural sources (i.e., dissolved bedrock, and sediment). Sparkling water contains dissolved carbon dioxide undiminished in concentration from its natural source. Spring water is groundwater that flows naturally to the surface of the Earth where an aquifer intercepts the ground. Well water is bottled water withdrawn from a hole drilled or bored into an aquifer. Collectively, all bottled water from subsurface sources is called natural water.

The quality of bottled water from the subsurface benefits from natural filtration as groundwater slowly seeps through permeable Earth materials. Nonetheless, in many cases bottlers employ additional purification steps such as applying ozone and/or ultraviolet light as disinfecting agents. Bottled water producers who use municipal sources (about 25% of the supply) typically (but not in all cases) reprocess the water for improved quality and taste through distillation, reverse osmosis, deionization, filtration, and/or ozonation. Labels on their products may include the terms purified water or distilled water. These same labels may include the statement "from a community water system," or "from a municipal source" meaning tap water.

While efforts at quality control of bottled water are designed to protect public health, a study by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) published in March 1999 raised some questions about whether enough is being done. The NRDC tested the quality of 1000 bottles of 103 brands of bottled water and found that not all the tested water was of high quality and some samples contained contaminants (http://www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/nbw.asp). Although the industry has strict standards and both federal and state governments regulate bottled water quality, the NRDC argues that existing regulations are not adequate. The NRDC recommends that the Food and Drug Administration set strict limits for contaminants in bottled water and that bottled water standards be at least as strict as those applicable to municipal (tap) water supplies.

Concept of the Week: Questions

By convention, bottled water is drinking water that is both sugar-free and calorie-free. [(True)(False)]
The source of most water in bottled water is [(subsurface)(surface)] reservoirs.

Historical Events

9 October 1903...New York City was deluged with 11.17 in. of rain in 24 hours at Central Park to establish a state record, while 9.40 in. fell at Battery Park. Severe flooding occurred in the Passaic Valley of New Jersey where more than fifteen inches of rain was reported. (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel) (Intellicast)
9 October 1936...The first generator at Boulder Dam, later renamed Hoover Dam, began generating electricity for Los Angeles. From 1939 to 1949, the Hoover power plant with 17 main turbines was the world's largest. (Today in Science History)
9 October 1967...A cyclone of relatively small dimension with a surface width of only 31 miles hit India's coast at Orissa and moved to the northeast along the coast for 75 miles. As many as 1000 people and 50,000 head of cattle died. A surge in the storm's wake penetrated 16 miles inland. (Accord Weather Calendar)
10 October 1973...Fifteen to 20 inch rains deluged north central Oklahoma in thirteen hours producing record flooding. Enid was drenched with 15.68 inches of rain from the nearly stationary thunderstorms, which established a state 24-hour rainfall record. Dover, OK reported 125 of 150 homes damaged by flooding. (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel)
10-16 October 1780...The most deadly Western Hemisphere hurricane on record raged across the Caribbean Sea. "Great Hurricane of 1780" killed 22,000 people on the islands of Martinique, St. Eustatius, and Barbados. Thousands more died at sea. (The Weather Doctor)
11 October 1737...Deadly cyclone and storm surge of 42 ft raced up the Hooghly River in India and through the city of Calcutta destroying an estimated 40,000 boats and drowning as many as 300,000 people. (The Weather Doctor)
11 October 1846...A very intense hurricane caused great destruction on the Florida Keys. Key West was virtually destroyed with 5 feet of water reported in the city. Fort Taylor was reduced to ruins. (Intellicast)
11 October 1954...A deluge of 6.72 inches of rain in 48 hours flooded the Chicago River, causing $10 million in damage in the Chicago area. Unofficial reports indicated as much as 12 inches of rain fell. (9th-11th) (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel)
11-12 October 1995...Heavy rain contributed to flooding along parts of I-75 near Ocala, FL. Five sinkholes up to 10 feet deep and 15 feet wide turned I-75 into a parking lot, as traffic was backed up for more than 5 miles. (Accord Weather Calendar)
12 October 1886...A hurricane made landfall between Sabine Pass, TX and Johnson's Bayou, LA. Tidal waves were said to be as high as 2-story buildings. The surge extended 20 miles inland, with 150 people killed. Survivors clung to trees or floated on mattresses. Only two of 100 homes in Sabine Pass were reparable. (Accord Weather Calendar)
12 October 1954...Hurricane Hazel pounded Haiti and the island of Hispaniola with winds of 125 mph. Many villages were reported totally destroyed and more than 1000 Haitians die. (The Weather Doctor)
12 October 1962...Remnants of Typhoon Freda struck the Pacific Coast of British Columbia's Vancouver Island. Wind speeds at Victoria reached 44 mph with gusts to 87 mph. Seven people died as a result of this storm that also caused $10 million in damage. (The Weather Doctor)
12 October 1979...The lowest observed sea-level barometric pressure (870 mb or 25.69 inches of mercury) was recorded near Guam in the western Pacific Ocean at the center of Typhoon Tip. (The Weather Doctor)
14 October 1755...Red dust that was likely transported from the Sahara Desert spread across Europe. Red rain fell at Locarno, Switzerland, while red snow fell on the higher elevations of the Alps. (Accord Weather Calendar)
14 October 1957...Floodwaters roared through a migrant labor camp near the town of Picacho, AZ flooding fifty cabins and a dozen nearby homes. Some 250 migrant workers lost their shelter. The month was one of the wettest Octobers in Arizona weather history. (The Weather Channel)
15 October 1947...A hurricane made a hairpin turn off the Georgia coast after being seeded with dry ice. The storm moved over Savannah and into Georgia. (Intellicast)
15 October 1954...Hurricane Hazel struck the Carolina coastline near Cape Fear, NC. The hurricane (a category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson Scale) demolished every pier along a 170-mile stretch from Myrtle Beach, SC to Cedar Island, NC, and obliterated rows of beach homes. At Long Beach, 300 homes vanished; no debris remained. Hurricane Hazel also destroyed 1500 homes as it moved inland with 17-foot tides. Winds between Myrtle Beach, SC and Cape Fear, NC gusted to 150 mph. Later, the remnants of Hazel moved northward into Ontario and became the most remembered storm in Canadian history. Winds gusted to 75 mph and as much as 7.2 inches of rain fell. Eighty people died, mostly from flooding in the Toronto area (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel) (The Weather Doctor)
15 October 1965...Fort Lauderdale, FL was deluged with 25.28 inches of rain in a 48-hour period causing considerable road and street damage and inundating numerous homes and recently planted vegetable fields and homes. (Intellicast)
15 October 1999...A waterspout (a tornado over water) moved onshore at Fort Lauderdale Beach, FL and blew out a plate glass window in a bar, injuring 8 patrons. The waterspout also overturned a vehicle and caused other significant damage on Los Olas Blvd. (Accord Weather Calendar)