Weekly Ocean News

DATASTREME OCEAN PREVIEW WEEK:

28 August-1 September 2006

Ocean in the News:

(Thur.) Ernesto heads north -- Tropical Storm Ernesto crossed Florida and headed north along the Atlantic coast on the way to the Carolinas. Although a moderate storm, the area is bracing for heavy rains and beach erosion. [USA Today]
(Thur.) Seafloor deposits are deemed unlikely sources of increased ancient atmospheric methane -- Researchers from Oregon State University, University of Victoria, University of Colorado, and Scripps Institution of Oceanography have used isotopic analysis of methane trapped in Greenland ice cores to conclude that increases in atmospheric methane roughly 12,000 years ago were probably associated with increased emissions from tropical wetlands or from plant production rather than increased release of the gas from seafloor methane deposits. [EurekAlert!]
(Thur.) Unexpected discovery of "frozen" natural gas deposit made below seafloor -- An international team of researchers involved with the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program recently made an unexpected discovery of gas hydrate deposits, or "frozen" natural gas, at depths of less than 120 meters below the seafloor while on a scientific ocean-drilling expedition off British Columbia’s western coast. [International Ocean Drilling Program]
(Thur.) Myth of Atlantis associated with major volcanic eruption -- An international team of scientists report that a volcanic eruption six times larger than the massive 1883 Krakatau eruption occurred approximately 3600 years ago on the Santorini archipelago in the Aegean Sea off southern Greece, possibly inspiring the myth of Atlantis and possibly destroying the Minoan civilization neighboring Crete. Massive tsunami waves could have been generated by this eruption. [National Geographic News]
(Thur.) Lake and ocean sediments could give newer view of atmospheric oxygen history -- Scientists from the US, Canada and Japan have analyzed the sulfur isotope ratios from ancient sediments extracted from lake beds and ocean floors, concluding that significant levels of atmospheric oxygen could have existed more three billion years ago, earlier than what was previously thought. [EurekAlert!]
(Tues.) New marine sanctuary research vessel is dedicated -- A new high-speed Research Vessel Auk that will conduct research in the waters of the Gerry E. Studds Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary at the mouth of Massachusetts Bay was recently dedicated. [NOAA News]
(Tues.) Another view of the oil spill along the Lebanese coast -- Images made by a sensor onboard the IKONOS commercial polar-orbiting satellite in early August and in late December 2001 to capture different sun angles can be used to see the oil spill into the eastern Mediterranean Sea off Beirut caused by the damage to a power plant during the recent military conflict between Israel and Lebanon. [NASA Earth Observatory]
(Tues.) Breaching a dam restores coastal wetlands --Portions of a century-old earthen dam were removed last week and ocean water flowed into wetlands in the Bolsa Chica area of southern California as part of the restoration efforts. [ENN]
(Tues.) Causes of northern ocean freshening studied -- Analysis of 50-year long records of freshwater inputs into the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans by scientists from Massachusetts, Texas, Washington and Alaska shows a linkage between the increased freshwater that "freshens" both oceans, as well as indicating a "polar amplification of the global warming signal". [EurekAlert!]
Eye on the tropics -- As of Sunday afternoon several named tropical cyclones (low pressure systems that form over tropical waters and attain tropical storm or hurricane intensity) were being tracked:
- In the North Atlantic basin, Tropical Depression Debby, the fourth named tropical system of the 2006 North Atlantic hurricane season had begun curving toward the north after earlier moving to the west-northwest. As of early Sunday evening (local time), this system was weakening and it was located 1300 miles to the west-southwest of the Azores. This system had formed last Monday, intensified to a tropical storm before weakening on Saturday.
  The fifth tropical low-pressure system, Tropical Storm Ernesto, was moving northwestward across the Caribbean south of Hispaniola. This system formed last Thursday and briefly became the season's first hurricane on Sunday before weakening. A visible image obtained from sensors on NOAA's GOES-12 satellite at the end of last week shows Tropical Depression 5 in the eastern Caribbean before intensifying into Tropical Storm Ernesto. [NOAA OSEI]
- In the eastern North Pacific basin, a tropical depression that had been former Hurricane Ileana, the ninth named tropical cyclone of the season in that basin, was moving northwestward off Mexico's Baja California. This system formed early last week and intensified to become a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Intensity Scale on Thursday before weakening. A visible image from the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) sensor on NASA's Aqua satellite shows Hurricane Ileana late last week with a characteristic spiral structure and center eye. [NASA Earth Observatory]
- In the western North Pacific basin, just to the west of the International Dateline, Supertyphoon Ioke, was moving westward as system of intensity equivalent to a category 5 hurricane. This system had formed early last weekend south of the Hawaiian Islands in the central Pacific basin (between 140 degrees west longitude and the Dateline), where it was named as the first hurricane of the season in that basin.
More funds are available for recovery of Gulf States fisheries -- The US Commerce Department Secretary announced that $128 million was awarded to five Gulf Coast States to assist in the restoration of oyster beds and shrimp grounds in the coastal waters of these states that were either damaged or destroyed by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita last year. The Secretary also declared that based upon recent post-hurricane testing, Gulf seafood is deemed same to eat. [NOAA News]
Nitrogen may be a major factor in Gulf's "dead zone" -- A scientist at Louisiana State University claims that the results of his model indicates that nitrogen compounds washed down the Mississippi River appear to be the major factor in development of a large "dead-zone" with low concentrations of dissolved oxygen in the Gulf of Mexico off the Louisiana coast that result in diminished marine life. [US Water News Online]
New buoys are deployed for tsunami warning -- The National Weather Service announced that the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Research Vessel Blue Fin has deployed four new DART (Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis) buoys and upgraded to existing DART stations in Alaskan waters. Currently the DART system, which now includes 19 stations, provides real-time detection and warning of tsunami waves traveling across open waters. [NOAA News]
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]
Earthweek -- Diary of the Planet [earthweek.com] Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Concept of the Week: Touring the DataStreme Ocean website

Welcome to DataStreme Ocean! You are embarking on a study of the world ocean and the role of the ocean in the Earth system. This unique teacher enhancement course focuses on the flow and transformations of energy and water into and out of the ocean, the internal properties and circulation of the ocean, interactions between the ocean and the other components of the Earth system, and the human/societal impacts on and responses to those interactions. Throughout this learning experience, you will be using the DataStreme Ocean website to access and interpret a variety of environmental information, including recent observational data. The objective of this initial Concept of the Week is to explore features of the DS Ocean website.

On Monday of each week of the course, we will post the current Weekly Ocean News that includes Ocean in the News (a summary listing of recent events related to the ocean), Concept of the Week(an in-depth analysis of some topic related to the ocean in the Earth system), and Historical Events (a list of past events such as tsunamis or specific advances in the understanding of oceanography). When appropriate, Supplemental Information will be provided on some topic related to the principal theme of the week.

You will use the DS Ocean website to access and download the second part of weekly Investigations A & B (plus supporting images) that begin in your DataStreme Ocean Investigations Manual. These materials should be available by noon (Eastern Time) on Tuesday and Thursday. Click the appropriate links to download and print these electronic components of the investigations as well as your Chapter Progress and Investigations Response forms.

The body of the DS Ocean website provides links to the Earth System, information on Physical & Chemical, Geological, and Biological aspects of the ocean, Atmosphere/Ocean Interaction, the Great Lakes, and extras--a glossary of terms, maps, educational links, and DataStreme Ocean information. Following each section is a link to other sites that examine the various subsystems of the Earth system. Let's take a quick tour to become more familiar with the DS Ocean website.

Under Physical & Chemical, click on Sea Surface Temperatures. This image uses a color scale to depict the global pattern of sea surface temperatures (SSTs) (in degrees Celsius) averaged over a recent 7-day period and based on measurements by infrared sensors onboard Earth-orbiting satellites. (Depending on your browser, you may have to place your mouse cursor on the slide bar to the right and scroll down to view the entire image.) Compare SSTs in the Northern Hemisphere with those in the Southern Hemisphere. Return to the DS Ocean website.

Under Geological, click on Current Earthquake Activity. (Note: This may load slowly.) The USGS Current World Seismicity page provides a global map of the locations of seismic (earthquake) events color-coded up to the last week. The size of the squares represent the magnitude of the most recent earthquakes. Note how earthquakes are concentrated along the margin of the Pacific Ocean. Details of recent earthquakes can be found by clicking on their map squares. Return to the DS Ocean website.

The ocean is home to a wide variety of habitats and organisms. Under Biological, click on Ocean "Color" (Productivity). This is a satellite-derived (SeaWiFS) color-coded map of biological productivity in the surface waters of the world ocean averaged from the year 1978 to date. Orange and red indicates the highest productivity and dark blue and violet indicate the lowest productivity. Note the vast areas of relatively low productivity over the central regions of the subtropical ocean basins. Individual months within this period may be chosen for viewing. Now return to the DS Ocean website.

Under Atmosphere/Ocean Interaction, click on TRMM Tropical Rainfall. The TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission) page includes color-coded maps of the Monthly Mean Rainrate (in mm per day) across the tropics for the last 30 days ending on the present date. Changes in rainfall are linked to large-scale shifts in the atmosphere/ocean circulation in the tropics. Now return to the DS Ocean website.

Take a few minutes when you have time to browse the other data and information sources available via the DS Ocean website. You should "bookmark" ("favorites") this page on your computer. Return frequently to learn more about the many resources on the ocean in the Earth system. Bon voyage!

Concept of the Week: Questions

The latest global sea surface temperature map indicates that SSTs are generally higher over the [(western)(eastern)] tropical Pacific Ocean.
The USGS map of Current Earthquake Activity indicates that earthquakes appear to be more common along the [(east)(west)] coast of North America.

Historical Events

28-30 August 1839...A hurricane moved from Cape Hatteras, NC to offshore New England. An unusual feature of the hurricane was the snow it helped produce, which whitened the Catskill Mountains of New York State. Considerable snow was also reported at Salem, NY. (The Weather Channel)
28 August 1965...CDR Scott Carpenter, USN, and nine aquanauts entered SeaLab II, 205 ft. below Southern California's waters to conduct underwater living and working tests. (Naval Historical Center)
28 August 1988...Tropical Storm Chris spawned a tornado near Manning, SC, which killed one person, and spawned three tornadoes in North Carolina. Chris produced one to two foot tides, and three to six inch rains, over coastal South Carolina. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
29 August 1583...The Delight was wrecked on Sable Island, Nova Scotia during a heavy gale, blinding rain and thick fog. This was Canada's first recorded marine disaster, taking 85 lives. (The Weather Doctor)
29 August 1979…Winds associated with Hurricane David reached 145 mph as the hurricane crossed the island of Dominica. The capital city, Roseau, was devastated, with 56 fatalities and 60,000 out of a population of 80,000 left homeless. About three-quarters of the coconut and banana crops were destroyed. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
29 August 1988...The remnants of Tropical Storm Chris drenched eastern Pennsylvania with up to five and a half inches of rain, and produced high winds that gusted to 90 mph, severely damaging a hundred boats in Anne Arundel County, MD. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
29 August 2005…Hurricane Katrina, the costliest and one of the five deadliest hurricanes in US history, made landfall along the Louisiana Gulf Coast southeast of New Orleans as a category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson Scale after reaching category 5 status. Massive destruction was reported in coastal Mississippi and in New Orleans. As many as 1833 people reportedly died from Katrina in the US. (National Hurricane Center)
30 August 1913...The US Navy tested the Sperry gyroscopic stabilizer (automatic pilot). (Naval Historical Center)
30 August 1942…A hurricane weakened in moving 160 miles across south Texas from landfall at Matagorda to San Antonio, winds still gusting from 50 to 70 mph at San Antonio for more than five hours. Seventy of 75 planes were damaged at the city airport. Many trees were destroyed, but the famed Alamo's walls withstood the storm. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
31 August 1842...The U.S. Naval Observatory was authorized by an act of Congress. (Today in Science History)
1 September 1789...An act of Congress provided for the registering and clearing of vessels and the regulation of the coastwise trade, thus laying the foundation of American navigation laws which, until 1912, embodied the marine policy of the United States. (US Coast Guard Historian's Office)
1 September 1858...The first transatlantic cable failed after less than one month of service. (Today in Science History)
1-2 September 1935...Perhaps the most intense hurricane ever to hit the U.S. struck the Florida Keys with sustained winds of over 155 mph with gusts exceeding 200 mph. On the 1^st, the "Labor Day Hurricane" formed rapidly over the Bahama Islands and intensified into a Category 5 hurricane (on the Saffir Simpson Scale) with sustained winds of over 155 mph and gusts exceeding 200 mph. On the next day, this hurricane generated a 15-foot tide and waves 30-ft high, as it became the first known Category 5 hurricane to hit the U.S. Mainland. More than 400 persons perished in the storm on that Labor Day, including many World War I veterans building a bridge from the Keys to the mainland. The barometric pressure at Matecumbe Bay, FL hit a record low for the U.S. at 26.35 inches of mercury (or 892 millibars). (David Ludlum) (The Weather Doctor)
1 September 1974...Navy Lieutenant Judy Neuffer became the first woman to pilot a plane through the eye of a hurricane. (Northern Indiana NWSFO)
1 September 1985...A joint French-American expedition headed by the American explorer, Robert D. Ballard, located the wreck of the sunken liner RMS Titanic on the floor of the North Atlantic using an experimental and unmanned submersible craft Argo. The wreckage of the Titanic, which sank in April 1912 on its maiden voyage after colliding with an iceberg, was found at a depth of about 13,000 feet and approximately 400 miles west of Newfoundland. (The History Channel)
2 September 1752...The British Empire adopted the Gregorian Calendar, nearly two centuries later than most of western Europe (primarily 1582). To correct the imprecise leap year correction in the Julian Calendar, 11 days were dropped making the following day 14 September. (Wikipedia) (Today in Science History)
3 September 1821...A hurricane made landfall at Long Island, near the current J.F. Kennedy Airport and then moved through western Connecticut. The hurricane produced a record high tide at New York City. (David Ludlum)