DATASTREME OCEAN PREVIEW WEEK:

• More tsunami news-- Numerous newsworthy items have appeared following the magnitude 9 earthquake and accompanying tsunami wave that traveled across the Indian Ocean on 26 December 2004, resulting in the deaths of more than 150,000 people and catastrophic damage in many countries in south Asia. Some recent items include:
• Tsunami detection network to be expanded-- Officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced last week that their tsunami network will be expanded to assist the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS). This network, to be expanded by 2007, will employ the Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunami (DART) system. [NOAA News]
• Measuring tsunami height from space -- NOAA scientists used data obtained from four orbiting radar satellites to determine the height of the tsunami as it traveled across the Indian Ocean. [NOAA News]
• Video simulation of the propagation of the tsunami -- Researchers at Cornell University produced a short video that shows how the tsunami wave spread outward from the epicenter of the earthquake off Indonesia across the Indian Ocean. [Cornell University News]
• Damage from hurricane generated surge could rival that from a tsunami-- Scientists at Louisiana State University caution that while the coast boarding the northern Gulf of Mexico is not likely to experience a significant tsunami, the storm surge produced by a hurricane is more likely and could produce damage like that produced in southern Asia following the late December major tsunami in the Indian Ocean. [USA Today]
• Tsunamis could be a risk in the Caribbean-- Scientists with the US Geological Survey and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution report that at least 13 major earthquakes (with magnitude of 7.0 or greater) have shaken the Caribbean basin during the last 500 years, with several producing tsunamis that have the potential for causing massive damage and numerous deaths. [Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution]
• Island nations endangered by rising sea levels--Leaders of 37 small island states met in early January to discuss an early warning system to protect their nations not only from the effects of tsunamis, but also the rise in sea level associated with the recent increase in global temperatures. [ENN]
• Fish detect prey with "warm eyes"-- Experiments conducted by scientists from Australia, Sweden and the US reveal that several types of fish, including swordfish, possess a mechanism that permits them to warm their eyes with a special heating organ when hunting in cold deep water environments so as to increase their ability to detect prey. [EurekAlert!]
• Untangled whale sighted-- The young and endangered right whale that was had been rescued from its entangling ropes and buoys by NOAA Fisheries personnel off the South Carolina coast at the beginning of last week has been spotted off the Georgia coast and appears well. [NOAA News]
• Expedition to undersea canyon to study ocean crust formation -- An expedition to be led by researchers at Duke University to the Pito Deep trough in the eastern Pacific Ocean near Easter Island will attempt to provide knowledge of the formation of ocean crustal material. [EurekAlert!]
• Sardines may prevent coastal toxic gas eruptions-- A scientist with the University of Miami and an African colleague have discovered that sardines could help alleviate the problem of toxic methane gas eruptions that originate on the ocean floor of the coasts of southwest Africa, killing sea life and adversely affecting human populations. [EurekAlert!]
• Shrimp farming contributes to water quality degradation--Oceanographers with the University of Rhode Island and the US Environmental Protection Agency have identified the input of organic wastes from unmanaged shrimp farming along Ecuadorian estuaries along with other impacts have contributed to a reduction in water quality in these estuaries. [EurekAlert!]
• New England town to build high-tech water desalination plant--Water utility officials in the Massachusetts town of Hull south of Boston are investigating the feasibility of building a wind-powered desalination plant, which would be the nation's first. [ENN]
• 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 Homepage

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 Homepage 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 Homepage.

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 Homepage to access and download the second part of weekly Investigations A & B (plus supporting images) that begin in your DataStreme Ocean Study Guide. 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 Homepage 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 Homepage.

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 Homepage.

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 for the last week or 30 days. The diameters of the circles 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 circles and are given in Current Earthquakes for the U.S. and World. Return to the DS Ocean Homepage.

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 for the year 2004 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. Now return to the DS Ocean Homepage.

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. Click on "July" for example. Changes in rainfall are linked to large-scale shifts in the atmosphere/ocean circulation in the tropics. Now return to the DS Ocean Homepage.

Take a few minutes when you have time to browse the other data and information sources available via the DS Ocean Homepage. 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

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

• 17 January 1773...HMS Resolution, commanded by English explorer Captain James Cook, became the first ship to cross the Antarctic Circle (66º 33' S). {Wikipedia]
• 17 January 1779... The English explorer Captain James Cook made his last notation in ship's log Discovery. He was killed less than one month later on Hawaii's Big Island.
• 18 January 1778...The English explorer Captain James Cook sailed past the island of Oahu, thereby becoming the first European to see the Hawaiian Islands, which he called the "Sandwich Islands". (The History Channel)
• 18-22 January 1978...The Atlantic's first-ever January subtropical storm with tropical characteristics since records began in 1871 organized and 1500 miles east-northeast of Puerto Rico. The storm finally dissipated on the 22nd approximately 200 miles north of Puerto Rico. (Accord's Weather Calendar)
• 19 January 1840...LT Charles Wilkes, USN was the first American to sight the eastern Antarctic coast, claiming this portion of the continent for the United States. The group that he led explored a 1500-mile stretch of the coast of eastern Antarctica, which later became known as Wilkes Land. (Naval Historical Center)
• 19 January 1946...Staged jointly by the USCG and USN, the first public demonstration of LORAN was held at Floyd Bennett Field in New York. . (USCG Historian's Office)
• 19 January 1996...The tug Scandia and its barge, the North Cape, ran aground on the shore of Rhode Island, spilling 828,000 gallons of oil, resulting in the worst spill in that state's history. The Coast Guard rescued the entire crew, pumped off 1.5 million gallons of oil and conducted skimming operations. (USCG Historian's Office)
• 20 January 1606...As many as 2000 people died around the Severn Estuary in England as the result of severe flooding. (The Weather Doctor)
• 20 January 1850...The Investigator, which was the first ship to effect a Northwest Passage, left England.
• 20 January 1914...The International Ice Patrol Convention was signed. (USCG Historian's Office)
• 20 January 1986...The United Kingdom and France announced plans to construct the Channel Tunnel, a railway tunnel underneath the English Channel, also known as the "Chunnel". (Wipikedia)
• 21 January 1881...The light was first shown at Tillamook Lighthouse, located 19 miles south of the Columbia River entrance on the Oregon coast. (USCG Historian's Office)
• 21 January 1941...The first commercial extraction of magnesium from seawater was made at Freeport, TX.
• 21 January 1954...The first nuclear powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, was launched on the Thames River in Groton, CT, representing a landmark in the history of naval engineering and submersible craft. First Lady Mamie Eisenhower christened the vessel, which sailed beneath the Arctic icepack to the North Pole in 1958. (Today in Science)
• 23 January 1909...The first radio rescue was made at sea when the wireless radio operator on board the Republic radioed a distress call following the collision of his ship with the New York-bound Florida in thick fog off the coast of Nantucket Island. His distress call was received by MSC, a land radio station at Siasconset, MA, which relayed the call to the passenger ship Baltic. Nearly 15,000 lives on the two ships were saved. (Public Broadcasting Service)
• 23 January 1960...The US Navy's bathyscaphe Trieste descended to a record depth of 35,820 feet (10,750 meters) in the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean, the Marianas Trench. (Naval Historical Center)

Return to DS Ocean Homepage

URL: DS Ocean/news.html
Prepared by DS Ocean Central Staff and Edward J. Hopkins, Ph.D.,
email hopkins@meteor.wisc.edu
© Copyright, 2005, The American Meteorological Society.