WEEKLY CLIMATE NEWS

DataStreme ECS WEEK FIVE: 1-5 October 2012

ITEMS OF INTEREST

Start of a new water year -- On Monday, 1 October 2012, the new water year of 2013 began. As defined by the US Geological Survey and used by hydrologists in reports dealing with surface water supply, the "water year" is defined as the 12 months commencing on 1 October of any given year and ends on 30 September of the following year. The water year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends, such that the 2013 water year runs through 30 September 2013.
End of the growing season -- If you live in the northern portion of the country, the growing season may have already ended as cold air masses have moved southeastward from Canada. Check the map showing the median date of occurrence of the first 32-degree Fahrenheit temperature across the 48 coterminous United States. (The median date means that half of the occurrences of a 32-degree reading over the 30-year normal occur prior to this date, while the other half occur after this date.) Following first frost, some delightful days should occur during October and early November in what is often called "Indian Summer."
Monitoring the drought -- During this past summer, the nation has experienced one of the worst droughts in more than 80 years. See how the drought is monitored and assessed by reading this week's Supplemental Information…In Greater Depth.
Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta climatology is available -- The world famous Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta takes place near the beginning of each October; this year the event is scheduled for 6-14 October 2012. This nine-day festival, which involves as many as 750 hot-air balloons, is held over the Rio Grande Valley in the Albuquerque (NM) metropolitan area at this time of year because of the cool nights, sunny days and the lack of thunderstorm activity. Because of the cool autumn nights, the "Albuquerque Box" weather phenomenon occurs, which features light winds from the north near the surface draining down the Rio Grande Valley, while winds from the south aloft permit the balloons to move up and down in this box like feature so as to hover over a small geographic area. The Albuquerque National Weather Service Forecast Office has posted the Balloon Fiesta Climatology that includes the daily temperature and precipitation data for nearly each year of the event along with a further description of the "Albuquerque Box."

CURRENT CLIMATE STATUS

High-quality maps of October temperature and precipitation normals across US available -- The PRISM Climate Group at Oregon State University has prepared high-resolution maps depicting October's normal maximum temperature, minimum temperature and precipitation totals across the 48 coterminous United States for the current 1981-2010 climate normals interval. These maps, with a 800-meter resolution, were produced using the PRISM (Parameter-elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model) climate mapping system.

CLIMATE AND THE BIOSPHERE

Vulnerability of forests to climatic change examined -- Researchers from the University of Colorado-Boulder, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and several campuses in the University of California system have been studying the links between changes in the greenness of forests across the Western United States and year-to-year fluctuations of snowpack from satellite and ground data. They warn that forests located between elevations of 6500 and 8000 feet appear to be most sensitive to rising temperatures and changes in precipitation and snowmelt associated with climate change. [NASA JPL]
Salt marshes could play role in slowing warning of climate -- Researchers at the University of Virginia and at Scotland's University of Edinburgh claim that as temperatures increase and seas rise, salt marshes could more rapidly capture and remove atmospheric carbon dioxide, which would ultimately enable these salt marshes to play a role in the rate at which the climate is changing toward warmer conditions. These important coastal ecosystems, consisting primarily of grasses, protect shorelines from storms and provide a habitat for both marine and terrestrial wildlife. [University of Virginia Today]
Ocean acidification appears to accelerate in nutrient-rich waters -- In a study conducted by researchers from NOAA and the University of Georgia, nutrient-rich areas of the ocean caused by decaying algal blooms appear to have increased levels of ocean acidification that place additional stress on marine resources and the coastal economies that depend on them. [NOAA News]

PALEOCLIMATE RECONSTRUCTION

Deserts in the Great Basin may not have been dry in the past -- Researchers at Texas A&M University Columbia University, University of California-Santa Cruz, Stanford University, Brown University, the US Geological Survey and Japan's Hokkaido University of Japan, have analyzed data from ocean sediments and from dry western valleys to reconstruct the past climates in the Great Basin of present-day Utah and Nevada running from 20,000 to 14,000 years ago. They report that a stronger summer monsoon season across the region may have fed and maintained the massive glacial lakes that were present during the last Ice Age. With large glacial ice covering much of Canada and sections of the northern US, the atmospheric circulation patterns and attendant hydrologic cycle were much different than present, leading to a wetter period across the Great Basin, which eventually permitted the establishment of settlements by humans. [Texas A&M Times]
Ancient extreme climate change linked to early animal evolution -- Geochemists from the University of California, Riverside and their colleagues from other research institutions in the US and China claim that they have uncovered new evidence from a fossil record linking extreme climate change, oxygen rise, and early animal evolution at approximately 635 million years ago. Using data collected from rocks in South China, they report that a marked increase in algae and animal fossils occurred at this time could be associated with a sudden spike in oxygen levels following severe glaciations, This new evidence of a life-sustaining oxygenation event pre-dates previous estimates by more than 50 million years. [University of California, Riverside Today]

CLIMATE AND SOCIETY

Farmers use satellite-derived maps that assist in decisions on crop locations -- Free data obtained by sensors onboard the NASA and US Geological Survey's Landsat satellites have been used to construct maps that show farmers the state of their fields, identifying those locations where crops would do well. [NASA Landsat]
Website for human dimensions of climate change -- An interagency effort within the US federal government that included NOAA, the Bureau of Land Management and the US Forest Service, has resulted in a website called HD.gov (for HumanDimensions.gov) that provides users, such as natural resource managers, with information on the human dimensions on a variety of topics of interest such as climate change. [HD.gov]

COMPARATIVE PLANETOLOGY

Martian rover finds evidence of an old streambed on surface of Mars -- Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the University of California, Berkeley claim that images of rocks obtained from the Curiosity rover mission on the Martian surface appear to provide evidence of a stream that once ran vigorously across the area on Mars where the rover is operating. These rocks, found between the north rim of Gale Crater and the base of Mount Sharp, appear cemented into a layer of conglomerate rock that may represent ancient streambed gravels. [NASA JPL]
Earthweek -- Diary of the Planet [earthweek.com] Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Concept of the Week: Keeping your cool!

In order to survive, humans need to maintain a nearly constant internal core temperature that is within several degrees of 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Your internal temperature depends upon an energy balance involving the gain and loss of energy from radiation (incoming solar versus incoming and outgoing infrared radiation), sensible heat transfer (conduction and convection), latent heat of evaporation (respiration and perspiration) and the body's metabolic rate. This heat transfer depends upon the differences between skin temperature and the ambient air temperature of the surroundings. In addition, wind and atmospheric humidity can affect the rate of sensible and latent heat transfer. Problems arise when either too much or too little heat flows to or from the body, yielding hypothermia and hyperthermia (heat stress) conditions, respectively.

When the air temperature increases, heat flow from the body is often reduced. Heat flow can be increased to maintain stable temperatures involuntarily by thermoregulatory processes such as increased perspiration (sweating) and dilation of the blood vessels. Humans can also act to prevent hyperthermia by selecting lightweight and light colored clothes, as well as seeking of shade and well ventilated locations. Unfortunately, high atmospheric humidity that often accompanies high summer temperatures also reduces body heat loss since evaporative cooling by perspiration is suppressed. During the summer, the National Weather Service alerts the public of potentially dangerous combinations of high air temperature and atmospheric humidity levels by calculating the Heat Index.

Statistics kept by the National Weather Service reveals that heat (along with high humidity) is responsible for the greatest number of weather-related deaths across the nation during the 10-year period (2001-2010), with 115 fatalities occurring per year. By comparison, 116 fatalities per annum are caused by tropical cyclones (hurricanes and tropical storms), 56 deaths per year are associated from tornadoes and 25 deaths annually caused by the cold (low temperatures). (Note: The large number of fatalities associated with the hurricanes of 2005, which totaled 1016 deaths in the US due primarily to Hurricane Katrina, has inflated the annual averages associated with tropical cyclones.) Furthermore, concern has been raised that during this century, more frequent and more severe heat waves due to global climate change could become more common, leading to a greater risk of hyperthermia and, ultimately, to higher morbidity rates.

Concept of the Week: Questions

(Each week you will be asked to respond to two questions relating to that week's Concept of the Week topic. Place your responses on the Chapter Progress Response Form provided in the Study Guide.)

The heat index is a function of air temperature and [(atmospheric humidity),(wind speed),(sunshine levels)].
The annual number of fatalities across the nation in the last ten years due to heat stress is approximately [(15),(60),(120)].

Historical Events:

1 October 2006...Wichita, KS recorded its hottest October day ever on the 1st with a 97-degree high temperature. (The Weather Doctor)
2 October 1858...The only tropical cyclone known to produce hurricane-force (estimated) winds on the California coast hit near San Diego, CA. Damage to property is considerable. (The Weather Doctor)
2 October 1980...The temperature at Blue Canyon, CA soared to 88 degrees, an October record for that location. (The Weather Channel)
3 October 1912...The longest dry spell of record in the U.S. commenced as Bagdad, CA went 767 days without rain, ending on 9 November 1914. (David Ludlum)
4 October 1969...Denver, CO received 9.6 inches of snow. October of that year proved to be the coldest and snowiest of record for Denver, with a total snowfall for the month of 31.2 inches. (Weather Channel)
4-7 October 1972...Remnants of Hurricane Joanne brought heavy rain and flooding to much of Arizona. It was the first documented tropical storm to reach the state with its cyclonic circulation intact. Severe flooding occurred in the Clifton, Duncan and Safford areas. (The Weather Doctor)
4 October 1976...The mean wind speed reached 88.5 mph at Melfort, Saskatchewan, the province's highest ever sustained wind. (The Weather Doctor)
4 October 1987...A rapidly deepening coastal storm dumped record snows across eastern New York State and western New England. Grafton, NY was buried under 22 inches of snow, North Springfield, VT had 21 inches and Pownal, VT recorded 18 inches. Most of the snow occurred at higher elevations but even Albany, NY received 6 inches, their earliest measurable snow in 117 years of records. Damage to trees was extensive as many trees were still in full leaf. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) (The Weather Channel) (Intellicast)
In California, high temperatures of 100 degrees at San Francisco, and 108 degrees at Los Angeles and Santa Maria, were October records. San Luis Obispo was the hot spot in the nation with an afternoon high of 111 degrees. (The National Weather Summary).
4 October 1998...As many as 27 tornadoes touched down across Oklahoma, establishing the national record for tornadoes in any state on a single October day. (The Weather Doctor)
4 October 2005...The Minneapolis-St. Paul (MN) International Airport received 4.61 inches, breaking the local daily rainfall record for October. North of the Twin Cities, weather spotters reported nine inches of rain in the town of Spencer Brook. (The Weather Doctor) 5 October 1917...The temperature at Sentinel, AZ soared to 116 degrees to establish an October record for the nation. (The Weather Channel)
5 October 1972...Heavy rains, mostly the remnants of Tropical Storm Joanne, fell across much of Arizona. It was believed to be the first time in Arizona weather history that a tropical storm entered the state with its circulation still intact. The center was over Flagstaff early on the 7th. (3rd-7th) (The Weather Channel)
5 October 1984...The temperature at Honolulu, HI hit 94 degrees to establish the all-time record high for that city. (Intellicast)
5 October 1987...In California, afternoon high temperatures of 102 degrees in Downtown San Francisco, and 104 degrees at Monterey, established all-time records. The high of 101 degrees at San Jose was a record for October. Sacramento tied their record for October for the third time in the month, with a reading of 102 degrees. (The National Weather Summary)
6 October 1952...A trace of snow fell at Nashville, TN, the earliest ever on record. (Intellicast)
6 October 1967...Canada's 24-hour rainfall record was established at Ucluelet Brynnor Mines on Vancouver Island in British Columbia with 19.24 in. (Accord Weather Calendar)
6 October 1984...The temperature at Honolulu, HI reached 94 degrees to establish an all-time record at that location. (The Weather Channel)
7 October 1981...Seattle, WA received four inches of rain in 24 hours, a record for the city. (The Weather Channel)
7 October 1987...Tucson, AZ hit 101 degrees for the second day in a row to again equal their record for the month of October. (The National Weather Summary)
7 October 1992...The 2.1 inches of snow that fell at Concordia, KS was the earliest measurable snow on record at that station. (Intellicast )

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