WEEKLY CLIMATE NEWS

PREVIEW WEEK: 24-28 August 2015

ITEMS OF INTEREST

Free admission into the National Parks -- This Tuesday 25 August 2015 has been designated by the National Park Service as fee-free day in honor of its 99th Birthday. This fee waiver will cover entrance and commercial tour fees in many of the national parks and monuments administered by the Park Service. [National Park Service Fee Free Days]
Media gets opportunity to discuss rising sea levels with experts -- As part of its "Rising Seas" events program, NASA will host a media teleconference this coming Wednesday, 26 August (at 12:30 PM EDT or 9:30 AM PDT), with four scientist-panelists from NASA and academic research institutions will be discuss recent insights on sea level rise and the continuing challenge of predicting the rate and amount of anticipated sea level will rise. On Friday, 28 August (at 1:00 PM EDT or 10:00 AM PDT), NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center will host a live TV program featuring scientists actively conducting field work in Greenland, along with extensive video footage of their work performed over this summer. [NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory News]
Accessing and interpreting climate data -- If you would like to obtain a variety of climate data for your home town or state that are available from the National Weather Service, please read this week's Supplemental Information...In Greater Depth. This Supplemental not only identifies some of the sites to find the data, but also provides you with a brief explanation of the terminology used to identify the climate data.
No asteroid appears to be threatening Earth -- During the past week, Paul Chodas, the manager of NASA's Near-Earth Object office at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory refuted recent blogs and web postings claiming that an asteroid will impact Earth, during the second half of September (15-28 September), with a possible impact area near Puerto Rico. He claims that NASA's Near-Earth Object Observations Program have not observed any asteroids or comets that would impact Earth anytime in the foreseeable future. All known Potentially Hazardous Asteroids have less than a 0.01% chance of impacting Earth in the next 100 years. [NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory News]

CURRENT CLIMATE STATUS

Global temperature and ice cover for July 2015 reviewed -- Scientists at the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information recently reported on their analysis of preliminary weather data collected during the month of July 2015:

The combined global land and ocean surface temperature for July 2015 was the highest for any July since sufficiently detailed global climate records began in 1880. This record global temperature was nearly 61.9 degrees Fahrenheit, or 1.46 Fahrenheit degrees above the 20th century (1901-2000) average. Furthermore, the July 2015 combined average temperature was the all-time highest monthly temperature in the last 135 years. When considered separately, the average air temperature temperature over the world oceans for July 2015 was the highest for any July since 1880, while the temperature over land surf\aces was the sixth highest July reading on record. The record high July temperature over the ocean, which was also a record for any month, was due to the record warm seawater observed across large sections of the Pacific and Indian Ocean basins. , indicating neither El Niño or La Niña conditions were present across this region during the month.
The researchers at the National Snow and Ice Data Center noted the areal extent of the Arctic sea ice for July 2015 was the eighth smallest for any July since satellite surveillance began in 1979. On the other hand, the extent of the Antarctic sea ice was the fourth largest July ice extent in the 38-year record. [NOAA/NCDC State of the Climate]
A global map of Selected Significant Climate Anomalies and Events for July 2015 is available from NCDC.

Current European drought worst in over a decade -- The Joint Research Centre's European Drought Observatory reported during the last week that most of Europe is currently experiencing its worst summer drought since the drought and heat wave of 2003. The drought in many parts of Germany, France, Hungary, northern Spain and northern Italy appear to be due to both unseasonably high temperatures and lack of significant rainfall prevailing during the months of June and July. [Joint Research Centre European Commission News]

CURRENT CLIMATE MONITORING

Recent wildfires across the US Northwest seen night and day from satellites -- The numerous wildfires that have been burning this summer across western sections of the North American continent from California northward to Alaska are being monitored by orbiting satellites. Two satellite images obtained during the past week show separate views: One of the images was a nighttime image made in the "day-night band" of the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) sensor on the NASA/NOAA Suomi NPP (National Polar-orbiting Partnership) satellite. This nighttime image shows the locations of many of the large wildfires in Washington, Oregon and Idaho. The other image was a "natural-color" image made several hours earlier from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Aqua satellite. This image shows the thick plumes of smoke that are being spread across the region. [NASA Earth Observatory]

CLIMATE FORCING

A warming climate acts to deepen California's drought -- A team of scientists from Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and the University of Idaho recently reported that increasing temperatures have exacerbated the drought conditions by causing evaporation of moisture from plants and soil. They based their findings on analysis of monthly weather data running from 1901 through 2014 across California. The researchers foresee increased temperatures and resulting moisture losses over the next several decades producing more persistent aridity across a large section of California. [The Earth Observatory, Columbia University]
California drought causes land in state's Central Valley to sink -- A report prepared for the California Department of Water Resources by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory was released last week that shows land in California's San Joaquin Valley is sinking at nearly two inches per month in some locations because of the continued pumping of groundwater in response to the persisting historic drought. Groundwater levels are reaching record lows that may be as much as 100 feet lower than previous records. These findings are based on time series of data obtained from satellites and aircraft. [NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory News]

CLIMATE FORECASTS

New Seasonal Climate Outlooks for fall issued -- Near the end of last week, forecasters at the NOAA Climate Prediction Center (CPC) released their new national Three-Month (Seasonal) Climate Outlooks new three-month seasonal national climate outlooks for September through November 2015, corresponding to the meteorological autumn season (in the Northern Hemisphere). Specific details of their outlooks include:
- Temperature and precipitation outlooks -- According to their temperature outlook, the western third of the 48 contiguous United States should have a better than even chance of experiencing above average temperatures for the upcoming three months of autumn, with the best chances being across the Pacific Northwest along the Cascades. Nearly the entire Eastern Seaboard from Maine to Florida were given a better than even chance for above average temperatures for these autumn. On the other hand, sections of the southern and central Plains centered on north Texas, Oklahoma and southern Kansas should experience a high chance of below average temperatures running through the end of October. Their outlook indicates that the remainder of the nation would have nearly equal chances of warmer or cooler than normal conditions.
  Their precipitation outlook calls for better than even chances of dry conditions for the autumn of 2015 across the Northwest and sections of the Northeast including northern New England, Upstate New York and areas along the northern Great Lakes. A large section of the Southwest centered on the Four Corners area (AZ, UT, CO and NM) and areas extending eastward across the southern and central Rockies into the Plains and the Mid-South were considered to have a good chance of a wet three month span. The rest of the 48 contiguous states should have equal chances of below and above average autumnal precipitation.
  A summary of the prognostic discussion of the 3-month outlook for non-technical users is available from CPC. These forecasts were based in part that an El Niño event could develop during this upcoming autumn season. A description is also provided as how to read these 3-class, 3-month Outlook maps.
- Seasonal Drought Outlook -- The forecasters at NOAA's Climate Prediction Center also released their US Seasonal Drought Outlook last week that would run from late-August through November 2014. Their outlook would call for persistence or development of drought conditions along the West Coast (California, Oregon, Washington) and eastward into the Intermountain West that would include large sections of Nevada, Idaho, and western Montana. Scattered sections of the Southeast (the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama and northern Florida) along sections of the Northeast could see development of drought or continuation of current drought conditions. Sections of the Southwest and the western Gulf Coast could experience some improvement in drought conditions. Some of these areas, especially in sections of Arizona could have drought conditions removed. Note: a Seasonal Drought Outlook Discussion is included describing the forecasters' confidence.

PALEOCLIMATE RECONSTRUCTION

Tree rings from Hawaii could contain new knowledge on El Niño -- Dendrochronologists from Lamont-Doherty Observatory and the University of Hawaii have been able to document weather history from the first set of annual tree rings that they were able to extract from the māmane, a native tree found on the slopes of Mauna Kea, the large volcano on Hawaii's Big Island. The variation in the tree ring width of these trees may help reconstruct a history of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). [The Earth Observatory, Columbia University]
Submerged New Jersey coast is mapped -- A group of scientists Rutgers University, Lamont-Doherty Observatory and the University of Texas spent this past summer mapping past shorelines along the New Jersey coast that are buried within sediment layers found as deep as 1500 meters underneath the ocean floor. The researchers used hydrophone steamers deployed from Lamont-Doherty's Research Vessel Marcus G. Langseth to create a three-dimensional image of the sediments and assess the impact and magnitude of past sea-level change. This work supplements sediment cores that revealed changes in the climate extending back approximately 40 million years. [Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory News]
Rise of greenhouse gases appears to have caused glacial retreat during last Ice Age -- A team of scientists from Oregon State University, Boston College and other research institutions have recalculated the dates when boulders were uncovered by retreating glaciers around the globe at the end of the last Ice Age, more than 11,500 years ago. This reanalysis indicates that rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide appear to the driving factor behind the simultaneous meltdown of the glaciers. They warn that their findings having implications for the current rapidly rising levels of greenhouse gases and retreating glaciers. [Oregon State University News]

CLIMATE IMPACTS ON THE BIOSPHERE

Warning given to stay out of scum from Lake Erie's harmful algal bloom -- At the start of last week NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science and the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory issued its experimental Lake Erie Harmful Algal Bloom bulletin, with the warning that people and pets should stay out of the scum produced by Lake Erie's annual summer phytoplankton bloom that contains algae and other plant-like organisms that could produce poisonous toxins harmful to life. Earlier, a forecast was made indicating that this summer's algal bloom on western Lake Erie would be one of the worst in terms of extent and duration. The severity of the bloom is significantly influenced by spring and early summer rainfall, along with weather systems such as cold fronts passing across the Lake in early autumn. [NOAA Climate.gov News]

CLIMATE AND SOCIETY

A new Pacific Islands Climate Storybook is released -- A new 77-page "Pacific Islands Climate Storybook" has been recently released by NOAA and several partners including the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Pacific Island Meteorological Services that comprehensively details community experiences in addressing the impacts of a changing climate in Pacific Island countries. This storybook incorporates experiential knowledge and scientific data and reflects broad community engagement over a two-year period. [NOAA NCEI News]
Hurricane Katrina has lessons for the world that should be heeded -- An economist from the University of Wyoming claims that the lessons that Hurricane Katrina provided to peoples around the world should be heeded. Approximately 38 percent of the global population (2.5 billion people) lives within 100 kilometers of the coast, and more than three-quarters of them are in developing countries. He warns that many coastal regions across the world remain vulnerable to damaging storms, adding that providing similar protection to the tends of millions of peoples living in these countries to that given to residents along the Gulf Coast of the United States will require international action. [University of Wyoming News]
World Water Week in Stockholm is underway -- The 25th annual "World Water Week in Stockholm" is being held from Sunday 23 August through Friday 28 August in Stockholm, Sweden/. This week-long global water conference, which is arranged by the Stockholm International Water Institute, addresses a wide range of the world's water, development and sustainability issues and related concerns of international development. This year's World Water Week Theme is "Water for Development."[World Water Week in Stockholm]
Earthweek -- Diary of the Planet [earthweek.com].

Concept of the Week: Touring the DataStreme Earth's Climate System RealTime Climate Portal

Welcome to DataStreme Earth's Climate System (ECS)! The Earth's Climate System RealTime Climate Portal is an integral component of the DataStreme ECS (Earth's Climate System) course. The website is intended to deliver a wealth of climate information that is both pertinent to the course as well as being a reference site for you as you study Earth's climate system. The webpage is arranged in several sections. On Monday of each week of the course, we will post the current Weekly Climate News that includes Climate in the News (a summary listing of recent events related to climate), Concept of the Week (an in-depth analysis of some topic related to climate in the Earth system), and Historical Events (a list of past events important in the understanding of climatology). When appropriate, Supplemental Information...In Greater Depth will be provided on some topic related to the principal theme of the week.

You will use the RealTime Climate Portal to access and download the "Current Climate Studies" that complement your Climate Studies Investigations Manual. These materials should also be available by noon (Eastern Time) on Monday. Click the appropriate links to download and print these electronic components of the investigations as well as your Chapter, Investigations and Current Climate Studies Response forms.

Beyond these course Learning Files, sections include Climate Information, Climate Variability, Climate Change, Societal Interactions and Climate Policy, and Extras. As the titles suggest, there are multiple uses for climate data and their interpretation. Here we explore some examples of the information provided in the various sections of the RealTime Climate Portal.

The Climate Information section includes access to weather data, the raw material of climate synthesis, from the United States and the world under the heading "Observations and Data." Under this heading, click on "U.S. and World Weather Data." This National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) page first directs you to "United States Weather" and provides channels to current weather data as well as radar graphics, weather maps, and aviation and marine weather. It then leads you to International Weather Conditions.

The second major subdivision of the RealTime Climate Portal encompasses Climate Variability. Climatic variability refers to the fluctuations and oscillations that may occur within the climate system at temporal and spatial scales beyond that of individual weather events. Select the link, "NOAA El Niño Page". The page that appears provides access to a wealth of background and information on El Niño and La Niña, including the animation showing sea surface temperatures (SST) in the tropical Pacific during recent months. To the left of the animation, click on "What's happening today?" The page of current tropical Pacific conditions that appears shows a small map to the right. Click on that map and again anywhere on the subsequent set of map panels to get an enlarged view of the latest conditions of SST and anomalies.

The third major section of the RealTime Climate Portal is termed Climate Change. Here we provide links to information and analyses that primarily focus on anthropogenic (human-made) change processes and results in the climate system. That prominently includes the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's ("IPCC") latest classic report on atmospheric greenhouse gas emissions and their effects. Also linked are modeling results ("Models") based on those studies.

The last major section of the RealTime Climate Portal is titled Societal Interactions and Climate Policy. This block contains information on the impacts of projected change on human societies around the world, beyond that listed in the IPCC report, and the international actions and debates regarding those issues. Select and click on "National Climate Assessment (NCA3) Highlights" in this section. This webpage introduces you to the latest comprehensive and authoritative report on climate change and its impacts in the United States, now and in the future. You will be directed to this report several times in this course.

Completing the RealTime Climate Portal is the Extras section of additional handy information for the course and individual study such as dictionaries of terms, maps and materials. Choose and examine the Climate Literacy link. This document has recently been developed and released by NOAA to provide an overview of general concepts and information the general public and especially students should be aware of regarding the climate and the climate debate.

Concept of the Week: Questions

The first Climate Information link, "NOAA's Climate.gov", shows the Global Climate Dashboard where several graphs display Earth's temperature, atmospheric carbon dioxide level, spring snow cover, etc. with a time slider than can be set to display from [(1800)(1880)(1940)] to the latest data in 2015.
Under the Societal Interactions and Climate Policy section, click the "Global Resilience Toolkit" link. The Toolkit has been designed to aid in working through climate change issues by communities. The first step in using this toolkit is to [(Investigate options)(Identify the Problem)].

Historical Events:

24 August 1992...Hurricane Andrew slammed into south Florida, devastating the community of Homestead with 181-mph winds. With a central pressure at landfall of 922 millibars (27.22 inches of mercury), which at the time was the third lowest ever recorded in a hurricane at landfall in the United States. Camille (1969) and the Labor Day Hurricane (1935) were more intense. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina became the third most intense landfalling hurricane with a 920-millibar pressure reading (or 27.17 in Hg) when it reached the Louisiana Gulf Coast. (The Weather Doctor)
25 August 1910...The temperature at Bowen, MT dropped to 5 degrees, the lowest ever for the 48 states in August. (Intellicast)
25 August 1940...New Jersey experienced its coldest August morning of record, with lows of 32 degrees at Layton and Charlotteburg. (The Weather Channel)
25 August 1987...A new record for monthly rainfall was set at Chicago when a storm brought the total to 15.73 inches erasing the previous record for any month, which had been 14.17 inches in September, 1961 (Storm Data) (Intellicast)
26 August 1883...Krakatoa Volcano exploded in the East Indies. The explosion was heard more than 2500 miles away, and every barograph around the world recorded the passage of the air wave, up to seven times. Giant waves, 125 feet high and traveling 300 mph, devastated everything in their path, hurling ashore coral blocks weighing up to 900 tons, and killing more than 36,000 persons. Volcanic ash sent into the stratosphere was carried around the globe in thirteen days producing blue and green suns in the tropics, and then vivid red sunsets in higher latitudes. The temperature of the earth was lowered one degree for the next two years, finally recovering to normal by 1888. (David Ludlum)
26 August 1935...San Francisco, CA had their heaviest 24-hour rainfall for August when 0.25 inches fell. (Intellicast)
26 August 1989...Anchorage, AK was soaked with a steady rain, and the 24-hour total of 4.12 inches smashed their previous 24-hour precipitation total of 2.10 inches. It also pushed their rainfall total for the month past their previous record for August. (The National Weather Summary)
27 August 1948...Buffalo, NY hit its all-time maximum temperature of 99 degrees. (Intellicast)
27 August 1970...Elko, NV was deluged with 3.66 inches of rain in just one hour, establishing a state record. (The Weather Channel)
27 August 1973...The largest documented Canadian hailstone fell at Cedoux, Saskatchewan. The stone weighed 0.55 pounds and measured 4.5 inches across. (The Weather Doctor)
27 August 1986...A mix of snow, ice pellets and rain fell on Sault Ste. Marie, MI during the evening, the first time snow was observed in August since records started in 1888. (Intellicast)
27 August 1995...Remains of Tropical Storm Jerry unloaded 12.32 inches of rain in 24 hours in Greer, SC, a record for 24 hours, for a rain event and for August. At Antreville, 17.00 inches fell in 24 hours, setting a 24-hour rainfall record for the Palmetto State. (Intellicast)
28 August 1911...Saint George, GA was deluged with 18.00 inches of rain in 24 hours to establish a state record that was subsequently broken by the current record of 21.10 inches in July 1994. (The Weather Channel)
28-29 August 1962...Hackberry, LA was deluged with 22 inches of rain in 24 hours, establishing a state record. (The Weather Channel)
29 August 1876...A torrential downpour inundated St John's Newfoundland with 173.2 mm (6.8 inches) of rainfall, the greatest single daily accumulation ever recorded in the province. (The Weather Doctor)
29 August 1965...The observatory on top of Mount Washington NH reported a snowfall of 2.5 inches of snow, a national record for the month of August. (The Weather Doctor)
29 August 2005...As Hurricane Katrina traveled across the northern Gulf of Mexico toward the Louisiana Coast, a reconnaissance aircraft determined that Katrina's minimum central pressure was 902 millibars (or 26.64 inches of mercury), the fifth lowest pressure ever recorded in an Atlantic hurricane. Katrina was also the third most-intense land-falling hurricane in US history based on a minimum landfall pressure of 920 millibars (or 27.17 inches of mercury). (The Weather Doctor)
29 August 2007...With its high temperature pegged at 113degrees, Phoenix, AZ set a new record of 29 days with 110 degree or higher temperatures. (The Weather Doctor)
30 August 2000...The temperature rose to 111 degrees at the North Little Rock Airport, setting a new record for the highest temperature ever observed at that location. (The Weather Doctor)

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