16-20 March 2015

ITEMS OF INTEREST

• Worldwide GLOBE at Night 2015 Campaign is underway -- The third in the series of GLOBE at Night citizen-science campaigns for 2015 will continue a 10-night campaign that runs through Friday 20 March. GLOBE at Night is a worldwide, hands-on science and education program designed to encourage citizen-scientists worldwide to record the brightness of their night sky by matching the appearance of a constellation (Orion in the Northern Hemisphere and Crux in the Southern Hemisphere) with the seven magnitude/star charts of progressively fainter stars. Activity guides are also available. The GLOBE at night program is intended to raise public awareness of the impact of light pollution. In addition to the 11-20 March campaign, the other three GLOBE at Night campaigns during the first half of 2015 are on 9-18 April, 9-18 May and 8-17 June. [GLOBE at Night]
• Notice the Equinox -- The vernal equinox, which marks the commencement of astronomical spring, will occur this Friday (officially at 2245Z on 20 March 2015 or 6:45 PM EDT, 5:45 PM CDT, etc.). If you checked the sunrise and sunset times in your local newspaper or from the climate page at your local National Weather Service Office, you would probably find that by midweek, the sun should have been above the horizon for at least 12 hours at most locations. As discussed previously, the effects of atmospheric refraction (bending of light rays by the varying density of the atmosphere) along with a relatively large diameter of the sun contribute to several additional minutes that the sun appears above the horizon at sunrise and sunset.
• International observances -- Several days during this upcoming week have been designated as special days that are intended to focus public attention on the environment and earth science:
• "World Water Day" -- Sunday, 22 March 2015, has been designated by the United Nations (UN) as the annual World Water Day. The theme for this year's World Water Day 2015 is "Water and Sustainable development." [UN-Water]
• "World Meteorology Day" -- A celebration will be held on Monday, 23 March 2015 for World Meteorology Day. This day is designated to celebrate the anniversary of the establishment of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on 23 March 1950. The WMO is an agency within the United Nations. This year's theme for World Meteorological Day 2015 is “Climate knowledge for climate action."
• Monitoring El Niño and La Niña -- Scientists recently announced that suggested that a weak El Niño event has developed and should remain through at least meteorological spring in the Northern Hemisphere. This event should affect weather patterns across the United States during the upcoming spring months. For more details on how to monitor these phenomena, please read this week's Supplemental Information.. In Greater Depth.

CURRENT CLIMATE STATUS

• Review of national weather and climate for February 2015 and the 2014-15 winter -- Based upon preliminary data, scientists at NOAA's National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) reported that the national average temperature for the coterminous United States during February 2015 was
  approximately 0.7 Fahrenheit degrees below the 20th-century average (1901-2000) average, making this past month the 53rd coldest since a comprehensive national climate network began in 1895. As many as 23 states across the eastern half of the nation had statewide temperatures for last month that were within the lowest ten February temperatures in the 121-year record. All six New England States, New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio were the second coldest. On the other hand, eight states across the western third of the nation reported temperatures for the month that ranked in the top ten highest February temperatures on record. Arizona, California, Utah and Washington had their highest statewide February temperatures in 121 years. In addition, the average maximum (or daytime) February 2015 temperature was 60th lowest on record for the month, while the average minimum (or nighttime) temperature for the month was the 39th lowest on record.
  The average temperature for the contiguous United States for the meteorological winter season (December 2014 through February 2015) was 34.3 degrees F, or 2.1 Fahrenheit degrees above the 20th century average, making the recently-concluded winter the 19th warmest winter since 1895. Most of the states from the Plains to the West Coast had statewide winter temperatures that were above to much above their long-term averages. Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah and Washington experienced their warmest winters in 120 seasons. Conversely, many of the states east of the Mississippi River had statewide winter temperatures that were below average..
  Alaska had its seventh warmest winter since statewide records began for the 49th State in 1918.
  Nationwide, February precipitation was 0.43 inches below the long-term (1901-2000) average, making last month the 20th driest February in 121 years. Below to much below average statewide average precipitation totals were reported across many of the states in the eastern half of the nation and in the Great Basin. Rhode Island had its 11th driest February on record. On the other hand, Colorado was the only state that experienced above average statewide February precipitation.
  December through February precipitation across the 48 coterminous states was 0.67 inches below the 20th-century average, making this past winter the 27th driest winter on record. States from the Middle Atlantic to the Upper Midwest and along the Mississippi River had below average winter precipitation. On the other hand, some of the New England States and two states in the Southwest had above average winter precipitation. .
  Data analyzed by the Rutgers Global Snow Lab indicate the February snow cover extent across the contiguous US was the 20th largest February snow cover extent in the 49-year period of record for across the 48 states. Furthermore, the areal coverage of winter average snow cover across these states was the 23rd largest since 1966, but also it was the smallest since the 2011-12 winter. [State of the Climate NOAA/NCDC]
  NOTE: A description is provided of the climatological rankings employed by NCDC for their monthly and seasonal maps. [NOAA/NCDC]
  NASA Goddard Space Flight Center produced an image obtained from land surface temperature data collected by the MODIS sensor on board NASA's Terra satellite that shows the large differences in the February 2015 temperatures across the 48 continuous United States and adjacent sections of Canada and Mexico. The map, displayed as land surface temperature anomalies (numerical differences between observed and long-term averages), showed that surface temperatures for February 2015 across the Great Basin in the West were as much as 10 Celsius degrees (18 Fahrenheit degrees) above average, while the Middle Atlantic States in the East were at least 10 Celsius degrees lower than average. (Note: The surface temperatures obtained by the MODIS sensors are typically higher than the ambient air temperatures obtained at shelter-height of 2 meters and reported by NOAA's National Weather Service and National Climatic Data Center. EJH) [NASA Earth Observatory]
• February national drought report -- The National Climate Data Center has posted its February 2015 drought report online. Using the Palmer Drought Severity Index, approximately eight percent of the contiguous United States experienced severe to extreme drought conditions at the end of February, while five percent of the area had severely to extremely wet conditions.

CURRENT CLIMATE MONITORING

• First image obtained from new soil moisture mapper satellite -- NASA recently released the first image made from the radar and radiometer instruments onboard the recently launched Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite. This spacecraft was launched at the end of January to map global soil moisture and detect whether soils are frozen or thawed over at least a three-year mission. The first image appears as strips because the antenna on SMAP was not spinning at the time. [NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory]
  Within the next several weeks scientists with the SMAP mission will be able to receive data from the spacecraft's instruments that should provide an indication of the annual spring thaw of soils in the boreal forests across the subpolar latitudes of North America and Eurasia. [NASA Earth Science News Team]
• New spacecraft planned to study ocean color, aerosols and clouds -- NASA scientists and engineers have started work on the Pre-Aerosol Clouds and ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission, a new satellite designed to extend critical climate measurements of Earth's oceans and atmosphere that would also serve to advance studies of the impact of environmental changes on ocean health, fisheries and the carbon cycle. PACE is scheduled to be launched in 2022. An ocean color instrument on PACE would provide a view of the colors of the ocean, from the ultraviolet to near infrared, which would result in more accurate measurements of biological and chemical ocean properties, such as the biomass and composition of phytoplankton communities. PACE will measure clouds and aerosols in the atmosphere to supplement measurements from existing NASA satellite missions. An aerosol/cloud polarimeter instrument onboard this mission would be used to assess the role of clouds and aerosols has in affecting the planetary climate.[NASA Headquarters]

CLIMATE FORCING

• Arctic ponds being affected by changing climate -- Researchers from the University of Texas at El Paso warn that changing climate will cause the numerous ponds in the Arctic tundra to shrink in a poleward direction and disappear. They base their warning upon analysis of historical photographs and satellite images of more than 2800 ponds in the northern section of Alaska's Barrow Peninsula. researchers calls their future into question. These Arctic ponds play an important role in Alaska's northern ecosystem. [University of Texas at El Paso News]
• Hawaii's VOG seen from space -- A digital photograph made recently by an astronaut on the International Space Station shows atmospheric haze locally called VOG over the Hawaiian Islands. The VOG, or volcanic fog and smog, was produced by emissions from the Kilauea Volcano on Hawaii's Big Island and transported for several hundred miles downwind or to the west by easterly trade winds that frequent the Aloha State. In addition to particulate matter that is emitted by the volcano and forms the VOG, sulfur dioxide and other gases from the volcano can undergo photochemical reactions in the atmosphere to form additional aerosol matter. The photograph also shows some swirls in the VOG known as von Kármán vortices. vortices. [NASA Earth Observatory]

CLIMATE AND SOCIETY

• Lack of snow in Alaska changes start of Iditarod race -- Because of a lack of snow in the Alaska Range and safety concerns, officials of Alaska's famous Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race decided to change the traditional start of the race last week from near the southern coastal city of Anchorage to Fairbanks in interior Alaska, approximately 250 miles to the north. The race is normally run from Anchorage to Nome and usually takes at least ten days to complete. A map shows the estimated snow depth across Alaska at the start of last week according to a model run by NOAA's National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center (NOHRSC). [NOAA News]
• Florida bans "climate change" term -- The Florida Center for Investigative Reporting recently reported that officials with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) have been restricted from using the term "climate change" or "global warming" in official correspondence.[The Washington Post]
• Record snows in New England lead to economic woes -- Major winter storms tracking over New England since late January have been responsible for record or near-record snowfall accumulation that exceeded eight feet across coastal areas of New England, including the Boston (MA) metropolitan area. As of the end of the first week of March, an economic analysis firm estimated that the economy of Massachusetts suffered roughly $1 billion in lost wages and profits. [ WCVB-TV Channel-5, Boston]
• Nationwide satellite-based flood forecasting and warning system announced for Bangladesh -- Officials with the Bangladesh government have announced that plans have been made to expand a satellite-based flood forecasting and warning system that was developed by SERVIR, a joint development initiative of NASA and USAID (United States Agency for International Development). The new SERVIR system for Bangladesh will use river-level data provided by NASA's Jason-2 satellite and should help warn about flooding that inundates between one-third and two-thirds of the country annually, killing hundreds of people and affecting millions more. [NASA Marshall Space Flight Center]
• Earthweek -- Diary of the Planet [earthweek.com] Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Concept of the Week: Seawater Salinity and Carbon Dioxide

The contemporary concern regarding global climate change has caused scientists to study the various factors that govern the ocean's ability to absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide. Concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, are on the rise primarily because of increased burning of fossil fuels. Higher levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide may be contributing to increased global temperatures, a condition often identified as global warming. The ocean's role in regulating the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide depends on the temperature, salinity, and biological components of surface waters.

Studies show that the ocean's ability to absorb carbon dioxide is primarily temperature dependent. As noted in Chapter 8 of your textbook, gases are more soluble in cold seawater than warm seawater. Hence, changes in sea surface temperature affect the ability of the ocean to absorb carbon dioxide. We also found in Chapter 1, photosynthetic organisms assimilate carbon dioxide and release oxygen. Through cellular respiration, all organisms release carbon dioxide. Therefore, biological activity affects the ocean's ability to absorption of atmospheric carbon dioxide.

What about the effects of changes in salinity on the ocean's uptake of atmospheric carbon dioxide? Research from the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii provides some insight on this question. For nearly 20 years, scientists have been collecting physical, chemical and biological data through a large column of ocean water at Station ALOHA, a sampling site about 100 km (62 mi) north of Oahu that appears representative of oceanic conditions in the central North Pacific. In 2003, David M. Karl, a biogeochemist at the University of Hawaii in Honolulu, reported a decline in the rate at which surface ocean waters were absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. In 2001, the rate of carbon dioxide uptake was only about 15% of the rate in 1989. Why the change in carbon dioxide uptake? In this region of the Pacific north of Hawaii, sea surface temperatures showed no significant change during the period of observation but precipitation decreased and evaporation increased. Less precipitation associated with drought coupled with higher rates of evaporation caused the surface water salinity at ALOHA to increase by about 1%. Increasing salinity inhibits water's ability to absorb gases including carbon dioxide. Karl and his colleagues attribute 40% of the decline in the ocean's carbon dioxide uptake to the saltier waters. The balance of the decline may be due to changes in biological productivity or ocean mixing.

Projected changes in global climate indicate significant changes in precipitation around the globe including reduced precipitation over various large areas of the oceans, resulting in potential "drought" conditions. Since changes in oceanic salinity result from changes in precipitation, the contribution that salinity plays on future assimilation of atmospheric carbon dioxide by the ocean also becomes an important consideration.

Concept of the Week: Questions

Place your responses on the Chapter Progress Response Form provided in the Study Guide.

1. With rising sea surface temperatures, the rate of evaporation of seawater [(increases), (decreases)].
2. With increasing salinity and constant temperature, the amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide that is taken up by ocean water [(increases), (decreases)].

Historical Events:

• 16 March 1975...A single storm brought 119 inches of snow to Crater Lake OR establishing a state record. (The Weather Channel)
• 16-17 March 2002...A snowstorm dumped 28.7 inches of snow on Anchorage, AK breaking the old daily record of 15.6 inches. Snow amounts ranged from 24 to 29 inches at lower elevations. (The Weather Doctor)
• 17 March 1906...The temperature at Snake River, WY dipped to 50 degrees below zero, a record for the coterminous U.S. for the month of March. (Sandra and TI Richard Sanders -1987)
• 17 March 1998...Calgary, Alberta experienced its worst March snowstorm in 113 years, measuring 13 inches of snow at the airport and from 15 to 18 inches in other parts of the city. (The Weather Doctor)
• 17-24 March 1999...Intense Tropical Cyclone Vance (Category 5) moved across portions of Western Australia. A record wind gust for the Australian mainland of 167 mph was recorded at the Learmonth Meteorological Office. (The Weather Doctor)
• 18 March 1914...San Francisco, CA reached its highest temperature ever recorded in March. The mercury rose to 86 degrees. (Intellicast)
• 18 March 1925...The great "Tri-State Tornado" occurred, the most deadly tornado in U.S. history. The tornado, which claimed 695 lives (including 234 at Murphysboro, IL and 148 at West Frankfort, IL), cut a swath of destruction 219 miles long and as much as a mile wide from east central Missouri to southern Indiana between 1 PM and 4 PM. (David Ludlum) (Intellicast)
• 18 March 2002...A snowstorm over coastal British Columbia produced the latest and heaviest single-day snowfall on record for the city of Vancouver of 2.55 inches. (The Weather Doctor)
• 19 March 1950...Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood reported 246 inches of snow on the ground, a record for the state of Oregon. (The Weather Channel)
• 19 March 1964...Up to 39 inches of snow fell at Cape Whittle for Quebec's greatest one-day snow total. (The Weather Doctor)
• 20-21 March 1948...Juneau, AK received 31.0 inches of snow, to set a 24-hour snowfall record for Alaska's capital. This snowfall record pales compared to the state's 24-hour snowfall record of 62.0 inches set at Thompson Pass on 28-29 December 1955. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 20 March 1986...A wind gust of 173 mph was recorded in the Cairngorm Mountains, Scotland, the highest ever recorded in the United Kingdom. (The Weather Doctor)
• 22 March 1888...The morning's low temperature at Chicago, IL dipped to one degree below zero, the latest sub zero Fahrenheit reading in the Windy City's history. (The Weather Doctor)

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Prepared by Edward J. Hopkins, Ph.D., email hopkins@meteor.wisc.edu
© Copyright, 2015, The American Meteorological Society.