Weekly Water News

Weekly Water News

WES PREVIEW WEEK: 30 August-3 September 2004

Water in the News:

Western reservoir questioned -- The extended six-year drought across the West has contributed to the extremely low water levels in Lake Powell, the portion of the Colorado River in Arizona and Utah behind Glen Canyon Dam. The record low water levels have led environmentalists to question the need for this reservoir. [ENN]

Global safe water goals being met, but... -- A recently released joint World Health Organization-UNICEF report indicates that many nations around the world have taken steps to improve access to safe drinking water, but bad sanitation remains a major problem, leading to illness and death, especially in Africa and Asia. [ENN]

Final settlement in the Exxon Valdez disaster remains elusive -- Despite the passage of 15 years since the tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground and spilled oil in Alaska's Prince William Sound, resulting in one of the worst environmental disasters in North America, all the monetary settlements have not been made, to the dismay of those Alaskans whose lives were adversely affected by the aftermath of the spill. [ENN]

New technology needed to filter wastewater -- With the increased appearance of human pharmaceuticals and hormones in water supplies, attention is being focused on improved treatment methods such as reverse osmosis to remove these chemicals from the waster water. Scientists from the University of Wisconsin and University of California at Los Angles recently reported that some plants currently have this capability. [University of Wisconsin]

PCB contamination of rivers studied -- A team of engineers and biologists at Carnegie Mellon University have been analyzing the movement of PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) through several rivers in New York State and Washington, DC. [EurekAlert!] As part of this study, a sediment-capping mat was developed and tested that appears to absorb the PCBs, thereby preventing their long-term release into rivers. [EurekAlert!]

Merits of riverbank filtration studied -- Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have found that a technique called riverbank filtration can be used to remove harmful microbes and organic material from the river water when the water passes over an inexpensive natural filter. [EurekAlert!]

Water quality improved with a colloidal adsorbent -- Research at the University of Illinois indicates that natural organic matter to include microbial degradation products can be removed by a new polymer-based colloidal adsorbent. [EurekAlert!]

Formation of drizzle studied -- Scientists at Brookhaven National Laboratory recently reported on their study of the formation of drizzle, a precipitation type consisting of a collection of relatively small water drops that appear to float in the air. These researchers believe that the drizzle forms faster from the cloud droplets than previously thought. [EurekAlert!]

Solar hydrogen fuel could become a reality -- Scientists at the University of New South Wales have announced that within seven years, a cheap and clean energy source using special titanium oxide ceramics could be available where sunlight could be used to split water and produce hydrogen fuel. [EurekAlert!]

Complex chemical reactions appear to occur on low-temperature ice surfaces -- Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have been using an electron-stimulated desorption (ESD) technique to study the surface of ice at temperatures to below 100 kelvin, with the hope to better understand processes involving ice crystals at high altitudes of the atmosphere or in polar ice caps. [EurekAlert!]

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]

Global Water News Watch -- Other water news sources can be obtained through the SAHRA Project at the University of Arizona [SAHRA Project]

Earthweek -- Diary of the Planet [earthweek.com] Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Concept of the Week: Touring the WES Homepage

Welcome to DataStreme Water in the Earth System (WES)! You are embarking on a unique teacher-enhancement experience that focuses on water and energy flow in the global water cycle from an Earth system perspective. Throughout this learning experience, you will be accessing the WES Homepage frequently to obtain and interpret a variety of environmental information, including the latest observational data. The objective of this initial Concept of the Week is to explore features of the WES Homepage.

On Monday of each week of the course, we will post the current Weekly Water News that includes Water in the News (a summary listing of current events related to water), Concept of the Week (an in-depth analysis of some topic related to water in the Earth system), and Historical Events (a list of past hydrologic events such as major floods). When appropriate, Supplemental Information will be provided on some topic related to the principal theme of the week.

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

The body of the WES Homepage provides links to the Earth System, Atmospheric, Oceanic (Inland Seas), and Terrestrial Information, and extras--glossaries of terms, maps, educational links, and WES 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 WES Homepage.

Under Atmospheric Information, click on Water vapor (WV) Satellite. This is the latest satellite depiction of atmospheric water vapor at altitudes generally between 3000 and 7000 m (10,000 to 24,000 ft). Press your "back" button and then click on Latest WV Animation to view the movement of water vapor and clouds in the atmosphere. Although water vapor is an invisible gas, satellite technology makes it possible for us to "see" and follow the flow of water vapor in the atmosphere as part of the global water cycle. Bright white blotches are clouds; black indicates areas of very little or no water vapor and, at the other extreme, milky white signals a relatively high concentration of water vapor. Use the "back" button on your viewer to return to the WES Homepage.

The flow and transformations of energy are fundamental aspects of the global water cycle. Heat flows within the Earth system from where it is warmer to where it is colder. In this regard, it is useful to monitor temperatures remotely, by satellite. For a global view of the satellite-derived pattern of sea-surface temperatures, click on Sea Surface Temperatures under Oceanic (and Inland Seas) Information. Note that the color scale at the bottom is in degrees Celsius and temperatures are averaged over a 7-day period. (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.) Return to the WES Homepage.

As part of the global water cycle, precipitation that reaches the ground vaporizes back into the atmosphere, runs off into rivers and streams, seeps into the ground, or is stored in lakes or glaciers. Under Terrestrial Information, click on River Flood Conditions for the recent status of river levels monitored at various gauging stations around the nation. Note that in the Map Legend, river stage heights are compared to flood stage values. Now return to the WES Homepage.

Extras include color photographs arranged by week (chapter) to supplement your study of the WES textbook. For example, click on Chapter 1 and then click on the first thumbnail for an enlarged image with the caption, "Water in Three Phases."

Take a few minutes when you have time to browse the other data and information sources available via the WES Homepage. You may want to "bookmark" this page on your computer. Return frequently to get into the flow of DataStreme WES!

Concept of the Week: Questions

The latest WV Animation indicates that clouds and water vapor generally move from [(west to east)(east to west)] across the nation.
In the tropical Pacific, the highest sea-surface temperatures occur in the [(western)(eastern)] portion of the ocean basin.

Historical Events

30 August 1982...A tropical depression brought torrential rains to portions of southern Texas. Up to twelve inches fell south of Houston, and as much as eighteen inches fell southeast of Austin. The tropical depression spawned fourteen tornadoes in three days. (David Ludlum)

31 August 1885...A record 71-day dry period began at Calgary, Alberta. (The Weather Doctor)

31 August 1889...Los Angeles, CA set two rainfall records as 0.61 inches fell, the 24-hour and monthly records for August. (Intellicast)
31 August 1954...Hurricane Carol, the first of three hurricanes to affect New England that year, slammed into eastern New England. Wind gusts exceeded 120 mph on the south coast. Block Island, RI reported a gust to 130 mph. Boston, MA reported sustained winds of 86 mph with a gust to 100 mph. Tides were 10-15 feet above normal. Providence, RI was inundated by a near record high tide. Sixty lives were lost and damages totaled 450 million dollars. The severity of this storm was only topped by the 1938 Hurricane. (Intellicast) (David Ludlum)

31 August - 2 September 1967...Storm surge and winds from Hurricane Katrina partially destroyed San Felipe, Mexico leaving 2,500 people homeless and sinking 60 vessels. (The Weather Doctor)

31 August 1993...Hurricane Emily lashed the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The Hatteras NWS Office recorded a gust of 98 mph and was deluged with 7.51 inches of rain. Sound water levels rose to 10.5 feet above normal north of Buxton and 8.5 feet above normal in the villages of Frisco and Hatteras. Diamond Shoals coastal marine buoy recorded sustained winds of 103 mph with gusts to 148 mph after the eye passed. (Intellicast)
1 September 1923...A typhoon swept over the Tokyo, Japan metropolitan area, followed by an earthquake that evening. Typhoon winds fanned fires set by the earthquake. As many as 143,000 people died in the multi-disaster. (The Weather Doctor)
1 September 1914...The town of Bloomingdale, MI was deluged with 9.78 inches of rain in 24 hours to establish a state record for the Wolverine State. (31^st-1^st) (The Weather Channel) (NCDC)
1 September 1988...Thunderstorms produced heavy rain in the Upper Mississippi Valley. Ely, MN was drenched with three inches of rain in two hours, and pelted with one-inch hail. The heavy rain flooded streets and basements, and the high water pressure that resulted blew the covers off manholes. (The National Weather Summary)(Storm Data)
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 into a Category 5 hurricane (on the Saffir Simpson Scale) with sustained winds of over 155 mph and winds exceeding 200 mph. On the next day, this hurricane generated a fifteen-foot tide and waves thirty feet high, as it became the first known Category 5 hurricane to hit the US 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 (or 892 millibars). (David Ludlum) (The Weather Doctor)
3 September 1821...A hurricane made landfall at Long Island, near the current J.F. Kennedy Airport, then moved through western Connecticut. The hurricane produced a record high tide at New York City. (David Ludlum)
3 September 1970...During the early evening hours, in the midst of a severe hailstorm at Coffeyville, KS, a stone 17.5 inches in circumference and 1.67 pounds in weight was recovered. It was the largest measured hailstone in U.S. weather records. Average stone size from the storm was five inches in diameter, with another stone reportedly eight inches in diameter. (David Ludlum)
4 September 1939...A "Once-in-a-Hundred-Year" thunderstorm deluged Washington, DC with 4.4 inches of rain in two hours. September of that year was very dry across much of the nation, and Washington, DC received more rain in that two-hour period than most other places in the country that entire month. (David Ludlum)
4-6 September 1970...Moisture from Pacific Tropical Storm Norma led to the heavy rain and severe flooding over a three-day span. Unprecedented rains caused rivers in central Arizona to rise five to ten feet per hour, sweeping cars and buildings as far as 30 to 40 miles downstream, leading to the greatest natural disaster of record for Arizona. Flooding claimed the lives of 23 persons, mainly campers, and caused millions of dollars damage. Water crested 36 feet above normal near Sunflower. Workman's Creek was deluged with 11.40 inches of rain in 24 hours to establish a 24-hour precipitation record for the Grand Canyon State. An estimated six inches of rain fell at Bug Point, UT, setting a 24-hour precipitation record for the Beehive State. (The Weather Channel) (NCDC)
4 September 1997...A 15 foot deep by 150 foot wide wall of water, mud, boulders and debris flowed down Mill Creek Canyon into Forest Falls, CA, where 2.5 inches of rain fell in 45 minutes. Roads, vehicles, houses and businesses were battered, with 3.5 million dollars in damage and two injuries. (Accord Weather Calendar)
5 September 1950...Hurricane Easy produced the greatest 24-hour rainfall in U.S. weather records up to that time. The hurricane deluged Yankeetown, on the upper west coast of Florida, with 38.70 inches of rain. While this US record has since been replaced by 43 inches of rain at Alvin, TX on 25-26 July 1979, it remains the 24-hour precipitation record for the Sunshine State. (David Ludlum) (NCDC)
5 September 1958...The heaviest hailstone recorded in Britain fell at Horsham in Sussex. This stone weighed 0.31 pounds. (The Weather Doctor)
5 September 1987...A tropical storm, which formed off the South Atlantic coast, was responsible for torrential rains over coastal regions of South Carolina. Between 30August and 8 September, Charleston, SC received 18.44 inches of rain. The heavy rains caused extensive flooding around the city of Charleston, seriously damaged cotton crops in the eastern part of the state, and resulted in an unusually high number of mosquitoes. (Storm Data)
5 September 1991...A 5-foot deep by 200-foot wide wall of water rolled out of Newsome Creek approximately 2 miles southeast of Post, OR. One man drowned after the fence he was holding broke loose. Vehicles, animals and farm equipment were swept one to six miles downstream. (Accord Weather Calendar)