13 - 17 December 2004

DataStreme Water in the Earth System (WES) will return for Spring 2005 with new Water News and Investigations files starting during Preview Week, Monday, 17 January 2005. All the current online homepage products will continue to be available throughout the break period.

• Major oil spill reported in Alaskan waters -- A freighter ran aground along the Aleutian Islands last week, resulting in a major spillage of oil near a sensitive wildlife habitat as the ship broke up, with the loss of 6 crew members. [ENN]
• Oil spill requires NOAA to fulfill multiple roles -- Last month's oil spill from a foreign tanker on the Delaware River near Philadelphia, PA has required that the various agencies within NOAA fulfill multiple roles, to include providing scientific support to the US Coast Guard and consultation on endangered species. [NOAA News]
• Executive Branch acts on conservation of coral reefs -- The White House, NOAA and the Interior Department recently announced that funding has been requested for the support of state and local efforts to project coral reefs as part of the US Coral Reef Task Force. [NOAA News]
• "Climate witnesses" testify at global change conference -- Three "climate witnesses" were brought to an UN-sponsored environmental conference last week to testify how recent global climatic changes have had an impact upon their countries. One of the witnesses, a Fiji Islander, spoke on the rising sea levels that could inundate her island along with shortages in fresh water. Another witness, a rice farmer from India, discussed the loss of mangrove swamps and a third witness, a Nepalese Sherpa guide, described the flooding from accelerated glaciers melting in the Himalayan Mountains. [USA Today]
• Cloud modeling improvements made for climate models -- Researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology have developed methods to measure and mathematically describe the formation of cloud droplets from increased aerosol pollution in an attempt to improve description of the role of clouds in current climate models. [EurekAlert!]
• Ocean tides, icebergs and the "Big Freeze"--An international team of scientists have proposed that ocean tides in the Labrador Sea dislodged huge Arctic icebergs that subsequently floated across the North Atlantic to contribute to the low temperatures during the Pleistocene glaciations, from approximately 60.000 to 10,000 years ago. [EurekAlert!]
• Link between agricultural runoff and oceanic algae blooms found -- Using satellite imagery, scientists at Stanford University have documented a direct link between the large-scale coastal farms and the increased algae bloom in the Sea of Cortez in Mexico's Gulf of California. [EurekAlert!]
• Caution urged in tracking contaminant sources -- A recent US Geological Society report indicates that current tests to identify sources of fecal contamination in field applications were less accurate than previously reported. [EurekAlert!]
• Global and US Hazards/Climate Extremes-- A review and analysis of the global impacts of various weather-related events, to include 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.

• 13 December 1915...A heavy snowstorm kicked off the snowiest winter in modern records for western New England. (The Weather Channel)
• 13 December 1916...Avalanche killed 10,000 Austrian and Italian troops in 24 hours in Tyrol.
• 13 December 1987...A major winter storm produced high winds and heavy snow in the Southern Rockies and the Southern High Plains. Snowfall totals in New Mexico ranged up to 25 inches at Cedar Crest, with up to three feet of snow reported in the higher elevations. Winds of 75 mph, with gusts to 124 mph, were reported northeast of Albuquerque NM. El Paso TX was buried under 22.4 inches of snow, including a single storm record of 16.8 inches in 24 hours. The snowfall total surpassed their previous record for an entire winter season of 18.4 inches. Record cold was experienced the next three nights as readings dipped into the single numbers. High winds ushering unseasonably cold air into the southwestern U.S. gusted to 100 mph at Grapevine CA. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
• 13 December 1988...Low pressure off the Atlantic coast produced up to a foot of snow in eastern Nassau County and western Suffolk County of southeastern New York State. Mild weather prevailed across the western half of the country. Nine cities reported record high temperatures for the date, including Goodland KS with a reading of 74 degrees. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
• 13 December 1989...Strong northwesterly winds, ushering bitterly cold arctic air into the central U.S., produced squalls with heavy snow in the Great Lakes Region. Snowfall totals in Upper Michigan ranged up to 24 inches at Manistique. Nine cities in Arkansas and Texas reported record low temperatures for the date, including Calico Rock AR with a reading of 4 degrees above zero. (Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)
• 14 December 1287...Zuider Zee seawall in the Netherlands collapsed with the loss of 50,000 lives.
• 14 December 1991...A ferry, carrying 569 passengers, sank in the Red Sea off the coast of Safaga, Egypt, after hitting a coral reef. Over 460 people were believed drowned.
• 15 December 1965...The third cyclone of the year killed another 10,000 people at the mouth of the Ganges River, Bangladesh.
• 16 December 1917...An ice jam closed the Ohio River between Warsaw, KY and Rising Sun, IN. The thirty-foot high ice jam held for 58 days, and backed up the river a distance of 100 miles. (David Ludlum)
• 16-20 December 1978...Heavy rain that began on the evening of the 16^th eventually led to major flooding on a majority of Arizona's rivers. Up to 8.52 inches of rain fell over these five days at Palisades Ranger Station. The floods were responsible for 13 deaths, 10,0000 homeless and more than 55 million dollars in damage. Bridges on I-17 over Agua Fria River at Black Canyon City collapsed, resulting in six deaths. (Accord's Weather Calendar)
• 16-17 December 1997...Torrential rain from Super Typhoon Paka fell on Guam with nearly 21 inches of rain observed at Tiyan before instrumentation failed two hours before Paka's eye passed to the south. Winds gusted to 171 mph before wind instruments failed. However, unofficial sources at Andersen Air Force Base believed that wind gusts may have reached 236.7 mph during the height of the storm. This super typhoon left major damage to 60 percent of the homes on Guam and caused 500 million dollars in damage. Fortunately, no one was killed and only two injuries were reported. (The Weather Doctor) (Accord's Weather Calendar)
• 16 December 1999...Days of torrential rains and mudslides in Caracas and surrounding states in Venezuela left tens of thousands of people dead, missing or homeless and forced at least 120,000 to leave their homes.
• 17 December 1884...A three-week blockade of snow began at Portland, OR. A record December total of 34 inches was received. (David Ludlum)
• 19 December 1967...The second heavy snow in a week brought a total of 86 inches of snow to Flagstaff, AZ with a record snow depth of 83 inches. Many homes, farm buildings and business structures collapsed from the weight of the snow. The snows inflicted great hardship on the Indian reservations. (Intellicast) (David Ludlum)

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Prepared by AMS WES Central Staff and Edward J. Hopkins, Ph.D., email hopkins@meteor.wisc.edu
ã Copyright, 2004, The American Meteorological Society.