Weekly Ocean News

WEEK TWO: 12-16 September 2011

Item of Interest --

Eye on the tropics -- The historic or statistical annual peak in the Atlantic hurricane season occurred over this past weekend (10-12 September), as determined as the date during the entire season with most frequent number of named tropical cyclones (tropical storms and hurricanes), based upon over 100 years of record. This date corresponds closely with the time of peak sea-surface temperatures across those sections of the North Atlantic considered hurricane-breeding areas. [NWS National Hurricane Center] UPDATE -- [Note: So far this Atlantic hurricane season, which commenced on 1 June 2010, four tropical cyclones have reached hurricane status including the currently active Hurricane Igor, five have were tropical storms, while three systems have been tropical depressions. EJH]

Ocean in the News:

Eye on the tropics -- The weather across the tropical North Atlantic and the North Pacific basins remained active last week with several tropical cyclones (low pressure systems that form over tropical waters):

In the North Atlantic basin, Hurricane Katia, which had formed south of the Cape Verde Islands at the start of the previous week, intensified into a major category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale as it traveled to the northwest to the east of the Bahamas early this past week. By midweek, this hurricane curved to the north and passed between Bermuda and the East Coast of the US. Late in the week, this hurricane curved to the northeast as it passed to the south of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and transitioned into an extratropical cyclone (or midlatitude storm). The NASA Hurricane Page has more information and satellite imagery on Hurricane Katia.
Tropical Storm Lee, which had formed from a tropical depression over the western Gulf of Mexico, traveled northward and made landfall along the Louisiana Gulf Coast on Sunday, 4 September 2011. This tropical storm was the twelfth named tropical cyclone of the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season. After making landfall, Tropical Storm Lee weakened to a tropical depression and then consolidated with a midlatitude frontal boundary over the lower Mississippi Valley. Becoming a midlatitude storm, the remnants of Lee together with the stationary frontal boundary brought excessive rainfall during the majority of the week to sections of the Gulf Coast and the Appalachians, stretching as far north as Upstate New York. This rain resulted in some of the worst flooding in over 40 years [USA Today]. See the NASA Hurricane Page for additional information on former Tropical Storm Lee.
The next named tropical cyclone, Tropical Storm Maria, formed over the waters of the central tropical North Atlantic early last week. This system traveled to the west and the west-northwest, traveling across the northern Leeward Islands by this past weekend. On Sunday, Tropical Storm Maria was passing to the north of Puerto Rico. Check the NASA Hurricane Page for satellite images and more information on Tropical Storm Maria.
At the midpoint of last week, a tropical depression formed over the waters of the Bay of Campeche in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico. This tropical depression eventually became Tropical Storm Nate, the fourteenth named tropical cyclone of 2011 in the North Atlantic basin, which includes the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. During the remainder of the week, Tropical Storm Nate traveled west across the Bay of Campeche toward the Mexican coast. On early Sunday morning, Tropical Storm Nate made landfall along the Mexican coast near Veracruz. By the afternoon, this storm had weakened to a tropical depression as it traveled inland. For additional information on Tropical Storm Nate, please see the NASA Hurricane Page.
In the eastern North Pacific basin, no organized tropical cyclones were detected last week.
In the western North Pacific basin, Tropical Storm Noru, which had formed northeast of the Northern Mariana Islands late in the previous week, traveled to the north and north-northeast over the waters well to the east of the Japanese Archipelago before loosing its tropical characteristics and becoming a midlatitude storm (also known as an extratropical cyclone). See the NASA Hurricane Page for additional information concerning Tropical Storm Noru, together with a satellite image.
At the midpoint of last week, Tropical Storm Kulap formed west of the Northern Mariana Islands. This minimal tropical storm traveled to the north and then northwest passing across the Ryukyu Islands and over the waters of the East China Sea. Additional information on Tropical Storm Kulap and satellite imagery appear on the NASA Hurricane Page.
Late Sunday (local time), Tropical Depression 18 formed over the waters of the western tropical North Pacific between the Philippines and the Northern Mariana Islands.

Hurricane landfall threat probabilities and climate variability revealed -- Scientists at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science who studied the Atlantic hurricane records between 1950 and 2010 have determined a relationship between hurricane tracks and climate variability, such as those involving El Niño and La Niña events. [University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science]

Annual national fisheries report for 2010 released -- During the last week, NOAA's Fisheries Service released its annual report on the nation's commercial and recreational fisheries for calendar year 2010. The amount of seafood landed by commercial fishers in terms of tonnage and monetary value showed an increase in 2010 from the previous year. Dutch Harbor-Unalaska, AK and New Bedford, MA were identified as the top fishing ports. [NOAA News]

US and European Union pledge cooperation to combat illegal fishing -- During the last week, NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco and Maria Damanaki, European Union commissioner for maritime affairs and fisheries signed a historic statement in Washington, DC that pledges bilateral cooperation to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, known as IUU fishing. [NOAA News] Dr. Lubchenco's opening remarks at this signing ceremony are available. [NOAA News] She made additional remarks at the National Press Club Newsmaker event. [NOAA News]

"Chemosynthetic" life discovered near Atlantic Ocean vents -- During early August, scientists onboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer discovered chemosynthetic shrimp and tubeworms at a hydrothermal vent the Mid-Cayman Rise south of Grand Cayman Island in the waters of the Caribbean Sea. These two marine animal species rely on symbiotic chemosynthetic bacteria, deriving energy from chemical processes occurring at hydrothermal vents or seeps on the seafloor, which is unlike most species of life on Earth that rely on photosynthesis or energy from the sun. [NOAA News]

Evidence of ancient iron-rich oceans helps change views of Earth's early history -- Researchers at the University of California, Riverside and colleagues from Canada, Australia, and China have found evidence in rock samples from around the world for an iron-rich ocean between approximately 1.8 billion and 800 million years ago, which helps modify previously held views of the evolution of early life on Earth. During these times, the ancient deep ocean was nearly devoid of free oxygen, but rich in iron, a key biological nutrient. [University of California, Riverside Newsroom]

An All-Hazards Monitor -- This Web portal provides the user information from NOAA on current environmental events that may pose as hazards such as tropical weather, drought, floods, marine weather, tsunamis, rip currents, Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) and coral bleaching. [NOAAWatch]

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]

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

REPORTS FROM THE FIELD --

A request: If you have some ocean-related experience that you would like to share with other DataStreme Ocean participants, please send them to the email address appearing at the bottom of this document for possible inclusion in a News file. Thank you. EJH

Concept of the Week: The Birth of Surtsey, A Volcanic Island

In early November 1963, cod fishers plying the waters of the North Atlantic south of Iceland observed what appeared to be smoke or steam emanating from the distant ocean surface. They were witnessing the beginnings of a volcanic eruption that ultimately would give birth to a new island later named Surtsey after Surtur, the fire giant of Norse mythology. Surtsey is located at 63.4 degrees N, 20.3 degrees W or 33 km (20 mi) south of the coast of Iceland. Volcanic activity was nothing new to the fishers who lived on the nearby volcanic Westman Islands (Vestmannaeyjar). These islands as well as the main island of Iceland straddle the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a divergent tectonic plate boundary where hot molten lava wells up from the Earth's mantle, cools and solidifies into new oceanic crust.

Eruptions that produced Surtsey began on the ocean floor, some 130 m (427 ft) below sea level. The accumulating lava, cinders, and ash first emerged from the sea on 15 November 1963. Over the next 3.5 years, episodic eruptions built an island that eventually covered 2.5 square km (1 square mi) and attained a maximum elevation of 171 m (560 ft) above sea level. The initial eruptions were explosive as hot magma interacted with cold seawater producing dark jets of ash and steam that shot up to 200 m (656 ft) above two main volcanic vents. At this time, clouds of ash and steam rose into the atmosphere to altitudes perhaps as great as 10 km (6.2 mi). Subsequent eruptions were much more peaceful, consisting of quiescent flows of lava. When the eruptions ceased in early June 1967, a cubic kilometer of ash and lava had built up on the ocean floor with 9% of this volcanic material above sea level.

No volcanic activity has occurred on Surtsey since 1967 and geologists consider the volcanic island to be extinct with little risk of future eruptions. Nonetheless, Surtsey remains off limits to visitors except for scientists who obtain permission from the Icelandic government. The island offers scientists a unique opportunity to study not only the geology but also the establishment of plants and animals on the island, a process known as ecological succession. For example, by 1987, some 25 species of higher plants were growing on the initially barren island and 20 species of birds were nesting there.

Unless volcanic activity begins anew, the future is not bright for Surtsey. Some geologists predict that in a hundred years or so the island will be reduced to scattered stacks of rock. The island is composed of basaltic rock that is particularly vulnerable to weathering and erosion, ocean waves are eroding its shores, and the island is gradually sinking into the sea. Scientists reported a total subsidence of about 1.1 m (3.6 ft) between 1967 and 1991. Compaction of the volcanic material and the underlying sea-floor sediments are likely causes of the subsidence. For NASA topographical images of Surtsey, go to http://denali.gsfc.nasa.gov/research/garvin/surtsey.html . These images were obtained using a scanning airborne laser altimeter.

Concept of the Week: Questions

1. The volcanism responsible for the formation of Surtsey was associated with a [(divergent)(convergent)] tectonic plate boundary.

2. At present on Surtsey, erosive forces [(are)(are not)] prevailing over volcanic activity.

Historical Events

12 September 1775...The Independence Hurricane caught many fishing boats on the Grand Banks off Newfoundland killing 4000 seamen, most from Britain and Ireland. (The Weather Doctor)
12 September 1857...The S.S. Central America sank while in the midst of a hurricane off the North Carolina coast after beginning to take on water the previous day (11^th). Approximately 400 people onboard were lost, the greatest single loss from a commercial ship due to a hurricane. (Accord Weather Calendar)
12 September 1960...Hurricane Donna made landfall on central Long Island and then tracked across New England. Wind gusts reached 140 mph at the Blue Hills Observatory in Milton, MA and 130 mph at Block Island, RI. MacDowell Dam in New Hampshire recorded 7.25 inches of rain. Although a record tide of 6.1 feet occurred at the Battery in New York City, elsewhere fortunately the storm did not make landfall at the high tides so its effects were minimized. This was the first hurricane to affect every point along the East Coast from Key West, FL to Caribou, ME. (Intellicast)
12 September 1979...Hurricane Frederick smashed into the Mobile Bay area of Alabama packing 132-mph winds. Wind gusts to 145 mph were reported as the eye of the hurricane moved over Dauphin Island, AL, just west of Mobile. Frederick produced a fifteen-foot storm surge near the mouth of Mobile Bay. Winds gusted to hurricane force at Meridian, MS although the city is 140 miles inland. The hurricane was responsible for five fatalities and was the costliest in U.S. history to date causing $2.3 billion in damage. (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel)
13-16 September 2004...Hurricane Ivan affected coastal Alabama and the western Florida Panhandle, with landfall near Gulf Shores, AL early on the 16th. Before breaking loose of its mooring, a buoy just south of the Alabama coastal waters reported a peak wave height of 52 feet on the 15th. (Accord Weather Guide Calendar)
14 September 1716...The Boston Light, the first lighthouse in America, was first lighted just before sunset. This light was located on Little Brewster Island to mark the entrance to Boston Harbor and guide ships past treacherous rocks. This original light was blown up by the British in 1776, rebuilt in 1783, and is currently the last staffed station in the U.S. (Today in Science History)
15 September 1752...A great hurricane produced a tide (storm surge )along the South Carolina coast that nearly inundated downtown Charleston. However, just before the surge reached the city, a shift in the wind caused the water level to drop five feet in ten minutes. (David Ludlum)
16 September 1928...Hurricane San Felipe, a monster hurricane, which left 600 dead in Guadeloupe and 300 dead in Puerto Rico, struck West Palm Beach, FL causing enormous damage, and then headed for Lake Okeechobee. Peak winds were near 150 mph. The high winds produced storm waves that breached the eastern dike on Lake Okeechobee, inundating flat farmland. When the storm was over, the lake covered an area the size of the state of Delaware, and beneath its waters were 1836 victims. The only survivors were those who reached large hotels for safety, and a group of fifty people who got onto a raft to take their chances out in the middle of the lake. (David Ludlum) (Intellicast)
16 September 1988...Hurricane Gilbert made landfall 120 miles south of Brownsville, TX in Mexico during the early evening. Winds gusted to 61 mph at Brownsville, and reached 82 mph at Padre Island. Six-foot tides eroded three to four feet of beach along the Lower Texas Coast, leaving the waterline seventy-five feet farther inland. Rainfall totals ranged up to 8.71 in. at Lamark, TX. Gilbert caused $3 million in property damage along the Lower Texas Coast, but less than a million dollars damage along the Middle Texas Coast. During its life span, Gilbert established an all-time record for the Western Hemisphere with a sea-level barometric pressure reading of 26.13 inches (888 millibars). Winds approached 200 mph, with higher gusts. Gilbert devastated Jamaica and Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) (The Weather Channel)
17-23 September 1989...Hurricane Hugo hit the Virgin Islands on the 17^th, producing wind gusts to 97 mph at Saint Croix. Hurricane Hugo passed directly over the island of Saint Croix causing complete devastation and essentially cutting off the island's communications systems. A storm surge of five to seven feet occurred at Saint Croix. The only rain gauge left operating, at Caneel Bay, indicated 9.40 in. in 24 hrs. Hurricane Hugo claimed the lives of three persons at Saint Croix, and caused more than $500 million in damage. A ship, Nightcap, in the harbor of Culebra, measured wind gusts as high as 170 mph. On the 18^th, Hugo hit Puerto Rico, producing a storm surge of four to six feet, and northeastern sections of the island were deluged with more than ten inches of rain. Hugo claimed the lives of a dozen persons in Puerto Rico, and caused $1 billion in property damage, including $100 million in crop losses. On the 21^st, Hugo slammed into the South Carolina coast at about 11 PM, making landfall near Sullivans Island. Hurricane Hugo was directly responsible for thirteen deaths, and indirectly responsible for twenty-two others. A total of 420 persons were injured in the hurricane, and damage was estimated at $8 billion including $2 billion damage to crops. Sustained winds reached 85 mph at Folly Beach SC, with wind gusts as high was 138 mph. Wind gusts reached 98 mph at Charleston, and 109 mph at Shaw AFB. The highest storm surge occurred in the McClellanville and Bulls Bay area of Charleston County, with a storm surge of 20.2 ft reported at Seewee Bay. Shrimp boats were found one half-mile inland at McClellanville. On the 22^nd, Hugo quickly lost strength over South Carolina, but still was a tropical storm as it crossed into North Carolina, just west of Charlotte, at about 7 AM. Winds around Charlotte reached 69 mph, with gusts to 99 mph. Eighty percent of the power was knocked out to Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. Property damage in North Carolina was $210 million and damage to crops was $97 million. The greatest storm surge occurred along the southern coast shortly after midnight, reaching nine feet above sea level at Ocean Isle and Sunset Beach. Hugo killed one person and injured fifteen others in North Carolina. (Storm Data) (The National Weather Summary)
17 September 1996...Remnants of Hurricane Fausto that had initially formed over the eastern Pacific and moved northeastward from Mexico reformed into a powerful coastal storm in Atlantic waters off the Del-Mar-Va Peninsula, before passing Cape Cod in eastern Massachusetts. Winds gusted to 50 mph and rainfall was up to four inches. Minor coastal flooding in the New York City metropolitan area. (Accord Weather Guide Calendar)
18 September 1926...The great "Miami Hurricane" produced winds reaching 138 mph, which drove ocean waters into Biscayne Bay drowning 135 persons. The eye of the hurricane passed over Miami, at which time the barometric pressure dropped to 935.0 millibars (27.61 inches of mercury). Tides up to twelve feet high accompanied the hurricane, which claimed 372 lives. (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel)