Weekly Ocean News

WEEKLY OCEAN NEWS

WEEK THREE: 17-21 September 2012

For Your Information

The Autumnal Equinox -- The Autumnal Equinox will occur early this Saturday morning (officially at 1449Z, 22 September 2012 or 10:49 AM EDT or 9:49 AM CDT, etc.). At that time the noontime sun will appear directly above the equator, representing one of the two times during the year for such an occurrence, with the other being at the vernal equinox in March. The term "equinox" arises from the fact that this time of year represents "equal night" and equal day essentially everywhere. Within the subsequent several days, the length of daylight will become noticeably shorter. This decrease in daylight will continue for another three months to the winter solstice during the early morning hours of Friday, 21 December 2012.
Editor's note: John White, a meteorologist from North Carolina involved with the AMS Education program, reported that the geosynchronous (or geostationary) satellites make an "satellite eclipse" of the sun near the spring and autumnal equinoxes because of their equatorial orbit, such that these satellites pass through the earth's shadow and the satellite is powered down when the solar array does not receive sufficient sunlight. [For more information, consult NWS Southern Region GOES Satellite FAQ] EJH.
Aspects of ocean water chemistry and marine life considered -- If you would like more background information concerning how marine organisms evolved in the ocean with a relatively narrow range of chemical and physical characteristics, please read this week's Supplemental Information…In Greater Depth.
All-time world record high temperature invalidated -- Late last week the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) issued a news release that invalidated the world record high temperature reading of 136.4 degrees Fahrenheit recorded at El Azizia, Libya on 13 September 1922. According to a professor at Arizona State University who is the s the Rapporteur of Climate and Weather Extremes for the WMO, the WMO Commission on Climate Extremes thoroughly investigated the record and found a number of concerns, including problematic instrumentation, observation site that was over a paved surface, and poor matching to surrounding measurements. Consequently, this record high temperature for the planet is now the 134-degrees Fahrenheit reading taken at Greenland Ranch, now known as Furnace Creek, in Death Valley, CA. [Arizona State University News]

Ocean in the News

Eye on the tropics -- The tropical ocean basins of the Northern Hemisphere remained active with several tropical cyclones during the last week. The surface waters in this hemisphere remain warm.

The North Atlantic basin remained active, which should not be surprising considering that the normal peak in the North Atlantic hurricane season was one week ago. Tropical Storm Leslie, which had been a category one hurricane (on the Saffir-Simpson Scale) during the previous week, passed Bermuda at the start of last week. During the first part of last week, Leslie traveled toward the north and then north-northeast over the waters of the western Atlantic waters, making landfall along the eastern sections of Newfoundland. Additional information and satellite imagery on Tropical Storm Leslie appears on the NASA Hurricane Page.
Hurricane Michael, which had become the basin's first major hurricane of 2012 when it reached category 3 status, continued a somewhat erratic track across the central tropical Atlantic early last week. However, Michael weakened and became a remnant low before midweek. The NASA Hurricane Page has satellite images and additional information on Hurricane Michael.
Early last week, a tropical depression moving toward the northwest over the central tropical Atlantic intensified to become Tropical Storm Nadine. By the start of this past weekend, Nadine intensified to become the eighth Atlantic hurricane of 2012 as it turned toward the east. This hurricane continued to travel eastward by late in the weekend. For additional information on Hurricane Nadine along with satellite imagery, see the NASA Hurricane Page.

In the eastern North Pacific basin, Tropical Storm Kristy formed from a tropical depression off Mexico's western coast during midweek. Kristy, the eleventh named tropical cyclone of 2012 in the eastern North Pacific, traveled to the northwest well off the coast of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula late last week and over this past weekend. This tropical storm was beginning to curve toward the northeast at the end of the weekend. Satellite imagery and additional information on Tropical Storm Kristy appears on the NASA Hurricane Page.
Another tropical storm, identified as Tropical Storm Lane, formed from a tropical depression well off the western coast of Mexico at the start of this past weekend. Lane was traveling toward the northwest last in the weekend.
In the western North Pacific basin, a tropical depression over the Philippine Sea east of Manila in the Philippines became tropical storm early last week and by midweek Typhoon Sanba as it traveled northward. This typhoon (the western North Pacific's equivalent to an Atlantic hurricane) strengthened and became classified as a super typhoon as maximum sustained surface winds of 155 mph. This super typhoon was also classified as a category 5 hurricane (on the Saffir-Simpson Scale) for nearly one day late last week. During this past weekend, Super Typhoon Sanba had weakened slightly as it crossed Okinawa and heard for the Korean Peninsula. See the NASA Hurricane Page for more information and satellite images on Super Typhoon Sanba.

Fisheries disasters declared in the Northeast, on the Gulf Coast and in Alaska -- During the last week, Acting Secretary of Commerce Rebecca Blank issued fishery disaster determinations in the Northeast, Alaska, and in Mississippi, which open the door for Congress to appropriate money toward alleviating the financial hardship caused by the disaster. [NOAA Fisheries Service]
Documentation of a sunken Civil War-era warship is undertaken -- Last week, a team of archaeologists and technicians from NOAA along with state and private partners began to create a three-dimensional sonar map that will document the storm-exposed remains of the USS Hatteras in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico off Galveston, TX. This ironclad converted steamship was represents the only Union warship sunk in combat in the Gulf of Mexico during the Civil War. [NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries News]
NOAA Teacher at Sea explains the science behind studying sharks -- Steven Frantz, a middle school science teacher at Roswell Kent Middle School in Akron, OH, is one of the 22 participants in the NOAA Teacher at Sea Program designed to bridge science with education. He described his experiences onboard the NOAA Ship Oregon II as he helped scientists study snappers and sharks in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. [NOAA Fisheries Service]
Foraging ecology of sharks studied -- The feeding behavior of three types of juvenile sharks found in the California Current (the shortfin mako, blue and the common thresher sharks) are described. [NOAA Fisheries Service's Southwest Fisheries Science Center]
Naturally occurring bacteria consumed large quantities of oil and gas from Gulf oil disaster -- Researchers from the University of Rochester and Texas A&M University report finding that within a span of five months following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill, naturally-occurring bacteria in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico consumed and removed at least 200,000 tons of oil and natural gas that spewed into the deep Gulf from the ruptured well head. University of Rochester]
Arctic crustaceans need to be resourceful to survive melting sea ice -- Researchers from the University of Delaware and several Norwegian research institutions have discovered that Arctic crustaceans appear to use ocean currents and deep-water migration to survive the melting of sea ice covering the Arctic Ocean. [University of Delaware]
More accurate method for predicting hurricane activity devised -- North Carolina State University researchers have developed a new method for forecasting seasonal hurricane activity that they claim is 15 percent more accurate than previous techniques. This method involves a "network motif-based model" involving statistical modeling. [North Carolina State University 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.

Concept of the Week: Sea Water Salinity and Carbon Dioxide

In view of the contemporary concern regarding global climate change, scientists are studying the various factors that govern the ocean's ability to absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide. Concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide are on the rise primarily because of the burning of fossil fuels (i.e., coal, oil, natural gas). Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas (an atmospheric gas that absorbs and radiates infrared radiation) so that higher levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide may be contributing to 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.

As noted in Chapter 3 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. As noted in Chapter 1 of your textbook, photosynthetic organisms take up carbon dioxide and release oxygen. And through cellular respiration, all organisms release 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.

Since the late 1980s, scientists have been recording ocean conditions at a site (dubbed ALOHA) about 100 km (62 mi) north of Oahu. 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 fact, in 2001, the rate of CO₂ uptake was only about 15% of what it was in 1989. Why the change in CO₂ 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 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 CO₂ uptake to the saltier waters. The balance of the decline may be due to changes in biological productivity or ocean mixing.

Concept of the Week: Questions

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

Historical Events

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)
19 September 1957...Bathyscaph Trieste, in a dive sponsored by the Office of Naval Research in the Mediterranean, reached a record depth of 2 miles. (Naval Historical Center)
19 September 1967...Hurricane Beulah deluged Brownsville, TX with 12.19 in. of rain in 24 hrs, to establish a record for that location. Hurricane Beulah made landfall on the 20^th near the mouth of the Rio Grande River, where a wind gust of 135 mph was reported by a ship in the port. (19^th-20^th) (The Weather Channel)
20 September 1519...Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan set sail from Spain in an effort to find a western sea route to the rich Spice Islands of Indonesia. In October 1520, he passed through the straits that now bear his name separating Tierra del Fuego and the South American mainland and became the first known European explorer to enter the Pacific Ocean from the Atlantic. In September 1522 one remaining ship from the original five that set sail returned to Spain, to become the first ship to circumnavigate the globe. Magellan was killed in the Philippines in 1521. (The History Channel)
20 September 1909...A strong hurricane made landfall in southeastern Louisiana. A 15-ft storm surge flooded the Timbalier Bay area. Some 350 people perished. (Intellicast)
21 September 1938...The "Great New England Hurricane" smashed into Long Island and bisected New England from New Haven, CT across Massachusetts and Vermont, causing a massive forest blowdown and widespread flooding. Winds gusted to 186 mph at Blue Hill Observatory in Milton, MA, and a storm surge of nearly 30 ft caused extensive flooding along the coast of Rhode Island. The hurricane killed over 600 persons and caused $500 million damage. The hurricane, which lasted twelve days, destroyed 275 million trees. Hardest hit were Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Long Island NY. The "Long Island Express" produced gargantuan waves with its 150 mph winds. Waves smashed against the New England shore with such force that earthquake-recording machines on the Pacific coast clearly showed the shock of each wave. (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel)
22-23 September 1998...Hurricane Georges raked Hispaniola leaving over 580 dead in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, due mainly to flash flooding and subsequent mud slides in high terrain regions. Damage estimates from the storm exceeded $1 billion (US). (The Weather Doctor)
23 September 1551...The Grand Harbour at Valetta, Malta was hit by a waterspout that then moved inland and caused extensive damage. A shipping armada in the harbor about to go into battle was destroyed by the waterspout killing at least 600 people. (The Weather Doctor)
23 September 1815...One of the most powerful hurricanes to strike New England made landfall initially on Long Island, NY and then again at Old Saybrook, CT before crossing into Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Extensive structural damage resulted. Providence, RI was flooded and six people were killed. This "Great September Gale" was the worst tempest in nearly 200 years, equal in strength to the Great 1938 Hurricane, and one of a series of severe summer and autumn storms to affect shipping lanes that year. (David Ludlum)