WEEKLY OCEAN NEWS

7-11 January 2013

DataStreme Ocean will return for Spring 2013 with new Investigations files starting during Preview Week, Monday, 14 January 2013. All the current online website products, including updated issues of Weekly Ocean News, will continue to be available throughout the winter break period.

Items of Interest:

Worldwide GLOBE at Night 2013 Campaign is underway -- The first of a series of GLOBE at Night citizen-science campaigns for 2013 is currently underway, having commenced on 3 January and continuing through 12 January. 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 or Leo in the northern hemisphere, and Orion and Crux in the southern hemisphere) with seven star charts of progressively fainter stars. In addition to the 3-12 January campaign, the other four GLOBE at Night campaigns in 2013 are 31 January-9 February; 3-12 March; 31 March-9 April and 29 April-8 May. [GLOBE at Night]

Ocean in the News:

Eye on the tropics -- During the last week, the only organized tropical cyclone activity was found in the western Pacific basins and the Indian Ocean basin:
In the western North Pacific basin, Tropical Storm Sonamu formed late last week to the southwest of the Philippines. This tropical storm continued to move to the west-southwest across the South China Sea By late in the weekend Sonamu was heading west passing to the several hundred miles to the south of Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) in southern Vietnam. For additional information and satellite images on Tropical Storm Sonamu, consult the NASA Hurricane Page.
In the western South Pacific basin, Cyclone Freda continued to travel southward at the beginning of last week as a major category 3 tropical cyclone on the Saffir-Simpson Scale. By early in the week, this tropical cyclone weakened to a tropical storm late in the week as it passed to the west of New Caledonia. The NASA Hurricane Page has additional information and satellite images on Cyclone Freda.
In the South Indian basin, Tropical Cyclone Dumile formed early last week to the east of Madagascar near La Reunion, where heavy rain and strong winds were reported. This tropical cyclone, which intensified to a category 1 tropical cyclone on the Saffir-Simpson Scale, traveled southward and then to the southeast late in the week. See the NASA Hurricane Page for satellite images and information on Tropical Cyclone Dumile.
Protecting endangered whales by adjusting shipping lanes along California coast -- Based upon research conducted by NOAA, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) announced adoption of three proposals deemed necessary to improve navigational safety and to reduce ship strikes off the California coast by adjusting the shipping lanes for those vessels approaching San Francisco Bay, the Santa Barbara Channel and the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. [NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries]
Annual survey yields estimate of beluga whale population in Alaska's Cook Inlet -- During the last week, NOAA's Alaska Fisheries Science Center announced that the 2012 abundance estimate for the endangered Cook Inlet beluga whale population along the coast of south central Alaska is 312 whale, which represents a small increase over the previous year. The researchers also noted that the whales venturing into waters that are relatively new to them. [NOAA Fisheries News Alert]
Increased jellyfish blooms associated with periodic global fluctuations -- A multinational collaborative study has found that contrary to popular belief that the numbers of jellyfish have been increasing globally, the global jellyfish populations appear to undergo fluctuations with successive decadal periods of rise and fall that are associated with perception. [University of Southampton ]
Using fossil coral records to assess recent El Niño activity -- Researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the University of Minnesota have been examining 7000-year old fossil corals using oxygen isotope ratios and they have found that that they can detect a rhythmic El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) signal in the tropical Pacific. Their analysis findings indicate 20th century ENSO climate cycles appear to be significantly stronger than ENSO variations captured in the fossil corals. However, they do not want to suggest that increased greenhouse emissions as the culprit for more El Niño events. The researchers hope that their findings will help assess the accuracy of current climate model projections concerning ENSO events. [Georgia Institute of Technology Research News]
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.

Historical Events:

7 January 1904...The international Morse code distress signal "CQD" was established. Two years later, the 1906 International Conference on Wireless Communication at Sea, resolved that the radio distress signal should become "SOS" because it was quicker to send by wireless radio. (Wikipedia)
7 January 1927...Transatlantic telephone service began between New York and London, with 31 calls made on this first day.
8 January 1958...The Coast Guard LORAN Station at Johnston Island began transmitting on a 24-hour basis, thus establishing a new LORAN rate in the Central Pacific. The new rate between Johnston Island and French Frigate Shoal gave a higher order of accuracy for fixing positions in the steamship lanes from Oahu, Hawaii, to Midway Island. In the past, this was impossible in some areas along this important shipping route. (USCG Historian's Office)
8 January 1971...Twenty-nine pilot whales beached themselves and died at San Clemente Island, CA.
8-11 January 1980...Winds, waves and rain pounded Hawaii, resulting in 27.5 million dollars in storm damage, which was the greatest amount to that date in the Aloha State's history. Four houses were destroyed and 40 others damaged by a possible tornado in Honolulu's Pacific Palisades area on the 8^th. Ocean waves with heights to 20 feet entered beachfront hotels along the Kona Coast of the Big Island. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
12 January 1836...Charles Darwin onboard the HMS Beagle reached Sydney, Australia.
12 January 1937...A plow for laying submarine cable was issued an U.S. patent. Designed to feed a cable at the same time that it would dig a trench in the ocean bed, the device could be used at depths up to one half mile. The first transatlantic cable of high-speed permalloy was buried on 14 June 1938. The inventors were Chester S. Lawton of Ridgewood, NJ and Capt. Melville H. Bloomer of Halifax, Nova Scotia. (Today in Science History).
12 January 1991...A major Atlantic storm intensified over the ocean waters off Newfoundland. Winds reached 105 mph at coastal Bonavista and ocean waves reached heights of 66 feet. A cargo ship sank 250 miles off the southeast Newfoundland coast. This storm was responsible for 33 deaths. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
13 January 1840...The 207-ft long side-wheel steamship Lexington burned and sank in Long Island Sound four miles off the northern coast of New York State's Long Island with the loss of 139 lives. Only four people survived. (Wikipedia)