Weekly Ocean News

WEEKLY OCEAN NEWS

WEEK FOUR: 19-23 September 2016

For Your Information

Worldwide GLOBE at Night 2016 Campaign resumes -- The tenth in a series of GLOBE at Night citizen-science campaigns for 2016 will commence on Thursday (22 September) and continue through Saturday, 1 October. 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 (Cygnus in the Northern Hemisphere and Grus in the Southern Hemisphere) with the seven magnitude/star charts of progressively fainter stars. Activity guides are also available. The GLOBE at night program is intended to raise public awareness of the impact of light pollution. The next series in the 2016 campaign is scheduled for 21-31 October 2016. [GLOBE at Night]
High tides expected along the Middle Atlantic and Southeast coasts -- NOAA's National Ocean Service has recently released its High Tide Bulletin for the Fall of 2016. Ocean tides are expected to be higher than normal between 18 and 20 September along the US Atlantic Coast extending from New Jersey to south Florida because of the occurrence of a spring tide due to last Friday's full moon. Higher than normal tides are also anticipated for mid-October and mid-November. [NOAA National Ocean Service News]
The Autumnal Equinox --The Autumnal Equinox will occur early this coming Thursday morning (officially at 1421Z on 22 September 2016 or 10:21 AM EDT or 9:21 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 morning of Wednesday, 21 December 2016.
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.
If you checked the sunrise and sunset times in your local newspaper or from the climate page at your local National Weather Service Office, you would probably find that not until the midpoint of this coming week will the length of time when the Sun is above the local horizon would be precisely 12 hours at most locations. However; the length of night will exceed that of the length of daylight by the end of the week. The effects of atmospheric refraction (bending of light rays by the varying density of the atmosphere) along with a relatively large diameter of the sun contribute to several additional minutes that the Sun appears above the horizon at sunrise and sunset.
Ask a hurricane scientist about the science of hurricane hunting -- On this upcoming Thursday afternoon (1:00-3:00 PM EDT) NOAA will host a Reddit Ask Me Anything (AMA) on "The Science of Hurricane Hunting to Improve Forecasts." The director of the Hurricane Research Division at NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory and P-3 hurricane hunter pilot will answer the public's questions. [NOAA News]
September is National Preparedness Month -- The month of September has been declared National Preparedness Month (NPM), which is aims to educate and empower Americans to prepare for and respond to all types of emergencies, including natural disasters. NPM is sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA), which has provided a toolkit of marketing materials to help promote the month, is the lead on this campaign that was originally launched in 2004. The theme for 2016 NPM is "Don't Wait. Communicate. Make Your Emergency Plan Today," with an emphasis on preparedness for youth, older adults, and people with disabilities and others with access and functional needs.
During Week 4 (18-24 September), the weekly hazard-focused theme is "Individual Preparedness" [FEMA's Ready.gov]
NOAA's National Weather Service is working with FEMA to communicate the importance of emergency preparedness as a key component of its Weather-Ready Nation campaign. [NOAA Weather Ready Nation]
Undergraduate scholars present summer research experiences at NOAA -- During this past week, 163 scholars from more than 85 universities around the United States that had participated in this summer's Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate and Educational Partnership Program with Minority Serving Institutions Undergraduate Scholars presented their research to scientists and peers at the annual Science & Education Symposium at NOAA Headquarters in Silver Spring, MD. [NOAA News]
Reconstructing past oceanic conditions from marine sediment cores -- If you would like information on how scientists can reconstruct past environmental conditions in the oceans from the analysis of the physical, chemical and geological data in deep-sea sediment cores, please read this week's Supplemental Information…In Greater Depth.

Ocean in the News

Eye on the Tropics -- During the last week tropical cyclone activity continued in the Atlantic and Pacific basins of the Northern Hemisphere:

In the North Atlantic basin, the ninth named tropical cyclone of 2016 formed approximately 1140 miles to the southeast of Bermuda on Monday morning. This system, identified as Tropical Storm Ian, traveled generally toward the north and then to the northeast over the course of the week, passing to the east of Bermuda. As of last Friday morning Ian lost its tropical characteristics and became an extratropical cyclone (midlatitude low pressure system) as it was racing toward the northeast approximately 800 miles to the east of Cape Race, Newfoundland or 1185 miles to the south-southwest of Reykjavik, Iceland. See the NASA Hurricane Page for additional information and satellite images on Tropical Storm Ian.
Late last Tuesday evening Tropical Storm Julia formed along the coastal sections of northeastern Florida approximately 5 miles to the west of Jacksonville, FL. This event was one of the rare times that a tropical storm has formed over land. During the first day, Julia traveled toward the northeast along the Georgia and South Carolina coasts as a minimal tropical storm before turning out to sea and weakening to a tropical depression. Locally heavy rain fell along these coasts. However, near the end of the week Tropical Depression Julia intensified to become a tropical storm again as it drifted on an erratic path toward the southeast, south and then to the southwest. By this past weekend Tropical Storm turned toward the northwest and weakened once again to a tropical depression. As of late Sunday afternoon Tropical Depression Julia was moving to the northwest approximately 110 miles to the south-southeast of Myrtle Beach, SC. The forecast was for Julia to intensify slightly as it would turn toward the north and approach the coast of the Carolinas on Monday afternoon or evening. Additional information and satellite images on Tropical Depression Julia are available on the NASA Hurricane Page.
A tropical depression (TD12) formed over the western Cabo Verde Islands late Wednesday afternoon (local time). Moving to the west, this tropical depression intensified to become Tropical Storm Karl, the eleventh named Atlantic tropical cyclone of 2016, early Friday approximately 575 miles to the west of the Cabo Verde Islands. Over the weekend, Karl continued its travels toward the west. As of Sunday evening, Tropical Storm Karl was located approximately 1110 miles to the east of the Leeward Islands. Forecasts indicate that Karl could strengthen on Monday as it would turn toward the west-northwest. Consult the NASA Hurricane Page for satellite imagery and information on Tropical Storm Karl.
In the eastern North Pacific basin, Tropical Storm Orlene intensified to become a category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale early last Monday morning as it was located approximately 700 miles south-southwest of Cabo San Lucas on the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula. Orlene was the eighth hurricane to form in the eastern Pacific basin in 2016. The initial motion of Orlene was to the northwest and then to the north before turning toward the west. By the end of the week, Tropical Storm Orlene became a remnant low last Friday evening approximately 1160 miles to the west of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Satellite images and additional information on Tropical Storm Orlene can be found on the NASA Hurricane Page.
A tropical depression formed on Saturday evening approximately 380 miles to the south of Cabo Corrientes, Mexico. By early Saturday morning, this system had intensified to become Tropical Storm Paine, the 16th named tropical cyclone in two and a half months. Moving to the northwest, Paine was located approximately 360 miles to the south-southwest of Cabo San Lucas as of Sunday afternoon. Current forecasts indicate that Paine could become a hurricane on Monday as it would continue toward the northwest and then curve to the north-northwest and north.
In the western North Pacific basin, Typhoon Meranti intensified to become Super Typhoon Meranti early last week as maximum sustained surface winds reached exceeded 190 mph, equivalent to a category 5 typhoon on the Saffir-Simpson Scale. During the week continued to the west-northwest, passing the southern tip of Taiwan an making landfall along the coast of southeastern mainland China. Super Typhoon Meranti caused widespread damage to Taiwan and brought heavy rains of up to 15 inches along portions of China. It was one of the largest and strongest typhoons ever measured with winds to 190 mph, wave heights close to 50 feet and a central minimum pressure dropping to 890 mb, or 26.28 inches of mercury. The NASA Hurricane Page has additional information on Super Typhoon Meranti.
Tropical Depression 17W, which formed near the end of previous weekend, was a tropical depression for less than 24 hours as it traveled toward the east-northeast, approximately 1000 miles to the north-northeast of Minami Tori Shima (Marcus Island), a Japanese coral atoll. The NASA Hurricane Page has a satellite image and a discussion on the short-lived TD17W.
Tropical Depression 18W formed near Guam on Monday (local time) and traveled toward the west-northwest.
This tropical depression intensified to become Typhoon Malakas, strengthening to a category 4 typhoon by late in the week as it curved toward the northwest and then north, passing to the east of Taiwan. As of Monday (local time), Typhoon Malakas was located approximately 370 miles to the southwest of Sasebo on the Japanese island of Kyūshū. Additional information and satellite images are available on the NASA Hurricane Page for Typhoon Malakas.

New guidelines addressing effects of ocean noise on marine mammals shows NOAA's commitment -- Earlier last week, NOAA Fisheries released the final version of its Ocean Noise Strategy Roadmap, a ten-year strategy that will serve as a guide for the entire agency in managing ocean noise effects on marine life and that is also intended to outline roles for stakeholders, industry, academia. [NOAA News]
First marine national monument in North Atlantic is created -- Late last week President Obama created the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument in the waters approximately 100 miles southeast of Cape Cod, MA and the New England Coast, which represents the first marine national monument to be designated in the North Atlantic. This new national monument includes pristine underwater mountains and canyons and the designation will provide protection for important ecological resources and marine species, including deep-sea coral and endangered whales and sea turtles. [NOAA News] A fact sheet describing the President's announcement is available. [The White House Press Office]
Capabilities of an unmanned surface vessel are evaluated -- During the last week an operational evaluation of C-Worker 5, an unmanned surface vessel (USV), was conducted during a bathymetric and marine habitat survey offshore of the Carolinas by the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) and partners. This USV can be remotely operated and monitored from a control station aboard a host ship, such as the NOAA Ship Nancy Foster. [NOAA NCCOS News]
Sea ice on Arctic Ocean reaches its smallest seasonal extent -- During the last week scientists at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and National Snow and Ice Data Center announced that the sea ice cover on the Arctic Ocean appeared to have shrunk to its smallest annual extent on 10 September 2016. Based on preliminary analysis of data collected by the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR-2) sensor on Japan's Global Change Observation Mission 1st–Water ("Shizuku") satellite, the sea ice coverage on that date was determined to be only 1.6 million square miles, which would represent an area that would tie 2007 as the second smallest seasonal extent since satellite-based observations began in 1978. The lowest measured Arctic sea ice extent remains on 17 September 2012, when 1.31 million square miles of ice covered the Arctic Ocean. [NASA Earth Observatory] or
[National Snow & Ice Data Center News]
Monitoring highest water levels along US coast during Hurricane Hermine -- NOAA's National Ocean Service recently posted an online graphic that shows the highest seawater levels reached at stations maintained by Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services that were impacted by Hurricane and later Tropical Storm Hermine from 29 August 29 through 5 September 2016. Water levels at Cedar Key, FL were measured at 6.1 feet during Hermine, the highest observed water levels during this storm, exceeded the historical maximum of 5.15 feet established in October 1996 during Tropical Storm Josephine. [NOAA National Ocean Service News]
"One size fits all" approach to tsunami evacuation plans may not always fit -- A team of researchers from the Western Geographic Science Center of the US Geological Survey (USGS), the California Geological Survey and the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services recently completed a report in which they concluded that the current approach to tsunami evacuation planning in coastal communities based upon maximum evacuation zones may not be appropriate for small tsunamis, as this "one-size fits all" approach may result in more people being evacuated than needed, overly disrupting the local economy and straining resources needed during emergency response. California's low-lying coastal city of Alameda along San Francisco Bay was used as a case study to explore community implications and benefits associated with four different tsunami-evacuation zones. [USGS News]
Study of Australia's Great Barrier Reef begins -- During the last week, NASA's COral Reef Airborne Laboratory (CORAL) mission commenced in North Queensland, Australia on a two-month airborne investigation of the Great Barrier Reef, the world's largest reef ecosystem located off the northeastern coast of Australia. The goal of the three-year CORAL mission is to provide critical data and new models needed to analyze the status of coral reefs and to predict their future. Aerial surveys using state-of-the-art airborne imaging spectrometer technology developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory will be combined with in-water validation activities. A uniform data set will be developed for a large sample of reefs across the Pacific Ocean. [NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory News]
Plastic pollution found to be widespread in Great Lakes tributaries -- Scientists with the US Geological Survey (USGS) and the State University of New York at Fredonia studied 107 water samples collected from 29 Great Lakes tributaries in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and New York that account for approximately 22 percent of the total river water flowing into the Great Lakes. These researchers found microplastics, or tiny pieces of harmful plastic, in all samples. [USGS News]
News from North Carolina's Outer Banks -- Terri Kirby Hathaway, Marine Education Specialist for the North Carolina Sea Grant Program and an AMS DataStreme LIT Leader from Manteo, NC recently forwarded the following news items from the Outer Banks of North Carolina:
- Preliminary damage assessments made following the passage of Tropical Storm Hermine along the North Carolina coast during the first week of September indicate damage to Dare County on the Outer Banks amounted to $2.5 million, with as many as 657 properties being damaged and one home being destroyed. [The Outer Banks Voice]
- Rip currents along the beaches of Cape Hatteras National Seashore were responsible for the deaths of a 70-year-old man and a 51-year-old man who was acting as a Good Samaritan in an attempted rescue at the beginning of the Labor Day weekend. [The Outer Banks Voice]
Twenty nations expected to join Paris Pact on climate this week -- United Nations (UN) officials recently reported that at least 20 countries additional have indicated they will join the Paris climate change agreement made last December at a United Nations event this coming Wednesday, 21 September 2016. These 20 countries would be in addition to the 27 nations that have already committed to the Paris Agreement on climate change, which would raise hopes that the deal will enter into force by the end of 2016, as ratification is needed by at least 55 parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. [Climate Central News]
An All-Hazards Monitor-- This Web portal provides the user information from NOAA's National Weather Service, FAA and FEMA on current environmental events that may pose as hazards such as tropical weather, fire weather, marine weather, severe weather, drought and floods. [NOAA/NWS Daily Briefing]
Earthweek -- Diary of the Planet [earthweek.com]

Concept of the Week: Variations in Marine Sediment Thickness

Sediments are particles of organic or inorganic origin that accumulate in loose form in depositional environments such as lake or ocean bottoms. Marine sediments, the central focus of this week's investigations, have a variety of sources and exhibit a wide range of composition, size, and shape. Marine sediments settle to the ocean floor as unconsolidated accumulations but ultimately may be converted to solid sedimentary rock via compaction and cementation. The pattern of variations in marine sediment thickness on the ocean floor confirms some basic understandings regarding marine geological processes.

Go to the RealTime Ocean Portal and under "Geological," click on "Sediment Thickness." This map of marine sediment thickness in the ocean basins was compiled by the National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC), Marine Geology and Geophysics Division primarily based on existing maps, ocean drilling, and seismic reflection profiles. Sediment thickness is color-coded in meters from violet (thinnest) to red (thickest). Many factors account for the variation in the thickness of marine sediment deposits including type and location of sediment sources, sediment transport mechanisms, and the age of the underlying crust.

According to the map, sediment thickness generally increases with distance from near the central portion of an ocean basin to the continental margin. This pattern may be explained by the principal sediment source and/or the age of the underlying crust. Rivers and streams that empty into the ocean slow and diverge, releasing the bulk of their suspended sediment load in coastal environments (e.g., bays, estuaries, deltas) and onto the continental shelf. Ocean currents transport sediment along the coast. In some areas of the continental shelf, massive amounts of sediment accumulate, become unstable, and flow down the continental slope to the base of the continental rise and beyond. However, only the finer fraction of river-borne sediment is swept into the deep ocean waters. Thickening of marine sediments in the direction of the continental margin may also reflect the aging of oceanic crust with distance away from divergent (spreading) plate boundaries where new oceanic crust forms. The older the crust the longer is the period that sediment rains down on the ocean bottom and the thicker is the blanket of accumulated sediment.

The map indicates that the thickness of marine sediment deposits is greater in the continental margin along the Atlantic coast of North America than along the Pacific coast. The Atlantic coast of North America is a passive margin; that is, the continental margin is not affected significantly by tectonic processes (no plate boundary) and the principal geological processes consist of sedimentation along with erosion by ocean waves and currents. In fact, passive margins and relatively thick marine sediment deposits occur on both sides of the Atlantic. (Passive margins also occur around the Arctic Ocean and surrounding Antarctica.) On the other hand, the Pacific coast of North America is an active margin; that is, the continental margin is associated with plate boundaries and is subject to deformation by tectonic stresses. Active continental margins are relatively narrow so that sediment delivered to the coast by rivers and streams flows directly into deeper water or trenches—preventing thick accumulations of marine sediments from building in the continental margin.

Concept of the Week: Questions

The thickness of marine sediment deposits is greater in the [(continental margins)(deep-ocean basins)].
The thickness of marine sediment deposits generally is greater in [(active)(passive)]continental margins.

Historical Events

19 September 1559...The first hurricane in recorded U.S. history hit Pensacola, FL. As many as seven Spanish expedition ships may have been destroyed. (National Weather Service files)
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)
21 September 1989...Hurricane Hugo made landfall on Isle of Palms, SC as a Category 4 hurricane. This storm brought strong winds to many areas of South Carolina. In Downtown Charleston, sustained winds of 87 mph were reported; along with gusts of 108 mph. Total damage from this hurricane is estimated at $10 billion, including $5.2 billion in the United States. (National Weather Service files)
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)
24 September 1493...Christopher Columbus set sail with 17 ships on his second expedition to the New World, reaching the Lesser Antilles, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Hispaniola before returning to Europe in March 1496. (Wikipedia)
25 September 1513...Vasco Núñez de Balboa, a Spanish conquistador-explorer, crossed the isthmus of Panama and reached the Pacific Ocean, which he christened Mar del Sur (South Sea), claiming the ocean and all adjacent lands for Spain. (Wikipedia)
25 September 1939...A West Coast hurricane moved onshore south of Los Angeles bringing unprecedented rains along the southern coast of California. Nearly 5.5 in. of rain drenched Los Angeles during a 24-hr period. The hurricane caused $2 million in damage, mostly to structures along the coast and to crops, and claimed 45 lives at sea. "El Cordonazo" ("the lash" or "whip") produced 5.66 in. of rain at Los Angeles and 11.6 in. of rain at Mount Wilson, both records for the month of September. It was the only time in the 20th Century that the center of a tropical storm made landfall still at tropical storm strength on the California coast. (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel) (National Weather Service files)
25 September 1956...The world's first transatlantic telephone cable system began operating (Clarenville, Newfoundland to Oban, Scotland). Previous cables had been limited to telegraph transmissions. (Today in Science History)