WEEKLY CLIMATE NEWS

DataStreme ECS WEEK 8: 28 October-1 November 2013

ITEMS OF INTEREST

High-quality maps of November temperature and precipitation normals across US available -- The PRISM Climate Group at Oregon State University's website has prepared high-resolution maps depicting the normal maximum, minimum and precipitation totals for November and other months across the 48 coterminous United States for the current 1981-2010 climate normals interval. These maps, with a 800-meter resolution, were produced using the PRISM (Parameter-elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model) climate mapping system.
November weather calendar for a city near you -- The Midwestern Regional Climate Center maintains an interactive website that permits the public to produce a ready to print weather calendar for any given month of the year, such as November, at any of approximately 270 weather stations around the nation. (These stations are NOAA's ThreadEx stations.) The entries for each day of the month includes: Normal maximum temperature, normal minimum temperature, normal daily heating and cooling degree days, normal daily precipitation, record maximum temperature, record minimum temperature, and record daily precipitation; the current normals for 1981-2010.
Monitoring El Niño and La Niña -- Scientists have suggested that a ENSO-neutral conditions (ENSO=El Niño/Southern Oscillation) should remain for the next six months, meaning neither a strong El Niño nor a La Niña event would develop to affect weather patterns across the United States during the upcoming winter months. For more details on how to monitor these phenomena, please read this week's Supplemental Information.. In Greater Depth.

CURRENT CLIMATE STATUS

September 2013 weather and climate for the nation and globe reviewed -- Scientists at the NOAA National Climatic Data Center recently reported on their analysis of preliminary weather data collected during the month of September 2013:

National weather and climate -- When averaged across the coterminous United States, the monthly temperature for September 2013 was 67.3 degrees Fahrenheit, which was 2.5 Fahrenheit degrees above the 20th-century (1901-2000) average. Consequently, this past September was the sixth warmest September since 1895 when comprehensive climate records became available nationwide. Most of the states from the Mississippi Valley to the Pacific Coast had above to much above average temperatures. Seven states across the northern Rockies and northern Plains (Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska) reported statewide monthly temperatures that were in the top 10 highest September temperatures on record. Florida reported an above average September statewide temperature. Several Middle Atlantic States (New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland) experienced below average September temperatures.
The nationwide average precipitation for September 2013 was 2.99 inches, which was 0.51 inches above the 20th-century average, making that month the 12th wettest September in the last 119 years. Six states in the Midwest and seven states along the Atlantic Seaboard and Appalachians experienced below average monthly precipitation. Maryland had its sixth driest September on record, while Delaware had its seventh lowest statewide precipitation. Conversely, most of the states across the western half of the nation reported above to much above average precipitation for September. Colorado, Oregon and Washington reported their wettest September since 1895, while seven other states across the West had statewide precipitation that were in the top ten for September precipitation totals. [NOAA National Climatic Data Center]
September national drought report -- The National Climate Data Center has posted its September 2013 drought report online. Using the Palmer Drought Severity Index, approximately 7 percent of the coterminous United States experienced severe to extreme drought conditions at the end of September, while 16 percent of the area had severely to extremely wet conditions.
Global temperatures -- The combined global land and ocean surface temperature for September 2013 was 1.15 Fahrenheit degrees above the 20th century (1901-2000) average, which tied the temperature for September 2003 as the fourth highest for any month of September since sufficiently detailed global climate records began in 1880. The scientists noted that September 2013 marked the fifth consecutive month (since May ) with monthly-average global temperatures ranking among the six highest for their respective months. When considered separately, the temperature over the oceans was the fourth highest for any September since 1880, while the average land temperature was the sixth highest for any September. Sea-surface temperatures across the eastern half of the equatorial Pacific Ocean were slightly below average in September due to ENSO-neutral conditions (ENSO = El Niño/Southern Oscillation), continuing the trend for the seventeenth consecutive month. The researchers at the National Snow and Ice Data Center noted the areal extent of the Arctic sea ice for September 2013 was the sixth smallest since satellite surveillance began in 1979. On the other hand, the extent of the Antarctic sea ice was the largest in the 35-year record. [NOAA/NCDC State of the Climate] A global map of Selected Significant Climate Anomalies and Events for September 2013 is available from NCDC.

CURRENT CLIMATE MONITORING

This year's Antarctic "ozone hole" appears smaller than average -- Atmospheric scientists at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center recently reported that data obtained from NASA and NOAA satellites indicate that the average size of the so-called "ozone hole" over Antarctica had reached 8.1 million square miles, or approximately 0.6 million square miles less than the long-term average size measured since 1990 at its peak seasonal size during the Antarctic spring (August and September). The "ozone hole" is an area of depleted ozone content in the stratosphere that has been occurring since the 1980s mainly because of ozone-destroying chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) from human activity. [NASA Goddard Space Flight Center]
Satellite data help improve volcanic ash forecasts for aviation safety -- Researchers at NASA's Langley Research Center and their colleagues are using NASA 3D satellite data to improve forecasts of volcanic ash plumes made by the world's nine operational Volcanic Ash Advisory Centers that are designed to benefit aviation. The NASA satellites have several onboard sensors that can detect airborne volcanic ash particles. While no single instrument can provide all the desired information, the suite of satellites and their various instruments provide a more complete picture of the volcanic ash distribution. [NASA Langley Research Center]
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, fire weather, marine weather, severe weather, drought and floods. [ NOAAWatch]

CLIMATE AND THE BIOSPHERE

Nutrient enrichment and climate change linked to increasing toxicity of algal blooms -- Researchers from Oregon State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill claim that nutrient enrichment and climate change are contributing to an apparent increase in the toxicity of some algal blooms in freshwater lakes and estuaries around the world. This increased algal bloom toxicity threatens aquatic organisms, ecosystem health and human drinking water safety. [Oregon State University News]

CLIMATE AND SOCIETY

Looking to the past for help in society's adapting to environmental change -- A geo-archaeologist from the United Kingdom's University of Cambridge claims that her research into ancient civilizations in Egypt had shown that these populations experienced large-scale changes in climate, but found ways to adapt and survive the environmental changes that occurred over the past 10,000 years. Some of these changes were slow, while others were rapid. [University of Cambridge Research]
Dreary weather could aid in worker productivity -- Researchers at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill have found that workers tended to be more productive on rainy days than on sunny days. They discovered that the workers were more distracted on sunny days and more prone to making errors. In addition, sunshine and pleasant weather promoted more risk-taking behavior by investors, while inclement weather tended to increase aversion to risk. [Triangle Business Journal]
Website for human dimensions of climate change -- An interagency effort within the US federal government that included NOAA, the Bureau of Land Management and the US Forest Service, has resulted in a website called HD.gov (for HumanDimensions.gov) that provides users, such as natural resource managers, with information on the human dimensions on a variety of topics of interest such as climate change. [HD.gov]
Earthweek -- Diary of the Planet [earthweek.com] Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Concept of the Week: Seawater Salinity and Carbon Dioxide

The contemporary concern regarding global climate change has caused scientists to study the various factors that govern the ocean's ability to absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide. Concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, are on the rise primarily because of increased burning of fossil fuels. Higher levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide may be contributing to increased global temperatures, a condition often identified as 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.

Studies show that the ocean's ability to absorb carbon dioxide is primarily temperature dependent. As noted in Chapter 8 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. We also found in Chapter 1, photosynthetic organisms assimilate carbon dioxide and release oxygen. Through cellular respiration, all organisms release carbon dioxide. Therefore, biological activity affects the ocean's ability to absorption of atmospheric 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. For nearly 20 years, scientists have been collecting physical, chemical and biological data through a large column of ocean water at Station ALOHA, a sampling site about 100 km (62 mi) north of Oahu that appears representative of oceanic conditions in the central North Pacific. 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 2001, the rate of carbon dioxide uptake was only about 15% of the rate in 1989. Why the change in carbon dioxide 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 associated with drought 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 carbon dioxide uptake to the saltier waters. The balance of the decline may be due to changes in biological productivity or ocean mixing.

Projected changes in global climate indicate significant changes in precipitation around the globe including reduced precipitation over various large areas of the oceans, resulting in potential "drought" conditions. Since changes in oceanic salinity result from changes in precipitation, the contribution that salinity plays on future assimilation of atmospheric carbon dioxide by the ocean also becomes an important consideration.

Concept of the Week: Questions

Place your responses on the Chapter Progress Response Form provided in the Study Guide.

With rising sea surface temperatures, the rate of evaporation of seawater [(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:

28 October 1936...The temperature at Layton, NJ dipped to 9 degrees above zero to establish a state record for the month of October. (The Weather Channel)
28 October 1991...Yakima, WA recorded 2.4 inches of snow, equaling the record for October. (Intellicast)
29 October 1917...The temperature at Soda Butte, WY the mercury plunged to 33 degrees below zero, an U.S. record for the month of October. (David Ludlum)
29 October 1991...Bismarck, ND received 15.9 inches of snow on the 28^th and 29^th. This brought the October snowfall total to 23.5 inches, a new record. (Intellicast)
30 October 1925...Nashville, TN was blanketed with an inch of snow, their earliest measurable snow of record. (The Weather Channel)
31 October 1987...Yakima, WA reported measurable rainfall for the first time since 18 July. The 103-day long dry spell was their longest of record. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
31 October 1991...A severe winter storm dubbed the "Great Halloween Mega Storm" struck the upper Midwest. Minnesota bore the brunt of the storm. By the time the storm finally ended on 2 November, Duluth received 37 inches of snow and Minneapolis 28 inches, which were new all time records for single storm totals. These two cities received nearly half their normal seasonal snows in this one storm. In Wisconsin, 35 inches of snow was reported at Superior and 30 inches at Iron River. (Intellicast)
31 October 1993...Corpus Christi, TX dropped to 28 degrees to set the October (and November) record. Brownsville dropped to a monthly record 35 degrees. (Intellicast)
2 November 1946...A heavy wet snow began to cover the Southern Rockies. Up to three feet of snow blanketed the mountains of New Mexico, and a three-day snowstorm began at Denver, CO. By the time it ended, this storm had dropped 31 inches, making it the second greatest snowfall ever in city history and causing roofs to collapse. (David Ludlum)
2 November 1961...The temperature at Atlanta, GA reached 84 degrees to establish a record for November. (The Weather Channel)
2 November 1966...A storm brought 18 inches of snow to Celia, KY in 24 hours. It tied the state 24-hour snowfall record first established at Bowling Green. (The Weather Channel)
2 November 1988...A very intense low pressure system brought heavy rain, snow, and high winds, to parts of the northeastern U.S. Portland, ME established a record for November with 4.52 inches of rain in 24 hours, and winds along the coast of Maine gusted to 74 mph at Southwest Harbor. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
3 November 1890...The temperature at Los Angeles, CA reached 96 degrees, a November record for 76 years. (David Ludlum)
3 November 1927...The "Great Vermont Flood" began as a two-day rain of up to 9 inches put rivers in western New England over their banks. Somerset, VT was deluged with 8.77 inches of rain to establish a 24-hour record for the state. (3^rd-4^th) (The Weather Channel) (Intellicast)
3 November 1989...Cold weather prevailed in the central U.S. The low of 7 above zero at Marquette, MI was their lowest reading of record for so early in the season. (The National Weather Summary)

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