WEEKLY CLIMATE NEWS

PREVIEW WEEK: 25-29 August 2014

ITEMS OF INTEREST

Viewing the eastern side of the "Blue Marble" -- True color images made by the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) onboard the NASA/NOAA Suomi NPP (National Polar-orbiting Partnership) satellite show a view of the Eastern Hemisphere, which many people in the United States rarely see. These images include a single image from late March 2014 and an animated sequence of images running from late January through July. [NASA Earth Observatory]
Free admission into the National Parks -- This Monday 25 August 2014 has been designated by the National Park Service as fee-free day in honor of its 98th Birthday. This fee waiver will cover entrance and commercial tour fees in many of the national parks and monuments administered by the Park Service. [National Park Service Birthday]
Accessing and interpreting climate data -- If you would like to obtain a variety of climate data for your home town or state that are available from the National Weather Service, please read this week's Supplemental Information...In Greater Depth. This Supplemental not only identifies some of the sites to find the data, but also provides you with a brief explanation of the terminology used to identify the climate data.
A change in seasons -- This coming Sunday, 31 August 2014, marks the end of Northern Hemisphere's meteorological summer, the three-month span of June, July and August that meteorologists frequently use for record keeping processes. Meteorological autumn (September, October and November) for the Northern Hemisphere starts the following day, 1 September 2014. Additional information will be presented in the next several weeks concerning meteorological seasons and the astronomical seasons, such as the familiar autumn that begins on the autumnal equinox in three weeks on Monday, 22 September 2014.

CURRENT CLIMATE STATUS

Global temperature and ice cover for July 2014 reviewed -- Scientists at the NOAA National Climatic Data Center recently reported on their analysis of preliminary weather data collected during the month of July 2014:

The combined global land and ocean surface temperature for July 2014 was the fourth highest for any July since sufficiently detailed global climate records began in 1880. This global temperature was nearly 61.6 degrees Fahrenheit, or 1.14 Fahrenheit degrees above the 20th century (1901-2000) average. When considered separately, the average land temperature for June 2014 was the tenth highest for any July since 1880, while the temperature over the oceans was tied with July 2009 for the highest for any July. Ocean temperatures dropped slightly across the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean during July from the previous month, indicating neither El Niño or La Niña conditions were present across this region during the month.
The researchers at the National Snow and Ice Data Center noted the areal extent of the Arctic sea ice for July 2014 was the fourth smallest for any July since satellite surveillance began in 1979. On the other hand, the extent of the Antarctic sea ice was the largest July ice extent in the 37-year record. [NOAA/NCDC State of the Climate]
A global map of Selected Significant Climate Anomalies and Events for July 2014 is available from NCDC.

CURRENT CLIMATE MONITORING

New satellite data designed to help drought-stricken farmers -- A new NASA satellite that is scheduled to be launched this winter will collect local soil moisture data on a spatial resolution that should help agricultural and water managers worldwide. This mission, called NASA's "Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP)" satellite, will use two microwave instruments that will monitor soil moisture in the top two inches of the soil from around the globe and with a resolution of approximately six miles once every two to three days. [NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory]
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 FORCING

Monitoring aerosols around the globe -- A global map showing the distribution of changes in the concentrations of aerosols in the atmosphere between 2000 and 2009 due to human activity was generated by the computer model called Goddard Chemistry Aerosols Radiation and Transport Model (GOCART) based upon satellite observations of a variable called "aerosol optical depth." This map shows that over this nine-year span, aerosol levels deceased over most of Europe and eastern sections of North American, while concentrations increased significantly over Asia. [NASA Earth Observatory]
GPS tracks uplift of Western US associated with extreme drought -- Scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego using ground positioning data collected from highly precise GPS (Global Positioning System) stations throughout the western United States have discovered the entire region was rising in elevation by amounts ranging from 0.15 inches to more than one half of an inch. They attribute this elevation rise to the uplift of the tectonic plate across the West associated with the water shortage caused by widespread and persistent drought conditions over the last several years. [University of California San Diego News Center]
"Global warming hiatus" may be linked to depths of the Atlantic Ocean -- Researchers at the University of Washington report that the small increases in the average global surface temperatures during the last decade following a span of rapid warming during the late 20th century appears to be due a naturally occurring cyclic process where the surface heat is transported deep into the northern and southern waters of the Atlantic Ocean by a slow-moving current in the Atlantic. Apparently, this current increased in speed during the early 21st century. The researchers used data collected from deep-sea observations obtained from Argo floats and older oceanographic expeditions. Hence, cyclic changes in the deep ocean current driven by salinity (or salt concentration of seawater) would explain the so-called "global warming hiatus" where excess surface heat is drawn downward causing the subsurface warming of the Atlantic despite increases in the concentrations of atmospheric greenhouses that would result in increased receipt of energy at the surface. Similar cyclic occurrences of cooling were found between 1945 and 1975. [University of Washington News]
Force of Gulf Stream influenced by Fram Strait sea ice over last 30,000 years -- Scientists at Germany's Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research have concluded from their analysis of seafloor deposits that the force of the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic over the last 30,000 years has been significantly influenced by the amount of sea ice in the Fram Strait during the time span. Specifically, when large quantities of sea ice from the Arctic Ocean drifted through the Fram Strait located between Greenland and the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard and into the North Atlantic, the heat transport of the Gulf Stream declined especially around 17,600 years ago and again about 12,800 years ago. [ Alfred Wegener Institute News]
Sunlight appears key to be key to carbon dioxide in Arctic -- Researchers from Oregon State University and the University of Michigan refute the commonly-held notion that bacteria may be the key to triggering the production of carbon dioxide from Arctic soils, claiming that sunlight is the key. Climate change could affect the timing and the way in which permafrost is thawed, which begins the process of converting the organic carbon into atmospheric carbon dioxide. [Oregon State University News]

CLIMATE FORECASTS

New Seasonal Climate Outlooks for fall issued -- Near the end of last week, forecasters at the NOAA Climate Prediction Center (CPC) released their new national Three-Month (Seasonal) Climate Outlooks new three-month seasonal national climate outlooks for September through November 2014, corresponding to the meteorological autumn season (in the Northern Hemisphere). Specific details of their outlooks include:
- Temperature and precipitation outlooks -- According to their temperature outlook, nearly the entire Eastern Seaboard from Maine to Florida and a large section of the West especially along the Cascades and Sierras were given a better than even chance for above average temperatures for these three upcoming months. On the other hand, sections of the high Plains and the central Rocky Mountains should experience a high chance of below average temperatures running through the end of October. Their outlook indicates that the remainder of the nation would have nearly equal chances of warmer or cooler than normal conditions.
  Their precipitation outlook calls for better than even chances of dry conditions for the autumn of 2014 across the Northwest, primarily across western Washington. A large section of the southern Plains, the southern Rockies and the Southwest centered on the Four Corners area (AZ, UT, CO and NM) were considered to have a good chance of a wet three month span. Above average precipitation could also be expected in the southern Florida Peninsula. The rest of the 48 contiguous states should have equal chances of below and above average autumnal precipitation.
  A summary of the prognostic discussion of the 3-month outlook for non-technical users is available from CPC. These forecasts were based in part that an El Niño event could develop during this upcoming autumn season. A description is also provided as how to read these 3-class, 3-month Outlook maps.
- Seasonal Drought Outlook -- The forecasters at NOAA's Climate Prediction Center also released their US Seasonal Drought Outlook last week that would run from late-August through November 2014. Their outlook would call for persistence or development of drought conditions along most of the West Coast and the Intermountain West that would include large sections of California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Nevada and Utah. Sections of the Southwest and the southern Plains could experience some improvement in drought conditions. Some of these areas, especially in sections of the central Plains, could have drought conditions removed. Note: a Seasonal Drought Outlook Discussion is included describing the forecasters' confidence.

CLIMATE AND SOCIETY

Significant land cover changes found in US coastal regions -- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently released an updated nationwide analysis called the "Land Cover Atlas" that shows that nearly 65,000 square miles of coast regions experienced substantial changes in land cover between 1996 and 2011, with coastal areas accounting for approximately 43 percent of all land cover changes across the 48 contiguous United States in a five-year span from 2001 to 2006. [NOAA News]
Earthweek -- Diary of the Planet [earthweek.com] Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Concept of the Week: Touring the DataStreme Earth's Climate System Website

Welcome to DataStreme Earth's Climate System (ECS)! The Earth's Climate System website is an integral component of the DataStreme ECS (Earth's Climate System) course. The website is intended to deliver a wealth of climate information that is both pertinent to the course as well as being a reference site for you as you study Earth's climate system. The webpage is arranged in several sections. On Monday of each week of the course, we will post the current Weekly Climate News that includes Climate in the News (a summary listing of recent events related to climate), Concept of the Week (an in-depth analysis of some topic related to climate in the Earth system), and Historical Events (a list of past events important in the understanding of climatology). When appropriate, Supplemental Information...In Greater Depth will be provided on some topic related to the principal theme of the week.

You will use the DS Climate Studies website to access and download the "Current Climate Studies" that complement your Climate Studies Investigations Manual. These materials should also be available by noon (Eastern Time) on Monday. Click the appropriate links to download and print these electronic components of the investigations as well as your Chapter, Investigations and Current Climate Studies Response forms.

Beyond these course Learning Files, sections include Climate Information, Climate Variability, Climate Change, Societal Interactions and Climate Policy, and Extras. As the titles suggest, there are multiple uses for climate data and their interpretation. Here we explore some examples of the information provided in the various sections of the webpage.

The Climate Information section includes access to weather data, the raw material of climate synthesis, from the United States and the world under the heading "Observations and Data." Under this heading, click on "U.S. and World Weather Data." This National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) page first directs you to "United States Weather" and provides channels to current weather data as well as radar graphics, weather maps, and aviation and marine weather. It then leads you to International Weather Conditions.

The second major subdivision of the course website encompasses Climate Variability. Climatic variability refers to the fluctuations and oscillations that may occur within the climate system at temporal and spatial scales beyond that of individual weather events. Select the link, "NOAA El Niño Page". The page that appears provides access to a wealth of background and information on El Niño and La Niña, including the animation showing sea surface temperatures (SST) in the tropical Pacific during recent months. To the left of the animation, click on "What's happening today?" The page of current tropical Pacific conditions that appears shows a small map to the right. Click on that map and again anywhere on the subsequent set of map panels to get an enlarged view of the latest conditions of SST and anomalies.

The third major section of the course website is termed Climate Change. Here we provide links to information and analyses that primarily focus on anthropogenic (human-made) change processes and results in the climate system. That prominently includes the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's ("IPCC") latest classic report on atmospheric greenhouse gas emissions and their effects. Also linked are modeling results ("Models") based on those studies.

The last major section of the website is titled Societal Interactions and Climate Policy. This block contains information on the impacts of projected change on human societies around the world, beyond that listed in the IPCC report, and the international actions and debates regarding those issues. Select and click on "US Global Change Impacts Report" to the left in this section. This webpage introduces you to the latest comprehensive and authoritative report on climate change and its impacts in the United States, now and in the future. You will be directed to this report several times in this course.

Completing the course website is the Extras section of additional handy information for the course and individual study such as dictionaries of terms, maps and materials. Choose and examine one of the Climate Literacy links, either a PDF or the Word version. This document has recently been developed and released by NOAA to provide an overview of general concepts and information the general public and especially students should be aware of regarding the climate and the climate debate.

Concept of the Week: Questions

The first Climate Information link, "NOAA Climate Services", shows the Global Climate Dashboard where several graphs display Earth's temperature, atmospheric carbon dioxide level, spring snow cover, etc. with a time slider than can be set to display from [(1800)(1880)(1940)] to the latest data in 2013.
Under the Societal Interactions and Climate Policy section, click the "U.S. Global Change Research Program" link. Near the bottom of page are two selector bars that show the climate impacts in the report are categorized by [(only regional)(only sectoral)(both regional and sectoral)] climate information. ***This is an updated question.***

Historical Events:

25 August 1910...The temperature at Bowen, MT dropped to 5 degrees, the lowest ever for the 48 states in August. (Intellicast)
25 August 1940...New Jersey experienced its coldest August morning of record, with lows of 32 degrees at Layton and Charlotteburg. (The Weather Channel)
25 August 1987...A new record for monthly rainfall was set at Chicago when a storm brought the total to 15.73 inches erasing the previous record for any month, which had been 14.17 inches in September, 1961 (Storm Data) (Intellicast)
26 August 1883...Krakatoa Volcano exploded in the East Indies. The explosion was heard more than 2500 miles away, and every barograph around the world recorded the passage of the air wave, up to seven times. Giant waves, 125 feet high and traveling 300 mph, devastated everything in their path, hurling ashore coral blocks weighing up to 900 tons, and killing more than 36,000 persons. Volcanic ash sent into the stratosphere was carried around the globe in thirteen days producing blue and green suns in the tropics, and then vivid red sunsets in higher latitudes. The temperature of the earth was lowered one degree for the next two years, finally recovering to normal by 1888. (David Ludlum)
26 August 1935...San Francisco, CA had their heaviest 24-hour rainfall for August when 0.25 inches fell. (Intellicast)
26 August 1989...Anchorage, AK was soaked with a steady rain, and the 24-hour total of 4.12 inches smashed their previous 24-hour precipitation total of 2.10 inches. It also pushed their rainfall total for the month past their previous record for August. (The National Weather Summary)
27 August 1948...Buffalo, NY hit its all-time maximum temperature of 99 degrees. (Intellicast)
27 August 1970...Elko, NV was deluged with 3.66 inches of rain in just one hour, establishing a state record. (The Weather Channel)
27 August 1973...The largest documented Canadian hailstone fell at Cedoux, Saskatchewan. The stone weighed 0.55 pounds and measured 4.5 inches across. (The Weather Doctor)
27 August 1986...A mix of snow, ice pellets and rain fell on Sault Ste. Marie, MI during the evening, the first time snow was observed in August since records started in 1888. (Intellicast)
27 August 1995...Remains of Tropical Storm Jerry unloaded 12.32 inches of rain in 24 hours in Greer, SC, a record for 24 hours, for a rain event and for August. At Antreville, 17.00 inches fell in 24 hours, setting a 24-hour rainfall record for the Palmetto State. (Intellicast)
28 August 1911...Saint George, GA was deluged with 18.00 inches of rain in 24 hours to establish a state record that was subsequently broken by the current record of 21.10 inches in July 1994. (The Weather Channel)
28-29 August 1962...Hackberry, LA was deluged with 22 inches of rain in 24 hours, establishing a state record. (The Weather Channel)
29 August 1876...A torrential downpour inundated St John's Newfoundland with 173.2 mm (6.8 inches) of rainfall, the greatest single daily accumulation ever recorded in the province. (The Weather Doctor)
29 August 1965...The observatory on top of Mount Washington NH reported a snowfall of 2.5 inches of snow, a national record for the month of August. (The Weather Doctor)
29 August 2005...As Hurricane Katrina traveled across the northern Gulf of Mexico toward the Louisiana Coast, a reconnaissance aircraft determined that Katrina's minimum central pressure was 902 millibars (or 26.64 inches of mercury), the fifth lowest pressure ever recorded in an Atlantic hurricane. Katrina was also the third most-intense land-falling hurricane in US history based on a minimum landfall pressure of 920 millibars (or 27.17 inches of mercury). (The Weather Doctor)
29 August 2007...With its high temperature pegged at 113degrees, Phoenix, AZ set a new record of 29 days with 110 degree or higher temperatures. (The Weather Doctor)
30 August 2000...The temperature rose to 111 degrees at the North Little Rock Airport, setting a new record for the highest temperature ever observed at that location. (The Weather Doctor)
31 August 1885...A record 71-day dry period began at Calgary, Alberta. (The Weather Doctor)
31 August 1889...Los Angeles, CA set two local rainfall records as 0.61 inches fell, the maximum 24-hour and monthly records for August. (Intellicast)
31 August 1915...The temperature at Bartlesville, OK dipped to 38 degrees to establish a state record for the month of August. (The Weather Channel)
31 August 1971...The low of 84 degrees and high of 108 degrees at Death Valley, CA were the lowest of the month. The average daily high was 115.7 degrees that August, and the average daily low was 93.4 degrees. (The Weather Channel)
31 August 1987...Frost was reported in South Dakota. Aberdeen, SD established a record for the month of August with a morning low of 32 degrees, and Britton, SD dipped to 31 degrees. (The National Weather Summary)

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