WEEKLY CLIMATE NEWS

21-25 August 2017

ITEMS OF INTEREST

The "Great North American Eclipse" -- The "Great North American Eclipse" will occur on Monday (21 August 2017), when the moon will pass in front of the Sun and create a total solar eclipse that will travel across the North American continent from Oregon on the Pacific Coast to South Carolina on the Atlantic Coast.

NASA is funding several science teams to conduct scientific experiments during the solar eclipse. Eleven ground-based science investigations will be conducted across the nation, with three looking at the response of the ionosphere (the ionized layer of the Earth's atmosphere at altitudes between 50 and 400 miles above the surface). [NASA Goddard Space Flight Center]
NASA and the GLOBE (Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment) Program are encouraging the public to make observations of the atmosphere on the day of the total solar eclipse as the eclipse path passes from west to east across the nation. The public is invited to make observations of the clouds (type and amount of cover) and air temperature and then post their results using a special GLOBE Observer app. [Globe Observer]
NASA has provided five tips for photographing the total eclipse. [NASA Goddard Space Flight Center]
NOAA's fleet of geosynchronous and polar orbiting satellites will track the path of the moon's shadow across the United States. The newest satellite, GOES-16, should provide still images and animations of the event beginning as the eclipse shadow reaches the Oregon coast. Special NOAA and NASA websites will be available for these images and animations. [NOAA News]
Changes in temperature, winds, solar radiation intensity and other atmospheric variables accompanying the eclipse's shadow can be monitored across the nation's midsection by automated mesonet weather stations located in several states. Check the sites in Kansas, Kentucky and Nebraska.
The National Weather Service has an informative webpage entitled "2017 Total Solar Eclipse" http://www.weather.gov/source/crh/eclipse.html that contains an interactive map allowing the user to obtain current weather forecasts along the eclipse path.
Monday's total solar eclipse will provide a team of scientists from NOAA Research's Global Systems Division an opportunity to test an experimental version of a short-term weather model designed to predict subtle changes in the weather caused by moon blotting out the incoming solar radiation. Temperature, humidity, wind and cloud data collected from the National Weather Service's weather observation network will be fed into the model. [NOAA Office of Oceanic & Atmospheric Research News]
Follow the recommended eclipse viewing safety rules provided on the NOAA and NASA websites to protect your eyes from potential damage. EJH

Worldwide GLOBE at Night 2017 Campaign is underway -- The eighth in the series of GLOBE at Night citizen-science campaigns for 2017 will continue through Wednesday, 23 August. 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 (Hercules in the Northern Hemisphere and Sagittarius 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 2017 campaign is scheduled for 12-21 September 2017. [GLOBE at Night]
Free admission into the National Parks -- This Friday, 25 August 2017 has been designated by the National Park Service as a fee-free day in honor of its 101st 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 Fee Free Days]
Understanding the meaning of sea level and its changes -- NOAA recently posted an Explainer feature that defines several terms used to describe sea level (global sea level, local sea level and mean sea level). Knowledge of these terms is important for answering several questions that involve measurement of sea level, the changes in sea level, relating sea level changes with a changing climate and in how changes in sea level would affect the public. [NOAA News]
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.

CURRENT CLIMATE STATUS

Global temperature and ice cover for July 2017 reviewed -- Scientists at the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) recently reported on their analysis of preliminary weather data collected during the month of July 2017:

The combined global land and ocean surface temperature for July 2017 was the second highest for any July since sufficiently detailed global climate records began in 1880, slightly lower than the record set in July 2016, by 0.09 Fahrenheit degrees. The July global combined temperature was 1.49 Fahrenheit degrees above the 20th century (1901-2000) average of 60.4 degrees Fahrenheit. When considered separately, the average air temperature over the world oceans for July 2017 was the third highest for any July since 1880, while the temperature over the globe's land surfaces was the highest July reading on record.
[Editor's Note: Using a slightly different spatial averaging scheme for essentially the same set of station data as used by NCEI, scientists at NASA's Goddard Institute Space Studies determined that the July global temperature was statistically tied with that of July 2016. EJH]
The researchers at the National Snow and Ice Data Center noted the areal extent of the Arctic sea ice for July 2017 was the fifth smallest for any July since satellite surveillance began in 1979. The extent of the Antarctic sea ice was the smallest July ice extent in the 39-year record. [NOAA/NCEI State of the Climate]
A global map of Selected Significant Climate Anomalies and Events for July 2017 is available from NCEI.

CURRENT CLIMATE MONITORING

Two new regional ocean climatologies are released -- NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) recently announced that two new regional ocean climatologies have been added to the center's Ocean Climate Laboratory. These two high-resolution climatologies, which contain oceanic parameters, such as temperature, concentrations of dissolved salts (salinity), dissolved oxygen at various depths, averaged over at least a decade, are for the Northern North Pacific and for the Northeast Pacific. The two regional climatologies cover the region from the Bering Sea and the Aleutian Islands off Alaska eastward and southward along North America's West Coast to as far south as Mexico's Baja California Peninsula. The information that can be extracted from these climatologies would be important for assessing long-term atmospheric and oceanic climate change, as well as for monitoring regional marine ecosystems. [NOAA NCEI News]
"Atmospheric river" monitoring project launched in San Francisco Bay area -- NOAA and California's Sonoma County Water Agency are about to launch a four-year, $19-million project that will build a new regional radar and advanced rainfall forecast system intended to provide water agencies in the nine-county San Francisco Bay area better warning about potential flooding and water quality impacts from heavy rainfall events associated with "atmospheric river" events. Atmospheric rivers are plumes of moisture-laden air from the subtropical regions of the central and western North Pacific Ocean basin that are carried by jet stream winds to the western coast of North America. While some atmospheric river events can eliminate drought conditions in California, such as last autumn and early winter, a persistent flow of humid air could result in too much rainfall that could lead to flooding and mudslides, as also occurred later during the winter. [NOAA News] or [NOAA Office of Oceanic & Atmospheric Research News]

CLIMATE FORCING

New research shows Montreal Protocol has significantly reduced US greenhouse gas emissions -- Scientists at NOAA and the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) have found that the 30-year old international Montreal Protocol treaty adopted to restore Earth's protective ozone layer has not only significantly reduced emissions of ozone-depleting chemicals from the United States, but also has severed to significantly reduce the nation's emissions of climate-altering greenhouse gas. Many of the now banned ozone-depleting substances controlled by the treaty are also potent greenhouse gases. The study showed that reducing the use of ozone-depleting substances from 2008 to 2014 eliminated the equivalent of 170 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions each year. [NOAA News] or [NOAA Office of Oceanic & Atmospheric Research News]
Rare wildfires were burning Greenland tundra in mid-August -- NASA scientists have reported that during the last week wildfires burning the dry tundra and peatland along the western coast of Greenland just west of the Greenland ice sheet. Satellite images showed relatively large quantities of soot and ash ("black carbon") being deposited upon the ice. These deposits may hasten further melting o the Greenland ice sheet for the remainder of the summer. [NOAA Climate.gov News]
Record smoke levels from this summer's Canadian wildfires seen from satellite perspective -- A composite image obtained from data collected early last week from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) sensors onboard the NASA/NOAA Suomi NPP satellite shows the pall of smoke across a large area of central Canada produced by major wildfires that have been burning across Canada's Yukon, Northwest and Nunavut Territories for the last month and a half. A researcher at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center has used data collected from the Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) on Suomi NPP satellite to calculate an aerosol index (AI) for the smoke, finding that the AI for the current smoke layer surpassed the previous AI record set in 2006 for wildfires in Australia. [NASA Earth Observatory]

CLIMATE FORECASTS

Updated El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Diagnostic Discussion is released -- Forecasters at NOAA's Climate Prediction Center (CPC) and the International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI) released their monthly El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Diagnostic Discussion late last week. They reported an ENSO-neutral situation continued through July 2017, with near-average sea surface temperatures (SST) found across most of the equatorial Pacific Ocean. In addition, the atmospheric system remained close to average, suggestive of the continuation of an ENSO-neutral situation with neither El Niño nor La Niña conditions prevailing. (An El Niño is a "warm phase" event where above average SST values are found in the eastern equatorial Pacific, while a La Niña is a "cold phase" event with below-average SSTs in the eastern Pacific) Most of the prediction models used by the forecasters indicate a continuation of ENSO-neutral conditions through Northern Hemisphere's autumn (September through November). Therefore, forecasters give ENSO-neutral conditions an 85 percent chance of continuing through September, while decreasing to a 55 percent chance during the boreal winter season of 2017-2018. Therefore, the CPC's ENSO Alert System Status remained non active. [NOAA Climate Prediction Center] Note: The criteria used for CPC's ENSO Alert System is available.
An ENSO blog was written by a researcher with NOAA's Climate Prediction Center that explains why CPC and IRI forecasters are anticipating the continuation of ENSO-neutral conditions through the remainder of 2017. She notes that sea surface temperatures across the equatorial Pacific during the last month were close to the long-term averages, indicating the ENSO-neutral conditions. Mention is also made of the atmospheric conditions of cloud cover and rainfall across the region as also suggestive of ENSO-neutral conditions. [NOAA Climate.gov News]
An El Niño forecast from Down Under -- Forecasters with the Australian Bureau of Meteorology recently issued an updated ENSO forecast from a Southern Hemisphere perspective. They reported continuation of ENSO-neutral conditions. Since they foresee a continuation of these neutral conditions through the remainder of the calendar year of 2017, the Bureau's ENSO Outlook status remains "Inactive." [Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology]
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 2017, 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, all of the 48 contiguous United States along with Alaska should have a better than even chance of experiencing above average temperatures for the upcoming three months of autumn. The regions with the best chances for warmer than normal conditions would be across the Southwest, the Florida Peninsula, the Northeast and all of Alaska.
  Their precipitation outlook calls for better than even chances of wetter than average conditions for the autumn of 2017 across a large section of the South, extending from west Texas to Florida and the Carolinas, with the highest chances being over the southern Plains and the lower Mississippi Valley. Southern Alaska especially around the Kenai Peninsula, Kodiak Island and the Anchorage area would have a better than average chance for above-average autumn precipitation. The rest of the 48 contiguous states along with a broad area of Alaska 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 in the assessment that the current ENSO-neutral conditions (meaning no significant El Niño or La Niña event were occurring) should continue through the next several months. However, the chances for formation of an El Niño have increased from previous forecasts. On the other hand, a weak La Niña was also possible. 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 2017. Their outlook would call for persistence of drought conditions across the northern Minnesota, the northern Plains (the Dakotas and eastern Montana) and the northern Rockies of western Montana. Scattered areas in southern sections of California and Arizona along with central Utah should have a continuation of drought. A large area of the interior Northwest could see development of drought or expansion of current drought conditions. Sections of the central Plains and the Midwest could experience some improvement in drought conditions, including areas in Kansas, Nebraska South Dakota, Iowa and Missouri that could have drought conditions removed. Note: a Seasonal Drought Outlook Discussion is included describing the forecasters' confidence in their Drought Outlook.

CLIMATE AND SOCIETY

Earthweek -- Diary of the Planet [earthweek.com].

Concept of the Week: Touring the AMS Climate Studies RealTime Climate Portal

The RealTime Climate Portal 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 RealTime Climate Portal along with the "Current Climate Studies" that complement your Climate Studies Investigations Manual. These materials should also be available Monday morning. Click the appropriate links to download and print these electronic components of the investigations as well as your 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 RealTime Climate Portal.

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 "NOAA’s Climate.gov." This page displays weather and climate stories and the Dashboard shows graphs of climate information back to 1880.

The second major subdivision of the RealTime Climate Portal 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. The page of current tropical Pacific conditions appears on a small map.

The third major section of the RealTime Climate Portal 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 RealTime Climate Portal 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 "National Climate Assessment (NCA3) Highlights" 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 RealTime Climate Portal 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. 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.

Historical Events:

22 August 1816...The growing season for corn was cut short as damaging frosts were reported from North Carolina to interior New England in the "Year-without-a-Summer". (David Ludlum)
22 August 1976...The temperature soared to record high for Newfoundland: with a 98.1-degree reading at Botwood. (The Weather Doctor)
24 August 1906...The maximum 40-minute rainfall record for the U.S. was set with 9.25 inches at Guinea, VA. (National Weather Service files)
24 August 1992...Hurricane Andrew slammed into south Florida, devastating the community of Homestead with 181-mph winds. With a central pressure at landfall of 922 millibars (27.22 inches of mercury), which at the time was the third lowest ever recorded in a hurricane at landfall in the United States. Camille (1969) and the Labor Day Hurricane (1935) were more intense. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina became the third most intense land-falling hurricane with a 920-millibar pressure reading (or 27.17 in Hg) when it reached the Louisiana Gulf Coast. (The Weather Doctor)
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)

Return to RealTime Climate Portal