11-15 March 2013

ITEMS OF INTEREST

• Time change does not affect climate records -- Daylight Saving Time went into effect this past Sunday morning for essentially the entire nation -- the exceptions include Arizona, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and about 18 counties in Indiana. These changes have been mandated by the U.S. Congress in the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which extended Daylight Saving Time across the nation, with the start on the second Sunday in March (10 March 2013) and end on the first Sunday in November (3 November 2013). Most of Canada also observes changes to Daylight Saving Time at the same time [National Research Council Canada]. In other words, following the old adage of "spring ahead, fall behind", you will need to turn your clocks ahead by one hour to conform with the local time observance.
  What does this time change mean to you (other than later sunsets)? Contrary to a popular belief that has surfaced at times, the change from Standard to Daylight Saving Time does not add an extra hour of daylight to the day nor does it affect climate record keeping. The daily high and low temperatures, along with the 24-hour precipitation taken by essentially all stations across the nation are based upon local Standard time, not Daylight time. Therefore, the daily entries in the Preliminary Local Climate Data (CF6) for any of the more than 200 cities around the nation will remain on Standard time throughout the year.
  While many people want additional daylight after work, some health experts say that the change to Daylight Saving Time is hard on human health, as it affects the natural sleep cycle and circadian rhythms. Increases in heart attacks, traffic accidents and sleep disorders have been seen during the first several days after the time change. [CBS Philly]
• A spectrum of storms seen on one satellite image -- A full-disc visible satellite image obtained from data collected by a sensor onboard the EUMETSAT (European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites) geosynchronous satellite in late January shows three "storms" that are of different space and time scales. This image shows an example of relatively small and short-lived thunderstorms in addition to a large and long-lived tropical cyclone and a slightly larger extratropical cyclone. [NASA Earth Observatory] Some atmospheric and climate scientists believe that higher global temperatures not only have resulted in changes in climate but also have meant fewer, but stronger storms. [NASA Earth Observatory]
• Linking weather and climate -- Find out how atmospheric scientists have extended weather forecasting efforts used to predict the weather over the next few days into monthly and seasonal (3-month) climate outlooks in this week's Supplemental Information...In Greater Depth.

CURRENT CLIMATE MONITORING

• Assessing the capabilities of the US Climate Reference Network -- The US Climate Reference Network (USCRN), which consists of 114 climate stations around the nation, is currently 10 years old. This network, developed by NOAA's National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), has a primary goal of providing future long-term homogeneous temperature and precipitation observations for detecting the national signal of climate change. In addition, this record can be coupled to long-term historical observations for the detection and attribution of present and future climate change. The observations made by the USCRN stations over the last 10 years compare well with those observations from the older and larger US Historical Climatology Network (USHCN). In addition to air temperature and precipitation measurements, the USCRN stations also measure soil moisture, which is of use in climate studies. [NOAA/NCDC News]
• Operational responsibilities of newest environmental satellite changes hands -- Recently, NOAA assumed full operational responsibility for the nation's newest environmental satellite, Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) satellite, from NASA, the agency that launched this spacecraft in October 2011. Since then, tests on each of the sensors onboard this polar-orbiting satellite have been run by NASA engineers. Over time data collected by the instruments onboard Suomi NPP have been used by NOAA for a variety of applications, including advanced warning for severe weather events such as tornado outbreaks, heavy snowfall, hurricanes, heat waves, floods, and wildfires. Editor's note: The Suomi NPP satellite, a prototype for the next-generation of environmental satellites, was named for Verner Suomi, a meteorology professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who was a pioneer in the development of satellite sensors for use in meteorological applications. EJH [NOAA News]
• Robotic sub explores subglacial lake in Antarctica -- A researcher from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has been using a small baseball-bat-size robotic submersible device to explore and make images of the lake floor of Antarctica's subglacial Lake Whillans as part of an international Antarctic expedition that is being conducted. This device, called the "Micro-Submersible Lake Exploration Device," is equipped with hydrological chemical sensors and a high-resolution imaging system. [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]
• Global and US Hazards/Climate Extremes -- A review and analysis of the global impacts of various weather-related events, including drought, floods and storms during the current month. [NCDC]

CLIMATE FORCING

• Sun is quiet during the anticipated "year of a solar maximum" -- Although 2013 has been regarded to be a year during which solar activity should reach a maximum in the rhythmic solar cycle, the solar activity so far in the current calendar year has been relatively low, with few sunspots and infrequent strong solar flares. Solar physicists note that the activity during the current Solar Cycle 24 may have a double peak, much like in 1989 and 2001 during the two previous solar cycles. An image of the Sun's surface is included that was made from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) on NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. [NASA Earth Observatory]

CLIMATE MODELING

• New statistical physics technique simulates climate change -- Scientists at Brown University have been developing a new approach called "direct statistical simulation" using statistical physics that is quicker and more efficient to study climate change than current simulation techniques. [Brown University]

CLIMATE FORECASTS

• Seasonal Drought Outlook updated -- Late last week, forecasters at NOAA's Climate Prediction Center updated their US Seasonal Drought Outlook that is valid for the remainder of meteorological spring (March through May) 2013. This outlook indicates that drought conditions would persist across a large area of the nation extending from the southern and central Plains westward across the Rockies and Great Basin, with development of drought conditions across sections of California and the Southwest. In addition, drought was expected to continue or develop across the Florida Peninsula and sections of coastal Georgia. The forecasters foresee an improvement in the drought conditions across sections of the Upper Mississippi Valley and the western Great Lakes as well as across interior sections of the Southeast, including the southern Appalachians. Some limited improvement in drought conditions could also occur across the northern and central Plains. [NOAA Climate Prediction Center] Note: a Seasonal Drought Outlook Discussion is included describing the forecasters' confidence.
• Regional climate could be affected by increased sugarcane production in Brazil -- A team of researchers from Arizona State University, Stanford University and the Carnegie Institution for Science warn that the conversion of large swaths of land in Brazil for sugarcane plantations could lead to important regional climate effects, including a one Celsius degree decrease in growing-season temperature, followed by a one Celsius degree increase after harvest. The researchers used multi-year regional climate model simulations to calculate the potential for local changes in temperature and precipitation patterns. These planned sugarcane plantations would be created to help Brazil meet its needs for cane-derived ethanol. [Arizona State University News]

PALEOCLIMATE RECONSTRUCTION

• Creation of Antarctica's hidden fjords is studied -- A team of geoscientists from the University of Arizona and their colleagues have reconstructed the changes in the topography under Antarctica's two-mile thick ice sheet over the last 34 million years that started from a relatively flat landscape and evolved into a rugged alpine landscape that included glaciers, fjords and mountains. This reconstruction is important for modeling how the Antarctic ice sheet affects global climate and sea-level rise. [University of Arizona News]
• Current Earth found warmer than most of Holocene -- Scientists from Oregon State University and Harvard University recently reconstructed the time series of the planetary temperature over the Holocene, or the last 11,300 years since the end of the last Ice Age, using data collected from 73 sites around the world. The researchers claim that the temperature increases during the last 100 years have made the Earth warmer than during 70 to 80 percent of the Holocene; furthermore, the pace of this warming would soon result in the highest global temperature for the last 11,300 years. [Oregon State University News]

CLIMATE AND THE BIOSPHERE

• "Climate-smart strategies" proposed to maintain spectacular landscape in southern Canadian Rockies -- A report released by the Wildlife Conservation Society Canada proposes a conservation strategy involving "safe passages and safe havens" that is designed to promote wildlife resiliency in the southern Canadian Rockies between Banff and Watertown Lakes National Parks to the future impacts of climate change and road use. The researchers note that grizzly bear, wolverine and bull trout are among those species that are "highly" vulnerable to projected climate change and road use. [EurekAlert!]

CLIMATE AND SOCIETY

• 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: Start of the Growing Season

As we move through meteorological spring, the increases in daylength and air temperature across many areas of the nation make backyard gardeners as well as farmers contemplate the start of the growing season. For many crops, the soil has to be tilled and prepared for planting before the growing season really commences. Soil temperatures and moisture levels often influence when fieldwork can start.

The term growing season depends upon the plant species, as well as the climate of the locale, meaning that several ways can be used to define the growing season. In most mid latitude climates, the growing season is often used synonymously with the frost-free season, loosely defined as the length of time between the last killing frost in spring and the first killing frost in the autumn. The National Climatic Data Center has produced climatological tables that identify those median dates (a 50 percent occurrence) during spring and fall when the temperature at a station falls to 36, 32, 28, 24 or 20 degrees Fahrenheit for the last time in spring or the first time in autumn. While the exact time span that a plant survives would vary by plant type, the growing season for climatological purposes is often related to the interval when the daily minimum temperature remains above 32 degrees.

Across the continental U.S. the typical lengths of the frost free regions range from about 120 days along the Canadian border to about 220 days in Oklahoma and north Texas and over 320 days in southern sections of Florida and California. Mountainous areas provide a complex pattern, with some higher elevations having lengths that are less than 100 days. By accessing the NOWData (NOAA Online Weather Data) feature on the Climate page of your local National Weather Service, you can find the "first/last dates" for various climate reporting stations around your area.

Many crops, especially vegetables and fruits, are sensitive to relatively low air temperatures. In spring, when many crops are emerging and in various stages of development they are more vulnerable to air temperatures near 32 degrees Fahrenheit. But by fall, many of these plants have become hardy. Generally speaking, a spring killing frost would occur when the plant has become well emerged and the temperature around the plant would fall to a point that would kill most tender vegetation. Sometimes, other terminology is used.

Concept of the Week: Questions

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

1. Many emerging crops would succumb if the spring air temperatures fell to [(36),(33),(28)] degrees.
2. The frost-free season in states bordering Canada would probably be about [(60),(90),(120)] days.

Historical Events:

• 11 March 1911...Tamarack, CA reported 451 inches of snow on the ground, a record for the U.S. (David Ludlum)
• 11 March 1948...Record cold followed in the wake of a Kansas blizzard. Lows of 25 degrees below zero at Oberlin, Healy, and Quinter established a state record for the month of March. Lows of 15 degrees below zero at Dodge City, 11 degrees below zero at Concordia, and 3 degrees below zero at Wichita were records for March at these locations. The low of 3 degrees below zero at Kansas City, MO was their latest subzero reading of record. (The Weather Channel) (Intellicast)
• 11 March 2006...The record run for dry days in Phoenix, AZ finally ended at 143 at 12:07 AM MST. The last measured rain in the city fell on 18 October 2005. The last time the region had significant precipitation was 2 August when 0.59 inch (15 mm) fell. Not only did the rain break the dry spell, the 1.40-inch total was a record amount for the date: The previous consecutive dry-day mark, set in 1998-99, was 101 days. (The Weather Doctor)
• 12-13 March 1907...A storm produced a record 5.22 inches of rain in 24 hours at Cincinnati, OH. (The Weather Channel)
• 12 March 1923...The record low air pressure of 971.9 millibars (28.70 inches) for Chicago, IL was set during a storm that produced heavy snow, a thick glaze, gales, and much rain that caused $800,000 damage. (Intellicast)
• 13-15 March 1952...The world's 5-day rainfall record was set when a tropical cyclone produced 151.73 inches of rain at Cilos, Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean. The 73.62 inches that fell in a 24-hour period (15^th-16^th) set the world's 24-hour rainfall record. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 13 March 1993...The "Great Blizzard of '93" clobbered the eastern US and produced perhaps the largest swath of heavy snow ever recorded. Heavy snow was driven to the Gulf Coast with 3 inches falling at Mobile, AL and up to 5 inches reported in the Florida Panhandle, the greatest single snowfall in the state's history. Thirteen inches blanketed Birmingham, AL to set not only a new 24-hour snowfall record for any month, but also set a record for maximum snow depth, maximum snow for a single storm, and maximum snow for a single month. Tremendous snowfall amounts occurred in the Appalachians. Mount Leconte in Tennessee recorded an incredible 60 inches. Mount Mitchell in North Carolina was not far behind with 50 inches. Practically every official weather station in West Virginia set a new 24-hour record snowfall. Farther to the north, Pittsburgh, PA measured 25 inches, Albany, NY checked in with 27 inches, and Syracuse, NY was buried under 43 inches. The major population corridor from Washington, DC to Boston, MA was not spared this time as all the big cities got about a foot of snow before a changeover to rain. A rather large amount of thunderstorm activity accompanied the heavy snow. Winds to hurricane force in gusts were widespread. Boston recorded a gust to 81 mph, the highest wind gust at that location since hurricane Edna in 1954. Numerous cities in the south and mid Atlantic states recorded their lowest barometric pressure ever as the storm bottomed out at 960 millibars (28.35 inches of mercury) over Chesapeake Bay. Some 208 people were killed by the storm and total damage was estimated at $6 billion-- the costliest extratropical storm in history. (Intellicast)
• 14 March 1944...A single storm brought a record 21.6 inches of snow to Salt Lake City UT. (The Weather Channel)
• 14 March 1984...A coastal storm dumped very heavy snow over northern New England. Caribou, ME received 28.6 inches of snow in 24 hours, by far its greatest 24-hour snowfall on record. (Intellicast)
• 15 March 1892...A winter storm in southwestern and central Tennessee produced 26 inches of snow at Riddleton, and 18.5 inches at Memphis, resulting in the deepest snow of record for those areas. (David Ludlum)
• 15 March 1906...The temperature at Snake River, WY dipped to 50 degrees below zero, a record for the U.S. for the month of March. (Sandra and TI Richard Sanders -1987)
• 15 March 1952...Over 72 (73.62) inches of rain fell on Cilaos, Reunion Island in the western Indian Ocean, the greatest global 24-hour total rainfall. (The Weather Doctor)
• 15 March 2004...Rain at Brownsville, TX broke a century-old precipitation record for the greatest daily rainfall accumulation for March with 3.23 inches . (The Weather Doctor)
• 16 March 1975...A single storm brought 119 inches of snow to Crater Lake OR establishing a state record. (The Weather Channel)
• 16-17 March 2002...A snowstorm dumped 28.7 inches of snow on Anchorage, AK breaking the old daily record of 15.6 inches. Snow amounts ranged from 24 to 29 inches at lower elevations. (The Weather Doctor)
• 17 March 1906...The temperature at Snake River, WY dipped to 50 degrees below zero, a record for the coterminous U.S. for the month of March. (Sandra and TI Richard Sanders -1987)
• 17 March 1998...Calgary, Alberta experienced its worst March snowstorm in 113 years, measuring 13 inches of snow at the airport and from 15 to 18 inches in other parts of the city. (The Weather Doctor)
• 17-24 March 1999...Intense Tropical Cyclone Vance (Category 5) moved across portions of Western Australia. A record wind gust for the Australian mainland of 167 mph was recorded at the Learmonth Meteorological Office. (The Weather Doctor)

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Prepared by Edward J. Hopkins, Ph.D., email hopkins@meteor.wisc.edu
© Copyright, 2013, The American Meteorological Society.