WEEKLY CLIMATE NEWS

WEEK ONE: 26-30 January 2015

ITEMS OF INTEREST

Climatology of Super Bowls updated -- Next Sunday (1 February 2015) is "Super Sunday" when the New England Patriots will play the Seattle Seahawks in the National Football League's Super Bowl XLIX at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, a Phoenix (AZ) suburb.
The service climatologist for the Southeast Regional Climate Center has provided an updated listing of the Super Bowl Weather & Climate 1967-2014. This annotated list contains the "climatology" for game day that includes the daily maximum and minimum temperatures, the 24-hour precipitation and the 24-hour snowfall along with comments on the weather observed in the host city on "Super Sunday" for each of the previous 48 Super Bowl games.
During the last 48 years the Super Bowl has been played in 15 different metropolitan areas. Furthermore, one-third (16) of these games have been played indoors. After years of restricting the selected site to relatively warm cities (where temperatures need to be at least 50 degrees Fahrenheit) or at domed stadiums, NFL officials scheduled last year's Super Bowl for the outdoor MetLife Stadium at East Rutherford, NJ, the home of the New York Giants and Jets that is a cold weather site.
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 MONITORING

A view of 135-year history of global temperatures in 30 seconds -- A 30-second animation of the variations in the global distribution of annual surface temperatures over both ocean and land beginning in 1880 and continuing through 2014 has been produced from world-wide climate data collected and analyzed at the NOAA National Climatic Data Center. Attention is turned to the increases in global temperature over the last four decades, culminating in the highest annual global temperature in 2014. [NOAA Climate.gov News]
New estimates indicate accelerated global sea level change -- A study recently made by scientists at Harvard University, reveals that the rise in global sea level since 1990 has accelerated at a rate that is greater than previously thought. The researchers used newer methods to estimate the changes in sea level. Furthermore, they found that their estimates of 20th-century sea-level rise prior to 1990 were lower than earlier estimates. [Harvard University Gazette]
Amount of old ice in Arctic decreases -- A one-minute video of animated images has been assembled that tracks the changes in the distribution of the relative amount of different ages of sea ice covering the Arctic Ocean over a 27-year span from 1987 through early November 2014. This animation reveals that the Arctic sea ice not only moves around the basin continually, but that the age of perennial sea ice that remains over at least one year has been changing over the last three decades. Specifically, the amount of old sea ice, especially ice that is older than nine years, has been decreasing over time, leaving most of the perennial ice cover consisting of first-year ice. In addition, the total amount of perennial sea ice has been generally decreasing over the last several decades. [NOAA Climate.gov News]
3-D view of Greenland ice sheet reveals its past climate -- Scientists from the University of Texas at Austin and their colleagues from other research institutions have created a series of three-dimensional images of the Greenland Ice Sheet from ice-penetrating radar data collected by NASA's Operation IceBridge and earlier airborne campaigns. These vertical cross sections provide the first comprehensive map of layers extending downward into the ice sheet, thereby offering information on past climate conditions, as well as giving a hint of future changes attributed to projected changing climate. A three-minute video of the 3-D maps is also available for viewing. [University of Texas at Austin News] or [NASA Goddard Space Flight Center]
Ice cap on Norwegian islands slides into Arctic Ocean -- Scientists from the United Kingdom's University of Leeds who have been analyzing data collected by sensors onboard eight satellite missions and output statistics from regional climate models recently reported that the ice cap on Norway's Svalbard Archipelago in the Arctic Ocean has thinned by more than 50 meters since 2012 and is currently flowing into the Arctic Ocean 24 times faster than several years ago. [University of Leeds News]

CLIMATE FORCING

Leaky gas pipes in Boston contribute to increased methane gas levels -- Researchers from Harvard University and their colleagues at other research institutions have found that the aging underground natural gas distribution system around the Boston (MA) metropolitan area appears to be releasing 15 billion cubic feet of natural gas annually that includes high levels of the greenhouse gas methane into the atmosphere across the region. This amount is more than twice the loss rate that utilities and government regulators currently estimate. The researchers also warn that other metropolitan areas with aging natural gas distribution systems may be contributing more methane gas to the atmosphere than previously assumed. [Harvard University Gazette]

CLIMATE AND THE BIOSPHERE

Climate change will have impact on future crop yield and food production -- Researchers at the University of Minnesota report that between 1979 and 2008 climate variability appears to have accounted for one-third of the yield variability for such major food crops as maize, rice, wheat and soybeans worldwide, which represents the equivalent of 36 million metric tons of food annually. The researchers also found that climate variability explained much of yield variability in some of the most productive regions, but far less in low-yielding regions. [University of Minnesota News]
Forests found to change due to changing climate -- Recent studies report that the composition of large expanses of forests in several states is changing in response to changing climate:
- In California, researchers from the University of California Berkley, the University of California Davis and the US Geological Survey have found that forest structure across the Golden State has changed over the last 90 years because of a warmer and drier climate. These changes in the state's forests, which have been documented by forest surveys made since the 1920s, are not limited to the Sierra Nevada Mountains. A decline of large trees has been seen with a corresponding increase in the density of smaller trees. In addition, oaks appear to be replacing pines, which dominated during cooler and wetter periods. [University of California Berkley News Center ]
- In Minnesota, researchers at the University of Minnesota have been studying the changes in the Gopher State's boreal forest along the US-Canadian border that could be attributed to climate change. They found that spruce and fir trees that typically thrive in cooler climate conditions have been suffering and are being replaced by oaks and maples that are accustomed to a more temperate climate. Some species such as aspen, birch and pine appear not to be affected currently. [University of Minnesota News]
Connecting between fisheries and climate -- In a recent interview Jon Hare who is a fisheries oceanographer and the Director of the NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center Laboratory in Narragansett, RI discussed how changes in climate with the attendant increases in ocean temperature have caused fish populations in the North Atlantic off the New England Coast to migrate in search of cooler ocean waters. He discussed how the shift in fish distributions in response to climate change has caused a ripple through the ecosystem. Furthermore, Hare stressed the need for increased collaboration between fisheries biologists, oceanographers, and climate scientists. [NOAA Fisheries Feature Stories]
Higher ocean temperature decrease tendency for sea turtle basking -- Researchers from Duke University, NOAA's Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center and the University of Ioannina in Greece have found that as ocean temperatures increase around the globe, the frequency that green sea turtles bask on beaches appears to have decreased. Basking on beaches helps these threatened turtles regulate their body temperatures and may also aid in digestion and their immune systems. The researchers warn that by 2039, green turtles around the Hawaiian Islands may stop basking entirely due to the projected increases in ocean temperatures. [Duke University News]
Small variations in sea level create large impacts on southern sections of Great Barrier Reef -- Researchers at Australia's University of Sydney, Japan's University and Northern Ireland's Queen's University Belfast have found that small variations in sea level can cause large changes in the coral reef growth and sediment production along southern sections of Australia's Great Barrier Reef. The researchers found that rapid sediment production and transport occurred from 6000 to 4000 years ago, before slowing dramatically over the next 2000 years as sea level fell by slightly more than one meter (3.3 feet). [University of Sydney News]

CLIMATE AND SOCIETY

New advances in climate science made by NOAA Climate Program Office in 2014 -- NOAA's Climate Program Office (CPO) recently identified some of the advances made by this office in climate observation, research, modeling, and decision support activities for society. In terms of observing the climate system, CPO joined with Princeton University and other research institutions in six-year study called "The Southern Ocean Carbon and Climate Observations and Modeling program" (SOCCOM) to help the public better understand the biogeochemical and physical properties of the Southern Ocean. Instrumented deep sea floats were deployed. CPO also helped in advancing the understanding of the planetary climate system through the development of the next-generation Climate Forecast System. Finally, CPO was instrumental in helping informing society through several avenues that included the reauthorization of the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS). [NOAA Climate Program Office News]
Earthweek -- Diary of the Planet [earthweek.com] Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.

REPORTS FROM THE FIELD --

A request: If you have some climate-related experience that you would like to share with other DataStreme Earth's Climate System participants, please send them to the email address appearing at the bottom of this document for possible inclusion in a News file. Thank you. EJH

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

NOTE: This Concept for the Week is a repeat of that which appeared in last week's Weekly Climate News.

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 2010.
Under the Societal Interactions and Climate Policy section, click the "U.S. Global Change Research Program" link. Near the bottom of page are tabs that show areas in the report. On the "Explore" tab, one can investigate climate impacts categorized by [(only regions)(only topics)(both regions and topics)].

Historical Events:

26 January 1884...The coldest day on Canada's Prince Edward Island occurred when the temperature at Kilmahumaig, PEI fell to 35 degrees below zero. (The Weather Doctor)
27 January 1940...Florida had a 3-day long freeze with the lowest temperatures ever in January. Mason, FL dropped to 8 degrees. Eleven million boxes of citrus were damaged, resulting in a 10 million-dollar loss. Further north, Georgia's record low temperature of 17 degrees below zero was set near Calhoun. (Intellicast)
27 January 1994...A frigid arctic air was in place over New England and New York as a massive 1052-millibar (31.06 inches of mercury) high pressure provided ideal radiational cooling. Crown Point, NY dipped to 48 degrees below zero and Shoreham, VT shivered with 46 degrees below zero, Burlington, VT broke its old record daily low by 9 degrees with a reading of 29 degrees below zero and Caribou, ME set a record low for the third day in a row with a temperature of 23 degrees below zero. (Intellicast)
28 January 1925...The temperature at Pittsburg, NH fell to 46 degrees below zero, establishing a new record low temperature for the state. (Intellicast) In January 1934, this record was broken with a reading of 47 degrees below zero. (NCDC)
28 January 1963...The low temperature of 34 degrees below zero at Cynthiana, KY equaled the state record established just four days earlier at Bonnieville. (The Weather Channel) This all-time state record for Kentucky has since been eclipsed by a 37 degree zero reading in January 1994. (NCDC)
28 January 1988...Barometric pressure readings of 30.55 inches at Miami FL, 30.66 inches at Tampa, FL, and 30.72 inches at Apalachicola, FL were all-time record high readings for those locations. (National Weather Summary)
28 January 1989...Nome, AK reported an all-time record low reading of 54 degrees below zero. (National Weather Summary)
29 January 1934...The temperature at the Observatory on top of Mt. Washington, NH (the highest point in New England) fell to 47 degrees below zero, establishing a new all-time record low temperature for the state. (NCDC)
30 January 1966...Alabama's record low temperature of 27 degrees below zero was set at New Market. Mississippi's record low temperature of 19 degrees below zero was set near Corinth. North Carolina's record low temperature of 29 degrees below zero was set at Mount Mitchell. (Intellicast) The record for the Tarheel State has been broken with a reading of 34 degrees below zero in January 1985. (NCDC)
31 January 1911...Tamarack, CA was without snow the first eight days of the month, but by the end of January had been buried under 390 inches of snow, a record monthly snowfall total for the U.S. (The Weather Channel)
31 January 1920...The highest barometric pressure observed in the contiguous forty-eight states was recorded at Northfield, VT with a reading of 31.14 inches of mercury (1054.5 millibars). (The Weather Doctor)
31 January 1963...The Mt. Rose Highway Station near Reno, NV reported 7.13 inches of precipitation, which set a 24-hour maximum precipitation record for Nevada. (NCDC)
31 January 1989...The barometer rose to 31.85 inches of mercury (1079.7 millibars) at Northway, AK, establishing the all time highest reading for the North American continent. (The Weather Doctor)
31 January 1994...Caribou, ME recorded its coldest month ever. The average temperature for the month was a frigid 0.7 degrees below zero. The old record was 1.3 degrees set in January 1957. (Intellicast)
1 February 1985...The temperature at Gavial, NM dropped to a state record low of 50 degrees below zero. The state record low temperature in Colorado of 60 degrees below zero was tied at Maybell. A station at Peter's Sink, UT reported a temperature of 69 degrees below zero, which set the all-time state record. (NCDC)

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