WEEKLY CLIMATE NEWS

13-17 July 2009

DataStreme Earth Climate Systems will return for Fall 2009 with new Investigations files starting during Preview Week, Monday, 31 August 2009. All the current online website products will continue to be available throughout the summer break period.

CURRENT CLIMATE MONITORING

Review of US weather and climate for June 2009 -- Scientists with the NOAA National Climatic Data Center recently released their preliminary monthly climate statistics for June 2009, which indicates that the nationwide average temperature was close to (0.2 Fahrenheit degrees above) the 20th-century average temperature for June. Above average temperatures were reported across South and sections of the Northwest, while below average temperatures were experienced across the Northeast, North central and Southwest. The nationwide average June precipitation was 0.01 inches above the 20th century value, with above average precipitation found in the Northeast, West and sections of the West North Central and Southwest regions. Below average precipitation was found across the northern and southern tier of states. [NOAA News]
New geosynchronous environmental satellite is renamed -- During the last week, NASA engineers have continued to run tests on the new geosynchronous environmental satellite that was launched last month as GOES-O, the second in the GOES-N series designed to monitor environmental conditions across the Western Hemisphere. When the satellite was finally inserted into the proper orbit and its solar array deployed, the designation GOES-O was changed to GOES-14, and operational responsibility will be transferred to NOAA. [NASA Earth Observatory]
Thinning of Arctic sea ice documented -- Scientists from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the University of Washington have used data collected from the sensors on NASA's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite, (ICESat) over the last four winters to produce the first basin-wide estimate of the thickness and volume of the Arctic Ocean's ice cover. [NASA JPL]
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

Changes in key atmospheric gases could affect the planetary hydrologic cycle -- Researchers from Lehigh University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Marine Biology Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA recently reported on their modeling experiment that shows future concentrations in atmospheric carbon dioxide along with nitrogen in the soil could play an important role in the cycling of water from the atmosphere to the land and then to the oceans through runoff. [NASA Earth Science News Team]
Monitoring fires from space -- Recent images obtained from the MODIS instrument on NASA's Aqua satellite show aerosols spreading from fires in central interior Alaska [NASA Earth Observatory] and in Central Africa [NASA Earth Observatory].
Dust contributes to snowmelt -- Images of the snow cover in the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado made by the MODIS sensor on NASA's Terra satellite in May 2008 and 2009 show the effect of this year's numerous airborne dust events. [NASA Earth Observatory]

CLIMATE AND THE BIOSPHERE

Iron and manganese oxides used by methane-consuming microbes -- Researchers from Penn State University and the California Institute of Technology have found that iron and manganese compounds, in addition to sulfate, help anaerobic marine microbes convert methane to carbon dioxide and eventually carbonates in the oceans. These compounds may have helped reduce methane concentrations in the early Earth's atmosphere prior to high levels of oxygen.[EurekAlert!]

CLIMATE FORECASTS

Signs of El Niño have appeared ahead of upcoming boreal winter -- Scientists with NOAA's Climate Prediction Center announced last week that sea surface temperatures across eastern sections of the equatorial Pacific Ocean had increased to above long term averages, signaling a start to what is considered an El Niño event, or anomalous atmospheric and oceanic circulation patterns that can affect the global weather, ocean and climate conditions for several years. The forecasters expect El Niño to strengthen and to persist through at least the upcoming Northern Hemisphere winter. [NOAA News]

PALEOCLIMATE RECONSTRUCTION

Dating time when Mediterranean algae lost their tropical element -- Researchers from Spain and Italy studying coralline algae fossils have concluded that these tropical type algae lived on the last coral reefs in the Mediterranean Sea between 7.24 and 5.3 million years ago, when the Mediterranean became isolated from the Indian Ocean, together with global cooling. [EurekAlert!]
An ice-free Arctic basin found in an era with greenhouse conditions --- Researchers from the United Kingdom's University of Southampton and Cardiff University have found that the marine sediment record from the Arctic Ocean for the late Cretaceous (100 to 65 million years ago) shows ice-free summers and little winter sea ice during this time when high levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide resulted in a "greenhouse climate." [EurekAlert!]
Dinosaur burrow helps provide information on climate change -- A paleontologist from Emory University has found a new dinosaur burrow in Victoria, Australia that indicates dinosaurs in the subpolar Southern Hemisphere approximately 110 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period also burrowed to help them survive extreme environments. [Emory University]
Greening of early planet resulted in explosive growth of life -- Researchers from Arizona State University and the University of California, Riverside have found that complex multi-cellular life forms exploded across the planet during the Cambrian (540 million years ago) following a massive greening of the planet by non-vascular plants during the late Precambrian approximately 160 million years earlier. [EurekAlert!]

CLIMATE AND SOCIETY

Power of US cities to affect climate change noted -- A report was recently issued by a joint project of the Carbon Disclosure Project and ICLEI (International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives) - Local Governments for Sustainability USA that identified the greenhouse gas emissions and climate protection actions of 18 US cities. [EurekAlert!]
Forest fire prevention efforts could add to greenhouse warming -- Forestry researchers at Oregon State University have found that current efforts to reduce forest fires in the Pacific Northwest by reducing fuels would lessen carbon sequestration, which would add to greenhouse warming. [EurekAlert!]
New method could help allocate international carbon emissions responsibility -- A research team led by scientists from Princeton University have developed a new and more equitable way of dividing responsibility for carbon emissions among developed and developing countries, worldwide. [EurekAlert!]
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]
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]
Earthweek -- Diary of the Planet [earthweek.com] Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Historical Events:

13 July 1975...Dover, DE was deluged with 8.50 inches of rain to establish a 24-hour maximum precipitation record for the state. (The Weather Channel)
13 July 1996...Heavy rains from the remnants of Hurricane Bertha caused roads to washout in the Camden, ME area. Two people were hurt when they drove into a 600-pound boulder that had fallen onto the roadway due to the heavy rain. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
14 July 1886...Los Angeles had its greatest 24-hour July rainfall with 0.24 inches. (Intellicast)
14-15 July 1911...Baguio, Luzon, Philippines reported 46 inches of rain, which represents Asia's greatest 24-hour rainfall: (The Weather Doctor).
15-16 July 1916...A dying South Atlantic Coast storm produced torrential rains in the southern Appalachian Mountains. Altapass, NC was drenched with 22.22 inches of rain, a 24-hour rainfall record for the Tarheel State, and at the time, a 24-hour record for the U.S. (The current 24-hour rainfall record for the US is 43 inches set 25-25 July 1979 at Alvin, TX). Flooding resulted in considerable damage, particularly to railroads. (David Ludlum) (Intellicast) (NCDC)
15 July 1983...The Big Thompson Creek in Colorado flooded for the second time in seven years, claiming three lives, and filling the town of Estes Park with eight to ten feet of water. (The Weather Channel)
15 July 1989...Thunderstorms drenched Kansas City, MO with 4.16 inches of rain, a record for the date. Two and a half inches of rain deluged the city between noon and 1 PM. Afternoon thunderstorms in South Carolina deluged Williamstown with six inches of rain in ninety minutes, including four inches in little more than half an hour. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
15 July 1993...Four-inch diameter hail fell at Hot Springs, SD. In North Dakota, Jamestown recorded 6.40 inches of rain, Fargo 5.09 inches and Bismarck 4.08 inches. (Intellicast)
15 July 2001...Rain fell at 3.91 inches per hour in Seoul, South Korea, the heaviest amount since 1964. In total, 12.2 inches of rain fell in Seoul and Kyonggi. The rain was responsible for 40 reported fatalities. (The Weather Doctor)
17 July 1987...Slow-moving thunderstorms caused flooding on the Guadalupe River in Texas resulting in tragic loss of life. A bus and van leaving a summer youth camp stalled near the rapidly rising river, just west of the town of Comfort, and a powerful surge of water swept away 43 persons, mostly teenagers. Ten drowned in the floodwaters. Most of the others were rescued from treetops by helicopter. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
17-18 July 1996...Heavy rains were responsible for unprecedented flooding across north central and northeast Illinois, resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in damage. Aurora, IL received 16.91 inches of rain, which established a new 24-hour precipitation record for the Prairie State. Approximately 60 percent of the city's homes were affected by flooding. At Romeoville, 10.36 inches of rain fell. Interstates were closed and some towns were isolated. Rampaging floodwaters scoured out roads near Dayton, leaving gravel and sand deposits to twenty feet high. (NCDC) (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
18 July 1889...A cloudburst in West Virginia along the small creeks in Wirt County, Jackson County and Wood County claimed twenty lives. Rockport, WV reported 19.00 inches of rain in two hours and ten minutes that Thursday evening, setting a 24-hour precipitation record for the Mountain State. Tygart Creek rose 22 feet in one hour, and villages were swept away on Tygart, Slate, Tucker, and Sandy Creeks. (The Weather Channel) (NCDC)
18 July 1942...A record deluge occurred at Smethport in northern Pennsylvania, with 30.70 inches in just six hours. The 24-hour rainfall total for the day was 34.50 inches, which set a maximum 24-hour precipitation for the Keystone State. The downpours and resultant flooding in Pennsylvania were devastating. (David Ludlum) (Intellicast) (NCDC)
18 July 1955...In Martinstown, England, eleven inches of rain fell in a 15-hour period on this day believed to be the 24-hour greatest rainfall for the United Kingdom. (The Weather Doctor)
18-19 July 1979...A 30-foot high tsunami wave leveled four Indonesian villages on the Sunda Islands during the night. The wave swept 1500 feet inland, causing 589 deaths among the sleeping villagers. A landslide from Mount Werung (Lomblen Island) caused the tsunami. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
18-21 July 1996...Between six and twelve inches of rain fell on an already saturated Saguenay River Valley of Quebec, producing Canada's first billion-dollar disaster ($1.5 billion). Flooding destroyed or damaged 1718 houses and 900 cottages. Ten people were killed and 16,000 were evacuated. Roads and bridges disappeared. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar) (The Weather Doctor) (Wikipedia)
18 July 1996...Aurora, IL received 16.91 inches of rain, which established a new 24-hour precipitation record for the Prairie State. (NCDC)
18-22 July 1997...Hurricane Danny, the only hurricane that made landfall in the continental US in 1997, moved inland into coastal Alabama at a snails pace. Radar storm total estimates of 43 inches over Mobile Bay. A torrential 32.52 inches of rain fell on 19-20 July at Dauphin Island Sea Lab, establishing a 24-hour maximum precipitation record for Alabama. (NCDC) (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
19 July 1886...A hurricane from the Gulf of Mexico crossed Florida causing great damage from Cedar Keys to Jacksonville. This was the third hurricane in one month to cross the Florida peninsula. (David Ludlum) (Intellicast)
19 July 1955...The Yarkon Water Project was opened to supply water to Negev desert in Israel. The Yarkon "flows" through the most densely populated areas of the country to the Mediterranean. The river has deteriorated rapidly since the 1950's due to excessive draining for irrigation by the National Water Carrier, with marked decline in water quality, animal habitats, flora and fauna. The National Water Carrier (1964), which crosses Israel from north to south, is the 81-mile main artery connecting all regional water projects in the State. (Today in Science History)
19 July 1974...A severe thunderstorm with winds to 80 mph and up to two inches of rain washed out four to five foot deep sections of roadway in Lake Havasu City, AZ. Three persons in a station wagon died as it was carried 3000 feet down a wash by a ten foot wall of water. (The Weather Channel)
19 July 1977...Thunderstorms produced torrential rains over parts of southwestern Pennsylvania. Some places in the Johnstown area received more than twelve inches in a seven-hour period. The heavy rains cause flash flooding along streams resulting in widespread severe damage, representing the "second Johnstown flood", second to the more disastrous flood in May 1889. The cloudburst flooded Johnstown with up to ten feet of water resulting in 76 deaths, countless injuries, and 424 million dollars damage. (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel)
19 July 1994...Hurricane Emilia was the first of three Category-5 hurricanes to develop in the Central Pacific in 1994 as unusually warm sea temperatures prevailed south of Hawaii. Sustained winds reached 160 mph. (Intellicast)
19 July 2006…Charlwood, England melted under the highest temperature ever recorded in Britain in July at 97.3 degrees. (The Weather Doctor)
20 July 1965...The 24-hour maximum precipitation record for the Show-Me State was set at Edgarton, MO as 18.18 inches of rain fell. (NCDC)
20 July 1989...Showers and thunderstorms in the Middle Atlantic Coast Region soaked Wilmington, DE with 2.28 inches of rain, pushing their total for the period May through July past the previous record of 22.43 inches. Heavy rain over that three-month period virtually wiped out a 16.82-inch deficit that had been building since drought conditions began in 1985. Thunderstorms in central Indiana deluged Lebanon with 6.50 inches of rain in twelve hours. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
20 July 1997...A torrential 32.52 inches of rain fell at Dauphin Island Sea Lab, establishing a 24-hour maximum precipitation record for Alabama. (NCDC)

Return to DataStreme Earth Climate Systems website