WEEKLY CLIMATE NEWS

12-16 July 2010

DataStreme Earth Climate Systems will return for Fall 2010 with new Investigations files starting during Preview Week, Monday, 30 August 2010. All the current online website products will continue to be available throughout the summer break period.

ITEMS OF INTEREST

Zenithal Sun -- Residents of Honolulu will experience a noontime sun that would be directly overhead during this week (13-17 Jul). This occurrence of a zenithal sun is one of the two times during the year when the noontime sun is directly overhead to residents of Honolulu and and the Hawaiian Island of Oahu. The other time when the Oahu experienced a zenithal sun was in late May. [US Naval Observatory, Data Services]
The Cooperative Institute for Satellite Meteorological Studies remains at Wisconsin --NOAA officials recently announced that the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) located at the University of Wisconsin-Madison would continue to conduct studies using NOAA satellites to improve climate and severe weather forecasts. NOAA and CIMSS scientists are currently working on the future Joint Polar Satellite System, (JPSS) and the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, or GOES-R series. [NOAA News] (Editor's note: The current CIMSS Director, Dr. Steve Ackerman is a valued friend of the AMS Education Program, helping develop some of the applets for the weather, ocean and climate courses. EJH)
Another satellite image of oil spill along Louisiana coast --A natural-color satellite image produced from data collected by the MODIS sensor on NASA's Terra satellite shows the extent of the oil slick on the waters of the Gulf of Mexico offshore of Louisiana's Mississippi River Delta. The slick is detected by the studying the sun glint on the water. [NASA Earth Observatory]
Polar stratospheric clouds from space perspective-- A photograph taken by an astronaut on the International Space Station shows polar mesospheric clouds, which are also called noctilucent or night shining clouds, above the earth's horizon and being highlighted by the rising sun. These clouds are found in the upper mesosphere at altitudes of up to 50 miles (80 km). [NASA Earth Observatory]

CURRENT CLIMATE STATUS

Lake Superior is warming toward record levels -- Based upon recent data collected from NOAA's buoys on Lake Superior, researchers at the Large Lakes Observatory of the University of Minnesota-Duluth have noted an increase in the lake temperature and they predict that the surface waters will reach record temperatures before the end of this summer. They attribute the warming of the lake to several factors including last winter's low ice coverage that led to an early spring "turnover," which would affect the mixing of the lake. [Minnesota Sea Grant News]

CURRENT CLIMATE MONITORING

Satellite tracks carbon monoxide from Canadian fires --NASA and University of Toronto scientists recently released a satellite-derived image showing the concentrations of atmospheric carbon monoxide across Canada and the northern tier of states in the US over a six-day span in late June 2010 that were produced by wildfires that had been located over northern and central Canada. The images were obtained from Canada's Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere sensor that is onboard NASA's Terra satellite. [NASA Earth Observatory]
A new look inside a hurricane-- NASA scientists from Goddard Space Flight Center, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Dryden Flight Research Center and other laboratories will be conducting a major field campaign called GRIP (Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes) this summer that will provide an unprecedented look at the formation of tropical cyclones that can rapidly develop into hurricanes. Satellites, such as the Aqua, Terra and TRMM, aircraft and NASA's unmanned Global Hawk drone will be used in the campaign. [NASA's Earth Science News Team] [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

Space agency's oceanographic field campaign reaches the Arctic--NASA's five-week ICESCAPE mission to the Chukchi Sea off the northwestern coast of Alaska is underway, with the objective of studying the physics, chemistry and biology of the ocean and sea ice in the Arctic, a region that is sensitive to changes in climate. A variety of instruments and instrument platforms are being used to attain these goals. [NASA's Earth Science News Team]
Satellites can help predict duststorms --Using thermal images from the ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflectance Radiometer) instrument on one of NASA's satellites, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh have developed a method for predicting the occurrence of duststorms and sandstorms based upon surface temperature and moisture conditions that appear favorable for the development of such storms. These researchers claim that their method could be used globally. [University of Pittsburgh News]
Clear skies prevailed across Arctic in June-- A mosaic of MODIS images obtained from the MODIS sensor on NASA's Aqua satellite in late June 2010 shows relatively clear skies across a large portion of the Arctic basin. The clear skies across the region may be related to the unseasonably high temperatures in May and June and the melting of snow and sea ice. [NASA Earth Observatory]
North Pacific seen to have played major role in past climate change --A team of scientists from Japan, Hawaii and Belgium recently reported that their research using radiocarbon dated sediment cores and a computer simulation indicates large changes in the ocean current pattern in the North Pacific Ocean may have had wide reaching effects on the global climate as the last Ice Age was beginning to end 17,500 to 15,000 years ago years ago. [EurekAlert!]

CLIMATE MODELING

NASA Center for Climate Simulation introduced -- Officials at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center recently introduced the NASA Center for Climate Simulation (NCCS), a group that employs supercomputers along with visualization and data interaction technologies to support the climate modeling community in climate prediction research. [NASA GISS]

CLIMATE FORECASTS

More heat waves could be in the nation's future --Using a suite of climate model simulations, climate scientists at Stanford University predict that within the next 30 years, extremely high temperatures and exceptionally long heat waves could become relatively common across the United States. They warn that these extreme temperature events would pose significant agricultural and human health risks. [Stanford University]

CLIMATE AND SOCIETY

New system could cut heating costs for cold climate houses --Researchers at Purdue University are developing a new type of heat pump that they claim could allow residents of housing in cold climates to cut their space heating bills by approximately 50 percent. [Purdue University News]
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.

Historical Events:

12 July 1900...The record high state temperature reading of 114 degrees in Wyoming was reached at Basin. This record has since been eclipsed in 1983 by a 115-degree reading. (Intellicast)
12 July 1910...Cherrapunji in India's northeastern Meghalaya State -- one of the rainiest places on Earth -- recorded 839 mm (33 inches) of rainfall on this day. (The Weather Doctor)
12-14 July 1936...The hottest three-day period in US history was recorded, with average temperatures of 88.5 degrees Fahrenheit; the second warmest such period had occurred three days earlier. (The Weather Doctor)
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)

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