Weekly Water News

WES PREVIEW WEEK: 29 August-2 September 2005

Water in the News:

(Thurs.)Extent of disaster along Gulf coast becoming known -- Katrina's devastation of the Gulf of Mexico coast from Louisiana to Alabama is arguably the U.S.' worst natural disaster. [CNN]
Views of Katrina's damage along Gulf coast shown:
- NASA satellite shows extent of flooded area [NASA Looks at Earth]
- NOAA strives to aid recovery [NOAA News]
- NOAA aerial survey views along coast [NOAA News]
(Thurs.) This ice isn't cool -- Chemists at Seoul University in Korea have used electric fields to create small amounts of ice at room temperature. [Science News Online]
(Tues.) Katrina wreaks havoc on Gulf coast -- At least 68 have died in the storm surge flooding and winds of Hurricane Katrina as the Category 4 storm made landfall east of New Orleans Monday morning. New Orleans had 20 feet of water in spots while Biloxi, Mississippi took much of the brunt of the damage. [CNN]
(Tues.) Coral reefs escape tsunami damage -- A Royal Geographic Society report indicates 90% of the Indian Ocean's coral reefs escaped severe damage from the tsunami. [BBC News]
(Tues.) The current did it -- British Antarctic Survey scientists say the rapid breakaway of South America from Antarctica 30-50 million years ago and the subsequent development of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current produced the cold climate of the continent. [EurekAlert!]
(Tues.) NCAR study points to CO₂ as culprit -- The National Center for Atmospheric Research's global climate model suggests that the death of 95% of all lifeforms during the Permian extinction 250 million years ago was due to heightened levels of CO₂ released by volcanic activity. [BBC News]
A potentially deadly historic hurricane takes aim on the Big Easy -- Hurricane Katrina, with maximum sustained near surface winds of nearly 175 mph, was moving slowly to the north-northwest across the Gulf of Mexico toward the central Gulf Coast near New Orleans, LA on Sunday. Katrina, the eleventh named tropical low-pressure system (with maximum sustained winds of 39 mph or higher), became a Category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson Scale. Mandatory evacuation was ordered for many communities, including New Orleans, a major metropolitan area that lies approximately six feet below sea level in a region between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain. [CNN] Earlier, Hurricane Katrina had traveled across Florida, where it was responsible for four fatalities.[USA Today] In preparation for the second landfall of Hurricane Katrina, the Federal governmental agencies are ready to provide disaster assistance. [USA Today]
Powerful typhoon hits Japan -- Typhoon Mawar hit the Tokyo area of Japan last Friday with heavy rain and strong winds, resulting in the disruption of air and rail traffic to Tokyo and other cities in Japan. This typhoon, which is the equivalent to a hurricane in the western North Pacific, had weakened and had been downgraded to a tropical storm before making a swipe at the Japanese archipelago. At least one fatality was attributed to this typhoon.[CNN]
Floods result in evacuations -- Heavy rains from summertime thunderstorms can cause rivers to swell to flood stage and necessitate evacuations from low-lying areas. Thunderstorms that developed over Tucson, AZ early last week produced floods that damaged homes and washed 13 trailer homes off their foundations. [USA Today] Thunderstorms moving across southern Kansas last Wednesday night dumped up to nine inches of rain east of Wichita, necessitating the evacuation of residents of El Dorado because of the flooding. [USA Today]
River flooding in Mexico is deadly -- Torrential rains caused the River Aguililla to overflow its banks and flood a town in central Mexico late last week, resulting in five deaths and numerous losses in homes, livestock and crops. [USA Today]
Serious flooding continues in south central Europe -- Rescue efforts continued in Switzerland, Germany and Austria late last week in the wake of flooding across southern and central Europe that has claimed at least 42 lives. [USA Today]
Europe has experienced extreme water woes this summer -- While areas of Europe including the Swiss Alps and the Balkans have had to endure torrential rains that have resulted in flooding, the Iberian Peninsula has experienced a serious drought that produced wildfires across Spain and Portugal. [ENN]
New global initiative launched to save falling fish stocks -- At a recent meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, representatives from the World Bank, the UN Food and Agriculture and other organizations agreed to form ProFish, an oversight body that would help poor countries manage dwindling fish stores by reducing the effects of illegal fishing and environmental degradation. [ENN]
Welcome news from Iraq's marshlands -- The United Nations Environment Programme last week reported that the ancient Iraqi marshlands that had been drained by Saddam Hussein in the late 1990s are recovering, reaching almost 40 percent of their former level. [ENN]
Arsenic in drinking water could accelerate tumor growth -- Researchers at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center recently reported their study that indicates that arsenic levels in water ranging from four to ten parts per billion (the new current federal standard) could stimulate blood vessel growth and even cause cancerous tumors to grow and spread. [US Water News Online]
Water banking pilot program started -- The state of Kansas has created the first water bank charter for a program in south central sections of the Jayhawk State that is intended to conserve groundwater and to distribute it more efficiently to users, operating in much the same way as a financial bank. [US Water News Online]
A Virginia water resources center celebrates its 40th anniversary -- The Virginia Water Resources Research Center at Virginia Tech will be celebrating its 40th anniversary by hosting the National Water Research Symposium, with the theme "Balancing Water Law and Science." [EurekAlert!]
Removal of arsenic from drinking water is researched -- Researchers from Sandia National Laboratories have begun investigating several methods for removing of arsenic from drinking water in southern New Mexico. [EurekAlert!]
An ice-free summertime Arctic Ocean is foreseen -- A team of researchers from several institutions including the University of Arizona report that if current observed warming trends continue across the Arctic basin, then the Arctic Ocean could be ice-free during the summer season within the next 100 years. [EurekAlert!]
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]
Global Water News Watch -- Other water news sources can be obtained through the SAHRA Project at the University of Arizona [SAHRA Project]
Earthweek -- Diary of the Planet [earthweek.com] Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Concept of the Week: Touring the WES website

Welcome to DataStreme Water in the Earth System (WES)! You are embarking on a unique teacher-enhancement experience that focuses on water and energy flow in the global water cycle from an Earth system perspective. Throughout this learning experience, you will be accessing the DataStreme WES website frequently to obtain and interpret a variety of environmental information, including the latest observational data. The objective of this initial Concept of the Week is to explore features of the DataStreme WES website.

On Monday of each week of the course, we will post the current Weekly Water News that includes Water in the News(a summary listing of current events related to water), Concept of the Week (an in-depth analysis of some topic related to water in the Earth system), and Historical Events (a list of past hydrologic events such as major floods). When appropriate, Supplemental Information will be provided on some topic related to the principal theme of the week.

You will use the DataStreme WES website to access and download the second part of weekly Investigations A & B (plus supporting images) that begin in your DataStreme WES Investigations Manual. These materials should be available by noon (Eastern Time) on Tuesday and Thursday. Click the appropriate buttons to download and print these electronic components of the investigations as well as your Chapter Progress and Investigations Response forms.

The body of the DataStreme WES website provides links to the Earth System, Atmospheric, Oceanic (Inland Seas), and Terrestrial Information, and extras--glossaries of terms, maps, educational links, and WES information. Following each section is a link to other sites that examine the various subsystems of the Earth system. Let's take a quick tour to become more familiar with the WES website.

Under Atmospheric Information, click on Water vapor (WV) Satellite. This is the latest satellite depiction of atmospheric water vapor at altitudes generally between 3000 and 7000 m (10,000 to 24,000 ft). Press your "back" button and then click on Latest WV Animation to view the movement of water vapor and clouds in the atmosphere. Although water vapor is an invisible gas, satellite technology makes it possible for us to "see" and follow the flow of water vapor in the atmosphere as part of the global water cycle. Bright white blotches are clouds; black indicates areas of very little or no water vapor and, at the other extreme, milky white signals a relatively high concentration of water vapor. Use the "back" button on your viewer to return to the DataStreme WES website.

The flow and transformations of energy are fundamental aspects of the global water cycle. Heat flows within the Earth system from where it is warmer to where it is colder. In this regard, it is useful to monitor temperatures remotely, by satellite. For a global view of the satellite-derived pattern of sea-surface temperatures, click on Sea Surface Temperatures under Oceanic (and Inland Seas) Information. Note that the color scale at the bottom is in degrees Celsius and temperatures are averaged over a 7-day period. (Depending on your browser, you may have to place your mouse cursor on the slide bar to the right and scroll down to view the entire image.) Return to the DataStreme WES website.

As part of the global water cycle, precipitation that reaches the ground vaporizes back into the atmosphere, runs off into rivers and streams, seeps into the ground, or is stored in lakes or glaciers. Under Terrestrial Information, click on River Flood Conditions for the recent status of river levels monitored at various gauging stations around the nation. Note that in the Map Legend, river stage heights are compared to flood stage values. Now return to the DataStreme WES website.

Extras include color photographs arranged by week (chapter) to supplement your study of the DataStreme WES textbook. For example, click on Chapter 1 and then click on the first thumbnail for an enlarged image with the caption, "Water in Three Phases."

Take a few minutes when you have time to browse the other data and information sources available via the DataStreme WES website. You may want to "bookmark" this page on your computer. Return frequently to get into the flow of DataStreme WES!

Concept of the Week: Questions

The latest WV Animation indicates that clouds and water vapor generally move from [(west to east)(east to west)] across the nation.
In the tropical Pacific, the highest sea-surface temperatures occur in the [(western)(eastern)] portion of the ocean basin.

Historical Events

29 August 1583...The Delight was wrecked on Sable Island, Nova Scotia during a heavy gale, blinding rain and thick fog. This was Canada's first recorded marine disaster, taking 85 lives. (The Weather Doctor)
29 August 1988...The remnants of Tropical Storm Chris drenched eastern Pennsylvania with up to five and a half inches of rain, and produced high winds that gusted to 90 mph, severely damaging a hundred boats in Anne Arundel County, MD. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
30 August 1982...A tropical depression brought torrential rains to portions of southern Texas. Up to twelve inches fell south of Houston, and as much as eighteen inches fell southeast of Austin. The tropical depression spawned fourteen tornadoes in three days. (David Ludlum)
31 August 1885...A record 71-day dry period began at Calgary, Alberta. (The Weather Doctor)
31 August 1889...Los Angeles, CA set two rainfall records as 0.61 inches fell, the 24-hour and monthly records for August. (Intellicast)
31 August 1954...Hurricane Carol, the first of three hurricanes to affect New England that year, slammed into eastern New England. Wind gusts exceeded 120 mph on the south coast. Block Island, RI reported a gust to 130 mph. Boston, MA reported sustained winds of 86 mph with a gust to 100 mph. Tides were 10-15 feet above normal. Providence, RI was inundated by a near record high tide. Sixty lives were lost and damages totaled 450 million dollars. The severity of this storm was only topped by the 1938 Hurricane. (Intellicast) (David Ludlum)
31 August - 2 September 1967...Storm surge and winds from Hurricane Katrina partially destroyed San Felipe, Mexico leaving 2500 people homeless and sinking 60 vessels. (The Weather Doctor)
31 August 1993...Hurricane Emily lashed the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The Hatteras NWS Office recorded a gust of 98 mph and was deluged with 7.51 inches of rain. Sound water levels rose to 10.5 feet above normal north of Buxton and 8.5 feet above normal in the villages of Frisco and Hatteras. Diamond Shoals coastal marine buoy recorded sustained winds of 103 mph with gusts to 148 mph after the eye passed. (Intellicast)
1 September 1923...A typhoon swept over the Tokyo, Japan metropolitan area, followed by an earthquake that evening. Typhoon winds fanned fires set by the earthquake. As many as 143,000 people died in the multi-disaster. (The Weather Doctor)
1 September 1914...The town of Bloomingdale, MI was deluged with 9.78 inches of rain in 24 hours to establish a state record for the Wolverine State. (31^st-1^st) (The Weather Channel) (NCDC)
1 September 1988...Thunderstorms produced heavy rain in the Upper Mississippi Valley. Ely, MN was drenched with three inches of rain in two hours, and pelted with one-inch hail. The heavy rain flooded streets and basements, and the high water pressure that resulted blew the covers off manholes. (The National Weather Summary)(Storm Data)
1-2 September 1935...Perhaps the most intense hurricane ever to hit the U.S. struck the Florida Keys with sustained winds of over 155 mph with gusts exceeding 200 mph. On the 1^st, the "Labor Day Hurricane" formed rapidly over the Bahama Islands and intensified into a Category 5 hurricane (on the Saffir Simpson Scale) with sustained winds of over 155 mph and gusts exceeding 200 mph. On the next day, this hurricane generated a fifteen-foot tide and waves thirty feet high, as it became the first known Category 5 hurricane to hit the US Mainland. More than 400 persons perished in the storm on that Labor Day, including many World War I veterans building a bridge from the Keys to the mainland. The barometric pressure at Matecumbe Bay, FL hit a record low for the U.S. at 26.35 inches (or 892 millibars). (David Ludlum) (The Weather Doctor)
3 September 1821...A hurricane made landfall at Long Island, near the current J.F. Kennedy Airport, then moved through western Connecticut. The hurricane produced a record high tide at New York City. (David Ludlum)
3 September 1970...During the early evening hours, in the midst of a severe hailstorm at Coffeyville, KS, a stone 17.5 inches in circumference and 1.67 pounds in weight was recovered. At the time, it was the largest measured hailstone in U.S. weather records. Average stone size from the storm was five inches in diameter, with another stone reportedly eight inches in diameter. (David Ludlum)
4 September 1939...A "Once-in-a-Hundred-Year" thunderstorm deluged Washington, DC with 4.4 inches of rain in two hours. September of that year was very dry across much of the nation, and Washington, DC received more rain in that two-hour period than most other places in the country that entire month. (David Ludlum)
4-6 September 1970...Moisture from Pacific Tropical Storm Norma led to heavy rain and severe flooding over a three-day span. Unprecedented rains caused rivers in central Arizona to rise five to ten feet per hour, sweeping cars and buildings as far as 30 to 40 miles downstream, leading to the greatest natural disaster of record for Arizona. Flooding claimed the lives of 23 persons, mainly campers, and caused millions of dollars damage. Water crested 36 feet above normal near Sunflower. Workman's Creek was deluged with 11.40 inches of rain in 24 hours to establish a 24-hour precipitation record for the Grand Canyon State. An estimated six inches of rain fell at Bug Point, UT, setting a 24-hour precipitation record for the Beehive State. (The Weather Channel) (NCDC)
4 September 1997...A 15-foot deep by 150-foot wide wall of water, mud, boulders and debris flowed down Mill Creek Canyon into Forest Falls, CA, where 2.5 inches of rain fell in 45 minutes. Roads, vehicles, houses and businesses were battered, with 3.5 million dollars in damage and two injuries. (Accord Weather Calendar)