Weekly Water News

WES PREVIEW WEEK: 16-20 January 2006

Water in the News:

(Thurs.) A clash of interests occurs with river diversion proposal -- Plans at diverting the Sao Francisco River, Brazil's third largest river, to help alleviate the impact of a long-term drought have drawn criticism from a variety of groups. [ENN]
(Thurs.) Deep-rooted vegetation exert a significant impact on climate -- Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley report that their study of the Amazonian forest indicates that deep-rooted trees transfer and redistribute water in the soil and atmosphere in complex ways, resulting in a greater impact upon the regional climate than previously thought. [EurekAlert!]
(Thurs.) Glacial fluctuations in western North America studied -- A researcher at the University of Alberta and colleagues from other universities have reported that their study of the fluctuations in the glaciers located in Pacific North America occurring during the first millennium AD indicate a greater variability in regional climate than previously thought. [EurekAlert!]
(Tues.) A top view of an Australian "hurricane" -- An image obtained last week from the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) sensor onboard NASA's orbiting Terra satellite captures a view of Tropical Cyclone Clare off the Pilbara coast of West Australia; this tropical cyclone is the Indian Ocean counterpart of a hurricane. [NASA Earth Observatory]
(Tues.) Water woes continue in Arizona -- Since few storms have moved across the interior Southwest during this winter, Arizona has received little precipitation and could experience its driest winter season in several centuries. The lack of meaningful precipitation has caused agricultural and water supply concerns. [USA Today]
(Tues.) Deployment of artificial reefs is an involved process -- While artificial fishing reefs have been deployed in the Gulf of Mexico for several decades to provide a habitat for fish, newer environmental concerns and regulations necessitate increased efforts in using appropriate materials. [ENN]
(Tues.) Maine to regulate cruise ship wastewater discharge -- The Maine Department of Environmental Protection has implemented a permit system that requires that wastewater discharges from cruise ships within three miles of the Maine coast to be as clean as wastewater treated onshore. [US Water News Online]
Monitoring lake levels from space -- Comparison of photographs of Egypt's Toshka Lakes region taken by NASA astronauts onboard the International Space Station in 2005 with those on the Space Shuttle in 2001 dramatically show a decrease in lake level. [NASA Earth Observatory]
Too much water in Washington State -- A persistent stormy weather pattern has brought precipitation to the Pacific Northwest from off the eastern Pacific Ocean on a daily basis for the last three weeks.
- Late last week, Washington State's governor and emergency management officials inspected the mudslides and washouts across western sections of the state that were caused by the rain. [USA Today]
- Media attention has focused on the last four weeks when measurable rain (0.01 inches or greater) has fallen every day on the Seattle-Tacoma metropolitan area. While the record of consecutive days with measurable precipitation is 33 at Seattle, a cooperative weather observer on Hawaii's Oahu Island has recorded 247 consecutive days in 1993 and 1994. [USA Today]
- As of Saturday, the Seattle-Tacoma metropolitan area had received 27 consecutive days of measurable rain, approaching the record of 33 consecutive days set in 1953. The runoff is contaminated with chemicals that could cause an environmental hazard to the areas around Puget Sound. [KOMO-TV]
Record snow in Japan causes increased avalanche dangers -- A cold wind cross the Sea of Japan from interior Asia has brought heavy snowfall and cold air to sections of central and northern Japan. However, as temperatures rise, the chance of avalanches increases. As of late last week, more than 80 people have died as a result of the record-setting snowfall. [USA Today]
Brazilian wetlands threatened -- A recent study by Conservation International-Brazil claims that the current growth of cattle ranches and farms in western Brazil could destroy the Pantanal within 50 years, which represent the world's largest freshwater wetlands. [ENN]
Updates on a major toxic spill -- The explosion at a chemical plant in northeast China late in November 2005 resulted in a substantial spill of toxic benzene into the Songhua River that flows into neighboring Russia. Recent updates include:
- China will make $3.3 billion available to cleanup the toxic contaminants that poisoned the Songhua River, with the goal of making the water drinkable by 2010. [ENN]
- Local officials in the Chinese city of Harbin are promoting the famous annual ice festival that contains gigantic ice sculptures made from ice taken from the Songhua River. [USA Today]
Substitute bottled water have same chemicals as tap water -- Trace amounts of the chemicals used to make Teflon were found in bottled water distributed to residents in southeastern Ohio as a substitute for tap water after the same chemical had been found in the region's tap water. [ENN]
Massive freshwater flood into ocean could have affected climate -- Researchers at the Goddard Institute for Space Studies have been using atmosphere-ocean coupled climate models to study the climatic response to the large pulse of freshwater that flooded into the North Atlantic from interior North America approximately 8000 years ago, which appears to have resulted in an abrupt change in the oceanic circulation pattern that caused the documented change in climate. [EurekAlert!] The change in the circulation in the North Atlantic caused by the freshwater appears to have been responsible for a three-century cooling that resulted in a lowering of the average temperatures by 7 Celsius degrees in Greenland and one Celsius degree in Europe. [The New Scientist]
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

16 January 1831...A great snowstorm raged from Georgia to Maine. Snowfall totals greater than 30 inches were reported from Pennsylvania across southern New England. (David Ludlum)
16-17 January 1987...A winter storm spread snow from the Southern Rockies into the Middle Mississippi Valley and southwestern sections of the Great Lakes Region. A total of 61 inches of snow was reported at Rye CO and wind gusts to 100 mph in Utah. As the storm moved across the southern Plains, Tulia, TX received 16 inches of snow, up to 14 inches were reported in western Oklahoma and 12 inches fell at Wellington, KS. The storm also produced freezing rain across Texas and Oklahoma. (National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
16 January 1988...A small storm in the western U.S. produced a foot of snow and wind gusts to 70 mph in the Lake Tahoe Basin of Nevada. Showers and thunderstorms produced 2.28 inches of rain at Brownsville TX, their third highest total for any day in January. (National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
16 January 1990...Heavy snow fell across the Prince Williams Sound area and the Susitna Valley of southern Alaska. Valdez was buried under 64.9 inches of snow in less than two days, including a record 47.5 inches in 24 hours. Up to 44 inches of snow was reported in the Susitna Valley. The heavy snow blocked roads, closed schools, and sank half a dozen vessels in the harbor. (Storm Data)
17 January 1972...A single storm unloaded 77.5 inches of snow at Summit, MT to establish a state record. (The Weather Channel)
18-22 January 1978...The Atlantic's first-ever January subtropical storm with tropical characteristics since records began in 1871 organized 1500 miles east-northeast of Puerto Rico. The storm finally dissipated on the 22nd approximately 200 miles north of Puerto Rico. (Accord's Weather Calendar)
19 January 1996...The tug Scandia and its barge, the North Cape, ran aground on the shore of Rhode Island, spilling 828,000 gallons of oil, resulting in the worst spill in that state's history. The Coast Guard rescued the entire crew, pumped off 1.5 million gallons of oil and conducted skimming operations. (USCG Historian's Office)
20 January 1493...Streets in Florence, Italy were blocked by snow and violent winds as a blizzard struck the city. (The Weather Doctor)
20 January 1606...As many as 2000 people died around the Severn Estuary in England as the result of severe flooding. (The Weather Doctor)
21 January 1863...A severe coastal storm dropped heavy rain on the Fredericksburg area of Virginia. It disrupted a Union Army offensive in an ill famed "mud march." (David Ludlum)
21 January 1880...Memphis, TN began construction of the first independent municipal sewage system in the U.S. (Today in Science)
22-23 January 1943...Hoegees Camp, at an elevation of 2760 feet in the San Gabriel Mountains of southern California, received 26.12 inches of precipitation in a 24-hour span, setting the Golden State's 24-hour precipitation record. (Accord's Weather Calendar)