WEEKLY WATER NEWS

DATASTREME WES WEEK SIX: 27 February-3 March 2006

Water in the News

(Thurs.) High flying sensors help uncover ancient ruins -- NASA scientists and an archaeologist from the University of New Hampshire have used highly sophisticated remote sensing equipment mounted on high-altitude aircraft and satellites to uncover the 9th century remains of the ancient Mayan culture hidden in the lush rainforests of Central America. They were able to uncover these ruins by studying differences in vegetation patterns due to variations in surface moisture. Members of this team suspect that fall of the Mayan culture may have been related to major environmental problems, including widespread drought. [NASA Earth Observatory]
(Thurs.) Missouri River diversion a cause for Canadian concern -- Provincial officials in Manitoba are concerned that plans by North Dakota to divert river water from the Missouri northward into a watershed that drains into Lake Winnipeg to alleviate water shortages could introduce harmful invasive species into the lake. [ENN]
(Thurs.) River sediments studied -- Researchers at the University of the Basque Country have begun a study to determine the factors that determine the presence and amount of sediments transported by three main rivers within the Basque Country of northern Spain. [Basque Research]
(Thurs.) Digging for gold under glaciers -- A Canadian mining company is planning to relocate three glaciers or "ice fields" in the Chilean Andes in an effort to mine for gold. Environmental advocacy groups have been attempting to block this effort with lawsuits. [ENN]
(Thurs.) International cooperation should assure flow of data from polar orbiting satellites -- Officials from NOAA, the US agency responsible for monitoring the atmosphere and ocean from space, and their counterparts with EUMETSAT (European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites) have signed a Data Denial Implementation Plan that is meant to secure the flow of real-time meteorological data to public duty users from instruments provided by NOAA onboard the EUMETSAT's MetOp satellites during periods of crisis that would usually require data denial. [NOAA News]
(Tues.) Space agency assists in "weeding the national garden" -- Observational data collected from the NASA fleet of Earth orbiting satellites together with other NASA systems engineering expertise have been used along with a tool called the "Invasive Species Forecasting System" developed by the US Geological Survey to predict and locate the spread of invasive plants across the nation. One of the benefits has been involved with controlling the invasive tamarisk species across the Western states that has been reducing the available water supply across the water-strapped region. [NASA GSFC]
(Tues.) Wetlands and levees are important to Louisiana -- The Presidential advisor on Gulf Coast recovery indicated that restoring wetlands along with levees destroyed by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita are both important for the recovery effort. [ENN]
(Tues.) Ocean could become acidic -- A marine scientist with the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School recently warned that increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide are causing the world ocean to become more acidic (as indicated by a reduction in oceanic pH values), which would have a detrimental effect on most coral reefs. [University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine Atmospheric Science]
(Tues.) Ocean acidification is not new -- A researcher at the Carnegie Institution reports that the output from the computer model that he developed indicates increased oceanic acidity within the next century could rival the acidity in the ocean at the time of the mass extinction of marine life approximately 65 million years ago. [EurekAlert!]
(Tues.) A coral reef has been discovered -- The World Wide Fund for Nature has confirmed discovery of a coral reef off the coast of Thailand that contains numerous forms of coral and over one-hundred species of fish. The WWF has been working with several governmental agencies to develop a marine national park that would protect the reef. [ENN]
(Tues.) A CryoSat replacement planned -- The European Space Agency announced that it would build a replacement for its CryoSat satellite that crashed into the Arctic Ocean last October. This satellite was designed to accurately measure the thickness of floating sea ice and the thickness of polar ice sheets. The new replacement mission is planned for launch in March 2009. [ESA]
(Tues.) Supreme Court to consider coverage of Clean Water Act -- The US Supreme Court is considering the extent to which the government can extend its protection of waterways under the Clean Water Act. [ENN]
Viewing Olympic ice in a different light -- An astrophysicist at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center has been studying the various forms of water ice using polarized light. He has shown, with a group of photographs, the different forms of ice and snow needed by the various athletes who competed in the just concluded 2006 Olympic Games in Torino, Italy. He has also launched a Global Snowflake Network as part of the upcoming International Polar Year in 2007-2008. [NASA GSFC]
Additional help for coastal emergency managers -- NOAA's Coastal Services Center and National Weather Service, along with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the US Army Corps of Engineers and a computer software company, have developed a new component to the HURREVAC computer program that should provide enhanced inland forecast guidance to help emergency managers in New England respond to potential flooding events more quickly. [NOAA News]
Snow leads to deadly roof collapse -- Heavy snow appears to have been contributed to the collapse of the roof of a market in Moscow, Russia late last week, which killed at least 52 people and injured 32. [USA Today]
Drought in New Mexico is worsening -- A lack of significant precipitation and an adequate snowpack in the mountains of New Mexico are resulting in a major water crisis in the Land of Enchantment. New Mexico's largest water utility in Albuquerque is prepared to issue a drought advisory meant to encourage public water conservation. [USA Today] In addition, the drought across New Mexico has also produced more wildfires, more duststorms and more pest and insect infestations. [Albuquerque Tribune]
East African drought receives international attention -- The UN special humanitarian envoy to the Horn of Africa recently visited Kenya and reiterated his alarm that millions of people in East Africa could die of starvation due to a continued drought. [USA Today]
A landslide proves deadly -- Heavy rain helped trigger a landslide in northern Indonesia last week that buried homes, killing as many as 18 people. [USA Today]
More on the Philippine tragedy -- The village of Guinsaugon on the Philippine Island of Leyte was buried over a week ago by a landslide with the possible loss of over 1000 lives.
- While the province governor pointed to torrential rains during a two-week span as being the cause for the landslide, local residents blame the illegal logging operations within the province for the last 30 years as being a culprit. [ENN]
- Experts were aware that the village of Guinsaugon was sitting on a major earthquake fault and were planing to issue a warning before the landslide occurred. [ENN]
Michigan approves regulation of Lake water withdrawal -- The Michigan Governor was expected to sign a compromise bill sent to her from the Legislature that would provide state oversight on those manufacturers, utilities and bottlers using large quantities of water drawn from the four Great Lakes that surround the state. [US Water News Online]
A rare alliance aims to protect waters in Wisconsin -- The Wisconsin Buffer Initiative, a seemingly rare alliance of university scientists, farmers, conservation groups and governmental regulatory agencies, has been attempting to preserve the health of Wisconsin's waterways, focusing upon ways of combating runoff from farms. This runoff includes pollutants and sediments that would ultimately seep from farmland into the state's rivers and lakes. [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: Bottled Water

During the 1990s, bottled water soared in popularity among Americans. Today, they spend more than $7 billion a year on bottled water. Although 120 to 7500 times more costly per gallon than tap water, the demand for bottled water (especially in individualized containers) continues to climb for several reasons including convenience, health concerns, and dissatisfaction with the quality and taste of municipal tap water. Furthermore, clever ad campaigns have been very successful at persuading consumers of the advantages of drinking bottled water.

Although enamored by bottled water, the U.S. consumer must navigate through a variety of different brands (more than 900), and a potentially confusing terminology on labels mostly having to do with the source of the water. According to the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA), bottled water is defined as drinking water that is sugar-free, calorie-free, and contains no sweeteners or chemical additives other than small amounts of flavors or extracts. Bottled water may also have trace amounts of sodium. Beverages containing 1% or more by weight of flavors or extracts are classified as soft drinks. Soda water, seltzer water, and tonic water are considered soft drinks not bottled water because they may contain sugar and are not calorie-free.

About 75% of all bottled water comes from the subsurface. Bottled water from a well that taps a confined aquifer under hydrologic pressure is artesian water or artesian well water. Mineral water is groundwater that contains at least 250 parts per million (ppm) of dissolved solids from natural sources (i.e., dissolved bedrock, and sediment). Sparkling water contains dissolved carbon dioxide undiminished in concentration from its natural source. Spring water is groundwater that flows naturally to the surface of the Earth where an aquifer intercepts the ground. Well water is bottled water withdrawn from a hole drilled or bored into an aquifer. Collectively, all bottled water from subsurface sources is called natural water.

The quality of bottled water from the subsurface benefits from natural filtration as groundwater slowly seeps through permeable Earth materials. Nonetheless, in many cases bottlers employ additional purification steps such as applying ozone and/or ultraviolet light as disinfecting agents. Bottled water producers who use municipal sources (about 25% of the supply) typically (but not in all cases) reprocess the water for improved quality and taste through distillation, reverse osmosis, deionization, filtration, and/or ozonation. Labels on their products may include the terms purified water or distilled water. These same labels may include the statement "from a community water system," or "from a municipal source" meaning tap water.

While efforts at quality control of bottled water are designed to protect public health, a study by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) published in March 1999 raised some questions about whether enough is being done. The NRDC tested the quality of 1000 bottles of 103 brands of bottled water and found that not all the tested water was of high quality and some samples contained contaminants (http://www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/nbw.asp). Although the industry has strict standards and both federal and state governments regulate bottled water quality, the NRDC argues that existing regulations are not adequate. The NRDC recommends that the Food and Drug Administration set strict limits for contaminants in bottled water and that bottled water standards be at least as strict as those applicable to municipal (tap) water supplies.

Concept of the Week: Questions

By convention, bottled water is drinking water that is both sugar-free and calorie-free. [(True)(False)]
The source of most water in bottled water is [(subsurface)(surface)] reservoirs.

Historical Events

27 February 1717...What was perhaps the greatest snow in New England history commenced on this date. During a ten-day period, a series of four snowstorms dumped three feet of snow on Boston, and the city was snowbound for two weeks. Up to six feet of snow was reported farther to the north, and drifts covered many one-story houses. (David Ludlum)
27 February 1988...A major rain event occurred across Saudi Arabia's Foroson Islands in the Red Sea and on the adjacent mainland around Jizon when 1.15 in. fell. The monthly average rainfall is only 0.02 in. On the following day, flash flooding south of Riyadh killed 3 children. (Accord's Weather Calendar)
28 February 1959...An accumulation of heavy snow on the roof of a Listowel, ON arena caused it to collapse during a hockey game. Several people inside were killed. (The Weather Doctor)
28 February 1964...A world 12-hour rainfall record was set at Belouve, La Reunion Island in the western Indian Ocean when 52.76 inches of rain fell. World records for 9 hours and 18.5 hours were also set with 42.79 and 66.49 inches, respectively. (Accord's Weather Calendar) (The Weather Doctor)
1 March 1910...The deadliest avalanche of record in the U.S. thundered down the mountains near Wellington Station, WA sweeping three huge locomotive train engines and some passenger cars off the tracks, over the side and into a canyon, burying them under tons of snow. This train was snowbound on the grade leading to Stevens Pass. The avalanche claimed the lives of more than 100 people. The station house at Wellington was also swept away. (The Weather Channel)
1 March 1983...A ferocious storm battered the Pacific coast. The storm produced heavy rain and gale force winds resulting in flooding and beach erosion and in the mountains produced up to seven feet of snow in five days. An F2 tornado hit Los Angeles. Thirty people were injured and 100 homes were damaged. (The Weather Channel) (Intellicast)
4-5 March 1899...Tropical cyclone Mahina (the Bathurst Bay Hurricane) crossed the Great Barrier Reef and generated a 48-ft storm surge across Barrow Point, Queensland, Australia. The Australian pearling fleet was destroyed, over 100 shipwrecks reported and 307 people killed. Barometric pressure fell to an unofficial reading of 915 millibars (27 inches of mercury). (Accord's Weather Calendar) (The Weather Doctor)
5 March 1910...An avalanche rushed down the slopes near Rogers Pass, British Columbia striking a passing train and hurtling it nearly 1700 feet into Bear Creek below. Sixty-two trainmen and laborers perished. (The Weather Doctor)
5-10 March 1916...Morden, MB was buried by 48 inches of snow over five-day period. (The Weather Doctor)
5-6 March 1962...The Great Atlantic Coast Storm of 1962 caused more than $200 million in property damage from Florida to New England. Winds along the Middle Atlantic Coast reached 70 mph raising 40-ft waves, and 42 inches of snow fell at Big Meadows, in the mountains of Virginia--a state record. The storm caused greater alteration of the coastline from Cape Hatteras, NC to Long Island than any previous storm, including hurricanes. A new inlet was cut through Hatteras Island and more than 10 miles of Outer Banks barrier dunes were obliterated. The Virginia shoreline was rearranged by historic tidal flooding caused by the combination of the long stretch of strong onshore winds and spring tides. A 3-mile long boardwalk in Ocean City, MD was wiped out. (David Ludlum) (Intellicast)