WEEKLY WATER NEWS

DATASTREME WES SPRING BREAK WEEK: 5-9 March 2007

This is Break Week for the Spring 2007 offering of the DataStreme WES course. This Weekly Water News will contain new information items and historical data, but the Concept of the Week is repeated from Week 6.

Water in the News

Tropical rainfall trends detected -- NASA scientists at the Goddard Space Flight Center recently reported that they have used a new technique to analyze rainfall data from surface rain gauges and from NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite that indicates an increase in rainfall in the tropics. [NASA Earth Observatory]
"Hurricane hunter" aircraft used to verify satellite wind measurements -- A NOAA WP-3D Orion "hurricane hunter" aircraft recently completed a month-long mission to collect in-situ wind and precipitation data during winter storms over the North Atlantic as part of the NOAA 2007 Ocean Winds Winter Experiment that would be used to validate remotely sensed data collected by orbiting satellites. Ultimately, this mission should help improve marine weather forecasts. [NOAA News]
A possible transition from El Niño to La Niña conditions foreseen -- Scientists at the NOAA Climate Prediction Center recently reported that the anomalous atmospheric and oceanic weather conditions identified as an El Niño event, such as above-average water temperatures in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, approximately four months ago have now faded as cooler than average water has been observed, resulting in what could lead to a La Niña event. [NOAA News] New sea-level height data collected by NASA's Jason altimetric satellite in early February 2007 also indicate that the waters in the tropical Pacific Ocean have undergone the change from warm (El Niño) to a cool (La Niña) event. An oceanographer at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory is concerned that this transition into a La Niña event could cause a continuation of the drought across the West. [NASA Earth Observatory]
- Indonesian wildfires linked to recent El Niño event -- Scientists have used rainfall data and atmospheric carbon monoxide data collected by the Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere (MOPITT) instrument aboard NASA's Terra satellite to track wildfire pollution plumes that spread from the Indonesian islands over the Indian Ocean during three months in late 2006. They have linked the increased wildfire activity in Indonesia with the recent El Niño event. [NASA Earth Observatory] Images and charts are available. [NASA] [NASA Earth Observatory]
Former Ross Sea iceberg giant produces "offspring" -- A pair of images obtained from the MODIS instrument onboard NASA's Aqua satellite at the end of January and start of February 2007 shows new icebergs that were shed from B-15J, the remnant of a large iceberg that broke off Antarctica's Ross Ice Shelf seven years ago. [NASA Earth Observatory]
Coastal Virginia receives help in preparation for tsunami and storm-surge flooding -- Scientists from NOAA National Geophysical Data Center and the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences have been developing a high-resolution digital elevation model for Tidewater Virginia near Virginia Beach that would serve to help local emergency managers prepare their communities against potentially deadly coastal flooding from tsunamis and wind-driven storm surges. Similar models have been developed for coastal communities in the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida, Puerto Rico, California and Alaska, with more than 100 additional models to be prepared during the next several years. [NOAA News]
Assessing the impact of the Valentine's Day Storm -- Scientists at the National Climatic Data Center made a preliminary classification of the winter storm that struck the Middle Atlantic and New England States on Valentine's Day 2007 based on snowfall observations, rating it as a "major" Category 3 storm on the Northeast Snowfall Impact Scale (NESIS), a new operational classification scale designed to gauge the severity of an East Coast snowstorm in terms of potential socio-economic impact. The preliminary classification of the recent Valentine's Day storm would make it one of the largest and most intense during the last half-century. [NOAA News]
Lake-effect snow forecasting in the spotlight -- The NOAA Magazine recently ran a feature on lake-effect snowstorms and the efforts undertaken by the personnel with National Weather Service at tracking and producing accurate forecasts of lake-effect snow. [NOAA Magazine]
Another tropical cyclone detected -- A MODIS instrument on one of NASA's satellites shows Tropical Cyclone Gamede traveling across the western South Indian Ocean near Madagascar last week. [Editor's note: The clouds associated with the feeder bands surrounding the system's eye appear as a clockwise swirl, opposite to Northern Hemisphere counterparts. EJH] [NOAA OSEI]
Climate change could fuel stronger Atlantic hurricanes -- Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the University of Miami and the National Climatic Data Center claim that higher ocean temperatures due to recent increases in air temperature have resulted in stronger hurricanes in the North Atlantic Ocean, while similar trends are not as apparent in the other ocean basins. Their investigation included a careful reanalysis of the long-term hurricane data. [EurekAlert!]
Hurricanes can intensify along with an eyewall replacement -- A scientist at the University of Washington and colleagues have developed a conceptual model of a hurricane that can undergo an eyewall replacement along with rapid intensification based upon observations of data collected from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 as part of the Hurricane Rainband and Intensity Change Experiment. [EurekAlert!]
Himalayan ice cap affected by higher temperatures -- French researchers, along with Chinese, Russian and American colleagues, claimed that the recent trend in global temperatures has affected the ice cap on Mt. Everest in the Himalayas. They have used the entrapped gas content from ice cores to reconstruct long-term changes in summer temperatures over the last 2000 years. [EurekAlert!]
Plans announced for handling drought along the Colorado River -- A draft impact report entitled "Colorado River Interim Guidelines for Lower Basin Shortages and Coordinated Operations for Lake Powell and Lake Mead" was released by the Bureau of Reclamation last week that identifies how much water California and other Western states will be allowed to take from the Colorado River during droughts and other low reservoir conditions in the face of change in climate. [SFGate.com]
A sediment wedge could affect glacial movement and sea level changes -- A geoscientist from Penn State University and colleagues reported that their analysis of data collected from a snowmobile-towed radar unit across Antarctica's Whillans Ice Stream indicates that sediments wedged beneath ice shelves could help stabilize the glacial ice sheets and serve as a buffer against moderate sea level rise. [EurekAlert!]
Marine life gets iron supplements from rivers -- Oceanographers at Oregon State University report that iron-rich winter runoff flowing from rivers in the Pacific Northwest out into the Pacific Ocean help fertilize the coastal waters, leading to robust phytoplankton production and fisheries. [EurekAlert!]
Secrets of water are revealed -- Scientists at the University of Delaware and Radboud University in the Netherlands have developed a computer model that can be used to simulate and accurately predict the properties of water molecules. [University of Delaware]
"Finger rafting" described -- Scientists at Yale University and Cambridge University have described how ice sheets mesh when they meet through the interlacing of a series of thin fingerlike ice sheets that raft together. [EurekAlert!]
Space agency robotic sub to investigate ocean depth -- Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University are ready to field test an underwater robot that they developed through a NASA-funded Deep Phreatic Thermal Explorer (DEPTHX) mission, which will ultimately be used to study the world's deepest sinkhole. [EurekAlert!]
Studying a sleeping volcano -- Scientists at the University of Utah who have been monitoring the ground movements of the volcanic hotspot under Wyoming's Yellowstone National Park for 17 years claim that more energy is being exerted than previously assumed. Their use of GPS (Global Positioning System) receivers provided daily monitoring of the movements of molten rock and hot water that form the well-known geysers and hot springs in the park. The caldera that forms much of the park represents the remnants of several huge catastrophic volcanic eruptions, including the most recent approximately 642,000 years ago. [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.

This Concept of the Week is repeated from Week 6.

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 is confronted by 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

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)
6 March 1898...An avalanche in the Glarnisch Mountains of Switzerland raced down a 44-degree slope at maximum speeds of over 200 mph. Upon reaching the valley floor, the avalanche continued part way up the opposite slope. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
7 March 1932...A severe coastal storm set barometric pressure records from Virginia to New England. Block Island, RI reported a barometric pressure reading of 955.0 millibars (28.20 inches of mercury). (David Ludlum)
7 March 1999...Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada's snowiest major city set a new record for a one-day snowfall of 45.7 inches, but prior to that date the winter's total had been a meager (for the city) 46 inches of snow. (The Weather Doctor)
8 March 1998...As much as 15 inches of rain fell across Coffee County in Alabama. Runoff breached an earthen levee on Beaver Dam Creek, sending a 6-ft wall of water into Elba. Four people were killed when vehicles were swept downstream. As many as 400 homes and businesses were damaged and 52 roads were either washed out or flooded. Total damage was $105 million. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
9 March 1956...A whopping 367 in. of snow was measured on the ground at the Rainier Paradise Ranger Station in Washington. The snow depth was a state record and the second highest total of record for the continental U.S. (The Weather Channel)
9 March 1987...Gale force winds ushered arctic air into the north central U.S. Some places were 50 degrees colder than the previous day. Northeast winds, gusting to 60 mph, produced 8 to 15 ft waves on Lake Michigan causing more than $1 million in damage along the southeastern shoreline of Wisconsin. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
9-13 March 1891...The Great Blizzard struck southern England and Wales with storm winds on the seas. As many as 220 people were reported dead; 65 ships foundered in the English Channel; 6000 sheep perished. Countless trees were uprooted and trains buried in snow. Up to a foot of snow and snowdrifts of 11.5 feet high were recorded at Dulwich, London, Torquay, Sidmouth, and Dartmouth. (The Weather Doctor)
9 March 2001...The rain-swollen Tisza River reached its highest level in 100 years peaking at 7.5 m (25 feet) in the village of Zahony, Hungary. Twenty villages were evacuated and more than 30,000 individuals fled their homes due to the flooding. (The Weather Doctor)
10 March 1869...Dust from African simooms (siroccos) resulted in a reddish-colored snow falling in central France. People thought its color came from blood. A similarly colored snow fell on 13 February 1870, while a red colored rain fell on Isle-sur-Serein on 30 October 1926. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
11 March 1864...The Great Sheffield Flood, the largest human-caused disaster ever to befall England, killed over 250 people in Sheffield. (Wikipedia)
11 March 2002...The National Ice Center reported that satellite images indicated that an iceberg with an area larger than the state of Delaware had calved from the Thwaites Ice Tongue, a region of snow and glacial ice extending from the Antarctic mainland into the South Amundsen Sea (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)