WEEKLY WATER NEWS

23-27 April 2007

Water in the Earth System will return for Fall 2007 with new Investigations files starting during Preview Week, Monday, 27 August 2007 . All the current online website products will continue to be available throughout the summer break period.

Water in the News:

• Environmental heroes honored -- In commemoration of Earth Day (held on Sunday, 22 April 2007), NOAA officials announced that ten people were the recipients 2007 NOAA Environmental Heroes Award, which recognizes individuals and organizations that volunteer their time to help NOAA accomplish its mission. This year's awardees include the Colorado State Climatologist who organized a volunteer precipitation network, an Icelandic lighthouse keeper who is a weather observer, an amateur radio operator who organized a weather warning system and the cartoonist who creates the Mark Trail cartoon strip that helps educate the public on weather and environmental hazards. [NOAA News]
• Changes in climate could change wind shear and hurricane behavior -- Researchers at the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory and the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science claim that their global climate model simulations of the climate across the tropical Atlantic and eastern Pacific basins during the 21st century indicate a significant increase in the vertical wind shear (change in wind speed and/or direction with altitude) across these basins, thereby inhibiting development or intensification of tropical cyclone (especially hurricane) activity. [NOAA News] [Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science Research News]
• "Maverick" waves are visualized in 3-D -- Three-dimensional imagery of the sea floor off the central California coast has been developed by The NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Program and the California Ocean Protection Council that allows for the visualization of the famed "Mavericks" ocean waves, which batter the coast and are among the largest in the continental United States. [NOAA News]
• Arctic atmospheric observation program extends into Siberia -- The NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory recently announced that it will add a new research observation station in Russia's north-central Siberia to the five other international laboratories surrounding the Arctic rim (in the US, Canada, Greenland, Norway and Russia) that constitute an important part of the NOAA Arctic Atmospheric Observatory Program. [NOAA News]
• A warm and dry March reviewed -- Scientists at the NOAA National Climatic Data Center recently reported that their analysis of preliminary data indicates the monthly temperature averaged across the coterminous US for March 2007 was the second highest since detailed records with sufficient density began in 1895. Oklahoma reported its warmest March on record. While precipitation was above average across the nation's midsection, drier than average conditions across the Southeast and much of the West meant that the recently-concluded month was the 35th driest March in the 113-year period of record. Texas experienced its wettest March on record, while Mississippi had its second driest March and California had its seventh driest March. The globally averaged March temperature was the fifth highest since 1880. [NOAA News]
• Clamps placed on Everglades water withdrawal plans -- The State of Florida recently announced that it was putting additional water withdrawal from the fragile Everglades ecosystem by cities across South Florida off limits, at a time when severe drought was occurring across the region. [US Water News Online]
• Study of water supply near the nation's capital begun -- The Northern Virginia Regional Commission has begun a five-year study of the water supply in northern Virginia that would include projections of future demand and contingency plans for shortages in the suburbs of the District of Columbia. [US Water News Online]
• Pipe repair requires reduced water usage in southern California -- The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has urged one million residents of inland southern California to conserve water while the Rialto Feeder pipeline that carries water south from northern California is repaired. [US Water News Online]
• Wildfires in Georgia seen from space -- An image obtained from the MODIS instrument onboard NASA's Terra satellite early last week shows the fire and smoke plume associated with the Sweat Farm Road fire in southeast Georgia that spread rapidly because of strong winds and very dry atmospheric humidity levels. [NASA Earth Observatory] Several days later, an image obtained from the NOAA-18 satellite sensors indicates a continuation of the wildfires, but with a change in the direction of the smoke plume due to a shift in the near-surface prevailing winds. This image also shows the wildfires in South Florida. [NOAA OSEI] [Editor's note: The effects of the afternoon sea breeze regime can be seen clearly along coastal Georgia and north Florida as puffy cumuliform clouds developed inland along the leading edge of the sea breeze front, while clear skies can be seen over the offshore waters where sinking motion is found and along the coast that was experiencing the onshore sea breeze. EJH]
• Space-age portrait of a major nor'easter -- An image from NOAA's GOES-12 satellite shows clouds accompanying the vigorous spring storm that traveled across the Northeast one week ago bringing torrential rains to coastal locales, heavy snow to the interior and strong, gusty winds to the region. Observed wind gusts from late Tuesday morning were plotted on this satellite image. [NOAA OSEI]
• Dust as detected by satellite -- Images obtained from satellite show airborne dust being lifted over several regions across the globe. Recent images from:
  • the MODIS sensor on one of NASA's satellite early last week shows the layer of dust that had spread out over the Mediterranean Sea and the Gulf of Suez due to a sandstorm over northern Egypt that had reduced visibility to several hundred meters, forcing the closing of airports and ship ports. [NOAA OSEI]
  • the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) onboard NASA's Terra satellite reveal a recent duststorm over the desert of interior southern California that resulted in a multi-vehicle accident with fatalities on I-40. [NASA Earth Observatory]
• Rapid uplift detected in Solomon Islands -- Images obtained from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) onboard a NASA satellite made in late March 2006 and in mid April 2007 show the effects of the recent earthquake and ensuing tsunami in the Solomon Islands in terms of the newly exposed reef on Ranongga Island, which rose due to the earthquake on 2 April 2007. [NASA Earth Observatory]
• One billion people could be threatened by sea level surges -- A team of scientist lead by the U.S. Geological Survey reported that more than one billion people who live in coastal regions could be in danger because of a sudden surge in sea level such as that caused by a tsunami or storm surge. [ENN]
• A tsunami could have destroyed Atlantis -- A group of scientists claim that they have found evidence that a major tsunami rivaling that of the 2004 tsunami that decimated many coastal regions along the rim of the Indian Ocean could have destroyed the Minoan culture on the Mediterranean island of Crete approximately 3500 years ago, an event that may have sparked the legend of Atlantis. This tsunami may have been caused by a nearby violent volcanic eruption. [BBC News]
• Water projects bill finally receives House approval -- Late last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Water Resources Development Act, a $15 billion water projects bill that would fund projects that would enable the Army Corps of Engineers and other agencies to improve flood protection, modernize the nation's waterways and restore the environment in nearly each of the 50 states. [ENN]
• Deep sea drilling to study earthquake zone -- The Integrated Ocean Drilling Program is coordinating the Nankai Trough Seismogenic Zone Experiment, a 10-year project that will drill into an earthquake zone off the coast of Japan to get a better understanding of processes that have produced major earthquakes and tsunamis. [BBC News]
• A near-record low Arctic sea ice cover forecast for this summer -- Researchers at the University of Colorado at Boulder are forecasting a one in three chance that the minimum summer extent of sea ice across the Arctic basin in September 2007 could be an all-time record low over the period of observations. [University of Colorado]
• Under-ice observatories to study Arctic changes -- An instrumented package, called the "Ice Tethered Profiler System," designed and implemented by researchers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution will be used to measure water temperature and salinity with depth in the Arctic Ocean as it ascends and descends on a mooring line tethered under the ice near the North Pole. [Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution]
• Scientists head for North Pole to get "ground truth" for satellite -- An international team of scientists in aircraft deployed from Norway and two polar explorers on foot will depart for the North Pole to collect data that will serve as validation or "ground truth" for the European Space Agency's CryoSat-2 mission satellite to be launched that would continually monitor marine and land ice thickness in the polar latitudes. [ESA]
• Climate-related water problems could lead to national security issues -- Military experts in addition to scientists recently warned that projected increases in global temperature could produce a variety of water shortages or water surpluses around the world that could result in increased conflicts and terrorism, which would pose a major national security threat for the U.S. [Live Science]
• Insurance rates remain high following 2005 hurricane season -- With some exceptions, many homeowners in disaster-prone areas across the country continue to find home insurance rates remaining relatively high after the devastation wrought by several major Gulf hurricanes during the 2005 hurricane season. [USA Today]
• Global and US Hazards/Climate Extremes -- A review and analysis of the global impacts of various weather-related events, to include 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.

Historical Events:

• 24 April 1987...Showers and thunderstorms produced heavy rain in the Middle Atlantic Coast Region. Up to 7 in. of rain drenched Virginia in three days. Morgantown, WV received 4.27 in. in 24 hrs, and flooding was reported in south central West Virginia. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
• 24 April 1990...The Bogan River forced many residents to the second floors of two story buildings as the river topped sandbags protecting Nyngan, New South Wales, Australia. All of Nyngan was flooded to a depth of up to 20 ft. in 4 to 6 hours and all 2500 residents were evacuated by helicopter or bus on the 25^th. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 24 April 1995...Up to 6 in. of snow fell on the summits of Mauna Kea (13,796 ft elevation) and Mauna Loa (13,680 ft) on Hawaii's Big Island. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 25 April 1984...A late season snowstorm struck the Northern Rockies and the Northern Plains. The four-day storm that ended on the 28^th produced some unusually heavy snowfall totals. The town of Lead, located in the Black Hills of western South Dakota, was buried under 67 in. of snow. Red Lodge, located in the mountains of southern Montana, reported 72 in. of snow. Up to 60 in. blanketed the mountains of northern Wyoming. This storm was rated the worst late season storm of record for much of the affected area. (25^th-28^th) (Storm Data) (The Weather Channel)
• 27 April 1968...Hail and winds badly damaged homes and trailers at Prescott, AZ. As many as 200 telephone lines were knocked out of service. The cooperative weather observer noted the hail was "icicle" in shape, with a one-inch diameters and lengths to six inches. (Accord Weather Guide Calendar)
• 27 April 1988...Mount Washington, NH reported seven ft of snow in ten days, pushing their snowfall total for the month to 89.9 in., surpassing the previous record of 89.3 in. set in 1975. Records have been kept at the Observatory on the summit since December 1932. (The National Weather Summary) (Intellicast)
• 27 April 1989...Thunderstorms produced severe weather from the Lower and Middle Mississippi Valley to Virginia and the Carolinas. Hail up to 4.5 in. in diameter caused $5 million damage around Omaha, NE. Three inches of rain in a relatively short period of time caused flooding of streets with 3 ft of water reported at some intersections. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) (Intellicast)
• 28 April 1973...The all-time record crest of the Mississippi River at St. Louis, MO was recorded at 43.3 ft, exceeding the former 1884 mark by 1.9 ft. (Intellicast)
• 29 April 1905...A thunderstorm dumped 2 in. of rain in ten minutes on the town of Taylor, in southeastern Texas, with a total of 2.35 in. of rain in fifteen minutes. (The Weather Channel) (Intellicast)
• 29 April 1910...North America's deadliest rock slide was caused by snowmelt followed by temperatures near zero degrees Fahrenheit that caused water in the rock joints under Turtle Mountain in the Canadian Rockies to freeze and expand. Ninety million tons of limestone fell some 3000 ft onto Frank, AB. As many as 70 people died as the result of the rockslide. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 29 April 1973...The Mississippi River reached a crest of 43.4 ft at St. Louis, MO, breaking the previous record of 42 ft established in 1785. (David Ludlum)

Return to DataStreme WES Website

Prepared by AMS WES Central Staff and Edward J. Hopkins, Ph.D., email hopkins@meteor.wisc.edu
ã Copyright, 2007, The American Meteorological Society.