WEEKLY WATER NEWS

DATASTREME WES WEEK THREE: 4-8 February 2008

Water in the News

A shipwreck exhibit is open -- NOAA officials recently announced that an exhibit entitled "Shipwrecks! an Exhibition" will be on display this coming week (2-10 February 2008) at its Silver Spring, MD headquarters as part of the Preserve America Initiative. The public is invited to this free exhibit that focuses upon the discovery and exploration of shipwrecks in the nation's waters. [NOAA & Preserve America]

Eye on the Tropics -- Two tropical cyclones (low-pressure systems that form in the tropics) were found over the tropical waters of the Southern Hemisphere as austral summer begins to wane.
In the Indian Ocean, Tropical Cyclone Gula, which formed early last week, intensified to a Category 2 cyclone on the Saffir-Simpson Scale as it took an erratic path southward to the east of Mauritania and Reunion Islands. As of Saturday, Gula was traveling to the south-southeast. An image obtained from the sensors on NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite at midweek shows estimated rain rates in Cyclone Gula [NASA Earth Observatory] Earlier, an image from the ME-7 satellite shows Gula and Tropical Cyclone Fame that had made landfall on Madagascar. [NOAA OSEI]
In the western South Pacific, Tropical Cyclone Gene formed early last week near the Fiji Islands, where damage was sustained. During the week, Gene traveled to the west-southwest, becoming a major category 3 tropical cyclone (on the Saffir Simpson Scale) before curving to the south before reaching New Caledonia. As of early Monday (local time), Gene was continuing to the south across the western South Pacific. An image obtained from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument on NASA's Aqua satellite shows the clouds surrounding Tropical Cyclone Gene. [NASA Earth Observatory] (Editor's Note: Since this tropical cyclone is in the Southern Hemisphere, a clockwise swirl of clouds appears because of the clockwise circulation around low pressure systems in that hemisphere, which is opposite the counterclockwise circulation and characteristic cloud swirl around Northern Hemisphere low pressure centers. EJH)

Winter storms across China are deadly -- Chinese officials report that as of last Friday, some of the worst winter storms in half a century, followed by severe cold air have killed at least 60 people and caused $7.5 billion in direct damage. [USA Today] An enhanced image made by the MODIS instrument on one of NASA's satellites early last week shows the snow cover across eastern China. [NASA Earth Observatory]

Pollution linked to rainy summer days in Southeast -- Scientists using data collected from NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite claim that more rain falls from midweek summer storms across the Southeastern States than weekend storms, leading to the conclusion that anthropogenic pollution could be contributing to increased precipitation totals. [NASA]

Severe crop losses foreseen in impoverished Africa and Asia -- Researchers at Stanford University warn that changes in global climate, especially associated with changes in temperature and rainfall patterns, could cause many of the impoverished areas of Africa and Asia to experience severe crop losses around the world in the next two decade. [EurekAlert!]

Diminishing water flow across West due to humans -- Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Scripps Institution of Oceanography claim that the decrease in water flow across the Western US during the last three decades can be explained by human activity that has caused temperatures to increase by up to 2 Fahrenheit degrees in the Rockies and a decrease in the snowpack across the Sierras by 20 percent. [USA Today] [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory]

Water management needs fundamental shift for changing climate -- An international group of hydrologists and climatologists recently warned that fundamental changes in water management planning and policy need to be addressed to cope with projected changes in climate that could seriously affect water supply. [EurekAlert!]

Erosion patterns help in assessment of stream flooding and climate change -- A geology professor at Boston College reports that the erosional patterns in Gower Gulch in California's Death Valley National Park provides insight into stream flooding due to infrequent torrential rainstorms and climate change. [Boston College] [Note: This link requires Adobe Acrobat Reader -- See below]

Dams could threaten Lake Victoria -- Researchers from Tanzania National Parks and Australia's James Cook University claim that two hydroelectric dams appear to be threatening the health of the ecosystem in and around Africa's Lake Victoria. [EurekAlert!]

River plants could affect health of oceanic coastal waters -- Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology report that the growth of aquatic plants in rivers and streams could play a major role in the health of the coastal waters of the oceans in which the rivers flow. [MIT]

A link seen between increased hurricane activity and higher sea surface temperatures -- Scientists at University College London claim that the approximately 40 percent increase in hurricane activity in the North Atlantic basin during the last decade can be associated with the 0.5 Celsius degree increase in sea surface temperature. [EurekAlert!]

Chemical leak sickens residents in central China -- Governmental authorities recently reported that at least 26 villagers in central China were sickened when sulfuric acid leaked into their water supply from a chemical plant. [US Water News Online]

Continuous air and quality monitoring around the world is envisioned -- Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and two universities in Singapore have launched an international research program that is intended to develop environmental sensor networks to collect air and water quality data and use this data to provide accurate, real-time monitoring, modeling and control of the environment. [MIT]

Solving the "glassy water" mystery -- A professor at Arizona State University claims that he has solved the mystery involving the glassy phase of water near the transition between supercooled liquid water and ice [EurekAlert!]

Half of Baffin Island ice caps lost within 60 years -- Researchers at the University of Colorado, Boulder report that the ice caps on Canada's Baffin Island has shrunk by 50 percent since the 1950s. They also report that they have found evidence indicating that ancient tropical volcanic eruptions may have triggered the Little Ice Age. [EurekAlert!]

Shrinkage of a New Zealand glacier documented from space -- Comparisons between images made by instruments onboard NASA's Landsat 4 in December 1990 and those on NASA's Terra satellite in December 2007 show a marked decrease in the areal extent of Tasman Glacier on New Zealand's South Island. [NASA Earth Observatory]

Clues of ancient climates obtained from ocean depths -- An international research team on board the research vessel Southern Surveyor recently returned to Australia after collecting coral samples from the deep ocean floor approximately three kilometers below the surface off Tasmania using a remotely operated submersible. The coral should provide information on past climate. [CSIRO] Images are also available. [CSIRO]

Becoming AWARE -- During this coming week of 2-9 February, Florida and Georgia have scheduled Hazardous Weather Awareness Week. If you live in these two states, you should take time to become familiar with the various public affairs announcements issued by your local National Weather Service Office. Other states farther to the north will be observing their Severe Weather Awareness weeks in the next ten weeks.
With the approach of the severe weather season, officials with the National Weather Service are encouraging science teachers throughout the country to take time to relay various safety information concerning weather-related hazards to their students. These teachers should contact the Warning Coordination Meteorologist at their local National Weather Service Office. They can locate that person on-line by going to http://www.stormready.noaa.gov/contact.htm and clicking on the outline of their state.
In Michigan this week (4-10 February 2007) is designated to be Michigan NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards Awareness Week. State residents are citizens are being urged to learn more about NOAA Weather Radio and the potentially life saving information broadcast by the National Weather Service Offices serving Michigan.

A half century in the "space business" -- Fifty years ago last Thursday, Explorer 1 satellite was successfully launched from Cape Canaveral, FL, marking the entry of the United States into space exploration, following the earlier Sputnik satellite launched by the USSR. One of the successes of Explorer 1 was the discovery of the Van Allen Belts. [NASA Earth Observatory]

Volcanic eruptions can affect clouds -- Images from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor on NASA’s Aqua satellite of the plume of volcanic ash and aerosols streaming from a volcano in the South Atlantic shows how the volcanic particulate matter affect the low-level marine cloud deck. [NASA Earth Observatory]

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.

REPORT FROM THE FIELD -- This reporter was asked by some of his coworkers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison about the startling earthquake-like shaking they experienced last Thursday afternoon. What they experienced was an "ice quake" that occurred when the ice on the surface of neighboring Lake Mendota expanded after contracting due to the large temperature oscillations experienced across the Upper Midwest last week. Seismometers at the Geology Department recorded this ice quake. While smaller thunder-like sounds are routinely heard during late winter on many frozen lakes across the northern states, major ice quakes are less frequent. However, 60 years ago, an ice quake that developed along an ice crack on Lake Mendota caused ceilings to crack and books to fall from shelves in an ice quake that geology students reported as a magnitude 3 on the modified Mercalli scale. EJH

Concept of the Week: Great Lakes Water Levels

In late 2000, Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, and Erie experienced their lowest water levels in 35 years with serious implications for lake-based activities. Over the past few years, however, changes in weather conditions in the Great Lakes watershed appear to have somewhat reversed the decline in water levels, but overall they still remain below long-term averages.

From 1997 to 2001, Lakes Michigan and Huron dropped by 104 cm (40.8 in.) and Lake Erie dropped by 96 cm (37.6 in.), encompassing the greatest three-year drop in lake levels since continuous records began in 1860. This dramatic decline in lake level was due to a combination of weather conditions in the Great Lakes watershed. Rainfall, snowfall, and air temperature during winter and spring govern water levels of the Great Lakes in spring and summer. Spring melting of the winter snow pack in the watershed is an important contributing factor as is air temperature that ultimately governs evaporation rates. Between 1997 and 2000, lower than normal precipitation and higher than normal temperatures reduced the winter snow pack, decreased discharge on rivers flowing into the lakes, and accelerated lake evaporation. Although input of water into the Great Lakes was above the long-term average in Fall 2001, lake levels remained well below average because of less than the usual snow melt in the Spring of 2001 and less than normal winter ice-cover in 2001-02. (More open water translates into greater winter evaporation.)

Great Lakes water levels showed signs of recovery during 2002, but in early 2003, all the lakes were lower than the long-term average for that time of year. A cool wet summer in the eastern Lakes region, but dry summer weather across the west meant that lake levels for the upper lakes continued to remain below average, while the lower lakes had levels that returned to near average. The cool summer of 2004 was very similar to 2003, with below average precipitation across the western Lakes and above average rainfall over the eastern Lakes. By mid September 2004, Lakes Erie and Ontario had water levels that were above the long-term monthly average. However, following the dry spring and summer of 2005, lake levels of the western Lakes fell below long-term averages and remained below average into 2006. Continued drought and unseasonably warm weather across sections of the Upper Midwest during the summer of 2006 caused the level of Lake Superior to fall to approximately 30 cm (13 in) below the long-term average by early February 2007. By September 2007, the continued drought across the Lakes caused the water levels on all the lakes to drop below long-term level, even though the lower lakes were above average at the start of the year. The greatest departure was experienced on Lake Superior, where the lake level reached a record low level that was nearly one half meter (19 inches) below the long-term average in September 2007. Cold air and winter storms moving across the Upper Midwest helped provide a slight increase of several inches in the level of Lake Superior in January 2008 over the level one year earlier. The levels of Lakes Michigan and Huron fell to near record low levels in December 2007. (The Straits of Mackinac that link Lakes Michigan and Huron are so wide and deep that the levels of these two lakes are essentially the same.) At the start of February, the level of these lakes was 54 cm (21 inches) below average. Lakes Erie and Ontario had levels that were close to average (within an inch) on 1 February 2008.

Low lake levels adversely impact commercial navigation, marinas, recreational boaters, and electric power facilities. Shallower than usual water requires expensive and environmentally damaging dredging to keep shipping channels navigable and ports open. Even with more dredging, some channels cannot accommodate the draft of heavily laden freighters. Reduced carrying capacity impedes transport of grain, coal, ore, and other raw materials to processing facilities and markets. In 2000, Lake Carriers transported 5% to 8% less cargo, sending prices higher. If storm winds cause near-shore water levels to fall, marinas, docks, and boat ramps may be temporarily inaccessible. The Great Lakes supply most of the potable water for lakeshore communities and cooling water for coal-fired and nuclear electric power plants located along their shores. A drop in water level may require costly repositioning of intake pipes. On the positive side, lower lake levels translate into broader beaches and wetland habitats and less shoreline erosion.

For more information on past, current, and anticipated Great Lakes water levels, go to http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/data/now/wlevels/, a web site maintained by the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL). Records of Great Lakes water levels constitute one of the longest high quality hydrometeorological data sets in North America, dating back to about 1860. Lake level measurements are collected and archived by NOAA's National Ocean Service.

Concept of the Week: Questions

With rising temperatures, the rate of evaporation of water [(increases)(decreases)].
A trend toward snowier and colder winters and springs is likely to cause levels of the Great Lakes to [(rise)(fall)].

Historical Events

5 February 1887...San Francisco, CA experienced its greatest snowstorm of record. Nearly four (3.7) inches were reported in downtown San Francisco, and the western hills of the city received seven inches. Excited crowds went on a snowball-throwing rampage. (David Ludlum)
5 February 1987...Thunderstorms in the Southern Plains Region caused flooding in parts of south central Texas. Del Rio, TX was soaked with two inches of rain in two hours prior to sunrise. (The National Weather Summary)
5 February 1997...High winds pushed mountains of ice against the northern shore of Lake Erie crushing several houses and cottages in Colchester, Ontario. This phenomenon is known as ice shove. (The Weather Doctor)
6 February 1856...A lee shore snowburst at Oswego, NY on Lake Ontario dropped an estimated 6 feet of snow. (Intellicast)
6-8 February 1885...A severe blizzard buried parts of Nova Scotia under 16 inches of snow. Train traffic was disrupted, as only trains with snowplows attached were able to push through. (The Weather Doctor)
6 February 1933...The highest reliably observed ocean wave was seen by crew of the US Navy oiler, USS Ramapo, in the North Pacific during the night on its way from Manila to San Diego. The wave was estimated (by triangulation) to have a height of 112 feet. Average winds at the time were 78 mph. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar) (See additional discussion on highest ocean waves)
6 February 1985...The French mineral water company, Perrier, debuted its first new product in 123 years. The new items were water with a twist of lemon, lime, or orange.
6 February 1987...Brownsville, TX was deluged with seven inches of rain in just two hours, and flooding in some parts of the city was worse than that caused by Hurricane Beulah in 1967. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
7 February 1920...A great four-day snow and sleet storm came to an end over New England and southeastern New York. Accumulations of 15 to 20 inches of ice, sleet, and snow were common, stalling traffic for weeks. (Intellicast)
7 February 1978...The worst winter storm of record struck coastal New England. The storm produced 27.5 inches of snow at Boston, and nearly 50 inches in northeastern Rhode Island. The fourteen-foot tide at Portland, ME was probably the highest of the century. Winds gusted to 79 mph at Boston, and reached 92 mph at Chatham, MA. A hurricane-size surf caused 75 deaths and $500 million damage. (David Ludlum)
8 February 1905...A cyclone hit Tahiti and adjacent islands killing some 10,000 people.
8 February 1987...A powerful storm produced blizzard conditions in the Great Lakes Region. Winds gusted to 86 mph at Janesville, WI and Cleveland, OH received 12 inches of snow. North winds of 50 to 70 mph raised the water level of southern Lake Michigan two feet, and produced waves 12 to 18 feet high, causing $7 million damage along the Chicago area shoreline. It was the most damage caused by shoreline flooding and erosion in the history of the city of Chicago. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
8 January 2001...The log-carrying ship, Leo Forest, lost much of its cargo as over 2300 logs went overboard approximately 400 miles north of Adak, AK. The ship lost power in waves that were greater than 35 feet and the loss of the logs caused the ship to list 10 degrees to port (left) with the bow three feet down. Fortunately, the ship made safe passage to Dutch Harbor for repairs. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
9 February 1994...A long-duration overrunning snowstorm combined with ocean effect snow resulted in big snowfall accumulations across east-coastal Massachusetts. Boston checked in with a two-day total of 18.7 inches for its greatest single storm snowfall since the great blizzard of 1978. 27.7 inches were recorded at Manchester-by-the-Sea and 24 inches fell at South Weymouth. Farther to the southwest, a foot of snow blanketed Newark, NJ. (Intellicast)
10 February 1940...USCGC Bibb and Duane made first transmissions as weather stations. (USCG Historian's Office)
11-22 February 1986...A series of storms dropped heavy snow on northern and central California; Bucks Lake had a storm total of 49.6 inches. The resultant flooding and mudslides killed 13, injured 67, and caused the evacuation of 50,000 people. Property damage was an estimated $400 million. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
11 February 1999…Tahtsa Lake, BC reported 57 inches of snow, which set a new 24-hour snowfall record for Canada, eclipsing the old record of 46.5 inches of snow that fell at Lakelse, BC on 17 January 1974. This former record replaced a 44.0 inch summertime snowfall on 29 June 1963 at Livingston Ranger Station, AB. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)