WEEKLY WATER NEWS

DATASTREME WES WEEK FIVE: 18-22 February 2008

Water in the News

(Thurs.) Airborne dust could result in quieter Atlantic hurricane seasons -- Using satellite and weather data for a 25-year span, atmospheric scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison claim that large amounts of airborne dust from Africa can reduce the sea surface temperature of the nearby North Atlantic, resulting in few hurricanes in that basin. [EurekAlert!]
(Thurs.) Enhanced oceans observations project launched in the Gulf -- A cooperative agreement was recently signed by NOAA and Shell Oil Company that would place meteorological and oceanographic sensors on seven Shell oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico that would become a part of the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS). [NOAA News]
(Thurs.) Water contaminants in water are affecting aquatic and human life -- A team of scientists from the US and Canada have found that approximately 30,000 chemicals commercially used in the two countries enter the waterways and nearly 400 of these chemicals resist decomposition, ultimately to have an impact upon aquatic life, including humans. [EurekAlert!]
(Thurs.) Fossil fuels could be hazardous to health of fish and people -- A group of scientists from the US and Canada report that a type of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, a compound found in burnt and un-burnt petroleum products, appears to be toxic to fish and humans, based upon evidence collected in Pacific herring and salmon after the Exxon Valdez (AK) spill of 1989. [EurekAlert!]
(Tues.) Searching the Arctic depths -- Several ocean mapping expeditions to the Arctic basin by researchers from the University of New Hampshire and NOAA have resulted in a new data set of the Arctic sea floor that repositions the foot of the continental slope off Alaska more than 100 nautical miles farther to the north than previously thought. This discovery could expand US rights to natural resources found on the sea floor. [NOAA News]
(Tues.) Antarctic life was threatened by ice ages -- A team of researchers from the British Antarctic Survey and the German Alfred Wegener Institute claim that animals in Antarctica experienced more serious life-threatening conditions during the ice ages than currently, due in part to the expanded sea ice that surrounded the continent. [EurekAlert!]
(Tues.) Salt supplies dwindle during a long and snowy winter -- Communities across the Midwest and Northeast are facing dwindling salt supplies needed for snow and ice control because of the numerous winter storms that have produced near record snowfall totals in some areas. [USA Today]
(Tues.) Sulfate and nitrate accumulations tracked in snow -- Scientists from the US and Canada have been tracking the movement of sulfate and nitrate compounds deposited in snow across the northern states to determine the acidification processes that occur during the spring snowmelt and the impact upon acid-sensitive biota. [Soil Science Society of America]
(Tues.) Increase in winter precipitation noted across the British Isles -- Researchers at the United Kingdom's University of East Anglia have found that over the last 100 years, the winter rain and snow has become more intense across the British Isles. [University of East Anglia]
(Tues.) Estrogen in municipal wastewater is devastating to fish -- Canadian biologists note that even small quantities of synthetic estrogen from birth control pills that enters the municipal sewer systems could decimate wild fish populations found downstream of the discharge by affecting the sexual characteristics of the fish. [EurekAlert!]
Water issues continue in Georgia due to the Southeastern drought -- A federal appeals court has recently ruled against the agreement between Georgia and the US Army Corps of Engineers for water rights to Lake Lanier, a major federal reservoir near Atlanta, GA, thereby providing a victory for Alabama and Florida in the prolonged interstate water wars. [US Water News Online] However, some lakes that were formed across northern Georgia by 357 dams built by the Federal government for flood control and job creation nearly 50 years ago could represent a source of water for the parched metropolitan areas across the region. State lawmakers are proposing funding marked to expand these lakes and build the necessary infrastructure to tap these lakes for drinking water. [US Water News Online]
"Hurricane hunter" aircraft used in Pacific winter storms -- The NOAA "hurricane hunter" aircraft has been used to gather atmospheric data in potent winter storms over the eastern North Pacific as pat of NOAA’s Winter Storms Reconnaissance program designed to help improve short-term weather forecasts along the Pacific coast prior to the arrival of winter storms. [NOAA News]
Awards given for coastal preservation and management projects -- The Coastal America Partnership, which involves numerous Cabinet-level federal partners working protect, preserve and restore coastal watersheds, has recently presented national awards recognizing the contributions of several organizations to:
- The California Resources Agency and NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Program for their joint efforts in the "Thank You Ocean" campaign designed to encourage Californians to become more familiar with and respect the ocean and the marine ecosystem. [NOAA News]
- NOAA's Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary for its Coral Protection and Restoration Program. [NOAA News]
Eye on the tropics -- The south Indian Ocean remained active as two tropical cyclones were found. Tropical Cyclone Ivan moved to the west-southwest across the western section of the basin, reaching a major Category 4 status on the Saffir-Simpson Intensity scale. As of late Sunday (local time) Ivan was about to make landfall along the northeast coast of Madagascar. Near the end of last week, a satellite image obtained from the European METEOSAT-7 satellite showed the clouds surrounding Tropical Cyclone Ivan. [NOAA OSEI] Farther to the east, Tropical Cyclone Nicholas formed off the northwest coast of Australia at the midpoint of last week and traveled to the west-southwest, paralleling the coast. This tropical cyclone remained a category 1 system on the Saffir-Simpson Scale. As of late Sunday Nicholas was to the northeast of Learmonth, Australia. An image from the Japanese MTSAT satellite shows the clouds associated with this tropical cyclone. [NOAA OSEI]
A review of January 2008 weather and climate patterns across the US and the globe -- Scientists at the NOAA National Climatic Data Center recently reported that based upon preliminary data, the January 2008 average temperature across the coterminous United States was close to the long-term average. The Northeast was warmer than average, while much of the West was cooler than average. Precipitation totals for January nationally quite close to average, with the West Coast and sections of the Midwest experiencing greater than average precipitation totals, while of the Plains, the Southeast and the Atlantic Seaboard having a drier than average January. La Niña, the cold phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation episode, continued as indicated by lower than average sea surface temperatures across the equatorial Pacific Ocean. Across the planet, the month was the 31st warmest on record. [NOAA News]
January extremes -- The monthly climatological data for the recently-concluded month of January are currently being compiled and analyzed. However, the National Climate Data Center (NCDC) has provided a preliminary list of the Selected U.S. City and State Extremes January 2008 that includes several noteworthy extremes in the temperature, precipitation and snowfall records across the nation. This page will be updated when additional information becomes available. [NCDC]
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: Artificial Snow

Snow is the essential ingredient for many winter recreational activities including downhill and cross-country skiing, snow boarding, and snowmobiling. No natural snow cover means no cross-country skiing or snowmobiling. But ski slope operators have another option if weather conditions do not provide adequate snow cover--they can generate their own snow. Artificial snow is used to build a base for skiing, to refresh snow surfaces, and to make skiing possible even during a snow drought, significantly lengthening the ski season. Some ski areas have the equipment to spread artificial snow over 80% or more of their terrain. Whereas snowmaking offers many recreational and economic advantages, some drawbacks stem from altering the local water budget.

Artificial snow actually consists of tiny particles of ice. Snowmakers use specially designed snow guns into which flexible hoses feed compressed air and water separately. A jet of compressed air breaks the stream of water into a fine mist of tiny droplets, which if conditions are favorable, freezes into ice crystals. Expansional cooling of the compressed air as it is emitted through the nozzle of the snow gun and into the atmosphere chills the water droplets. Artificial "snowflakes" settle onto the slopes and mechanized snow groomers then till and spread the accumulated artificial snow evenly over the ski slopes.

Many snowmakers add a special protein (commercially known as Snowmax) to the air/water mix to improve both the quality and quantity of artificial snow. A non-toxic and non-pathogenic strain of a bacterium produces the protein that attracts water and promotes ice crystal formation. Snowmax increases the amount of artificial snow produced at higher temperatures and snowflakes tend to be drier and lighter than other artificial snowflakes.

Ideal weather for snowmaking consists of low air temperature, light winds, and low humidity. Snowmaking is possible even when the air temperature is above 0ºC provided that the relative humidity is sufficiently low that the wet-bulb temperature is below 0ºC. Recall from pages 65-66 in your DataStreme WES Textbook that the wet-bulb temperature is the reading obtained through evaporative cooling when water vaporizes from the wetted bulb of a liquid-in-glass thermometer. Some droplets in the fine water spray (produced by the snow gun) evaporate, tapping latent heat from the air. With sufficient evaporative cooling, the air temperature drops to the wet-bulb reading, that is, to freezing or below, and subsequent water droplets freeze to ice crystals.

The water demand for snowmaking may impact the local water budget. In Vermont, for example, snowmaking uses about 2 billion gallons of water per year—equivalent to about one-seventh of the volume of the public water supply. To cover an area measuring 500 m by 60 m with 20 cm (8 in.) of artificial snow requires about 2500 cubic meters (658,000 gallons) of water. Streams are the usual source of water for snowmaking but ski areas are typically located high on hill or mountain slopes where stream flow is normally low, especially in winter. In some cases, dams or holding ponds are constructed to ensure an adequate water supply for snowmaking. Diversion of water for snowmaking may cut the supply of water for users downstream. Water that is stored in the winter snowpack on the ski trails runs off to streams during the spring snowmelt, adding to the normally high spring stream discharge and perhaps increasing the potential for downstream flooding.

Concept of the Week: Questions

If the air temperature were above 0ºC, artificial snow can be made if the wet-bulb temperature were [(above) (below)] the freezing point of water.
When water droplets evaporate while falling through a layer of relatively dry air, the temperature of the surrounding air [(falls) (rises)].

Historical Events

18 February 1967…Thirty-five members of several ski patrols gathered at Idaho's Skyline Ski Area southeast of Pocatello to study avalanche control. Unfortunately, an afternoon snowslide killed two people at the ski area while the class was being held. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
19 February 1972...A vicious coastal storm dumped 10 to 20 inches of snow over interior sections of the mid-Atlantic and Northeast states and caused some of the worst coastal damage of the century in New England. Twenty-three inches of snow fell at McHenry, MD, 23 inches piled up at Williamsport, PA, and Syracuse, NY recorded 20 inches. Twenty-foot drifts were reported in northeastern Pennsylvania. Storm surges up to 4.5 feet and winds gusting over 80 mph along coastal Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine resulted in extensive property damage and tremendous beach erosion. Twenty-seven houses were destroyed and 3000 damaged in Massachusetts alone. (Intellicast)
20 February 1805...The Potomac River was opened after being closed by ice for a period of two months. (Sandra and TI Richard Sanders - 1987)
20 February 1997...A vast mudslide swept off an Andean mountainside onto two remote villages in southeastern Peru burying up to 300 people. Inhabitants had been evacuated after weekend flooding, but their refuge above the village put them in the path of the mudslide. (The Weather Doctor)
21 February 1992...Today marked the 16^th consecutive day that Sacramento, CA recorded measurable rain, breaking the old record of 15 consecutive days set back in February 1936 and again in November 1970. Total rainfall over the 16-day period was 6.41 inches. (Intellicast)
22 February 1986...A twelve-day siege of heavy rain and snow, which produced widespread flooding and mudslides across northern and central California, finally came to an end. The storm caused more than $400 million in property damage. Bucks Lake, located in the Sierra Nevada Range, received 49.6 in. of rain during the twelve-day period. (Storm Data)
22-26 February 1995...Cyclone Bobby slammed into the Western Australia coast causing widespread flooding. Some areas reported up to 12 in. of rain from the storm. (The Weather Doctor)
23 February 1802...A great snowstorm raged along the New England coast producing 48 inches of snow north of Boston and 54 inches at Epping, NH. Three large (indiamen) ships from Salem were wrecked along Cape Cod by strong winds. (David Ludlum) (Intellicast)
23 February 1991...A black rain fell on eastern Turkey as soot from the Kuwait oil field fires mixed with the precipitation. (The Weather Doctor)
23 February 1998...Another storm in the series of storms during the major El Niño episode pounded southern California with 2 to 3 inches of rain, and 3 to 4 feet of snow in the mountains above 7000 feet. A sinkhole that measured 550 feet in length, 35 feet in width, and 65 feet in depth developed near I-15 in San Diego. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
24 February 1925...A 250,000-ton ice jam on the St. Lawrence River near Waddington, NY was removed using thermit for the first time in the U.S. Thermit is a mixture of finely divided magnesium and red iron oxide that produces hot molten iron when ignited. (Today in Science History)
24 February 1970…Eight people were killed by an avalanche as chalets and hotels were destroyed in near Mont Cenis, France. Earlier, on the 10^th of the month, 39 people were killed as an avalanche struck a chalet at Val d'Isere. On 15 April 1970, a landslide buried a sanatorium at Plateau d'Assy, killing 72 people. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)