DATASTREME OCEAN WEEK ONE:

• Frances smashes into Florida -- A powerful and slow moving Hurricane Frances made landfall along Florida's Atlantic coast early Sunday morning. While the hurricane had lost considerable intensity from its peak earlier last week (falling from a Category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph to a Category 2 with winds of 105 mph), winds caused damage along the coast. Wind driven waves on top of a storm surge also caused some damage to coastal structures. In addition to the winds, Frances was also accompanied by heavy rain that produced localized flooding. [CNN] Earlier Friday and Saturday, Hurricane Frances crossed the Bahamas, accompanied by winds in excess of 105 mph. At least two fatalities were reported as a result of the hurricane, along with one missing person. [CNN]
• Analyzing Frances from space -- A variety of sophisticated sensors onboard the European Space Agency's Envisat satellite have been obtaining a three dimensional picture of Hurricane Frances as it moved toward the Florida coast. [ESA]
• More fierce hurricanes foreseen -- A meteorologist with NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center recently stated that an increasing trend is apparent in the Atlantic Basin toward more powerful and larger hurricanes and tropical storms. He attributes some of this trend to a combination of natural cycles and to rising ocean temperatures. [CNN]
• Tracking an iceberg from space-- An instrument called the Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR) aboard the European Space Agency's Envisat satellite can provide a new means for tracking icebergs as they move around Antarctica even when clouds and darkness would hide the icebergs from optical sensors on the satellites. Currently, this instrument is monitoring the movement of a large iceberg identified as B-15A that splintered from the large B-15 iceberg, which had broken off the Ross Ice Shelf in 2000. [ESA]
• Satellites detect red glow from plankton -- Oceanographers from the University of South Florida reported that they have been able to detect the early stages of a phytoplankton bloom by interpreting the fluorescence data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) mounted onboard two of NASA's polar orbiting satellites. [NASA GSFC]
• Reopening swordfish fisheries claimed to be harmful -- An environmental group have filed suit against the National Marine Fisheries Service claiming that the recently reopened swordfish fisheries in the Pacific would harm albatross and sea turtles. [ENN]
• Recreational fishing rivaling commercial fishing -- A recent study by a Florida State University researcher indicates that contrary to a commonly held perception, recreational saltwater fishing is rivaling or outstripping its commercial counterpart in the take of depleted fish stocks. [SeaWeb]
• Massive coral heist thwarted -- Police on China's Hainan Island recently seized and returned to the sea 40 metric tons of illegally harvested coral. [BBC]
• Survey Ship returned to duty -- The NOAA Ship Fairweather, a Hydrographic Survey vessel, was reactivated in August after it was refurbished with the latest technology in order to provide detailed hydrographic surveys of the Alaskan coastal waters. [NOAA News]
• 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]
• Earthweek -- Diary of the Planet [earthweek.com] Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.

A request: If you have some ocean-related experience that you would like to share with other DataStreme Ocean participants, please send them to the email address appearing at the bottom of this document for possible inclusion in a News file. Thank you. EJH

Concept of the Week: Touring the DataStreme Ocean Homepage

NOTE: This Concept for the Week is a repeat of that which appeared in last week's Weekly Ocean News.

Welcome to DataStreme Ocean! You are embarking on a study of the world ocean and the role of the ocean in the Earth system. This unique teacher enhancement course focuses on the flow and transformations of energy and water into and out of the ocean, the internal properties and circulation of the ocean, interactions between the ocean and the other components of the Earth system, and the human/societal impacts on and responses to those interactions. Throughout this learning experience, you will be using the DataStreme Ocean Homepage to access and interpret a variety of environmental information, including recent observational data. The objective of this initial Concept of the Week is to explore features of the DS Ocean Homepage.

On Monday of each week of the course, we will post the current Weekly Ocean News that includes Ocean in the News (a summary listing of recent events related to the ocean), Concept of the Week (an in-depth analysis of some topic related to the ocean in the Earth system), and Historical Events (a list of past events such as tsunamis or specific advances in the understanding of oceanography). When appropriate, Supplemental Information will be provided on some topic related to the principal theme of the week.

You will use the DS Ocean Homepage to access and download the second part of weekly Investigations A & B (plus supporting images) that begin in your DataStreme Ocean Study Guide. These materials should be available by noon (Eastern Time) on Tuesday and Thursday. Click the appropriate links to download and print these electronic components of the investigations as well as your Chapter Progress and Investigations Response forms.

The body of the DS Ocean Homepage provides links to the Earth System, information on Physical & Chemical, Geological, and Biological aspects of the ocean, Atmosphere/Ocean Interaction, the Great Lakes, and extras--a glossary of terms, maps, educational links, and DataStreme Ocean information. Following each section is a link to other sites that examine the various subsystems of the Earth system. Let's take a quick tour to become more familiar with the DS Ocean Homepage.

Under Physical & Chemical, click on Sea Surface Temperatures. This image uses a color scale to depict the global pattern of sea surface temperatures (SSTs) (in degrees Celsius) averaged over a recent 7-day period and based on measurements by infrared sensors onboard Earth-orbiting satellites. (Depending on your browser, you may have to place your mouse cursor on the slide bar to the right and scroll down to view the entire image.) Compare SSTs in the Northern Hemisphere with those in the Southern Hemisphere. Return to the DS Ocean Homepage.

Under Geological, click on Current Earthquake Activity. (Note: This may load slowly.) The USGS Current World Seismicity page provides a global map of the locations of seismic (earthquake) events color-coded for the last week or 30 days. The diameters of the circles represent the magnitude of the most recent earthquakes. Note how earthquakes are concentrated along the margin of the Pacific Ocean. Details of recent earthquakes can be found by clicking on their map circles and are given in Current Earthquakes for the U.S. and World. Return to the DS Ocean Homepage.

The ocean is home to a wide variety of habitats and organisms. Under Biological, click on Ocean "Color" (Productivity). This is a satellite-derived (SeaWiFS) color-coded map of biological productivity in the surface waters of the world ocean averaged for the year 2004 to date. Orange and red indicates the highest productivity and dark blue and violet indicate the lowest productivity. Note the vast areas of relatively low productivity over the central regions of the subtropical ocean basins. Now return to the DS Ocean Homepage.

Under Atmosphere/Ocean Interaction, click on TRMM Tropical Rainfall. The TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission) page includes color-coded maps of the Monthly Mean Rainrate (in mm per day) across the tropics. Click on "July" for example. Changes in rainfall are linked to large-scale shifts in the atmosphere/ocean circulation in the tropics. Now return to the DS Ocean Homepage.

Take a few minutes when you have time to browse the other data and information sources available via the DS Ocean Homepage. You should "bookmark" ("favorites") this page on your computer. Return frequently to learn more about the many resources on the ocean in the Earth system. Bon voyage!

Concept of the Week: Questions

1. The latest global sea surface temperature map indicates that SSTs are generally higher over the [(western)(eastern)] tropical Pacific Ocean.
2. The USGS map of Current Earthquake Activity indicates that earthquakes appear to be more common along the [(east)(west)] coast of North America.

• 6 September 1522...The Magellan expedition completed its historical circumnavigation of the globe as one of Ferdinand Magellan's five ships, the Vittoria, arrived at Sanlýcar de Barrameda in Spain with 17 other crewmembers and four Indians. Magellan, who lost his life in April 1521 in the Philippines, set sail from Spain with 270 seamen on 20 September 1519 in an effort to find a western sea route to the rich Spice Islands of Indonesia. (The History Channel)
• 7 September 1934...US Coast Guard (USCG) vessels responded to a fire aboard the liner Morro Castle six miles off the New Jersey coast. This disaster, which resulted in the loss of 133 of the 455 passengers and crew, led to a Senate investigation and subsequent changes in maritime safety regulations. (USCG Historian's Office)
• 8 September 1900...The greatest weather disaster in U.S. records occurred when a hurricane struck Galveston, TX. Waves fifteen feet high washed over the island demolishing or carrying away buildings, and drowning more than 6000 persons. The hurricane destroyed more than 3600 houses, and total damage was more than thirty million dollars. Winds to 120 mph, and a twenty-foot storm surge accompanied the hurricane. Following the storm, the surf was three hundred feet inland from the former water line. The hurricane claimed another 1200 lives outside of the Galveston area. (8^th-9^th) (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel)
  Editor's note: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) posted a webpage commemorating the Galveston, TX hurricane of 1900. This page contains links to historic photos and excerpts of an eyewitness description of storm by the chief forecaster of the Galveston U.S. Weather Bureau Office.
• 9 September 1945 - A "computer bug" is first identified and named by LT Grace Murray Hopper while she was on Navy active duty in 1945. It was found in the Mark II Aiken Relay Calculator at Harvard University. The operators affixed the moth to the computer log, where it still resides, with the entry: "First actual case of bug being found." They "debugged" the computer, first introducing the term. (Naval History Center)
• 10 September 1919...A hurricane struck the Florida Keys drowning more than 500 persons. (David Ludlum)
• 10 September 1965...Hurricane Betsy slammed Louisiana with wind gusting to 130 mph at Houma, resulting in 58 deaths and over 17,500 injured. The storm surge and flooding from torrential rains made Betsy the first billion-dollar hurricane with losses exceeding $1.4 billion.
• 11 September 1961...Very large and slow moving Hurricane Carla made landfall near Port Lavaca, TX. Carla battered the central Texas coast with wind gusts to 175 mph, and up to 16 inches of rain, and spawned a vicious tornado (F4 on the Fujita tornado intensity scale) which swept across Galveston Island killing eight persons and destroying 200 buildings. A storm surge of up to 18.5 feet inundated coastal areas and Bay City was deluged with 17.1 inches of rain. The hurricane claimed 45 lives, and caused 300 million dollars damage. The remnants of Carla produced heavy rain in the Lower Missouri Valley and southern sections of the Upper Great Lakes Region. (David Ludlum) (Storm Data) (Intellicast)
• 11 September 1992...Hurricane Iniki, the third most damaging hurricane in US history, hit the Hawaiian Islands of Kauai and Oahu. Six people died as a result of the hurricane.
• 12 September 1775...The Independence Hurricane caught many fishing boats on the Grand Banks off Newfoundland killing 4,000 seamen, most from Britain and Ireland. (The Weather Doctor)
• 12 September 1857...The S.S. Central America sank while in the midst of a hurricane off the North Carolina coast after beginning to take on water the previous day (11^th). Approximately 400 people on board were lost, the greatest single loss from a commercial ship due to a hurricane. (Accord Weather Calendar)
• 12 September 1960...Hurricane Donna made landfall on central Long Island and then tracked across New England. Wind gusts reached 140 mph at the Blue Hills Observatory in Milton, MA and 130 mph at Block Island, RI. MacDowell Dam in New Hampshire recorded 7.25 inches of rain. Although a record tide of 6.1 feet occurred at the Battery in New York City, elsewhere fortunately the storm did not make landfall at the high tides so its effects were minimized. This was the first hurricane to affect every point along the East Coast from Key West, FL to Caribou, ME. (Intellicast)
• 12 September 1979...Hurricane Frederick smashed into the Mobile Bay area of Alabama packing 132-mph winds. Wind gusts to 145 mph were reported as the eye of the hurricane moved over Dauphin Island, AL, just west of Mobile. Frederick produced a fifteen-foot storm surge near the mouth of Mobile Bay. Winds gusted to hurricane force at Meridian, MS even though the city is 140 miles inland. The hurricane was responsible for five fatalities and was the costliest in U.S. history causing 2.3 billion dollars damage. (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel)

Return to DS Ocean Homepage

URL: DS Ocean/news.html
Prepared by DS Ocean Central Staff and Edward J. Hopkins, Ph.D.,
email hopkins@meteor.wisc.edu
© Copyright, 2004, The American Meteorological Society.