Weekly Ocean News

DATASTREME OCEAN WEEK ONE:

5-9 September 2005

Ocean in the News:

(Thur.) New Orleans water hazard -- Katrina's legacy may be the devastation of fish and wetlands areas in the lower Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain as the floodwaters in New Orleans are pumped out. The toxic brew could also prove a biological hazard. [CNN]
Aquarium also a victim -- Most of the fish were in the New Orleans aquarium were lost when power to the oxygenating pumps failed. There were 10,000 individuals representing 530 species. [CNN]
(Thur.) Fluorescent sea life shows itself -- Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution researchers aboard the NOAA ship Seward Johnson are using a deep-sea camera that operates with dim red light to see creatures that avoided previous viewing. They have also found that some deep-dwelling shellfish produce their own ultraviolet light. [CNN]
(Thur.) Wetlands could be a protection -- Scientists urge the renewal of coastal wetlands in the Mississippi River delta as a protective barrier against future storms like Katrina. [CNN]
(Thur.) Florida doing coral reef inventory -- The State of Florida is conducting an inventory of the coral in surrounding waters to determine the number and species of coral and the extent of any bleaching. The tourism industry in Florida, much of which depends on the attractive corals, is a $1 billion per year business. [ENN]
(Tues.) Typhoon Nabi smashes Japan -- Typhoon Nabi hit Kyushu and the southwestern island of Shikoku where 21,000 were evacuated. Several were missing and 15 injured as heavy rain is expected to follow. Nabi is continuing on toward Korea. Earlier, Typhoon Nabi had been responsible for 84 deaths in eastern China. [USA Today]
(Tues.) Tracing water interactions -- Scientists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution have been monitoring the interactions between the flow of freshwater and saltwater into and out of an estuary along Cape Cod to understand how dissolved chemicals in groundwater are affected by seasonal changes in the flow of coast water. [Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution]
(Tues.) CryoSat readied for launch -- The European Space Agency (ESA) is preparing for an October launch of CryoSat, the first satellite in a series that will monitor rates of change in the thickness of maritime and continental ice cover. [ESA]
(Tues.) Oyster reefs serve as a natural erosion protector -- Scientists from the US Geological Survey, Louisiana State University and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries recently reported that oyster reefs appear to provide an important natural means for controlling erosion along the Gulf Coast, thereby serving to protect the coastal Louisiana. [EurekAlert!]
(Tues.) Additional Katrina views -- The US Geological Survey has posted a variety of images of the damage caused to the Gulf Coast by Hurricane Katrina based upon their hurricane investigations involving Scanning Airborne Laser (Lidar), Oblique Aerial Video and Still Photography, along with ground surveys. [USGS]
More news on Hurricane Katrina
- NOAA posted images of the eyewall of Hurricane Katrina taken by the pilot of a NOAA P-3 hurricane hunter aircraft when Katrina was a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale a day before striking the north central Gulf Coast. [NOAA News]
- A statistician at the University of Central Florida along with a research director for a Georgia company have used a prediction model that they developed and report that approximately 86 percent of the oil production and 59 percent of the natural gas output in the Gulf of Mexico has been disrupted by Hurricane Katrina. [EurekAlert!]
- The National Weather Service reported that based upon the minimum barometric pressure readings, Hurricane Katrina ranks as the third most intense hurricane to make landfall in the US since records began in 1851. Only the "Labor Day Hurricane" of 1935 in the Florida Keys and Hurricane Camille that hit the Gulf Coast in 1969 not too far from where Katrina made landfall had deeper central pressures and therefore considered more intense. [USA Today]
- Putting Hurricane Katrina in perspective, historians point to the 15 hurricanes that either hit or brushed by New Orleans since 1722, only a few years after the Big Easy was founded. [USA Today]
- Rescuers in the New Orleans metropolitan area have finally begun to gather and count the corpses after initially focusing their efforts at finding and rescuing survivors from Hurricane Katrina. Some experts think the death toll from Katrina could range between 1000 and 2000. [USA Today]
- Health experts warned that the lack of clean, potable water across coastal Louisiana and Mississippi appears to be the most immediate health threat across the region, as the Secretary of Health and Human Services declared a public health emergency for the entire Gulf region. [ENN]
- A team of scientists from Harbor Branch and other institutions continued their Deep Scope expedition on the seafloor of the Gulf of Mexico after they dodged Hurricane Katrina [EurekAlert!]
Deadly typhoon hits southeast China -- Typhoon Talim (the western Pacific counterpart of a hurricane) brought torrential rain to southeastern coastal China at the end of last week, resulting in flooding and mudslides that killed at least 10 people and leaving 15 people missing. [USA Today]
Analyzing the alarming decline in Pacific salmon -- The 8th World Wilderness Congress will meet in Anchorage, AK at the end of this month and consider the findings of the recently released "Atlas of the Pacific Salmon," that reports that nearly one-quarter of all North Pacific salmon species are at the brink of extinction. [EurekAlert!]
Invasive sea squirts found in Maine fishery -- A Cornell University marine biologist has found that a potentially damaging alien sea squirt has invaded Cobscook Bay, one of Maine's important fishing grounds. [Cornell University News Service]
Hawaiian lava bench collapses into the sea -- A 12-acre lava bench that had formed on the flank of Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii's Volcanoes National Park crashed into the Pacific Ocean last week. [ENN]
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.

REPORTS FROM THE FIELD --

Linda Wygoda, DataStreme LIT leader in Lake Charles, Louisiana, reports that "We do not have any destruction in our area, but are feeling the initial strain of the evacuees. We have close to 10,000 here. They are housed throughout the community...in civic centers, stadiums, churches, VFW halls, private homes, etc. Community support is very high, but we are hoping our resources are not overburdened too much. School enrollment has suddenly grown by an additional 1,000 students. And, we don't really know how long many will stay here, so planning for additional classrooms/teachers isn't easy. I've heard that No Child Left Behind requirements will be ignored for much of the state."
Claire Waites, LIT leader near Mobile, Alabama, reported she got power back after 2 days. They had some flooding and much tree damage but were surviving.

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 website 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 website.

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 website to access and download the second part of weekly Investigations A & B (plus supporting images) that begin in your DataStreme Ocean Investigations Manual. 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 website 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 website.

Under Physical & Chemical, click on Sea Surface Temperatures. This image uses a color scale to depict the global pattern of sea surface temperatures (SST) (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 website.

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 website.

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 production in the surface waters of the world ocean averaged for the year 2004 to date. Orange and red indicates the highest production and dark blue and violet indicate the lowest production. Note the vast areas of relatively low production over the central regions of the subtropical ocean basins. Now return to the DS Ocean website.

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 website.

Take a few minutes when you have time to browse the other data and information sources available via the DS Ocean website. 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

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

Historical Events

5 September 1987...A tropical storm, which formed off the South Atlantic coast, was responsible for torrential rains over coastal regions of South Carolina. Between 30 August and 8 September, Charleston, SC received 18.44 in. of rain. The heavy rains caused extensive flooding around the city of Charleston, seriously damaged cotton crops in the eastern part of the state, and resulted in an unusually high number of mosquitoes. (Storm Data)
5 September 1946...The U.S. Air-Rescue Agency, an inter-departmental group headed by the Commandant of the Coast Guard and engaged on the study of improved and standardized rescue and search methods, was renamed the Search and Rescue Agency. "Search and Rescue Units of the Coast Guard were at the same time integrated into the peace time organization and the whole developed into a system of constantly alerted communications, coastal lookout, and patrols of institute instant and systematic search and rescue procedure in case of disasters." (USCG Historian's Office)
5 September 1950...Hurricane Easy produced the greatest 24-hour rainfall in U.S. weather records up to that time. The hurricane deluged Yankeetown, on the upper west coast of Florida, with 38.70 in. of rain. This record has since been replaced by 43 in. of rain at Alvin, TX on 25-26 July 1979. (David Ludlum)
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 $30 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 Issac Cline, 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 in 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.