WEEKLY OCEAN NEWS

5-9 December 2005

DataStreme Ocean will return for Spring 2006 with new Investigations files starting during Preview Week, Monday, 16 January 2006. All the current online website products will continue to be available throughout the break period.

Ocean in the News:

• (Wed.) An update -- Professor Bill Gray of Colorado State University and colleagues released their first forecast for the 2006 North Atlantic hurricane season. They predict that next season will also be active, with 17 named tropical cyclones (tropical storms and hurricanes), nine hurricanes, five intense hurricanes (Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Intensity scale). However, they do not believe that the number of US landfalling hurricanes that marked 2004 and 2005 will be duplicated in 2006. [USA Today] Details of their forecast appear in the report issued by the Tropical Meteorology Project. [Colo. State Report]
• (Wed.) Model for coastal wetland protection unveiled -- Researchers have developed a model identified as SAV (Submersed Aquatic Vegetation) that is designed to predict how changes in water clarity or the slopes of shoreline could cause habitat changes in aquatic vegetation in an effort to aid in restoration of coastal wetlands. [EurekAlert!]
• (Wed.) Microbes could generate hydrogen -- Scientists at the Institute for Genomic Research have discovered a microbe living in a hot spring on Kunashir, the southernmost volcanic island of Russia's Kuril Islands, that appears to consume carbon monoxide gas and, in the presence of water, produce hydrogen gas as a waste product. [EurekAlert!]
• (Wed.) Eating farmed salmon may have certain risks -- Researchers at the State University of New York at Albany report that some of the farmed salmon from some areas, especially Europe, have significantly high levels of toxins that would outweigh the potential benefits for eating this fish. The toxin levels, which vary considerably from one continent to another, appear to the associated with what the fish eat. [ENN]
• (Wed.) Could a mini ice age result from the lack of an ocean current? -- Scientists have found that a 30 percent reduction in the warm Gulf Stream currents in the North Atlantic could ultimately plunge western Europe into a mini ice age. [The New Scientist]
• (Wed.) New diatom species discovered in Lake Superior -- A team of scientists from the University of Georgia, the University of Michigan and the Science Museum of Minnesota has discovered a new species of diatom native to Lake Superior, previously thought to have migrated from some other water body. [University of Georgia]
• A late season hurricane prowls the Atlantic -- Hurricane Epsilon, the 14th hurricane in the record 2005 North Atlantic hurricane season, moved eastward across the tropical Atlantic on Sunday. This system, which reached hurricane status for a second time, is only the fifth hurricane to form during the month of December in over 150 years of records. [CNN]
• Hurricane debate continues -- As the 2005 North Atlantic hurricane season has drawn to a close, several hurricane researchers are providing conflicting theories as to the unusual activity in the last two seasons. One group indicates that this activity is part of a long-term cyclic pattern, while the other group believes that the increased activity is the result of increased sea surface temperatures associated with human activity. [USA Today]
• Bycatch is still too large -- A team of scientists reports that commercial fisheries in the US continue to be responsible for a significant number of accidental deaths from fish that are unintentionally snared by fish nets, thereby negating some of the efforts at stock restoration. [ENN]
• Great Lakes water protection deal made -- The Council of Great Lakes Governors recently have reached a deal that would not only prevent outside interests from raiding Great Lakes water, but also encourage more efficient use of the water from the Lakes. [US Water News Online]
• Reducing the seaside pollution in the Virgin Islands -- The Department of Planning and Natural Resources in the US Virgin Islands has been tightening regulations in an effort to eliminate the pollution of the beaches and bays, some of which have high levels of fecal bacteria. [ENN]
• Evacuees from New Orleans wary about return home -- Some of the evacuees forced from New Orleans remained skeptical even when their mayor urged them to return home at a town-meeting type event in Atlanta, GA this past Saturday. [CNN]
• The effect of Hurricane Isabel on Chesapeake Bay addressed -- A book, entitled "Hurricane Isabel in Perspective" has been published that is based upon the proceedings of a November 2004 conference that explored the effects of Hurricane Isabel on the Chesapeake Bay watershed as the hurricane moved across the region in September 2003. [Center for Environmental Science, University of Maryland]
• Prediction of tsunami impacts explored -- A scientist at Oregon State University is attempting to determine if "energy pulses" released where a slip occurs on a fault could be used to obtain an understanding of the earthquake history of the Cascadia Subduction Zone off the Pacific Northwest Coast and permit the better prediction of the occurrence of potentially deadly tsunami events. [EurekAlert!]
• Tsunami research assessed -- As the first anniversary of the deadly Indian Ocean tsunami draws near, scientists at Oregon State University have cautioned that although money made available by NOAA has been helpful for tsunami research and warning systems, many pressing issues remain concerning the research, planning and education efforts for tsunami mitigation in the Pacific Northwest. [EurekAlert!]
• Taking the pulse of the human reaction to hurricane warnings -- A researcher at the University of Central Florida recently released the results of a survey that questioned the response of Floridians to the hurricane warnings during the last season. One of the findings from this survey indicates that many of the residents had grown weary of the repeated hits on the Sunshine State, opting not to leave their homes that were in the evacuation zones. [University of Central Florida]
• Role of tropical ocean temperatures explored -- A scientist at the University of California, Santa Barbara reported that a combination of reduced ocean temperatures in the tropical Atlantic along with deforestation and overgrazing in equatorial Africa appears to have an impact upon the African monsoon systems, along with potential for widespread drought in the region. [EurekAlert!]
• 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.

Historical Events:

• 5 December 1872...A British brigantine, the DeGratia, discovered the American ship Mary Celeste derelict and boarded her. The Mary Celeste, a brigantine had set sail from New York harbor for Genoa, Italy, on 5 November 1872. Everyone aboard the Mary Celeste had vanished-her captain, his family, and its 14-man crew. The ship, which appeared to have been abandoned for approximately nine days, was in perfect order with ample supplies and there was no sign of violence or trouble. The fate of the crew remains unknown. (Infoplease.com) (Wikipedia)
• 5 December 1492...The explorer Christopher Columbus became the first European to set foot on the island of Hispaniola, which now contains the countries of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. (Wikipedia)
• 5 December 1949...A typhoon struck fishing fleet off Korea; several thousand men reported dead. (Infoplease.com)
• 5-6 December 1968...High surf from an intense storm near Alaska swept rocks and seawater into pavilions at Onekahakaha Beach near Hilo, HI. Water reached 150 feet above high-tide mark at Napili Beach and swept into the swimming pool and ground floor of a hotel there. (Accord Weather Calendar)
• 6 December 1830...The US Naval Observatory, the first U.S. national observatory, established as the Depot of Charts and Instruments in Washington, DC, under commander of Lieutenant Louis Malesherbes Goldsborough. Its primary mission was to care for the U.S. Navy's chronometers, charts and other navigational equipment. (Naval Historical Center)
• 7-8 December 1703...A monstrous storm raked southern England and adjacent waters with winds in excess of 100 mph. Approximately 8000 deaths were the result of this storm, mostly at sea. Many naval and supply ships were anchored in harbors or in the English Channel. The Eddystone Lighthouse disappeared. (Accord Weather Calendar)
• 7 December 1872...An expedition put to sea from Sheerness aboard the corvette H.M.S. Challenger under the command of Captain George Nares on a 3 1/2-year world oceanographic cruise. During the 68,890 nautical mile cruise that ended on 24 May 1876, the ship traversed the North and South Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, traveled north of the limits of drift ice in the North Atlantic polar seas and south of the Antarctic Circle. The scientists onboard the Challenger sounded the ocean bottom to a depth of 26,850-ft, found many new species, and provided collections for scores of biologists. (Today in Science)
• 7 December 1932...The first gyro-stabilized vessel to cross the Atlantic, the Conte di Savoia of the Italian Line, arrived in New York City. The ship had 48,502 gross tons, an overall length 814.6 ft by beam 96.1 ft, two funnels, two masts, four screws and a speed of 27 knots. As one of the first ships to be fitted with gyrostabilizers, it was claimed that rolling was limited to a maximum of three degrees. The maiden voyage began from Genoa to Villefranche and New York on 30 November 1932. (Today in Science)
• 8 December 1777...Captain James Cook left the Society Islands (French Polynesia).
• 8 December 1866...The first transpacific side-wheeler steamship launched in the U.S. was the Celestial Empire (later named China) with capacity for 1,300 passengers. The builder, William H. Webb of New York, introduced many features of naval architecture in this liner, since in common use. (Today in Science)
• 8 December 1993...The U.S. Secretary of Defense declared that the Global Positioning System (GPS), accurate within 100 meters, had 24 GPS satellites operating in their assigned orbits, available for navigation use at Standard Positioning Service (SPS) levels for civil users. This worldwide satellite-based radionavigation system used as the Defense Department's primary radionavigation system provided authorized users encrypted Precise Positioning Service accurate to at least 22 meters. (Today in Science)
• 8 December 2002...Super-typhoon Pongsona hit Guam with sustained winds of 144 mph and gusts to 173 mph, along with a storm surge to 20 feet. The 40-mile wide diameter eye was over Anderson AFB for 2 hours. One indirect death and 193 injuries were attributed to the typhoon. Some bridge pavement was "scrapped off" by wind and wave action. Damage was estimated at $700 million. (Accord Weather Calendar)
• 9 December1938...A prototype shipboard radar designed and built by the Naval Research Laboratory was installed on the battleship, USS New York (BB-34). (Naval Historian Center)
• 9 December 2003…A subtropical storm became Tropical Storm Peter approximately 700 miles west-northwest of the Cape Verde Islands. With Tropical Storm Odette having formed in the Caribbean on the 4th, the development of Peter marked the first time since 1887 that two tropical storms formed in the Atlantic Basin in December. (Accord Weather Calendar)
• 10 December 1582...France began use of the Gregorian calendar.
• 10 December 1799...The metric system was made compulsory by law in France. (Today in Science)
• 10 December 1922...Nobel Prize for Peace was awarded to Fridtjof Nansen, Norwegian oceanographer explorer, author, athlete and statesman in recognition of his work for refugees and the famine-stricken. Other prize winners that year were Niels Bohr and Albert Einstein.
• 10 December 1978 (date approximate)…A 90-foot research ship chartered by the University of Hawaii left Honolulu on the 9th, but failed to arrive in Kawaihae on the 11th. Except for an empty box, no trace of the ship, crew or scientists was found by an extensive air and sea search operation. Gusty trade winds prevailed over the area. (Accord Weather Calendar)
• 11 December 1901...Italian physicist and radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi sent the first radio transmission across the Atlantic Ocean, covering over 2000 miles from Cornwall in England to Newfoundland, Canada. (The History Channel)

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Prepared by AMS DS Ocean Central Staff and Edward J. Hopkins, Ph.D., email hopkins@meteor.wisc.edu
ã Copyright, 2005, The American Meteorological Society.