Weekly Ocean News

DATASTREME OCEAN WEEK ONE:

4-8 September 2006

Ocean in the News:

(Thurs.) Sea turtles returned to the wild with NOAA assistance -- NOAA scientists at the Woods Hold Science Aquarium helped return 14 stranded sea turtles to the wilds of the ocean along the coast of Cape Cod on Massachusetts. [NOAA News]
(Thurs.) Island ferries serve as research vessels -- The freight ferries that travel between Cape Cod, Marthas Vineyard and Nantucket Island have been fitted with instruments by scientists at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution so they have become research vessels, collecting oceanographic data about Nantucket Sound for analysis by the scientists. [ENN]
(Tues.) Ocean plant mystery solved -- Scientists from Oregon State University employing several techniques including ship-based measurements of oceanic fluorescence and satellite data from NASA's Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor appear to have determined that the lack of nitrogen is a limiting factor affects growth of phytoplankton in a portion of the tropical Pacific Ocean, while elsewhere, a lack of iron is the main limiting growth factor. The scientists note that the absence of other mineral stresses in the phytoplankton allowed for the production of additional pigments that give a false impression of satellite chlorophyll data, leading to an interpretation that ocean productivity is robust. The scientists have also been studying how the growth of these algae regulates atmospheric carbon dioxide, thereby influencing the earth's climate. [NASA GSFC]
(Tues.) Cool water found in Oregon "dead zone" -- A scientist at Oregon State University reports that upwelling of deep coastal water along the Oregon coast due to persistent winds from the north not only brings nutrient water to the surface that lowers the dissolved oxygen and produces a "dead zone" with little marine life, but it also results in colder than average water near the surface. An image made from sea-surface temperature data collected by the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) instrument onboard NASA’s Terra satellite in July shows below average temperatures in the region. [NASA Earth Observatory]
(Tues.) A coastal microbe appears to have adapted -- Researchers at the Institute for Genomic Research and Scripps Institution of Oceanography have discovered that a strain of cyanobacteria found along the coast have adapted to thrive in choppy, polluted waters along the California coast by being able to use metals effectively. [EurekAlert!]
Eye on the tropics --
- In the North Atlantic Basin, Tropical Storm Ernesto made landfall late last Thursday night along the North Carolina coast. It continued to move northward across coastal North Carolina and Virginia, weakening to a tropical depression by midmorning on Friday. Heavy rain accompanying this tropical system and a midlatitude frontal boundary resulted in flooding across the Middle Atlantic States that forced evacuation of hundreds of people at the start of the Labor Day weekend. [USA Today] A visible image from NOAA's GOES-12 satellite shows Tropical Storm Ernesto last Thursday roughly 15 hours before making its final landfall on the North Carolina coast. [NOAA OSEI]
  During the late Sunday afternoon, the sixth tropical depression of the 2006 North Atlantic hurricane season formed in the central tropical Atlantic. Tropical Depression 6 was moving to the west-northwest.
- In the eastern Pacific, Tropical Storm John continued to move northwestward along Mexico's Baja California on Sunday afternoon. After reaching Category 4 hurricane status on the Saffir-Simpson Scale at the midpoint of last week, The system made landfall near Cabo San Lucas at the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula late Friday. This tropical resort experienced strong winds along with heavy rain that produced flooding and mudslides. Hurricane John was downgraded to a tropical storm on Sunday morning. [USA Today]
  Farther to the southwest in the eastern Pacific, Tropical Storm Kristy was erratically moving southwestward on Sunday as a minimal tropical storm. This storm had become a minimal category 1 hurricane near the end of last week as it moved to the west-northwest away from the Mexican coast, but then weakened to become a tropical depression late Saturday, before intensifying to become a tropical storm. A visible satellite image made by NOAA's GOES 11 satellite shows both Hurricanes John and Kristy late last week off the Mexican coast. [NOAA OSEI]
In the western North Pacific basin, Typhoon Ioke -- was traveling northwestward toward the Japan as a Category 2 typhoon on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale at the beginning of the current week. (A typhoon is the western North Pacific's counterpart of a hurricane). Earlier, Ioke became a Category 5 "super typhoon" during the middle of last week as it moved westward across the tropical Pacific. In anticipation of the arrival of Typhoon Ioke, the U.S. military evacuated 200 people from Wake Island before the arrival of Typhoon Ioke. [CNN] The US Air Force had plans to send planes over Wake Island following passage of Super Typhoon Ioke to visually survey the damage on this island that was evacuated as the typhoon approached. [ENN] Ioke had formed in the central North Pacific basin over two weeks ago. Prior to crossing the International Dateline, Ioke was the first Category 5 to develop in the central Pacific basin since comprehensive records began in the early 1960s and it represents the most powerful hurricane to move across that basin since 1994. An image obtained from the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) sensor on NASA's Aqua satellite shows a well-developed circular spiral arm structure and a central eye characteristic of tropical cyclones (hurricanes and typhoons). [NASA Earth Observatory]
Hurricane genesis regions studied -- Researchers with the NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory have been spending this summer studying areas in Africa where easterly waves develop that often develop into Atlantic hurricanes as part of the Intensity Forecast Experiment. [NOAA News]
Studying hurricane breeding grounds in West Africa -- Meteorologists continue to collect weather data and analyze weather patterns over the coast of West Africa as part of a NASA-supported study called NAMMA (NASA African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analyses) in an effort to gain a better understanding of weather systems that develop over West Africa and move across the Atlantic, often developing into hurricanes that affect the western Atlantic and Caribbean islands, as well as the North American continent. Aircraft have been used to collect data and three weather radar units have been deployed. [USA Today]
High altitude balloons also track hurricane formation -- Researchers from the US and France recently launched several "driftsondes", large balloons that rise to altitudes between 65,000 and 70,000 feet carrying dropsonde instrument packages at selected times to collect data over a large area of Africa and the Atlantic Ocean where many hurricanes form that often move westward to the reach North America. [EurekAlert!]
Images from Hurricane Katrina revisited one year later -- On the first anniversary of the landfall of Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Louisiana coast, NOAA launched a new website that will offer the public a portal to additional multimedia information concerning the development of one of the most destructive hurricanes to hit the US, the destruction that the hurricane brought and the response that NOAA mounted following the hurricane's demise. [NOAA News] NASA also produced a retrospective of Hurricane Katrina, with several images from its fleet of orbiting satellites. [NASA] NASA maintains a Hurricane Resource Page that provides a variety of images of recent hurricanes and tropical storms obtained from data collected by NASA satellites.
Hurricane season forecast updated -- Researchers with William Gray's forecasting team at Colorado State University issued another update to their seasonal forecast of hurricanes in the North Atlantic basin, reducing the number of hurricanes from seven to five, which is slightly below the average number of 5.9 hurricanes that develop in the basin during a typical season. [USA Today] A detailed updated September forecast is available.
Damage costs due to hurricanes soar -- The director of research at The Earth Policy Institute recently noted that the cost associated with property damage by hurricanes has soared to record highs, resulting in the bankruptcy of insurance companies and the deprivation of insurance to property owners in high-risk regions. Rapid coastal development and an increased number of powerful hurricanes across the Southeastern and Gulf Coast States are two of the factors causing this increase in costs. [ENN]
A major Philippines oil slick is produced by capsized tanker -- An image obtained from data collected by the ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer) sensor on NASA's Terra satellite shows the elongated oil slick that continued to drift across the Panay Gulf at the end of August following a spill from a capsized tanker off Guimaras Island in the Philippines earlier in the month. [NASA Earth Observatory] More than 40,000 Filipinos were affected by the spill. A nationwide plea was broadcast for hair and feathers to help absorb the industrial fuel that spilled. Inmates of a prison shaved their heads and chests and donated the hair to help mop up the oil. [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 --

Dr. Michael Passow, LIT Leader in Englewood, NJ, reported on the remnants of former Tropical Storm Ernesto as it passed the New York City metropolitan area at the start of the Labor Day weekend. This system brought high winds and heavy rain, resulting in considerable damage across the region, with more than 800,000 customers losing power for as much as a day. At his home, Dr. Passow had a neighbor's tree fall and down power lines in his yard. A combination of saturated soil and high winds contributed to the toppling of the tree. By Sunday, skies brightened and winds diminished.

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 website

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 (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 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 up to the last week. The size of the squares 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 squares. 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 productivity in the surface waters of the world ocean averaged from the year 1978 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. Individual months within this period may be chosen for viewing. 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 for the last 30 days ending on the present date. 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

4 September 1954...Icebreakers, USS Burton Island (AGB-1) and USCG Northwind, completed first transit of the Northwest Passage through McClure Strait. (Naval Historical Center)
4-6 September 1970...Moisture from Pacific Tropical Storm Norma led to heavy rain and severe flooding over a three-day span. Unprecedented rains caused rivers in central Arizona to rise five to ten feet per hour, sweeping cars and buildings as far as 30 to 40 mi downstream, leading to the greatest natural disaster of record for Arizona. Flooding claimed the lives of 23 persons, mainly campers, and caused millions of dollars in property damage. Water crested 36 feet above normal near Sunflower. Workman's Creek was deluged with 11.40 inches of rain in 24 hours to establish a 24-hour precipitation record for the Grand Canyon State. An estimated six inches of rain fell at Bug Point, UT, setting a 24-hour precipitation record for the Beehive State. (The Weather Channel) (NCDC)
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 Isaac 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.