Weekly Ocean News

WEEK TWO: 8-12 September 2008

Ocean in the News

Eye on the tropics -- The weather across the tropical North Atlantic and the eastern North Pacific basins remained active last week. A full disk image of a large section of the Western Hemisphere obtained from the sensors onboard one of NOAA's GOES satellites at midweek shows the simultaneous occurrence of four named tropical cyclones that had formed in the Atlantic Basin and one in the eastern North Pacific. [NASA Earth Observatory]
- In the North Atlantic basin:
  Hurricane Gustav made landfall as a strong category 2 hurricane (on the Saffir-Simpson Intensity Scale) along the Louisiana Gulf Coast to the southwest of the New Orleans metropolitan area, before weakening to a tropical storm and a tropical depression as it moved northward over the Mid-South. During the week, remnants of Gustav produced torrential rain across the Lower and Mid-Mississippi Valleys.
  Tropical Storm Hanna, which traveled to the west-northwest across the western North Atlantic north of Puerto Rico, intensified to a category 1 hurricane early last week as it turned southward across the southeastern Bahamas. The hurricane weakened to a tropical storm on Tuesday morning as it took an erratic and circuitous path across the Bahamas before heading to the northwest toward the Southeast US late in the week. Tropical Storm Hanna made landfall early Saturday morning along the coast near the South and North Carolina border and weakened as it curved to the north-northeast. [CNN] By early Sunday, it moving along the Middle Atlantic Coast into New England. An image with a three-dimensional perspective shows the vertical rain structure within Tropical Storm Hanna early last week as obtained from the Precipitation Radar unit on NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite early last week. [NASA Earth Observatory] Additional information concerning Hanna and a variety of satellite images are available from the NASA Hurricane Page.
  The ninth named tropical cyclone of the 2008 North Atlantic hurricane season, Tropical Storm Ike, formed early last week over the central tropical Atlantic. On Wednesday afternoon, Ike was upgraded to hurricane as it traveled to the west-northwest. By late in the week Ike had intensified into a major category 4 hurricane as maximum sustained winds reached 140 mph. Over the past weekend, Hurricane Ike curved to the west-southwest and traveled across some of the islands in the southwestern Atlantic, causing significant damage to Hispaniola and other neighboring islands. [CNN] As of late Sunday afternoon, Hurricane Ike was approaching the northeast coast of Cuba as a category 3 hurricane. Evacuations along the Florida Keys were underway. A three-dimensional view of the rain falling from Hurricane Ike was created from data collected the Precipitation Radar on NASA's TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission) satellite at midweek. [NASA Earth Observatory] An image of the clouds surrounding Hurricane Ike and Tropical Storm Hanna was obtained from NOAA's GOES-12 satellite last Saturday. [NOAA OSEI] Additional images along with a detailed discussion on Ike are available on the NASA Hurricane Page
  Tropical Storm Josephine formed on Tuesday in the eastern Atlantic off the Cape Verde Islands but by the end of the week, had weakened to become a tropical depression after traveling a relatively short distance. A MODIS image made by NASA's Terra satellite shows Tropical Storm Josephine at midweek. [NASA Earth Observatory] Additional information on Josephine is available on the NASA Hurricane Page.
- In the Eastern North Pacific Tropical Storm Karina, the 11th named tropical cyclone of the 2008 hurricane season in that basin, formed on Tuesday morning to the southwest of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula. However, 24 hours later a weakened tropical depression dissipated. Additional information plus a satellite image concerning Tropical Storm Karina can be found on the NASA Hurricane Page.
  On Saturday night, Tropical Storm Lowell formed off the Mexican coast and was traveling to the northwest.
More imagery on Hurricane Gustav -- An image made after Hurricane Gustav passed over western Cuba by the MODIS instrument on NASA's Terra satellite shows the sediment-laden coastal waters of Cuba's Golfo de Batabanó that were churned by the nearly 150 mph winds accompanying the Category 4 hurricane. [NASA Earth Observatory]
A sequence of satellite images obtained from the European Space Agency's Envisat satellite at the end of August shows the track of Gustav across the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. [ESA]
The track of heavy rain that accompanied Hurricane Gustav, as well as Tropical Storm Hannah, during the last week of August is displayed with an image of the rainfall estimates obtained from data collected by NASA's TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission) satellite [NASA Earth Observatory]
Two animations of Hurricane Gustav were produced by data collected by several instruments on NASA's TRMM satellite [NASA]
Hurricane recovery efforts get an assist from NOAA -- The various line agencies and special programs within NOAA such as the National Weather Service and the National Geodetic Survey have been providing recovery assistance to other federal, state and local agencies across the Mid-South in the wake of last week's Hurricane Gustav that made landfall along the Louisiana coast on Labor Day. [NOAA News]
Focus upon plastic debris effects upon oceans -- The first international workshop that will focus upon the plastic debris and microplastics on the marine environment will be held this coming week at the University of Washington Tacoma. [NOAA News]
California schools awarded environmental education grants -- NOAA recently announced education grants were awarded to several groups of schools and non-profit groups in California as part of NOAA’s Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) program to support their environmental education projects:
- Seven education grants awarded to Santa Barbara Channel area schools and non-profit groups in southern California for work at the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. [NOAA News]
- Fifteen grants to San Francisco area schools and non-profit groups in northern California for work at the Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank national marine sanctuaries. [NOAA News]
- Thirteen grants to Monterey Bay area schools and non-profit groups in central California for work at the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. [NOAA News]
Nine students awarded NOAA marine resource conservation scholarships -- NOAA recently awarded nine graduate-level students from around the nation Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarships for their outstanding work in the fields of marine biology, coastal resource management and maritime archeology. The scholarships have been established in memory of Dr. Foster and her work in NOAA involving marine resource conservation. [NOAA News]
Project DEVELOP celebrates ten years -- Last month NASA celebrated the 10th anniversary of its DEVELOP student internship program, an internship that encourages students into research projects using NASA Earth-observing satellite data to address national and international policy issues with big social implications. [NASA]
Protection of Atlantic salmon population proposed -- NOAA’s Fisheries Service and the US Fish and Wildlife Service recently proposed an expansion of the endangered designation of Atlantic salmon populations to include those from several rivers in Maine that empty into the Gulf of Maine so as to provide better protection of these anadromous fish. [NOAA News]
Public comment desired on critical habit for west coast fish species -- NOAA’s Fisheries Service desires public comment on a proposal that identifies critical habitat for the declining numbers of the distinct southern segment of North American green sturgeon that spawn in California’s Sacramento River, but migrate along the Pacific coast from Canada south to Mexico. [NOAA News]
Retreat of the ice shelves from the Canadian Arctic -- Comparison of the MODIS images obtained from NASA's Aqua and Terra satellites in July and August 2008 provides evidence of the retreat of Arctic ice shelves from along the coast of Canada's Ellesmere Island. [NASA Earth Observatory]
Global sea-level projections questioned -- A study conducted at the University of Colorado at Boulder claims that global sea level should ride by little more than six feet by the end of the current century, much less than the earlier projections of more than a 20-foot rise. [EurekAlert!] In separate research, scientists at the University of Wisconsin and Columbia University claim that rapid melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet could contribute to rapid sea level rise at a rate between two and three times previously estimated. They used the disappearance of the Laurentide Ice Sheet at the end of the last Ice Age as an analog. [EurekAlert!]
Stronger hurricanes linked to warmer seas -- A new study by researchers at Florida State University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison report finding that the strongest tropical cyclones are getting stronger because of increased ocean temperatures during the last 30 years. [EurekAlert!]
Upwelling is artificially driven to study ocean behavior -- Scientists from Oregon State University and the University of Miami have been using energy from wave motion to pump cold, nutrient-rich water from the depths of the Pacific Ocean up to the surface layer near Hawaii that lacks sufficient nitrogen and phosphorus. They claim that their experiment will permit them to study how this artificially driven upwelling could influence marine ecosystems. [EurekAlert!]
Mapping the unexplored Arctic seafloor begins -- The US Geological Survey and the Geological Survey of Canada, Natural Resources Canada will jointly participate in a mission to map the floor of the unexplored Arctic Ocean and study the geology of the sub-seafloor in a region where both nations may have sovereign rights over natural resources. [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.

REPORTS FROM THE FIELD --

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: The Birth of Surtsey, A Volcanic Island

In early November 1963, cod fishers plying the waters of the North Atlantic south of Iceland observed what appeared to be smoke or steam emanating from the distant ocean surface. They were witnessing the beginnings of a volcanic eruption that ultimately would give birth to a new island later named Surtsey after Surtur, the fire giant of Norse mythology. Surtsey is located at 63.4 degrees N, 20.3 degrees W or 33 km (20 mi) south of the coast of Iceland. Volcanic activity was nothing new to the fishers who lived on the nearby volcanic Westman Islands (Vestmannaeyjar). These islands as well as the main island of Iceland straddle the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a divergent tectonic plate boundary where hot molten lava wells up from the Earth's mantle, cools and solidifies into new oceanic crust.

Eruptions that produced Surtsey began on the ocean floor, some 130 m (427 ft) below sea level. The accumulating lava, cinders, and ash first emerged from the sea on 15 November 1963. Over the next 3.5 years, episodic eruptions built an island that eventually covered 2.5 square km (1 square mi) and attained a maximum elevation of 171 m (560 ft) above sea level. The initial eruptions were explosive as hot magma interacted with cold seawater producing dark jets of ash and steam that shot up to 200 m (656 ft) above two main volcanic vents. At this time, clouds of ash and steam rose into the atmosphere to altitudes perhaps as great as 10 km (6.2 mi). Subsequent eruptions were much more peaceful, consisting of quiescent flows of lava. When the eruptions ceased in early June 1967, a cubic kilometer of ash and lava had built up on the ocean floor with 9% of this volcanic material above sea level.

No volcanic activity has occurred on Surtsey since 1967 and geologists consider the volcanic island to be extinct with little risk of future eruptions. Nonetheless, Surtsey remains off limits to visitors except for scientists who obtain permission from the Icelandic government. The island offers scientists a unique opportunity to study not only the geology but also the establishment of plants and animals on the island, a process known as ecological succession. For example, by 1987, some 25 species of higher plants were growing on the initially barren island and 20 species of birds were nesting there.

Unless volcanic activity begins anew, the future is not bright for Surtsey. Some geologists predict that in a hundred years or so the island will be reduced to scattered stacks of rock. The island is composed of basaltic rock that is particularly vulnerable to weathering and erosion, ocean waves are eroding its shores, and the island is gradually sinking into the sea. Scientists reported a total subsidence of about 1.1 m (3.6 ft) between 1967 and 1991. Compaction of the volcanic material and the underlying sea-floor sediments are likely causes of the subsidence. For NASA topographical images of Surtsey, go to http://denali.gsfc.nasa.gov/research/garvin/surtsey.html . These images were obtained using a scanning airborne laser altimeter.

Concept of the Week: Questions

1. The volcanism responsible for the formation of Surtsey was associated with a [(divergent)(convergent)]tectonic plate boundary.

2. At present on Surtsey, erosive forces [(are)(are not)]prevailing over volcanic activity.

Historical Events

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. 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.
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.
12 September 1775...The Independence Hurricane caught many fishing boats on the Grand Banks off Newfoundland killing 4000 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 onboard 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 although the city is 140 miles inland. The hurricane was responsible for five fatalities and was the costliest in U.S. history to date causing $2.3 billion in damage. (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel)
13-16 September 2004….Hurricane Ivan affected coastal Alabama and the western Florida Panhandle, with landfall near Gulf Shores, AL early on the 16th. Before breaking loose of its mooring, a buoy just south of the Alabama coastal waters reported a peak wave height of 52 feet on the 15th. (Accord Weather Guide Calendar)
14 September 1716...The Boston Light, the first lighthouse in America, was first lighted just before sunset. This light was located on Little Brewster Island to mark the entrance to Boston Harbor and guide ships past treacherous rocks. This original light was blown up by the British in 1776, rebuilt in 1783, and is currently the last staffed station in the U.S. (Today in Science History)