Weekly Ocean News

WEEK FIVE: 5-9 October 2009

ITEM OF INTEREST --

Celebrate Earth Science Week -- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to include the National Weather Service, along with NASA, the US Geological Survey and several professional scientific organizations such as the American Geological Institute have recognized next week (11-17 October 2009) as Earth Science Week to help the public gain a better understanding and appreciation for the earth sciences and to encourage stewardship of the Earth. This year's theme for the 11th annual Earth Science Week is "Understanding Climate", designed to "promote scientific understanding of a timely, vital topic: Earth’s climate." [American Geological Institute]
Analyzing the killer tsunami in Samoa -- A magnitude 8 earthquake under the South Pacific Ocean near Samoa last week created a series of destructive tsunami waves that killed more than 160 people in Samoa and American Samoa. An image showing the location of the earthquake with respect to the islands was prepared from earthquake and plate tectonics data collected by the USGS Earthquake Hazard Program, elevation data from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission and ocean bathymetry data from NOAA's ETOPO1 global relief model of Earth’s surface. [NASA Earth Observatory] Images generated from digital elevation data obtained from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission shows the topography of the Independent State of Samoa and American Samoa that made these islands susceptible to last week's killer tsunami. [NASA JPL]
An image was produced from NASA digital elevation data and NOAA bathymetry data for the magnitude 7.6 earthquake that struck southern Sumatra a day later and caused as many as 1100 deaths. No significant tsunami was created by this earthquake. [NASA Earth Observatory]

Ocean in the News

(Thursday) Three new major earthquakes cause tsunami waves -- The US Geological Survey reported a series of three large earthquakes that struck the western Pacific near the Solomon Islands on Thursday morning (local time). The first earthquake was reported to have a magnitude 7.8 of, the second had a magnitude of 7.3 and the magnitude of the third was 7.1. Following the first earthquake, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a regional tsunami warning and watch for sections of the Pacific near that earthquake's epicenter. A tsunami advisory was issued for Hawaii. Buoys in the western Pacific reported tsumani waves of little more than one inch. Subsequently, the watches and warnings were canceled. [CNN]
Eye on the tropics --- During the past week the tropical North Atlantic Ocean was uncharacteristically quiet as compared with the North Pacific Ocean.
- In the North Atlantic Basin, Tropical Storm Grace, the seventh named tropical cyclone of 2009, formed northeast of the Azores on Sunday night.
- In the Eastern North Pacific, Tropical Storm Olaf, the fifteenth named tropical cyclone of 2009, developed late last week over the waters off the western coast of Mexico. This system traveled northward and then curved eastward and approached the southern sections of Mexico's Baja California before weakening to a tropical depression and then dissipated. Additional information and satellite images on Tropical Storm Olaf can be found on the NASA Hurricane Page.
- In the Western North Pacific Basin, two supertyphoons formed.
  Typhoon Parma developed at the start of last week over the waters near Guam and intensified to a Category 4 typhoon on the Saffir-Simpson Scale as it traveled to the west and then to the northwest across northern Luzon in the Philippines. As of Monday (local time) this former supertyphoon had weakened to a tropical storm as it traveled over the waters to the northwest of Luzon. The NASA Hurricane Page has satellite images and additional information on Typhoon Parma.
  Typhoon Melor formed east of the Mariannas and intensified late in the week as it traveled to the west-northwest. By Sunday this supertyphoon had reached Category 5 status. Images and additional information on Typhoon Melor can be found on NASA Hurricane Page.
  Earlier in the week, Typhoon Ketsana made landfall along the central coast of Viet Nam. See the NASA Hurricane Page for additional information.
  Images obtained from NASA's TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission) satellite show the rainfall distribution across the northern Philippines that resulted in record flooding and considerable loss of life. [NASA JPL] [NASA Earth Observatory]
Health report issued on Monterey Bay sanctuary -- NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries recently released a report on the health of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, rating the current condition of the offshore, nearshore and estuarine marine environment in terms of water quality, habitat, living resources and maritime archaeological resources. The report indicated that the overall condition of the sanctuary’s marine life and habitat ranges from good to fair , but identifies several threats to sanctuary resources. [NOAA News]
Great white sharks given more protection in California waters -- New regulations have been placed into effect by NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries that would prohibit activities designed to attract white sharks anywhere in the NOAA’s Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, which is located off California's Golden Gate. [NOAA News]
Recovery plan issued for steelheads in Columbia River -- NOAA’s Fisheries Service recently released its recovery plan for the Middle Columbia River steelhead, a threatened anadromous fish species that migrate to and from the Pacific Ocean by way of the Columbia River and its tributaries. [NOAA News]
Improvement of managing toxic "red tides" sought -- NOAA recently awarded funding to support three projects to be conducted by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the University of Maine and the University of Texas that will better track and manage outbreaks of toxic algal bloom, popularly known as "red tide", in the waters of the Gulf of Maine algae, which threatens public health and the shellfish industry. [NOAA News]
Another project that included Texas A&M University, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and NOAA’s Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment received funding to improve toxic algal bloom forecasts blooms in the western Gulf of Mexico. [NOAA News]
Recreational fishing for black sea bass suspended along North Carolina coast -- As of the start of this week, NOAA has closed the black sea bass recreational fishery in federal waters north of Cape Hatteras, NC, for the next 180 days because of recent reports of over-harvesting of these fish. [NOAA News]
NOAA labs to be repaired -- NOAA recently contracted with a Charleston, SC construction company to repair and replace sections of the NOAA Galveston (TX) Laboratory that had been damaged in 2008 by Hurricane Ike. [NOAA News] A company in Brockton, MA has also been contracted by NOAA to repair the NOAA Laboratory in Milford, CT. [NOAA News]
Norwegian-American study made of marine ecosystem and fisheries productivity -- A comparative analysis of marine ecosystems in the North Atlantic and North Pacific has recently been completed as a collaborative project, identified as MENU (Marine Ecosystems of Norway and the US) between scientists from the NOAA Fisheries Service’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center and Alaska Fisheries Science Center and colleagues at the Institute of Marine Research in Norway. This project determined the factors that support fisheries production in the North Atlantic and waters off Alaska, thereby providing new insights that could improve fishery management plans and the ecosystems. [Northeast Fisheries Science Center]
Marine microbe identified as a source of rare nutrient -- Researchers at the University of South Carolina and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution have discovered that a photosynthetic bacteria called Trichodesmium, common in warm tropical surface waters, could use phospohonate, a rare form of phosphorus, to support carbon and nitrogen fixation. [Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution]
Rapid recovery could have occurred after marine mass extinction -- Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, along with those from Germany's Friedrich-Schiller University and the University of Bremen have discovered that some forms of marine photosynthetic organisms such as algae and cyanobacteria appear to have recovered within a century after the mass extinction approximately 65 million years ago, at a rate several orders of magnitude faster than previously thought. [MIT News]
Coral bleaching and coral disease work together -- Researchers from the University of Miami have found that coral bleaching increases chances of coral disease, while coral disease can exacerbate coral bleaching, thereby causing devastating declines in coral colonies in the world's oceans. They also found that both bleaching and disease in coral colonies often occur in warmer ocean waters. [EurekAlert!]
Cold-water upwelling can serve as storm killers -- Scientists at Louisiana State University's Earth Scan Laboratory have found that the upwelling of cold water in cold water eddies that often accompany atmospheric tropical cyclones appear to reduce the strength of these tropical cyclones. [LSU News]
The future of scientific ocean drilling is discussed -- Nearly 600 scientists from 21 countries recently met in Bremen, Germany, to outline major scientific targets for a new and ambitious ocean drilling research program that would succeed the current Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP), which will end in 2013. [EurekAlert!]
Sustainable tourist project created for the Bahamas -- Researchers from the University of Miami collaborated with developers from Discovery Land Company, a developer and operator of resort communities and private clubs based in Scottsdale, AZ, to establish a sustainable golf and ocean club development in the northeastern Bahamas using the best practices and construction materials that would cause the least negative impact on the marine environment. [EurekAlert!]
An All-Hazards Monitor -- This Web portal provides the user information from NOAA on current environmental events that may pose as hazards such as tropical weather, marine weather, tsunamis, rip currents, Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) and coral bleaching. [NOAAWatch]
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.

Report from the Field -- Toni Lynne DeVore, LIT leader from Parkersburg, WV, reported that her cousin has seen more seaweed washing up on the Atlantic beach at New Smyrna Beach in Florida than she had seen before.

Concept of the Week: The Ocean and the Global Radiation Budget

The ocean is an important player in the radiational heating and cooling of Planet Earth. For one, covering about 71% of Earth's surface, the ocean is a primary control of how much solar radiation is absorbed (converted to heat) at the Earth's surface. Also, the ocean is the main source of the most important greenhouse gas (water vapor) and is a major regulator of the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂), another greenhouse gas.

On an annual average, the ocean absorbs about 92% of the solar radiation striking its surface; the balance is reflected to space. Most of this absorption takes place within about 200 m (650 ft) of the surface with the depth of penetration of sunlight limited by the amount of suspended particles and discoloration caused by dissolved substances. On the other hand, at high latitudes multi-year pack ice greatly reduces the amount of solar radiation absorbed by the ocean. The snow-covered surface of sea ice absorbs only about 15% of incident solar radiation and reflects away the rest. At present, multi-year pack ice covers about 7% of the ocean surface with greater coverage in the Arctic Ocean than the Southern Ocean (mostly in Antarctica's Weddell Sea).

The atmosphere is nearly transparent to incoming solar radiation but much less transparent to outgoing infrared (heat) radiation. This differential transparency with wavelength is the basis of the greenhouse effect. Certain trace gases in the atmosphere absorb outgoing infrared and radiate some of this energy to Earth's surface, thereby significantly elevating the planet's surface temperature. Most water vapor, the principal greenhouse gas, enters the atmosphere via evaporation of seawater. Carbon dioxide, a lesser greenhouse gas, cycles into and out of the ocean depending on the sea surface temperature and photosynthesis/respiration by marine organisms in surface waters. Cold water can dissolve more carbon dioxide than warm water so that carbon dioxide is absorbed from the atmosphere where surface waters are chilled (at high latitudes and upwelling zones) and released to the atmosphere where surface waters are heated (at low latitudes). Photosynthetic organisms take up carbon dioxide and all organisms release carbon dioxide via cellular respiration.

Concept of the Week: Questions

If the ocean's pack ice cover were to shrink, the ocean would absorb [(more)(less)] solar radiation.
All other factors being equal, if sea surface temperatures were to rise, the amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide dissolved in surface ocean waters would likely [(increase) (decrease)].

Historical Events

5 October 1972...Heavy rains, mostly the remnants of Tropical Storm Joanne, fell across much of Arizona. It was believed to be the first time in Arizona weather history that a tropical storm entered the state with its circulation still intact. The center was over Flagstaff early on the 7th. (3rd-7th) (The Weather Channel)
5-7 October 1999...A storm southeast of New Zealand caused surf to reach heights of 12 ft along the south shores of all the Hawaiian Islands, flooding some roads and parking lots. The lobby of the Kihei Beach Resort on Maui and three ground floor units were flooded. (Accord Weather Guide Calendar)
7 October 1737...A furious cyclone in the Bay of Bengal caused a major disaster at the mouth of the Hoogby River near Calcutta, India. As many as 300,000 people were killed, mainly as the result of the storm's forty foot high surge. (Accord Weather Guide Calendar)
9 October 1873...LT Charles Belknap called a meeting at the Naval Academy to establish the U.S. Naval Institute for the purpose of disseminating scientific and professional knowledge throughout the U.S. Navy. (Navy Historical Center)
9 October 1967...A cyclone of relatively small dimension with a surface width of only 31 miles, hit India's coast at Orissa and moved to the northeast along the coast for 75 miles. As many as 1000 people and 50,000 head of cattle died. A surge in the storm's wake penetrated 16 miles inland. (Accord Weather Guide Calendar)
10-16 October 1780...The most deadly Western Hemisphere hurricane on record raged across the Caribbean Sea. This "Great Hurricane of 1780" killed 22,000 people on the islands of Martinique, St. Eustatius, and Barbados. Thousands more died at sea. (The Weather Doctor)
10 October 1845...Naval School, renamed the U.S. Naval Academy, opened in Annapolis, MD with 50 midshipmen students and seven faculty. (Navy Historical Center)
10 October 1861...Fridtjof Nansen, the Norwegian explorer, oceanographer, statesman, and humanitarian was born. Nansen led a number of expeditions to the Arctic (1888, 1893, 1895-96) and oceanographic expeditions in the North Atlantic (1900, 1910-14). He wrote The Oceanography of the North Polar Basin (1902). For his relief work after World War I, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1922. (Today in Science History)
10 October 1913...President Woodrow Wilson with the aid of a telegraph signal sent from Washington, DC triggered the demolition of the Gamboa Dike, allowing water to fill the Culebra Cut and create Lake Gatun, at 85 ft above sea level, the largest man-made lake at that time. This act signaled the completion of construction of the Panama Canal, which would eventually open to ship traffic between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans on 14 August 1914. (Wikipedia, Today in Science History)
11 October 1737...A deadly cyclone and storm surge of 42 ft raced up the Hooghly River in India and through the city of Calcutta destroying an estimated 40,000 boats and drowning as many as 300,000 people. (The Weather Doctor)
11 October 1846...A very intense hurricane caused great destruction in the Florida Keys. Key West was virtually destroyed with 5 feet of water reported in the city. Fort Taylor was reduced to ruins. (Intellicast)
11 October 1897...Property saved at Cape Hatteras, NC. During a severe storm, the surf threatened to wash away a fish house, with valuable nets and other gear. Surfmen saved the property and took it to a place of safety. They also assisted a lighthouse keeper by removing lenses from the beacon to a secure place. The lighthouse was in danger of being washed away by the sea. (US Coast Guard Historian's Office)