WEEKLY OCEAN NEWS

10-14 September 2018

• September is National Preparedness Month -- The upcoming month of September has been declared National Preparedness Month (NPM), which is aims to educate and empower Americans to prepare for and respond to all types of emergencies, including natural disasters. NPM is managed and sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Administration's (FEMA) Ready Campaign in conjunction with the Ad Council, A toolkit of marketing materials is provided to help promote the month and represents the lead on this campaign that was originally launched in 2004. The overarching theme for 2018 NPM is "Disasters Happen. Prepare Now. Learn How" with an emphasis on planning. Week 2 of the 2018 NPM ends this Saturday (15 September) with the theme of "Learn Life Saving Skills." Saturday has also been designated as a National Day of Action.
  Week 3 of the 2018 NPM (16-22 September) has the theme "Check Your Insurance Coverage." [FEMA's Ready.gov]
• High Tide Bulletin for autumn 2018 indicates higher than normal ocean tides along nation's coasts at the start of this week -- According to the recently released NOAA National Ocean Service's High Tide Bulletin for Fall 2018, higher than average tides are expected between 7 and 11 September along most of the nation's Atlantic Coast, running from Maine southward to Florida's East Coast as well as along the Pacific Coast of the US, stretching southward from Washington state to California. Higher than average tides also can be expected surrounding Hawaii and the U.S. Pacific Islands. The coasts of Alaska and the Gulf Coast of the U.S. should not have higher than normal tides. A new moon that occurred during the midday hours of this past Sunday (10 September), coupled with lunar perigee (when the Moon is closest to Earth) that was reached more than a day and a half earlier (Friday night), are responsible for the perigean spring tide that creates higher than normal high tides. Furthermore, mean sea level is typically higher in the early fall months along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the continental U.S. due to warmer, expanding ocean water and changes in weather patterns.[NOAA National Ocean Service News]
• Approaching the peak in the Atlantic hurricane season -- The historic or statistical annual peak in the Atlantic hurricane season will occur near the end of this week (8-12 September), as determined as the date during the entire season with most frequent number of named tropical cyclones (tropical storms and hurricanes), based upon over 100 years of record. This date corresponds closely with the time of peak sea-surface temperatures across those sections of the North Atlantic considered hurricane-breeding areas. [NWS National Hurricane Center]
• National Estuaries Week commences this weekend --This Saturday, 15 September, marks the start of National Estuaries Week that will run through the following week and end the following Saturday (the 22nd). National Estuaries Week, which was first organized in 1988, is designed to celebrate promote the importance of estuaries and bays and how the public benefits from healthy, thriving the coastal ecosystems. During this week, which is the 30th anniversary observance, organizations from around the nation including the non-profit Restore America’s Estuaries member groups, NOAA's National Estuarine Research Reserves and  EPA's National Estuary Programs will be organizing special events, such as workshops, beach clean-ups, hikes and trips involving canoes and kayaks. [Restore America's Estuaries]
• Celebrating preservation of Earth's ozone layer -- This Sunday, 16 September, has been designated by the United Nations as World Ozone Day, the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer. This day is celebrated to mark the day back in 1987 when the Montreal Protocol was signed. [United Nations Environment]
• Remote sensing of the oceans by satellites -- Please read this week's Supplemental Information...In Greater Depth for a description of how oceanographers have employed orbiting satellites as observation platforms to make remote observations of the world's oceans.

• Eye on the tropics -- The weather across the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean basins of the Northern Hemisphere continued to remain active last week with several named tropical cyclones (low pressure systems that form over tropical ocean waters, with near surface maximum sustained winds that intensify to tropical storm or hurricane force status):
• In the North Atlantic Basin (that also includes the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico):
  • Tropical Storm Florence was traveling toward the west-northwest across the waters of the Atlantic approximately 900 miles to the west-northwest of the southern Cabo Verde Islands at the start of last week. Over the next 36 hours, Florence strengthened to become the third hurricane of 2018 in the North Atlantic basin as maximum sustained surface winds reached 75 mph. At that time the center of Florence was located approximately 1270 miles to the east-northeast of the Lesser Antilles. Florence continued to strengthen rapidly, becoming a major category 3 hurricane (on the Saffir-Simpson Scale) late Wednesday morning as maximum sustained surface winds surrounding the hurricane's eye were estimated by satellite to have reached 120 mph. By Wednesday evening Florence had strengthened to a category 4 hurricane with maximum winds estimated to have reached 130 mph as the center of the hurricane was approximately 1300 miles to the east-southeast of Bermuda. Weakening over the next day, Florence was downgraded to a tropical storm as it was approximately 1000 miles to the east southeast of Bermuda. Continuing its travels toward the west-northwest over this past weekend, Florence remained a strong tropical storm before strengthening to become a hurricane again during the midday hours of Sunday. At that time Hurricane Florence was located 750 miles to the southeast of Bermuda. By late Sunday night, Florence was a strong category 1 hurricane that was traveling toward the west approximately 685 miles to the southeast of Bermuda or 560 miles to the northeast of the northern Leeward Islands. Current forecasts indicate that Florence could intensify to a major hurricane of at least category 3 status by late Monday as it heads on a projected path toward the Southeast Coast of the U.S. by Thursday. Additional information and satellite images for Hurricane Florence can be found on the NASA Hurricane Blog Page.
  • An area of low pressure, which was identified as Potential Tropical Cyclone 7, formed late during the previous weekend over the waters of the western Atlantic to the east of the Florida Straits and the Florida Keys. Traveling toward the west-northwest, this disturbance became Tropical Storm Gordon, the North Atlantic's seventh named tropical cyclone of 2018, on Monday morning as maximum sustained surface winds reached 45 mph. At that time the center of Gordon was located approximately 10 miles to the west of Key Largo, FL. Over the next 40 hours Tropical Storm Gordon strengthened as it traveled toward the west-northwest and then to the northwest across the Gulf of Mexico before its center made landfall along the Gulf Coast just to the west of the Alabama-Mississippi border late Tuesday night. At the time of landfall the maximum sustained surface winds surrounding Gordon had reached 70 mph, just shy of the 74-mph threshold for classification as a hurricane. Traveling inland, Gordon weakened to a tropical depression on Wednesday morning over central Mississippi to the south-southeast of the capital city of Jackson. Over the next two days, Tropical Depression slowly traveled toward the northwest and then north across Mississippi, Arkansas and Missouri before becoming a remnant low over the Ozark Plateau. Widespread torrential rain that produced flooding across sections of Alabama and Mississippi northwestward into the lower and mid-Mississippi Valleys over much of this past week. The NASA Hurricane blog Page has satellite images and additional information on Tropical Storm Gordon.
  • A tropical disturbance in the winds developed over the waters of the eastern North Atlantic approximately 460 miles to the east-southeast of the southernmost Cabo Verde Islands late Friday (local time). This disturbance developed into a tropical depression (a low pressure area accompanied by thunderstorms that produce a circular wind flow with maximum sustained winds below 39 mph) early Saturday before becoming Tropical Storm Helene on Saturday morning. Helene strengthened over this past weekend as it traveled westward. By late Sunday night, Helene had become the fourth Atlantic hurricane of 2018 As of early Monday morning, Helene was a category 1 hurricane that was located approximately 200 miles to the west-southwest of the southernmost Cabo Verde Islands
  • A tropical depression formed late Friday night over the eastern North Atlantic approximately 1760 miles to the east of the Windward Islands. Traveling toward the west, this tropical depression became Tropical Storm Isaac on Saturday evening when maximum sustained surface winds reached 40 mph. Isaac strengthened on Saturday night and through Sunday as it continued to track toward the west. By late Sunday, Isaac became the fifth Atlantic hurricane of 2018 as it was approximately 1300 miles east of the Windward Islands. Isaac was forecast to strengthen through Tuesday, as it was projected to move across the Lesser Antilles and into the eastern Caribbean Sea by Wednesday night or Thursday.
• In the eastern North Pacific basin (east of the 140-degree West meridian of longitude):
  • Hurricane Norman, which had become a major category 4 hurricane at the end of the previous weekend, began weakening last Monday as it continued traveling toward the west across western sections of the eastern Pacific basin. On Monday evening, Norman had crossed the 140 West meridian of longitude and into the central Pacific basin. (continue below)
  • Tropical Storm Olivia was slowly moving toward the west-northwest as it was located approximately 490 miles to the southwest of Cabo San Lucas on the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula at the start of last week. By Monday evening, Olivia became the ninth hurricane of 2018 to form in the eastern Pacific basin. Olivia continued to strengthen to become a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale by Tuesday evening. Over the next three days, Hurricane Olivia continued toward the west or northwest with some changes in intensity -- first weakening and then re-intensifying. As of Saturday afternoon, Olivia had approached the 140-West meridian of longitude, the western boundary of the eastern Pacific basin, where it entered the central Pacific basin.(continue below)
    
  • Tropical Depression 18-E (TD-18E) formed this past Saturday morning approximately 600 miles to the southwest of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Initially traveling generally toward the west, TD-18E strengthened to become Tropical Storm Paul during the predawn hours of Sunday morning as it was heading toward the northwest well off the coast of the Baja. By late Sunday evening, Tropical Storm Paul was located approximately 660 miles to the west-southwest of Cabo San Lucas. Paul was forecast to weaken on Monday as it continues toward the northwest.
• In the central North Pacific basin (between the 140-degree West meridian of longitude and the International Dateline),
  • Hurricane Norman entered the central Pacific basin from the eastern Pacific late Monday night. At that time, Norman was located approximately 870 miles to the east of Hilo, HI. As of this past Saturday, Norman had become a post-tropical low as it was located approximately 440 miles to the north-northeast of Honolulu. Over the early part of the week, Norman continued to travel toward the west and then to the west-northwest passing to the east-northeast of the Hawaiian Islands as a major category 3 hurricane. By late last week, Norman weakened and became a tropical storm on Friday morning as it was heading toward the north-northwest approximately 330 miles to the north-northeast of Hilo. As of this past Saturday, Norman had become a post-tropical low as it was located approximately 440 miles to the north-northeast of Honolulu. Consult the NASA Hurricane Blog Page for satellite images and additional information on Hurricane Norman.
  • Hurricane Oliva entered the central Pacific from the eastern Pacific basin late Saturday afternoon. Olivia continued traveling to the west toward the Hawaiian Islands on Sunday as a weak category 1 hurricane. By Sunday evening Hurricane Olivia was approximately 600 miles to the east northeast of Hilo. Olivia was forecast to continue traveling toward the west, approaching the main Hawaiian Islands by Tuesday night. Little change in intensity was anticipated through early Tuesday. Additional information and satellite imagery for Hurricane Olivia appear on the NASA Hurricane Blog Page.
• In the western North Pacific basin (to the west of the International Dateline):
  • Typhoon Jebi, which had been a super typhoon with maximum sustained surface winds of nearly 172 mph over the previous weekend, was passing to the east of Okinawa, Japan at the start of last week. Jebi made an initial landfall on the southern part of Tokushima Prefecture on Japan's Shikoku island during the midday hours (local time) of Tuesday. After crossing Osaka Bay, Jebi made its second landfall over Kobe on Honshu Island during the afternoon. By late in the day, Jebi emerged out over the Sea of Japan. Jebi was downgraded to a tropical storm at the following morning as it traveled across the island of Hokkaido. Ultimately, this storm lost its tropical characteristics and became an extratropical cyclone (or midlatitude storm) during Wednesday afternoon off the southeastern coast of Far East Russia. The NASA Hurricane Page has satellite images and additional information on Super Typhoon Jebi.
  • A tropical depression developed late last Friday (local time) over the waters of the western Pacific at least 250 miles to the east-northeast of Enewetak Atoll. This tropical depression traveled toward the west, strengthening to become a tropical storm and then Typhoon Mangkhut by Sunday morning. As of early Monday morning, this category 1 typhoon (on the Saffir-Simpson Scale) was approximately 290 miles to the east-northeast of Guam. Manghkut was forecast to intensify as it continues to travel toward the west-southwest passing close to Guam late Monday and then to the west on Tuesday. Eventually, Manghkut should curve toward the west-northwest and pass to the north of the Philippine island of Luzon later in the week.
• National Hurricane Center's use of "Potential Tropical Cyclone" was not intended to scare the public -- Dr. Marshall Shepard, an atmospheric science professor at the University of Georgia and a past President of the American Meteorological Society, recently posted a blog explaining the motivation behind the National Hurricane Center's motivation for using the term "Potential Tropical Cyclone" over the recent Labor Day weekend to identify a weather disturbance that had developed off the southeastern coast of South Florida. Eventually this low became Tropical Storm Gordon on Labor Day. The forecasters at the Hurricane Center used the potential tropical cyclone tag as they were issuing advisories, watches, and warnings for a disturbance that had not yet been declared a tropical cyclone, but which posed the threat of bringing tropical storm or hurricane conditions to land areas within 48 hours. [F3 News]
• Real-time hurricane tracker for eastern Pacific launched for 2018 season -- NOAA's National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) recently launched its "2018 Pacific Hurricane Tracker" for the eastern North Pacific that allows the public to track hurricanes from the NOAA fleet of satellites in essentially real time. This tracker complements the "2018 Atlantic Hurricane Tracker" that was launched in early August before the Atlantic hurricane season began to intensify. [NOAA NESDIS News]
• Addressing common misconceptions about hurricanes -- The communications and public affairs officer at NOAA's National Hurricane Center recently posted a feature in which he addressed five popular misconceptions held by the public for hurricanes, providing corrections to these misconceptions. [National Weather Service News]
• Changes seen in the humpback whale population off the Hawaiian Islands -- Marine biologists and other researchers, including those at NOAA's Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, have been attempting to reconcile the reasons for the reduced number of sightings of humpback whales in the waters off the Hawaiian Islands over the last three seasons when these whales return from Alaskan waters for the winter. Several reasons include those involving food that are associated with Pacific Ocean temperatures, including El Niño events, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and "The Blob", an extreme marine heatwave with anomalously elevated temperatures off the coast of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska in 2013. [NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries News]
• Satellite monitors summertime "ship tracks" in North Pacific -- A natural-color image was made in late August by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor on NASA's Aqua satellite showing "ship tracks" across the North Pacific Ocean approximately 900 miles off the northern California and southern Oregon coast. "Ship tracks" are distinctive, linear clouds created when water vapor condenses upon tiny hygroscopic particles (aerosols) that are emitted in the exhaust from ships traveling across the region. Ship tracks typically form in areas where thin, low-lying stratus and cumulus clouds are present such as off the west coasts of North and South America. In a study conducted by German researchers, ship track clouds in the North Pacific appear most often in meteorological summer in the Northern Hemisphere (May, June, and July) and are only occasionally present in meteorological winter (December, January, and February). [NASA Earth Observatory]
• Making the discovery of NOAA data easier -- A search engine entitled "Dataset Search" that is dedicated to searching environmental datasets held by the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) has been unveiled for public use. This search engine was developed in a partnership between NCEI and Google, a U.S. technology company specializing in Internet-related services and products. NCEI hosts over 37 petabytes of data, which include NOAA datasets, such as weather, geophysical, and ocean records. [NOAA NCEI News]
• An All-Hazards Monitor -- This Web portal provides the user information from NOAA's National Weather Service, FAA and FEMA on current environmental events that may pose as hazards such as tropical weather, fire weather, marine weather, severe weather, drought and floods. [NOAA/NWS Daily Briefing]
• Earthweek -- Diary of the Planet [earthweek.com]

Concept of the Week: The Birth of Surtsey, A Volcanic Island

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.

Historical Events

• 10 September 1919...A hurricane struck the Florida Keys drowning more than 500 persons. Over 700 people died along the hurricane's track from the Lesser Antilles to Corpus Christi, TX. (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, with sustained winds of 145 mph and gusts to 175 mph. Six people died as a result of the hurricane; it caused between $2 billion and $3 billion in damage. (National Weather Service files)
• 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, a former Category 4 storm, 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)
• 12 September 1988...The island of Jamaica was given a devastating hit by Hurricane Gilbert. (National Weather Service files)
• 13 September 1928...The hurricane that struck Puerto Rico was called the San Felipe Hurricane because that is the saint's day on which it struck. One thousand people died. (National Weather Service files)
• 13 September 1988...A reconnaissance plane measured Hurricane Gilbert as the strongest Atlantic hurricane (up to that time) at 888 millibars or 26.22 inches of mercury. (National Weather Service files)
• 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)
• 15 September 1752...A great hurricane produced a tide (storm surge) along the South Carolina coast that nearly inundated downtown Charleston. However, just before the surge reached the city, a shift in the wind caused the water level to drop five feet in ten minutes. (David Ludlum)
• 16 September 1926...The Great Miami Hurricane struck that city as a Category 4. The eye of the storm crossed directly over downtown Miami and lasted for 35 minutes, prompting people to return to the streets where subsequently many were killed as the second half of the storm roared in. Very little of Miami and Miami Beach were left intact. (National Weather Service files)
• 16 September 1928...Hurricane San Felipe, a monster hurricane, which left 600 dead in Guadeloupe and 300 dead in Puerto Rico, struck West Palm Beach, FL causing enormous damage, and then headed for Lake Okeechobee. Peak winds were near 150 mph. The high winds produced storm waves that breached the eastern dike on Lake Okeechobee, inundating flat farmland. When the storm was over, the lake covered an area the size of the state of Delaware, and beneath its waters were 1836 victims. The only survivors were those who reached large hotels for safety, and a group of fifty people who got onto a raft to take their chances out in the middle of the lake. (David Ludlum) (Intellicast)
• 16 September 1988...Hurricane Gilbert made landfall 120 miles south of Brownsville, TX in Mexico during the early evening. Winds gusted to 61 mph at Brownsville, and reached 82 mph at Padre Island. Six-foot tides eroded three to four feet of beach along the Lower Texas Coast, leaving the waterline seventy-five feet farther inland. Rainfall totals ranged up to 8.71 in. at Lamark, TX. Gilbert caused $3 million in property damage along the Lower Texas Coast, but less than a million dollars damage along the Middle Texas Coast. During its life span, Gilbert established an all-time record for the Western Hemisphere with a sea-level barometric pressure reading of 26.13 inches (888 millibars). Winds approached 200 mph, with higher gusts. Gilbert devastated Jamaica and Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) (The Weather Channel)

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Prepared by AMS Ocean Studies Central Staff and Edward J. Hopkins, Ph.D.,
email hopkins@aos.wisc.edu
© Copyright, 2018, The American Meteorological Society.