DATASTREME OCEAN WEEK ONE:

• A new ship to explore world's oceans-- A former US Navy ship that has been converted to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) only research vessel dedicated to exploring the world's oceans using a variety of sophisticated equipment, along with a deep sea ocean robot that can explore the ocean to depths of 18,000 feet. [NOAA News]
• New website offers portal to meteorological and oceanographic information--NOAA recently unveiled nowCOAST, a Web mapping portal that provides users with a wide variety of real-time observations and forecasts of weather, ocean and river conditions along the nation's coasts, estuaries and ports, including the Great Lakes. [NOAA News]
• Iceberg's movements monitored from space--Radar sensors onboard Envisat, a polar orbiting satellite from the European Space Agency (ESA), have been monitoring the movements of B15-A, a large iceberg the size of Luxembourg drifting in Antarctica's McMurdo Sound. B15-A had been expected to collide with an ice tongue that extends from a glacier on the continent. [ESA]
• Exploring the tsunami-producing fault-- Using geological evidence, scientists at Livermore National Laboratory have found that a fault in Tibet, a feature formed by the same tectonic collision that caused the recent devastating Indian Ocean tsunami, has slipped approximately 0.4 inches per year over the last 140,000 years. This fault was previously thought to have been inactive based upon a relatively short decadal long span of satellite data. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory]
• UN hurricane study causes storm-- A NOAA hurricane specialist resigned from the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change because he felt that a lead author in a study produced by the group had placed too much emphasis on the link between global warming and hurricanes. [ENN]
• Big, old fish are important--According to scientists at Oregon State University, large, fat and old groundfish appear to be more important than younger fish in maintaining healthy marine fish stocks off the coast of the Pacific Northwest. [EurekAlert!]
• A possible signal of impending large earthquakes suggested--A team of scientists from Nova Scotia, California and Alaska report finding evidence that large subduction zone earthquakes of the type that produced the recent devastating tsunami in the Indian Ocean may be preceded by sinking coastlines, which may provide an early warning for an impending earthquake. [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.

Concept of the Week: Touring the DataStreme Ocean Homepage

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 Homepage 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 Homepage.

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 Homepage to access and download the second part of weekly Investigations A & B (plus supporting images) that begin in your DataStreme Ocean Study Guide. 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 Homepage 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 Homepage.

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 Homepage.

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 for the last week or 30 days. The diameters of the circles 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 circles and are given in Current Earthquakes for the U.S. and World. Return to the DS Ocean Homepage.

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 for the year 2004 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. Now return to the DS Ocean Homepage.

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. Click on "July" for example. Changes in rainfall are linked to large-scale shifts in the atmosphere/ocean circulation in the tropics. Now return to the DS Ocean Homepage.

Take a few minutes when you have time to browse the other data and information sources available via the DS Ocean Homepage. 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

1. The latest global sea surface temperature map indicates that SSTs are generally higher over the [(western)(eastern)] tropical Pacific Ocean.
2. The USGS map of Current World Seismicity indicates that earthquakes appear to be more common along the [(east)(west)] coast of North America.

• 26 January 1700... The Cascadia Earthquake (magnitude 9) took place off the coast of British Columbia, as evidenced by Japanese records. Landslides and a tsunami destroyed many Native American villages along the coasts of Washington, Oregon and British Columbia, including Vancouver Island. Japanese written history tells of a massive tsunami striking fishing villages the next day along the coast of Honshu, killing hundreds. (Wikipedia) (Today in Science)
• 26 January 1983...The California coast was battered by a storm, which produced record high tides, thirty-two foot waves, and mudslides, causing millions of dollars damage. The storm then moved east and dumped four feet of snow on Lake Tahoe. (22^nd-29^th) (The Weather Channel)
• 28 January 1946...Canada's greatest sailing ship, Bluenose, foundered on a Haitian reef; all hands were saved. Her likeness remains on the Canadian ten-cent coin. (Wikipedia)
• 28 January 1969...A series of storms that battered Southern California from the 18^th to the 28^th led to $125 million damage in the Los Angeles Basin, along with approximately 9 storm and traffic-related deaths in California. Twenty feet of water covered Sherman Island, a region that contains more than 10,000 dike-protected agricultural acres, when a dike failed. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 29-30 January 1966... A hurricane that struck Samoa was responsible for 50 deaths, destroyed more than one-third of the homes and damaged the remainder. As many as 50,000 people were left homeless. Swains Island was leveled by the hurricane. Winds gusted to 100 mph at Pago Pago.(Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 29 January 1983...A series of Pacific coast storms finally came to an end. The storms, attributed in part to the anomalous ocean-atmosphere phenomenon, "El Niño", produced ocean swells 15 to 20 feet high that ravaged the beaches of southern California. Much of the damage was to homes of movie stars in the exclusive Malibu Colony. (The Weather Channel)
• 30 January 1790...The Original, the first boat specialized as a lifeboat to rescue people from stormy seas was tested on the River Tyne. This 30-foot long self-righting craft went out to shipwrecks for 40 years, saving hundreds of lives. . William Wouldhave and Lionel Lukin both claimed to be the inventor of the first lifeboat. (Wikipedia) (Today in Science)
• 30 January 1997...Surf up to 12 feet, with sets to 15 feet, pounded the north and west shores of Hawaii. A wave swept 8 people into the ocean at Keane Point on Maui. Four tourists who were taking pictures of the waves drowned. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)

Return to DS Ocean Homepage

URL: DS Ocean/news.html
Prepared by DS Ocean Central Staff and Edward J. Hopkins, Ph.D.,
email hopkins@meteor.wisc.edu
© Copyright, 2005, The American Meteorological Society.