Weekly Ocean News

DATASTREME OCEAN PREVIEW WEEK: 14-18 January 2008

Ocean in the News:

(Thurs.) Algae bloom seen off New Zealand coast -- A MODIS image obtained from NASA's Terra satellite during the first week of January shows a large iridescent green colored seawater off New Zealand's South Island due to a phytoplankton bloom, or an explosive growth in the number of algae that developed in the nutrient-rich Pacific Ocean. [NASA Earth Observatory]
(Thurs.) Downsized fisheries envisioned -- A marine ecologist at the University of Southern California recently warned that projected increases in the temperatures of the world's oceans could cause a reduction in the Bering Sea fishery, one of the most productive fisheries, by the end of the century. [EurekAlert!]
(Tues.) La Niña is expected to continue -- Forecasters with NOAA's Climate Prediction Center recently claimed that the atmospheric and oceanic conditions associated with what is called a La Niña event should continue into spring, resulting in the possibility of above average precipitation across the northern Rockies, but dry conditions across the Southeast. A La Niña event typically includes sufficiently strong winds from the east across the equatorial Pacific to result in below average sea surface temperatures. [USA Today]
(Tues.) Thin new ice replaces older Arctic sea ice -- Using satellite data that commenced in 1982, researchers at the University of Colorado at Boulder found that during the record summer of 2007, thin sea ice has replaced the thicker multi seasonal ice cover. Thin ice could cause a more rapid summer melt across the basin. [EurekAlert!]
Eye on the Tropics -- A tropical cyclone (low pressure system that forms over a tropical ocean basin) developed late last week over the South Pacific near Fiji. This system, identified as Tropical Cyclone Elisa, moved to the southeast and weakened after one day, with maximum sustained surface winds reaching 45 mph. An image from the sensors on the Japanese MTSAT satellite shows the clouds surrounding this storm system. [NOAA OSEI] [Editor's note: Since this cyclone is in the southern hemisphere, the swirl of clouds that serve as tracers of the winds appears to be clockwise, which is opposite the cloud swirls and winds surrounding northern hemisphere systems. EJH]
In the western North Pacific basin, the first tropical depression of the year formed over the South China Sea west of the Philippines on Sunday (local time). This low pressure system was identified as Tropical Depression-1W and was moving westward.
Tropical Cyclone Helen traveled across the Gulf of Carpentaria last weekend and brought torrential rain to northern Australia. An image generated by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Multi- satellite Precipitation Analysis from data collected by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite shows the rainfall pattern across the coastal region from Western Australia to the York Peninsula. [NASA Earth Observatory]
Caution should be exercised in iron fertilization efforts -- Scientists from the US, Japan, New Zealand, India and Europe warned that more additional experiments were needed to assess the effectiveness of iron fertilization of ocean waters as a means of reducing the release of carbon compounds in the atmosphere. Uncertainty remains in how this carbon offset effort could affect the marine ecosystem. [EurekAlert!]
Good news for white marlin -- Officials with NOAA's Fisheries Service recently announced that the highly prized Atlantic white marlin has shown some population increase and does not appear to be in danger of extinction; therefore, this fish species should not be listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. [NOAA News]
Caribbean coral reefs impacted by human activity -- A researcher at Dalhousie University in Halifax, NS recently warned that increased human activity around the coral reefs in the Caribbean has significantly degraded the reefs. [EurekAlert!]
Race to study melting tropical glaciers -- The noted glaciologist Lonnie Thompson of Ohio State University and his wife Ellen Mosley-Thompson, a climatologist, have been attempting to obtain ice cores from rapidly melting tropical glaciers at many far-flung locations, such as on New Guinea, Tibet and in east Africa, in an effort to determine the climate history from these ice cores. They are hoping to document the history of El Niño events associated with anomalous atmospheric and oceanic circulation regimes. [USA Today]
New theories developed for vent dynamics below ocean floor -- Seismologists have been collecting data from below the floor of the North Pacific Ocean off the Mexican coast to create a new model of the hydrothermal-vent system that helps produce "black smoker " vents. [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 Website

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 "Current Ocean Studies" (plus supporting images) that begin in your Online Ocean Studies 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. The USGS Current World Seismicity page provides a global map of the locations of seismic (earthquake) events color-coded for the past seven days. The size of the squares represents the magnitude of 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 is averaged from October 1978 to date. Orange and red indicates the highest productivity, while 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

15 January 1833...HMS Beagle anchored at Goeree Tierra del Fuego.
17 January 1773...HMS Resolution, commanded by English explorer Captain James Cook, became the first ship to cross the Antarctic Circle (66º 33' S). (Wikipedia)
17 January 1779...The English explorer Captain James Cook made his last notation in ship's log Discovery. He was killed less than one month later on Hawaii's Big Island.
18 January 1778...The English explorer Captain James Cook sailed past the island of Oahu, thereby becoming the first European to see the Hawaiian Islands, which he called the "Sandwich Islands." (The History Channel)
18-22 January 1978...The Atlantic's first-ever January subtropical storm with tropical characteristics since records began in 1871 organized 1500 miles east-northeast of Puerto Rico. The storm finally dissipated on the 22nd approximately 200 miles north of Puerto Rico. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
19 January 1840...LT Charles Wilkes, USN was the first American to sight the eastern Antarctic coast, claiming this portion of the continent for the United States. The group that he led explored a 1500-mile stretch of the coast of eastern Antarctica, which later became known as Wilkes Land. (Naval Historical Center)
19 January 1946...Staged jointly by the USCG and USN, the first public demonstration of LORAN was held at Floyd Bennett Field in New York. (USCG Historian's Office)
19 January 1996...The tug Scandia and its barge, the North Cape, ran aground on the shore of Rhode Island, spilling 828,000 gallons of oil, the worst spill in that state's history. The Coast Guard rescued the entire crew, pumped off 1.5 million gallons of oil and conducted skimming operations. (USCG Historian's Office)
20 January 1606...As many as 2000 people died around the Severn Estuary in England as the result of severe flooding. (The Weather Doctor)
20 January 1850...The Investigator, which was the first ship to effect a Northwest Passage, left England.
20 January 1914...The International Ice Patrol Convention was signed. (USCG Historian's Office)
20 January 1986...The United Kingdom and France announced plans to construct the Channel Tunnel, a railway tunnel underneath the English Channel, also known as the "Chunnel." (Wikipedia)