Weekly Ocean News

DATASTREME OCEAN WEEK ONE: 21-25 January 2008

Ocean in the News:

(Thurs.) Small tropical cyclones can relieve a drought-- Researchers at the University of Georgia have analyzed precipitation data collected by instruments onboard NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite and have concluded that even weak tropical cyclones, including tropical depressions, tropical storms and hurricanes, can contribute a significant portion of the region's annual precipitation. They argue that the lack of tropical cyclones making landfall across the Southeast during 2006 and 2007 has been in part responsible for the current exceptional drought and that several tropical systems could alleviate the current record Southeast drought. [NASA Earth Observatory]
(Thurs.) Avoiding seabirds -- NOAA is promoting new measures that protect seabirds from being unintentionally snared by fishing lines and other fishing gear in the open waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. [NOAA News]
(Thurs.) An artificial reef becomes a maritime home -- Researchers report that the Jane Yarn, a research vessel at Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary that was sunk last year with the intention of becoming an artificial reef off the Georgia reef has successfully become a home to numerous marine fish and invertebrate species. [NOAA News]
(Thurs.) Tsunami research highlighted -- Researchers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory studying tsunamis have discovered a new method involving the use of NASA's network of global positioning system (GPS) stations that they claim will significantly improve existing tsunami warning systems. [NASA Earth Observatory]
Grant applications for K-12 Environmental Literacy Project are invited -- NOAA's Office of Education is currently accepting applications for environmental literacy projects designed to promote changes in K-12 education. Required pre-proposals need to be submitted by 20 February 2008. [NOAA News]
(Tues.) An update on the 2007 temperature records --Scientists at NOAA's National Climatic Data Center recent reported that based upon preliminary data, the year 2007 was the tenth warmest across the coterminous United States since sufficiently dense and reliable climatic records commenced in 1895. These scientists also found that their analysis of the weather data from around the word indicates 2007 was the fifth warmest year globally since 1880. Specifically, they determined that the global land surface temperature was warmest on record while the global ocean temperature was ninth warmest of the 128-year record. [NOAA News] Using temperature data from the conventional land-based weather station network, ships and satellites, climatologists at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies have used a separate averaging technique and they report that 2007 tied 1998 as being the planet's second warmest year. [NASA]
(Tues.) The Big Island viewed as a coral haven -- As part of NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program, new corral reef maps of the Hawaiian Islands have been released showing that the waters surrounding the Big Island of Hawaii have the largest percentage of live coral of all the main islands in the Aloha State. [NOAA News]
(Tues.) West Antarctica ice is lost ---Using satellite data, researchers at the United Kingdom's University of Bristol claim that West Antarctica has been losing increasing amounts of ice mass during the last decade, as glaciers are moving faster toward the oceans.. [EurekAlert!]
(Tues.) Turbidity seen in Persian Gulf waters from space -- An image obtained last November from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite shows swirls of cloudy tan, blue and green along the coast of the Persian Gulf, which contrast with the otherwise deep blue waters of the Gulf. The cloudy water were produced by sediments that had runoff from the surrounding land or having been churned up by surface winds. [NASA Earth Observatory]
(Tues.) Learning how baby fish find a home -- Researchers at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science recently described their research into how baby fish, primarily coral reef fish larvae, are able to locate homes in the reef habitat that is surrounded by a large expanse of open ocean. [EurekAlert!]
Eye on the Tropics -- In the South Pacific basin, a tropical cyclone (an organized low pressure system that forms in the tropics) developed late last week to the northeast of Australia. This system intensified to become Tropical Cyclone Funa, a category 3 tropical cyclone (on the Saffir-Simpson Scale) before curving initially to the south and then to the southwest. As of late Sunday (local time) Funa was beginning to weaken as it was located to the north of Auckland, New Zealand. An image from the Japanese MTSAT satellite shows the clouds surrounding Tropical Cyclone Funa late last week This image shows the typical swirl of clouds surrounding any tropical cyclone (such as a hurricane) organized around a distinct clear eye. Note that this cloud swirl for a southern hemisphere system is in the opposite direction of the clouds found in typically seen in a northern hemisphere cyclone. [NOAA OSEI]
Weather satellites help rescue people --NOAA polar-orbiting and geosynchronous satellites that monitor the daily weather also serve as part of the international Search and Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking System (COSPAS-SARSAT) along with Russia’s Cospas spacecraft. These satellites helped rescue over 350 people across the United States and surrounding waters during 2007. [NOAA News]
Deep sea populations influenced by climate -- Researchers at Spain's Institut de Ciències del Mar have described the interactions that involve climatically modulated processes affecting deep-sea ecosystems. [EurekAlert!]
A new business joins the Dolphin SMART Program -- Officials with NOAA’s Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary recently announced that a third charter operator has been accepted into joined the Dolphin SMART program that is designed to help protect wild dolphins in the Florida Keys. [NOAA News]
New research report focuses upon the porpoise -- Biologists from NOAA’s Fisheries Service have joined their colleagues from an international research team in warning that a porpoise species, the vaquita, appears to be near extinction as the number of vaquita has fallen to an alarming low level. [NOAA News]
Protecting salmon from sea lions-- The NOAA Fisheries Service is soliciting public comment on four alternatives that have been proposed to deter California sea lions from consuming the salmon and steelhead that congregate below the Bonneville Dam as the fish attempt to swim farther upstream to spawn. [NOAA News]
Lake Superior level may be on the rebound -- The International Lake Superior Board of Control recently reported that the level of Lake Superior dropped only two inches during December 2007, marking a lower than average December decrease, raising the possibility that lake levels on this lake could be stabilizing or even increasing after levels had dropped to record levels earlier in the year. Above average precipitation across the lake basin appears to be contributing to the reduced decrease. [US Water News Online]
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

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 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

21 January 1881...The light was first shown at Tillamook Lighthouse, located 19 miles south of the Columbia River entrance on the Oregon coast. (USCG Historian's Office)
21 January 1941...The first commercial extraction of magnesium from seawater was made at Freeport, TX.
21 January 1954...The first nuclear powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, was launched on the Thames River in Groton, CT, representing a landmark in the history of naval engineering and submersible craft. First Lady Mamie Eisenhower christened the vessel, which sailed beneath the Arctic icepack to the North Pole in 1958. (Today in Science History)
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 History)
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 in damage. The storm then moved east and dumped four feet of snow on Lake Tahoe. (22^nd-29^th) (The Weather Channel)