Weekly Ocean News

DATASTREME OCEAN WEEK TWO: 28 January-1 February 2008

Ocean in the News

(Thurs.) Matching ice losses from Antarctica and Greenland -- Research conducted by scientists at the University of California, Irvine and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory using 15-years of satellite radar data indicates that the accelerated loss of ice in Antarctica annually is approaching the annual loss from Greenland's ice cap. The researchers are concerned about the contribution of this increased Antarctic ice melt to increases in global sea level. [University of California, Irvine] An image of Antarctic ice loss is available from NASA. [NASA JPL]
(Thurs.) New radar satellite technique used to study ocean currents -- French and Norwegian scientists working with the European Space Agency have been employing a new technique that involves measuring the Doppler shift from radar data collected from the Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR) instrument onboard the Agency's Envisat satellite to determine the speed of the moving ocean surface and, ultimately, to determine the strength and variability of surface ocean currents. [ESA]
(Thurs.) A Great Lakes ecosystem study is funded -- The director of NOAA's Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research recently announced that the agency has awarded funding to a consortium of universities and research organizations from Michigan and Ohio for the first year of a five-year project that will study and manage the variety of environmental stress agents upon the ecosystem of Michigan's Saginaw Bay and the surrounding land area and Lake Huron. [NOAA News]
(Tues.) Expedition to Caribbean reefs helps launch International Year of the Reef -- NOAA is helping sponsor one of the first scientific expedition of the International Year of the Reef 2008, which will investigate shallow and deep coral ecosystems in the waters around Bonaire, one of the Caribbean islands in the Netherlands Antilles. This expedition, which has scientists from Virginia, Delaware and California, will use Autonomous Underwater Vehicles. [NOAA News]
(Tues.) Interesting "ship tracks" seen from space -- An image made early last week by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument on NASA's Aqua satellite shows numerous "ship tracks", or contrail type exhaust clouds that were made by and then trail ships traversing the eastern North Pacific Ocean off British Columbia. [NASA Earth Observatory]
(Tues.) A new active fault found in the Old World -- Geologists from the University of Arizona and the Croatian Geodetic Institute have recently discovered that a thrust fault on the floor of the Adriatic Sea offshore of Croatia and the Dalmatian Islands, a region steeped with ancient history. This newly discovered active fault appears to be adding new islands to the Dalmatians. [EurekAlert!]
(Tues.) Fisheries need to be counted in a global nitrogen budget -- Researchers at Canada's Université de Montréal and New York's Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies warn that an accurate global nitrogen budget requires better accounting of the role that commercial fisheries have upon the withdrawal of nitrogen from oceans. [Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies]
(Tues.) A major scientific society revises its climate change position -- The American Geophysical Union, the largest earth and space science society in the world, recently issued a statement that updates the organization's position on climate change from a previous position statement issued in 2003. [EurekAlert!]
Eye on the tropics --Late last week, a new tropical low-pressure system developed over the waters of the Mozambique Channel off Madagascar. This system was identified as Tropical Cyclone Fame, based on the annual list of names maintained for 2008 in the South Indian Ocean basin. As of late Sunday (local time), this tropical cyclone (the Indian Ocean counterpart of a hurricane) reached a category 1 status on the Saffir-Simpson Intensity Scale and was heading south for the coast of Madagascar.
Another tropical weather system, Tropical Storm Gula, formed on Sunday in the South Indian Ocean between Diego Garcia and Madagascar. This system was traveling to the southwest.
In the western South Pacific basin, Tropical Cyclone 15P formed to the northeast of Fiji on Sunday and was moving to the southwest.
At the start of last week, Tropical Cyclone Funa weakened over the western South Pacific near New Zealand. However, this system brought locally heavy rain and winds to New Zealand. An image obtained from the the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on NASA's Aqua satellite shows the distribution of cloud-top temperatures in the clouds bands surrounding Funa. [NASA Hurricane Page]
A warmer ocean could lead to fewer Atlantic hurricane landfalls -- NOAA climate scientists claim that increases in the sea surface temperature of the global ocean could affect the vertical wind structure in the lower atmosphere across the tropical North Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico, creating too much wind shear for hurricanes and ultimately resulting in a possible reduction in the number of Atlantic hurricanes that would make landfall along the coast of the continental United States. [NOAA News]
Agricultural impact on Mississippi River studied -- Researchers at Louisiana State University and Yale University report that agricultural practices have significantly changed the hydrology and chemistry of the Mississippi River watershed, resulting in increased river discharge and higher dissolved carbon dioxide in river water during the last 50 years. [EurekAlert!]
Crew-less aircraft to be tested for weather and climate monitoring -- NOAA has invested $3 million in its Unmanned Aircraft Systems program in an attempt to determine the feasibility of using unmanned aircraft containing automatic sensors to collect environmental data from the atmosphere, land surface and oceans for use in improving hurricane and West Coast storm forecasts as well as monitoring Arctic climate, such as the seasonal variations in Arctic sea ice. [NOAA News]
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: The Birth of Surtsey, A Volcanic Island

In early November 1963, cod fishers plying the waters of the North Atlantic south of Iceland observed what appeared to be smoke or steam emanating from the distant ocean surface. They were witnessing the beginnings of a volcanic eruption that ultimately would give birth to a new island later named Surtsey after Surtur, the fire giant of Norse mythology. Surtsey is located at 63.4 degrees N, 20.3 degrees W or 33 km (20 mi) south of the coast of Iceland. Volcanic activity was nothing new to the fishers who lived on the nearby volcanic Westman Islands (Vestmannaeyjar). These islands as well as the main island of Iceland straddle the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a divergent tectonic plate boundary where hot molten lava wells up from the Earth's mantle, cools and solidifies into new oceanic crust.

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 a NASA topographical image of Surtsey, go to http://denali.gsfc.nasa.gov/islands/surtsey/. This image was obtained using a scanning airborne laser altimeter.

Concept of the Week: Questions

The volcanism responsible for the formation of Surtsey was associated with a [(divergent)(convergent)] plate boundary.
At present on Surtsey, erosive forces [(are)(are not)] prevailing over volcanic activity.

Historical Events

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)
28 January 1971...A waterspout swept into Hawaii's Kailua Bay, then into the business and hotel district of Kailua-Kona, destroying or severely damaging a number of buildings including 40 apartment units and collapsing a 6-story hotel under construction. Amazingly, only four people were injured. (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 History)
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)
1 February 1788...A patent for a steamboat was issued by the state of Georgia to Isaac Briggs and William Longstreet. The patent was the only one ever to be issued by Georgia, and first in the U.S. for a steamboat. Much development had to follow before the steamboat would be commercially viable. (Today in Science History)
1 February 1838...A U.S. patent (No. 588) was issued for the screw propeller to John Ericsson, (1803-89), a Swedish American engineer, who later designed and built the Monitor for the Union Navy in the War of the Rebellion. (Today in Science History)
1 February 1811...The Bell Rock Lighthouse was lit for the first time eleven miles off the east coast of Scotland. Using 24 lanterns, it began flashing its warning light atop a 100-foot white stone tower. As the oldest sea-washed lighthouse in existence, it was built by Robert Stevenson on a treacherous sandstone reef, which, except at low tides, lies submerged just beneath the waves. In the centuries before, the dangerous Bell Rock had claimed thousands of lives, as vessels were wrecked on its razor-sharp serrated rocks. (Today in Science History)
1 February 1953...An intense low-pressure system (966 millibars or 29.52 inches of mercury) swept across the North Sea. Wind speeds at Aberdeen, Scotland exceeded 125 mph. A storm surge of 13 feet, aided by a high spring tide, breached the dams in as many as 100 places along the Zuider Zee in The Netherlands, flooding 3.95 million acres or one-sixth of the country. More than 1800 deaths were attributed to drowning and 50,000 people were evacuated. In addition, this storm was responsible for the loss of 100,000 poultry, 25,00 pigs and 35,000 cattle. (The Weather Doctor) (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
2-3 February 1952...The only tropical storm of record to hit the U.S. in February moved out of the Gulf of Mexico and across southern Florida on the 3rd; it also represents the earliest reported formation of a tropical storm on record in the Atlantic basin. The storm produced 60-mph winds, and two to four inches of rain. (2nd-3rd) (The Weather Channel)
2 February 1976...Groundhog Day Storm, one of the fiercest Maritimes storms ever battered the Bay of Fundy region around Saint John, New Brunswick with winds clocked at 118 mph, generating 39 foot waves with swells of 32.5 feet. (The Weather Doctor)
3 February 1488...The Portuguese navigator Bartholomeu Diaz landed at Mossal Bay, Cape of Good Hope, the first European known to have landed on the southern extremity of Africa. He was also the first known European to have traveled this far south and round the Cape. (Wikipedia)
3 February 1880...Date of a terrific gale on the New Jersey coast. Six vessels came ashore with 47 persons on board--all but two survived. Nineteen USLSS crewmen won Gold Life-Saving Medals during the wreck of the George Taulane. (USCG Historian's Office)
3 February 1943...The torpedoing of the transport Dorchester saw USCGC Comanche and Escanaba respond. The crew of the Escanaba used a new rescue technique when pulling survivors from the water. This "retriever" technique used swimmers clad in wet suits to swim to victims in the water and secure a line to them so they could be hauled onto the ship. Although Escanaba saved 133 men (one died later) and Comanche saved 97, over 600 men were lost, including the Four Chaplains. (USCG Historian's Office)
3 February 1953...The French oceanographer Jacques-Yves Cousteau published his most famous and lasting work, The Silent World, which was made into a film three years later. (The History Channel)