Weekly Ocean News

DATASTREME OCEAN PREVIEW WEEK: 25-29 January 2010

Items of Interest:

Earth scientists in the news -- During the last two weeks, several scientists who specialize in meteorology and oceanography have been noted for their accomplishments:
- Tim Liu, a senior research scientists with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory received the 2010 Verner E. Suomi Award from the American Meteorological Society for his "research in space-borne measurements of air-sea interactions and the water cycle, and for inspiring progress through interdisciplinary science team leadership." This award is named for the late Verner E. Suomi of the Space Science and Engineering Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who has been called the father of satellite meteorology. [NASA JPL]
- Michael C. Coniglio and Pamela L. Heinselman, research scientists at the NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory have been awarded the prestigious 2009 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) at a recent ceremony at the White House for their work on improving tornado forecasting and new radar systems. [NOAA Weather Partners]
  Josh Willis, an oceanographer from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, received the 2009 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers at the White House in mid January for his work in using data collected by satellites and at sea to study the impact of global warming on the oceans. [NASA JPL]
- Dr. Margaret "Peggy" LeMone, a senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) began a one-year term as president of the American Meteorological Society at the society's annual meeting last week. She is a noted atmospheric scientist, with expertise in cloud physics. [NCAR/UCAR] Editor's note: Dr. LeMone has been associated with the AMS Education Program for many years. EJH

Ocean in the News:

Eye on the tropics --- Several tropical cyclones (low-pressure system that forms over a tropical ocean basin) were detected over the tropical Pacific and South Indian Oceans during the last week:
In the South Indian Ocean basin, a tropical cyclone formed at midweek between Indonesia and Australia and traveled to the south-southeast toward Australia. This system, which had maximum sustained winds that reached 70 mph, was identified as Tropical Storm Magda. By the end of the workweek, this storm had made landfall along the northwestern coast of Australia and dissipated. Additional information concerning Tropical Storm Magda along with satellite imagery can be found in the NASA Hurricane Page.
In the South Pacific basin, Tropical Cyclone Olga formed late last week over the waters of the Coral Sea east of Australia. Olga, with winds of tropical-storm strength, moved westward and made landfall along the coast of Australia's Queensland on Sunday.
In the western North Pacific basin, the first tropical depression of the year formed early last week over the waters of the South China Sea. This tropical low-pressure system, identified as Tropical Depression 1-W, moved westward to make landfall over Viet Nam, followed by dissipation over Cambodia. Additional information and satellite imagery about this tropical depression can be found on the NASA Hurricane Page.
Construction begins on Gulf Coast disaster response center -- The NOAA Administrator, Dr. Jane Lubchenco, and regional partners participated last week in the groundbreaking ceremony marking the start in the construction of NOAA's Gulf of Mexico Disaster Response Center in Mobile, AL, which will house the regional home to the agency's Office of Response and Restoration. [NOAA News]
Measures taken to improve fisheries law enforcement -- In response to a Commerce Department Inspector General review, the NOAA Administrator, Dr. Jane Lubchenco, recently directed NOAAï¿½s enforcement and legal offices to take steps to promote more transparent law enforcement, ensure fairness in penalties, and improve communication with commercial and recreational fishers. [NOAA News]
Measures approved to protect marine mammals from naval exercises -- NOAA's Fisheries Service recently issued a letter of authorization and regulations to the US Navy that are designed to protect marine mammals while conducting naval exercises off the Gulf of Mexico coast, which would involve the generation of sound waves by sonar and explosive detonation. [NOAA News]
Tsunamis could signal their presence by cable -- A researcher with the NOAA's Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Science at the University of Colorado and colleagues in Switzerland and India report that the presence of tsunamis may be determined from the electric signals that the propagating tsunami waves send through the ocean and are sensed by the vast network of communication cables placed on the seabed. [NOAA News]
Global weather and climate for December 2009 and the calendar year reviewed -- Scientists at NOAA's National Climatic Data Center reported that based upon their preliminary analysis of worldwide land and ocean surface temperature data collected for the month of December 2009, the month's globally averaged ocean surface temperature was the second highest December temperature since sufficiently detailed world-wide climate records began in 1880. Only December 1997 had a higher December ocean temperature. While the globally averaged land surface temperature for December 2009 was above the 20th century average, the month's land surface temperature was the lowest since December 2002. Combined, the globally averaged land and ocean surface temperature for the month was the eighth highest December reading since 1880. Although Arctic sea ice cover was the fourth smallest for any December since 1979 (the beginning of satellite surveillance), the Northern Hemisphere snow cover was the second largest and the North American snow cover the largest since satellite records began in 1967.
Preliminary analysis of worldwide combined land and ocean surface temperatures for the recently-concluded calendar year of 2009 by scientists at NOAAï¿½s National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) indicates that 2009 tied with 2006 for the fifth warmest year since 1880. The scientists also note that the year's ocean surface temperatures were tied for fourth highest, while the global land surface temperature for 2009 tied for seventh highest. [NOAA News]
Because of a slightly different methodology used in averaging global surface temperatures, scientists at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies report that 2009 was globally the second warmest since 1880. Furthermore, 2009 was the warmest on record for the Southern Hemisphere. These NASA scientists also noted that the decade (2000-2009) was the warmest in the 130-year instrumental record. [NASA GSFC] An interview with Dr. Gavin Schmidt, a climate researcher at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, answers five questions that were posed concerning the global temperature record since 1880. [NASA JPL]
Two large-scale global maps show the temperature anomalies (differences between observed and long-term average temperatures) for 2009 and for the 2000-09 decade. These maps illustrate just how much higher the temperatures were in 2009 and the decade (2000-2009) compared to average temperatures recorded between 1951 and 1980. [NASA Earth Observatory]
Ocean bubbles affect climate, light and sound -- A researcher at the University of Rhode Island has been analyzing the size range and numbers of ocean bubbles in an attempt to determine the role that these bubbles play in the transfer of carbon dioxide, oxygen and other gases between the atmosphere and ocean depths. The bubbles also affect transmission of light and sound in the ocean. She believes that her research should help other scientists create more accurate climate models. [EurekAlert!]
An All-Hazards Monitor -- This Web portal provides the user information from NOAA on current environmental events that may pose as hazards such as tropical weather, drought, floods, marine weather, tsunamis, rip currents, Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) and coral bleaching. [NOAAWatch]
Global and US Hazards/Climate Extremes -- A review and analysis of the global impacts of various weather-related events, to include 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 Studies website to access and download the "Current Ocean Studies" (plus supporting images) that complement your Ocean Studies Investigations Manual. These materials should also be available by noon (Eastern Time) on Monday. Click the appropriate links to download and print these electronic components of the investigations as well as your Chapter, Investigations and Current Ocean Studies 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

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)
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 eight people into the ocean at Keane Point on Maui. Four tourists who were taking pictures of the waves drowned. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)