Weekly Ocean News

Weekly Ocean News

DATASTREME OCEAN PREVIEW WEEK: 14-18 January 2013

Items of Interest:

Approaching coldest time of the year -- This upcoming week is the third full week of January, which for many locations across the nation typically marks the coldest week of the year, as indicated by the daily normal high and low temperatures. Usually, those stations located away from the moderating influences of the oceans reach their lowest temperatures during the third week of January, or a roughly one month after the winter solstice, when the Northern Hemisphere receives the fewest hours of daylight and the smallest amounts of solar radiation. During that month, temperatures continue to fall to their lowest typical values as cooling continues. However, the increased length of daylight and increased sunshine during this month begins to warm the ground and overlying atmosphere as normal daily temperatures begin to rise toward their highest levels in mid to late July.
Ocean charts, units, location and time -- Please read this week's Supplemental Information…In Greater Depth for a description of a several types of oceanographic charts along with the definitions of some units commonly used in ocean science to locate positions on the Earth's surface and to identify time.

Ocean in the News:

Eye on the tropics --- During the last week, the only organized tropical cyclones (low pressure systems such as tropical storms and hurricanes that form over tropical oceans) were found over the western North Pacific and the southern Indian Ocean basins:
In the western North Pacific basin, Tropical Storm Sonamu continued to travel to the southwest across the waters of the South China Sea to the south of Vietnam. By early in the week, Tropical Storm Sonamu weakened to a tropical depression and then a remnant low as it began to take an erratic path to the southeast over the waters to the north of eastern Malaysia. See the NASA Hurricane Page for satellite imagery and additional information on Tropical Storm Sonamu.
In the South Indian basin, the eighth tropical cyclone of the season for that basin formed formed from a tropical storm early last week to the north-northeast of Learmonth, Australia. This tropical storm intensified to Tropical Cyclone Narelle, a category 4 tropical cyclone on the Saffir-Simpson Scale, as it traveled toward the southwest late in the week. Winds that gusted to over 110 mph produced sea waves of 35-40 feet. Over the weekend, Narelle was traveling southward off the western coast of Australia, where heavy rain and high seas associated with this system were to be expected. See the NASA Hurricane Page for satellite images and information on Tropical Cyclone Narelle.
A new tropical storm, identified as Tropical Cyclone 09S, developed this past weekend over waters of the central South Indian Ocean approximately 600 miles to the east-southeast of Diego Garcia. This system was tracking to the east-southeast on Sunday.
International effort to address illegal fishing and reduce bycatch of protected species -- During the last week NOAA officials released a report identifying ten nations with fishing vessels engaged in illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing during the last two years or who measures deemed ineffective to prevent the unintended catch of protected species. The US will commence consultations with each of these nations in an effort to encourage action to address IUU fishing and bycatch. [NOAA News]
New USS Monitor crew memorial dedicated -- On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the sinking of the historic Civil War-era ironclad USS Monitor on New Year's Eve 1862 off North Carolina's Outer Banks, a new memorial was dedicated to the 16 crew members of this vessel in Hampton National Cemetery in Hampton, VA. NOAA's Monitor National Marine Sanctuary, the US Navy and the US Department of Veterans Affairs dedicated a memorial.[NOAA National Ocean Service]
Nautical chart reveals underwater hazard for Mississippi River anchorage -- During their review of a proposed federal rule establishing new anchorage areas on the Mississippi River, cartographers from NOAA's Office of Coast Survey recently flagged a potentially dangerous situation based upon pipeline areas depicted on a NOAA nautical chart. [NOAA National Ocean Service]
Large number of sea turtle strandings occurred along Northeast US coast -- The Northeast Regional Office of NOAA's Fisheries Service and its partners that help maintain a sea turtle strandings network have noted an extraordinarily large number of strandings of sea turtles along the coasts of New England and the Middle Atlantic States this past fall. NOAA Fisheries and its partners have been attempting to rescue, treat and release these stranded turtles. Sea turtles, including the endangered loggerhead and green sea turtles, often are stranded along the coast in autumn due to "cold stunning" as cold water reduces their activity and ability to migrate to warmer waters. [NOAA Fisheries Service]
Northward shifts in gray snapper population linked to changing climate -- Researchers from NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center and the University of North Florida are projecting that the population of gray snapper (Lutjanus griseus), an important fish species along the Southeast US coast, is beginning to shift northward along the coast in response to warming coastal waters associated with a changing climate. [NOAA Fisheries Service Newsroom]
New technology used to study foraging strategies of whales -- Marine biologists are analyzing data collected from multisensory tags that have been attached to several species of whales to determine how whales use a variety of diving and foraging strategies in the ocean. [American Institute of Biological Sciences]
Mangrove forests in Bengal disappearing -- Scientists from the Zoological Society of London warn that the mangrove forests in the Sundarbans are disappearing because of increases in human development and global temperature. The Sundarbans represents the world's largest single area of tidal saline mangrove forest and is found in parts of the Indian state of West Bengal and Bangladesh. These mangrove forests provide natural protection from the effects of storm surges from tropical cyclones and from tsunamis. [Zoological Society of London]
Heat-resistant corals could reveal clues for surviving changing climate -- Researchers at Stanford University have found that some coral species appear to be more resilient to increasing ocean temperatures caused by changing climate. The researchers report finding a genomic basis for this coral resilience, which should help save the toughest breeds of corals as temperatures continue to rise. [Stanford News]
New facility to test offshore wind power measurement technologies -- The US Department of Energy is planning to construct "The Reference Facility for Offshore Renewable Energy" approximately 13 miles off the coast of Virginia that would test measurement technologies for offshore wind and wave power generation along the US coasts. Scientists from government, academia and industry will begin conducting research at this facility in 2015. Some of the new technology will include LIDAR (light detection and ranging) devices that will measure wind speeds and directions over offshore waters. [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory]
Decline in Arctic snow cover extent documented -- A set of 16 maps made at three-year intervals between 1967 and 2012 show the change in June snow cover anomalies (difference between observed and the 1971-2000 average) across the Arctic basin. These maps, along with a bar graph for this 45-year span, were prepared from data archived at the Rutgers University Global Snow Lab. During this time, the June snow cover has decreased in areal extent. [NASA Earth Observatory]
Warming seen to be changing US daily life -- At the end of last week, a 1146-page draft report was issued by the "National Climate Assessment and Development Advisory Committee" (NCADAC) that details how widespread warming associated with a changing climate is currently affecting many facets of daily life in the United States, including disrupting human health and negatively impacting homes and infrastructure. This report was written by a team of 240 scientists and is open for public review and comment. Ultimately, the final report will be submitted to the federal government for consideration for the Third National Climate Assessment Report. The NCADAC was established under the Department of Commerce in December 2010 and is supported through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). [AP The Big Story]
Mountains appear to be minor contributors to sediment erosion and climate regulation -- Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, the GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences and the University of Wyoming claim results that are contrary to previously held ideas concerning mountains being large contributors to a reduction of atmospheric carbon dioxide. This new research indicates that mountainous regions with their steep slopes and potential high rates of erosion do not necessarily result in sequestering sufficiently large quantities of carbon in ocean sediment to regulate climate as part of the earlier held "carbon draw down" theory. [University of Pennsylvania News]
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, a feature called Supplemental Information-In Greater Depth 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 weekly "Current Ocean Studies" (plus supporting images) that complement Investigations found in your Ocean Studies Investigations Manual. These materials should be available Monday morning. Click the appropriate links to download and print these electronic Current Ocean Studies and answer forms 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 (66 deg 33 min 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)