WEEKLY OCEAN NEWS

WEEKLY OCEAN NEWS

27 April- 1 May 2015

DataStreme Ocean will return for Fall 2015 with new Investigations files starting during Preview Week, Monday, 24 August 2015. All the current online website products will continue to be available throughout the summer break period.

Items of Interest:

Evolution of global view of planet Earth from a satellite prospective seen over 50 years -- On Earth Day 2015, NASA released an interesting comparison of how composite images of the entire globe made by its fleet of environmental satellites has evolved over the last 50 years. A global view composite satellite image of Earth made by the sensor onboard NASA's polar-orbiting TIROS-IX (Television Infrared Observation Satellite) spacecraft in mid-February 1965 is compared with a corresponding natural color image made by the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument on the NASA/NOAA Suomi NPP satellite 50 years to the date later in February 2015. The 1965 image was one of the early composite satellite images to be assembled with a global perspective. Comparison of these images shows the increased resolution in satellite imagery that has taken place over the last half century. A description of early weather satellite observations is also provided. [NASA Earth Observatory]
The NOAA Environmental Visualization Laboratory has also provided a sequence of visible satellite images over an eight-hour span made on the first Earth Day (22 April 1970) by the sensor onboard the NASA/NOAA Applications Technology Satellite-3 (ATS-3), which was in geosynchronous orbit over equatorial South America. [NOAA Environmental Visualization Laboratory ]
Weather satellite images relive beginning of Deepwater Horizon -- An animation of visible images made from sensors onboard NOAA's GOES East geosynchronous satellite on 20 April 2010 shows the northern Gulf of Mexico and the smoke that was being released from the fire that was burning on the Deepwater Horizon oil well platform located to the southeast of Louisiana. The oil released into the Gulf following this fire resulted in the largest oil spell in the nation's history. [NOAA Environmental Visualization Laboratory]
National Science Bowl set for next weekend -- The US Department of Energy (DOE) National Science Bowl®, a nationwide academic competition for middle and high school students will be held later this week and through next weekend (30 April -4 May 2015) in Washington, DC. This event will test students' knowledge in all areas of science and is meant to encourage high school students to excel in science and math and to pursue careers in those fields. [DOE Office of Science]
Between equinox and solstice -- Next Friday (1 May 2015) will be May Day, which had its origins as a great Celtic festival Beltane. This date is close to the traditional "cross quarter" day, roughly halfway between the vernal equinox (20 March 2015) and the summer solstice (21 June 2015). (Note that Wednesday 6 May 2015 is closer to the halfway point between the equinox and solstice. EJH)

Ocean in the News:

Eye on the tropics --- No tropical cyclones were found across any of the world's ocean basins last week.
East Coast awareness tour commences --NOAA hurricane experts will embark over next weekend on a six-day, six-city tour along the East Coast of the United States and Canada in an US Air Force Reserve WC-130J hurricane hunter aircraft and the NOAA G-IV aircraft to raise public hurricane awareness. The schedule, which runs from Sunday 3 May through Friday 8 May, includes stops in Nova Scotia, New Jersey, Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. [NOAA News]
Famous Mauna Loa record of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations named National Historic Chemical Landmark -- In a ceremony to be held this Thursday (30 April) at NOAA's Mauna Loa Observatory on the Big Island of Hawaii, the American Chemical Society will designate the famous "Keeling Curve" as a National Historic Chemical Landmark. This Keeling Curve, named for the late geochemist Charles David Keeling of Scripps Institution of Oceanography, represents the nearly continuous plot of monthly atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations that he started at the newly established US Weather Bureau observatory at an elevation 11,135 feet above sea level in March 1958. The curve showing increasing levels of carbon dioxide has been used one of the most widely recognized icons of the human impact of the planetary climate. The 158,000-member of the American Chemical Society established the National Historic Chemical Landmarks program to recognize seminal events in the history of chemistry [NOAA News]
Revised endangered species list recognizes successful conservation efforts involving humpback whales -- At the start of last week NOAA Fisheries proposed reclassifying the humpback whale population into 14 distinct population segments under the Endangered Species Act that is designed to offer fisheries managers a more tailored conservation management approach. This proposal reflects successful protection and restoration efforts made over the last 40 years that have led to increases in the numbers and growth rates of the endangered humpback whales. [NOAA News]
Ten proposed early restoration projects for Gulf are identified -- Within days of the fifth anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the Deepwater Horizon Trustees announced an agreement in principle for ten Gulf Early Restoration projects that would be intended to benefit sea turtles, birds and fish; increase recreational opportunities; and improve nearshore and reef habitats along the coastal waters of the Gulf from the Florida Panhandle to the area around Galveston Bay in Southeast Texas. These projects would be included in a draft Phase IV Early Restoration Plan that is to be made available for public review and comment. [NOAA Gulf Spill Restoration]
Mapping tool provides expanded coastal flood information that promotes resilience along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts -- A NOAA flood exposure risk mapping tool called the "Coastal Flood Exposure Mapper" that was developed by the NOAA Office for Coastal Management for the Middle Atlantic Coast (New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania) has now been expanded to cover coastal areas along the entire US East Coast and Gulf of Mexico from Maine to Texas. This Coastal Flood Exposure Mapper provides users with maps, data, and information to assess risks and vulnerabilities related to coastal flooding and hazards, thereby enabling them to visualize these impacts in order to craft better resilience plans. [NOAA News]
Resilient Lands and Waters Initiative announced to prepare natural resources for climate change at four locations -- Early last week, the US Department of Interior, NOAA and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the "Resilient Lands and Waters Initiative" that involves the building of partnerships with local groups to conserve and restore important lands and waters, making them more resilient to a changing climate. Sites in southwest Florida, Hawaii, Washington and the Great Lakes were selected to showcase this climate resilience approach that are vulnerable to climate change such as sea level rise, drought, wildfire and invasive species. [NOAA News]
New iceberg discovered drifting off Antarctica -- In early March 2015, scientists at the US National Ice Center using NASA satellite images discovered a new iceberg, which has been identified as B-34, to be floating off the coast of West Antarctica. This 17-mile long iceberg apparently broke off the Getz Ice Shelf and floated out into the Amundsen Sea. Melting of these small icebergs can add cold, freshwater to the saltwater Southern Ocean, affecting ocean currents. A sequence of MODIS images from NASA's Aqua and Terra satellites is provided. [NASA Earth Observatory ]
Korean seaweed farms seen from space -- An image obtained from the Operational Land Imager (OLI) onboard NASA's Landsat 8 satellite shows a checkerboard pattern in the coastal waters near South Korea that represent the seaweed cultivation provided by the nation's aquaculture industry. [NASA Earth Observatory ]
New Space Station instrument proves valuable for monitoring storms over the oceans -- The ISS-RapidScat instrument from the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory that has been mounted on the International Space Station (ISS) last September has provided weather forecasters and researchers with high resolution surface wind speed and direction data over the Earth's oceans that can be used to monitor and forecast major maritime storms that include tropical cyclones (hurricanes and tropical storms) and extratropical cyclones (midlatitude storms). Since installation, the RapidScat scatterometer has been monitoring Southern Hemisphere tropical cyclones and Northern Hemisphere winter storms. [NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory News]
First global soil moisture maps produced by recently launched satellite -- Once the antenna onboard NASA's new Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) observatory began spinning at full speed, the first global SMAP radar image was produced that shows the soil moisture across the continents and the conditions of the planet's oceans and sea ice. The first maps were made from data collected between 31 March and 3 April 2015. [NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory News]
An All-Hazards Monitor -- This Web portal provides the user information from NOAA's National Weather Service, FAA and FEMA on current environmental events that may pose as hazards such as tropical weather, fire weather, marine weather, severe weather, drought and floods. [NOAA/NWS Daily Briefing]
Earthweek -- Diary of the Planet [earthweek.com] Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Historical Events:

27 April 1521...The Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan was killed by natives during a tribal skirmish on Mactan Island in the Philippines after completing nearly three-quarters of a trip around the world. One of his ships, the Victoria, under the command of the Basque navigator Juan Sebastiýn de Elcano, continued west to arrive at Seville, Spain on 9 September 1522, the first ship to circumnavigate the globe. (The History Channel)
28 April 1947...Norwegian anthropologist Thor Heyerdahl and five others set out in a balsa wood craft known as Kon Tiki to prove that Peruvian Indians could have settled in Polynesia. The trip took 101 days.
29 April 1770...The British explorer, Captain James Cook, arrived at and named Botany Bay, Australia. (Wikipedia)
30 April 1492...Spain gave Christopher Columbus his commission of exploration. (Wikipedia)
30 April 1894...An Antarctic iceberg fragment was sighted at a latitude comparable to Rio de Janeiro. Reported by the ship Dochra, this sighting remains the nearest to the equator that an iceberg has been seen. (Today in Science History)
30 April 1991...Southeast Bangladesh was devastated by a tropical cyclone with sustained winds of approximately 150 mph during the early morning. A 20-foot storm surge inundated offshore islands south of Chittagong, taking water from the Bay of Bengal inland for miles. This cyclone resulted in up to 200,000 deaths and $1.4 billion damage. (Accord Weather Guide Calendar)
1 May 1683...A patent was awarded in England for the extraction of salt from seawater. (Today in Science History)
1 May 1883...At Cape Lookout, NC, a storm tide swept over the island drowning sheep and cattle. (Intellicast)
1 May 1921...The first radio fog signals in the United States were placed in commission on Ambrose Lightship, Fire Island Lightship, and Sea Girt Light Station, NJ. These signals installed by the US Lighthouse Service were meant to guide ships approaching New York Harbor. (USCG Historian's Office)
1 May 1936...The Whaling Treaty Act outlawed the taking of right whales or calves of any whale. This law was enforced by the Coast Guard. (USCG Historian's Office)
2 May 1775...Benjamin Franklin completed the first scientific study of the Gulf Stream. His observations began in 1769 when as deputy postmaster of the British Colonies he found ships took two weeks longer to bring mail from England than was required in the opposite direction. Thus, Franklin became the first to chart the Gulf Stream. (Today in Science History)
2 May 1880...The first U.S. steamboat to successfully employ electric lights was the Columbia, a 309-ft long vessel which operated between San Francisco, CA and Portland, OR. An "A" type dynamo was placed in operation to illuminate the passenger rooms and main salons. (Today in Science History)
2 May 1932...After a Convention with Canada, the Northern Pacific Halibut Act re-enacted the Act of 7 June 1924 and made it unlawful to catch halibut between 1 November and 15 February of each year in territorial waters of United States and Canada, as well as on the high seas, extending westerly from there, including the Bering Sea. The Coast Guard enforced this act. (USCG Historian's Office)
2-3 May 1998...Ocean swells from storms in the South Pacific caused surf heights of 7 to 9 feet, with sets to 12 feet along the southern California coast. A man fishing on rocks at Rancho Palos Verdes, CA was swept away. (Accord Weather Guide Calendar)
3 May 1494...The explorer Christopher Columbus sighted the island of Jamaica in the West Indies. He named the island Santa Gloria. On the following day, he landed on Jamaica. (Library of Congress)
3 May 1761...Large tornadoes swept the Charleston, SC harbor when a British Fleet of 40 sails was at anchor. It raised a wave 12 feet high, leaving many vessels on their beam-ends. Four people drowned. (Intellicast)