WEEKLY OCEAN NEWS

7-11 August 2006

DataStreme Ocean will return for Fall 2006 with new Investigations files starting during Preview Week, Monday, 28 August 2006. All the current online website products will continue to be available throughout the summer break period.

Ocean in the News:

• National Lighthouse Day is celebrated -- Monday, 7 August 2006, is designated National Lighthouse Day, which marks the anniversary of the signing of the Act of Congress on 7 August 1789 when the Federal Government assumed responsibility for building and operating the nation's lighthouses. [American Lighthouse Foundation]
• Eye on the tropics --
  • In the Western North Atlantic basin, the third tropical cyclone (low pressure systems that reach tropical storm or hurricane status) of the 2006 hurricane season in that basin formed early last week. Named Tropical Storm Chris, this storm moved to the west-northwest before finally weakening and becoming a tropical depression last Friday as it moved across the Turks and Caicos islands. [USA Today] A visible satellite image from NOAA's GOES-11 satellite captures Tropical Depression Chris as it was near Grand Turk Island last week. [NOAA OSEI]
  • In the Western North Pacific, Typhoon Prapiroon (a Western Pacific counterpart to a hurricane) formed over the South China Sea early last week and moved toward southern China, before weakening to a tropical storm before making landfall. At least 31 people were killed because of the torrential rain and strong winds associated with Tropical Storm Prapiroon, a region that had experienced Tropical Storm Bilis earlier. [USA Today] An image of Tropical Storm Prapiroon was captured by sensors onboard the Japanese geosynchronous satellite. [NOAA OSEI]
  • Updated hurricane season outlooks announced -- At the beginning of August, the 2006 hurricane season for the North Atlantic Basin, including the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, has experienced three tropical storms, which is less than the eight named tropical cyclones that had developed by 1 August 2005.
  • Hurricane expert, Professor Bill Gray of Colorado State University, updated his forecast at the start of August. Due to slightly lower sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic than anticipated, along with slightly higher surface pressure and stronger tropical winds, he had reduced the of hurricanes from the nine that he had predicted last December to seven. He also downgraded the number of intense hurricanes (Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson Scale) from five to three. [USA Today]
  • NOAA scientists should issue an update to their official NOAA Atlantic Hurricane Outlook during the second week of August. In May, they had predicted 13 to 16 named tropical cyclones, with eight to 10 becoming hurricanes, of which four to six could become "major" hurricanes of Category 3 strength or higher.
  • Public is encouraged to prepare for an active hurricane season -- Max Mayfield, the director of the National Hurricane Center, is encouraging the public in hurricane-prone areas to begin their hurricane preparations now. Following in the wake of two extremely active hurricane seasons, several NOAA agencies are preparing for another active season in 2006. [NOAA Magazine]
• Taming hurricanes contemplated -- Scientists from Stevens Institute of Technology and Princeton University claim that they could tame hurricanes by cooling the surface water temperatures over a large area ahead of an approaching hurricane using pumps that would bring colder water to the surface. They propose that an array of 1.6 million wave or wind-powered pumps be deployed. [USA Today]
• Quiet weather across the Pacific -- Sea surface height data across the equatorial Pacific obtained from the NASA/French Jason satellite during late May 2006 appear to indicate that the La Niña event that had been evident across the region in early 2006 had faded, resulting in near normal sea heights. [NASA Earth Observatory]
• Research cruise focuses on an invasive fish species -- Researchers from the NOAA Ocean Service in collaboration with the Essential Image Source Foundation have begun a cruise along the North Carolina coast onboard the NOAA research vessel Nancy Foster to study the status of the invasion by the Indo-Pacific lionfish. This fish species, popular in the aquarium trade, is native to the Indian and Pacific Oceans and within the last decade has become established along the Atlantic Coast of the US, where it could have adverse effects on native species. [NOAA News]
• Satellites help in detecting coral bleaching -- NOAA has developed a Coral Reef Watch program that uses sea surface temperatures derived from measurements made by AVHRR (Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer) instruments onboard the NOAA polar-orbiting satellites. With sea surface temperatures reaching a summer maximum, along with high daytime sun angles, coral reefs become stressed and become bleached as their color turns white due to the white skeleton beneath their surfaces. The Coral Reef Watch program identifies a vulnerable coral bleaching HotSpot and Satellite Bleaching Alerts when satellite-derived sea surface temperatures exceed 84 degrees Fahrenheit. [NOAA Magazine]
• Critical marine protected area established in Alaska -- The NOAA Fisheries Service recently announced that it has established the Aleutian Islands Habitat Conservation Area that covers a critical marine habitat in the waters of the North Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea that surround western sections of Alaska's Aleutian Island chain. [NOAA News]
• A new unit is added to National Estuarine Research Reserve System -- NOAA officials recently announced that a 27th unit has been added to its National Estuarine Research Reserve System with the inclusion of the Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve along the Texas Gulf Coast near Corpus Christi. This new unit is the third largest in the entire system. [NOAA Magazine]
• Human impact found at an underwater volcano -- A University of Florida geologist and colleagues report finding lead that they suspect was from human pollution at the hydrothermal vents by the Marsili Seamount, an undersea volcano off Italy. Using a mass spectrometer to analyze the lead isotopes, they think that the lead was from leaded gasoline that originally came from a mine in Australia. [University of Florida News]
• The break-up of continents calculated -- A researcher with Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and the University of Western Australia developed a numerical model to calculate the strength of continents and has found that at depths of 6 to 9 miles (10 to 15 km), narrow weak detachment zones permit dynamic slip events that could result in the break-up of continents and formation of new oceans. [CSIRO Australia]
• Numerous bacteria species discovered in ocean microbe census -- Scientists from the Marine Biological Laboratory participating in the Census of Marine Life project have found that the number of different types of bacteria from deep-sea rises is at least an order of magnitude larger than previously thought, with most of the species unknown. [Census of Marine Life]
• Underwater robots work on their own -- A fleet of undersea robotic gliders will be deployed in California's Monterey Bay in a field experiment designed to demonstrate how they will be able to work together in making detailed oceanic observations without aid from humans, in a fashion similar to schools of fish. [EurekAlert!]
• Gravity changes associated with massive earthquake detected by satellites -- Scientists from Ohio State University and the University of California, Santa Barbara have used satellite data obtained from NASA's two GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) satellites to detect changes in the earth's surface and local gravity caused by the massive magnitude 9.1 earthquake off Sumatra that initiated the deadly tsunami which swept the Indian Ocean in December 2004. The scientists indicate that the earthquake that caused a massive uplift of the seafloor changed gravity by changing the region's geometry and changing the density of the underlying rock. [Ohio State University Research News]
• A satellite view of the elusive Northwest Passage -- Images of the Beaufort Sea off Canada's northwest coast made from data collected by the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) instrument onboard MODIS) on NASA's Terra satellite on the same date in July 2005 and 2006 show open water in 2005 but a ice covered sea this year. This region would be along what is often identified as the "Northwest Passage", a route connecting the Atlantic and Pacific basins that numerous explorers have attempted sail for more than five centuries. Lower than average temperatures in the Beaufort Sea during last winter appear to have caused the ice to remain longer than one year ago. [NASA Earth Observatory]
• An astronaut's view of an old waterway -- An astronaut onboard the International Space Station recently took a picture of the ship traffic leaving the Egypt's Suez Canal and entering the Mediterranean Sea. This canal, built more than 130 years ago, connects the Mediterranean and Red Seas and provides a more direct transportation route between European and eastern Asian markets. [NASA Earth Observatory]
• 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.

Historical Events:

• 7 August 1679...The brigantine Le Griffon, commissioned by René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, was towed to the southern end of the Niagara River, to become the first ship to sail the upper Great Lakes. The ship disappeared on the return leg of its maiden voyage from Lake Michigan. (Wikipedia)
• 8 August 1585...The British navigator and polar explorer, John Davis, entered Cumberland Sound in quest for the North-West Passage. (Wikipedia)
• 8 August 2000...The Confederate submarine CSS H.L. Hunley was raised to the surface after 136 years on the ocean floor. This submarine sank in the Charleston (SC) Harbor after sinking the USS Housatonic on 17 February 1864. (Wikipedia)
• 9 August 1988...Tropical Storm Beryl deluged Biloxi with 6.32 inches of rain in 24 hours, and in three days drenched Pascagoula, MS with 15.85 inches of rain. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
• 10 August 1519...Five ships under the command of the Portuguese explorer, Ferdinand Magellan, set sail from the Spanish seaport Seville to Sanclucar be Barrameda, staying there until 21 September, when they departed to circumnavigate the globe. This expedition traveled westward and ultimately returned to Europe in September 1522. (Wikipedia)
• 10 August 1675...King Charles II laid the foundation stone of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich. (Today in Science History)
• 10-11 August 1831...A violent hurricane devastated Barbados. Death toll was estimated to be from 1500 to 2500 people. (The Weather Doctor)
• 10 August 1856...The Isle Derniere (Last Island) disaster occurred off the coast of Louisiana. A storm tide drowned 140 vacationers as a five-foot wave swept over Low Island during a hurricane. (The Weather Channel) The hurricane completely devastated the fashionable hotel and pleasure resort on Last Island, 150 miles east of Cameron. Storm surge swept an estimated 400 people to their death. Today the island is just a haven for pelicans and other sea birds. (Intellicast)
• 10 August 1954...A ground breaking ceremony was held at Massena, NY for the St. Lawrence Seaway. (Wikipedia)
• 10 August 1971...President Nixon signed the Federal Boat Safety Act of 1971 considered to be most significant legislation in the long history of federal action in this field. The new act, which repealed most of the Federal Boating Act of 1958 and amended the Motorboat Act of 1940, shifted responsibility from boat operator to manufacturer. (USCG Historian's Office)
• 10 August 1980...Hurricane Allen came ashore north of Brownsville, TX dropping fifteen inches of rain near San Antonio, and up to 20 inches in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, ending a summer long drought. Winds at Port Mansfield gusted to 140 mph with a storm surge of 12 feet. Tidal flooding occurred along the South Texas coast. Hurricane Allen packed winds to 150 mph, and also spawned twenty-nine tornadoes. Total damage from the storm was estimated at 750 million dollars. (David Ludlum) (Intellicast)
• 10 August 1993...Three ships -- the barge Bouchard B155, the freighter Balsa 37, and the barge Ocean 255 -- collided in Florida's Tampa Bay. The Bouchard spilled an estimated 336,000 gallons of No. 6 fuel oil into Tampa Bay. (InfoPlease)
• 11 August 1909...The liner S.S. Arapahoe was the first ship to use the S.O.S. radio distress call. Its wireless operator, T. D. Haubner, radioed for help after a propeller shaft snapped while off the coast at Cape Hatteras, NC. The call was heard by the United Wireless station "HA" at Hatteras. A few months later, Haubner on the S.S. Arapahoe received an SOS from the SS Iroquois, the second use of SOS in America. Previously, the distress code CQD had been in use as a maritime distress call, standardized by the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Co. in 1904. The second International Radio Telegraphic Convention (1906) proposed the alternative SOS for its distinctive sound, which was ratified as an international standard in 1908. (Today in Science History)
• 11 August 1940...A major hurricane struck Savannah, GA and Charleston, SC causing the worst inland flooding since 1607. (David Ludlum)
• 11 August 1988...Moisture from what remained of Tropical Storm Beryl resulted in torrential rains across eastern Texas. Twelve and a half inches of rain deluged Enterprise, TX, which was more than the amount received there during the previous eight months. (The National Weather Summary)
• 12 August 1778...A Rhode Island hurricane prevented an impending British-French sea battle, and caused extensive damage over southeast New England. (David Ludlum)
• 12 August 1955...During the second week of August, hurricanes Connie and Diane produced as much as 19 inches of rain in the northeastern U.S. forcing rivers from Virginia to Massachusetts into a high flood. Westfield, MA was deluged with 18.15 inches of rain in 24 hours, and at Woonsocket, RI the Blackstone River swelled from seventy feet in width to a mile and a half. Connecticut and the Delaware Valley were hardest hit. Total damage in New England was 800 million dollars, and flooding claimed 187 lives. (David Ludlum)
• 12 August 1958...USS Nautilus (SSN-571) arrived Portland, England after completing the first submerged under ice cruise from Pacific to Atlantic Oceans. (Naval Historical Center)
• 13 August 1979...Fifteen yachtsmen died and 23 boats sank or were abandoned as storm-force winds, along with high seas, raked a fleet of yachts participating in an annual race between southwestern England and Fastnet Rock off southwestern Ireland. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 13 August 1987...Thunderstorms deluged the Central Gulf Coast States with torrential rains. Thunderstorms in Mississippi drenched Marion County with up to 15 inches of rain during the morning hours, with 12.2 inches reported at Columbia. Floodwaters swept cars away in the Lakeview subdivision of Columbia when the Lakeview Dam broke. Flash flooding caused more than three million dollars damage in Marion County. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
• 13 August 2004...Hurricane Charley, a Category 4 tropical low pressure system on the Saffir-Simpson scale, struck the Gulf Coast of southwest Florida, making landfall north of Captiva, FL. At landfall, sustained winds of 145 mph, along with an unofficial gust of 173 mph on a medical building tower in Punta Gorda near Fort Myers. The greatest destruction occurring at Punta Gorda. Fifteen fatalities were directly attributed to the hurricane, with another 20 indirect deaths. Damage estimates were approximately $14 billion. A gust of 104 mph hit Arcadia, where a storm shelter with 1200 people inside lost a wall and part of a roof. (Wikipedia) (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)

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Prepared by AMS DS Ocean Central Staff and Edward J. Hopkins, Ph.D., email hopkins@meteor.wisc.edu
ã Copyright, 2006, The American Meteorological Society.