WEEKLY OCEAN NEWS

14-18 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:

• Eye on the tropics ---
  • Supertyphoon hits China -- In the Western North Pacific, Typhoon Saomai, the eight major tropical cyclone in the western Pacific, made landfall late last week along the China coast as the most powerful storm to hit that nation in at least 57 years. Accompanied by sustained winds of up to 135 mph, wind-driven seas and torrential rain, Saomai, which was classified as a super typhoon, was responsible for at least 105 deaths as more than 1.5 million residents had been evacuated before landfall. This typhoon follows several other tropical storms and typhoons that hit China in what appears to be an unusually active typhoon season. [USA Today] An image obtained from the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) sensor on NASA's Aqua satellite shows Typhoon Saomai as a spiral circulation around a well defined, but cloud covered eye just before landfall. [NASA Earth Observatory] Three days earlier, an image from the MODIS sensor captured three tropical cyclones in the western Pacific: Typhoon Saomai, Tropical Storm Bopha and Tropical Storm Maria. [NASA Earth Observatory]
  • Another hurricane season outlook update -- In the wake of the updated hurricane forecast by Professor Bill Gray and associates at Colorado State University, NOAA scientists issued an update to their official NOAA Atlantic Hurricane Outlook last week. This new NOAA Outlook also suggests a season in the North Atlantic Basin (that includes the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico) that would be above the long-term average, but slightly less active than that anticipated in the initial outlook for this season issued in May. The number of forecasted named tropical cyclones (low pressure systems that are tropical storm or hurricane strength) in the new NOAA Outlook has been reduced to between 12 and 15 from the 13 to 16 that were in the original May outlook. The NOAA scientists also predicted that seven to nine of these tropical cyclones could intensify into hurricanes, of which three to four could become "major" hurricanes of Category 3 strength or higher on the Saffir-Simpson Scale. For comparison, the earlier outlook had eight to ten hurricanes and four to six major hurricanes. The above-average activity could be associated with above average sea surface temperatures across the basin, along with an ongoing signal of several decades that suggests increased tropical cyclone activity. However, the sea surface temperatures are not as high as at the same point during last year's historic hurricane season. [NOAA News] Note that a week earlier, Professor Gray of Colorado State University, had released an updated forecast in which he had reduced the number of possible hurricanes to seven from an earlier December forecast of nine. He also downgraded the number of intense hurricanes from five to three. [USA Today]
• Would El Niño be in the winter outlook? Scientists at the Climate Prediction Center report that while the current global atmospheric circulation regime would suggest near normal conditions across the tropical Pacific basin, the possibility exists that a week El Niño episode could develop later this year. This "warm-phase" episode involving anomalous planetary-scale atmospheric and oceanic circulation regimes that tend to result in warmer than average temperatures across the eastern equatorial Pacific, could affect temperature and precipitation patterns across the continental US through the winter, with wetter than average conditions across the southern states and milder winter weather across the northern tier of states. The late onset of an El Niño probably would have little effect on the current 2006 Atlantic hurricane season. [NOAA News]
• Restoration efforts undertaken to minimize reef damage -- Emergency restoration efforts began in late July in the waters off the southern coast of Puerto Rico following the grounding of a 748-foot oil tanker on a coral reef in April. The restoration efforts, slated to take up to six months, is focused upon securing and rebuilding some of the affected coral reefs that include some threatened coral species. [NOAA News]
• Greenland sea ice seen from space -- Sea ice, glaciers and ocean currents along the northeastern coast of Greenland are captured in this image made from data collected recently by the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) sensor onboard NASA's Terra satellite. [NASA Earth Observatory]
• Jellyfish invade Mediterranean beaches -- Hot dry weather across southern Europe and over the Mediterranean Sea appears to have been responsible for a large infestation of jellyfish in the waters along the popular beaches of the Mediterranean, resulting in thousands of beachgoers being stung. [BBC News]
• Giant crab invasion of Norwegian waters? Giant red crabs from Russian waters have traveled into waters off northern Norway, causing Norwegian environmentalists and fishermen to become concerned about the adverse effects that these large crustaceans could have on the native marine ecosystem. [BBC News]
• Tracking an expedition ship from space -- The European Space Agency's polar-orbiting Envisat satellite will be used to acquire environmental data along the track of the Danish ship Vædderen as part of the "Satellite Eye for Galathea 3" project. The ship has begun an eight-month expeditionary voyage that will circumnavigate the globe. [ESA]
• "Dead Zone" along Oregon Coast remains a concern -- Researchers at Oregon State University report that extremely low-oxygen ocean conditions have produced the most severe "dead zone" on the ocean floor offshore of the Oregon coast observed to date. The researchers along with colleagues from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife used a remotely operated underwater vehicle to sample the dissolved oxygen levels and to document the biological impacts. [EurekAlert!]
• Deep-sea sediments are viewed as a repository for carbon dioxide -- Scientists at Harvard University estimate that the deep-sea sediments within the territorial waters of the US are sufficient to store the nation's carbon dioxide emissions for thousands of years, thereby providing an innovative solution to the increased atmospheric concentrations of the anthropogenically-generated carbon dioxide. [EurekAlert!]
• Assessing ecological effects of Katrina and Rita -- As the first year anniversaries of the landfalls of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita approach, environmental experts from along the Gulf Coast have met to consider the ecological consequences associated with that these two hurricanes. [EurekAlert!]
• Map of offshore mineral deposits released -- Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) has released the Offshore Mineral Locations map that shows the mineral occurrences and deposits within Australia's 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone and extended continental shelf. The map represents a collaborative effort between Geoscience Australia, CSIRO's Wealth from Oceans Flagship and Division of Exploration and Mining, and each of the State and Northern Territory Geological Surveys. [CSIRO]
• Ocean cores lead to new information on climatic change -- Scientists analyzing sediments collected by the Arctic Coring Expedition of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program from the ocean floor of the Arctic have found evidence that the Arctic was extremely warm, wet and ice-free approximately 55 million years ago, the so called " Paleocene/Eocene thermal maximum". They claim that this warm epoch coincided with a massive release of such greenhouse gases as methane and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. [International Ocean Drilling Program] In addition, atmospheric humidity, precipitation levels and salinity of the ocean water underwent large changes. [EurekAlert!]
• 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:

• 15 August 1281...The Divine Wind, the Kamikaze, struck down the Chinese fleet attempting an invasion of Japan at Kyushu. This wind was likely due to a typhoon crossing the Sea of Japan. (The Weather Doctor)
• 15 August 1914...The Panama Canal was officially opened to traffic as the American ship SS Ancon completed its first transit of the canal, sailing from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. (Wikipedia)
• 15 August 1934...After a series of earlier dives since June 1930, each progressively deeper, American zoologist William Beebe and Otis Barton made their pioneering, record-breaking ocean descent of 3028 feet in a bathysphere designed by Barton, withstanding over 1360 pounds of pressure. (Today in Science History)
• 15 August 1971...Hurricane Beth soaked Nova Scotia with up to 12 inches of rain. The deluge caused considerable crop damage and swamped highways and bridges, temporarily isolating communities on the eastern mainland of Nova Scotia. (The Weather Doctor)
• 16 August 1858...U.S. President James Buchanan inaugurated the new transatlantic telegraph cable by exchanging greetings with Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. However, a weak signal would force a shutdown of the service in a few weeks. (Wikipedia)
• 17 August 1915...A hurricane hit Galveston, TX with wind gusts to 120 mph and a twelve-foot storm surge which inundated the city. The storm claimed 275 lives, including forty-two on Galveston Island, with most deaths due to drowning. Of 250 homes built outside the seawall (which was constructed after the catastrophic hurricane of 1900), just ten percent were left standing. (The Weather Channel)
• 17 August 1969...Camille, a Category 5 hurricane (on the Saffir-Simpson Scale) and the second worst hurricane in U.S. history, smashed into the Mississippi coast, making landfall at Pass Christian, MS with sustained winds of 190 mph and gusts well over 200 mph. The hurricane produced winds to 200 mph, and a storm surge of 24.6 feet. Winds gusted to 172 mph at Main Pass Block, LA, and to 190 mph near Bay Saint Louis, MS. The hurricane claimed 256 lives, and caused 1.3 billion dollars damage. Several ocean going ships were carried over seven miles inland by the hurricane. Complete destruction occurred in some coastal areas near the eye of the hurricane. (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel)
• 18 August 1904...The Belle Isle Aquarium opened in Detroit, MI. This facility is the oldest, continuously running aquarium in America. Several other institutions opened earlier but since have closed or moved to multiple different buildings. Belle Isle Aquarium is still in its original building and site as the one in which it opened. (Today in Science History)
• 18 August 1983...Hurricane Alicia (a category 3 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Scale) ravaged southeastern Texas. The hurricane caused more than three billion dollars property damage, making it one of the costliest hurricanes in the history of the U.S. Just thirteen persons were killed, but 1800 others were injured. The hurricane packed winds to 130 mph as it crossed Galveston Island, created a storm surge of 12 feet and spawned twenty-two tornadoes in less than 24 hours as it made landfall. (The Weather Channel) (Storm Data) (Intellicast)
• 19 August 1559...First recorded U.S. hurricane drove five Spanish ships ashore in Pensacola Harbor along the Florida coast. (Intellicast)
• 19 August 1788...A small but powerful hurricane inflicted great havoc upon forests along a narrow track from Delaware Bay northeastward across New Jersey along the coast to Maine. A similar storm track today would cause extreme disaster in the now populated area. (David Ludlum)
• 19-20 August 1969...'Never say die' Camille, an exceptionally strong hurricane that had weakened to a tropical depression as it drifted slowly across the mid-Atlantic states, let loose a cloudburst in Virginia resulting in flash floods and landslides that killed 151 persons and caused 140 million dollars damage. Massies Hill in Nelson County, Virginia received an estimated 27 inches of rain in 24 hours. This amount is an unofficial record for the state, while the official 24-hour maximum precipitation record is 14.28 inches at Williamsburg on 16 September 1999. It was said to rain so hard that birds drowned while perched on tree branches. The James and York River basins in Virginia were especially hard hit. (Intellicast) (David Ludlum) (NCDC) (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 19 August 1991...Hurricane Bob slammed into New England with 90 mph sustained winds and gusts of 125 mph (at Block Island, RI) and 105 mph (at Newport, RI). It made landfall first at Newport, RI and then final US landfall as a tropical storm at Rockland, ME. A storm surge of 15 feet occurred in Upper Buzzards Bay. Portland, ME had a 24-hour record rainfall of 7.83 inches. Total damage exceeded $1.5 billion dollars and 17 people were killed. This was the worst Hurricane in the Northeast since Donna in 1960. (Intellicast) (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 20 August 1886...The town of Indianola, TX was completely destroyed by a hurricane, and never rebuilt. (David Ludlum)

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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.