21-25 June 2010

DataStreme Ocean will return for Fall 2010 with new Investigations files starting during Preview Week, Monday, 30 August 2010. All the current online website products will continue to be available throughout the summer break period.

• HAPPY SUMMER SOLSTICE! The summer solstice will occur early Monday morning (officially, 21 June 2010 at 1128 Z, or 7:28 AM EDT, 6:28 AM CDT, etc.). At that time, the earth's spin axis is oriented such that the sun appears to be the farthest north in the local sky of most earth-bound observers. While most of us consider this event to be the start of astronomical summer, the British call the day the "Midsummer Day", as the apparent sun will begin its southward descent again. For essentially all locations in the northern hemisphere, daylight today will be the longest and the night will be the shortest of the year. Starting Tuesday, the length of darkness will begin to increase as we head toward the winter solstice on 21 December 2010 at 2338 Z. However, because the sun is not as perfect a time-keeper as a clock, the latest sunsets of the year at many mid-latitude locations will continue through about the first week of July -- a consequence of the earth being near aphelion (on 6 July 2010) and the apparent sun moving across the sky well to the north of the celestial equator.
• World Hydrography Day celebrated -- The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) will celebrate the fifth annual World Hydrography Day on Monday 21 June 2010, the anniversary date on which the IHO was created in 1921. The theme for this year's celebration is Hydrographic Services – the essential element for maritime trade. [IHO] [Note: This link is to a pdf file that requires Adobe Acrobat Reader - see below.]
• Lightning Awareness Week -- The nation will celebrate its tenth annual National Lightning Safety Awareness Week, this upcoming week, 20 through 26 June 2010, as declared by the National Weather Service. On average, 66 people in the nation are killed annual by lightning and numerous more are injured. A cartoon character, Leon the Lightning Lion, is promoting the slogan "When thunder roars, go indoors!" The National Weather Service, in conjunction with other sponsors, has a "Lightning Safety" website, http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/, that has links to a variety of informational and teacher resource materials. As many as 20 states are also observing this week with statewide activities. A video can be downloaded with Quicktime software featuring a 2009 Miss America hopeful, Ellen Bryan, whose sister was struck and seriously injured by lightning. [NOAA News]
• June Moon and a lunar eclipse -- The moon will reach full phase on Saturday (officially, 1130 Z on 26 June 2010, or 7:30 AM, EDT, 6:30 AM CDT, etc.). The June full moon is variously called the "Rose Moon", "Flower Moon" or the "Strawberry Moon".
  Near the time of this full moon, a partial lunar eclipse will occur as the Moon passes through the penumbra (lighter portion of the Earth's shadow) and section of the umbra (darker portion of the shadow). This partial lunar eclipse, which will reach peak coverage of 54% coverage of the lunar diameter at 1138Z, should be visible over a large section of the Pacific Ocean. Residents of a large section of North America, along with South America should see a portion of the eclipse before the moon sets. A figure on the NASA Eclipse Web Site shows the particulars of this eclipse.

• Eye on the tropics --- During the last week some tropical cyclone activity was found in the Eastern North Pacific basin. A tropical depression, identified as Tropical Depression 2-E formed off the Mexican coast at midweek. However, this system was short-lived, as another system formed nearby. Information and satellite imagery for Tropical Depression 2-E can be found on the NASA Hurricane Page.
  The next system was Tropical Storm Blas, the second named tropical cyclone of the 2010 hurricane season in the Eastern Pacific. This tropical storm formed off the Mexican coast late in the week and traveled toward the west-northwest. By Sunday afternoon, Blas weakened and was downgraded to a tropical depression. Check the NASA Hurricane Page for satellite images and additional information concerning Tropical Storm Blas.
  A third named tropical cyclone, Tropical Storm Celia formed well off the southwest coast of Mexico and traveled toward the west-southwest. By Sunday afternoon, this system had intensified into a category 1 hurricane (on the Saffir-Simpson Scale), which was the first hurricane of the season.
  A tropical wave moved westward across the North Atlantic and Caribbean over the weekend, passing across the Antilles, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. This system was identified as System 94L. For further discussion on this system, along with satellite imagery, consult the NASA Hurricane Page.

• The British anticipate an active Atlantic hurricane season -- Forecasters at the United Kingdom's Met Office recently issued their prediction of this upcoming Atlantic hurricane season. Like their American counterparts at the National Hurricane Center and at Colorado State University, the British call for an active season, with as many as 20 named tropical cyclones (hurricanes and tropical storms). Using their "Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) index", they anticipate stronger and longer lasting tropical cyclones. [UK Met Office]
• Atlantic heating as hurricane season commences -- Scientists and forecasters have been monitoring the waters of the tropical and subtropical North Atlantic at the start of the Atlantic hurricane season in a region that they call the "Main Development Region," which is the preferential region for hurricane development. Sea surface temperatures for the last four months have been higher than for any February through May since records began in 1850, which may result in more frequent and more intense tropical cyclones. Several reasons for these record high temperatures have been discussed, including the effects of the North Atlantic Oscillation, the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation and the long-term increase in global temperatures. [Discovery News]
• New management plan announced for New England marine sanctuary -- NOAA officials recently announced that a new management plan has been developed for Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, which is located in the waters of the North Atlantic off the Massachusetts Coast. This five-year plan will guide protection of the sanctuary's resources and conservation efforts. [NOAA News]

• Gulf oil spill updates --Oil continued to spew from the Deepwater Horizon BP well into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico off the Louisiana coast:

• Tests run to determine cause of whale's death in Gulf -- Early last week, NOAA was conducting an investigation into the death of a sperm whale whose carcass was found floating approximately 77 miles south of the Deepwater Horizon BP well. [NOAA News]
• Closed fishing area expanded -- At midweek, NOAA expanded the closed fishing area in the Gulf of Mexico toward the Florida Panhandle due to the spread of the oil slick. At that time, roughly one-third of the federal waters in the Gulf had been closed to fishing. [NOAA News]
• Increased inspection of Gulf seafood designed to ensure safety -- NOAA along with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials announced that additional inspection measures would be implemented to ensure that seafood taken from the waters of the Gulf of Mexico and sold to the American public would be safe to eat. [NOAA News]
• Online mapping tool unveiled to track Gulf response -- At the start of last week, NOAA launched a new federal website designed to provide the public and community leaders with an "one-stop shop" that would have data available from various federal agencies responding to the Gulf oil spill. [NOAA News]
• Research missions update -- At the start of last week, NOAA provided an updated list of the research cruises that were being taken to obtain water samples and monitor the extent of the oil slick. [NOAA News] [NOAA News]

• Review of global weather and climate for May 2010 -- Scientists at NOAA's National Climatic Data Center who calculated the combined global land and ocean surface temperature for May 2010 from preliminary weather data have determined that the recently concluded month was the warmest May since global climate records began in 1880. Furthermore, the combined global land and ocean surface temperature was the highest for the last three months (March through May), considered meteorological spring in the Northern Hemisphere (fall in the Southern Hemisphere), and for the first five months of the calendar year 2010. The worldwide average land surface temperature for May was the highest for May since 1880, while the global ocean surface temperature was second highest on record.
  Snow cover extent across the Northern Hemisphere during May was also the smallest on record. While Arctic sea ice was the ninth smallest since satellite records began in 1979, the sea ice around Antarctica was the fourth largest for any May on record. [NOAA News]
  See also [NOAA Global State of the Climate] for additional information.

• La Niña watch issued -- During the first week of June, scientists at the National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center issued an La Niña Watch as atmospheric and oceanic conditions around the world appeared to be favorable for a transition from El Niño conditions to La Niña conditions during Northern Hemisphere Summer (June, July and August) 2010. Since the El Niño dissipated in May, the El Niño Advisory was allowed to expire. [NWS Climate Prediction Center]

• Space-age tsunami prediction system is demonstrated -- Researchers from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory recently demonstrated elements of its prototype tsunami prediction system, which is designed to quickly and accurately assess large earthquakes and to estimate the size of a tsunami that could develop as a result of the earthquake. Real-time ground motion data from NASA's Global Differential GPS (GDGPS) network are used to successfully predict the size of the resulting tsunami. Tests were run on this system, using elevation data from the NASA/French Space AgencyJason-1 and Ocean Surface Topography Mission/Jason-2 satellites. [NASA JPL]
• Winds, sand and gas emissions along the African coast -- An image made by the MODIS instrument on NASA's Terra satellite last week shows the effects of easterly trade winds along the Atlantic coast of Namibia last week. Dust plumes from African deserts were being carried out over the Atlantic Ocean, while plumes of sulfur and organic sediments in the waters of the Atlantic attest to bubbles of hydrogen sulfide reaching the surface, reacting with the surface waters and organic materials. [NASA Earth Observatory]
• African drought affected by climate change over North Atlantic -- An international research team from Israel's University of Haifa, the French National Meteorological Service, Columbia University and the University of San Diego recently reported on their findings indicating that cyclic changes in the sea surface temperature in the North Atlantic Ocean along with the atmospheric pressure over this basin appear to affect the drought across Africa's sub-Sahara region called the Sahel. Low sea surface temperatures resulted in drought in the Sahel, while warmer waters would result in rain. In addition, drought coincided with weaker Atlantic hurricanes. The researchers found two "natural climate signals" in the sea surface temperature and the sea-level pressure: a multi-decadal signal with a periodicity exceeding 40 years and a quasi-decadal signal with periodicity ranging between 8 and 14 years. [University of Haifa]
• Human impacts on ocean chemistry studied -- A marine geochemist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution recently evaluated the impacts of climate change, increased carbon dioxide, pollution and other human-related phenomena on the chemistry of the world's oceans. He claims that human activity has a profound impact upon the ocean chemistry due to fossil fuel consumption, pollution and agricultural practices. [EurekAlert!]
• Climate-induced ocean changes may impact millions of residents-- Marine scientists from Australia's University of Queensland, the University of Maine and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill warn that current changes in global climate have resulted in changes in the Earth's oceans at unprecedented rates, which could potentially lead to dire consequences for hundreds of millions of the planet's residents. [EurekAlert!]
• Coral reef protection efforts in Caribbean could fall short -- Researchers at the University of Iowa and Australia's University of Queensland warn that some of the conservation efforts at protecting Caribbean coral reefs may be overlooking biodiversity in some of the regions where corals appear to be well equipped to evolve despite climate induced environmental pressures, such as increased temperatures. [EurekAlert!]

• More ocean-observing needed for monitoring Antarctic climate change -- A group of oceanographers from Rutgers University; the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA; Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory; the British Antarctic Survey; California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo; and the Polar Ocean Research Group in Sheridan, MT recently called for more observations made of the Southern Oceans surrounding Antarctica, especially around the western Antarctic Peninsula in order to monitor and ascertain the effects of changing climate on Antarctica. The researchers climate that climate of the western Antarctic Peninsula is changing more rapidly than elsewhere on the continent and their proposed polar ocean observation program would be a cost-effective approach to the prediction of the impacts of climate change on all marine ecosystems. [Rutgers University]

• Rethinking the ocean conveyor belt model is needed -- An oceanographer at Duke University recently called for reexamination of the giant ocean conveyor belt model that has been used to describe the large scale transport of ocean waters from pole to pole, along with its effect upon climate. The theory has invoked the concept of overturning driven by density differences due to temperature and salinity variation. She claims that an in-depth consideration of the role of eddies and the wind field is needed. [EurekAlert!]
• Water has more than three phases -- At "normal" temperatures and pressures, water (H₂O) exists in three phases: ice, liquid and vapor. However, as many as 15 phases have been identified under extreme temperatures and pressures. Recently, University of Utah chemists have found the coexistence of ice and liquid at very low temperatures (-90 degrees Celsius) in the upper atmosphere even after water molecules crystallize. This research may have implications on the formation of clouds that regulate global radiation and hence, global climate. [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.

• 21 June 1791...A hurricane, called El Temporal de Barreto - the storm of Barreto, generated a monster ocean wave that carried off the coffin of a rich, but hated, count as he lay in state in his mansion near Havana, Cuba. (The Weather Doctor)
• 21 June 1886...A destructive hurricane hit the Apalachicola-Tallahassee area of Florida on the summer solstice. Extensive damage was done in Florida and throughout the southeast by this storm, which was the first hurricane of the year. Damage was due mainly to extremely high tides. (Intellicast)
• 21 June 1961...The first practical plant for the conversion of seawater to drinking water at Freeport, TX was dedicated when President John Kennedy pressed a switch installed in his Washington, DC office. The plant was capable of producing about a million gallons of water a day, supplying fresh water to Freeport at a cost of about $1.25 per thousand gallons. The large-scale evaporation method used then has now been replaced by reverse osmosis as special polymers are now used as filtering membranes. (Today in Science History)
• 22 June 1675...The Royal Greenwich Observatory was created by Royal Warrant in England by Charles II, with its practical astronomy serving as its primary mission, including navigation, timekeeping and the determination of star positions. In 1767 the observatory began publishing The Nautical Almanac, which established the longitude of Greenwich as a baseline for time calculations. The almanac's popularity among navigators led in part to the adoption (1884) of the Greenwich meridian as the Earth's prime meridian (0° longitude) and the international time zones. (Today in Science History)
• 22 June 1948...Congress enacted Public Law 738, which authorized the operation of floating ocean stations for the purpose of providing search and rescue communication and air-navigation facilities, and meteorological services in such ocean areas as are regularly traversed by aircraft of the United States. (USCG Historian's Office)
• 23 June 1501...The Portuguese navigator, Pedro Alvares Cabral, returned to Portugal after a voyage during which he claimed Brazil for Portugal and then journeyed to India in search of pepper and spices. (Wikipedia)
• 23 June 1611...English navigator Henry Hudson was set adrift along with his son and seven loyal crew members in an open boat in Hudson Bay by mutineers on his ship Discovery; they were never seen again. He was on his fourth voyage and he had become famous for attempting to find a route from Europe to Asia via the Arctic Ocean. (Wikipedia)
• 23 June 1716...The Province of Massachusetts authorized erection of first lighthouse in America on Great Brewster Island, Boston Harbor. (USCG Historian's Office)
• 23 June 1938...The first "oceanarium" opened at Marineland in St. Augustine, FL. (Today in Science History)
• 24 June 1497...The Italian navigator and explorer Giovanni (John) Cabot, sailing in the service of England, landed in North America on what is now Newfoundland, claiming the continent for England. (Wikipedia)
• 26 June 1954...Eight fishermen were swept off the breakwater of the Montrose Harbor in Chicago, IL by a seiche on Lake Michigan. At the time, this killer wave rose suddenly from a serene Lake Michigan; sunny skies and calm wind conditions were reported. The seiche, produced by an earlier squall on the lake, caused the lake water to rise ten feet. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 26 June 1959...Following an opening ceremony attended by President Eisenhower and Queen Elizabeth II, 28 naval vessels sailed from the Atlantic to the Great Lakes, marking the formal opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway to seagoing ships. The Seaway consists of a navigational channel system of canals, locks, and dredged waterways, permitting travel from the Gulf of St. Lawrence nearly 2500 miles inland to Duluth, MN on Lake Superior. (Naval Historical Center) (The History Channel)
• 26 June 1986...Hurricane Bonnie made landfall on the upper Texas coast. A wind gust to 98 mph occurred at Sea Rim State Park. The town of Ace recorded 13 inches of rain. (Intellicast)
• 26 June-7 July 1989...Tropical Storm Allison formed in the Gulf of Mexico from remnants of Hurricane Cosme in the eastern North Pacific. Periods of heavy rain caused flooding across parts of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi. Winnfield, LA reported a six-day total of 29.52 inches of rain. This system was responsible for eleven deaths and approximately $500 million in damage. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 27 June 1898...The first solo circumnavigation of the globe was completed in slightly more than three years by the Canadian seaman and adventurer Joshua Slocum of Briar Island, NS when he returned to Newport, RI after sailing the 37-foot Spray a distance of 46,000 miles. After completing this voyage Slocum wrote the classic book, Sailing Alone Around the World describing his adventure. (Wikipedia)
• 27-29 June 1954...Excessive rains from remnants of Hurricane Alice led to the Rio Grande River's worst flood. Up to 27.1 inches of rain fell at Pandale, TX. As many as 55 people died from the flooding. The river crest at Laredo, TX broke the previous highest record by 12.6 feet. The roadway on the US. 90 bridge over the Pecos River was covered by 30 feet of water on the 27^th. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar) (David Ludlum)
• 27 June 1957...Hurricane Audrey smashed ashore at Cameron, LA drowning 381 persons in the storm tide, and causing 150 million dollars damage in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. Audrey left only a brick courthouse and a cement-block icehouse standing at Cameron, and when the waters settled in the town of Crede, only four buildings remained. The powerful winds of Audrey tossed a fishing trawler weighing 78 tons onto an offshore drilling platform. Winds along the coast gusted to 105 mph, and oilrigs off the Louisiana coast reported wind gusts to 180 mph. A storm surge greater than twelve feet inundated the Louisiana coast as much as 25 miles inland. It was the deadliest June hurricane of record for the U.S. (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel)
• 27 June 1978...SEASAT, an experimental U.S. ocean surveillance satellite was launched. Each day, SEASAT made 14 orbits of the Earth, and in a period of 36 hours was able to monitor nearly 96% of the oceanic surface. The measurement equipment on board was able to penetrate cloud cover and report measurements such as wave height, water temperature, currents, winds, icebergs, and coastal characteristics. Although it operated for only 99 days before a power failure, it had already shown the viability of the use of a satellite for collecting oceanic data. The information collected was shared with scientists and was used to aid transoceanic travel by ships and aircraft. (Today in Science History)
• 27-29 June 1997...Although thousands of miles away, a strong low pressure system southeast of New Zealand produced surf up to seven feet, with occasional sets to ten feet, along Hawaii's south-facing coasts. (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, 2010, The American Meteorological Society.