WEEKLY OCEAN NEWS

4-8 August 2014

DataStreme Ocean will return for Fall 2014 with new Investigations files starting during Preview Week, Monday, 25 August 2014. All the current online website products will continue to be available throughout the summer break period.

Items of Interest:

Coast Guard Day is celebrated -- Monday, 4 August 2014, is designated Coast Guard Day, as the day commemorating the founding of the United States Coast Guard as the Revenue Cutter Service on 4 August 1790, by then Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton. A fleet of the first ten Revenue Service cutters were authorized by Congress with the responsibility for enforcement of the first tariff laws enacted by Congress under the Constitution. The Coast Guard was given its current name in 1915 when the Revenue Cutter Service merged with the US Lifesaving Service. In 1939, the US Lighthouse Service was transferred to the Coast Guard. Since 2001, the US Coast Guard has been part of the US Department of Homeland Security. [US Defense Department]
National Lighthouse and Lighthouse Preservation Day is celebrated -- Thursday, 7 August 2014, is designated National Lighthouse and Lighthouse Preservation 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]
Celebrate Shark Week 2014 -- Next Sunday, 10 August 2014, marks the start of Shark Week 2014, a week-long series of feature television programs dedicated to sharks that will be run on the Discovery Channel and in over 72 countries. The week is also promoted on social media networks. Shark Week was first run in July 1987 in an effort to raise public awareness and respect for sharks. [The Discovery Channel]
Perigean spring tide next weekend with a supermoon -- The moon will reach full moon phase next Sunday afternoon at 2:09 PM EDT and 1:09 PM CDT or officially at 1809 Z on 10 August 2014. Since the moon will come within 221,765 miles of Earth, it is called a "supermoon," as its closeness would make the moon appear larger than usual. The closeness of the moon and increased gravitational pull will cause an increase in the height of ocean tides, resulting in what is called a "perigean spring tide."
Recipients of NOAA's 2014 Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship announced -- During the last week, NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries selected three graduate students as recipients of the Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship, established in memory of Dr. Nancy Foster, a leader in marine resource conservation and past director of NOAA's National Ocean Service. These three students are enrolled in such graduate-level areas of study as marine biology, oceanography, and maritime archaeology. [NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries Press Releases]

Ocean in the News:

Eye on the Tropics -- During the last week, tropical cyclone activity continued in the Atlantic and Pacific basins:

In the North Atlantic basin, the second named tropical cyclone developed late last week to the east of the southern Lesser Antilles. This system, identified as Tropical Storm Bertha, traveled to the west-northwest across the Lesser Antilles and the northeastern Caribbean before making landfall along the eastern sections of the Dominican Republic late Saturday afternoon, where locally heavy rain fell. Bertha continued to travel toward the northwest across the western North Atlantic on Sunday, passing the Turks, Caicos and the southeastern Bahamas. Forecasts as of Sunday afternoon indicate Tropical Storm Bertha should pass the eastern Bahamas late Sunday and curve toward the north and northeast during the first few days of this week, remaining off the East Coast of the US. Additional information and satellite imagery on Tropical Storm Bertha are found on the NASA Hurricane Page.
In the eastern North Pacific basin, Tropical Storm Genevieve continued traveling to the west toward the Hawaiian Islands at the start of last week. Genevieve weakened to a tropical depression as it passed longitude 140 degrees West, the meridian representing the boundary between the eastern and central Pacific basins early in the week. Late in the week, Genevieve weakened to a remnant low but then re-intensified to become a tropical depression. As of this recent weekend, Tropical Depression Genevieve continued on a westward track, passing to the south of Hawaii's Big Island. Genevieve could strengthen to a tropical storm early this week. Additional information and a satellite image on Tropical Storm Genevieve can be found on the NASA Hurricane Page.
Hurricane Hernan, a category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale at the start of last week, continued to travel toward the northwest and west-northwest more than 700 miles off the western coast of Mexico. By midweek Hernan weakened to a tropical storm and tropical depression before dissipating. The NASA Hurricane Page had satellite images and additional information on Hurricane Hernan.
The ninth named tropical cyclone formed as Tropical Storm Iselle late last week approximately 1160 miles to the west-southwest of the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula. Over the weekend, Iselle intensified to become a major category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale as it traveled toward the west-northwest. Hurricane Iselle was forecast to reach the central Pacific basin early this week as it should head toward Hawaii's Big Island. Consult the NASA Hurricane Page for additional information on Hurricane Iselle.
In the western North Pacific basin, Typhoon Halong formed from Tropical Depression 11 W approximately 350 miles to the east-southeast of Guam. Halong traveled to the west-northwest during the late weak, weakening slightly to tropical storm status. However, over this past weekend, this system rapidly intensified into a major Super Typhoon as maximum sustained surface winds reached an estimated 160 mph, which is equivalent to a category 5 typhoon on the Saffir-Simpson Scale. By this time, Super Typhoon Halong was beginning to turn northward. Forecasts indicate that this system will weaken slowly as it heads north toward the southern islands of Japan. Satellite images and additional information on Super Typhoon Halong can be found on the NASA Hurricane Page.
Tropical Storm Nakri formed over the East China Sea to the east of mainland China over this past weekend. This tropical storm traveled to the north and then to the north-northeast across the western coast of South Korea. Forecasts indicate that Tropical Storm Nakri should weaken into a tropical depression after it makes landfall on the coast of Korea early this week.

Alaskan fisheries and communities shown to be at risk from ocean acidification -- Researchers from NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory and the University of Alaska recently reported that their analysis of data collected across the 49th State indicates ocean acidification from increased atmospheric carbon dioxide levels is driving changes in waters vital to Alaska's valuable commercial fisheries and subsistence way of life. Communities with the highest risk are found in the southeastern and southwestern sections of the state. [NOAA News]
State of emergency declared in Toledo, Ohio area water crisis -- Officials in the Toledo metropolitan area of northwestern Ohio have declared a state of emergency over this past weekend as high levels of a toxin produced by the harmful blue-green algae known as microcystis have been found in the area's water supply that is drawn from western Lake Erie. A "do not drink" warning was issued and the officials warn that simply boiling water for human or domestic animal use will not remove the toxin called microcystin. The toxin developed from a microcystis algae bloom in the Lake produced from farm fertilizer runoff. [Toledo Blade]
Phytoplankton Bloom off the Pacific Northwest coast seen from space -- A natural color image generated from data collected by the MODIS sensor onboard NASA's Aqua satellite just before the start of last week shows a massive phytoplankton bloom in the waters of the Pacific Ocean off the coasts of Washington and Oregon. [NASA Earth Observatory]
High altitude image of an Arctic melt pond -- A digital photograph made of a glacier in southeastern Alaska from NASA's ER-2 aircraft flying at an altitude of approximately 64,000 feet within the last three weeks shows summertime melt ponds that have formed on the glacier. The aircraft was conducting a test of the onboard Multiple Altimeter Beam Experimental Lidar (MABEL), a laser altimeter designed to measure the elevation of glaciers, mountains, forests, and other landforms below the instrument. A similar instrument is to be used on the upcoming Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) mission. [NASA Earth Observatory]
"Nuisance flooding" appears to be an increasing problem along nation's coasts as sea levels rise -- NOAA's National Ocean Service recently released a report entitled "Sea Level Rise and Nuisance Flood Frequency Changes around the United States" that notes nuisance flooding along the nation's Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf Coasts has increased between 300 and 925 percent since the 1960s. Nuisance flooding is defined as inundation of coastal regions by seawater that causes public inconveniences such as frequent road closures, overwhelmed storm drains and compromised infrastructure. More than 60 years of coastal water level and local elevation data were analyzed. Of the top ten US cities identified in this report to have experienced an increase in nuisance flooding, eight are located along the East Coast. The extent of nuisance flooding depends on multiple factors, including topography and land cover. The report also notes that sea level rise projected for the rest of this century associated with changing climate will intensify nuisance flooding impacts. [NOAA News]
Huge waves measured on Arctic Ocean for first time -- Oceanographers from the University of Washington report that large waves with heights to 16 feet have been detected for the first time on the open waters of the Arctic Ocean during a storm that moved across the basin in September 2012. These researchers suggest that the large waves were due to strong winds associated with the storm and the large expanse of open waters in the Arctic in response to higher global temperatures. Higher wind-driven surface waves should be seen on the Arctic Ocean in the future because of greater anticipated open areas of ocean. [University of Washington News]
Threats continue for nesting sea turtles due to Gulf Oil spill -- A new US Geological Survey study reports that the regions in the northern Gulf of Mexico where nesting loggerhead sea turtles feed have been oiled by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill and where human activities occur, both of which pose threats to these sea turtles. The study that includes tracking of the loggerheads has been run from 2010 through 2013. [USGS Newsroom]
Determining what is killing Caribbean corals -- Researchers from Northeastern University are study white band disease that appears to have been responsible for killing as much as 95 percent of the Caribbean's reef building elkhorn and staghorn corals. They have found that this white band disease is caused by infectious bacteria that appear to be transmitted through the water and by coral-eating snails. [News @ Northeastern University]
Remains of sailing ship near World Trade Center traced to Colonial era -- Tree-ring scientists at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory assisted archeologists identify the remains of an ancient sailing ship at the site of New York City's World Trade Center. Using sophisticated tree-ring analysis techniques, the remaining timbers of this vessel, tentatively identified as a Hudson River Sloop, were determined to be from white oak trees cut from an old growth forest in the colonial Philadelphia (PA) area around 1773, just before the start of the American Revolutionary War. [Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory News]
Boston's climate future discussed -- Brian Swett, the Chief of Environment, Energy, and Open Space for the city of Boston (MA), was recently interviewed by NOAA's Climate.gov team concerning his current work on updating the city's Climate Action Plan. The discussion focused on the climate future of the capital city of Massachusetts, with attention given to coastal flooding associated with sea level rise and storm surge and to inland flooding from heavy precipitation events. Attention was also given to community awareness and participation. [NOAA Climate.gov 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]
Earthweek -- Diary of the Planet [earthweek.com] Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Historical Events:

4(?) August 1609...A tempest struck the western Atlantic Ocean scattering small British convoy headed to Virginia. Two vessels sank; another, the Sea Venture was presumed lost. However, a ship made landfall on Bermuda, shipwrecking the crew. After a ten-month stay to build two small rescue boats, they sailed to Jamestown (Virginia) Colony. Incident accounts may have provided William Shakespeare with background material for The Tempest. (The Weather Doctor)
4 August 1666...A violent hurricane raked the island of Guadeloupe, destroying all boats along its coast, including a 17-ship fleet with 2000 troops. The island's batteries, with 6-foot thick walls, were destroyed and the 16-pounders (large cannons) were washed away. (The Weather Doctor) (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
4 August 1858...After several unsuccessful attempts, the first trans-Atlantic cable, a 2000-mile submerged telegraph line conceived by Cyrus W. Field, was completed by USS Niagara and British ship Agamemnon. While the first messages were exchanged between President James Buchanan and Queen Victoria on 16 August, the cable ceased functioning in early September. The first permanent trans-Atlantic cable was laid in 1866. (Naval Historical Center) (The History Channel)
5-6 August 1959...Hurricane Dot crossed Kauai in the Hawaiian Islands producing sustained winds of 103 mph and gusts to 125 mph. Over 6 inches of rain fell there and over 9 inches on the island of Hawaii. The sugar cane crop on Kauai sustained $2.7 million in damages. (Intellicast)
5-7 August 1997...Although far to the southwest, Hurricane Guillermo generated surf to 12-foot heights along the beaches of southern California. In Newport Beach, lifeguards made almost 300 rescues on the 5^th and 6^th. Rip currents were responsible for one death and three injuries. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
6 August 1986...A low-pressure system that redeveloped off the New South Wales coast of Australia dumped a record 12.91 inches of rain in one day on Sydney. (Wikipedia)
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)