WEEKLY OCEAN NEWS

30 May -3 June 2016

DataStreme Ocean will return for Fall 2016 with new Investigations files starting during Preview Week, Monday, 22 August 2016. All the current online website products will continue to be available throughout the summer break period.

Items of Interest:

• Worldwide GLOBE at Night 2016 Campaign is underway -- The sixth in the series of GLOBE at Night citizen-science campaigns for 2016 will continue through Tuesday, 7 June. GLOBE at Night is a worldwide, hands-on science and education program designed to encourage citizen-scientists worldwide to record the brightness of their night sky by matching the appearance of a constellation (Bootes in the Northern Hemisphere and Crux in the Southern Hemisphere) with the seven magnitude/star charts of progressively fainter stars. Activity guides are also available. The GLOBE at night program is intended to raise public awareness of the impact of light pollution. The next series in the 2016 campaign is scheduled for 27 June-6 July 2016. [GLOBE at Night]
• Change in season -- Meteorological summer in the Northern Hemisphere, the three-month span from June through August, commences this coming Wednesday (1 June 2016). In three weeks, the summer solstice will occur on Monday, 20 June, which marks the beginning of astronomical summer.
• Atlantic Hurricane Season begins -- The hurricane season in the North Atlantic basin, including the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico will begin this Wednesday, 1 June. In the Eastern North Pacific basin, the hurricane season began two weeks ago on 15 May. The season will run until 30 November 2016 in both basins.
• Early Sunrise -- Within the next week, many locations in the continental United States will experienced the date of earliest sunrise. While the longest daylight at each locale in the Northern Hemisphere will occur in over two weeks on the summer solstice (on Sunday, 21 June 2015), the occurrence of earliest local sunrise occurs before this date because the apparent sun now "leads" the clock time. This time discrepancy, which now amounts to approximately 2 minutes, occurs because of a combination of factors that result from the earth moving more slowly in its elliptical orbit because the earth presently is near its farthest point from the sun (aphelion on the afternoon of 6 July 2015) and the effect of the tilt of the earth's spin axis (near the summer solstice). For reference, the latest sunsets of the year will occur later in June as the apparent sun slows and by the first week of July "lags" clock time by about 4 minutes.
• World Environment Day -- This Sunday, 5 June 2016, is World Environment Day (WED), a day that has been created by the United Nations in an effort to stimulate worldwide awareness of the environment and to enhance political attention and action. This observance was established initially by the UN General Assembly in 1972 to mark the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. Various activities are being planned. This year's theme for World Environment Day is "Go Wild for Life," which is aimed at zero tolerance for the illegal wildlife trade. [World Environment Day]

Ocean in the News:

• Eye on the tropics -- Tropical cyclone activity was limited to the North Atlantic basin last week with the formation of Tropical Storm Bonnie, the second named named tropical cyclone of the 2016. (The first named tropical cyclone in the North Atlantic was Hurricane Alex, which traveled across the eastern North Atlantic during 13-15 January 2016.) A tropical depression that formed approximately 435 miles to the southeast of Charleston, SC late last Friday afternoon intensified to become Tropical Storm Bonnie by late Saturday afternoon as it traveled to the northwest toward the Carolina coast. By Sunday morning, Bonnie weakened to a tropical depression as it reached the South Carolina coast, accompanied by heavy rain, 35-mph winds and rough seas. During the day this depression moved slowly inland. See the NASA Hurricane Page for additional information and satellite imagery on Tropical Storm Bonnie.
  
• Updated Extreme Weather Information Sheets for 2016 hurricane season available for coastal residents -- NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information recently updated its NOAA Extreme Weather Information Sheets (NEWIS) for the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season. Sheets have been prepared for coastal regions of the five states bordering the Gulf Coast, three states along the Atlantic Coast and the US Caribbean Territories that are vulnerable to tropical cyclones. In addition, a sheet is available for the state of Hawaii as the Central Pacific hurricane season is also beginning. These sheets, which can be downloaded as a pdf document or as a free App compatible on Apple devices, serve as a "one-stop" ready reference that provides critical information to coastal residents such as phone numbers and Web site information for contacting government officials and monitoring information resources. [NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information]
• Three Atlantic and Pacific hurricane names retired after 2015 season -- The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) recently announced three names were retired from the lists of hurricane/tropical storm names because these tropical cyclones were notably strong and deadly. These three names were for the category 5 (on the Saffir-Simpson Scale) Hurricane Patricia in the eastern North Pacific basin, which was the strongest tropical cyclone ever measured in the Western Hemisphere; Erika a tropical storm in the North Atlantic basin, which produced torrential rains on the Caribbean island nation of Dominica that were responsible for 31 fatalities; and Joaquin a category 4 hurricane in the North Atlantic, which was the basin's strongest hurricane in 2015 and was responsible for the loss of the cargo ship El Faro and 33 crew members. [Mental_floss]
• Hurricane outlooks issued -- In conjunction with this past week being National Hurricane Awareness Week, scientists with NOAA's Climate Prediction Center released their outlook for the upcoming hurricane seasons in the North Atlantic basin, which includes the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, Their outlook indicates a 70-percent chance of a near-normal hurricane season in 2016, as 10 to 16 named tropical cyclones (hurricanes and tropical storms with sustained surface winds of at least 39 mph) could develop, including four to eight tropical cyclones becoming hurricanes (maximum sustained winds of 74 mph or higher). As many as four of these hurricanes could become major hurricanes (Category 3 hurricanes or greater on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Intensity Scale). The forecasters also felt that a 30-percent chance of an above average season could occur, while a 25-percent chance for a below average season was given. (Based upon long-term statistics, an average Atlantic season consists of 12 named tropical cyclones per year and the six hurricanes that normally form during each year. Three of these hurricanes typically become major hurricanes.) The forecasters claim that prediction of the frequency of named tropical cyclones in the North Atlantic basin this year has been made difficult by the forecast uncertainty in the climate signals, such as if the high activity era of Atlantic hurricanes that began in 1995 has ended. In addition, a warm phase of the Atlantic Multi-Decadal Oscillation (AMO) associated with above average sea surface temperatures across the tropical Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea along with a stronger West African monsoon could affect hurricane activity. Finally the timing of when the El Niño event transitions into ENSO-neutral conditions and then to a possible La Niña event during the hurricane season could play a role. NOAA will issue an updated outlook for the Atlantic hurricane season in early August, just before the historical peak of the season. [NOAA News]
  For comparison, Phil Klotzbach at Colorado State University had released a forecast of the 2016 Atlantic hurricane season in early April that called for a near average season. They envisioned twelve named tropical cyclones following Hurricane Alex, along with five additional hurricanes. Of these hurricanes, the forecasters foresee two major hurricanes. [The Tropical Meteorology Project]
  In addition, forecasters at the United Kingdom's Meteorological Office have recently produced a forecast of the 2016 Atlantic hurricane season with below normal activity. These forecasters predict that a 70 percent chance that 10 to 18 named tropical cyclones forming, with a most likely value of 14. The forecasters feel that between six and ten hurricanes could form, with eight being the most likely value, which is one two the long-term average number. They base their estimates on the Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) index, which measures the number of storms and their combined strength.
• GOES-13 reaches 10-year milestone -- Ten years ago on 24 May 2006, NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) -13 spacecraft was launched from Cape Canaveral FL and placed in a geosynchronous orbit around the Earth, where onboard sensors collected environmental data from the Earth atmosphere system. This satellite is also known currently as GOES-East as its station over the Equator provides a continuous view of the eastern half of the North American continent and the Atlantic Ocean basin. [NOAA's National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service News]
• New Australian research vessel used to study remote Southern Ocean -- During a 40-day span in March and April, scientists from NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology sailed to the south of Tasmania aboard Australia's new R/V Investigator to study a large ocean eddy, replace a climate flux reference buoy, and monitor clouds and air-sea fluxes using NOAA's Air-Sea Flux System. The scientists also measured surface waves and carbon dioxide fluxes during the cruise. [NOAA Climate Program Office News]
• Detection of toxins along Pacific Northwest coast aided by high tech robot -- The University of Washington recently deployed an underwater robot called the Environmental Sample Processor (ESP) to remotely measure paralytic shellfish toxins associated with the harmful algal blooms (HABs) that are forming in the coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean off Washington state. The data obtained by ESP will be used by scientists from NOAA and partner institutions. [NOAA National Ocean Service News]
• Underwater grass beds in Chesapeake Bay are able to protect themselves -- Researchers from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science's Horn Point Laboratory have found that the expansive submersed aquatic vegetation bed at Susquehanna Flats in the northern end of Chesapeake Bay appears to have survived numerous recent strong storms and flooding. These findings point to the ability of these underwater grass beds to protect and maintain themselves. [University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science News]
• Report on economics of nation's fisheries in 2014 released -- NOAA Fisheries recently released its 246-page "Fisheries Economics of the United States 2014" that provides an annual detailed analysis of the economic performance of commercial and recreational fisheries and other marine-related sectors on a state, regional and national basis during the calendar year 2014. [NOAA Fisheries Office of Science and Technology]
• Assessing the fate of the Great Barrier Reef -- During the last year, portions of Australia's Great Barrier Reef have experienced major damage in terms of health, diversity, and productivity due heat stress associated with prolonged episodes of much above average water temperatures. Attention is being focused upon whether continued ocean warming will decimate the reef or was some recovery of the reefs possible. The impact of the recent major El Niño event upon coral bleaching was considered. [NOAA Climate.gov 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]

• 30 May 1767...The first stone of the tower for the Charleston Lighthouse on Morris Island, SC was laid on this date. (USCG Historian's Office)
• 30-31 May 1997...As many as 140 people had to be rescued from rip currents off Dayton Beach Shores, FL. One man died in a rip current while trying to save his wife. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 31 May 1911...The hull of the ill-fated Titanic was launched in Belfast, Northern Ireland. At the ceremony, a White Star Line employee claimed, "Not even God himself could sink this ship." (Information Please)
• 31 May 1997...The Confederation Bridge, also dubbed the "Fixed Link," was officially opened, linking Canada's Prince Edward Island with mainland New Brunswick. This 8-mile long bridge that crosses the Northumberland Strait is the longest bridge in the world that spans waters that freeze. (Wikipedia)
• 1-17 June 2001...The deadliest and costliest tropical storm in US history, Tropical Storm Allison, wandered westward across the tropical Atlantic and crossed over into the Pacific before reversing direction and moving back into the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. On 1 June the tropical wave, which eventually evolved into TS Allison, moved into the Gulf of Tehuantepec on the Pacific coast of Mexico after moving westward across the tropical Atlantic and the Caribbean from off the west coast of Africa on 21 May. On the 2^nd, a cyclonic (counterclockwise) circulation developed to the south-southeast of Salma Cruz, Mexico, but the low-level circulation became ill defined as the system moved inland on the 3^rd over southeastern Mexico and western Guatemala. This system intensified again and eventually moved northward to the Texas Gulf Coast and then eastward to the Atlantic before turning into an extratropical storm in mid-June. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 2-4 June 1986...A tropical disturbance brought flooding rains to parts of the Greater Antilles. The flooding caused 59 deaths in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica and Cuba. As many as 240,000 people lost their homes to this disturbance. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 3 June 1979...The world's worst oil spill occurred when an exploratory oil well, Ixtoc 1, blew out, spilling over 140 million gallons of crude oil into the Bay of Campeche off the coast of Mexico. Although it is the largest known oil spill, it had a relatively low environmental impact. The well was finally capped in March 1980. Booms were placed along the Texas coast to protect major inlets from the oil that was carried northward by prevailing surface currents in the Gulf of Mexico. (Information Please) (Wikipedia)
• 4 June 1825...A hurricane struck Long Island, NY leveling trees and causing damage to ships. The early season hurricane, which originated near Cuba, caused major damage along the Atlantic coast from Charleston, SC to New York City. Many were lost at sea. (David Ludlum)
• 4 June 1871...The United States' 15-minute rainfall record was set in Galveston, TX at 3.95 inches as the season's first tropical storm came onshore. Galveston would be struck by another tropical storm just five days later. (National Weather Service files)
• 4 June 1976...Forty-foot waves from a tropical cyclone smashed Gogha (port), India. Excellent warnings limited the death toll to approximately 70. Dredging of the harbor at Bhavnnagar ceased for several years as storm runoff from the Kansa River washed away accumulated sand and silt. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 5 June 2001...Though Tropical Storm Allison barely reached tropical storm status, the very slow movement of the storm along the Texas coast resulted in incredible amounts of rain. Over 40 inches of rain fell near Houston, and two feet of rain drenched southern Louisiana. It was the nation's costliest tropical storm to date. (National Weather Service files)
  

Return to DataStreme Ocean's RealTime Ocean Portal

Prepared by DS Ocean Central Staff and Edward J. Hopkins, Ph.D.,
email hopkins@aos.wisc.edu
© Copyright, 2016, The American Meteorological Society.