WEEKLY OCEAN NEWS

1-5 July 2019

Items of Interest:

A participant in NOAA's Teacher at Sea Program describes her experiences -- Mary Cook, who is a teacher at Scammon Bay, AK describes her experiences working at sea as a participant in NOAA's Teacher at Sea Program during a 4-minute video. She explains how the program makes a tremendous impact locally, regionally, and nationally on science education teaching and learning. [NOAA Fisheries Video]
List of world weather records that produce highest mortality established -- The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) recently announced that its official "WMO Archive of Weather and Climate Extremes" has been expanded from temperature and weather records to tabulate and document "world records" for the highest mortality associated with tropical cyclones, lightning, tornadoes, and hailstorms. The highest mortality associated with a tropical cyclone is an estimated 300,000 people killed directly as result of the passage of a tropical cyclone through Bangladesh (at time of incident, East Pakistan) of 12-13 November, 1970. [WMO Press Release]
International report claims that 2017 set to be in top three hottest years, with record-breaking extreme weather -- The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) recently published a report entitled "The World Meteorological Organization's provisional Statement on the State of the Climate" that has been submitted to the twenty-third session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 23) currently being held in Bonn, Germany. This WMO report notes that while 2017 appears to be slightly cooler than the record setting 2016, this current year appears to be on a track that may make it one of the three warmest years on record. In addition to increases in the concentrations of atmospheric greenhouse gases, sea level continues to rise and the sea ice extent in both the Arctic Ocean and around Antarctica has been decreasing.The report identifies several significant extreme weather and climate events in 2017 that include a very active North Atlantic hurricane season, major monsoon flooding across the Indian subcontinent and continuing severe drought in sections of east Africa. [World Meteorological Organization Press Release]
NCEI highlights its outreach and educational activities -- Although NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) primary mission is the stewardship of environmental data, NCEI scientists and staff also go "outside the science" to communicate with many audiences, The NCEI Outside the Science series highlights their outreach and educational activities and engagement with data users, such as weather and climate data for Native American tribes, mentoring young scientists and "education in the Gulf." [NOAA NCEI News]
Extreme weather events in 2016 are tied to human influence on climate change -- A report produced by 116 scientists from 18 countries around the world claims that specific extreme weather and climate events in 2016 can be associated with long-term climate change as manifest by increasing global temperatures, to a new record-high global temperature in 2016. These scientists investigated individual extreme events of 2016 that included in addition to the record global temperature, an extreme heat wave in Asia, extreme heat in the Arctic, development of marine heat waves off Alaska and Australia, the severity of the 2015–16 El Niño and the duration of coral bleaching in the Great Barrier Reef. Several of the reports indicated that some extreme events were not possible in a preindustrial climate. No conclusive link to climate change was found with severe drought in Brazil, record rains in Australia, or stagnant conditions creating poor air quality in Europe. The report, which is the sixth annual, is entitled "Explaining Extreme Events of 2016 From a Climate Perspective," and is published as a supplement to the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. [NOAA NCEI News] or [NOAA Climate.gov News]
List of world weather records that produce highest mortality established -- The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) recently announced that its official "WMO Archive of Weather and Climate Extremes" has been expanded from temperature and weather records to tabulate and document "world records" for the highest mortality associated with tropical cyclones, lightning, tornadoes, and hailstorms. The highest mortality associated with a tropical cyclone is an estimated 300,000 people killed directly as result of the passage of a tropical cyclone through Bangladesh (at time of incident, East Pakistan) of 12-13 November, 1970. [WMO Press Release]
International report claims that 2017 set to be in top three hottest years, with record-breaking extreme weather -- The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) recently published a report entitled "The World Meteorological Organization's provisional Statement on the State of the Climate" that has been submitted to the twenty-third session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 23) currently being held in Bonn, Germany. This WMO report notes that while 2017 appears to be slightly cooler than the record setting 2016, this current year appears to be on a track that may make it one of the three warmest years on record. In addition to increases in the concentrations of atmospheric greenhouse gases, sea level continues to rise and the sea ice extent in both the Arctic Ocean and around Antarctica has been decreasing.The report identifies several significant extreme weather and climate events in 2017 that include a very active North Atlantic hurricane season, major monsoon flooding across the Indian subcontinent and continuing severe drought in sections of east Africa. [World Meteorological Organization Press Release]
Change in seasons -- The beginning of July (Monday, 1 July 2019) marks the beginning of the new heating season. Traditionally, meteorologists and climatologists define the heating season to run from 1 July to 30 June of the following year. Heating degree day units are accumulated commencing on 1 July. Likewise, the snow season runs from 1 July through 30 June. Seasonal snowfall totals for this new snow season at U.S. stations will be summed from Monday.
The half-way point -- Midpoint of calendar year 2019 will occur at noon, local standard time, on Tuesday, 2 July 2019.
For late June -- update constellations
Worldwide GLOBE at Night 2019 Campaign for July commences -- The seventh in a series of GLOBE at Night citizen-science campaigns for 2019 will commence this Monday (24 June) and continue through Wednesday, 3 July. 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 constellations with the seven magnitude/star charts of progressively fainter stars. These constellations are Hercules in the Northern Hemisphere and Scorpius in the Southern Hemisphere. Activity guides are also available. The GLOBE at night program is intended to raise public awareness of the impact of light pollution. The eighth series in the 2019 campaign is scheduled for 24 July-2 August 2019. [GLOBE at Night]
Worldwide GLOBE at Night 2019 Campaign for July is underway -- The seventh in a series of GLOBE at Night citizen-science campaigns for 2019 will continue through Wednesday, 3 July. 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 constellations with the seven magnitude/star charts of progressively fainter stars. These constellations are Hercules in the Northern Hemisphere and Scorpius in the Southern Hemisphere. Activity guides are also available. The GLOBE at night program is intended to raise public awareness of the impact of light pollution. The eighth series in the 2019 campaign is scheduled for 24 July-2 August 2019. [GLOBE at Night]
Worldwide GLOBE at Night 2018 Campaign for July commences -- The seventh in a series of GLOBE at Night citizen-science campaigns for 2018 will commence this Wednesday (4 July) and continue through Friday, 13 July. 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 with the seven magnitude/star charts of progressively fainter stars. These constellations are Hercules in the Northern Hemisphere and Scorpius for the Southern Hemisphere. Activity guides are also available. The GLOBE at night program is intended to raise public awareness of the impact of light pollution. The eighth series in the 2018 campaign is scheduled for 2-11 August 2018. [GLOBE at Night]

Check https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/high-tide-bulletin/ for "The State of High Tide Flooding and Annual Outlook" -- now for9 2018
"We also publish annual high tide flooding reports that present a broad outlook of what to expect for a given year in terms of high tide flooding, as well as a summary of high tide flooding events for the previous calendar year."
https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/high-tide-bulletin/summer-2019/
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Weather in Philadelphia for the 4th of July 1776--This Tuesday is the 4th of July or Independence Day. Sean Potter, a consulting meteorologist who has an interest in history, wrote an article four years ago that describes the weather observations made during July 1776 in Philadelphia by Thomas Jefferson who wrote the Declaration of Independence. [Weatherwise Magazine] Have a happy and safe 4th of July! EJH
Way out there!...The earth reaches aphelion, the point in its annual orbit when it is farthest from the sun during the midday hours of Friday, 6 July 2018 (officially at 1647Z, which is equivalent to 12:47 PM EDT or 11:47 AM CDT, etc.). At aphelion, the earth-sun distance is 152,095,570 km, or 1.02 AU (astronomical units). This distance is 3.4% greater than the distance at perihelion, the smallest earth-sun distance, which occurred earlier this year during the late-night hours of 2 January 2018.
"Warmest day of the year" approaches -- NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (formerly National Climatic Data Center) has created a "Warmest Day of the Year" map for the contiguous United States based upon the highest daily maximum temperatures of the year as calculated from the 1981-2010 climate normals. Additional maps are available for Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. Many places across the nation will experience their highest daily temperatures within the next two to three weeks. However, some locations in Arizona and New Mexico affected by the Southwest Monsoon reach their maximum temperatures during the last two weeks of June. On the other hand, coastal locations along the Pacific Ocean and in Hawaii would have the highest temperatures in September because of the thermal lag due to proximity of the ocean. [NOAA National Climatic Data Center News]
1-4 July 2019 for West Coast only
Watching for high ocean tides along nation's coasts this summer -- The NOAA National Ocean Service recently released its High Tide Bulletin for Summer 2019, which provides information on when higher than average astronomical tides can be expected along the nation's Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific coasts during the three months of June through August that constitutes the Northern Hemisphere's meteorological summer. During the past week (especially between 12 and 17 June) higher than average astronomical tides were expected along the Atlantic Coast, running from Maine southward to Florida's East Coast, and for the Pacific Coast, stretching from Washington southward to California. Higher than average tides were also expected surrounding Hawaii and the US Pacific Islands. A new moon that occurred last Wednesday (13 June), coupled with lunar perigee (when the Moon is closest to Earth) that occurred slightly more than 24 hours later (on Thursday) was responsible for the perigean spring tide that creates higher than normal high tides. Furthermore, tides should tend to increase along most of the coasts during this week approaching the time of the Northern Hemisphere's summer solstice (this Thursday), due to the position of the Sun relative to the Earth's equator. [NOAA National Ocean Service News]

Ocean in the News:

Eye on the tropics -- During the past week, several tropical cyclones traveled across the eastern and western North Pacific basins.

In the eastern North Pacific, Tropical Storm Daniel was traveling toward the north-northwest approximately 500 miles to the west-southwest of Cabo San Lucas, located at the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula. Daniel weakened to become a tropical depression on Monday afternoon. On Tuesday morning, Daniel became a post-tropical cyclone and then a remnant low as it was approximately 690 miles to the west southwest of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The NASA Hurricane Page has additional information on Tropical Storm Daniel.
The sixth tropical depression of 2018 in the eastern North Pacific developed last Wednesday afternoon over the open waters approximately 500 miles to the southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico. This tropical depression became Tropical Storm Emilia by early Thursday morning. On Friday, Emilia traveled toward the west-northwest away from Mexico. Emilia weakened and was downgraded to a tropical depression on Saturday morning approximately 700 miles to the west-southwest of the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula. By Sunday evening, Tropical Depression Emilia had become a post-tropical cyclone or remnant low as it was continuing toward the west-northwest, approximately 1000 miles to the west of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Additional information and satellite images for Tropical Storm Emilia can be found on the NASA Hurricane Page.
The seventh tropical depression formed late last Saturday afternoon approximately 485 miles to the south-southwest of Zihuatanejo, a coastal city on Mexico's Pacific Coast. Traveling toward the west-northwest, this next tropical depression became Tropical Storm Fabio in the predawn hours of Sunday morning as it was located approximately 530 miles to the south-southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico. Fabio continued to strengthen and move toward the west-northwest on Sunday. By Sunday evening, Tropical Storm Fabio had maximum sustained surface winds as it was approximately 570 miles to the southwest of Manzanillo. Current forecasts indicate that Fabio could intensify into a major hurricane by Tuesday as it would continue to head for the west-northwest.
In western North Pacific basin, the ninth tropical depression of 2018 in the western North Pacific basin formed almost 500 miles to the south-southeast of Okinawa early Friday morning (local time). This system intensified quickly, becoming Tropical Storm Prapiroon by midday Friday as it traveled toward the north-northwest. Continuing to travel toward the north-northwest, Prapiroon intensified over this past weekend becoming a category one typhoon on the Saffir-Simpson Scale during the predawn hours of Monday morning as it took its aim at Okinawa. By sunrise on Monday morning, Typhoon Prapiroon passed nearly 70 miles to the west of Kadena Air Base, which is located on Okinawa. By late Monday, this typhoon was located approximately 75 miles northwest of Kadena. Prapiroon is forecast to continue its travels toward the north early this week before curving toward the north-northeast as it would approach the southeastern coast of the Korean Peninsula. The NASA Hurricane Page has additional information on Prapiroon.

Tests start using Saildrones to improve West Coast fisheries surveys -- Last week, two autonomous Saildrones launched on the Strait of Juan de Fuca along Washington's Olympic Peninsula as part of a test to determine whether the wind and solar-powered vehicles can improve the efficiency and accuracy of fisheries surveys off the West Coast. These tests are being undertaken by Saildrone, Inc., NOAA Fisheries and Fisheries and Oceans Canada. [NOAA Fisheries News]
UPDATE for 2018 -- See https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ National Hurricane Center releases its forecast verification report for 2017 -- During the past week NOAA's National Hurricane Center (NHC) released its 73-page Forecast Verification Report for the 2017 hurricane season in the North Atlantic and eastern North Pacific basins. NHC issued 407 official forecasts for the North Atlantic basin since the 2017 hurricane season had above-normal activity for that basin. The official NHC track forecasts in the Atlantic basin were quite successful in 2017, with records for track accuracy set at all forecast times as indicated by smaller mean NHC official track forecast errors than in previous seasons. However, mean official intensity errors for the Atlantic basin in 2017 were above the 5-year means for forecasts with lead-times ranging from 12 to 48 hours, but near the means at the longer lead times. NHC issued 334 official forecasts for the eastern North Pacific basin, which was close to average. Although the forecasts where skillful, no records for track accuracy were set in this basin in 2017. Official intensity forecast errors in the eastern North Pacific basin were lower than the 5-year means at all forecast times. [NOAA National Hurricane Center]
A new portal permits exploration of ocean video -- A collaboration between NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) and the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research (OER) has resulted in the unveiling of the "OER Video Portal." This portal is intended to permit the public to explore the extensive archive of ocean video obtained from the expeditions conducted by the NOAA ship Okeanos Explorer since 2010. [NOAA NCEI News]
Regional fishery council appointments for 2018 announced -- Early last week the US Department of Commerce announced the appointment of 30 members to three-year terms on the nation's eight regional fishery management councils that partner with NOAA Fisheries Service to manage ocean fish stocks. The eight regional councils have 72 appointed members and some of this year's appointments will be new to these councils, while others are returning members. The terms for the recently appointed members begins on 11 August 2018 and runs until 10 August 2021. [NOAA Fisheries News]
A larger than average "dead zone" in Chesapeake Bay is predicted for this summer -- Scientists with NOAA, the US Geological Survey (USGS) and their partners at two university research centers have recently forecast the size of this year's hypoxic or "dead zone" in Chesapeake Bay should be greater than the average size over the last several years. This dead zone is a hypoxia region in the waters of the Bay with either low or no dissolved oxygen. The Bay outlook, which is based on models developed by NOAA-sponsored researchers at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science and the University of Michigan, rely upon nutrient loading estimates from the US Geological Survey (USGS). They argue that the anticipated larger than average dead zone will be due to increased rainfall across the watershed this past spring. [Center for Environmental Science, University of Maryland News]
New coastal resilience funding announced -- Late last week, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and NOAA announced a partnership that is intended to enhance coastal communities' natural defenses against severe weather and flooding. As much as $30 million in funding from the National Coastal Resilience Fund will restore, increase and strengthen natural infrastructure that help absorb the impacts of storms and floods, while enhancing habitats for fish and wildlife. [NOAA News]
Review of lessons learnt during 2017 Caribbean Hurricane Season released -- An international team of experts recently presented a report entitled "Lessons learnt on Early Warning Systems during the 2017 Caribbean Hurricane Season" during the Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in the Americas that took place in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia. The review, which was launched last December following one of the most devastating hurricane seasons to hit the Caribbean, found that although forecasts were generally accurate and timely, the rapid change in intensity, especially for Hurricane Maria in Dominica, posed a real challenge. Risk assessments and response plans were not sufficiently connected during the dissemination and communication of warnings. Consideration of gender in early warning systems in the Caribbean, especially where families are headed by women. [World Meteorological Organization News]
Global surface area of streams and rivers is much larger than previous estimates -- Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Texas A&M University using detailed satellite imagery along with surface measurements and a statistical model discovered that the surface area of rivers and streams across the globe is approximately 45 percent greater than previously estimated. This information is significant in understanding the hydrologic cycle and potential impacts of climate change associated with greenhouse gas movement from water to the atmosphere. [University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Research]
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]

Historical Events:

1 July 1792...A tremendous storm (a tornado or hurricane) hit Philadelphia and New York City. Many young people were drowned while out boating on that Sunday. (David Ludlum)
1 July 1885...The United States terminated reciprocity and a fishery agreement with Canada. (Wikipedia)
2 July 1578...The British seaman and explorer, Martin Frobisher sighted Baffin Island, one of Canada's Arctic islands. (Wikipedia)
2-6 July 1994... Heavy rains from the remains of Tropical Storm Alberto produced major flooding across northern and central Georgia. Three-day rains exceeded 15 inches at Atlanta. An impressive 21.10 inches of rain fell at Americus, GA on the 6^th to establish a 24-hour maximum precipitation record for the Peach State. Numerous road closures and bridge washouts. Thirty people were killed and 50,000 were forced from their homes, as 800,000 acres were flooded. Total damage exceeded $750 million. (NCDC) (Intellicast)
3 July 1903...The first telegraph cable across the Pacific Ocean was spliced and completed between San Francisco on the US West Coast, Honolulu, Midway, Guam and Manila in the Philippines. After testing, the first official message was sent the next day. A cable between San Francisco and Hawaii had been established at the beginning of the same year, with its first official message sent on 1 Jan 1903. This technological event ended Hawaii's isolation by connecting it to the mainland U.S. and the rest of the world. The cable was a mainstay of communications into the early 1950s when newer technology rendered it obsolete. (The 1902 all-British telegraph line from Canada to Australia and New Zealand was the first line to cross the Pacific Ocean.) (Today in Science History)
3 July 1992...At 11 PM EDT, several rouge waves to heights of 18 feet crashed ashore at Daytona Beach, FL. Sailboats were tossed onto cars, 200 vehicles damaged and 75 minor injuries reported. While the exact cause was unknown, morning storms were moving parallel to the coast approximately 430 miles to the east. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
4 July 1687...An early experience of a tropical revolving storm was made by Captain William Dampier, whose ship survived what he called a "tuffoon" off the coast of China. In New Voyage Round the World, (published in 1697) Dampier wrote that this violent whirlwind storm had a calm central eye, and its winds moved from opposite directions as the storm moved passed. This was one of the earliest known European descriptions of a typhoon, which also presented a new understanding that storms somehow move, rather than remain stationary. During his ocean travels, he kept a detailed journal, noting native cultures, and made careful descriptions of natural history which in effect made him an early contributor to scientific exploration. (Today in Science History)
4 July 1840...The Cunard Line's 700-ton wooden paddlewheel steamer, RMS Britannia, departed from Liverpool, England bound for Halifax, NS on its first transatlantic passenger cruise. (Wikipedia)
4 July 1903...President Theodore Roosevelt sent the first official message over the new cable across the Pacific Ocean between Honolulu, Midway, Guam and Manila. (Today in Science History)
5 July 1805...Robert FitzRoy, British naval officer, hydrographer and meteorologist, was born. He was also commanded the voyage of HMS Beagle aboard which Charles Darwin sailed around the world as the ship's naturalist. That voyage provided Darwin with much of the material on which he based his theory of evolution. FitzRoy retired from active duty in 1850 and from 1854 devoted himself to meteorology. He devised a storm warning system that was the prototype of the daily weather forecast, invented a barometer, and published The Weather Book (1863). His death on 30 April 1865 was by suicide, during a bout of depression. (Today in Science History)
5 July 1916...An early season hurricane produced 82-mph winds, an 11.6-foot tide, and a barometric pressure of 28.92 inches at Mobile, AL. (David Ludlum)
5 July 1989...Moisture from what once was Tropical Storm Allison triggered thunderstorms over the Middle Atlantic Coast Region, which deluged Wilmington, DE with a record 6.83 inches of rain in 24 hours, including 6.37 inches in just six hours. Up to ten inches of rain was reported at Claymont, northeast of Wilmington. July 1989 was thus the wettest month in seventy years for Wilmington, with a total of 12.63 inches of rain. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) (Intellicast)
6 July 1484...Portuguese sea captain Diogo Cão located the mouth of the Congo River. (Wikipedia)
6 July 1988...The world's worst offshore accident occurred when 167 oil workers were killed by explosions and fires that destroyed the Piper Alpha drilling platform in the British sector of the North Sea.
7 July 1901...First three-day weather forecast issued for the shipping lanes of the North Atlantic. (Northern Indiana NWSFO)
7 July 1952...The liner SS United States made the fastest-ever eastbound crossing of the Atlantic of 3 days, 17 hours and 48 minutes on her maiden voyage from Nantucket Light Ship off New York's Long Island to Bishop Rock Lighthouse in western England.
7 July 1994...The remnants of Tropical Storm Alberto finally departed, having drowned parts of Alabama, Georgia and Florida under several feet of water. Enterprise, AL recorded an incredible 21.58 inches of rain from 1-7 July. At its peak, flood waters covered a total of 900,000 acres. (National Weather Service files)

8 July 1497...The Portuguese explorer, Vasco da Gama, set sail from Lisbon, Portugal with four ships on the first direct European voyage to India, first rounding Africa's Cape of Good Hope and reaching Calicut on India's southwest coast on 20 May 1498. (Wikipedia)
8 July 1879...The first ship to use electric lights departed from San Francisco, CA.
9-10 July 1979...Hurricane Bob was born in the Gulf of Mexico, becoming the first Atlantic Hurricane to be given a male name by the 10th. It brought up to 5" to Indiana as the remnants moved across southern parts of the Hoosier State. (National Weather Service files)