Weekly Water News

Preview Week: 25-29 August 2008

Water in the News:

Eye on the tropics ---
- In the North Atlantic basin, Tropical Storm Fay moved to the west-northwest over the Caribbean Sea south of Cuba over last week. Fay made an initial landfall in Florida as it passed over the Florida Keys on Monday afternoon. Early Tuesday morning Fay made a second landfall along the southwest Florida coast to the south of Naples. Traveling to the north-northeast across the Florida Peninsula, Fay moved out over the western North Atlantic, but then made a third landfall along the northeast coast of Florida near Daytona Beach. The storm continued westward across northern Florida and after traveling over the northeastern Gulf of Mexico, made a fourth landfall near Apalachicola. As of Sunday, Faye was traveling to the northwest across southern Alabama. An image generated from data collected from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) onboard NASA's Aqua satellite shows the clouds surrounding Tropical Storm Fay while it was off the east coast of Florida. [NASA Earth Observatory] Additional information and several images on Tropical Storm Fay can be found on the NASA Hurricane Page.
- In the eastern North Pacific, Tropical Storm Julio, the tenth named tropical cyclone of the 2008 hurricane season in that basin, formed off the west coast of Mexico late Saturday. By Sunday afternoon, this storm was moving to the north-northwest toward the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California.
- In the western North Pacific, Tropical Storm Nuri brushed the northern coast of Luzon in the Philippines last week. Typhoon Nuri, reached category 2 status on the Saffir-Simpson Scale as it traveled across the South China Sea; note that a typhoon is the western North Pacific's equivalent to a hurricane. By late in the week, Typhoon Nuri made landfall near Hong Kong along the south coast of China. An image from the MODIS instrument on NASA's Terra satellite shows the clouds associated with Typhoon Nuri as it crossed the South China Sea toward southeastern China. [NASA Earth Observatory] Additional images plus a discussion of Nuri are available at the NASA Hurricane Page.
Dust affected the seasonal hurricane outlook -- Researchers at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and George Mason University report that from their analysis of satellite data, they suspect hot, dry and dusty air carried westward across the tropical Atlantic Ocean from dust storms over Africa's Sahara Desert appears to have been a major reason why the 20007 North Atlantic hurricane season was quieter than expected. [NASA GSFC]
New marine weather web site unveiled -- NOAA, along with Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association, through the University of North Carolina/Wilmington, has unveiled a Southeast Marine Weather Internet portal that has been designed to offer marine weather forecasts as well as real-time coastal wind and water information along the coastal waters of the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida and Alabama. [NOAA News]
New storm tide stations in Gulf serve as sentinels -- NOAA recently dedicated the first of four new "NOAA Sentinel" water level observing stations in the coastal waters of the Gulf of Mexico offshore of Mississippi and Louisiana that will provide meteorological and water level data. These "hurricane hardened" stations are designed to withstand the winds and waves that would accompany a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir Simpson Scale. [NOAA News]
Clouds associated with a thunderstorm -- A photograph taken earlier in August in the British Isles shows globular clouds called mammatus clouds that hang under a portion of a thunderstorm (cumulonimbus) cloud; the best view of mammatus clouds occurs with a low sun angle. These globular cloud protuberances may indicate turbulent motions in the thunderstorm cloud. [BBC News]
Planetary-scale atmospheric circulation patterns studied -- A researcher at Imperial College London and collaborators who have been studying the atmospheric circulation regimes around the global report the existence of two distinct cells in the Northern Hemisphere and two in the Southern Hemisphere that are responsible for driving weather events, including storm systems. The researchers caution that water vapor must be considered in these large-scale circulation regimes. [EurekAlert!]
Security issues at dam sites -- A report has been prepared by the National Research Council to assess the security measures implemented by the US Bureau of Reclamation since 2001 to increase the security around the dams they manage across the nation. The report also made several recommendations for additional improvements. [EurekAlert!]
Ice core shows Arctic air pollution history -- Researchers from Nevada's Desert Research Institute report that their detailed chemical analysis of an ice core obtained from the Greenland ice sheet reveals that coal burning in North America and Europe during the last 200 years has spread toxic heavy metals across the Arctic, with pollution accumulation rates appearing to be higher 100 years ago than in recent decades. [NSF News]
German research vessel traverses the Northwest Passage -- The German research vessel Polarstern was traveling through the Northwest Passage for the first time on its way to the East Siberian Sea where it will make measurements of the Arctic seafloor near the junction of the Mendeleev Ridge and the East Siberian Shelf as part of the International Polar Year. [Alfred Wegener Institute]
Human-caused wind changes could result in dry, warm springtime in Southwest -- Research conducted at the University of Arizona claims that changes in the prevailing winds from the west caused by planetary warming and an "ozone hole" attributed to humans could result in hotter and drier springs across the American Southwest. [EurekAlert!]
Century-long drought have happened in eastern North America's past -- Researchers at Ohio State University, at the University of Texas at Arlington and the University of Minnesota have reconstructed a climate record from stalagmites from a cave for the last 7000 years that shows eastern North America was susceptible to extensive drought episodes that persisted for at least one century. The researchers suggest that the seven drought episodes, with a periodicity of approximately 1500 years were the result of reduced solar radiation that cooled the North Atlantic Ocean, resulting in less precipitation. [Ohio State University Research News]
Use of wastewater in urban agriculture examined -- The International Water Management Institute recently conducted a survey from 53 cities in developing countries around the world that indicates that approximately 80 percent of the responding cities used untreated or partially treated wastewater for agricultural purposes. [EurekAlert!]
Satellite images show breakup of Greenland's largest glaciers -- Researchers at the Byrd Polar Research Center at the Ohio State University who have been monitoring NASA satellite images of Greenland's glaciers on a daily basis report that the Northern Hemisphere's longest floating glacier continues to breakup during the last month. They predict that the glacier should disintegrate in the next year. [Ohio State University Research News]
Martian soil may be harsh for life -- Scientists at the University of Arizona studying the results from the Martian soil analysis conducted by NASA's Phoenix spacecraft state that the presence of perchlorate, a chemically reactive salt, in the soil would appear to make potential life less likely on the Red Planet. [US Water News Online]
Isolated national park seen from space -- A high-resolution photograph taken by an astronaut on the International Space Station shows the three islands formed from coral reefs and the surrounding waters that form Dry Tortugas National Park, located approximately 75 miles west of Key West, Florida. [NASA Earth Observatory] (Editor's Note: The trip to this fascinating National Park should be considered by any naturalist or historian. EJH)
Awards in honor of a NOAA scientist -- Peter Wellenberger, manager of the NOAA Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, was recently presented the 2008 Dr. Nancy Foster Habitat Conservation Award. NOAA’s Fisheries Service established the Dr. Nancy Foster Award in 1997 to recognize leaders in habitat conservation. During her 23-year career in NOAA, Dr. Foster, was instrumental in protecting, conserving and restoring threatened habitats for living marine resources. [NOAA News]
Nine students from across the country have been selected as national recipients of the Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarships as outstanding graduate-level scholars in the fields of marine biology, coastal resource management, and maritime archeology. [NOAA 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]
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]
Global Water News Watch -- Other water news sources can be obtained through the SAHRA Project at the University of Arizona [SAHRA Project]
Earthweek -- Diary of the Planet [earthweek.com] Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Concept of the Week: Touring the DataStreme WES website

Welcome to DataStreme Water in the Earth System (WES)! You are embarking on a unique teacher-enhancement experience that focuses on water and energy flow in the global water cycle from an Earth system perspective. Throughout this learning experience, you will be accessing the DataStreme WES website frequently to obtain and interpret a variety of environmental information, including the latest observational data. The objective of this initial Concept of the Week is to explore features of the DataStreme WES website.

On Monday of each week of the course, we will post the current Weekly Water News that includes Water in the News (a summary listing of current events related to water), Concept of the Week (an in-depth analysis of some topic related to water in the Earth system), and Historical Events (a list of past hydrologic events such as major floods). When appropriate, Supplemental Information will be provided on some topic related to the principal theme of the week.

You will use the DataStreme WES website to access and download the second part of weekly Investigations A & B (plus supporting images) that begin in your DataStreme WES Investigations Manual. These materials should be available by noon (Eastern Time) on Tuesday and Thursday. Click the appropriate buttons to download and print these electronic components of the investigations as well as your Chapter Progress and Investigations Response forms.

The body of the DataStreme WES website provides links to the Earth System, Atmospheric, Oceanic (and Inland Seas), and Terrestrial Information, and extras–glossaries of terms, maps, educational links, and WES information. Following each section is a link to other sites that examine the various subsystems of the Earth system. Let's take a quick tour to become more familiar with the WES website.

Under Atmospheric Information, click on Water vapor (WV) Satellite. This is the latest satellite depiction of atmospheric water vapor at altitudes generally between 3000 and 7000 m (10,000 to 24,000 ft). Press your "back" button and then click on Latest WV Animation to view the movement of water vapor and clouds in the atmosphere. Although water vapor is an invisible gas, satellite technology makes it possible for us to "see" and follow the flow of water vapor in the atmosphere as part of the global water cycle. Bright white blotches are clouds; black indicates areas of very little or no water vapor and, at the other extreme, milky white signals a relatively high concentration of water vapor. Use the "back" button on your viewer to return to the DataStreme WES website.

The flow and transformations of energy are fundamental aspects of the global water cycle. Heat flows within the Earth system from where it is warmer to where it is colder. In this regard, it is useful to monitor temperatures remotely, by satellite. For a global view of the satellite-derived pattern of sea-surface temperatures, click on Sea Surface Temperatures under Oceanic (and Inland Seas) Information. Note that the color scale at the bottom is in degrees Celsius and temperatures are averaged over a 7-day period. (Depending on your browser, you may have to place your mouse cursor on the slide bar to the right and scroll down to view the entire image.) Return to the DataStreme WES website.

As part of the global water cycle, precipitation that reaches the ground vaporizes back into the atmosphere, runs off into rivers and streams, seeps into the ground, or is stored in lakes or glaciers. Under Terrestrial Information, click on River Flood Conditions for the recent status of river levels monitored at various gauging stations around the nation. Note that in the Map Legend, river stages are rated from "no flooding" to "major flooding" using a color code. Now return to the DataStreme WES website.

Extras include color photographs arranged by week (chapter) to supplement your study of the DataStreme WES textbook. For example, click on Chapter 1 and then click on the first thumbnail for an enlarged image with the caption, "Water in Three Phases."

Take a few minutes when you have time to browse the other data and information sources available via the DataStreme WES website. You may want to "bookmark" this page on your computer. Return frequently to get into the flow of DataStreme WES!

Concept of the Week: Questions

The latest WV Animation indicates that clouds and water vapor generally move from [(west to east)(east to west)] across the nation.
In the tropical Pacific, the highest sea-surface temperatures occur in the [(western)(eastern)] portion of the ocean basin.

Historical Events

25 August 1885...A severe hurricane struck South Carolina causing $1.3 million damage at Charleston. (David Ludlum)
25 August 1927...The August Gale, a hurricane, raged across the East Coast, crossing the Cabot Strait between Nova Scotia and Newfoundland during the early morning hours. Hundreds of small boats in Newfoundland ports were among the storm's victims. (The Weather Doctor)
25 August -7 September 1979...Hurricane David crossed the island of Dominica on the 29^th, with winds to 145 mph. Roseau, the capital, was devastated. Fifty-six people were killed on Dominica and 60,000 of the island's 80,000 residents were made homeless. About three-quarters of the coconut and banana crop were destroyed. The central pressure in David fell to 924 mb (27.28 in.) on the 30^th as it moved south of Puerto Rico. At that time, highest sustained winds reached 173 mph. On the 31^st, winds of 150 mph from Hurricane David brought over $1 billion in damage to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, killing over 1200. (The Weather Doctor) (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
25 August 1987...Morning thunderstorms produced heavy rain in eastern Nebraska and southwestern Iowa. Stanton, IA reported 10.50 inches of rain. Water was reported up to the handle of automobiles west of Greenwood, NE. Rainfall totals for a two-day period ranged from 7 to 14 inches across southwestern Iowa. Crop damage was in the millions for both states. Subsequent flooding of streams in Iowa the last week of August caused millions of dollars damage to crops, as some streams crested ten feet above flood stage. A new record for monthly rainfall was set at Chicago when a storm brought the total to 15.73 inches erasing the previous record for any month which had been 14.17 inches in September, 1961 (Storm Data) (Intellicast)
25 August 1989...Morning thunderstorms drenched Spencer, IN with 4.10 inches of rain in three hours causing extensive street flooding. Evening thunderstorms in eastern Kansas produced up to six inches of rain around Emporia, and four inches of rain in just forty-five minutes near Parsons, and also produced wind gusts to 70 mph at Lake Melvern. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
26 August 1883...Krakatoa Volcano exploded in the East Indies. The explosion was heard more than 2500 miles away, and every barograph around the world recorded the passage of the air wave, up to seven times. Giant waves, 125 feet high and traveling 300 mph, devastated everything in their path, hurling ashore coral blocks weighing up to 900 tons, and killing more than 36,000 persons. Volcanic ash was carried around the globe in thirteen days producing blue and green suns in the tropics, and then vivid red sunsets in higher latitudes. The temperature of the earth was lowered one degree for the next two years, finally recovering to normal by 1888. (David Ludlum)
26 August 1949...A hurricane made landfall at Delray Beach, FL. Winds reached 153 mph at the Jupiter Lighthouse before the anemometer failed. The hurricane caused 45 million dollars damage to crops, and caught the Georgia and South Carolina coast resulting in another two million dollars damage. (David Ludlum)
26 August 1992...Hurricane Andrew made its second landfall along the Louisiana coast near Burns Point, as a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale. Morgan City recorded wind gusts of 108 mph. Hammond was deluged with nearly a foot of rain. Total additional damage was estimated at $ 1.8 billion. Andrew, which had made its initial US landfall in South Florida on the 24^th, was the most costly natural disaster in US history, with total damage reaching up to $30 billion. Additionally, record hurricane evacuation of 2.4 million people took place in Florida and Louisiana. (Intellicast) (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
27 August 1881...As many as 335 people were lost in the Georgia Hurricane, especially severe at Savannah and Charleston, SC. (Intellicast)
27 August 1893...The first of three great hurricanes that year struck South Carolina drowning more than 1000 persons in a tidal surge at Charleston. Landfall was just south of Savannah, GA where sustained winds hit 120 mph. (David Ludlum)
27 August 1964...Hurricane Cleo battered Miami and the South Florida area, marking the first direct hit for Miami in fourteen years. Sustained winds of 100 mph gusted to 135 mph, and the hurricane caused $125 million in damage. (David Ludlum)
27 August 1970...Elko, NV was deluged with 3.66 inches of rain in just one hour, establishing a state record. (The Weather Channel)
27 August 1973...The largest documented Canadian hailstone fell at Cedoux, Saskatchewan. The stone weighed 0.55 pounds and measured 4.5 inches across. (The Weather Doctor)
27 August 1995...Remains of Tropical Storm Jerry unloaded 12.32 inches of rain in 24 hours in Greer, SC, a record for 24 hours, for a rain event and for August. At Antreville, 17.00 inches fell in 24 hours, setting a 24-hour rainfall record for the Palmetto State. (Intellicast)
28-30 August 1839...A hurricane moved from Cape Hatteras, NC to offshore New England. An unusual feature of the hurricane was the snow it helped produce, which whitened the Catskill Mountains of New York State. Considerable snow was also reported at Salem, NY. (The Weather Channel)
28 August 1898...Torrents of rain accompanied by a furious wind upset the rain gage at Fort Mohave, AZ. However, water in a wash tub set out on the mesa, clear of everything, measured eight inches after the 45-minute storm. (The Weather Channel)
28 August 1911...Saint George, GA was deluged with 18.00 inches of rain in 24 hours to establish a state record that was subsequently broken by the current record of 21.10 inches in July 1994. (The Weather Channel)
28 August 1966...As much as 3.78 in of rain fell in one hour at Porcupine Mountain, Manitoba. (The Weather Doctor)
28 August 1971...Heavy rains from Tropical Storm Doria caused devastating floods in central and northeast New Jersey resulting in $138 million in damage. Newark set an all-time 24-hour record of 7.84 inches. The Princeton area had 11 inches in 36 hours. In southeastern Pennsylvania, high winds downed trees and power lines, and in New York City, heavy rains flooded streets and subways. Doria made landfall on western Long Island with wind gusts of 75 mph in southern New England. (David Ludlum) (Intellicast)
28 August 1988...Tropical Storm Chris spawned a tornado near Manning, SC, which killed one person, and spawned three tornadoes in North Carolina. Chris produced one to two foot tides, and three to six inch rains, over coastal South Carolina. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
29 August 1583...The Delight was wrecked on Sable Island, Nova Scotia during a heavy gale, blinding rain and thick fog. This was Canada's first recorded marine disaster, taking 85 lives. (The Weather Doctor)
29 August 1979…Winds associated with Hurricane David reached 145 mph as the hurricane crossed the island of Dominica. The capital city, Roseau, was devastated, with 56 fatalities and 60,000 out of a population of 80,000 left homeless. About three-quarters of the coconut and banana crops were destroyed. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
29 August 1988...The remnants of Tropical Storm Chris drenched eastern Pennsylvania with up to five and a half inches of rain, and produced high winds that gusted to 90 mph, severely damaging a hundred boats in Anne Arundel County, MD. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
29 August 2005…Hurricane Katrina, the costliest and one of the five deadliest hurricanes in US history, made landfall along the Louisiana Gulf Coast southeast of New Orleans as a category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson Scale after reaching category 5 status. Massive destruction was reported in coastal Mississippi and in New Orleans. As many as 1833 people reportedly died from Katrina in the US. (National Hurricane Center)
30 August 1942…A hurricane weakened in moving 160 miles across south Texas from landfall at Matagorda to San Antonio, winds still gusting from 50 to 70 mph at San Antonio for more than five hours. Seventy of 75 planes were damaged at the city airport. Many trees were destroyed, but the famed Alamo's walls withstood the storm. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
30 August 1982...A tropical depression brought torrential rains to portions of southern Texas. Up to twelve inches fell south of Houston, and as much as eighteen inches fell southeast of Austin. The tropical depression spawned fourteen tornadoes in three days. (David Ludlum)
31 August 1885...A record 71-day dry period began at Calgary, Alberta. (The Weather Doctor)
31 August 1889...Los Angeles, CA set two rainfall records as 0.61 inches fell, the 24-hour and monthly records for August. (Intellicast)
31 August 1954...Hurricane Carol, the first of three hurricanes to affect New England that year, slammed into eastern New England. Wind gusts exceeded 120 mph on the south coast. Block Island, RI reported a gust to 130 mph. Boston, MA reported sustained winds of 86 mph with a gust to 100 mph. Tides were 10-15 feet above normal. Providence, RI was inundated by a near record high tide. Sixty lives were lost and damages totaled 450 million dollars. The severity of this storm was only topped by the 1938 Hurricane. (Intellicast) (David Ludlum)
31 August - 2 September 1967...Storm surge and winds from Hurricane Katrina partially destroyed San Felipe, Mexico leaving 2500 people homeless and sinking 60 vessels. (The Weather Doctor)
31 August 1993...Hurricane Emily lashed the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The Hatteras NWS Office recorded a gust of 98 mph and was deluged with 7.51 inches of rain. Sound water levels rose to 10.5 feet above normal north of Buxton and 8.5 feet above normal in the villages of Frisco and Hatteras. Diamond Shoals coastal marine buoy recorded sustained winds of 103 mph with gusts to 148 mph after the eye passed. (Intellicast)
August 1813...Hurricane devastated Martinique, causing more than 3000 deaths. (The Weather Doctor)