WEEKLY OCEAN NEWS

2-6 July 2018

Items of Interest:

The half-way point -- Midpoint of calendar year 2018 will occur at noon, local standard time, on Monday, 2 July 2018.
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]
Celebration of 30th anniversary of IPCC kicks off -- During the past week the Swiss government hosted a ceremony at the headquarters of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in Geneva, Switzerland to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a scientific and intergovernmental body under the auspices of the United Nations. As part of the celebration that was held during last week's Seventieth Session of the WMO Executive Council meeting, calls were made to accelerate implementation of the Paris Agreement and to leverage climate change solutions to address other threats and priorities for the sustainable development goals. [World Meteorological Organization News]
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]

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]
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:

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)