Weekly Ocean News

2-6 September 2019

Items of Interest:

September is National Preparedness Month -- The month of September has been declared National Preparedness Month (NPM), which is aims to educate and empower Americans to prepare for and respond to all types of emergencies, including natural disasters. NPM is managed and sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Administration's (FEMA) Ready Campaign in conjunction with the Ad Council, A toolkit of marketing materials is provided to help promote the month and represents the lead on this campaign that was originally launched in 2004. The overarching theme for 2019 NPM is "Prepared, Not Scared" with an emphasis on preparedness for youth, older adults, and people with disabilities and others with access and functional needs. Week 1 of the 2019 NPM runs this week (1-7 September) with the theme of "Save Early for Disaster Costs." [FEMA's Ready.gov]
Teachers: Get real-time atmospheric, climate and ocean sciences data for your classroom -- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is encouraging K-12 educators to explore NOAA Education websites to see what resources are available to for use in their classrooms. For example, NOAA's Data in the Classroom Program is providing K-12 educators with great real-time data for students to better understand atmospheric, climate and ocean sciences. The real-time earth science data can be used to explore current environmental issues, as well as to help students develop problem-solving skills employed by scientists. Links to curricula materials are available. [NOAA Education News] See also #BacktoSchoolNOAA.
Of Historic Interest -- Florida hit by four hurricanes in six weeks in 2004 -- During the 2004 hurricane season, four of the nine hurricanes that formed over the North Atlantic Ocean battered the state of Florida starting in mid-August and running through late September. These four hurricanes that made landfall on the coasts of the Sunshine State were Charley (a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale), Frances (category 2), Ivan (category 3), and Jeanne (category 3); the names of all four of these hurricanes were retired by the World Meteorological Organization because their intensity was so deadly or costly that any future use of its name on a different storm would be deemed inappropriate. [NOAA News]

Ocean in the News:

Eye on the tropics -- -- The weather across the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean basins of the Northern Hemisphere was active last week with several named tropical cyclones (low pressure systems that form over tropical ocean waters, with near surface maximum sustained winds that intensify to tropical storm or hurricane force status):
- In the North Atlantic basin (that includes the open North Atlantic, along with the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico) --
  - Tropical Storm Dorian was traveling to the west toward the Leeward Islands early last Monday morning. At that time, Tropical Storm Dorian was located approximately 270 miles to the east-southeast of Barbados. By early Tuesday morning, Tropical Dorian was passing across the Windward Islands, moving in a direction toward the west-northwest. Curving toward the northwest, Dorian strengthened to become the second Atlantic hurricane of 2019 on Wednesday afternoon as it was passing across St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Maximum sustained surface winds had reached 75 mph, essentially at the threshold for a hurricane status. Passing to the north of Puerto Rico, Dorian continued to strengthen as it headed for the Bahamas. By late Thursday, Dorian had strengthened to a category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale as sustained winds reached 105 mph, then to a major category 3 hurricane on Friday afternoon as winds reached 115 mph. The central eye of Dorian was located approximately 445 miles to the east of the northwestern Bahamas at that time. By Friday evening, Hurricane Dorian had strengthened to a category 4 hurricane as it had 130-mph sustained surface winds as it continued its track toward the west-northwest. On Saturday, Hurricane Dorian continued to approach the northwestern Bahamas along with some strengthening. On Sunday morning Dorian had strengthened to a category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained surface winds reaching 160 mph as it was approaching the Abaco Islands in the northern Bahamas. Several hours later, NOAA and Air Force reconnaissance planes reported maximum sustained surface winds reaching 185 mph and a minimum central pressure was determined to be 913 millibars (26.96 inches of mercury). According to the National Hurricane Center, these reports indicate that Dorian had become the strongest hurricane in modern records for the northwestern Bahamas. The eye of Dorian crossed over Great Abaco Island on Sunday afternoon, accompanied by sustained winds of 185 mph, with gusts to over 220 mph. The storm surge was from 18 to 23 feet above normal tide levels with higher destructive waves. By late Sunday night, Dorian was slowly heading toward the west, with little change in intensity. At that time, the central eye of Hurricane Dorian was making landfall on the eastern end of Grand Bahama Island. The maximum sustained surface winds had dropped to 180 mph and the minimum central pressure was 914 mb (26.99 inches of mercury). Dorian was forecast to begin a slow turn toward the west-northwest and then toward the northwest by Tuesday, coming dangerously close to the coast of Florida's East Coast. A slow weakening was anticipated over the early part of this week. Hurricane conditions are expected within the hurricane warning area in Florida running from Jupiter Inlet to the Volusia/Brevard County Line by late Monday or Tuesday. The NASA Hurricane Blog has additional information and satellite information on Hurricane Dorian. A variety of images of Hurricane Dorian have been made by various instruments on several NASA satellites. [NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory News]
  - While most of the attention was focused on what became Hurricane Dorian, the sixth Atlantic tropical depression of 2019 formed Monday afternoon approximately half-way between Bermuda and the North Carolina coast. After wandering toward the east over the next 24 hours, this tropical depression strengthened to become Tropical Storm Erin, the fifth named tropical cyclone of the year late Tuesday night when maximum sustained surface winds were determined to have reached 40 mph. At that time, Erin was centered 300 miles to the southeast of Cape Hatteras, NC or 430 miles west of Bermuda. During the early morning hours of Wednesday, Tropical Storm Erin traveled toward the north-northwest. However, by late Wednesday morning, Erin weakened to tropical depression after less than 12 hours as a tropical storm. As a tropical depression, Erin turned and traveled generally toward the north or north-northeast on Wednesday afternoon and evening. Erin lost its tropical characteristics and became an extratropical (midlatitude) low pressure system early Thursday morning as the center of this system was located approximately 225 miles to the east-northeast of Cape Hatteras. Consult the NASA Hurricane Blog for satellite images and additional information on Tropical Storm Erin.
- In the eastern North Pacific basin (located off the western North American continent and extending westward to the 140-degrease West meridian) --
  Tropical Storm Juliette, the tenth named tropical cyclone of 2019 in that basin, formed during the predawn hours of Sunday morning over the waters approximately 455 miles to the south-southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico. At that time, this tropical storm was heading toward the northwest. During the course of the day, Juliette strengthened rapidly. As of Sunday evening, maximum sustained surface winds surrounding Juliette had increased to 60 mph as the system was located approximately 485 miles to the west-southwest of Manzanillo. Tropical Storm Juliette was forecast to travel toward the west-northwest and continue strengthening to become a hurricane on Monday.
- In the western North Pacific basin (extending from the International Dateline westward to the Asian continent) --
  - The thirteenth tropical depression of 2019 in the western Pacific formed at the start of last week near Ifalik, a coral atoll in the Caroline Islands. Traveling toward the west-northwest across the Philippine Sea, this tropical depression, called TD-13W, strengthened to become Tropical Storm Podul by midweek. Podul made landfall on the eastern coast of Luzon Island in the Philippines. Traveling across Luzon Island, Podul then emerged over the South China Sea, where it continued toward the coast of Vietnam. After intensifying slightly, Podul made landfall along the central Vietnam coast near Da Nang early Friday. Additional information and satellite images for Podul can be found on the NASA Hurricane Blog.
  - Tropical Depression 14W formed near the International Dateline at the end of last week. TD14W traveled westward over this past weekend. As of Monday, TD14-W had begun curving toward the west-northwest as it was located approximately 250 miles to the south-southeast of Wake Island. During this week, TD14-W was forecast to intensify, becoming a tropical storm and possibly a typhoon as it heads toward the Japanese island of Iwo To (formerly known as Iwo Jima).
  - Another tropical depression developed over this past weekend east of Mindanao, an island in the southern Philippines. Identified as Tropical Depression 15-W, this system headed toward the north-northwest across the Philippine Sea. As of Monday (local time), TD-15W was located approximately 325 miles to the east of Manila, Philippines. TD-15W was forecast to continue its travels to the north-northwest into Tuesday before making a slow curve toward the north and north-northeast, passing to the east of Taiwan by Thursday. During that time, this system should intensify to become Tropical Storm Lingling.
Storm-tide sensors deployed along Florida and Georgia coasts ahead of Hurricane Dorian -- As of this past Saturday, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) had deployed at least 175 storm-tide sensors along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts in Florida and Georgia to track the effects of Hurricane Dorian as it approaches the coast. Many of the sensors are designed to measure the height and duration of the storm-tide as Dorian approaches shore, makes landfall, and departs. Other instruments will monitor water levels on inland water bodies, with some reporting water level data in near real-time. [USGS News]
New "hurricane hunter" and environmental data-gathering aircraft are ordered -- Early last week NOAA awarded to two U.S. aircraft manufacturers for purchase of one jet and one turboprop aircraft that would join the NOAA fleet to collect environmental data for forecasting purposes. A new modified Gulfstream G550 jet aircraft will be built by Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation in Savannah, GA and be delivered to NOAA in late 2022. This aircraft will be used to monitor tropical cyclones, primarily hurricanes over the western North Atlantic. A new twin-engine Beechcraft King Air 350 CER turboprop aircraft is being built by Textron Aviation, Inc. in Wichita, KS that will be delivered in late spring 2021 to be used to measure the water content of snow and soil as well as for coastal mapping and surveys of storm-related damage. [NOAA NCEI News]
Anniversary of expansion of a marine national monument in Hawaii is celebrated -- Last Monday marked the third anniversary of the expansion of Hawaii's Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument by order of President Barack Obama. This national monument, which protects 582,578 square miles of the Pacific Ocean, is the largest contiguous protected area in the United States and one of the largest marine protected areas on Earth. Additionally, the monument, which had been originally established ten years earlier by President George W. Bush, is recognized globally as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. [National Marine Sanctuary Foundation Blog]
Investigating sea level rise during Pliocene Epoch when carbon dioxide levels were as high as now -- Scientists from the University of South Florida, University of New Mexico, Spain's Universitat de les Illes Balears and Columbia University have discovered evidence that sea level during the Pliocene Epoch (4.4 to 3.3 million years ago) was as much as 16 meters higher than the present day. At that time, the Earth was two to three Celsius degrees higher than during the pre-industrial era, as atmospheric carbon dioxide levels were as high as at present. The research team based their discovery upon analysis of geological formations in Artà Cave, a coastal cave on the island of Mallorca in the western Mediterranean Sea. The cave deposits are bulbous stalactitic feature of a phreatic overgrowth on speleothems that form in coastal caves at the interface between brackish water and cave air each time the ancient caves were flooded by rising sea levels. The researchers plan to use their results to tune ice sheet models that would then be used to predict future ice sheet response to current global warming. [University of New Mexico Newsroom]
Major mass extinction caused by oxygen depletion in ancient Silurian oceans -- Researchers at Florida State University claim that rapid and widespread depletion of oxygen in the global oceans during the Silurian Period (approximately 420 million years ago) was responsible for the devastating mass extinction event that annihilated 23 percent of all marine animals from the Earth's ancient oceans. This mass extinction, also known as the Lau/Kozlowskii extinction, was one of the ten most dramatic ever recorded in Earth's history. The researchers used advanced geochemical methods including thallium isotope, manganese concentration, and sulfur isotope measurements from sites in Latvia and Sweden to reconstruct a timeline of ocean deoxygenation with relation to the Lau/Kozlowskii extinction and subsequent changes to the global carbon cycle. [Florida State University News]
Collection of nighttime lights observations from satellites will change hands -- NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) announced that it will be terminating its collection of nighttime lights observations from satellites this autumn and that the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines will continue to make these products publicly available. Until now, the nighttime satellite observations of lights and combustion sources, such as global gas flaring, worldwide began with the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) data and in 1994 the NCEI's Earth Observation Group (EOG) began producing a time series of annual cloud-free composites of nighttime lights. EOG's current focus is on deriving products from nighttime Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) data. [NOAA NCEI 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

Concept of the Week: Touring the DataStreme Ocean Website

NOTE: This Concept for the Week is a repeat of that which appeared in last week's Weekly Ocean News.

You are embarking on a study of the world ocean and the role of the ocean in the Earth system. This unique teacher enhancement course focuses on the flow and transformations of energy and water into and out of the ocean, the internal properties and circulation of the ocean, interactions between the ocean and the other components of the Earth system, and the human/societal impacts on and responses to those interactions. Throughout this learning experience, you will be using the RealTime Ocean Portal to access and interpret a variety of environmental information, including recent observational data. The objective of this initial Concept of the Week is to explore features of the RealTime Ocean Portal website.

On Monday of each week of the course, we will post the current Weekly Ocean News that includes Ocean in the News (a summary listing of recent events related to the ocean), Concept of the Week (an in-depth analysis of some topic related to the ocean in the Earth system), and Historical Events (a list of past events such as tsunamis or specific advances in the understanding of oceanography). When appropriate, a feature called Supplemental Information-In Greater Depth will be provided on some topic related to the principal theme of the week.

You will use the RealTime Ocean Portal to access and download the weekly "Current Ocean Studies" that complement Investigations found in your Ocean Studies Investigations Manual. These materials should be available Monday morning. Click the appropriate links to download and print these electronic Current Ocean Studies and answer forms as well as your Chapter Progress and Investigations Response forms.

The body of the RealTime Ocean Portal provides links to the Earth System, information on Physical & Chemical, Geological, and Biological aspects of the ocean, Atmosphere/Ocean Interaction, the Great Lakes, and extras-a glossary of terms, maps and educational links. 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 RealTime Ocean Portal.

Under Physical & Chemical, click on Sea Surface Temperatures. This image uses a color scale to depict the global pattern of sea surface temperatures (SSTs) (in degrees Celsius) averaged over a recent 7-day period and based on measurements by infrared sensors onboard Earth-orbiting satellites. (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.) Compare SSTs in the Northern Hemisphere with those in the Southern Hemisphere. Return to the RealTime Ocean Portal.

Under Geological, click on Current Earthquake Activity. The USGS Current World Seismicity page provides a global map of the locations of seismic (earthquake) events color-coded for the past seven days. The size of the squares represents the magnitude of recent earthquakes. Note how earthquakes are concentrated along the margin of the Pacific Ocean. Details of recent earthquakes can be found by clicking on their map squares. Return to the RealTime Ocean Portal.

The ocean is home to a wide variety of habitats and organisms. Under Biological, click on Ocean "Color" (Productivity).
http://oceancolor.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi/browse.pl
This is a satellite-derived (SeaWiFS) color-coded map of biological productivity in the surface waters of the world ocean is averaged from October 1978 to date. Orange and red indicates the highest productivity, while dark blue and violet indicate the lowest productivity. Note the vast areas of relatively low productivity over the central regions of the subtropical ocean basins. Individual months within this period may be chosen for viewing. Now return to the RealTime Ocean Portal.

Take a few minutes when you have time to browse the other data and information sources available via the RealTime Ocean Portal. Return frequently to learn more about the many resources on the ocean in the Earth system. Bon voyage!

Historical Events

2 September 1752...The British Empire adopted the Gregorian Calendar, nearly two centuries later than most of western Europe (primarily 1582). To correct the imprecise leap year correction in the Julian Calendar, 11 days were dropped making the following day 14 September. (Wikipedia) (Today in Science History)
2 September 1775...The 1775 Newfoundland hurricane, also known as the "Independence Hurricane", was a hurricane that hit the Colony of Newfoundland in September 1775. It is believed to have killed at least 4,000 people, making it one of the deadliest Atlantic hurricanes of all time. The death toll in Virginia and North Carolina was 163 lives. (National Weather Service files)
2 September 1935...The 1935 Labor Day Hurricane, one of the most intense hurricanes to ever hit the U.S., struck the Florida Keys, packing 200-mph winds and killing between 408 to 600 people. The hurricane produced a 15-foot tide and storm surge waves 30 feet high. The barometric pressure at Matecumbe Bay, FL hit a United States record low of 26.35 inches of mercury (892.4 mb). (National Weather Service files)
3 September 1821...A hurricane made landfall at Long Island, near the current J.F. Kennedy Airport and then moved through western Connecticut. The hurricane produced a record high tide at New York City. (David Ludlum)
3 September 1930...A Category 4 hurricane (on the Saffir-Simpson Scale) devastated Dominican Republic on this day. This hurricane killed more than 8,000 individuals, which is it the fifth deadliest Atlantic hurricane on record. (National Weather Service files)
4 September 1954...Icebreakers, USS Burton Island (AGB-1) and USCG Northwind, completed first transit of the Northwest Passage through McClure Strait. (Naval Historical Center)
4-6 September 1970...Moisture from Pacific Tropical Storm Norma led to heavy rain and severe flooding over a three-day span. Unprecedented rains caused rivers in central Arizona to rise five to ten feet per hour, sweeping cars and buildings as far as 30 to 40 mi downstream, leading to the greatest natural disaster of record for Arizona. Flooding claimed the lives of 23 persons, mainly campers, and caused millions of dollars in property damage. Water crested 36 feet above normal near Sunflower. Workman's Creek was deluged with 11.40 inches of rain in 24 hours to establish a 24-hour precipitation record for the Grand Canyon State. An estimated six inches of rain fell at Bug Point, UT, setting a 24-hour precipitation record for the Beehive State. (The Weather Channel) (NCDC)
4 September 2004...Former Category 4 Hurricane Frances made landfall in Florida as a Category 2. Over a foot of rain soaked parts of the Sunshine State. (National Weather Service files)
4 September 2007...Hurricane Felix came ashore in the pre-dawn hours as a Category 5 storm on the Miskito Coast in Nicaragua. At the time of its landfall, the maximum sustained surface winds were approximately 160 mph. Felix killed at least 130 people along the Miskito Coast, with damage in Nicaragua totaling $46.7 million dollars. (National Weather Service files)
5 September 1987...A tropical storm, which formed off the South Atlantic coast, was responsible for torrential rains over coastal regions of South Carolina. Between 30 August and 8 September, Charleston, SC received 18.44 in. of rain. The heavy rains caused extensive flooding around the city of Charleston, seriously damaged cotton crops in the eastern part of the state, and resulted in an unusually high number of mosquitoes. (Storm Data)
5 September 1946...The U.S. Air-Rescue Agency, an inter-departmental group headed by the Commandant of the Coast Guard and engaged on the study of improved and standardized rescue and search methods, was renamed the Search and Rescue Agency. "Search and Rescue Units" of the Coast Guard were at the same time integrated into the peace time organization and the whole developed into a system of constantly alerted communications, coastal lookout, and patrols of institute instant and systematic search and rescue procedure in case of disasters." (USCG Historian's Office)
5 September 1950...Hurricane Easy produced the greatest 24-hour rainfall in U.S. weather records up to that time. The hurricane deluged Yankeetown, on the upper west coast of Florida, with 38.70 in. of rain. This record has since been replaced by 43 in. of rain at Alvin, TX on 25-26 July 1979. (David Ludlum)
6 September 1522...The Magellan expedition completed its historical circumnavigation of the globe as one of Ferdinand Magellan's five ships, the Vittoria, arrived at Sanlýcar de Barrameda in Spain with 17 other crew members and four Indians. Magellan, who lost his life in April 1521 in the Philippines, set sail from Spain with 270 seamen on 20 September 1519 in an effort to find a western sea route to the rich Spice Islands of Indonesia. (The History Channel)
6 September 1667...The "dreadful hurricane of 1667" is considered one of the most severe hurricanes to ever strike Virginia. On the first, this same storm was reported in the Lesser Antilles. The hurricane devastated St. Christopher as no other storm had done before. The "great storm" went on to strike the northern Outer Banks of North Carolina and southeastern Virginia. Approximately 10,000 houses were blown over. Area crops (including corn and tobacco) were beaten into the ground. (National Weather Service files)
6 September 1972...The first tropical cyclone landfall in California since 1939 was Tropical Depression Hyacinth on this date, just north of San Diego. (National Weather Service files)
6 September 1996...Hurricane Fran, a Category 3 hurricane, made a direct hit on North Carolina with 115-mph winds. Six people died and up to 16 inches of rain fell. The storm caused $2.4 billion damage in North Carolina just two months after the state had been hit by Category 3 Hurricane Bertha. (National Weather Service files)
7 September 1934...US Coast Guard (USCG) vessels responded to a fire aboard the liner Morro Castle six miles off the New Jersey coast. This disaster, which resulted in the loss of 133 of the 455 passengers and crew, led to a Senate investigation and subsequent changes in maritime safety regulations. (USCG Historian's Office)
8 September 1900...The greatest weather disaster in U.S. records occurred when a hurricane, estimated to have been a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale, struck Galveston, TX. Waves fifteen feet high washed over the island demolishing or carrying away buildings, and drowning more than 6000 persons. The hurricane destroyed more than 3600 houses, and total damage was more than $30 million. Winds to 120 mph, and a twenty-foot storm surge accompanied the hurricane. Following the storm, the surf was three hundred feet inland from the former water line. The hurricane claimed another 1200 lives outside of the Galveston area. (8^th-9^th) (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel)
Editor's note: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) posted a webpage commemorating the Galveston, TX hurricane of 1900. This page contains links to historic photos and excerpts of an eyewitness description of storm by Isaac Cline, the chief forecaster of the Galveston U.S. Weather Bureau Office at the time. EJH