DataStreme ECS WEEK TWELVE: 18-22 April 2011

ITEMS OF INTEREST

• Celebrate Earth Day --
  This Friday (22 April 2011) is the 41st Earth Day, first proposed by the late Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin in 1970 as a teach-in to heighten awareness of the environment. The Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has posted a website called "Gaylord Nelson and Earth Day: The Making of the Modern Environmental Movement" that highlights Senator Nelson and his idea became Earth Day. A government website provides links to various activities and resources planned for this week.
• New York science center lauded by NOAA administrator --
Last Friday, NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco spotlighted NOAA's Cooperative Remote Sensing Science and Technology Center (CREST) at the City College of New York for its efforts to prepare high school and community college students for careers in science, technology, engineering, and math. CREST, which includes eleven post-secondary institutions in a five-state area and in Puerto Rico, is one of five cooperative science centers established by NOAA through the Educational Partnership Program (EPP) with minority serving institutions. [NOAA News]
• Effects of last year's drought on Amazon forest seen from space --
An image depicting the health of vegetation as depicted by a "vegetation anomaly" index obtained from data collected by the MODIS sensor on NASA's Terra satellite shows the effects of the 2010 drought across South America's Amazon rainforests. [NASA Earth Observatory]
• Using a satellite to track airborne African dust --
A series of six images obtained from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on NASA's Aura satellite shows the spread of dust from a Saharan sand storm northward across the North Atlantic and western Europe to the Scandinavian Peninsula earlier this month. [NASA Earth Observatory]
• Large wildfires in northern Mexico seen from space --
A true color image along with an image in both visible and infrared light obtained from the Landsat-5 satellite in early April shows smoke plumes emanating from two large wildfires in northern Mexico's Coahuila state. [NASA Earth Observatory]
• Watching the seasons -- phenology observations and climate change --
Learn about phenology and the phenological network designed to study the effects of climate change on the seasonal growth of plants and the migration of animals in this week's Supplemental Information…In Greater Depth.

CURRENT CLIMATE STATUS

• Global temperatures for March 2010 reviewed --
  Using preliminary data collected from the global network of surface weather stations, scientists at NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center report that the combined global land and ocean surface temperature for March 2010 was the 13th highest for any March since global climate records began in 1880. They also reported that when considered separately, the average ocean and land temperatures were the 12th highest for March. La Niña conditions continued to contribute to the below average ocean temperatures across the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean in March.
  The researchers also noted the Arctic sea ice reached its annual maximum extent at the end of the first week of March, but the areal extent tied 2006 for the smallest annual maximum extent since satellite surveillance began in 1979. [NOAA News]
• The 2010 hurricane season reviewed --
The 2010 hurricane season in both the North Atlantic and North Pacific is reviewed and compared to the more than 150 years of record keeping in the North Atlantic and the 40 years in the eastern North Pacific. [AMS DataStreme Atmosphere]
• Will 2010 be remembered as the "year of the flood"? --
Last Friday, representatives from the US Geological Survey (USGS), NOAA and the private sector briefed the US Congress, the median and the public on national flood forecasts for 2011. Based on current streamflow data from the USGS stream gauge network and forecasts from NOAA's National Weather Service, 2011 appears likely to be a particularly bad year for flooding. [USGS Newsroom]

CURRENT CLIMATE MONITORING

• Users of Landsat data are polled --
  The US Department of Interior's US Geological Survey (USGS) recently released a report on a survey that the agency conducted of users of Landsat satellite imagery to identify the types of users and the value that these users derive from the information. Landsat satellites are operated by USGS. The results from this survey, appearing in "The Users, Uses, and Value of Landsat and Other Moderate-Resolution Satellite Imagery in the United States-Executive Report," indicates a broad range of customers, including urban planners, academics, foresters and agricultural managers, use the Landsat data for a variety of reasons that involve from agriculture, environmental management, education and disaster response. [USGS Newsroom]
• 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, fire weather, marine weather, severe weather, drought and floods. [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]

CLIMATE FORCING

• Ocean "front" appears as an energetic contributor to mixing --
  University of Washington and Stanford University researchers using three-dimensional surveys along an ocean "front", or a boundary between dissimilar water masses, report that turbulence forming along these fronts represents a potentially substantial source of energy for mixing of carbon dioxide downward into the ocean. Such information appears to be of import for inclusion in climate models. [University of Washington]
• Warmer surface waters in tropical Pacific could trigger West Antarctic warming --
Researchers at the University of Washington suggest that the rapid warming of the Antarctic Peninsula and West Antarctica during the last half century may have been the result of rising sea surface temperatures of the equatorial Pacific Ocean near the International Date Line. They claim that the warm equatorial waters drive an atmospheric circulation that has caused some of the largest shifts in Antarctic climate in recent decades. [University of Washington]
• Effect of black carbon upon climate change appears altitude-dependent --
Researchers at the Carnegie Institution for Science claim that how black carbon aerosols affect the climate depends on the altitude where these human-generated aerosols collect. They found that as the altitude of black carbon increased, surface warming is decreased, with black carbon inserted into the stratosphere causing a cooling of the underlying land and oceans. [Carnegie Institution for Science]
• Tectonic plate movement and earthquakes affected by climate change --
A team of Australian, French and German researchers report that they have found the strengthening of the Indian monsoon contributed to an accelerated movement of the Indian tectonic plate over the past 10 million years. Traditionally, tectonic plate movement is viewed as one of the factors responsible for climate change. [The Raw Story] [Editor's note: Special thanks goes to Terri Kirby Hathaway, LIT Leader and Marine Education Specialist for the North Carolina Sea Grant Program in Manteo, NC, for forwarding this article. EJH]

CLIMATE IMPACTS ON THE BIOSPHERE

• Without drought, nation's estimated carbon sequestration could increase --
  Using satellite and surface observational data from the AmeriFlux network, researchers from 35 research institutions conclude that terrestrial ecosystems across the US including forests can sequester as much as 40 percent of the nation's carbon emissions from fossil fuel consumption, provided no major drought occurs. This estimate is larger than previous estimates. [Oregon State University]
• Diseases from air pollution arise from widespread inflammation --
Researchers at Ohio State University and their colleagues at other institutions report that the chronic inhalation of fine particulate matter in polluted air appears to activate a protein that triggers the release of white blood cells into the bloodstream. This release would lead to widespread inflammation and ultimately cardiovascular problems and other diseases. [Ohio State University Research]

CLIMATE AND SOCIETY

• Size of carbon footprints depend on location and lifestyle --
  In a nationwide study conducted at the University of California, Berkley, researchers have found that where the size of a household's carbon footprint depends upon the household size, where it resides and the lifestyle of its members. These carbon footprints represent a measure of the greenhouse gases released during the production, use and disposal of products and services. An online "carbon calculator" is available that can help people seeking on how to live more climate-friendly lifestyles. [University of California, Berkley News Center]
• Website for human dimensions of climate change --
An interagency effort within the US federal government that included NOAA, the Bureau of Land Management and the US Forest Service, has resulted in a website called HD.gov (for HumanDimensions.gov) that provides users, such as natural resource managers, with information on the human dimensions on a variety of topics of interest such as climate change. [HD.gov]
• Earthweek --
Diary of the Planet [earthweek.com] Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Concept of the Week: Human health and climate change

Climate scientists and other experts studying the projected changes in the global climate have been concerned that these changes can have potentially adverse effects upon human health. The specific health outcomes are highly uncertain. However, according to the U.S. Global Change Research Program’s (USGCRP) Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States Report, several key health-related issues on the national level that could be affected by climate are: heat issues and heat waves, air quality, extreme weather events, heat associated diseases, pollen effects, and vulnerable groups.

One of the more obvious consequences of changes in climate is the increased incidence of temperature-related illnesses and deaths, especially those that would occur with heat waves, or episodes of extreme heat. Projected increases in air temperature and rising humidity levels across the nation during the 21st century would also be accompanied by increased frequency and intensity of heat waves, where air temperature and heat indices would exceed certain threshold levels for several days. In the United States, recent heat waves have resulted in numerous deaths, especially in large metropolitan areas. The elderly, the poor in urban areas and those with underlying health issues (such as diabetes and hypertension) appear to be the most susceptible to higher air temperatures and extended heat waves. Some models indicate that mortality rates would increase more rapidly in northern cities, where populations are less accustomed to the less-frequent heat waves. Using a model that includes a high emissions scenario, the average annual number of heat-related deaths in the Chicago (IL) metropolitan area could reach 700 by 2050 and 1200 by 2100.

Exposure to air pollution that would include a variety of gas species and particulate matter could result in health-related problems, especially those people with respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Changes in climate could increase air pollutant exposure in several ways. Large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns resulting in heat waves are often stagnant, which reduce dispersion and create environmental conditions for photochemical reactions that increases ground-level ozone concentrations. Increased ozone has been shown to cause reduction in lung function. These heat waves associated with stagnant weather patterns would also increase fuel combustion for power generation needed for air conditioning. Changes in climate could also affect emissions of natural air pollutants and airborne allergens.

Certain health effects would be related to extreme weather events. In addition to above-described heat waves, increases in injuries and deaths could occur if extreme weather events such as tropical cyclones (hurricanes or tropical storms) and floods would increase in frequency. The disaster wrought by Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans, LA and the Gulf Coast in 2005 could serve as an example. Water-borne diseases can be related to water contamination caused by heavy precipitation events. A Cryptosporidium outbreak in Milwaukee, WI occurred in 1993 in which 54 people died when the municipal drinking water supply became contaminated by sewage that was not properly treated because of overtaxed storm sewers. Some climate models suggest an increased incidence of extreme weather events across the nation during a warmer 21st century, especially in the frequency of excessive precipitation events. If improvement in the sewerage and water treatment facilities are not made, projected in creases in intense precipitation events could pose an increased health risk to many people, especially in the Northeast and Midwest. Chicago could have sewer overflow events going up by 50 to 120 percent in the future. In addition to the casualties that would be directly related to the natural disasters, such as drowning, some secondary effects to these disasters have been suggested, including problems with public health infrastructures and with post traumatic stress disorder following the event.

Increases in those infectious diseases borne by insects, ticks and rodents could be possible with future changes in climate. Temperature appears to serve as a major constraint on the range of microbes and vectors, meaning that some diseases could be spread poleward with higher temperatures. While malaria, yellow fever and dengue fever have been nearly eradicated across the nation, some other diseases, such as Lyme disease and encephalitis, transmitted between humans by blood-feeding insects, ticks and mites, may occur in some areas as the result of extended spells of warm wet winters, cold springs. Rising temperatures and carbon dioxide concentrations appear to increase pollen production and lengthen the pollen season. Consequently, highly allergenic pollen could pose an increased health risk to many people.

The report also cautions that particular groups of people could be especially vulnerable to future climate change, highlighting the increases in the incidence of diabetes and obesity, which make individuals more susceptible to disease or air quality or heat.

While a range of negative health impacts would be possible from future climate change, adaptation would likely help protect the majority of the nation's population. This adaptation would entail maintenance of the public health and community infrastructure across the nation. Adequate water treatment systems would help curb waterborne diseases, while health care facilities and emergency shelters would help minimize the impacts of heat stress, air pollution, extreme weather events, and diseases transmitted by insects, ticks, and rodents.

Concept of the Week: Questions

(Place your responses on the Chapter Progress Response Form provided in the Study Guide.)

1. The number of deaths that could occur in a Chicago heat wave by 2050 under the highest danger estimates could reach [(350), (700), (1200)].
2. The incidence of water and food borne diseases [(are),(are not)] likely to increase.

Historical Events:

• 18 April 2004...A record 182 consecutive days of no measurable precipitation began in San Diego, CA on this date, which ended on 17 October 2004 with 0.09 inches of rain. This new record broke the 181-day record set the previous year. Interestingly, the rain that followed the more recent dry spell resulted in October 2004 becoming San Diego's wettest month on record (4.98 inches). (Accord Weather Guide Calendar)
• 19 April 1973...Glenrock, WY received 41 inches of snow in just 24 hours, and a storm total of 58 inches, to establish two state records. (18th-20th) (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel)
• 20 April 1880...Sacramento, CA had its heaviest 24-hour rainfall when 7.24 inches fell. (Intellicast)
• 20 April 1901...A spring storm produced unusually heavy snow in northeast Ohio. Warren received 35.5 inches in thirty-six hours, and 28 inches fell at Green Hill. Akron established April records of 15.6 inches in 24 hours, and 26.6 inches for the month. Pittsburgh, PA established April records of 12.7 inches in 24 hours, and 13.5 inches for the month. (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel)
• 20 April 1984...A temperature of 106 degrees in Del Rio, TX set a new record high for April. (Intellicast)
• 20 April 1987...Fifty-two cities in the central and eastern U.S. reported new record high temperatures for the date. The high of 92 degrees at Memphis, TN was a record for April, and the high of 94 degrees at Little Rock, AR equaled their April record. (The National Weather Summary)
• 20 April 1989...Hot weather spread from the southwestern U.S. into the Great Plains Region. Twenty-three cities reported new record high temperatures for the date. The afternoon high of 104 degrees at Tucson, AZ was an April record, and highs of 87 degrees at Provo, UT, 90 at Pueblo, CO, and 85 at Salt Lake City, UT, equaled April records. (The National Weather Summary)
• 21 April 1989...The temperature at Las Animas, CO soared to 100 degrees to establish a state record for April. Twenty-two cities in the central and southwestern U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date. Eight cities equaled or exceeded previous April records. Tucson, AZ experienced its fourth consecutive day of record heat with an afternoon high of 104 degrees, bringing the total number of days during the month of April 1989 to 11 when record high values had either been matched or broken. (The Weather Channel) (The National Weather Summary) (Intellicast)
• 21 April 1992...Two inches of snow fell at International Falls, MN, bringing the winter season snowfall to 106.7 inches and setting a new all-time record for the city. The old record was 104.7 inches set back in the 1988-89 winter season. (Intellicast) Editor's Note: As of Sunday, 19 April 2009, the seasonal snowfall accumulation for the 2008-09 winter has reached a record 124.0 inches. EJH
• 22 April 2003...Tropical Storm Ana formed in the southwestern North Atlantic Ocean, becoming the first Atlantic tropical storm (since records began in 1871) to form during the month April. Maximum sustained winds reached 50 mph. (The Weather Doctor)
• 23 April 1910...The temperature at the Civic Center in Los Angeles, CA hit 100 degrees to establish an April record for the city. (The Weather Channel)
• 23 April 1989...Salina, KS was the hot spot in the nation with a high of 105 degrees. The high of 105 degrees established an April record for the state of Kansas. A total of eighteen cities in the central U.S. reported record high temperatures for the date. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data) (The Weather Channel)
• 23 April 1996...One inch of snow on this day at Cleveland, OH brought its seasonal snowfall to 101.1 inches -- the city snowiest winter ever. The old record was 100.5 inches set in 1981-82. (Intellicast)
• 24 April 2003...The temperature at Juneau, AK soared to a maximum of 70 degrees, the earliest occurrence of a 70-degree reading for the period of record in Alaska's capital city. (The Weather Doctor)

Return to DataStreme ECS website

Prepared by Edward J. Hopkins, Ph.D., email hopkins@meteor.wisc.edu
© Copyright, 2011, The American Meteorological Society.