WEEKLY WATER NEWS

DATASTREME WES WEEK SIX: 10-14 October 2005

Water in the News

(Thurs.) NASA and GLOBE invite teachers to count contrails -- In support of Earth Science Week, NASA, NSF and GLOBE are asking teachers to count contrails and report via a website. [NASA News]
(Thurs.) Warning issued concerning water and growth -- A think-tank in Phoenix, AZ has warned that Arizona communities could suffer water shortages in the future if development continues without regulation. [US Water News Online]
(Thurs.) Hunting for African water from space -- A two-day TIGER workshop with participants from 31 countries was held last week that was intended to improve the availability and management of water resources in Africa using data obtained by European Space Agency satellites. [ESA]
(Thurs.) Engineers probe for New Orleans levee failure causes -- Engineers from several agencies and universities are gathering evidence of the causes of levee failures in New Orleans to be able to safely rebuild for the future. [CNN]
(Thurs.) U.S. losing wetlands to developers -- The General Accounting Office reported that large areas of wetlands were lost in the last 4 years due to lowering of controls on development by the Army Corps of Engineers and Environmental Protection Agency. [CNN]
(Thurs.) Deforestation doesn't necessarily cause large floods -- A U.N. Food and Agriculture report says that large-scale, devastating floods do not follow logging or land clearing, based on flood frequency over more than a century. Widespread flooding cannot be mitigated by forested areas where trees have too shallow roots. [ENN]
(Tues.) A milestone reached in GEOSS reached -- With the recent deployment of the last of 1250 instrumented global drifter buoys in the North Atlantic off Nova Scotia, the first components of both the Global Ocean Observing System and Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) were completed. [NOAA News]
(Tues.) Drought affects Amazon basin -- Brazilian authorities recently stated that the lack of rain across the Amazon River basin has left the river levels at dangerously low levels, causing the stalling of river traffic. In addition, the Amazon rainforests are drying, resulting in wildfires. [USA Today]
(Tues.) More hurricanes foreseen -- Hurricane forecasters with the National Hurricane Center and Colorado State University warn that another potentially major hurricane could strike the continental US before then end of the year, since conditions that resulted in the formation of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita appear to remain in place. [USA Today]
(Tues.) Earth's surface responds to annual cycles of Amazon flow -- A geology professor at Ohio State University has found that the Earth's surface in the Amazon River basin moves vertically by as much as 3 inches in response to the annual variations in the river flow, using GPS data. He has been developing a model to estimate the water flow, not only in that river, but ultimately worldwide using a proposed radar system onboard an orbiting satellite. [Ohio State University News]
(Tues.) Broadband access aids in tsunami relief efforts -- A project called "Pacific Skies" that is supported by the European Space Agency provides broadband access terminals to a section of Indonesia that was devastated by the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. [ESA]
A three-dimensional look at a hurricane -- A team of scientists from NASA, NOAA and ten universities has begun releasing their analyses of data obtained during CAMEX-4 (the fourth Convection And Moisture EXperiment) in August-September 2001, which was designed to improve hurricane tracking and intensity predictions. A 3-dimensional picture of the eye of Hurricane Erin was constructed from satellite and dropwindsonde data, indicating the importance of temperatures measured at an extremely high altitudes above a hurricane's eye can be used to study how hurricanes change intensity. [NASA GSFC]
Celebrate Earth Science Week -- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, including the National Weather Service, along with NASA, the US Geological Survey and several professional scientific organizations such as the American Geological Institute have recognized this coming week (9-15 October) as Earth Science Week to help the public gain a better understanding and appreciation for the earth sciences and to encourage stewardship of the Earth. This year's theme is "Geoscientists Explore our Earth" and will focus on earth science careers. Learn about what geoscientists do, how their work is important to society and what is needed to become a geoscientist. [American Geological Institute]
Another hurricane forms -- Hurricane Vince formed over the far eastern tropical Atlantic Ocean on the weekend, becoming the eleventh hurricane and the twentieth named tropical cyclone of the season this hurricane season in the North Atlantic basin, which is now the second most active season since records began in 1851. [USA Today]
Heavy rain pounds the Northeast -- Torrential rain that moved northward across the Middle Atlantic States over the weekend in association with the remnants of former Tropical Storm Tammy and a cold front produced floods in North Carolina and Washington, DC. [USA Today]. Farther north, New Jersey [USA Today] and New Hampshire [USA Today] received flooding rain.
Response to hazardous materials released by hurricanes to continue -- The NOAA Office of Response and Restoration is prepared to spend more than a year responding to the cleaning of hazardous chemical and oil spills produced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. [NOAA News] Currently, a multi-agency task force headed by NOAA charged with cleanup efforts have found the number of sunken ships and fuel tanks in Gulf Coast waters are making the cleanup a monumental task. [US Water News Online]
Hurricane Rita exacerbates Gulf fishery failure -- The US Commerce Secretary announced last week that a fishery failure was determined along the coastal regions of the Louisiana and Texas because of Hurricane Rita. This declaration comes in the wake of a similar declaration made earlier for the central Gulf coast from Louisiana eastward to the Florida Panhandle following Hurricane Katrina. [NOAA News]
Mudslide death toll due to Stan climbs -- A mudslide in Guatemala that resulted from torrential rains from the remnants of Hurricane Stan may have been responsible for the deaths of 1400 Maya Indians in addition to approximately 400 fatalities elsewhere in Central America associated with the hurricane. [CNN]
Death toll from typhoon floods increases in China -- Chinese officials announced that at least 80 paramilitary police officers were killed by floods associated with Typhoon Longwang. [USA Today]
Agreement reached in river cleanup -- The US Environmental Protection agency and General Electric Co. reached an agreement late last week on the payment for dredging of sediment from New York State's Hudson River that is contaminated with PCBs. [ENN]
CryoSat satellite destroyed -- A Russian space agency official reported that the CryoSat satellite, a European Space Agency satellite that would have collected data on polar sea ice during a three-year mission, was destroyed following launch from a facility in northern Russia. [CNN]
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.

Reports from the Field -- Faye McCollum, LIT Leader from Columbus, GA, reported on the rain associated with Tropical Storm Tammy that plagued Georgia at the end of last week. Her trip north to Atlanta last Thursday took nearly 4 hours, roughly twice the typical length, due to the rain that produced four separate traffic jams and stand-still conditions. She said many areas in the Southeast experienced flooding, but as the storm moved out of the region, cooler and more pleasant air was expected to reach southern Georgia.

Concept of the Week: Bottled Water

During the 1990s, bottled water soared in popularity among Americans. Today, they spend more than $7 billion a year on bottled water. Although 120 to 7500 times more costly per gallon than tap water, the demand for bottled water (especially in individualized containers) continues to climb for several reasons including convenience, health concerns, and dissatisfaction with the quality and taste of municipal tap water. Furthermore, clever ad campaigns have been very successful at persuading consumers of the advantages of drinking bottled water.

Although enamored by bottled water, the U.S. consumer is confronted by a variety of different brands (more than 900), and a potentially confusing terminology on labels mostly having to do with the source of the water. According to the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA), bottled water is defined as drinking water that is sugar-free, calorie-free, and contains no sweeteners or chemical additives other than small amounts of flavors or extracts. Bottled water may also have trace amounts of sodium. Beverages containing 1% or more by weight of flavors or extracts are classified as soft drinks. Soda water, seltzer water, and tonic water are considered soft drinks not bottled water because they may contain sugar and are not calorie-free.

About 75% of all bottled water comes from the subsurface. Bottled water from a well that taps a confined aquifer under hydrologic pressure is artesian water or artesian well water. Mineral water is groundwater that contains at least 250 parts per million (ppm) of dissolved solids from natural sources (i.e., dissolved bedrock, and sediment). Sparkling water contains dissolved carbon dioxide undiminished in concentration from its natural source. Spring water is groundwater that flows naturally to the surface of the Earth where an aquifer intercepts the ground. Well water is bottled water withdrawn from a hole drilled or bored into an aquifer. Collectively, all bottled water from subsurface sources is called natural water.

The quality of bottled water from the subsurface benefits from natural filtration as groundwater slowly seeps through permeable Earth materials. Nonetheless, in many cases bottlers employ additional purification steps such as applying ozone and/or ultraviolet light as disinfecting agents. Bottled water producers who use municipal sources (about 25% of the supply) typically (but not in all cases) reprocess the water for improved quality and taste through distillation, reverse osmosis, deionization, filtration, and/or ozonation. Labels on their products may include the terms purified water or distilled water. These same labels may include the statement "from a community water system," or "from a municipal source" meaning tap water.

While efforts at quality control of bottled water are designed to protect public health, a study by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) published in March 1999 raised some questions about whether enough is being done. The NRDC tested the quality of 1000 bottles of 103 brands of bottled water and found that not all the tested water was of high quality and some samples contained contaminants (http://www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/nbw.asp). Although the industry has strict standards and both federal and state governments regulate bottled water quality, the NRDC argues that existing regulations are not adequate. The NRDC recommends that the Food and Drug Administration set strict limits for contaminants in bottled water and that bottled water standards be at least as strict as those applicable to municipal (tap) water supplies.

Concept of the Week: Questions

By convention, bottled water is drinking water that is both sugar-free and calorie-free. [(True)(False)]
The source of most water in bottled water is [(subsurface)(surface)] reservoirs.

Historical Events

10 October 1973...Fifteen to 20 inch rains deluged north central Oklahoma in thirteen hours producing record flooding. Enid was drenched with 15.68 inches of rain from the nearly stationary thunderstorms, which established a state 24-hour rainfall record. Dover, OK reported 125 of 150 homes damaged by flooding. (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel)
10-16 October 1780...The most deadly Western Hemisphere hurricane on record raged across the Caribbean Sea. "Great Hurricane of 1780" killed 22,000 people on the islands of Martinique, St. Eustatius, and Barbados. Thousands more died at sea. (The Weather Doctor)
11 October 1737...Deadly cyclone and storm surge of 42 ft raced up the Hooghly River in India and through the city of Calcutta destroying an estimated 40,000 boats and drowning as many as 300,000 people. (The Weather Doctor)
11 October 1846...A very intense hurricane caused great destruction on the Florida Keys. Key West was virtually destroyed with 5 feet of water reported in the city. Fort Taylor was reduced to ruins. (Intellicast)
11 October 1954...A deluge of 6.72 inches of rain in 48 hours flooded the Chicago River, causing $10 million in damage in the Chicago area. Unofficial reports indicated as much as 12 inches of rain fell. (9th-11th) (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel)
11-12 October 1995...Heavy rain contributed to flooding along parts of I-75 near Ocala, FL. Five sinkholes up to 10 feet deep and 15 feet wide turned I-75 into a parking lot, as traffic was backed up for more than 5 miles. (Accord Weather Calendar)
12 October 1886...A hurricane made landfall between Sabine Pass, TX and Johnson's Bayou, LA. Tidal waves were said to be as high as 2-story buildings. The surge extended 20 miles inland, with 150 people killed. Survivors clung to trees or floated on mattresses. Only two of 100 homes in Sabine Pass were reparable. (Accord Weather Calendar)
12 October 1954...Hurricane Hazel pounded Haiti and the island of Hispaniola with winds of 125 mph. Many villages were reported totally destroyed and more than 1000 Haitians die. (The Weather Doctor)
12 October 1962...Remnants of Typhoon Freda struck the Pacific Coast of British Columbia's Vancouver Island. Wind speeds at Victoria reached 44 mph with gusts to 87 mph. Seven people died as a result of this storm that also caused $10 million in damage. (The Weather Doctor)
12 October 1979...The lowest observed sea-level barometric pressure (870 mb or 25.69 inches of mercury) was recorded near Guam in the western Pacific Ocean at the center of Typhoon Tip. (The Weather Doctor)
14 October 1755...Red dust that was likely transported from the Sahara Desert spread across Europe. Red rain fell at Locarno, Switzerland, while red snow fell on the higher elevations of the Alps. (Accord Weather Calendar)
14 October 1957...Floodwaters roared through a migrant labor camp near the town of Picacho, AZ flooding fifty cabins and a dozen nearby homes. Some 250 migrant workers lost their shelter. The month was one of the wettest Octobers in Arizona weather history. (The Weather Channel)
15 October 1947...A hurricane made a hairpin turn off the Georgia coast after being seeded with dry ice. The storm moved over Savannah and into Georgia. (Intellicast)
15 October 1954...Hurricane Hazel struck the Carolina coastline near Cape Fear, NC. The hurricane (a category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson Scale) demolished every pier along a 170-mile stretch from Myrtle Beach, SC to Cedar Island, NC, and obliterated rows of beach homes. At Long Beach, 300 homes vanished; no debris remained. Hurricane Hazel also destroyed 1500 homes as it moved inland with 17-foot tides. Winds between Myrtle Beach, SC and Cape Fear, NC gusted to 150 mph. Later, the remnants of Hazel moved northward into Ontario and became the most remembered storm in Canadian history. Winds gusted to 75 mph and as much as 7.2 inches of rain fell. Eighty people died, mostly from flooding in the Toronto area (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel) (The Weather Doctor)
15 October 1965...Fort Lauderdale, FL was deluged with 25.28 inches of rain in a 48-hour period causing considerable road and street damage and inundating numerous homes and recently planted vegetable fields and homes. (Intellicast)
15 October 1999...A waterspout (a tornado over water) moved onshore at Fort Lauderdale Beach, FL and blew out a plate glass window in a bar, injuring 8 patrons. The waterspout also overturned a vehicle and caused other significant damage on Los Olas Blvd. (Accord Weather Calendar)
16 October 1880...A blizzard struck eastern South Dakota and southern Minnesota blocking railroads. Snowdrifts persisted throughout the following very hard winter. (Intellicast)