WEEKLY WATER NEWS

21-25 July 2008

Water in the Earth System will return for Fall 2008 with new Investigations files starting during Preview Week, Monday, 25 August 2008. All the current online website products will continue to be available throughout the summer break period.

Water in the News:

• Eye on the tropics --- Tropical weather across the tropical ocean basins was active, with several named tropical cyclones (low pressure systems that are either tropical storms or hurricanes):
  • In the North Atlantic, Hurricane Bertha, the first hurricane of the 2008 North Atlantic hurricane season, continued to take a slightly erratic course to the northeast last week. After brushing by Bermuda as a category 1 hurricane, Bertha initially weakened and was reclassified as a tropical storm, but late last Friday it intensified to become a hurricane again as it moved to the northeast. By Sunday, it had weakened to become a tropical storm for the third time, as it continued to travel across the North Atlantic well to the east of Newfoundland. Tropical Storm Bertha has now become the longest-lived July named tropical cyclone in Atlantic history. Additional information concerning Bertha can be found on the NASA Hurricane Page. A set of four images generated from data collected by the sensors on the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite over a 10-day span shows the rainfall rates from the clouds surrounding Bertha at varying stages in this system's life cycle. [NASA Earth Observatory]
    The third named tropical cyclone of the season, Tropical Storm Cristobal, formed Saturday morning off the coast of South Carolina and as of Sunday, was traveling northeastward over the coastal waters offshore of North Carolina with slight intensification.
    The fourth named tropical cyclone, named Tropical Storm Dolly formed in the western Caribbean Sea to the east of Belize on Sunday afternoon.
  • In eastern North Pacific, Hurricane Elida formed early last week and reached category 2 status on the Saffir-Simpson Intensity Scale. This hurricane continued to move westward across the Pacific before weakening and dissipating on Saturday. More information on Hurricane Elida can be found on the NASA Hurricane page.
    Tropical Storm Fausto also developed early last week offshore of the Mexican coast and intensified to a category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Intensity Scale. It moved to the northwest paralleling the Mexican coast. As of late Sunday, this system was continuing to travel to the northwest. An image obtained from NOAA's GOES-10 satellite shows the clouds surrounding Hurricane Elida and Tropical Storm Fausto. [NOAA OSEI]
  • In the western North Pacific, Typhoon Kalmaegi formed over the Philippine Sea east of Luzon early last week. This typhoon, which reached category 2 status on the Saffir-Simpson Scale, brushed Taiwan and made landfall along the coast of China late Saturday. An image from the MODIS instrument on NASA's Terra satellite shows clouds surrounding Typhoon Kalmaegi as it was near Taiwan. [NASA Earth Observatory] Additional information appears in the NASA Hurricane page.
• Educators Climate Change Conference Event will have two featured speakers -- NOAA and NASA, along with support from the US Department of Energy, the U.S. Forest Service, Northrop Grumman Corporation, the National Environmental Education Foundation and the National Science Teachers Association will sponsor a K-12 educators climate change conference later this week (23-24 July) in Silver Spring, MD. Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, will give the keynote address and NOAA Senior Scientist Susan Solomon, Co-Chair of the 2007 Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the discoverer of the cause of the Antarctic ozone hole, will give a major address on climate. This event will be webcast live at www.sallyridescience.com/conference . [NOAA News]
• June 2008 was warm around the globe -- Analysis of preliminary average global land and ocean surface temperature data for the recently concluded month of June 2008 has led researchers at NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center to conclude that this month was the eight warmest since the start of worldwide records in 1880, with a temperature of 60.8 degrees Fahrenheit. They also noted that the first half of 2008 was the ninth warmest January – June period on record. [NOAA News]
• Blame increase in kidney stones on warmer climate -- Medical researchers report a relationship between kidney stones and increased temperatures in many locales, primarily because of increased cases of dehydration due to higher temperatures leading to salts crystallizing in the kidneys. [USA Today]
• Wind energy potential mapped over global oceans -- NASA researchers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory have mapped the average wind intensity across the global oceans between 2000 and 2007 using data obtained from NASA’s Quick Scatterometer (QuickSCAT) satellite. The maps of wind power density shows areas of the oceans where potential wind farms could be located. [NASA Earth Observatory]
• Ocean turns green off Iceland -- A MODIS image obtained two weeks ago from NASA's Aqua satellite shows the seasonal bloom of phytoplankton in the waters of the North Atlantic offshore of Iceland. [NASA Earth Observatory]
• Another "smart buoy" deployed on Chesapeake Bay historic trail -- On this past weekend, the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office deployed a "smart buoy" at the mouth of Virginia's Rappahannock River as the fourth buoy in the Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System (CBIBS). This buoy near Stingray Point, which marks the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail, will take weather, oceanographic and water-quality observations of the Bay and transmit the data for use by the public on an essentially real-time basis. [NOAA News]
• An update on the destruction of the Wilkins Ice Shelf -- An image obtained last week from the Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR) on the European Space Agency’s Envisat satellite provides continued evidence of the destruction of the Wilkins Ice Shelf off the Antarctic Peninsula. [NASA Earth Observatory]
• Pilot-less aircraft will see Greenland Ice Sheet up close -- Two low-flying remote controlled aircraft developed by NOAA’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems program in partnership with the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) and Advanced Ceramics Research will be used this month to observe the melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet and how the melting could contribute to a projected global rise in sea level by the end of this century. [NOAA News]
• Penn State is awarded NOAA Sea Grant Program -- Penn State University’s Behrend College campus in Erie, PA has been designated recently as the Institutional Sea Grant Program for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania by officials with NOAA’s National Sea Grant College Program. [NOAA News]
• Restoration of a Michigan lake gets international help -- A partnership between the State of Michigan, NOAA and the U.S.-Canadian Great Lakes Commission was launcher to restore the fish and wildlife habitat to Muskegon Lake and its surrounding area of Lower Michigan within the Laurentian Great Lakes Basin. [NOAA News]
• Gulf of Mexico's "dead zone" could be a record this summer -- Scientists from the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium and Louisiana State University are forecasting that the oxygen depleted waters known as the "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico off the Louisiana and Texas coasts this summer could be expand to the size of New Jersey, to become the largest in the 24-year record. High river flows with large amounts of nutrients from the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers appear to be responsible for the projected dead zone increase. [NOAA News] Instruments on satellites, such as NASA's Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS), provide information to researchers that allow them to monitor "dead zones." [NASA Earth Observatory]
• Greatest forest value may be as a sustainable water supply -- A report from the National Research Council claims that one of the main goals for future management of the nation's forests would be for maintaining a sustainable supply of clean water especially in the face of increased demand and of changes in climate. [EurekAlert!]
• Destruction of wetlands could release large quantities of greenhouse gases -- Experts from more than two dozen countries are meeting this week at an International Wetlands Conference in Brazil. Concern has been voiced that the destruction and the drying of the world wetlands could release massive quantities of carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere, resulting in a warmer global climate. [EurekAlert!]
• Snowmelt in West could occur much earlier -- Researchers from Purdue University, Loyola Marymount University and the University of North Carolina at Wilmington warn that the results of their numerical simulation on a climate model would suggest that future increases in global temperature could lead to snowmelt across the West that would occur much earlier, which would lead to water management challenges and increased wildfire risk. [Purdue University]
• New technologies help measure crop water demand -- Researchers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service and the NASA Earth Science Division have been using data collected from sensors onboard orbiting satellites, such as Landsat, and multi-spectral digital cameras mounted above agricultural crops in California's San Joaquin Valley to measure the crop water demand. These new technologies could help in improved precision irrigation practices. [EurekAlert!]
• Reclaimed wastewater used in Florida's citrus orchards -- Increases in population across Florida, together with episodes of extended drought, have resulted in the use of reclaimed wastewater to irrigate the Sunshine State's citrus orchards without significant reduction in crop yield, thereby reducing the wastewater disposal problem, while at the same time permitting greater availability of water for agricultural irrigation. [EurekAlert!]
• Irrigation farming traced back to ancient Yemen -- Archeologists have recently discovered that early irrigation practices applied to agriculture may have commenced approximately 5200 years ago in the remote desert highlands of southern Yemen. [EurekAlert!]
• Measuring tiny ice crystals in clouds -- Scientists from Colorado State University and the United Kingdom's University of Hertfordshire and the University of Manchester have developed an optical scattering instrument that can evaluate the size of tiny ice crystals within high altitude clouds to micrometer levels. The scientists believe that this new technology could help with predictions of climate change. [EurekAlert!]
• Mass extinction of marine life may have been caused by eruptions -- Earth scientists at the University of Alberta claim that their research provides evidence that lava fountains erupted on the sea floor, which altered the chemistry of ocean water and possibly the ocean, resulting in a mass extinction of sea life approximately 94 million years ago. [EurekAlert!]
• Submarine volcanic rocks viewed as greenhouse gas repository -- Scientists from Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and other institutions have conducted deep ocean-floor drilling experiments to show that volcanic rocks in the waters off the West Coast of North America could be used to sequester huge quantities of anthropogenically generated carbon dioxide. [EurekAlert!]
• Life in Atlantic is sustained by Saharan duststorms -- Researchers at the United Kingdom's University of Liverpool report that dust originating from duststorms over Africa's Sahara Desert settles out over the North Atlantic, helping sustain life in large areas of that ocean that have low nutrient levels. [EurekAlert!]
• Science community consulted on new Earth Explorer missions -- The European Space Agency has called on the scientific community to help prepare for six new Earth Explorer missions on future satellites designed to increase understanding of the hydrologic and biogeochemical cycles in the planetary system. [ESA]
• 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 (Has) 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.

Historical Events:

• 21 July 1964...The runoff from a torrential three-inch rainfall in a relatively short time span caused a storm sewer to break under Tallmadge Parkway in Akron, OH. A 40-foot deep hole resulted. One person died when she drove her car into the unexpected hole. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 21 July 1970...The Aswan High Dam in Egypt was completed after 18 years of work. This huge rockfill dam that lies just north of the border between Egypt and Sudan captures the world's longest river, the Nile, in the world's third largest reservoir, Lake Nasser. Built with Soviet aid at a cost of $1 billion, it now produces hydroelectricity meeting 50% of Egypt's power needs. It holds several years of irrigation reserves, assists multi-cropping, has increased productivity 20-50%, enormously increased Egypt's arable land, and overall, increased Egypt's agricultural income by 200%. The embankment is 111 meters high, with a width of near 1,000 meters. Lake Nasser is 480 km long and up to 16 km wide. (Today in Science History)
• 21 July 1997...A $100 million hailstorm ripped through the orchards of the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. Nearly 40% of the fruit crop was deemed unsuitable for fresh market. Winds gusting to 62 mph, accompanying the rain and hail, capsized boats in the interior lakes and caused power outages and traffic accidents. (The Weather Doctor)
• 22 July 1972...Fort Ripley, MN received 10.84 inches of rain, to establish a new 24-hour maximum precipitation record for the Gopher State. (NCDC)
• 22 July 1986...Hurricane Estelle passed 120 miles south of the Hawaiian Islands creating a ten to twenty-foot surf. The large swells resulted from a combination of high tides, a full moon, and 50-mph winds. The hurricane also deluged Oahu Island with as much as 6.86 inches of rain on the 24th and 25th of the month. (Storm Data)
• 22 July 1987...Barrow, AK received 1.38 inches in 24 hours on the 21^st and 22^nd, an all-time record for that location. The previous record was the 1.00 inch water equivalent in a 15 inch all-time record snowfall of 26 October 1926. The average annual precipitation for Barrow is just 4.75 inches. Thunderstorms in Montana produced 4 to 6 inches of rain in Glacier County causing extensive flooding along Divide Creek. Missoula, MT received 1.71 inches of rain in 24 hours, a record for the month of July. (The National Weather Summary) (The Weather Channel) (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 22-23 July 1996...A strong storm system centered south of Tahiti in the South Pacific was responsible for eight-foot surf along the south shores of Hawaii's Oahu Island. Water safety personnel rescued 95 people from the high surf. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 23 July 1788...A weather diary kept by George Washington recorded that the center of a hurricane passed directly over his Mount Vernon home. The hurricane crossed eastern North Carolina and Virginia before moving into the Central Appalachians. Norfolk, VA reported houses destroyed, trees uprooted, and crops leveled to the ground. (David Ludlum)
• 23 July 1898...A two-hour thunderstorm deluged Atlanta, GA with 4.32 inches of rain. More than a foot of water flooded Union Depot. Many streetcar motors burned out while trying to run through flooded streets. It grew so dark before the afternoon storm that gaslights were needed. (The Weather Channel)
• 23 July 1923...Sheridan, WY was drenched with 4.41 inches of rain, an all-time 24-hour record for that location. Associated flooding washed out 20 miles of railroad track. (22^nd-23^rd) (The Weather Channel)
• 23 July 1987...Thunderstorms produced a record ten inches of rain in six and a half-hours at Minneapolis, MN, including 5.26 inches in two hours. Flash flooding claimed two lives and caused 21.3 million dollars damage. Streets in Minneapolis became rushing rivers, parking lots became lakes, and storm sewers spouted like geysers. A tornado hit Maple Grove, MN causing five million dollars damage. Baseball size hail was reported at Olivia, MN. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
• 23 July 1997...Thunderstorms over Nevada's Shoshone Mountains produced flash flooding in washes under Nevada Highway 844. Sixteen miles northeast of Ione, a culvert and adjacent roadway that washed out earlier in the day were again washed out as repairs were being made. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 24 July 1609...A fleet of ships carrying colonists to the New World met with a hurricane near Bermuda, resulting in much loss of property but little loss of life. (Northern Indiana NWSFO)
• 24 July 1886...Rain fell at Lawrence, KS for the first time in four weeks. Rain fell over much of the state of Kansas that day relieving a severe drought that began in May. The very dry weather ruined crops in Kansas. (David Ludlum)
• 24 July 1964...An eight to ten-foot wall of water roared through a picnic site six miles south of Buena Vista, CO. A car was washed into the Arkansas River, as mud and debris covered other vehicles. A downpour of rain in an unusually dry upper gulch caused the flash flood. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 24-25 July 1979...Claudette, a weak tropical storm, deluged southeastern Texas with torrential rains. The Houston suburb of Alvin received 43.00 inches, a 24-hour precipitation record for not only the Lone Star State, but for the U.S. Freeport reported a total of 30 inches. Total damage from flooding was over $400 million. On the 27^th, a van loaded with people on their way to a church camp stopped on Texas Highway 7 due to a flooded bridge just west of Centerville. A truck rammed the van, pushing it into the flooded creek, resulting in five people drowning. (Intellicast) (David Ludlum) (NCDC) (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 24 July 1989...Afternoon thunderstorms produced some flash flooding in New Mexico. Albuquerque was deluged with an inch and a half of rain in forty minutes. Evening thunderstorms soaked White Pine, PA with two inches of rain in one hour. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
• 24-26 July 1996...Although thousands of miles from southern California, an intense South Pacific storm south of Tahiti produced seven to ten foot surf with some sets up to 12 feet along the southern California coast. Lifeguards participated in more than 500 rescues along the beaches. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
• 25 July 1956...The Italian ship Andrea Doria sank in dense fog near Nantucket Lightship, MA. Ten hours earlier, the ship was rammed by the Swedish-American liner, Stockholm, forty-five miles off the coast of Massachusetts. Fifty-two persons drowned, or were killed by the impact. (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel)
• 25 July 1986...Tremendous hailstones pounded parts of South Dakota damaging crops, buildings and vehicles. Hail piled two feet deep at Black Hawk and northern Rapid City. Hail an inch and a quarter in diameter fell for 85 minutes near Miller and Huron, piling up to depths of two feet. (The Weather Channel)
• 25 July 1994...Hurricane Gilma, like Emilia a week earlier, reached Category 5 strength in the Central Pacific. (Intellicast)
• 26-27 July 1819...Twin cloudbursts of fifteen inches struck almost simultaneously at Catskill, NY and Westfield, MA. Flash flooding resulted in enormous erosion. (David Ludlum)
• 27 July 1926...A hurricane came inland near Daytona Beach, FL. The hurricane caused 2.5 million dollars damage in eastern Florida, including the Jacksonville area. (David Ludlum)
• 27 July 1989...Thunderstorms produced locally heavy rains in the southwestern U.S. Yuma, AZ experienced their most severe thunderstorm of record. Strong thunderstorm winds, with unofficial gusts as high as 95 mph, reduced visibility to near zero in blowing dust and sand. Yuma got nearly as much rain in one hour as is normally received in an entire year. The storm total of 2.55 inches of rain was a record 24-hour total for July. Property damage due to flash flooding and high winds was in the millions. (Storm Data)
• 27-28 July 1984...Unprecedented rainfall fell at Alvsbyn in Sweden (approximately 62 miles south of the Arctic Circle), which was remarkable for such a northern location that is at about the same latitude as Fort Yukon, AK. On the 26^th, 5.51 inches fell and on the 27^th, an additional 5.63 inches were recorded. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)

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Prepared by AMS WES Central Staff and Edward J. Hopkins, Ph.D., email hopkins@meteor.wisc.edu
ã Copyright, 2008, The American Meteorological Society.