DATASTREME OCEAN PREVIEW WEEK:

• South Carolina hit by near hurricane-force storm -- The seventh named tropical system of the 2004 North Atlantic hurricane season, Tropical Storm Gaston, formed off the South Carolina Coast Saturday and made landfall Sunday morning at Bulls Bay near McClellanville, SC, accompanied by 70-mph sustained winds and heavy rain. Some damage was sustained as winds reached to within 4 mph of the threshold for hurricane status. [CNN]
• An updated analysis of nitrogen fixation in the oceans -- Scientists at Georgia Institute of Technology recently reported that an abundant unicellular marine organisms appear to be fixing nitrogen in the nutrient-poor regions of the Pacific Ocean at rates up to three times higher than previously reported. [EurekAlert!]
• First Arctic sediment core retrieved --- A 272-meter sediment core that could reveal 40 million years of Arctic climate history was recently retrieved from the floor of the Arctic Ocean approximately 145 miles from the North Pole by the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program's (IODP) Arctic Coring Expedition (ACEX). [EurekAlert!]
• Century-long coastal temperature record studied -- Oceanographers at the University of Rhode Island and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution have analyzed a 117-year record of coastal ocean water temperature and report that following a fall in water temperatures during the 1960s, the temperature of the water off New England has increased by 0.04 Celsius degrees per year since 1970. [EurekAlert!]
• Role of underwater topography in influencing Gulf Stream flow studied -- Oceanographers at the University of Rhode Island have used an ocean model to study how the topography of the seafloor could affect the flow of the Gulf Stream off the Eastern Seaboard. [EurekAlert!]
• A "dead zone" found along the Oregon Coast -- Scientists at the Oregon State University found that a hypoxic "dead zone" formed earlier this summer off the central Oregon Coast, where the oxygen content has fallen to low levels that numerous fish and invertebrate marine species have been killed. [EurekAlert!]
• More information on NOAA's hurricane web page -- Officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently announced that its popular Hurricane Frequently Asked Questions web page has been expanded and updated in time for the height of the 2004 hurricane season in the North Atlantic Ocean. [NOAA News]
• A close call -- The Associated Press recently learned that the National Weather Service WSR-88D radar unit at the Tampa Bay area Weather Office had been down because of a mechanical failure until 14 hours before Hurricane Charley struck the Florida Peninsula earlier in August. [USA Today]
• Hunt for the USS Alligator continues -- A joint NOAA/US Navy mission is underway off the North Carolina coast for the first Navy submarine, the USS Alligator, which sank in a storm off Cape Hatteras in April 1863. [NOAA News]
• Centuries-old marine weather information found in logbooks -- NOAA's National Climatic Data Center is proposing a project where the logbooks from European ships dating back to the early 1700 would be digitized so as to produce a digital database for marine weather and climate users. [NOAA News]
• 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]
• Earthweek -- Diary of the Planet [earthweek.com] Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Concept of the Week: Touring the DataStreme Ocean Homepage

Welcome to DataStreme Ocean! 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 DataStreme Ocean Homepage 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 DS Ocean Homepage.

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, Supplemental Information will be provided on some topic related to the principal theme of the week.

You will use the DS Ocean Homepage to access and download the second part of weekly Investigations A & B (plus supporting images) that begin in your DataStreme Ocean Study Guide. These materials should be available by noon (Eastern Time) on Tuesday and Thursday. Click the appropriate links to download and print these electronic components of the investigations as well as your Chapter Progress and Investigations Response forms.

The body of the DS Ocean Homepage 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, educational links, and DataStreme Ocean information. 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 DS Ocean Homepage.

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 DS Ocean Homepage.

Under Geological, click on Current Earthquake Activity. (Note: This may load slowly.) The USGS Current World Seismicity page provides a global map of the locations of seismic (earthquake) events color-coded for the last week or 30 days. The diameters of the circles represent the magnitude of the most 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 circles and are given in Current Earthquakes for the U.S. and World. Return to the DS Ocean Homepage.

The ocean is home to a wide variety of habitats and organisms. Under Biological, click on Ocean "Color" (Productivity). This is a satellite-derived (SeaWiFS) color-coded map of biological productivity in the surface waters of the world ocean averaged for the year 2004 to date. Orange and red indicates the highest productivity and 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. Now return to the DS Ocean Homepage.

Under Atmosphere/Ocean Interaction, click on TRMM Tropical Rainfall. The TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission) page includes color-coded maps of the Monthly Mean Rainrate (in mm per day) across the tropics. Click on "July" for example. Changes in rainfall are linked to large-scale shifts in the atmosphere/ocean circulation in the tropics. Now return to the DS Ocean Homepage.

Take a few minutes when you have time to browse the other data and information sources available via the DS Ocean Homepage. You should "bookmark" ("favorites") this page on your computer. Return frequently to learn more about the many resources on the ocean in the Earth system. Bon voyage!

Concept of the Week: Questions

1. The latest global sea surface temperature map indicates that SSTs are generally higher over the [(western)(eastern)] tropical Pacific Ocean.
2. The USGS map of Current World Seismicity indicates that earthquakes appear to be more common along the [(east)(west)] coast of North America.

• 30 August 1913...The US Navy tested the Sperry gyroscopic stabilizer (automatic pilot). (Naval Historical Center)
• 31 August 1842...The U.S. Naval Observatory was authorized by an act of Congress. (Today in Science)
• 1 September 1789...An act of Congress provided for the registering and clearing of vessels and the regulation of the coastwise trade, thus laying the foundation of American navigation laws which, until 1912, embodied the marine policy of the United States. (US Coast Guard Historian's Office)
• 1 September 1858...The first transatlantic cable failed after less than one month of service. (Today in Science)
• 1-2 September 1935...Perhaps the most intense hurricane ever to hit the U.S. struck the Florida Keys with sustained winds of over 155 mph with gusts exceeding 200 mph. On the 1^st, the "Labor Day Hurricane" formed rapidly over the Bahama Islands into a Category 5 hurricane (on the Saffir Simpson Scale) with sustained winds of over 155 mph and winds exceeding 200 mph. On the next day, this hurricane generated a 15-foot tide and waves 30-ft high, as it became the first known Category 5 hurricane to hit the U.S. Mainland. More than 400 persons perished in the storm on that Labor Day, including many World War I veterans building a bridge from the Keys to the mainland. The barometric pressure at Matecumbe Bay, FL hit a record low for the U.S. at 26.35 inches of mercury (or 892 millibars). (David Ludlum) (The Weather Doctor)
• 1 September 1974...Navy Lieutenant Judy Neuffer became the first woman to pilot a plane through the eye of a hurricane. (Northern Indiana NWSFO)
• 1 September 1985...A joint French-American expedition headed by the American explorer, Robert D. Ballard, located the wreck of the sunken liner RMS Titanic on the floor of the North Atlantic using an experimental and unmanned submersible craft Argo. The site where the wreckage of the Titanic, which sank in April 1912 on its maiden voyage after colliding with an iceberg, was found at a depth of about 13,000 feet and approximately 400 miles west of Newfoundland. (The History Channel)
• 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)
• 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)
• 4 September 1954...Icebreakers, USS Burton Island (AGB-1) and USCG Northwind, completed first transit of Northwest Passage through McClure Strait. (Naval Historical Center)
• 4-6 September 1970...Moisture from Pacific Tropical Storm Norma led to the 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)
• 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)