WEEKLY OCEAN NEWS

10-14 August 2015

DataStreme Ocean will return for Fall 2015 with new Investigations files starting during Preview Week, Monday, 24 August 2015. All the current online website products will continue to be available throughout the summer break period.

Item of Interest:

A Nighttime Show -- The annual Perseid meteor shower should peak in the predawn hours of Wednesday (12 August 2015) and Thursday mornings. The Perseids, which are associated with the some bits of Comet Swift-Tuttle, are noted for being fast and bright, and often leave persistent trains. Typically, the Perseids are usually very active for several days before and after the peaks, often producing 30 to 60 meteors per hour. This year, up to 100 meteors per hour are anticipated.
The illumination from the waning crescent moon could interfere with viewing the Perseids. If the skies are clear in your area, go to a region that has few lights and look up and to the northeast during the early morning hours.
Starting at 11:00 PM EDT on 12 August and running into the early morning hours of the 13th, astronomer Bill Cooke and his team from Meteoroid Environment Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center will answer your questions via a live web chat. A live Ustream view of the skies over Marshall Space Flight Center will also be offered, weather permitting, beginning at 9:00 PM EDT. [NASA]
Billion-Dollar weather/climate disasters across US in 2014 -- Researchers at NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (formerly the National Climatic Data Center) released an updated version of its "US 2014 Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters." According to their analysis, eight weather and climate disasters occurred across the nation during the calendar year of 2014 that resulted in losses that each exceeded $1 billion. The eight disasters included one drought event, a flooding event, five severe storm events and one winter storm event. Furthermore, these events resulted in the deaths of 53 people. [NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information]

Ocean in the News:

Eye on the Tropics -- During the last week tropical cyclone activity continued across the ocean basins in the Northern Hemisphere :

In the central North Pacific basin,
Hurricane Guillermo traveled to the west-northwest at the start of the week. Passing to the Hawaiian Islands, Guillermo reached category 2 before dissipating on August 7. Consult the NASA Hurricane Page for satellite images and additional information on Hurricane Guillermo.
Hurricane Hilda had rapidly intensified from category 1 to 4 in twenty-four hours. Hilda was located on Sunday evening 600 miles east-southeasst of Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii traveling west-northwest at 10 miles per hour. [Weather Underground]
In the western North Pacific basin, Typhoon (the name for hurricanes in the western Pacific) Soudelor traveled through the Mariana Islands at the beginning of last week. Soudelor caused wide-spread power outages and extensive downed trees while crossing Taiwan. Soudelor came ashore on Taiwan as a category 3. On August 9th, Soudelor was weakening to tropical storm strength over China. 10 deaths were attributed to Soudelor in Taiwan. Additional information and satellite information on Typhoon Soudelor can be found at NASA Hurricane Page. Soudelor caused 14 more deaths along with mudslides from torrential rains in china. [CNN]
On August 7th, Tropical Storm Molave developed and drifted southeast of Japan until finally weakening on August 9th and drifting to the northwest into the northern Pacific. [Unisys]

Hurricane season outlooks are updated -- With the typical peak in the annual Atlantic hurricane season expected in approximately four weeks, updated hurricane season outlooks were issued within the last week by two groups of long-range forecasters. These outlooks follow the occurrence of three tropical storms (Ana, Bill and Claudette) in the North Atlantic basin (that includes the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico) by the second week of August :

Updated Colorado State hurricane forecast for 2015 -- The hurricane forecasters at Colorado State University, including Philip Klotzbach and William Gray, issued their updated August forecast for the 2015 Atlantic hurricane season. Their "Forecast of Atlantic Seasonal Hurricane Activity and Landfall Strike Probability for 2015" calls for the remainder of the season to have below-average tropical cyclone activity, as a moderate to strong El Niño event was underway and sea surface temperatures across the "Atlantic Main Development Region" were lower than normal as of late July. The forecasters foresee the total number of named tropical cyclones (maximum sustained surface winds of 39 mph or higher) for the entire season would be eight, with two hurricanes (maximum sustained surface winds greater than 73 mph) forming in the Atlantic basin. The forecasters also anticipated one major hurricane (category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson Scale, with winds of at least 111 mph). Furthermore, they also anticipate much below-average probability of major hurricane landfalls along the coasts of the continental United States and the islands in the Caribbean. [The Tropical Storm Project]
Updated 2015 NOAA hurricane outlook -- Forecasters at NOAA's Climate Prediction Center(CPC) issued their updated North Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook, which calls for a 90 percent chance of below-normal season for named tropical cyclones across the North Atlantic basin and a 10-percent chance of a near-normal season. Specifically, the outlook calls for a 70-percent chance that the basin could experience six to ten named tropical cyclones (hurricanes and tropical storms with sustained surface winds of at least 39 mph). The forecasters also foresee that one to four tropical cyclones could become hurricanes (maximum sustained winds of 74 mph or higher). Perhaps none or only one of these hurricanes could become a major hurricane (Category 3 hurricanes or greater on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Intensity Scale). (For reference, the 30-year seasonal averages for the North Atlantic basin include 12 named storms, six hurricanes and three major hurricanes.)
The forecasters claim that the reduced tropical cyclone activity across the Atlantic basin is due to the presence of an enhanced El Niño event that should continue through the hurricane season. In addition, near average sea surface temperatures found across the tropical Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea should limit hurricane activity and strong vertical wind shear has developed that would weaken storm development. This was the highest confidence given by NOAA to any hurricane outlook since they began in 1998. [NOAA News]

Dead Zone returns -- Scientists exploring the "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico found that the area of low dissolved oxygen deep water is larger than average and larger than expected earlier in the summer. The area, approximately that of Connecticut and Rhode Island combined was about 6,474 square miles. The greater-than-expected expanse was due to heavy late summer rains in the Mississippi Rover basin. [NOAA News]
Lake Erie is going green -- Runoff, thanks to heavy June and July rains, is feeding a developing algal bloom in western Lake Erie. The algae produce toxins that cause skin problems to recreational swimmers and boaters and threaten drinking water supplies. The bloom could be the second greatest on record. [Wash. Post Capital Weather Gang]
Navy sonar regulations to protect marine mammals -- NOAA Fisheries issued new regulations for sonar use by the Navy in the Mariana Islands to minimize potential harm to marine mammals during training exercises. [NOAA Fisheries 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] Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Historical Events:

10 August 1519...Five ships under the command of the Portuguese explorer, Ferdinand Magellan, set sail from the Spanish seaport Seville to Sanclucar be Barrameda, staying there until 21 September, when they departed to circumnavigate the globe. This expedition traveled westward and ultimately returned to Europe in September 1522. (Wikipedia)
10 August 1675...King Charles II laid the foundation stone of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich. (Today in Science History)
10-11 August 1831...A violent hurricane devastated Barbados. Death toll was estimated to be from 1500 to 2500 people. (The Weather Doctor)
10 August 1856...The Isle Derniere (Last Island) disaster occurred off the coast of Louisiana. A storm tide drowned 140 vacationers as a five-foot wave swept over Low Island during a hurricane. (The Weather Channel) The hurricane completely devastated the fashionable hotel and pleasure resort on Last Island, 150 miles east of Cameron. Storm surge swept an estimated 400 people to their death. Today the island is just a haven for pelicans and other sea birds. (Intellicast)
10 August 1954...A ground-breaking ceremony was held at Massena, NY for the St. Lawrence Seaway. (Wikipedia)
10 August 1971...President Nixon signed the Federal Boat Safety Act of 1971 considered to be most significant legislation in the long history of federal action in this field. The new act, which repealed most of the Federal Boating Act of 1958 and amended the Motorboat Act of 1940, shifted responsibility from boat operator to manufacturer. (USCG Historian's Office)
10 August 1980...Hurricane Allen came ashore north of Brownsville, TX dropping fifteen inches of rain near San Antonio, and up to 20 inches in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, ending a summer long drought. Winds at Port Mansfield gusted to 140 mph with a storm surge of 12 feet. Tidal flooding occurred along the South Texas coast. Hurricane Allen packed winds to 150 mph, and also spawned twenty-nine tornadoes. Total damage from the storm was estimated at 750 million dollars. (David Ludlum) (Intellicast)
10 August 1993...Three ships -- the barge Bouchard B155, the freighter Balsa 37, and the barge Ocean 255 -- collided in Florida's Tampa Bay. The Bouchard spilled an estimated 336,000 gallons of No. 6 fuel oil into Tampa Bay. (InfoPlease)
11 August 1909...The liner S.S. Arapahoe was the first ship to use the S.O.S. radio distress call. Its wireless operator, T. D. Haubner, radioed for help after a propeller shaft snapped while off the coast at Cape Hatteras, NC. The call was heard by the United Wireless station "HA" at Hatteras. A few months later, Haubner on the S.S. Arapahoe received an SOS from the SS Iroquois, the second use of SOS in America. Previously, the distress code CQD had been in use as a maritime distress call, standardized by the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Co. in 1904. The second International Radio Telegraphic Convention (1906) proposed the alternative SOS for its distinctive sound, which was ratified as an international standard in 1908. (Today in Science History)
11 August 1940...A major hurricane struck Savannah, GA and Charleston, SC causing the worst inland flooding since 1607. (David Ludlum)
11 August 1988...Moisture from what remained of Tropical Storm Beryl resulted in torrential rains across eastern Texas. Twelve and a half inches of rain deluged Enterprise, TX, which was more than the amount received there during the previous eight months. (The National Weather Summary)
12 August 1778...A Rhode Island hurricane prevented an impending British-French sea battle, and caused extensive damage over southeast New England. (David Ludlum)
12 August 1955...During the second week of August, hurricanes Connie and Diane produced as much as 19 inches of rain in the northeastern U.S. forcing rivers from Virginia to Massachusetts into a high flood. Westfield, MA was deluged with 18.15 inches of rain in 24 hours, and at Woonsocket, RI the Blackstone River swelled from seventy feet in width to a mile and a half. Connecticut and the Delaware Valley were hardest hit. Total damage in New England was 800 million dollars, and flooding claimed 187 lives. (David Ludlum)
12 August 1958...USS Nautilus (SSN-571) arrived Portland, England after completing the first submerged under ice cruise from Pacific to Atlantic Oceans. (Naval Historical Center)
13 August 1979...Fifteen yachtsmen died and 23 boats sank or were abandoned as storm-force winds, along with high seas, raked a fleet of yachts participating in an annual race between southwestern England and Fastnet Rock off southwestern Ireland. (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
13 August 1987...Thunderstorms deluged the Central Gulf Coast States with torrential rains. Thunderstorms in Mississippi drenched Marion County with up to 15 inches of rain during the morning hours, with 12.2 inches reported at Columbia. Floodwaters swept cars away in the Lakeview subdivision of Columbia when the Lakeview Dam broke. Flash flooding caused more than three million dollars damage in Marion County. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)
13 August 2004...Hurricane Charley, a Category 4 tropical low-pressure system on the Saffir-Simpson scale, struck the Gulf Coast of southwest Florida, making landfall north of Captiva, FL. At landfall, sustained winds of 145 mph, along with an unofficial gust of 173 mph on a medical building tower in Punta Gorda near Fort Myers. The greatest destruction occurring at Punta Gorda. Fifteen fatalities were directly attributed to the hurricane, with another 20 indirect deaths. Damage estimates were approximately $14 billion. A gust of 104 mph hit Arcadia, where a storm shelter with 1200 people inside lost a wall and part of a roof. (Wikipedia) (Accord's Weather Guide Calendar)
15 August 1281...The Divine Wind, the Kamikaze, struck down the Chinese fleet attempting an invasion of Japan at Kyushu. This wind was likely due to a typhoon crossing the Sea of Japan. (The Weather Doctor)
15 August 1914...The Panama Canal was officially opened to traffic as the American ship SS Ancon completed its first transit of the canal, sailing from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. (Wikipedia)
15 August 1934...After a series of earlier dives since June 1930, each progressively deeper, American zoologist William Beebe and Otis Barton made their pioneering, record-breaking ocean descent of 3028 feet in a bathysphere designed by Barton, withstanding over 1360 pounds of pressure. (Today in Science History)
15 August 1971...Hurricane Beth soaked Nova Scotia with up to 12 inches of rain. The deluge caused considerable crop damage and swamped highways and bridges, temporarily isolating communities on the eastern mainland of Nova Scotia. (The Weather Doctor)
16 August 1858...U.S. President James Buchanan inaugurated the new transatlantic telegraph cable by exchanging greetings with Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. However, a weak signal would force a shutdown of the service in a few weeks. (Wikipedia)