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Tag: NOAA

  • Gulf of Mexico ‘Dead Zone’ the Size of Connecticut

    Oceanic researchers revealed that a man-made “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico has bloomed to roughly the size of the state of Connecticut.

    According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), dead zones are hypoxic areas in large bodies of water, caused by “excessive nutrient pollution from human activities coupled with other factors that deplete the oxygen required to support most marine life in bottom and near-bottom water.”

    The Gulf dead zone, which occurs annually at springtime, is roughly 5,000 square miles in size at present, and is the second largest in the world, behind the zone in the Baltic Sea around Finland. Though, the oxygen-depleted area fluctuates in diameter. In 2002, the zone comprised 8,400 square miles, and in 1988 it was only 15 square miles.

    Louisiana State University researchers discuss the dead zone in the Gulf:

    Gene Turner, a researcher at LSU’s Coastal Ecology Institute, explains that the main cause of the annual dead zone is excess nutrient runoff from farms along the Mississippi River.

    The nutrients in the farm waste feed algae growth, which consumes oxygen as it works its way to the bottom of the Gulf. “It’s a poster child for how we are using and abusing our natural resources,” Turner commented.

    Here is an NOAA clip concerning the Gulf dead zone:

    According to a report by Turner and research associate Nancy Rabalais, there are roughly 550 dead zones worldwide at present, and the number has been increasing for decades. The Gulf dead zone began to form in the 1970s, as an increase in agriculture lead to an increase in pollution. The zone has been steadily growing since, though Turner remarked that “floods, droughts, storms and other factors affect the volume of nutrients flowing into the Gulf and account for year-over-year fluctuations.”

    Rabalais added, “It seems to have leveled out in size, but it could get worse.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • El Niño 2014 Might Become a Repeat of 1997

    El Niño 2014 Might Become a Repeat of 1997

    NASA satellite imaging of the Pacific Ocean has revealed data that resembles the conditions which fostered the record-breaking El Niño year of 1997.

    El Niño, which is Spanish for “the boy,” with the capitalized version meaning “Christ Child,” is a system of abnormally high seawater temperatures that develops off the Pacific coast of South America, leading to extreme weather across the Pacific Ocean.

    The NASA/French Space Agency Jason-2 satellite scans the world’s oceans every ten days, measuring changes in sea surface height, along with heat levels in the upper layers of the water. Lately, Jason-2 has presented data from the Pacific that looks a lot like it did in 1997.

    Here is a documentary which describes how researchers attempt to predict El Niño patterns:

    Jason-2 has been detecting a series of Kelvin waves, which are large ripples at sea level that travel across the Pacific from Australia to South America. Kelvin waves are good indicators of El Niño, and both phenomena are linked by wind. Trade winds in the Pacific blow from east to west, which push sun-warmed surface waters toward Indonesia. As a result, the sea level around Indonesia is typically 45 centimeters higher than it is near Ecuador. This area is called the warm pool, and is the largest reservoir of warm water on earth.

    Bill Patzert, a climatologist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, commented that “a pattern of sea surface heights and temperatures has formed that reminds me of the way the Pacific looked in the spring of 1997. That turned out to precursor to a big El Niño.”

    Mike McPhaden of NOAA’s Pacific Environmental Research Laboratories in Seattle added, “We can’t yet say for sure that an El Niño will develop in 2014, or how big it might be, but the Jason-2 data support the El Niño Watch issued last month by NOAA.”

    The NOAA and NASA are meticulously monitoring the Pacific trade winds. It will become much more clear in the coming few months whether these recent developments are the forerunner of a major El Niño, or any El Niño at all.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Goblin Shark Netted Off Florida Keys

    According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Service, a commercial shrimping trawler netted an extremely rare goblin shark off of the Florida Keys on Wednesday, the second specimen ever to be recorded in the Gulf of Mexico. The fish was roughly 18 feet long, and leisurely swam away after being released. The first goblin shark sighting in the region occurred nearly 15 years ago when commercial fisherman captured one in 2000.

    The pink-skinned, prehistoric-looking goblin shark is a deep-water, poorly understood species, and is the only living representative of the family Mitsukurinidae, an ancient lineage some 125 million years old.

    The goblin shark possesses a distinctive, flattened snout, and highly protrusible jaws which feature nail-like teeth. The sharks inhabit upper continental slopes, submarine canyons and seamounts worldwide, at depths greater than 300 feet, with adults swimming deeper than juveniles.

    Below is a clip of a goblin shark attack:

    The goblin shark has been recorded in all three major oceans, and has many names, for such a rare fish – it is referred to as an elfin shark (English ), hiisihai (Finnish), Japanese neushaai (Dutch), Japanischer nasenhai (German), kabouterhaai (Dutch and Afrikaans), karsahai (Finnish), Koboldhaai ( Dutch), koboldhai (German), lensuháfur (Icelandic), mitsukurizame ( Japanese), naesehaj (Danish), Nasenhai (German), näshaj (Swedish), nesehai (Norwegian), neushaai (Dutch), requin lutin (French), schoffelneushaai (Dutch), squalo folletto (Dutch), squalo goblin ( Italian), teguzame (Japanese), teppichhai (German), tiburón duende (Spanish), trollhaj (Swedish), tubarão-demónio (Portuguese), tubarão-gnomo (Portuguese), zoozame (Japanese) and žralok škriatok (Czech).

    Though observations of goblin sharks existing in the wild are limited, it is suggested that the animal leads a sluggish lifestyle, mostly feeding on rattail fish and dragonfishes. It also consumes cephalopods and crustaceans, including decapods and isopods. Garbage has been found in the stomachs of some specimens.

    The NOAA points out that biologists encourage anyone who comes across a goblin shark to report these rare sightings and catches, as the information that can be collected is integral to forming a better knowledge of the species.

    Image via YouTube

  • 1888 Shipwreck Found in San Francisco Bay

    The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released images Wednesday of the wreckage of a ship that sank in San Francisco Bay in 1888, which killed 16 people. The iron and wood steamship called City of Chester went down on August 22, after being hit by a larger ship named the Oceanic, in conditions of dense fog and low visibility.

    City of Chester was carrying 106 travelers en route to Eureka, California and Portland, Oregon. Thirteen passengers and three crewmen perished when the ship sank.

    The NOAA inadvertently discovered the wreckage while mapping shipping lanes in the bay, and City of Chester was located 217 feet down, just inside the Golden Gate Bridge. The NOAA team utilized a multi-beam sonic imaging system to capture three-dimensional images of the wreckage.

    James Delgado, an NOAA shipwreck researcher, archaeologist and Titanic expert, combed through San Francisco newspapers from the era when City of Chester went down, which leaned toward putting the blame on the relatively unscathed Oceanic, which was an immigrant vessel. “The papers initially reacted, talking about the tragedy and accusations that the Chinese crew stood by and let people drown,” Delgado said. “But what happens is you start to see things also come out countering that. Some leapt in water to save a drowning child.” The initial investigation faulted the skipper of the City of Chester.

    Robert Schwemmer, NOAA’s West Coast regional maritime heritage coordinator added, “The Oceanic crew was up on the bow reaching down to survivors on the Chester, lifting them on the deck. After the collision, in five or six minutes, the Oceanic crew went on to save a lot of people.”

    In 1888, San Francisco Bay was one of the world’s busiest and most crucial shipping ports. The City of Chester sinking was the second worst maritime disaster regarding casualties San Francisco Bay had ever seen. The most catastrophic occurred when a steamer called the SS City of Rio de Janeiro hit a reef in 1901, killing over 120.

    Image via NOAA

  • Tsunami May Have Hit Jersey This Month

    According to the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center, a weather event witnessed in New Jersey earlier this month may very well have been a tsunami. This would be a rare event for the east coast of the United States.

    Tsunami-like waves were observed along the US east coast during the afternoon of June 13, 2013. NOAA has stated that the derecho weather system that blew through earlier this month likely played a part in the strange wave activity. The weather system moved from west to east over the New Jersey shore just before the suspected tsunami. But they also said that it is possible that the slumping at the continental shelf east of New Jersey played a role.

    Most people think of tsunamis as resulting from earthquakes, rather than a simple storm surge, and that is usually the case. But one eye-witness accounting reported in to the Administration told the tale of this tsunami-like event, and has left many officials scratching their heads.

    Around 3:30 p.m. on Thursday June 13, 2013, a man named Brian Coen was spear fishing near the mouth of Barnegat Inlet. Earlier in the day around noon, thunderstorms had moved through the area. By 3:30 p.m. the weather was overcast with a light east wind. At approximately 3:30, the outgoing tide was amplified by strong currents which carried divers over the submerged breakwater (normally 3-4 feet deep). This strong outrush continued for 1-2 minutes and eventually the rocks in the submerged breakwater were exposed. Coen backed his boat out before being sucked over as well.

    At this point, Coen noticed a large wave coming in, approximately 6 feet peak-to-trough and spanning across the inlet. The upper 2 feet of the wave was breaking. This wave occurred in conjunction with a reversal of the current so that, even though the tide was going out, a strong surge was entering the inlet. This surge carried the divers back over the submerged reef and into the inlet from where they were picked up. On the south jetty three people were swept off the rocks which were 5 to 6 feet above sea level at the time. At least two were injured requiring medical treatment. There was no more strong activity after about 5 minutes.

    One particular feature of tsunamis is that of a strong outgoing current followed by a strong reversal and surge inland. In this instance, a strong current of about 8 miles per hour hit an area that usually only sees 1 mile per hour currents.That was enough for officials to determine that it was not simply a storm surge, common after a storm blows through on the coast. That kind of wave activity is sought after by surfers. This surge exposed rocks that normally are never seen, even in low tide, then rushed back in past them again.

    Researchers are exploring whether there may have been a landslide on the ocean floor off the coast, which may explain the wave event and classify it as an official tsunami. Another possibility is that it was an event known as a meteotsunami, a tsunami caused solely by weather. Boats with sonar equipment will be checking the area for ocean floor changes to help solve the mystery.

  • Hawaii: 5.3 Earthquake Hits Just Off Big Island

    A 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit near Hawaii’s Big Island this week. The rumble occurred at around 2 pm local time, and hit just 34 miles off the southeastern coast of Pahala, Hawaii.

    According to the U.S. Geological Survey, residents throughout the Big Island reported feeling light to moderate shaking during the quake, and even some residents on Maui reported feeling some shaking. Though homes near the epicenter were well-shaken, there have been no reports of injury or major property damage.

    The earthquake occurred at a depth of 25 miles. According to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, no tsunami is expected to result from the quake.

    This Hawaiian earthquake comes during a significant year for earthquake activity. Just two weeks ago, a massive 8.2 earthquake hit just off the coast of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula. Before that, a 7.2 earthquake had hit northern Japanese islands in mid-April.

  • Hurricane Strength Forecasts Improved by NASA Study

    A new NASA study shows that hurricane forecasters may soon be able to better predict hurricane and tropical storm strength by analyzing their relative-humidity levels.

    The study, published recently in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, looked at relative humidity data from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument on NASA’s Aqua spacecraft. Data from close to 200 North Atlantic hurricanes between 2002 and 2010 were analyzed and compared to all the other data available from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Hurricane Center.

    Researchers found that hurricanes that rapidly intensified also tended to have higher relative-humidity levels than storms that weakened or stayed the same. In other words, rapidly intensifying hurricanes tend to have a more moist large-scale environment.

    “Our results show relative humidity and its variations within a hurricane’s large-scale environment may be useful predictors in improving intensity forecast models,” said Longtao Wu, lead author of the study and a reasearcher at the University of California Los Angeles-Jet Propulsion Labratory Joint Institute for Regional Earth System Science and Engineering. “This is the first satellite analysis to quantify this small but statistically significant correlation.”

    Since the early 90s, forecasts of hurricane paths have gotten progressively better. Forecasts of hurricane strength, however, have not improved nearly as much. This is due to the fact that hurricane intensity is sensitive to a variety of factors within the storm and its environment. In general, relative humidity decreases the further from the storm’s center it is measured.

    “We speculate that decreasing relative humidity levels farther from a storm’s center may be an important factor in a cyclone’s rapid intensification,” said Hui Su, study co-author. “A drier environment farther from a storm’s center limits the development of its outer rain bands and favors the growth of its inner core. Conversely, a wet environment farther from a storm’s center can weaken a cyclone by making it easier for rain bands to form outside the storm’s core, which compete with the inner core’s growth.”

    (Image courtesy NASA GSFC/LANCE MODIS Rapid Response Team)

  • Your Bitching Was Justified: July Was Officially the Hottest Month on Record

    If your experience was similar to mine, your Facebook news feeds and Twitter streams during July were inundated with posts complaining about the friggin’ heat. It wasn’t just my friends, as I’m guilty as anyone else. I’m usually a pansy when it comes to heat, but this summer has taken things to a new, hellacious level.

    And now, there’s scientific evidence to back up everyone’s excessive whining. July 2012 was officially the hottest month on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

    The average temperature for the contiguous United States last month was 77.6°F, a full .2° hotter than any month since they started keeping records back in 1895. Not only that, but it was 3.3° hotter than the average for the entire 20th century.

    Only the state of Virginia had it’s warmest July on record, but when you factor in the entire contiguous United States, well, it was pretty toasty:

    Higher-than-average temperatures engulfed much of the contiguous U.S. during July, with the largest temperature departures from the 20th century average occurring across most of the Plains, the Midwest, and along the Eastern Seaboard. Virginia had its warmest July on record, with a statewide temperature 4.0°F above average. In total, 32 states had July temperatures among its ten warmest, with seven states having their second warmest July on record.

    Just look at the map, that’s a lot of orange:

    (image)

    Not only was July the warmest month on record, but we’re living amid the hottest 12-month period and the hottest start of any calendar year since 1895.

    So go home, crank the AC, and have a cold beer. You’ve earned it, America.

    [via Ars Technica]

  • Severe Weather Alerts To Be Sent Via Text Soon

    Severe Weather Alerts To Be Sent Via Text Soon

    A little over a week ago we brought you news that the iOS 6 beta included the option to turn certain kinds of government issued alerts on and off. There were two basic kinds of alerts that you could receive: AMBER Alerts, and more generalized emergency alerts (which presumably include things like severe weather). Of course, not all phones – not even all smartphones – have this kind of option. In fact, most don’t. While there are weather apps for most smartphones that will perform a similar function, they don’t always work as advertised.

    With that in mind, the National Weather Service has struck a deal with all four major carriers to begin bringing severe weather alerts to smartphones using SMS messages. According to Yahoo!News, the alerts will be less than 90 characters long, and will be completely free. All customers on each of the carriers will be signed up automatically, though you have the option to opt out if you want (why would you want to?).

    Each of the four largest carriers in the country – AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon – are participating in the program. Three of the four currently offer the service everywhere, while AT&T only has it in Washington, D.C., Portland, Oregon, and New York City. Most smartphones on the carriers’ networks will be able to receive the alerts, though iPhone users will have to wait until the fall – presumably for the release of iOS 6, or possibly the new iPhone.

    Considering how many fewer people listen to live radio or watch live, local TV these days, it’s getting harder and harder for the NWS and other agencies to disseminate emergency information quickly. Programs like this will allow people to get emergency information over channels that were previously unavailable.

  • NOAA To Start Using Google Apps For Government

    NOAA To Start Using Google Apps For Government

    In what is a pretty significant endorsement of Google’s wares, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has switched over to Google Apps for Government and thus become the largest government agency in the United States to adopt cloud-based email service.

    The announcement was made yesterday in the Official Google Enterprise Blog. As explained by Kennith Jackson, the Deployment manager for Google Apps, NOAA was drawn towards Google’s product because, as you may assume, many of NOAA’s agents don’t exactly work inside office cubicles (kinda hard to figure out what’s going on out there in the seas and airspace when you’re stuck behind a desk, yeah?) and need to be able to reliably access “work information on mobile devices,” which Google knows a thing or two about. As Jackson explained:

    The speed and ease of [NOAA] moving to Google Apps was an important factor in the agency’s decision to select Google. Moving 25,000 people to a new system is no small task. To move a group this size to a unified email platform in just six months is a remarkable achievement.

    The rapid deployment resulted from a well-coordinated effort by NOAA employees, prime contractor ERT Inc., and Google partners Unisys and Tempus Nova. NOAA issued a request for proposals in January 2011 and made the award to ERT in June. The team put in place an aggressive schedule to have the system implemented by December and delivered on the plan. NOAA staff now have a set of modern tools like instant messaging, video chat, and real-time, multi-user document collaboration to help the people of NOAA work together more effectively. What’s more, NOAA estimates the cost to the taxpayer is approximately 50% less than developing a solution in-house.

    It remains to be seen if other government agencies of any level will follow the lead of NOAA as the year stretches on. It’s kinda hard not to expect that at least a few more will jump aboard given NOAA’s adoption of Google Apps is a pretty stellar testimonial to what Google has to offer.

  • Hurricane Irene: She Makes Great Internet Content

    Hurricane Irene is not only growing in size as a storm–potential Category 4 by the time it hits the United States, something that’s sure to make the countries that have already dealt with Irene feel better–she’s also a big hit for people in the U.S. who like to talk about popular items on Twitter.

    One can only imagine what it will be like if Irene is a Cat 4 when she hits the east coast of the United States. The lead image–thanks, NASA–is an indicator of her size as of yesterday. If she’s as severe as some are speculating, the Twitter output could rival the Women’s World Cup, provided Irene doesn’t crush the communications infrastructure on the eastern seaboard.

    If nothing else, such output will allow for some pretty amazing videos from Twitter once the dust settles, or, in Irene’s case, the water resides.

    This is not to belittle the threat towards more than just human life such a potentially powerful storm represents, either. This is strictly from an Internet use angle, specifically Twitter, which has proved quite valuable during times of natural disasters. While the U.S. Twitter crowd awaits her arrival, they are certainly willing to talk about it. The results are about what you’d imagine:

    @_Snape_
    Professor Snape    Hurricane Irene, Will and Jada splitting, and now a 5.8 earthquake in DC. Somebody call the Aurors, something wicked is in the US. 1 hour ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    Retweeted over 100 times, too.

    @CBSNews
    CBS News    Hurricane Irene could hit US as a monster, affecting entire Eastern Seaboard; Now Cat 2, could build to Category 4 http://t.co/ok4jQHl 56 minutes ago via Seesmic twhirl · powered by @socialditto

    Some are excited, however:

    @msblueeyes1122
    Staci LeAnn Pierce    so .. me and @Marie_Carroll are going roadtrippin’ to NC thursday & apparently Hurricane Irene is on her way… hurricane party? ithinkso 3 minutes ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    @SamBlackmer
    Samantha Blackmer    Already hoping for no school next week because of hurricane Irene. 6 minutes ago via Echofon · powered by @socialditto

    And then there’s this:

    @DC_Earthquake
    DC Earthquake    Anyone know if Hurricane Irene is single? 31 minutes ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    And no, that DC Earthquake account isn’t a trick, either. It was started about an hour ago and already has over 500 followers. You have to love the Internet.

    Aside from the Twitter reaction, YouTube has some awesome videos as well, and these have a little bit more meat on them than the average Twitter post:


    The NASA/NOAA (National Hurricane Center) GOES Project has some incredible content as well, including high-resolution images and movies of both the east and west coast, although, with all the Irene activity, the east coast is where all the action is.

    As fearsome as these natural events are, they are still amazing to look at, especially from the safe distance an Internet connection provides.

  • NOAA Launches Website To Track Gulf Oil Spill

    The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has launched a website with near-real-time information about the response to the Deepwater Horizon BP oil spill.

    The site, GeoPlatform.gov features data on the oil spill’s path, fishery closed areas, wildlife and place-based Gulf Coast resources such as pinpointed locations of oiled shoreline and daily positions of research ships, into one customizable interactive map powered by Google.

    GeoPlatform

    The launch of GeoPlatform.gov is aimed at providing communication and coordination among a variety of users, including federal, state and local responders to local community leaders and the public.

    "This Web site provides users with an expansive, yet detailed geographic picture of what’s going on with the spill; Gulf Coast fisherman, recreational boaters, beach users and birders will be able to become more informed," said Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator.

    "It’s a common operational picture that allows the American people to see how their government is responding to the crisis."

    GeoPlatform.gov was developed through a joint partnership between NOAA and the University of New Hampshire’s Coastal Response Research Center.

    Beyond NOAA data, the site includes data from Homeland Security, the Coast Guard, the Fish and Wildlife Service, EPA, NASA , U.S. Geological Survey and the Gulf states.