Passage Of Storm Research Articles

RESPONSE OF BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS TO GEOMAGNETIC STORMS

At present, influence of weak magnetic fields associated with solar and geomagnetic activity on biological systems is gaining more interest. Taking into account the accumulated data on the influence of geomagnetic storms on different biological levels, it is obvious that the mechanism of influence is universal. One of the approaches in this search may be the study of patterns and differences in the response to geomagnetic storms of various biological objects. As a research material served: data on the number of ambulance calls in the city of Irkutsk for acute myocardial infarction, cerebral infarction; results of retrospective analysis of the number of spontaneous parturition of the city of Irkutsk; data on the motion activity of fruit fly Drosophyla melanogaster, obtained by automated monitoring. The investigated indicators were compared with the parameters of geomagnetic activity at different time scales. As indicators of geomagnetic storms, three-hour (ap) and daily (Ap) equal to the average amplitude of variation of the geomagnetic field of the Earth. In the case of comparing the motion activity of fruit flies with magnetic storms, the local companions of the Earth’s magnetic field were additionally considered according to the data of the Irkutsk magnetic observatory. As a result of the conducted studies it was established that the detected response of biological systems depends on the characteristics of the state of the Earth’s magnetic field, which falls on the period of passage of magnetic storms. The obtained data also indicate possible gender differences in the response to the effects of the geomagnetic factor by organisms of different levels.

Impact of tropical cyclone Vardah on the fish chorus in shallow waters of Southwest Bay of Bengal

Time series data of ocean ambient noise measurements during the passage of tropical cyclone Vardah in December 2016 are used to analyse the impact on fish chorusing behavior in the shallow waters of Southwest Bay of Bengal. A curve-fitting technique is applied to the time series data to study the fish chorus prior to, during and after the passage of the cyclonic storm. The multifitted components indicate the presence of fish chorus prior to and after the passage of the cyclonic storm. However, the fish chorus is absent during the day of the passage of cyclone and recurs after the cyclone. The study provides a unique dataset that reveals on the acoustic energy associated with the passage of the tropical cyclone and its impact on fish chorus, and illustrates that the passive acoustic technique is the most suitable method for biological measurements with respect to natural episodic events.

Estimated Time of Restoration (ETR) Guidance for Electric Distribution Networks

Abstract Electric distribution utilities have an obligation to inform the public and government regulators about when they expect to complete service restoration after a major storm. In this study, we explore methods for calculating the estimated time of restoration (ETR) from weather impacts, defined as the time it will take for 99.5% of customers to be restored. Actual data from Storm Irene (2011), the October Nor’easter (2011) and Hurricane Sandy (2012) within the Eversource Energy-Connecticut service territory were used to calibrate and test the methods; data used included predicted outages, the peak number of customers affected, a ratio of how many outages a restoration crew can repair per day, and the count of crews working per day. Data known before a storm strikes (such as predicted outages and available crews) can be used to calculate ETR and support pre-storm allocation of crews and resources, while data available immediately after the storm passes (such as customers affected) can be used as motivation for securing or releasing crews to complete the restoration in a timely manner. Used together, the methods presented in this paper will help utilities provide a reasonable, data-driven ETR without relying solely on qualitative past experiences or instinct.

Investigating Rainstorm Disturbance on Suspended Substance in Coastal Coral Reef Water Based on MODIS Imagery and Field Measurements

From July 11-12, 2009, the tropical storm Soudeler swept the study area with a Level 8 wind and disturbed the suspended substance in this coastal area, which may have caused some fatal impact on the health condition of coral reef in Xuwen coral reef coast located in Leizhou Peninsula of South China. In order to evaluate the impact of extreme weather on coral reef, this study applied and validated a TSS model to map the TSS variation based on red and infrared spectral bands of MODIS data through one before-storm and two after-storm images after applying the atmospheric correction of in-water linear regression analysis. By mapping and comparing the changes of TSS values before- and after- tropical storm, this study found substantial increases of TSS concentrations as a mean value of 47.8 mg/L (~3.6 times of mean TSS value before rainstorm) in the area during the passage of tropical storm compared to those under no-storm condition. Besides, the TSS returned back to even lower values five days after the passage of tropical storm as a mean value of 3.6mg/L (~one quarter of mean TSS value (13.4 mg/L) before rainstorm). The conclusion was made that the TSS concentration in estuary and coastal areas under local rainstorm tends to return to a normal level faster (approximately 2.5 days) than under a hurricane [1] or tropical storm as discovered in this study (approximately 5 days). Compared to the less frequent and non-synoptic in-situ field sampling approach, the synoptic and frequent sampling facilitated by frequent remote sensing imagery of MODIS provides an improved assessment of TSS concentration and two-dimensional distribution patterns and is recommended to be used as a valuable tool for frequently monitoring coral reef water quality in coastal water bodies of China and other areas in the world if applicable.

Vulnerabilidad de las costas de Galicia a los temporales marinos en el contexto del cambio global

La costa de Galicia tiene más de 2.100 km de longitud. Se caracteriza por el encadenamiento de sectores de costa rocosa y arenosa y se halla situada en un contexto de alta energía, sometida al paso de borrascas y temporales marinos. Por ello, en el contexto del cambio global en el que nos encontramos, es fundamental conocer las dinámicas que interactúan en ella para identificar los sectores más vulnerables en el presente y prevenir posibles consecuencias negativas en el futuro. Este estudio analiza la su vulnerabilidad centrándose en las variables físicas que afectan a los primeros 100 m de la fachada marítima: pendiente, altitud, orientación, tipo de costa, litología, cambio en el nivel del mar, altura media de ola y distancia a la línea batimétrica de los 20 m.El uso de herramientas SIG ha permitido generar un índice de vulnerabilidad costera (CVI) con valores entre 1 y 5, de menor a mayor vulnerabilidad que muestra que el 4,52% de la fachada costera presenta valores de alta o muy alta vulnerabilidad, asociada principalmente a los arenales, mientras que el resto de la costa 57,96%, mayoritariamente costa rocosa, presenta unos valores de baja vulnerabilidad.

Extreme Wave Height Events in NW Spain: A Combined Multi-Sensor and Model Approach

The Galician coast (NW Spain) is a region that is strongly influenced by the presence of low pressure systems in the mid-Atlantic Ocean and the periodic passage of storms that give rise to severe sea states. Since its wave climate is one of the most energetic in Europe, the objectives of this paper were twofold. The first objective was to characterize the most extreme wave height events in Galicia over the wintertime of a two-year period (2015–2016) by using reliable high-frequency radar wave parameters in concert with predictions from a regional wave (WAV) forecasting system running operationally in the Iberia-Biscay-Ireland (IBI) area, denominatedIBI-WAV. The second objective was to showcase the application of satellite wave altimetry (in particular, remote-sensed three-hourly wave height estimations) for the daily skill assessment of the IBI-WAV model product. Special attention was focused on monitoring Ophelia—one of the major hurricanes on record in the easternmost Atlantic—during its 3-day track over Ireland and the UK (15–17 October 2017). Overall, the results reveal the significant accuracy of IBI-WAV forecasts and prove that a combined observational and modeling approach can provide a comprehensive characterization of severe wave conditions in coastal areas and shows the benefits from the complementary nature of both systems.

Mechanisms of muddy clinothem progradation on the Southwest Louisiana Chenier Plain inner shelf

In both modern and ancient shelf settings, mud-dominated successions commonly contain complex stratigraphic geometries in which low-gradient clinothems feature prominently. Despite their ubiquity, the full range of mechanisms responsible for sediment dispersal and clinothem progradation in such settings is not well understood. Using sediment core data (210PbXS, 137Cs, grain size, porosity, X-radiography) and shallow seismic observations, this study examines the mechanisms of across-shelf sediment transport and clinothem progradation on the muddy Southwest Louisiana Atchafalaya Chenier Plain inner shelf. Observations indicate that rapid transfer of organic matter-rich sediment to the outer topsets and clinothem rollover occurs mainly via hydrodynamic fluid-mud processes during times of high wave-current bed shear stress (e.g., during the passage of storms). Rapid sedimentation, wave perturbation, and the development of biogenic methane within the shallow seabed result in the generation of large internal pore water pressures such that the clinothem rollover and foreset sediments are inherently in a condition of incipient failure. Subsequent basinward sediment transfer to the foresets occurs largely in association with low-gradient (<0.02°) mass-failure events, evidenced by widespread scarping and mudflows on the seabed. These represent an important and as yet unattributed mechanism for clinothem progradation in the study area and are likely to drive basinward sediment transport in other muddy shelf clinothem systems, both modern and ancient.

Ionospheric irregularities in periods of meteorological disturbances

The results of observations of the total electron content (TEC) in periods of storm disturbances of meteorological situation are presented in the paper. The observational results have shown that a passage of a meteorological storm is accompanied by a substantial decrease in values of TEC and critical frequencies of the ionospheric F2 region. The decreases in values of these ionospheric parameters reach 50% and up to 30% in TEC and critical frequency of the F2 layer, respectively, as compared to meteorologically quiet days. Based on qualitative analysis, it is found that the processes related to formation of local regions of thermospheric heating due to a dissipation of AGW coming into the upper atmosphere from the region of the meteorological disturbance in the lower atmosphere are a possible cause of these ionospheric disturbances.

Haboobs, dust spouts and Lawrence of Arabia

In 1917, T. E. Lawrence recorded his experience of the passage of a dust storm, or haboob, while travelling in Hejaz in Arabia. The account was published that year in The Arab Bulletin, an intelligence journal. The description of this encounter is vivid, and it is sufficiently detailed that it allows comparison with more recent scientific investigations of the phenomena described. These storms are still subjects of research, which is aimed at improving representation of their weather‐ and climate‐related effects.

Regional variations in the ocean response to tropical cyclones: Ocean mixing versus low cloud suppression

AbstractTropical cyclones (TCs) tend to cool sea surface temperature (SST) via enhanced vertical mixing and evaporative fluxes. This cooling is substantially reduced in the subtropics, especially in the northeastern Pacific where the occurrence of TCs can warm the ocean surface. Here we investigate the cause of this anomalous warming by analyzing the local oceanic features and TC‐induced anomalies of SST, surface fluxes, and cloud fraction using satellite and in situ data. We find that TCs tend to suppress low clouds at the margins of the tropical ocean warm pool, enhancing shortwave radiative surface fluxes within the first week following storm passage, which, combined with spatial variations in ocean thermal structure, can produce a ~1°C near‐surface warming in the northeastern Pacific. These findings, supported by high‐resolution Earth system model simulations, point to potential connections between TCs, ocean temperature, and low cloud distributions that can influence tropical surface heat budgets.

Coral reefs in the face of ecological threats of the 21st century

To date, more than a quarter of tropical coral reefs of the World Ocean are believed to be totally destroyed. Given the present rate of reef degradation, this value may double in the nearest 30 years. For a significant part of the coastal population of the planet, the destruction of coral ecosystems implies the loss of a major food resource, natural protection from storms, and significant (if not the only) revenues from exploitation of reefs, especially in the tourist industry. Finally, the disappearance of populated low-laying coral islands may threaten the local communities by depriving them of living space. Global negative effects include temperature anomalies of the sea surface waters and an increase in CO2 concentration in the atmosphere, which leads to acidification of the World Ocean. The local negative effects include an increase in sedimentation and eutrophication, cyclone and storm passages, coral diseases, chemical pollutions, mechanical destruction of corals by humans, and anthropogenic depletion of functional groups of fish and invertebrates. The entire range of responses of coral ecosystems to these stressful factors is reviewed both at the level of separate taxa and at the level of the ecosystem in general. An analysis of literature data suggests with high probability that, in the middle of this century, more than 50% of tropical coral communities will suffer a collapse stage, especially in areas with a high human population density. According to the most optimistic scenario, the integrated effect of the reviewed negative factors will result in the survival of coral ecosystems in some areas. However, after global transformations, these ecosystems will be dominated by the most resistant taxa, mainly massive and encrusting growth forms of long-lived species with low growth rates and high competitive ability. Among such taxa, Poritidae show the highest adaptive capability. According to the most pessimistic scenario, scleractinian communities will be replaced by alternative communities of macroalgae or noncalcareous anthozoans everywhere.

Changes of loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) dive behavior associated with tropical storm passage during the inter-nesting period.

To improve conservation strategies for threatened sea turtles, more knowledge on their ecology, behavior, and how they cope with severe and changing weather conditions is needed. Satellite and animal motion datalogging tags were used to study the inter-nesting behavior of two female loggerhead turtles in the Gulf of Mexico, which regularly has hurricanes and tropical storms during nesting season. We contrast the behavioral patterns and swimming energetics of these two turtles, the first tracked in calm weather and the second tracked before, during and after a tropical storm. Turtle 1 was highly active and swam at the surface or submerged 95% of the time during the entire inter-nesting period, with a high estimated specific oxygen consumption rate (0.95 ml min-1 kg-0.83). Turtle 2 was inactive for most of the first 9 days of the inter-nesting period, during which she rested at the bottom (80% of the time) with low estimated oxygen consumption (0.62 ml min-1 kg-0.83). Midway through the inter-nesting period, turtle 2 encountered a tropical storm and became highly active (swimming 88% of the time during and 95% after the storm). Her oxygen consumption increased significantly to 0.97 ml min-1kg-0.83 during and 0.98 ml min-1kg-0.83 after the storm. However, despite the tropical storm, turtle 2 returned to the nesting beach, where she successfully re-nested 75 m from her previous nest. Thus, the tropical storm had a minor effect on this female's individual nesting success, even though the storm caused 90% loss nests at Casey Key.

The Financial Impact of Natural Disasters: Assessing the Effect of Hurricanes &amp; Tropical Storms On Stock Markets in the Caribbean

This study uses the event study methodology, corrected for the impact of thin trading, to investigate the economic and financial impact of hurricanes and tropical storms on small island developing states. The study investigates the stock market impact of all hurricanes and tropical storms to make landfall in the Bahamas, the Eastern Caribbean and Jamaica over the period January 1 2001 to June 30 2015. The results indicate that major hurricanes that make landfall in Jamaica generate stock markets losses that can be ten times greater than the widely reported losses from damage to property and infrastructure. The implication is that failure to account for capital market losses significantly understates the economic and financial impact of natural disasters. The results reinforce the vulnerability of Jamaica to natural disasters and provide another dimension to the scale of the negative impacts of climate change on small island developing states. The findings also suggest that measures to mitigate the effects of natural disasters not only minimize loss of life, property and infrastructure, but may also serve to protect the value of pensions and other investments held in the stock market. Despite a number of highly destructive storms making landfall in the Bahamas and the Eastern Caribbean, the passage of these storms had no direct impact on the Bahamas Stock Exchange or the Eastern Caribbean Stock Exchange. Therefore, investors in these two markets did not suffer any losses that could be directly traced to the passage of hurricanes and tropical storms. However, this finding should be interpreted with caution as the absence of any stock market impact may be more reflective of the workings of those stock markets than the economic and financial significance of the impact of the storms.

Asymmetric oceanic response to a hurricane: Deep water observations during Hurricane Isaac

AbstractThe eye of Hurricane Isaac passed through the center of an array of six deep water water‐column current meter moorings deployed in the northern Gulf of Mexico. The trajectory of the hurricane provided for a unique opportunity to quantify differences in the full water‐column oceanic response to a hurricane to the left and right of the hurricane trajectory. Prior to the storm passage, relative vorticity on the right side of the hurricane was strongly negative, while on the left, relative vorticity was positive. This resulted in an asymmetry in the near‐inertial frequencies oceanic response at depth and horizontally. A shift in the response to a slightly larger inertial frequencies ∼1.11f was observed and verified by theory. Additionally, the storm passage coincided with an asymmetric change in relative vorticity in the upper 1000 m, which persisted for ∼15 inertial periods. Vertical propagation of inertial energy was estimated at 29 m/d, while horizontal propagation at this frequency was approximately 5.7 km/d. Wavelet analysis showed two distinct subinertial responses, one with a period of 2–5 days and another with a period of 5–12 days. Analysis of the subinertial bands reveals that the spatial and temporal scales are shorter and less persistent than the near‐inertial variance. As the array is geographically located near the site of the Deep Water Horizon oil spill, the spatial and temporal scales of response have significant implications for the fate, transport, and distribution of hydrocarbons following a deep water spill event.

Evolution of submesoscale coastal frontal waves in the East China Sea based on geostationary ocean color imager observational data

AbstractOceanic frontal waves are frequently observed, but their life cycles are poorly understood because of the lack of time series data. In this study, the data of geostationary ocean color imager was used to explore the complete evolutionary process of submesoscale frontal waves off the southeast coast of China. Their evolution was analyzed in terms of both wave outline and ridge lines. The process lasted approximately 10 days as the waves propagated southward along the isobaths, accompanied by tidal oscillations. The life cycle comprised three stages: development, maturation, and decay. Scale estimation suggested that the onset of this process is caused by the collective effect of forced motion and unforced instability which is triggered by the passage of a tropical storm. The observed life cycle of frontal waves will provide an empirical basis for future theoretical investigations.

Sediment dynamics and hydrographic conditions during storm passage, Waquoit Bay, Massachusetts

The impact of storm events on the sediment dynamics of the shallow groundwater fed estuaries of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA is little understood. To address this, the objectives of this study are to assess sediment dynamics during storm passage and determine whether shallow back-barrier lagoons like Waquoit Bay have the preservation potential for a sedimentary archive of hurricanes. When setting out in this study, it was unclear whether paleotempestological methods could be applied successfully to cores collected from the landward reaches of shallow estuaries of southern New England. Water level and bottom current data using Arm-and-Float tide gauges and SeaHorse Tilt Current Meters was collected during Tropical Storm Irene (2011) and coupled with storm surge modeling projections to better elucidate storm-induced sediment transport mechanisms. Three sediment cores were collected at the head of Waquoit Bay, located 2.8km from the barrier beach. Grain size analysis of sediment cores was conducted with a laser particle size analyzer at 1cm increments in order to identify coarse grain anomalies, which can act as a storm event proxy. Bayesian statistics were applied to develop age models of two of the cores based on three Pb pollution chronomarkers and 21 continuous flow 14C AMS ages. The results yield variable sediment accumulation rates between 2mm/yr to 10mm/yr, with significantly higher rates occurring in the upper 1m of sediments. Grain size results are highly variable, and contain numerous large amplitude, short duration fluctuations suggesting that during storm passage coarse sand is deposited in the coring site. The sensitivity of the site to both tropical and extratropical storm events, uncertainties in the age model, and the multiple sediment sources and transport pathways limits the utility of using the Waquoit sediments to determine long-term hurricane frequencies. Results nonetheless provide insights into how extreme storm events impact coastal lagoons.

Effect of a moderate-size reservoir on transport of trace elements in a watershed

ABSTRACTWildman RA, Forde NA. 2016. Effect of a moderate-size reservoir on transport of trace elements in a watershed. Lake Reserve Manage. 32:353–365.We assessed the extent to which Grand Lake, Oklahoma (>30 m deep, >80 km long), retains Fe, Mn, P, As, Zn, Pb, and Cd. Filtered water samples and suspended sediment samples were collected upstream of, within, and downstream of the reservoir. We then estimated instantaneous, seasonal, elemental fluxes. In winter and spring, when storms brought high flows to the reservoir, Grand Lake modified flood water minimally. During these seasons, trace element distributions were determined by the passage of storm inflows through the reservoir. In summer, Fe, Mn, P, and As were enriched in anoxic bottom water and exported through the dam, which draws water from below the surface mixed layer. Concentrations of aqueous elements in the water column were lower following autumn overturn, perhaps due to precipitation of metal oxides and settling. Unlike Fe, Zn was retained in Grand Lake during all seasons. Concentrations of Cd and Pb in filtered samples were often below our detection limit. Logistic regression indicated that Zn predicted detectable Cd, and so Grand Lake probably sequesters Cd. Sequestration of Pb was unclear because detectable Pb was predicted by both Zn and Fe. This study shows that watershed hydrology determines the transport of trace elements through a reservoir during times of high flow but that vertical circulation and biogeochemistry dominate during summertime and autumn low flows. Understanding these mechanisms can aid reservoir managers who seek to reduce downstream loads of trace elements.

Hurricane simulation using different representations of atmosphere–ocean interaction: the case of Irene (2011)

AbstractThree approaches to represent sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in atmospheric models have been investigated using the Weather Research and Forecasting model: (1) prescribing SSTs every 6 h from reanalysis, (2) a one‐dimensional ocean mixed‐layer model and (3) a fully coupled regional ocean model. Hurricane Irene (2011) was chosen as the test case. All three options produced results comparable to observations immediately after storm passage but only options (1) and (3) captured recovery to pre‐storm conditions which suggests both are feasible approaches for long‐term simulations of tropical cyclones. Option (2) merits further investigation because of its greater computational efficiency and reduced complexity.

Characterizing storm water dispersion and dilution from small coastal streams

AbstractCharacterizing the dispersion and dilution of storm water from small coastal creeks is important for understanding the importance of land‐derived subsidies to nearby ecosystems and the management of anthropogenic pollutants. In Southern California, creek runoff is episodic, intense, and short‐lived while the plumes are buoyant, all of which make the field sampling of freshwater plumes challenging. Numerical modeling offers a viable way to characterize these systems. The dilution and dispersion of freshwater from two creeks that discharge into the Santa Barbara Channel, California is investigated using Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) simulations with a horizontal resolution of 100 m. Tight coupling is found among precipitation, hydrologic discharge, wind forcing, and submesoscale flow structures which all contribute to plume evolution. During flooding, plumes are narrow and attached to the coast, due to downwelling/onshore wind forcing and intense vorticity filaments lying parallel to the shelf. As the storm passes, the winds typically shift to offshore/upwelling favorable conditions and the plume is advected offshore which enhances its dilution. Plumes reach the bottom nearshore while they form thin layers a few meters thick offshore. Dilution field of passive tracers released with the runoff is strongly anisotropic with stronger cross‐shelf gradients than along‐shelf. Dispersion analysis of statistical moments of the passive tracer distribution results in scale‐dependent diffusivities consistent with the particle‐pair analysis of Romero et al. (). Model validation, the roles of submesoscale processes, and wind forcing on plume evolution and application to ecological issues and marine resource management are discussed.

Alongshore momentum transfer to the nearshore zone from energetic ocean waves generated by passing hurricanes

AbstractWave and current measurements from a cross‐shore array of nearshore sensors in Duck, NC, are used to elucidate the balance of alongshore momentum under energetic wave conditions with wide surf zones, generated by passing hurricanes that are close to and far from to the coast. The observations indicate that a distant storm (Hurricane Bill, 2009) with large waves has low variability in directional wave characteristics resulting in alongshore currents that are driven mainly by the changes in wave energy. A storm close to the coast (Hurricane Earl, 2010), with strong local wind stress and combined sea and swell components in wave energy spectra, has high variability in wave direction and wave period that influence wave breaking and nearshore circulation as the storm passes. During both large wave events, the horizontal current shear is strong and radiation stress gradients, bottom stress, wind stress, horizontal mixing, and cross‐shore advection contribute to alongshore momentum at different spatial locations across the nearshore region. Horizontal mixing during Hurricane Earl, estimated from rotational velocities, was particularly strong suggesting that intense eddies were generated by the high horizontal shear from opposing wind‐driven and wave‐driven currents. The results provide insight into the cross‐shore distribution of the alongshore current and the connection between flows inside and outside the surf zone during major storms, indicating that the current shear and mixing at the interface between the surf zone and shallow inner shelf is strongly dependent on the distance from the storm center to the coast.