Hawaii Weather Today » 2009

July 21-22, 2009

Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Tuesday afternoon:

Lihue, Kauai – 84
Honolulu, Oahu – 88
Kaneohe, Oahu – 83
Kahului, Maui – 86
Hilo, Hawaii – 84
Kailua-kona – 86

Air Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level – and on the highest mountains…at 5 p.m. Tuesday evening:

Port Allen, Kauai – 86F
Kapalua, Maui – 77

Haleakala Crater – 55 (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea summit – 68 (near 14,000 feet on the Big Island)

Precipitation Totals – The following numbers represent the largest precipitation totals (inches) during the last 24 hours on each of the major islands, as of Tuesday afternoon:

0.38 Mount Waialaele, Kauai
0.60 Manoa Valley, Oahu
0.21 Molokai
0.00 Lanai
0.00 Kahoolawe
0.33 Puu Kukui, Maui
0.13 Hilo airport, Big Island

Marine Winds – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map showing that high pressure systems remain active to the north of the islands Wednesday. These high pressure cells will keep the trade winds blowing into Wednesday…although gradually becoming lighter as a trough of low pressure moves across the state through Thursday.

Satellite and Radar Images: To view the cloud conditions we have here in Hawaii, please use the following satellite links, starting off with this Infrared Satellite Image of the islands to see all the clouds around the state during the day and night. This next image is one that gives close images of the islands only during the daytime hours, and is referred to as a Close-up visible image. This next image shows a larger view of the Pacific…giving perspective to the wider ranging cloud patterns in the Pacific Ocean. Finally, here’s a Looping IR satellite image, making viewable the clouds around the islands 24 hours a day. To help you keep track of where any showers may be around the islands, here’s the latest animated radar image.

Hawaii’s Mountains – Here’s a link to the live webcam on the summit of near 14,000 foot Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii. The tallest peak on the island of Maui is the Haleakala Crater, which is near 10,000 feet in elevation. These two webcams are available during the daylight hours here in the islands…and when there’s a big moon rising just after sunset for an hour or two! Plus, during the nights and early mornings you will be able to see stars, and the sunrise too…depending upon weather conditions.

Tropical Cyclone activity in the eastern and central Pacific – Here’s the latest weather information coming out of the National Hurricane Center, covering the eastern north Pacific. You can find the latest tropical cyclone information for the central north Pacific (where Hawaii is located) by clicking on this link to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center. Here’s a tracking map covering both the eastern and central Pacific Ocean. A satellite image, which shows the entire ocean area between Hawaii and the Mexican coast…can be found here.

Aloha Paragraphs

Love that warm ocean…wow that color!

The trade winds remain rather blustery Tuesday, but will gradually get lighter over the next couple of days. We still find those two near 1029 millibar high pressure systems to the northwest of the islands Tuesday evening. Forecast charts continue to show our trades tapering off considerably during the second half of this week. This will bring us into a convective weather pattern, with humid conditions prevailing into the weekend. Fortunately, these sultry conditions won’t last long, as the trade winds fill back into our Hawaiian Islands weather picture thereafter. By the way, the NWS issued small craft wind advisory has been pared back again, now covering only the area from Maui County down to the Big Island.

Look for some increase in our shower activity, starting off first on the Big Island…then further into the state over the next several days. An area of moist air is coming our way, which will start off falling along our windward sides. Eventually though, as this moisture combines with the faltering trade winds, those showers will likely shift over to the mountains during the afternoon hours. The greatest likelihood of showers will be Thursday into the weekend, generally in the leeward upcountry areas. If the trade winds return as expected late this weekend or early next week, the emphasis for showers will return to the windward sides then. If we get back into alignment with climatology next week, we should see fairly normal trade wind weather conditions returning.

As noted above, showers will be at a minimum Tuesday, and probably into at least part of Wednesday in most areas. Later Wednesday into the upcoming weekend…should be a different story, as the aforementioned surge of moisture works its way over our islands from the deeper tropics. This will prime the pump so to speak, setting the stage for a possible increase in showers over and around the mountains generally. This last part of the work week will be a muggy one, with all that moisture around, and very little wind to provide relief from the heat. The winds may even take on a southeast orientation, which could carry some volcanic haze up over some parts of the island chain.

It’s Tuesday evening here in Kihei, Maui, as I begin writing this last part of today’s narrative. As expected, Tuesday was another nice day, albeit it on the windy side here and there. Case in point, at 5pm this evening, that windy Maalaea Bay on Maui was experiencing 44 mph wind gusts! Those gusts on the high side, were in contrast to the 9 mph winds at both the Hilo and Kona airports! As I was mentioning in one of the paragraphs above, we have a large area of tropical moisture making its way towards the islands, located to the east and southeast of the Big Island. Here’s a satellite image, showing this area. I’ll have more to say about that early Wednesday morning, when I come back online with your next new weather narrative. By the way, we’ll see larger surf rolling in along our leeward beaches Wednesday, and we have high surf advisory flags up now in anticipation of those potentially dangerous breakers…be careful! ~~~ I’m just about ready to take the drive back upcountry to Kula now. I hope you have a great Tuesday night from wherever you happen to be reading from! Aloha for now…Glenn.

Interesting: Dust clouds generated by a huge dust storm in China’s Taklimakan desert in 2007 made more than one full circle around the globe in just 13 days, a Japanese study using a NASA satellite has found. When the cloud reached the Pacific Ocean the second time, it descended and deposited some of its dust into the sea, showing how a natural phenomenon can impact the environment far away.

"Asian dust is usually deposited near the Yellow Sea, around the Japan area, while Sahara dust ends up around the Atlantic Ocean and coast of Africa," said Itsushi Uno of Kyushu University’s Research Institute for Applied Mechanics. "But this study shows that China dust can be deposited into the (Pacific Ocean)," he told Reuters by telephone.

"Dust clouds contain 5 percent iron that is important for the ocean." In a paper published in Nature Geoscience, scientists described how they used a NASA satellite and mathematical modeling to track and measure the movement of the dust cloud, which formed after the dust storm on May 8-9 in 2007. The desert is in the Chinese northwestern region of Xinjiang.

The researchers, led by Uno, found that the dust clouds were lifted 8-10 km (5-6 miles) above the earth’s surface, and transported more than one full circle around the earth. "The most important achievement is that we tracked this through one full circuit round the globe, nobody has done this before.

After half a circuit, usually the dust concentration gets very low and you can’t track it," Uno told Reuters. "This means that dust concentration, dust lifetime is very long, more than two weeks." The dust cloud measured about 3 km (1.9 miles) vertically and up to 2,000 km horizontally and it stayed that way even after one full trip around the globe.

"The reason why the cloud structure was very well maintained was because the dust was uplifted … where the atmosphere is very stable," Uno said. Researchers believe dust particles trigger the formation of high-altitude cirrus clouds — although experts have no idea whether such clouds warm or cool the earth.

Interesting2: Scientists in California have set up a unique experiment to track the life histories of some of the world’s oldest and tallest trees. The project is designed to follow up research, in the Yosemite National Park, which suggests that giant trees are perishing as a result of climate change.

An analysis of data collected over 60 years has led scientists from the University of Washington and the Yosemite Field Station of the US Geological Survey, to conclude that the density of large diameter trees fell by 24% between the 1930s and 1990s.

"We want to identify the reasons for tree mortality and if those are changing," says Dr James Lutz, a research associate at the university’s College of Forest Resources. Little research has been done on a long-term basis to monitor the lives of large trees.

Unlike studies with smaller plants and almost all animals, no individual scientist is able to track a forest giant for its entire lifespan – from germination to death. They live for hundreds of years and play a vital role in the ecosystem long after they have died.

Yosemite National Park is a vast area of wilderness covering 3,027 sq km (1,169 square miles), 321km (200 miles) from San Francisco. The park is best known for its breathtaking waterfalls, black bears and ancient giant sequoias, which are part of the redwood family of trees.

Interesting3: The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has launched a new program that calls on New York and Seattle residents to voluntarily tag their trash. Known as Trash Track, the program will distribute electronic garbage tags in order to track the journey of discarded products through the waste stream.

The tags will be wireless location markers and will be attached at random to thousands of products in the two cities. The system will record not only the current location of a product, but it will also track how long it has been in the waste stream.

In addition to analyzing the data, MIT will make the information available to the public in exhibits at the Architectural League in New York and the Seattle Public Library. These exhibits will begin in September.

Interesting4: Searing desert heat off the Sahara swept right to the normally cool Atlantic coast of Morocco on Monday and Tuesday. At the airport of Agadir, the temperature on Monday soared to a fiery 119 degrees, or nearly 30 degrees above the normal daily high. Farther north, the city of Casablanca sweltered.

The nearby town of Nouasser registered 117 degrees on Monday afternoon followed by readings into the 110s again on Tuesday. The capital city, Rabat, fared almost as badly. High temperatures on both Monday and Tuesday were 113 degrees, this notwithstanding a normal high temperature near 80 degrees.

Elsewhere, Marrakech was as hot as 114 degrees on Monday afternoon, and Fez reached 110 degrees on both Monday and Tuesday. Driving the withering blast was a southeasterly, off-shore wind off the Sahara. Not only did the hot winds block the usual cooling sea breeze, they were further heated in wafting down slope from the Atlas Mountains.

Interesting5: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has reported findings of preliminary analysis from the agency’s National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, North Carolina that shows global ocean surface temperatures for June broke the previous record set in 2005.

The combined average global/land and ocean surface temperature for June was the second warmest on record, 1.12 degrees Fahrenheit (0.62 degrees Celsius) above the 20th century average of 59.9 degrees F. Ocean surface temperatures for June ’09 were the warmest on record, 1.06 degrees F (0.59 degrees C) above the 20th century average of 61.5 degrees F.

The global land surface temperature for June was 1.26 degrees F above the 20th century average, and the sixth warmest June on record.

Interesting6: Two new sister lines of rice are defying rice’s reputation as a thirsty crop as they demonstrate their improved productivity in drought-prone regions of India and the Philippines. Rice Today’s July-September 2009 edition features the development of drought-tolerant rice and other research the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and its collaborators are doing to curb the devastating effects of drought.

With some degree of water shortages predicted to affect 15-20 million hectares of irrigated rice within 25 years, smart crop management and even genetically modified rice may also play a role in helping farmers cope with the crisis. Rice Today also reports that in Uganda rice production has increased 2.5 times from 2004 to 2008 through government initiatives, private investment, and farmer support.

Across the other side of the planet rice production, consumption, and prospects in Latin America are being explored. Rice is being promoted to consumers in Mexico and Central America and in Brazil production is improving. In light of further boosting production, IRRI takes a look at some practical solutions to help reduce grain losses and improve grain quality during postharvest. Between 15-20% of rice grains are often lost at this stage because of unsuitable drying techniques, pests, and other factors.

Interesting7: The dark bruise that appeared suddenly near the south pole of Jupiter several days ago, likely as the result of an impact by a comet or asteroid, is as big as the Pacific Ocean, astronomers report. The dark spot was first noticed by chance by amateur astronomer Anthony Wesley in Australia on Sunday, July 19.

The blemish is thought to be the result of an impact similar to that of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9, which pummeled the gas giant 15 years ago. After he was convinced the spot was not just another storm or the shadow of one of Jupiter’s moons, Wesley alerted other astronomers around the world to the scar’s appearance.

University of California, Berkeley, astronomer Paul Kalas took advantage of previously scheduled observing time on the Keck II telescope in Hawaii to image the blemish in the early morning hours of Monday, July 20. The near-infrared image showed a bright spot in the clouds of Jupiter’s southern hemisphere, where the impact had propelled reflective particles high into the relatively clear stratosphere.

In visible light, the bruise appears dark against the bright surface of Jupiter. These observations mark only the second time that astronomers have been able to see the results of an impact on the planet, the first being Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9’s collision. Many theories were formed after that collision. "Now we have a chance to test these ideas on a brand new impact event," Kalas, said. Kalas and his colleagues hope their observations will shed light on the nature of the impact.

"The analysis of the shape and brightness of the feature will help in determining the energy and the origin of the impactor," said Marchis. "We don’t see other bright features along the same latitude, so this was most likely the result of a single asteroid, not a chain of fragments like for SL9 [Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9]."

Mike Wong, a UC Berkeley researcher currently on leave at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, used the observations to calculate that the bruise is near the southern pole of Jupiter (305 degrees west longitude and 57 degrees south latitude in planetographic coordinates) and that the impact covers a 190-million-square-kilometer area, as big as the Pacific Ocean.

Because of the complex shape of the explosion, it is possible that tidal effects (the gravitational tugs of Jupiter and its moons) fragmented the impactor – a comet or asteroid – shortly before it collided with the planet.

July 20-21, 2009

Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Monday afternoon:

Lihue, Kauai – 83
Honolulu, Oahu – 88
Kaneohe, Oahu – 84
Kahului, Maui – 87
Hilo, Hawaii – 83
Kailua-kona – 86

Air Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level – and on the highest mountains…at 4 p.m. Monday afternoon:

Port Allen, Kauai – 88F
Princeville, Kauai – 79

Haleakala Crater – 54 (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea summit – missing (near 14,000 feet on the Big Island)

Precipitation Totals – The following numbers represent the largest precipitation totals (inches) during the last 24 hours on each of the major islands, as of Monday afternoon:

0.10 Mount Waialaele, Kauai
0.02 Waimanalo, Oahu
0.00 Molokai
0.00 Lanai
0.00 Kahoolawe
0.02 Hana airport, Maui
0.05 Honaunau, Big Island

Marine Winds – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map showing two 1029 millibar high pressure systems to the northwest of the islands Tuesday. These high pressure cells will keep the trade winds blowing into Wednesday…although gradually becoming lighter.

Satellite and Radar Images: To view the cloud conditions we have here in Hawaii, please use the following satellite links, starting off with this Infrared Satellite Image of the islands to see all the clouds around the state during the day and night. This next image is one that gives close images of the islands only during the daytime hours, and is referred to as a Close-up visible image. This next image shows a larger view of the Pacific…giving perspective to the wider ranging cloud patterns in the Pacific Ocean. Finally, here’s a Looping IR satellite image, making viewable the clouds around the islands 24 hours a day. To help you keep track of where any showers may be around the islands, here’s the latest animated radar image.

Hawaii’s Mountains – Here’s a link to the live webcam on the summit of near 14,000 foot Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii. The tallest peak on the island of Maui is the Haleakala Crater, which is near 10,000 feet in elevation. These two webcams are available during the daylight hours here in the islands…and when there’s a big moon rising just after sunset for an hour or two! Plus, during the nights and early mornings you will be able to see stars, and the sunrise too…depending upon weather conditions.

Tropical Cyclone activity in the eastern and central Pacific – Here’s the latest weather information coming out of the National Hurricane Center, covering the eastern north Pacific. You can find the latest tropical cyclone information for the central north Pacific (where Hawaii is located) by clicking on this link to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center. Here’s a tracking map covering both the eastern and central Pacific Ocean. A satellite image, which shows the entire ocean area between Hawaii and the Mexican coast…can be found here.

Aloha Paragraphs

Cruising between the islands

The trade winds will blow through this first part of the week, then falter quite a bit for a few days…gradually returning over the weekend into next week. We find two 1029 millibar high pressure systems to the northwest of the islands Monday evening. These two high pressure cells are the source of our gusty winds…and seem to be trying to merge together. Forecast charts show our trades tapering off considerably during the second half of the work week. This will bring us into a convective weather pattern, with muggy conditions for several days thereafter. Fortunately, these overly moist conditions won’t last long, as the trade winds fill back into our Hawaiian Islands weather picture over the weekend.

The atmosphere over the islands is dry and stable now, and will remain that way into mid-week, at which point a slug of moisture from the deeper tropics will arrive. This moist air mass, combined with the faltering trade winds, will make our air mass more shower prone. The greatest likelihood of showers Wednesday through Friday, will be during the afternoons in the leeward upcountry areas. If the trade winds return as expected, over the weekend, the emphasis for showers will return to the windward sides. Meanwhile, as this satellite image shows, we have waves of high cirrus clouds to our south…which are being carried northward over us.

Our weather here in the in the islands will remain very nice through Tuesday…and probably into the first part of Wednesday too. Showers will be few and far between through Tuesday, and perhaps into part of Wednesday. Thursday and Friday will be a different story though, as a surge of moisture from the tropics works it way over our islands from the east or southeast. This will prime the pump so to speak, setting the stage for a possible increase in showers over and around the mountains generally. This last part of the work week will be a muggy affair, with all that moisture around, and very little wind to provide relief from the heat. The winds may even take on a southeast orientation, which could carry some volcanic haze up over some parts of the islands…time will tell.

It’s Monday evening here in Kihei, Maui, as I begin writing the last part of today’s narrative. This should be an interesting week, not exactly normal in several ways. The unusual aspects are likely to be the slacking off of our trade winds later this week, and the possible increase in showers later on too. Here on Monday, the winds are still blowing, and rainfall is at a minimal to say the least. We still those high cirrus clouds, which will more than likely provide us with a great sunset this evening, and if they’re still around Tuesday morning, like they were Monday morning…beautiful colors then too. ~~~ I’m about ready to leave now, for the trip back upcountry to Kula. I’ll be back early Tuesday morning with your next new weather narrative from paradise! Aloha for now…Glenn.

Interesting: Fish have lost half their average body mass and smaller species are making up a larger proportion of European fish stocks as a result of global warming, a study has found. "It’s huge,” study author Martin Daufresne said. "Size is a fundamental characteristic that is linked to a number of biological functions, such as fecundity – the capacity to reproduce.”

Smaller fish tend to produce fewer eggs. They also provide less sustenance for predators – including humans – which could have significant implications for the food chain and ecosystem. A similar shrinking effect was recently documented in Scottish sheep and Mr Daufresne said it is possible that global warming could have "a significant impact on organisms in general”.

Earlier research has already established that fish have shifted their geographic ranges and their migratory and breeding patters in response to rising water temperatures. It has also been established that warmer regions tend to be inhabited by smaller fish.

Mr Daufresne and his colleagues examined long-term surveys of fish populations in rivers, streams and the Baltic and North Seas and also performed experiments on bacteria and plankton. They found the individual species lost an average of 50 per cent of their body mass over the past 20 to 30 years while the average size of the overall fishing stock had shrunk by 60 per cent.

This was a result of a decrease in the average size-at-age and an increase in the proportion of juveniles and small-sized species, Mr Daufresne said. "It was an effect that we observed in a number of organisms and in a number of very different environments – on fish, on plankton, on bacteria, in fresh water, in salt water – and we observed a global shrinking of size for all the organisms in all the environments.”

While commercial and recreational fishing did impact some of the fisheries studied, it "cannot be considered as the unique trigger” for the changes in size, the study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found. "Although not negating the role of other factors, our study provides strong evidence that temperature actually plays a major role in driving changes in the size structure of populations and communities,” the study concluded.

Interesting2: Consumers may be able to eat longer-lasting, potentially healthier fish fillets if research at Oregon State University makes its way to the supermarket. That’s because OSU scientists have extended the shelf life of lingcod fillets and possibly made them more nutritious by dipping them into an edible, protective coating enriched with fish oil.

"With this coating, you can easily keep the fillets in the display case for two to three more days," said OSU food science professor Yanyun Zhao, the lead researcher in the study. The liquid coating contained chitosan, which comes from crustacean shells and can be made into film for food wrapping to keep out bacteria and fungi and prolong storage life.

What’s unusual about the OSU study is that fish oil was added to the chitosan coating, which wasn’t visible once it dried. After the coating was applied, some fillets were refrigerated for three weeks while others were frozen for three months.

The study, which has been accepted for publication in the journal Food Chemistry and has been published on its Web site, found that the coating tripled the omega-3 fatty acids in the refrigerated and frozen fish when compared against the uncoated fish.

Interesting3: A new study of 30-million-year-old-fossil ‘mega-dung’ from extinct giant South American mammals, published in Palaeontology, reveals evidence of complex ecological interactions and theft of dung-beetles’ food stores by other animals. The dung-beetle has fallen on hard times. Once worshipped by the Ancient Egyptians its status has now slipped to that of unsung and forgotten hero, the butt of scatological jokes.

Yet the dung-beetle is truly heroic. It is a well known ‘fact’ that were it not for the dung-beetle the world would be knee-deep in animal droppings, especially those of large herbivores like cows, rhinos and elephants which, because they eat more food, produce more waste.

By burying that waste dung-beetles not only remove it from the surface, they improve and fertilise the soil and reduce the number of disease-carrying flies that would otherwise infest the dung.

If the modern dung beetle deserves praise for these global sanitation efforts, then the extinct dung beetles of ancient South America deserve a medal. Some 30 million years ago, the continent was home to what is known to palaeontologists as the South America Megafauna, including some truly giant extinct herbivores: bone covered armadillos the size of a small car, ground sloths 6 metres tall and elephant-sized hoofed-mammals unlike anything alive today.

And of course, megafauna would have produced mega-dung. The beetles certainly had their work cut out for them. And although the dung-beetles themselves did not fossilize, scientists know they were fully engaged in business because, amazingly, the results of their activities are preserved as fossil dung balls, some more than 40 million years old, and some as large as tennis balls.

Now palaeontologists in Argentina studying these dung balls have discovered that they have even more to tell us about the ecology of this lost world of giant mammals, but at a rather different scale. In a study published in the latest issue of the journal Palaeontology, Graduate Student Victoria Sánchez and Dr Jorge Genise report traces made by other creatures within fossil dung balls. "Some of these are just the results of chance interactions" explains Dr Sánchez.

"Burrowing bees, for example, dug cells in the ground where the dung balls were buried, and some of these happen to have been dug into the balls. But other traces record the behavior of animals actively stealing the food resources set aside by the dung beetles.

The shapes and sizes of these fossilized burrows and borings in the dung balls indicate that other beetles, flies and earthworms were the culprits. Although none of these animals is preserved in these rocks, the fossil dung balls preserve in amazing detail a whole dung-based ecosystem going on right under the noses of the giant herbivores of 30 million years ago."

Interesting4: Aluminum as a substitute for glass bottles has been inching its way into the consumer experience in the last few years, most notably in the US in the form of beer bottles from Anheuser-Busch and Iron City Beer, a popular regional brand founded in Pittsburgh. Coca-cola has also announced plans to roll out aluminum bottles in this country, though only in limited venues. Now Rexam, one of the world’s largest consumer packaging companies, has developed a lighter, resealable aluminum bottle that it hopes will replace glass bottles for many beverages, including wine.

The conclusion? Locally bottled beers are best served in glass, especially if your town has a strong glass recycling program. On the other hand, if you drink ales that hail from across state or national borders, aluminum cans are the way to go. Presumably this applies to the slightly heavier aluminum bottles, if and when they arrive in bars and supermarkets en masse.

Interesting5: The Los Angeles metropolitan area belches far more methane into its air than scientists had previously realized. If other megacities are equally profligate, urban methane emissions may represent a surprisingly important source of this potent greenhouse gas.

Atmospheric researchers have long had good estimates of global methane emissions, but less is known about exactly where these emissions come from, particularly in urban areas. To fill this void, a research team led by Paul Wennberg, an atmospheric chemist at Caltech in Pasadena, estimated methane emissions for the Los Angeles region, then subtracted all known sources of methane, such as livestock, landfills and sewage.

They ended up with an enormous amount of methane — about 0.14 to 0.34 megatons per year, or up to half of the total emissions that could not be accounted for by known sources. A separate study now underway by Amy Townsend-Small, a bio-geochemist at the University of California at Irvine, may help pinpoint the source.

She has been measuring the carbon isotope composition of methane released from different sources — for example, natural gas and other geologically old methane should be devoid of carbon-14, a relatively short-lived radioactive isotope.

Interesting6: The potential for a huge Pacific Ocean tsunami on the West Coast of America may be greater than previously thought, according to a new study of geological evidence along the Gulf of Alaska coast. The new research suggests that future tsunamis could reach a scale far beyond that suffered in the tsunami generated by the great 1964 Alaskan earthquake.

Official figures put the number of deaths caused by the earthquake at around 130: 114 in Alaska and 16 in Oregon and California. The tsunami killed 35 people directly and caused extensive damage in Alaska, British Columbia, and the US Pacific region.

The 1964 Alaskan earthquake – the second biggest recorded in history with a magnitude of 9.2 – triggered a series of massive waves with run up heights of as much as 12.7 meters in the Alaskan Gulf region and 52 meters in the Shoup Bay submarine slide in Valdez Arm.

The study suggests that rupture of an even larger area than the 1964 rupture zone could create an even bigger tsunami. Warning systems are in place on the west coast of North America but the findings suggest a need for a review of evacuation plans in the region.

The research team from Durham University in the UK, the University of Utah and Plafker Geohazard Consultants, gauged the extent of earthquakes over the last 2,000 years by studying subsoil samples and sediment sequences at sites along the Alaskan coast.

The team radiocarbon-dated peat layers and sediments, and analyzed the distribution of mud, sand and peat within them. The results suggest that earthquakes in the region may rupture even larger segments of the coast and sea floor than was previously thought.

The study published in the academic journal Quaternary Science Reviews and funded by the National Science Foundation, NASA, and the US Geological Survey shows that the potential impact in terms of tsunami generation, could be significantly greater if both the 800-km-long 1964 segment and the 250-km-long adjacent Yakataga segment to the east were to rupture simultaneously.

Interesting7: Rubber sidewalks are all grown up. Once perceived mainly as a safe surface for playgrounds, rubber sidewalks have developed into a means of preserving urban trees, reducing storm water runoff, recycling tires, and curbing greenhouse gas emissions. A company called Rubbersidewalks (what else?) began installing the modular units in 2002, and its rubber sidewalk products now appear in almost 100 cities across the country. Even the U.S. military is getting into the act.

Plans are in the works to install rubber sidewalks at Coast Guard Island in Alameda, California, and they’re being promoted by the Pollution Prevention Program at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland. The Benefits of Rubber Sidewalks for Urban Trees Rubbersidewalks (the company, that is) attributes its core concept to Richard Valeriano, a senior public works inspector for the City of Santa Monica.

The original idea behind a rubber sidewalk was to achieve a flexible surface that would reduce cracking around tree roots. In turn, that would reduce the need to cut or drastically trim trees with overgrown roots. Over the course of several years, city workers noticed that the rubber surface seemed to slow the growth of roots while providing the tree with sufficient water and oxygen, helping to mitigate the problem of root overgrowth at the source. The modular installation system also enables workers to remove sections of sidewalk to inspect tree roots, without the need for pavement-breaking equipment that could damage a tree.

July 19-20, 2009

Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Sunday afternoon:

Lihue, Kauai – 84
Honolulu, Oahu – 88
Kaneohe, Oahu – 82
Kahului, Maui – 87
Hilo, Hawaii – 83
Kailua-kona – 87

Air Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level – and on the highest mountains…at 4 p.m. Sunday afternoon:

Port Allen, Kauai – 86F
Kaneohe, Oahu – 81

Haleakala Crater – 55 (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea summit – 41 (near 14,000 feet on the Big Island)

Precipitation Totals – The following numbers represent the largest precipitation totals (inches) during the last 24 hours on each of the major islands, as of Sunday afternoon:

0.79 Mount Waialaele, Kauai
0.21 Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu
0.00 Molokai
0.00 Lanai
0.00 Kahoolawe
0.18 West Wailuaiki, Maui
0.41 Glenwood, Big Island

Marine Winds – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map showing two 1029 millibar high pressure systems merging to the northwest of the islands Monday. This high pressure cell will keep the trade winds blowing into Tuesday.

Satellite and Radar Images: To view the cloud conditions we have here in Hawaii, please use the following satellite links, starting off with this Infrared Satellite Image of the islands to see all the clouds around the state during the day and night. This next image is one that gives close images of the islands only during the daytime hours, and is referred to as a Close-up visible image. This next image shows a larger view of the Pacific…giving perspective to the wider ranging cloud patterns in the Pacific Ocean. Finally, here’s a Looping IR satellite image, making viewable the clouds around the islands 24 hours a day. To help you keep track of where any showers may be around the islands, here’s the latest animated radar image.

Hawaii’s Mountains – Here’s a link to the live webcam on the summit of near 14,000 foot Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii. The tallest peak on the island of Maui is the Haleakala Crater, which is near 10,000 feet in elevation. These two webcams are available during the daylight hours here in the islands…and when there’s a big moon rising just after sunset for an hour or two! Plus, during the nights and early mornings you will be able to see stars, and the sunrise too…depending upon weather conditions.

Tropical Cyclone activity in the eastern and central Pacific – Here’s the latest weather information coming out of the National Hurricane Center, covering the eastern north Pacific. You can find the latest tropical cyclone information for the central north Pacific (where Hawaii is located) by clicking on this link to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center. Here’s a tracking map covering both the eastern and central Pacific Ocean. A satellite image, which shows the entire ocean area between Hawaii and the Mexican coast…can be found here.

Aloha Paragraphs

A beach in Kihei…Maui

As expected the trade winds will remain on the blustery side of the wind scale through the first part of the upcoming new week…then become much lighter. We find near 1030 millibar high pressure systems to the northwest of the islands Sunday evening. These two high pressure cells are the source of our gusty winds…and will be merging together by Monday. The expectation is that these gusty trades will continue through at least the first half of the new week ahead…then taper off considerably around mid-week. This could put us into a convective weather pattern, with muggy conditions for several days thereafter.

Showers have backed off now, with relatively drier conditions prevailing until mid-week…when it may turn showery again. This satellite image shows a considerable amount of high cirrus clouds to our south…which could easily shift northward over us. The forecast calls for drier air arriving today into Monday, and remaining somewhat drier until around Tuesday night or Wednesday…when another possible area of showers arrives then for a couple of days. The leeward sides in particular will be nice and sunny for the time being, and ready for lots of sun bathing and beach walking during the days.

It’s Sunday evening here in Kula, Maui, as I begin writing the last part of today’s narrative. Sunday was such a sunny day here in the islands, and very warm too. Air temperatures around the state, at sea level locations, all were in the middle 80F’s…topping out at 88 in the big city of Honolulu during the afternoon hours. The trade winds were pretty gusty as well, and at around 5pm, the top gust around the state was 38 mph at that windy bay at Maalaea. I expect similar conditions through the next several days, with a change to lighter wind speeds, and more showers waiting until around mid-week coming up. ~~~ I’ll be back early Monday morning with your next new weather narrative from paradise, I hope you have a good Sunday night! Aloha for now…Glenn.

Interesting: It has been assumed that global warming would cause an expansion of the world’s deserts, but now some scientists are predicting a contrary scenario in which water and life slowly reclaim these arid places. They think vast, dry regions like the Sahara might soon begin shrinking. The evidence is limited and definitive conclusions are impossible to reach but recent satellite pictures of North Africa seem to show areas of the Sahara in retreat.

It could be that an increase in rainfall has caused this effect. Farouk el-Baz, director of the Centre for Remote Sensing at Boston University, believes the Sahara is experiencing a shift from dryer to wetter conditions. "It’s not greening yet.

But the desert expands and shrinks in relation to the amount of energy that is received by the Earth from the Sun, and this over many thousands of years," Mr el-Baz told the BBC World Service. "The heating of the Earth would result in more evaporation of the oceans, in turn resulting in more rainfall."

Interesting2: The findings of a major new study are consistent with gradual changes of current systems in the North Atlantic Ocean, rather than a more sudden shutdown that could lead to rapid climate changes in Europe and elsewhere. The research, based on the longest experiment of its type ever run on a "general circulation model" that simulated the Earth’s climate for 21,000 years back to the height of the last Ice Age, shows that major changes in these important ocean current systems can occur, but they may take place more slowly and gradually than had been suggested.

The newest findings, to be published July 17 in the journal Science, are consistent with other recent studies that are moving away from the theory of an abrupt "tipping point" that might cause dramatic atmospheric temperature and ocean circulation changes in as little as 50 years. "Research is now indicating that this phenomenon may happen, but probably not as a sudden threshold we’re crossing," said Peter Clark, a professor of geosciences at Oregon State University.

"For those who have been concerned about extremely abrupt changes in these ocean current patterns, that’s good news. "In the past it appears the ocean did change abruptly, but only because of a sudden change in the forcing," he said. "But when the ocean is forced gradually, such as we anticipate for the future, its response is gradual. That would give ecosystems more time to adjust to new conditions."

The findings do not change broader concerns about global warming. Temperatures are still projected to increase about four to 11 degrees by the end of this century, and the study actually confirms that some of the world’s most sophisticated climate models are accurate.

"The findings from this study, which also match other data we have on recorded climate change, are an important validation of the global climate models," Clark said. "They seem to be accurately reflecting both the type and speed of changes that have taken place in the past, and that increases our ability to trust their predictions of the future."

Interesting3: New evidence for ice-free summers with intermittent winter sea ice in the Arctic Ocean during the Late Cretaceous – a period of greenhouse conditions – gives a glimpse of how the Arctic is likely to respond to future global warming. Records of past environmental change in the Arctic should help predict its future behaviour.

The Late Cretaceous, the period between 100 and 65 million years ago leading up to the extinction of the dinosaurs, is crucial in this regard because levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) were high, driving greenhouse conditions.

But scientists have disagreed about the climate at this time, with some arguing for low Arctic late Cretaceous winter temperatures (when sunlight is absent during the Polar night) as against more recent suggestions of a somewhat milder 15°C mean annual temperature.

Writing in Nature, Dr Andrew Davies and Professor Alan Kemp of the University of Southampton’s School of Ocean and Earth Science based at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, along with Dr Jennifer Pike of Cardiff University take this debate a step forward by presenting the first seasonally resolved Cretaceous sedimentary record from the Alpha Ridge of the Arctic Ocean.

The scientists analyzed the remains of diatoms – tiny free-floating plant-like organisms – preserved in late Cretaceous marine sediments. In modern oceans, diatoms play a dominant role in the ‘biological carbon pump’ by which carbon dioxide is drawn down from the atmosphere through photosynthesis and a proportion of it exported to the deep ocean.

Unfortunately, the role of diatoms in the Cretaceous oceans has until now been unclear, in part because they are often poorly preserved in sediments. But the researchers struck lucky. "With remarkable serendipity," they explain, " successive US and Canadian expeditions that occupied floating ice islands above the Alpha Ridge of the Arctic Ocean, recovered cores containing shallow buried upper Cretaceous diatom ooze with superbly preserved diatoms."

This has allowed them to conduct a detailed study of the diatom fossils using sophisticated electron microscopy techniques. In the modern ocean, scientists use floating sediment traps to collect and study settling material. These electron microscope techniques that have been pioneered by Professor Kemp’s group at Southampton have unlocked a ‘palaeo-sediment trap’ to reveal information about Late Cretaceous environmental conditions.

Interesting4: June 2009 was the planet’s second-warmest June ever on record, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported Friday. Only 2005 was warmer. When just ocean areas are included, it was the warmest June ever. Global records began in 1880. "Large portions of each inhabited continent were substantially warmer than average during June 2009," NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center wrote in an online report

"The warmest anomalies were most notable in parts of Africa and most of Eurasia." The main cause for the warmth was the development of El Niño, a warming of tropical Pacific Ocean water that affects weather patterns worldwide. "If El Niño conditions continue to mature as projected by NOAA, global temperatures are likely to continue to threaten previous record highs," noted the report.

Overall, for the first half of the year, 2009 is the fifth-warmest year on record for the Earth, with an average global temperature nearly 1 degree above average. Only 1998, 2002, 2005, and 2007 had a higher average temperature for the first six months of the year.

In 2009, warmer-than-average conditions were recorded across much of the world’s land areas, with the exception of cooler-than-average temperatures across Canada. In the USA, the climate center reported earlier this week that the USA is having its 25th-warmest year on record, with only North Dakota experiencing below-average temperatures.

July 18-19, 2009

Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Saturday afternoon:

Lihue, Kauai – 84
Honolulu, Oahu – 87
Kaneohe, Oahu – 82
Kahului, Maui – 85
Hilo, Hawaii – 80
Kailua-kona – 86

Air Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level – and on the highest mountains…at 5 p.m. Saturday evening:

Barking Sands, Kauai – 86F
Hilo, Hawaii – 74

Haleakala Crater – 45 (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea summit – 32 (near 14,000 feet on the Big Island)

Precipitation Totals – The following numbers represent the largest precipitation totals (inches) during the last 24 hours on each of the major islands, as of Saturday afternoon:

0.22 Mount Waialaele, Kauai
0.93 Mano Valley, Oahu
0.07 Molokai
0.00 Lanai
0.00 Kahoolawe
3.74 Puu Kukui, Maui
2.77 Waiakea Uka, Big Island

Marine Winds – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map showing large 1031 millibar high pressure systems to the north and northwest of the islands. These high pressure cells will keep the trade winds blowing through Monday.

Satellite and Radar Images: To view the cloud conditions we have here in Hawaii, please use the following satellite links, starting off with this Infrared Satellite Image of the islands to see all the clouds around the state during the day and night. This next image is one that gives close images of the islands only during the daytime hours, and is referred to as a Close-up visible image. This next image shows a larger view of the Pacific…giving perspective to the wider ranging cloud patterns in the Pacific Ocean. Finally, here’s a Looping IR satellite image, making viewable the clouds around the islands 24 hours a day. To help you keep track of where any showers may be around the islands, here’s the latest animated radar image.

Hawaii’s Mountains – Here’s a link to the live webcam on the summit of near 14,000 foot Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii. The tallest peak on the island of Maui is the Haleakala Crater, which is near 10,000 feet in elevation. These two webcams are available during the daylight hours here in the islands…and when there’s a big moon rising just after sunset for an hour or two! Plus, during the nights and early mornings you will be able to see stars, and the sunrise too…depending upon weather conditions.

Tropical Cyclone activity in the eastern and central Pacific – Here’s the latest weather information coming out of the National Hurricane Center, covering the eastern north Pacific. You can find the latest tropical cyclone information for the central north Pacific (where Hawaii is located) by clicking on this link to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center. Here’s a tracking map covering both the eastern and central Pacific Ocean. A satellite image, which shows the entire ocean area between Hawaii and the Mexican coast…can be found here.

Aloha Paragraphs

Windward Oahu…what a great place to walk

As expected the trade winds are on the blustery side of the wind scale this weekend…and will remain that way through the first part of the upcoming new week. We find near 1030 millibar high pressure systems to the north and northwest of the islands Saturday. These two high pressure cells are the source of our locally strong and gusty winds…as shown on this weather map. As these winds have gained some strength overnight, we find small craft wind advisories active over most of our marine areas statewide. The expectation is that these gusty trades will continue through at least the first half of the new week ahead…then taper off some around mid-week.

An area of moisture, which extends over 300 miles east of the islands, will keep off and on showers falling, carried our way on the gusty trades…arriving generally along the windward coasts and slopes into Sunday. In sum, there continues to be lots of clouds upstream of the islands, which will bring this increase in shower activity. This satellite image shows those clouds, and also wisps of high cirrus clouds, which may spread overhead at times too. The forecast calls for drier air arriving later Sunday or by Monday, and remaining somewhat drier until around Wednesday…when another possible area of showers arrives then for a couple of days. ~~~ At least part of these two areas of moisture may consist of former tropical systems Blanca and Dolores, which were active in the eastern Pacific. These remnant showery clouds are being brought to us thanks to the low level trade wind flow.

I had planned on going to see the new Harry Potter film last evening after work, but decided it would still be too crowded. Therefore, I decided to drive upcountry to Pukalani, to what is called the Maikalani Community Lectures…at the Institute for Astronomy. My neighbor, Dr. Jeff Kuhn, is the Director there, and invited me to attend this talk. This lecture is called Helioseismology: Song of the Sun, given by Dr. JD Armstrong. The description of this talk included: "The sun is the dominant influence on the weather, climate, and consequently, all life on our planet. Understanding how the sun works may therefore be essential to our survival. Measuring what happens inside the sun is difficult, so scientists have developed helioseismology, the study of sound waves inside the sun, to probe its interior." This sounded pretty interesting to me, so I went up for that. I must admit however, that most of what was discussed flew right over the top of my head!

I joined Jeff, his wife, and daughter for dinner in Makawao afterwards. This was the fun part of the evening for me, as I rarely go out socializing. It was funny, as soon as we sat down in the dining room of this restaurant, a very nice looking young lady came over to our table, and introduced herself to me. She, and two friends were on vacation from San Francisco, and used to watch my TV weather show, and read this website everyday. At any rate, I walked over and met her friends, and then came back and had a fine dinner, along with a glass of red wine. We had good talks, on a variety of subjects, as we almost always do.

It’s Saturday morning here in Kula, Maui, as I begin writing the last part of this morning’s narrative. I can see all those clouds over on the windward sides this morning. It’s even somewhat cloudy over here on the leeward slopes of the Haleakala Crater. Actually, now that I look over towards the leeward beaches, it looks cloudy there too…although appears to clearing fast over there. This is good, as we can use what water that this area of moisture can bring our way! ~~~ I honestly don’t know what I’ll be doing today, although since it’s Saturday, it’s a day off from work, which gives me a lot of freedom to let things fill in naturally. I’ll be back later in the day with more weather updates, I hope you have a great day until then! One last thing, I was sad to see the passing away of Walter Cronkite, it seems like so many people are leaving us lately. Aloha for now…Glenn.

As it turns out it’s Saturday evening now, and this afternoon I attended a circle of friends for a dear friend, who is dying of lung cancer. Her name is Julie…Dr. Julie Holmes, who I’ve had a long close friendship with on many levels over the years. I’m not really in the space to write much now, as about all I can do is sit here and be with all the memories that I have. I’ll come back on Sunday with more weather information. Aloha…Glenn.