Hawaiian Islands weather details & Aloha paragraphs / March 28-29, 2011

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

Lihue, Kauai –                    80
Honolulu airport, Oahu –     83
Kaneohe, Oahu –                78
Molokai airport –                 80
Kahului airport, Maui –         81
Kona airport –                     80
Hilo airport, Hawaii –           78

Air Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level – and on the highest mountain tops…as of 5pm Monday evening:

Honolulu, Oahu – 80F
Kaneohe, Oahu – 75

Haleakala Crater –     missing (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea summit – 36 (over 13,500 feet on the Big Island)

Precipitation Totals – The following numbers represent the largest precipitation totals Monday evening:

0.32    Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.28    Palolo Fire Station, Oahu
0.06    Molokai
0.00    Lanai 
0.00    Kahoolawe
0.79    Puu Kukui, Maui
1.78    Glenwood, Big Island

Marine Winds – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map showing a 1030 millibar high pressure system to the northeast of Hawaii. Our trade winds will be active through Wednesday.

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 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 web cam on the summit of near 13,500 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 web cams 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. Of course, as we know, our hurricane season ended November 30th here in the central Pacific…and begins again June 1st.

 Aloha Paragraphs

Trade wind weather pattern Tuesday 
 
 

The trade winds will remain breezy through this work week, then turn lighter from the southeast by the weekend…potentially bringing volcanic haze over the islands locally then into early next week.  According to this weather map, we find a 1030 millibar high pressure system to the northeast of the islands Monday night. We still have our small craft wind advisory flags up, although they remain active only over those windiest areas around Maui County and the Big Island. These trades will carry showers our way at times…with drier weather forecast starting later Tuesday. Since the trade winds will continue to blow however, most of whatever few showers that do manage to fall…will do so along our windward coasts and slopes.

Trade winds will remain active…the following numbers represent the strongest gusts, along with directions Monday evening:

25 mph       Port Allen, Kauai – E
28              Waianae, Oahu – ENE
31              Molokai – NE
30              Kahoolawe  
33                Kahului, Maui – NE
17              Lanai Airport – SW    
33                South Point, Big Island – NE

We can use the following links to see what’s going on in our area of the north central Pacific Ocean Monday night.  This large University of Washington satellite image shows high cirrus clouds continuing to move over the state from the southwest, covering just the Big Island and east Maui at the time of this writing. Looking further northward, we see a very large low pressure system, with its associated impressive cold front.  Looking at this NOAA satellite picture we see those high clouds arranged over the most eastern part of the state. There are areas of clear skies to the west of the high cirrus. We can use this looping satellite image to see a very large area of high clouds to our north, which are associated with a cold front further to the north. Checking out this looping radar image shows generally light showers falling over the ocean and over some parts of the islands too…generally on the windward sides.

In sum: we'll find the trade winds continuing through the rest of this work week, with some changes occurring this weekend…as a cold front approaches from the northwest.  The long lasting trade winds are still well established, although as there source high pressure system is located further east now…our trade winds have calmed down a little.  Meanwhile, computer models continue to show an early springtime cold front approaching the state this coming weekend. This will turn our trade winds softer, and veer them around to the southeast. As can be the case, southeast breezes often bring volcanic haze to the islands. The cold front itself might bring some showers to the state next week. There will remain a question in this regard for several more days. We've certainly had cold fronts bring rain in April, so it wouldn't be all that unusual either.

A bit more:  As we move away from the recent prolonged strong trade wind regime, we finally see an end in sight. This windy episode, which actually had two separate peaks, is trailing off slowly. This is primarily because a high pressure system, which has been parked directly to north, has now migrated eastward towards the west coast of North America. Our winds certainly haven't faltered all that much, as they were still gusting above the 30 mph mark early this evening. They will remain active, that is until this coming weekend, when they will veer rather abruptly to the east-southeast or even all the way around to the southeast. Typically when this happens, the Big Island blocks the wind flow, putting the smaller islands in a wind shadow…which can carry vog up from the vents [on the Big Island] to the smaller islands too.

The overlying atmosphere seems to be stabilizing, as skies clear behind the departing cirrus shield. The latest looping radar image shows a rather distinct lack of shower activity, although there was some precipitation along the windward coasts and slopes. Conditions are expected to dry out further over the next day or so, with just fairly normal windward biased showers taking over then through most of the rest of this work week. As the winds calm down and take on a south of east orientation this weekend into early next week, there could begin to be more interior showers popping up during the afternoons. The cold front that’s expected to approach the state early next week, has perhaps a 50/50 chance of arriving…at least at the moment.    

Here in Kihei, Maui, on this early Monday evening, skies were still quite sunny, with still some high clouds around too. There is a rather crisp edge to the cirrus clouds, whose western edge lies right over Maui. There should be a pretty nice sunset this evening, and if those clouds are still around early Tuesday morning, our skies might light up in a colorful way again. Otherwise, as stated above, more trade winds, and oh yeah, the surf will become larger to much larger by Wednesday into Thursday, along our north and west facing beaches. I'll be back early Tuesday morning with your next new weather narrative, I hope you have a great Monday night until then! Aloha for now…Glenn.

Interesting: A U.S. nuclear plant in Alabama similar in design to the earthquake-hit Fukushima facility in Japan has multiple defenses to prevent and tackle the same kind of emergency, its operator said. Safety features at the Browns Ferry plant in northern Alabama are so superior to those at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi plant that even in the event of massive flooding the chances of a crisis were negligible, officials from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) told reporters.

"What we have here is defense in depth, multiple levels of redundancy, backup to the backup to the backup," TVA communications consultant Jim Nesbitt told journalists who toured the facility on Friday as he explained the plant's elaborate safety systems. The emergency at the Japanese plant has escalated since March 11 when a tsunami, triggered by a massive earthquake, knocked out power.

It has revived debate over U.S. nuclear safety just as the industry is set for its first expansion since an accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear facility in Pennsylvania in 1979. About 20 percent of U.S. electricity is supplied by nuclear power. Japan's woes have focused attention on how far U.S. facilities are protected against one-off events such as terrorist attacks, earthquakes or flooding.

Comparisons between Fukushima and Browns Ferry are relevant because both have Mark 1 boiling water reactors made by General Electric. In total, there are 23 such reactors in the United States. Some nuclear engineers deem these reactors more vulnerable than newer pressurized reactors to dangerous overheating in the event of power loss.

Critics point to objections raised by U.S. nuclear engineers in the 1970s and 1980s about possible design vulnerabilities in boiling water reactors and they say what happened at Fukushima merely validates those concerns. "We've known since the 1970s that these designs are dangerous and now we've seen what can happen," Diane D'Arrigo, radioactive waste project director at the Nuclear Information and Resource Service, said in an interview.

Interesting2: As if we don't have enough phobias already, now there is range anxiety, a malady brought on by the electric car. But it's okay; there is a cure, or rather an app for that. Studies indicate that many electric car drivers — and those considering joining the ranks — suffer the fear of running out of power and being stranded with a dead battery.

A little planning ahead could take the pressure off; there are an estimated 1,400 vehicle charging stations in the United States today and the number is growing. Even though most people drive less than the 100 miles a day allowed by many EV's, range anxiety remains a logistical — and largely psychological — impediment to widespread electric vehicle adoption by consumers.

One 2010 study showed range anxiety even caused EV drivers to modify their driving behaviors, decreasing the travel range and limiting most trips to no more than 25 miles. Several companies have stepped up to ease the pain. The navigation system in the new electric Ford Focus finds electrical charging stations nearby and can help the driver conserve power by suggesting turning off the A/C or taking a more leisurely route.

Google Maps, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) recently added electric vehicle charging stations to its popular platform, allowing users to search for and pinpoint more than 600 charging stations. PlugShare, a new free app from Xatori, goes one step further with a personal touch: users can find home charging stations close by, and even list their own as a safe-haven for range-anxious drivers.

PlugShare works with iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, and you don't need an EV or a special outlet to join. Accounts are customizable; those who wish to share can list their name, number and address as well as what types of energy they have available and where to find it (like the garage). The integrated app uses handy icons to identify private and public standard outlets, EV plugs and charging stations. With just a few clicks, you can identify the nearest charging station, call or text the person who listed it, and get directions.

PlugShare hopes to launch a study of the app's impact on the environment so users can celebrate the positive impact they’re making, not unlike other resource-sharing models like Denver B-cycle (members can track their miles ridden, calories burned, carbon off-set and money saved — and compare their stats to other members of the B-cycle community).

Interesting3: Your next new car hopefully won't be a lemon. But it could be a pineapple or a banana. That's because scientists in Brazil have developed a more effective way to use fibers from these and other plants in a new generation of automotive plastics that are stronger, lighter, and more eco-friendly than plastics now in use.

They described the work, which could lead to stronger, lighter, and more sustainable materials for cars and other products, at the 241st National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS). Study leader Alcides Leão, Ph.D., said the fibers used to reinforce the new plastics may come from delicate fruits like bananas and pineapples, but they are super strong.

Some of these so-called nano-cellulose fibers are almost as stiff as Kevlar, the renowned super-strong material used in armor and bulletproof vests. Unlike Kevlar and other traditional plastics, which are made from petroleum or natural gas, nano-cellulose fibers are completely renewable. "The properties of these plastics are incredible," Leão said, "They are light, but very strong — 30 per cent lighter and 3-to-4 times stronger.

We believe that a lot of car parts, including dashboards, bumpers, side panels, will be made of nano-sized fruit fibers in the future. For one thing, they will help reduce the weight of cars and that will improve fuel economy."

Besides weight reduction, nano-cellulose reinforced plastics have mechanical advantages over conventional automotive plastics, Leão added. These include greater resistance to damage from heat, spilled gasoline, water, and oxygen. With automobile manufacturers already testing nano-cellulose-reinforced plastics, with promising results, he predicted they would be used within two years.

Cellulose is the main material that makes up the wood in trees and other parts of plants. Its ordinary-size fibers have been used for centuries to make paper, extracted from wood that is ground up and processed. In more recent years, scientists have discovered that intensive processing of wood releases ultra-small, or "nano" cellulose fibers, so tiny that 50,000 could fit inside across the width of a single strand of human hair.

Like fibers made from glass, carbon, and other materials, nano-cellulose fibers can be added to raw material used to make plastics, producing reinforced plastics that are stronger and more durable. Leão said that pineapple leaves and stems, rather than wood, may be the most promising source for nano-cellulose.

He is with Sao Paulo State University in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Another is curaua, a plant related to pineapple that is cultivated in South America. Other good sources include bananas; coir fibers found in coconut shells; typha, or "cattails;" sisal fibers produced from the agave plant; and fique, another plant related to pineapples. To prepare the nano-fibers, the scientists insert the leaves and stems of pineapples or other plants into a device similar to a pressure cooker.

They then add certain chemicals to the plants and heat the mixture over several cycles, producing a fine material that resembles talcum powder. The process is costly, but it takes just one pound of nano-cellulose to produce 100 pounds of super-strong, lightweight plastic, the scientists said. "So far, we're focusing on replacing automotive plastics," said Leão.

"But in the future, we may be able to replace steel and aluminum automotive parts using these plant-based nanocellulose materials." Similar plastics also show promise for future use in medical applications, such as replacement materials for artificial heart valves, artificial ligaments, and hip joints, Leão and colleagues said.

Interesting4: Aging is the accumulation of changes in an organism or object over time. Aging in humans refers to a process of physical, psychological, and social change. Some dimensions of aging grow and expand over time, while others decline. Reaction time, for example, may slow with age, while knowledge of world events and wisdom may expand.

Research shows that even late in life potential exists for physical, mental, and social growth and development. With that said for some people getting old means losing quality of life and wellness. Does gardening contribute to quality of life and increased wellness for older adults? Researchers from the Texas A&M and Texas State Universities asked these questions in a survey of people aged 50 and older.

The survey revealed some compelling reasons for older adults to get themselves out in the garden. Aime Sommerfeld, Jayne Zajicek, and Tina Waliczek designed a questionnaire to investigate older adult gardeners' and nongardeners' perceptions of personal life satisfaction and levels of physical activity.

According to Sommerfeld, lead author of the study published in HortTechnology: "The primary focus of the study was to determine if gardening had a positive impact on perceptions of quality of life and levels of physical activity of older adults when compared with nongardeners". Gardening can provide moderate exercise for an older person and help maintain healthy ways.

Also what one grows and then eats may be useful in maintaining a healthier lifestyle. Gardening ranges in scale from fruit orchards, to long boulevard plantings to residential yards including lawns and foundation plantings, to large or small containers grown inside or outside. Gardening may be very specialized, with only one type of plant grown, or involve a large number of different plants in mixed plantings.

It involves an active participation in the growing of plants, and tends to be labor intensive. Gardening can be a hobby and hobbies engage a person actively and positively and thereby improves their quality of life. To find out more about the health and attitudes of older adult who garden, Sommerfeld and colleagues designed a survey based on the Life Satisfaction Inventory A (LSIA), a tool that measures five components of quality of life: zest for life, resolution and fortitude, congruence between desired and achieved goals, physical, psychological, and social self-concept, and optimism.

The researchers found significant differences in overall life satisfaction scores, with gardeners receiving higher mean scores (indicating more positive results) on the LSIA. The authors explained explained: "More than 84% of gardeners agreed with the statement, ''I have made plans for things I'll be doing a month or a year from now'' compared with only 68% of nongardeners."

Significant differences between gardeners and nongardeners were also noted in the energy level statement, ''I feel old and somewhat tired''. Gardeners disagreed with the statement at a rate of 70.9%, whereas 57.3% of nongardeners disagreed with the statement.

Older adults who garden also reported a higher level of daily physical activity compared to nongardening respondents. Over three times as many nongardeners (14.71%) considered themselves to be "quite inactive.", while only 4.43% of gardener said the same.

"Almost twice as many gardeners (38%) considered themselves to be "very active" compared with only 19.6% of nongardeners", noted the study. More than 75% of gardeners who participated in the survey rated their health as either ''very good'' or ''excellent'. Gardeners also reported eating more fruit and vegetables because of their exposure to gardening.

"These factors, in conjunction with higher physical activity, result in healthier lifestyles and increased quality of life", the researchers wrote. The study presents strong evidence that gardening can be an effective way for older adults to increase life satisfaction while also increasing physical activity.

"In a time when older adults are living longer and enjoying more free time, gardening offers the opportunity to fulfill needs created by changing lifestyles. Gardening provides participants with opportunities to reconnect with themselves through nature and a healthy activity to enhance their quality of life", Sommerfeld concluded.

Interesting5: A curtain of flame halts firefighters trying to rescue a family inside a burning home. One with a special backpack steps to the front, points a wand at the flame, and shoots a beam of electricity that opens a path through the flame for the others to pass and lead the family to safety.

Scientists have described a discovery that could underpin a new genre of fire-fighting devices, including sprinkler systems that suppress fires not with water, but with zaps of electric current, without soaking and irreparably damaging the contents of a home, business, or other structure.

Reporting on March 27 at the 241st National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), Ludovico Cademartiri, Ph.D., and his colleagues in the group of George M. Whitesides, Ph.D., at Harvard University, picked up on a 200-year-old observation that electricity can affect the shape of flames, making flames bend, twist, turn, flicker, and even snuffing them out.

However, precious little research had been done over the years on the phenomenon. "Controlling fires is an enormously difficult challenge," said Cademartiri, who reported on the research. "Our research has shown that by applying large electric fields we can suppress flames very rapidly. We're very excited about the results of this relatively unexplored area of research."

Firefighters currently use water, foam, powder and other substances to extinguish flames. The new technology could allow them to put out fires remotely — without delivering material to the flame — and suppress fires from a distance. The technology could also save water and avoid the use of fire-fighting materials that could potentially harm the environment, the scientists suggest.

In the new study, they connected a powerful electrical amplifier to a wand-like probe and used the device to shoot beams of electricity at an open flame more than a foot high. Almost instantly, the flame was snuffed out. Much to their fascination, it worked time and again. The device consisted of a 600-watt amplifier, or about the same power as a high-end car stereo system.

However, Cademartiri believes that a power source with only a tenth of this wattage could have similar flame-suppressing effect. That could be a boon to firefighters, since it would enable use of portable flame-tamer devices, which perhaps could be hand-carried or fit into a backpack. But how does it work?

Cademartiri acknowledged that the phenomenon is complex with several effects occurring simultaneously. Among these effects, it appears that carbon particles, or soot, generated in the flame are key for its response to electric fields.

Soot particles can easily become charged. The charged particles respond to the electric field, affecting the stability of flames, he said. "Combustion is first and foremost a chemical reaction — arguably one of the most important — but it's been somewhat neglected by most of the chemical community," said Cademartiri.

"We're trying to get a more complete picture of this very complex interaction." Cademartiri envisions that futuristic electrical devices based on the phenomenon could be fixed on the ceilings of buildings or ships, similar to stationary water sprinklers now in use. Alternatively, firefighters might carry the flame-tamer in the form of a backpack and distribute the electricity to fires using a handheld wand.

Such a device could be used, for instance, to make a path for firefighters to enter a fire or create an escape path for people to exit, he said. The system shows particular promise for fighting fires in enclosed quarters, such as armored trucks, planes, and submarines. Large forest fires, which spread over much larger areas, are not as suitable for the technique, he noted.

Cademartiri also reported how he and his colleagues found that electrical waves can control the heat and distribution of flames. As a result, the technology could potentially improve the efficiency of a wide variety of technologies that involve controlled combustion, including automobile engines, power plants, and welding and cutting torches, he said.

Interesting6: Big earthquakes over the last 30 years have not triggered global chains of massive seismic activity, U.S. scientists reported on Monday. But major quakes do trigger other big ones close by and smaller ones far away, researchers said. The news is reassuring for California and other quake-prone areas wondering if the 9.0 earthquake which has done so much harm in Japan could hasten troubles outside the region.

U.S. Geological Survey and University of Texas at El Paso scientists looked at whether magnitude 7 and higher quakes were followed by magnitude 5 quakes and larger ones in other parts of the world.

"Based on the evidence we've seen in our research, we don't think that large, global earthquake clusters are anything more than coincidence," Tom Parsons, a USGS geophysicist and author of a study appearing in Nature Geoscience, said in a statement. Big quakes were noted a distance of two times the length of the fault from a major shaking, although smaller quakes could be triggered at great distance, it said.