Research Spotlight
CLIMATE'S
REMOTE CONTROL
ON HURRICANES
In the debate over the effect of global warming on hurricanes, it is generally assumed that warmer oceans provide a more favorable environment for hurricane development and intensification. However, several other factors, such as atmospheric temperature and moisture, also come into play.
Drs. Gabriel A. Vecchi of the NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory in Princeton N.J., and Brian J. Soden from the University of Miami Rosenstiel School have analyzed climate model projections and observational reconstructions to explore the relationship between changes in sea surface temperature and tropical cyclone 'potential intensity' - a measure that provides an upper limit on cyclone intensity.
They found that warmer oceans do not alone produce a more favorable environment for storms because the effect of remote warming can counter, and sometimes overwhelm, the effect of local surface warming. "Warming near the storm acts to increase the potential intensity of hurricanes, whereas warming away from the storms acts to decrease their potential intensity," Vecchi said.
In an article titled "Effect of Remote Sea Surface Temperature Change on Tropical Cyclone Potential Intensity," which appears in the December issue of Nature, their study found that long-term changes in potential intensity are more closely related to the regional pattern of warming than to local ocean temperature change. Regions that warm more than the tropical average are characterized by increased potential intensity, and vice versa. "A surprising result is that the current potential intensity for Atlantic hurricanes is about average, despite the record high temperatures of the Atlantic Ocean over the past decade." Soden said. "This is due to the compensating warmth in other ocean basins."
"As we try to understand the future changes in hurricane intensity, we must look beyond changes in Atlantic Ocean temperature. If the Atlantic warms more slowly than the rest of the tropical oceans, we would expect a decrease in the upper limit on hurricane intensity," Vecchi added. "This is an interesting piece of the puzzle."
"While these results challenge some current notions regarding the link between climate change and hurricane activity, they do not contradict the widespread scientific consensus on the reality of global warming," Soden noted.
Image Credit: NOAA GFDL
NEW
RESEARCH DISCREDITS
A $100 BILLION FIX
TO GLOBAL WARMING
Dr. Michael Lutz, a Rosenstiel School-based researcher, has revealed an important discovery that raises doubts concerning the viability of plans to fertilize the ocean to solve global warming, a projected $100 billion venture.
Research
published in the Journal of Geophysical Research,
suggests that ocean fertilization may not be effective
to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide. Ocean fertilization,
the process of adding iron or other nutrients to the ocean
to cause large algal blooms, has been proposed as a possible
solution to global warming because the algae absorb carbon
dioxide as they grow.
However, this process, which is analogous to adding fertilizer to a garden to help grass grow, reduces atmospheric carbon dioxide only if the carbon incorporated into algae sinks to deeper waters. This process, called the "Biological Pump", has been thought to be dependent on the abundance of algae in the top layers of the ocean. The more algae in a bloom, the more carbon is transported, or "pumped", from the atmosphere to the deep ocean.
To test this theory, researchers compared the abundance of algae in surface waters of the world's oceans with the amount of carbon sinking to deep water. They found clear seasonal patterns in both algal abundance and carbon sinking rates. However, the relationship between the two was surprising: less carbon was transported to deep water during a summertime bloom than during the rest of the year.
"This discovery is very surprising. If, during natural plankton blooms, less carbon actually sinks to deep water than during the rest of the year, then it suggests that the Biological Pump leaks. More material is recycled in shallow water and less sinks to depth," said Lutz. "Ocean fertilization, which resembles an artificial summer, may not remove as much carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as has been suggested because they ignore the natural processes revealed by this research."
This study closely follows a September Ocean Iron Fertilization symposium at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution where the environmental consequences, economic implications, and effectiveness of ocean fertilization were discussed. To date none of the major fertilization experiments have verified that a significant amount of deep ocean carbon sequestration occurs. Some scientists have suggested that verification may require more massive and more permanent experiments. During the meeting the future value of fertilization was estimated at $100 billion of the emerging international carbon trading market. Scientists plan to go ahead with large-scale fertilization experiments and note that potential negative environmental consequences must be balanced against the harm expected due to ignoring climate change.
However, the global study of Lutz and colleagues suggests that greatly enhanced carbon sequestration should not be expected no matter the location or duration of proposed large-scale ocean fertilization experiments.
According to Lutz, "The limited duration of previous ocean fertilization experiments may not be why carbon sequestration wasn't found during those artificial blooms. This apparent puzzle could actually reflect how marine ecosystems naturally handle blooms and agrees with our findings. A bloom is like ringing the marine ecosystem dinner bell. The microbial and food web dinner guests appear and consume most of the fresh algal food."
QUOTED LIKE THE DIXONS!
This
December many Rosenstiel School faculty members headed
to San Francisco for the American Geophysical Union's (AGU's)
annual meeting. But, Drs. Jacqueline Eaby Dixon and Tim
Dixon (shown right) from the Rosenstiel School
had a special reason to attend the event. Their article, "Lateral
variation in upper mantle viscosity: Role of water," was
named one of the "Top-50 Most Cited Articles" published
in Earth & Planetary Science Letters from 2004-2007.
The article was written in collaboration with Rosenstiel
School adjunct professor, Rocco Malservisi and
David R. Bell, currently an associate research scientist
at Arizona State University.
During the AGU conference they met other authors whose work was included on the list, and receive a certificate from Elsevier Science & Technology Journals in recognition of this achievement. If you would like to read the entire article (or quote it!), here is the exact bibliographic citation:
J.E. Dixon, T.H. Dixon, D.R. Bell, R. Malservisi, Lateral variation in upper mantle viscosity: Role of water, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Volume 222, Issue 2 (2004), Pages 451-467
HANS
C. GRABER NAMED
CHAIR OF AMP DIVISION
Hans
C. Graber,
Sc.D., has been elected chairman of the Division of Applied
Marine Physics (AMP). Graber, who has been with the university
for 17 years, is a tenured professor and co-director
of CSTARS (Center for Southeastern Tropical Advanced
Remote Sensing) a state-of-the-art, real-time satellite
reception and analysis facility in southern Miami-Dade
that recently celebrated its fifth anniversary.
Graber joined UM in 1990, as an Associate Professor. Previously, Graber was at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, working on wave prediction modeling and radar remote sensing. He received his Sc.D. in Hydrodynamics and S.M. in Coastal Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He attended The City College of New York, where he received his B.E. in Civil Engineering. Graber is a member of the American Meteorological Society, American Geophysical Union and a Charter Member of The Oceanography Society.
AMP focuses on upper-ocean and coastal processes, small-scale physics and turbulence and electromagnetic and acoustic remote sensing of the ocean. Examples of current projects underway include: disaster mitigation studies linked to hurricane landfall and ‘freak' waves; modeling coastal ocean circulation patterns and their influence on biota; use of in situ, shore- and satellite-based electromagnetic sensors to monitor upper ocean and air-sea exchange processes; and the use of acoustics for underwater and sub-bottom imaging systems.
GIRLS
EXPLORE
MARINE SCIENCE CAREERS
AT ROSENSTIEL SCHOOL
More than 60 girls from schools throughout Miami-Dade County visited the Rosenstiel School to attend the annual Exploring Marine Science Day on Saturday, November 17. Held in collaboration with the American Association of University Women, the event provided girls in the 6th and 7th grade a glimpse of some of the careers available to them.
The day officially kicked off with a rousing introduction by Barbara Schwartz, past president of the Miami Branch of AAUW. The girls then participated in hands on presentations by the following female faculty members, post-doand graduate students: Dr. Lisa Beal, Dr. Lynne Fieber, Dr. Rana Fine, Dr. Danielle McDonald, Dr. Paquita Zuidema, Dr. Kate Mansfield, Tauna Rankin and Katie Shulzitski. Several volunteers from around campus also helped to make the event a success: Rebecca Albright, Dr. Juliet Biggs, Laura Bracken, Jodi Brewster, Mareva Chanson, Deanna Donohoue, Barbra Gonzalez, Silvia Gremes-Cordero, Jennifer Grimm. Mandy Karnauskas, Lea Medeiros, Nitzan Soffer and Karen Wilkening.
The AAUW is a 150,000 member organization with more that 1,500 branches nationwide. It lobbies and advocates for gender equity; works with teachers, administrators, students and parents, to institute gender-fair programs in schools.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
SEASON'S SIGHTINGS
As the year winds down with holiday festivals and gatherings of close friends, lets take a look at the moments that make the Rosenstiel School a great place to be.
Here are some photos from the MSGSO holiday party .
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
IRON
ARROW INDUCTS THREE
ROSENSTIEL
SCIENTISTS
The highest honor attainable at the University of Miami, the Iron Arrow Honor Society, inducted three Rosenstiel School members this fall into its highly esteemed ranks. From image below, Professor Chris Harrison (back row, third from right), marine affairs and policy lecturer Maria Villanueva (front row, third from right) and Ph.D. student Tammy Laberge MacDonald (front row, fourth from right) were tapped into the Fall 2007 class alongside undergraduate marine science major Alison Gardell, and UM President Donna E. Shalala.
Based on Seminole Indian tradition, Iron Arrow recognizes those individuals in the University of Miami community who exemplify the five qualities of Iron Arrow:
- Love of Alma Mater
- Character
- Leadership
- Scholarship
- Humility
New Iron Arrow members are tapped in twice each year and participate in a 24-hour drum vigil on the Iron Arrow mound on the main campus of UM. Members learn about the history of the honor society, the traditions of the Seminole Indians from which the society takes many of its rituals, and the history of the University of Miami. An induction ceremony takes place later at a secret location.
This photo of all the newly tapped members for Fall 2007 was taken in front of the Iron Arrow mound at the Coral Gables campus.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Last
year the University of Miami raised an incredible $1 million
during it's United Way Campaign, reinforcing our commitment
to our local community. To everyone who is still considering
giving, it's not too late to show your neighbors in Miami-Dade
that they matter. The deadline for making pledges
has been extended to December 31.
The University has made it easier than ever to give by using an online pledge system. Sign in to myUM.miami.edu, go to "Employee," and click on "Payroll, HR & Miscellaneous," then "United Way Contribution." If you're donating by payroll deduction, be sure to indicate the amount you wish to donate per pay period. The system will calculate the annual total automatically. Note that, if you want your gift to be directed to RSMAS, under "Contribution Designation," pull down "Marine & ATM Science, School of." Be sure to print your receipt page after you submit your contribution.
Please go online and give whatever you can, no matter how small your contribution may be. Every gift counts, and is helping to make this a better commuity for us all.
Library Lines...
Holiday Hours
Intersession hours began on Thursday, December 13, 2007 and continue through Sunday January 13, 2008. Intersession hours are Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Library will be closed on December 24, 25, 26, 31 and January 1.
Spring Course Reserves
As
we near the end of fall semester we are starting to gear
up for the spring; do you have any items for spring course
reserves? We would be more than happy to take them now and
start getting them ready for the New Year. Reserve materials
can be dropped off at the circulation
desk or emailed to
acampbell@rsmas.miami.edu
The Rosenstiel School Library
staff would like to extend holiday greetings to everyone in
our community and have happy new year!
Here are a few new information resources to look forward to
in 2008. Watch for upcoming announcements next semester.
…. A new way to search IBISWeb
Nature Geoscience - a new journal from the publishers of Nature magazine
New students: Now that finals are over, remember to schedule
your skills assessment
appointment with Angela Clark (aclark@rsmas.miami.edu)
if you haven't already
done so.
Happy Holidays!
CALL OR SURF ON OVER
IA new toll-free, 24-hour Aquatic Toxins Hotline has been established at 1-888-232-8635. This new hotline gives callers a chance to speak with trained Poison Information Specialists about an exposure, or to listen to the updated red tide status report or other general information on HABs and human health precautions in both English and Spanish. The Florida Poison Information Center Miami has also updated its Web pages.
For more information, visit: http://www.med.miami.edu/poisoncontrol/x58.xml
THE LAST WORD
"I do not know what I may appear to the world, but to myself I seem to have been only a boy playing on the sea-shore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me."
Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727)
Soundings is
the monthly school newsletter for faculty, students,
alumni, and staff like Patricia Archuleta
As
we looked for opportunities to reduce the environmental
impact of our operations, our team felt that providing
an on campus tire air station was a good opportunity
for us to make a difference. Since we already have the
compressors and piping systems in place, we could supply
such a station with minimal effort and expense.
Enrique
Lahmann