Climate Change is Imminent


Climate Change is imminent for everyone. The Barrier Islands of Virginia especially are no different.  This post examines the climate data of the Barrier Island region of Virginia.  It particularly looks at Chincoteague and Assateague Island's waters.  How do ocean currents behave near this stretch of ocean territory?

 An element of Assateague Island beach that we found most shocking was the temperature of the water.  It was incredibly cold. So cold in fact that it was painful to stay in the water even though the temperature was a very balmy 101 degrees and a heat index of 110.  Surely there is an explanation as to why the water was so cold.

With these questions and concerns in mind, I chose to look for an explanation.  I started with the NOAA website formerly known as the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC).  It is now the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).

https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/OC5/regional_climate/


This website and its reports have great diagrams and information, but they are not very current. The report, link below, is from 2016.  It does effectively explain how the ocean currents carry cold and warm waters up from the Gulf of Mexico  The ocean currents are major influences in weather patterns and those are very responsible for the storms.

https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/12209/Email

The report states "the NWA region is characterized by a very complex circulation pattern with fine -
structured circulation and recirculation gyres, meandering jets, nonlinear baroclinic waves, meanders and rings strongly interacting with the Gulf Stream, Gulf Stream Extension, and the Labrador Current." (Page 22)

Virginia is in the Northwest Atlantic system.  "The Northwest Atlantic (NWA) plays a crucial role in long-term earth and ocean climate change. The Gulf Stream and North Atlantic Current System are the key elements of northward heat transport and Meridional Overturning Circulation in the Atlantic Ocean." https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/OC5/regional_climate/nwa-climate/

The salinity of the water has a lot to do with the temperature and movement of the currents.

"The coolest water measured along the mid-Atlantic coast is at Ocean City, Maryland's beach resort town near Assateague Island. Water along its exposed shores gets down to 34 °F (1 °C) in February and takes longer to warm up in spring. Even so, the ocean reaches a comfortable swimming temperature from August to mid-September.

Actual ocean temperatures do of course vary from year to year depending upon the weather and the flow of ocean currents." https://www.currentresults.com/Oceans/Temperature/virginia-maryland-delaware-average-water-temperature.php


These coastal water temperatures are averages compiled by the US National Oceanographic Data Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Average ocean temperature in °F
Kiptopeke VA
Solomons Island MD
Ocean City MD
Lewes DE
VA
MD
MD
DE

January
36
37
37
37
February
39
37
34
36
March
46
43
42
41
April
54
53
50
51
May
63
64
56
60
June
70
74
63
68
July
77
80
69
73
August
78
83
71
76
September
75
76
70
72
October
64
64
62
62
November
54
57
53
52
December
44
45
44
44
Annual
58
59
54
56


Ocean City, MD is closest to the beach area on Assateague.  But perhaps it is the following data that can best describe why the sea waters were so cold.  The average temp during July 17-19, 2019, the time we were on the island, is because of offshore winds.

"Actual sea surface water temperatures close to shore at Chincoteague can vary by several degrees compared with these open water averages. This is especially true after heavy rain, close to river mouths or after long periods of strong offshore winds. Offshore winds cause colder deep water to replace surface water that has been warmed by the sun." http://www.surf-forecast.com/breaks/Chincoteague/seatemp

The following link will take you to a map of the waters just off of Assateague and Chincoteague Island. It will show the direction of the current and the speed at which it is moving.  http://bit.ly/33aehjw

Pan down to the south of the island and it will show water temperatures from the Gulf Stream. Perhaps the NCEI is the best resource to use to predict climate change and impact.  The oceans and currents are key indicators of severe storms and storm surge predictors for seasonal storms.  


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Call of the Wild: Soundscapes

Image
Soundscapes of Summer This is for all the nature-loving, outdoor camping, backyard exploring, curiosity-driven, children of summer.   The art of listening to the sounds of nature can soothe the soul, but identifying those sounds can put to rest the fears of those who are frightened by what may be lurking in the shadows.   Amphibians and Reptiles of North Caroline website,  herpsofnc.org ,  is a colorful and user-friendly website that can help the novice as well as the intermediate nature lover conquer their fear of the wild and appreciate the sights and sounds of their natural environment. The young and young at heart will find it easy to navigate the simple and prominent page headings.   The layout of the homepage is unencumbered by graphics, chart, forms, and small writing.  The automatic slideshow that begins once you land on the page shows a picture of the animal that would best fit into each one of the headings on the page.  this feature will help uncertain nat
Read more

Chincoteague and Assateague: What is the ground made of?

Image
"For every 1-foot rise in sea level, it has been estimated that coastal barrier islands move 100 to 1,000 feet inland."  Photo taken from the Federal Wildlife Service refuge resources https://www.fws.gov/uploadedFiles/CCP_Chapter3(1).pdf Perhaps one of the strangest things about Chincoteague is the land itself.  This week I used the Web Soil Survey(WSS) to try and understand one of the craziest things we saw on our visit to Chincoteague.  If you pay attention as you drive across the bridge to Chincoteague, you will see it too.  And you will wonder as my son and I did.  Why in the world would anyone build on an island where the strip of land is barely above the water level of the marsh.  Photo is taken from realestate.com   This is one of many homes on Marsh Island  That's right. There is a marsh island just off the shore of the island.  And it is amazing that so many large residential building structures were ever allowed to be built there.  And s
Read more

What is special about Chincoteague Island?

This Island and its famous pony swim, that occurs yearly, is facing extinction due to sea-level rise and climate change.  As it stands it is the last and only inhabited island among Virginia's Easter Shore Barrier Islands. I discovered that my community in Southwest Virginia largely did not know about this island nor the string of barrier islands in Virginia.  They also were unaware of the threat they and other Virginia islands are facing at the hands of sea-level rise and climate change.  Thus, I am interested in creating an immersive lesson for Virginia Studies and Ecology students to better help them understand the coastal areas of Virginia and the complexity of its biodiversity that exists within such changing habitats.   Many would like to deny the fact that Global warming is real and taking place.  Barrier Islands like those off the coast of Virginia are key indicators of a combination of climate change indications.  Sea level rise and island migration are clear indicators
Read more