You might remember that the "start of summer" (Memorial Day) weekend was marred by tropical storm "Beryl" -- especially late Sun.-Mon. So Labor Day weekend will make up for that with 3 days of sun & highs 90-95 inland...mid to upper 80s at the beaches. Isolated inland showers will occur mainly west of Highway 301 & even where it does rain, it will be brief.
So we turn the calendars to September. Below are the avg's. at JIA:
1st 30th
Low / High 72 / 89 66 / 84
SR / SS 7:04am / 7:49pm 7:20am / 7:13pm - lose 52 min. of daylight
Rainfall: 8.19" (wettest of the year on avg.)
My family & I spent a beautiful morning last week at the White Oak Conservation Center in Nassau Co. about 30 miles north of Jax. The animal sanctuary/golf course/resort has long been private -- exclusive -- but is now opening up to the public. It's a local "must see" -- click here for more info. The photos below show just a few of the animals -- white rhinos, feeding a giraffe & the beautiful St. Marys River.
Earth Gauge: Rip Currents
As Tropical Storm Isaac moves across the Gulf of Mexico, high risk for rip currents will occur along some beaches. Rip currents are channels of fast-moving water that may pull swimmers away from the shore. While the speed of rip currents varies, some have exceeded five miles per hour, which is faster than an Olympic swimmer can swim! When people swimming at beaches are caught in a rip current and pulled offshore into water over their heads, drowning can occur due to a combination of panic, exhaustion and lack of swimming skills.
Tip: Rip currents are typically found at low spots and breaks in sand bars, or near jetties and piers. Before you head to the beach, check the latest forecast for beach conditions -- click here. lways swim at a beach with lifeguards on duty and heed their warnings. Nearly all rip current drownings occur at unguarded beaches.
Learn more about rip currents ** here **.
(Sources: NOAA National Weather Service and U.S. Lifesaving Association. “Rip Currents: What they are, the dangers, how to escape.”)
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Climate Trivia: Indian Subcontinent and Climate
Today, the Indian subcontinent is connected to Eurasia. Seventy million years ago, however, this was not the case. Between 70 and 40 million years ago, the configuration of Earth’s tectonic plates moved the subcontinent north across what was then known as the Tethys Ocean and slammed it into Eurasia. The Himalaya Mountains were created by this collision.
Trivia Question: What type of impact did this mountain building event have on Earth’s climate?
a) It warmed the Earth by causing increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide.
b) It cooled the Earth by injecting sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere, which blocked sunlight.
c) It cut off major branches of the ocean circulation, leading to catastrophic temperature swings.
d) Both a and b.
e) None of the above.
The correct answer is a. Between 60 and 50 million years ago, the subcontinent’s journey was over carbon-rich ocean crust. This ocean crust was thrust into Earth’s magma layer where it was heated. This caused the release of large amounts of carbon dioxide from volcanoes that were the predecessors of the Himalaya Mountains. While sulfur dioxide was almost certainly emitted by these volcanoes and it’s possible major changes in ocean circulation happened during this period, the major impact of the subcontinent’s movement was a substantial release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which helped to keep Earth in a warm “hothouse” phase from 60 to 50 million years ago. Earth’s climate has been in a gradual but relatively steady cooling phase for the past 50 million years. Volcanic activity comparable to the Himalaya building episode is not present in today’s climate.
For more information on the continental collision, visit the USGS ** here **.
(Source: Hansen, J and Sato, M. “Paleoclimate Implications for Human-Made Climate Change.” In Climate Change: Inferences from Paleoclimate and Regional Aspects. A. Berger, F. Mesinger, and D. Šijački, Eds. Springer, pp. 21-48, doi:10.1007/978-3-7091-0973-1_2.)
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Climate in the News: “Conn. nuclear plant unit reopens with cooler water.” – Boston.com, August 27, 2012 – Connecticut’s Millstone Power Station reopened after possibly being the first open-water-body-cooled nuclear power plant to shut down due to excessively warm intake water.
Have a great & safe weekend!
