A Rogue Wave? The "Three Sisters" Theory

S.S Edmund Fitzgerald

     The S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald, at 730 feet long and 75 feet wide, was the largest vessel on the Great Lakes from her launch in 1958 until 1972.  “Mighty Fitz” was a 26,600 ton cargo vessel that carried iron ore and coal on Lake Superior between the U.S. and Canada.  She sank in a storm on November 10, 1975 with all 29 hands on board. The demise of the Fitzgerald is arguably the most intriguing disaster in the history of shipping on the Great Lakes.  The indisputable factor in this tragedy is undoubtedly the weather but the details of the sinking remain uncertain.  Everyone seems to have their own theory. 

Memorial to the Lost Crew

     One theory is the “Three Sisters”.   That night, Captain J. B. Cooper of the Arthur M. Anderson encountered seas as high as 35 feet and reported three huge waves headed in the direction of the Edmund Fitzgerald.  The theory says that the sisters merged to create a huge rogue wave which swamped the Fitzgerald.  She sank 17 miles north-northwest of the light station at Whitefish Bay, Mi. in 530 feet of water then broke in half when she struck the bottom.
     The 200 pound bronze ship's bell was recovered July 4th, 1995 and is on display in the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Bay as a memorial to her 29 lost crewmen.

What do you think about that thing with the long neck, Bubba?

Quahogs?  Does that look like any sort of hog to you, Bubba?

Cherry Stones?  Look like a cherry or a stone to you?  Me either!

Gooeyduck?!  How did we let these people beat us in that war?

Environmental Sensitivity Maps

The map I have chosen illustrates a stretch of the St. Johns River just a few miles south of Palatka, Florida.  The area is of interest to me because I have fished there in the past.  There is a paper mill in the area that is represented by an icon near the northeast corner of the map.

Hypsographic Curve from a Bathymetric Map

     The following data was derived from the bathymetric map of a sample lake.  The resulting hypsographic curve at the bottom illustrates the decrease in area and volume as the lake's depth increases.

Attenuation of Light by Wavelength

    Light does not penetrate water evenly as it appears to.  It actually penetrates to different depths depending on the wavelength.  This means that red light only penetrates a short distance while violet light penetrates to the deepest depth of any visible light, about 275 feet.  Here's a practical application story.  During the time I was stationed in Okinawa,  I took a SCUBA certification course.  My dive partner and I bought tailor-made wetsuits which were cheap there at the time.  Mine was black and his was red...on the surface!  Only a few feet down, his suit began to change color and became darker and darker as we descended.

     The chart below provides the numerical data for each color's wavelength.  the graph at the bottom illustrates the percentage of each wavelength that penetrates to various depths.

 

Glaciers and Icebergs

Glacier at the Waters Edge

A Calving Glacier

     Glaciers develop in extreme northern and southern latitudes where the snow accumulates over years because it does not have time to melt during the summer months.  The snow is compacted by it's own weight and eventually becomes a solid sheet of ice which grows each year.  The force of gravity acting on the immense sheet of ice causes glaciers to "flow" downhill.  Most glaciers advance less than one foot per day. 

     When a glacier reaches the sea, it breaks off in huge chunks producing an iceberg in a process called calving.  One monstrous Antarctic iceberg was about the size of Connecticut!  Icebergs present a significant danger to ocean-going vessels because, even though ice floats, it's density is 9/10ths that of sea water.  That means that 90% of the mass of an iceberg is submerged.  As icebergs drift slowly toward the equator, they melt unevenly.  Because they are still at the mercy of gravity, they roll to maintain proper weight distribution.  Ninety percent of the berg is always out of view!

One of Nature's Most Amazing Works of Art

Articles of Interest

                   Red Tide, Manatee, and Humans

The Endangered Florida Manatee

     According to an article published by Harbor Branch Oceano- graphic Institute entitled "Red Tide Impacts Increasing for Manatee and Humans", red tide, an algal bloom, is becoming increasingly more common in Florida.  A study released in January 2006 shows that 2005 was the deadliest on record for the manatee.  A leading cause was red tide, specifically toxins produced by the bloom of alga Karina brevis in Florida estuaries.  Gregory Bossart, a marine mammal veterinarian and pathologist, regards manatee as "sentinels for serious environmental and human problems".  He says that the effect of prolonged inhalation of red tide affects humans much the same way it does the sick and dying manatee.  Research on mice indicates suppression of the immune system although, interestingly, the effect does not seem to be as pronounced as it is in humans.  Manatee get a double dose of the red tide when they ingest toxins that remain sequestered in sea grasses for weeks or months after the bloom.


              La Nina Makes Your Day Shorter

     “The Earth's rotation is affected”  by La Nina says Jean Dickey, Ph.D., a research scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.  Geophysicists have determined that the earth rotates faster during La Nina.  An article published in Science Today courtesy of Ivanhoe Broadcast News and dated January 1, 2008 explains.  The temperature of the Pacific Ocean cools causing the jet stream to slow down.  Something has to compensate for the lost energy so the earth spins faster to make the adjustment. This makes a La Nina day a whole millisecond shorter.  Don’t panic!  A change that small is of no consequence in the lives of the average person although it can impact precise navigational measurements.  Besides that, for every La Nina that steals time from our day, an El Nino comes along to warm ocean water and speed up the jet stream so we regain our lost time.  According to Dr Dickey “Between a warm event and a cold event, they balance each other out.”