Scripps Institution of Oceanography

• LOS ANGELES, March 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Viking® ( www.viking.com ) today announced its expedition team supported the discovery of a new colony of chinstrap penguins not previously known to science on Diaz Rock, near Astrolabe Island, in Antarctica.
• Today's announcement is an example of Viking's commitment that every expedition voyage on the Viking Octantis and her identical sister ship, the Viking Polaris® , should provide opportunities for meaningful scientific discovery.
• As scientific partners, Viking supports the fieldwork of Oceanites through mobilizing teams of penguin researchers on its Antarctic expedition voyages and providing thermal cameras.
• Viking offers destination-focused expeditions in Antarctica, the Arctic and North America's Great Lakes, with an expedition fleet that includes the Polar Class Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris.

A series of atmospheric rivers is bringing the threat of heavy downpours, flooding, mudslides and avalanches to the Pacific Northwest and California this week. While these storms are dreaded for the damage they can cause, they are also essential to the region’s water supply, particularly in California, as Qian Cao, a hydrologist at the University of California, San Diego, explains.

What are atmospheric rivers?

• An atmospheric river is a narrow corridor or filament of concentrated water vapor transported in the atmosphere.
• On average, atmospheric rivers have about twice the regular flow of the Amazon River.
• When atmospheric rivers run up against mountains or run into local atmospheric dynamics and are forced to ascend, the moisture they carry cools and condenses, so they can produce intense rainfall or snowfall.

Why are back-to-back atmospheric rivers a high flood risk?

• Consecutive atmospheric rivers, known as AR families, can cause significant flooding.
• In the meantime, there may be snowmelt due to warm temperatures, further adding to the runoff and flood risk.
• California experienced a historic run of nine consecutive atmospheric rivers in the span of three weeks in December 2022 and January 2023.

• Compared with single atmospheric river events, AR families tend to be associated with lower atmospheric pressure heights across the North Pacific, higher pressure heights over the subtropics, a stronger and more zonally elongated jet stream and warmer tropical air temperatures.
• An active MJO shift occurred during the early 2023 events, tilting the odds toward increased atmospheric river activity over California.

A recent study by scientists at Stanford and the University of Florida found that storms within AR families cause three to four times more economic damage when the storms arrive back to back than they would have caused by themselves.

How important are atmospheric rivers to the West Coast’s water supply?

• Although they can lead to flood hazards, atmospheric rivers are also essential to the Western water supply.
• Atmospheric rivers provide an average of 30% to 50% of the West Coast’s annual precipitation.

That’s why my colleagues at the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, part of the University of California, San Diego, work on improving atmospheric river forecasts and predictions. Water managers need to be able to regulate reservoirs and figure out how much water they can save for the dry season while still leaving room in the reservoirs to manage flood risk from future storms.

How is global warming affecting atmospheric rivers?

• As global temperatures rise in the future, we can expect more intense atmospheric rivers, leading to an increase in heavy and extreme precipitation events.
• My research also shows that more atmospheric rivers are likely to occur concurrently during already wet conditions.

Qian Cao does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

• Bristlemouth is the first open ocean connectivity standard, removing a key barrier to scaling innovation and growth across research, government, and industry
  SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Bristlemouth , the open ocean connectivity standard, launched its accelerator program during BristleCon - a two-day conference connecting people and organizations across the ocean community.
• The Bristlemouth Accelerator program supports entrepreneurs and startups to accelerate from concept to product through funding and mentorship guidance.
• It aims to drive ocean impact by catalyzing the commercial development of Bristlemouth-based solutions, supporting the next era of ocean innovation.
• The accelerator is an extension of the Bristlemouth Pioneer program launched during World Oceans Week earlier this year.

• It will be held in person at UCI Beall Applied Innovation, 5270 California Avenue, Irvine, CA, on Thursday, August 24, 2023.
• In addition, Sustain SoCal coordinates cleantech-led economic growth, exploration of business synergies and a variety of sustainability initiatives via deeper innovation, collaboration and targeted education.
• As the media sponsor for the event, IBN will leverage its state-of-the-art corporate communications solutions, including content distribution, syndicated placement, content curation, press releases and optimized social media strategies to drive recognition for expert speakers, participating companies and the event itself.
• For more information about Sustain SoCal’s WS8 event, visit https://sustainsocal.org/event/water-solutions-8/
  To register, please submit the registration form at the earliest.