Daily Archives: November 29, 2020

Below Deck: Most Memorable Flirty Guests On The Yachts – Screen Rant

Posted: November 29, 2020 at 6:41 am

Below Deck appears to be a TV show about rich guests enjoying vacations on the high seas, but it is really about the love lives of the yacht crew.

Below Deck may appear to be a TV show about rich and famous guests enjoying luxury vacations on the high seas, but as anyone who has watched the series will know, it is more like a soap opera about the lives and loves of the yachts crew.

RELATED: Below Deck: What We Know About Dax & Max, 20-Something Charter Guests

There have been so many crew relationships on Below Deck that it is difficult to keep track of them all, but there have been a few occasions when the guests have also got a little too flirty with the staff.

Check out the list below of the flirtiest guests Below Deck has ever seen.

Helen Hoey and her husband Richard Fiore appeared on Below Deck twice and made quite an impression on the crew, who were convinced that Fiore looked like he was in the mafia. It was their friend Brandy who got so drunk that she needed medical assistance, but Helen was far more concerned with chef Adrian Martin - and she wasnt just interested in his cooking! Hoey even talked Adrian into handing over his email address by saying that she wanted to take private cooking lessons from him.

Another guest who made a repeat appearance on Below Deck was Georgia Ricks, the down-to-earth businesswoman from Ireland. She and her friends certainly knew how to throw a party, and Georgia was insistent that Captain Lee Rosbach join in their fun. The captain seems to be irresistible to a certain type of older lady, and this was the case with flirty Georgia after she had downed a few complimentary cocktails. Captain Lee has been happily married to his wife Mary Ann for 45 years, so there is no chance of him being tempted by any of the guests.

Social media influencer Lyndi Kennedy appeared on Below Deck to enjoy a luxury break with her friends and then-boyfriend Jesse. However, it seems that Lyndi was more interested in chef Adam Glick than her real partner and spent much of the cruise hanging out in the kitchen.

RELATED: Would A Below Deck & Below Deck Mediterranean Crossover Be Doable?

Later in the show, Jesse got down on one knee and proposed to Lyndi on the beach, though the answer was a hard no. Maybe Lyndi was already thinking about what was going to be served for dinner that night

Continue reading here:

Below Deck: Most Memorable Flirty Guests On The Yachts - Screen Rant

Posted in High Seas | Comments Off on Below Deck: Most Memorable Flirty Guests On The Yachts – Screen Rant

Yemen: Houthis give UN permission to inspect stranded oil tanker – Al Jazeera English

Posted: at 6:41 am

The Safer tanker repair mission is meant to prevent a potential oil spill that could severely harm Red Sea ecosystems and shut Yemens Hodeidah port.

Houthi rebels in Yemen have given a long-awaited approval to a United Nations plan to visit and assess a deteriorating oil tanker off Yemens coast that is threatening to spill 1.1 million barrels of crude oil into the Red Sea.

Staff and equipment could be expected to arrive at the tanker by late January or early February, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters on Tuesday.

Hussein al-Azzi, the Houthi deputy foreign minister, on Sunday said the Houthi authorities had sent a letter confirming they would welcome the UN team of experts, adding they were waiting for confirmation of an arrival date.

It represents an important step forward in this critical work, Dujarric said, adding the letter was received on Saturday.

We still have to work out the exact deployment timeline because its going to depend on the market availability of the required equipment, he said.

When asked how this plan is different from the one the Houthis agreed to in July, Dujarric stressed the new accord, reached on Saturday, is more formal.

The objective of the UN mission is to assess the vessel and undertake initial maintenance as well as to formulate recommendations on what further action is required to neutralise the risk of an oil spill.

The UN has warned the Safer, stranded since 2015, could spill four times as much oil as the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster near Alaska, but access to the vessel has been complicated by the war in Yemen.

The Iran-aligned Houthi group controls the area where the tankeris moored and the national oil firm that owns it.

Dujarric said the experts could undertake light maintenance. The UN has a plan, but now needs to procure equipment and permits which will take time, he explained.

The de facto authorities have assured us that they will provide all the necessary facilitation to ensure that the expert team can deploy as quickly as possible, he said.

The Safer, built in 1974, is moored off the Ras Issa oil terminal, 60km (40 miles) north of the key port of Hodeidah.

The area is held by the Houthis, but the high seas are controlled by a Saudi-led coalition that intervened in Yemen in 2015 against the group and has prevented it from selling oil.

UN and Houthi officials say water has entered the Safers engine room at least twice since 2015. The latest leak in May was plugged by Safer Corp divers and Houthi naval units.

Apart from corrosion to the ageing vessel, essential work to curb explosive gases in its storage tanks has been neglected for years.

The UN says a major rupture could severely harm Red Sea ecosystems and shut Hodeidah port, Yemens main entry point for imports and aid.

Independent studies show it could also affect countries as far away as Djibouti and Eritrea as well as Saudi Arabia and expose more than 8.4 million people many already vulnerable due to famine after years of war to heightened pollution.

In August, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned against allowing the Safer to create a situation like the oil spill earlier this year in Mauritius or the explosion at the Beirut port, where neglected hazardous materials cargo exploded like a bomb, levelling neighbourhoods and killing nearly 200 people.

The agreement to allow access to the Safer tanker is welcome [and overdue]. Making it safe as soon as possible will prevent a potentially huge environmental disaster, Britains ambassador to Yemen, Michael Aron, said on Wednesday.

Read the original here:

Yemen: Houthis give UN permission to inspect stranded oil tanker - Al Jazeera English

Posted in High Seas | Comments Off on Yemen: Houthis give UN permission to inspect stranded oil tanker – Al Jazeera English

Space trash cleanup: ESA signs off on first-ever mission – Deutsche Welle

Posted: at 6:41 am

A Swiss company is set to launch our planet's first space cleanup mission after the European Space Agency (ESA)said on Thursday they were signing a 86 million ($102 million) deal with the representatives of the Swiss start-up.

The firm, ClearSpace, hopes to launch a special satellite by 2025 that would be able to snatch pieces of space debris in the Earth's orbit. Currently, thousands of defunct satellites and many more smaller pieces of trash are circling the planet, posing an ever growing collision risk to working satellites and even the International Space Station.

"Imagine how dangerous sailing the high seas would be if all the ships ever lost in history were still drifting on top of the water," ESA Director General Jan Wrner said while first announcing the mission last December.

Luc Piguet, founder and CEO of ClearSpace, also warned that the danger will only grow due to plans to send up "hundreds or even thousands of satellites" in the low Earth orbit in the coming years.

"The need is clear for a 'tow truck' to remove failed satellites from this highly trafficked region," he was quoted as saying on the ESA website.

Read more: German court halts space experiments on hamsters

The first-ever space cleanup mission, ClearSpace-1, would rendezvous with a discarded rocket fragment weighing some 112 kilograms (247 pounds). The discarded object, dubbed Vespa (Vega Secondary Payload Adapter) helped bring up a satellite in 2013. The ESA says its sturdy construction would make it a good starting point, with the follow-up missions aiming to capture more challenging objects and then several bits of debris at once.

After securing Vespa, the ClearSpace-1 spacecraft will drag it out of orbit so it would burn up in the atmosphere.

ESA said that paying ClearSpace rather than developing its own space debris remover, marks a "new way for ESA to do business." While the agency would provide "key expertise" and pay for the first mission, the Swiss company is expected to cover the rest of the cost through commercial investors.

See the article here:

Space trash cleanup: ESA signs off on first-ever mission - Deutsche Welle

Posted in High Seas | Comments Off on Space trash cleanup: ESA signs off on first-ever mission – Deutsche Welle

Navys Information Management and Analysis Centre to become national maritime domain awareness centre – The Hindu

Posted: at 6:41 am

Today we are well-equipped to ensure that a dastardly act like 26/11 doesnt occur again, says an official

The Navys Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC), the nodal agency for maritime data fusion set up after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, will soon become a National Maritime Domain Awareness (NDMA) centre, with all stakeholders having their presence there, two defence officials said on Thursday.

Today we are well-equipped to ensure that a dastardly act like 26/11 doesnt occur again. The IMAC will soon transform into a national NDMA centre, wherein it will be a multi-agency centre, one of them said.

Approved by the Defence Acquisition Council in 2012, the IMAC became operational in 2014 at a cost of 450 crore and is located in Gurugram. It is the nodal centre of the National Command Control Communication and Intelligence System (NC3I), which was established to link the operational Centres and lower echelons of the Navy and the Coast Guard spread across the countrys coastline, including the island territories. The IMAC tracks vessels on the high seas and gets data from the coastal radars, white shipping agreements, Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) transponders fitted on merchant ships, air and traffic management system and global shipping databases.

After the 26/11 terror attack, all fishing vessels more than 20m long were mandated to have AIS transponders installed, while efforts were on to have such system on under 20m fishing vessels as well. At any point of time there are around 11,000-12,000 vessels present in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) as of now, which shows the magnitude of the challenge in tracking vessels.

As part of improving transparency on maritime traffic on the high seas, the Navy had been authorised to conclude white shipping agreements with 36 countries and three multilateral constructs. So far they have been concluded with 22 countries and one multilateral construct, of which 17 and the one multilateral agreement had been operationalised, another official said.

Under Phase-I, 46 coastal radar stations were set up. Phase-II of the coastal radar chain network, under which 38 static radar stations and four mobile radar stations were being set up by the Coast Guard and they were in advanced stage of completion, the official stated.

In 2018, the Information Fusion Centre Indian Ocean region (IFC-IOR) was set up within the premises of the IMAC to coordinate with regional countries on maritime country and act as a regional repository of maritime data. It presently has linkages with 21 partner countries and 22 multi-national agencies across the globe.

Read the original here:

Navys Information Management and Analysis Centre to become national maritime domain awareness centre - The Hindu

Posted in High Seas | Comments Off on Navys Information Management and Analysis Centre to become national maritime domain awareness centre – The Hindu

Steady increase in Chinese vessels in Indian Ocean, 100 ships travelling to Pakistan every year – DNA India

Posted: at 6:41 am

A steady increase has been seen in Chinese research and fishing vessel in the Indian Ocean region, something that can be a cause of concern given how they have been involved inillegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and data collecting.

Deployment of the Chinese research vessel has been observed in the ninety-degree east ridge and southwest Indian ridge. In the last few weeks, 3 Chinese research vessels have been seen in the region.

When it comes to Chinese fishing vessels in the high seas, around 300 to 450 have been seen in the last four years. Largely, fishing activity has been a seasonal behavior as they withdraw from the Arabian sea prior to the onset of monsoon and return in September to October period.

The IUU, involving China's distant water fishing (DWF) has been depleting fishing resources from areas near North & South Korean and Japanese waters to as far off as Latin America and West Asia.

Most of the areas Chinese vessels are fishing in the Indian ocean are international water, outside of the exclusive economic zone of any country, but since it is unregulated, it impacts the ecosystem in surrounding waters as well. Distant water fishing is heavily subsidized by Beijing.

The 2-way vessel traffic between Pakistan and China via the Indian ocean has also been significanteven as both countries grow engagement.The number of vessels going from China to Pakistan stands at 100 vessels per year, while the number of vessels coming from Pakistan to China stands at 50 per year.

Earlier this year, a Karachi-bound ship with Chinese crew was detained at Gujarat's Kandla port and after the inspection was found to carry an autoclave, used in the ballistic missile. The development raised eyebrows in Delhi and was quick to convey its concerns on the issue since the item was on India's dual-use export list.

Read the original:

Steady increase in Chinese vessels in Indian Ocean, 100 ships travelling to Pakistan every year - DNA India

Posted in High Seas | Comments Off on Steady increase in Chinese vessels in Indian Ocean, 100 ships travelling to Pakistan every year – DNA India

10 Activities to Do in SD This Season | Branded Voices | Advertise – nativenewsonline.net

Posted: at 6:41 am

Details

San Diego is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the United States. Its known for its beautiful weather, stunning beaches and fun venues. Even the winter months can be a great adventure, even if you cant get in the water. You can still enjoy sailing tours of San Diego, the world-renowned zoo and the beaches. Here are some winter activities that your entire family will love.

Enjoy local artisans who provide culinary delights, wine and beer, fashion and art in this marketplace that focuses on San Diego culture. Take your time to browse through the shops. Enjoy a meal. Try out a new brew.

A San Diego boat charter gets you out on the ocean to take in the great weather and to get closer to nature. Its almost a given that youll see whales, dolphins and sea lions and a lot more. Whales migrate through the area in the winter to get to warmer waters.

The San Diego zoo is internationally recognized as one of the best zoos in the world. Its a wonderland of animals and botanicals that enjoy the mild climate. You could spend days taking in all the zoo has to offer.

It may be a bit too cold to swim, but the beaches have so much to offer beyond water sports. The best time of day to enjoy the beach is sunset when Mother Nature takes out her palette and paints a beautiful sky. Winter is a great time to explore the tide pools when there are more low tides to bring in sea life.

Take a drive through one of the scenic highways to catch the best views of the coast. Start in Point Loma, pass through Harbor Island and stop in Ocean Beach to walk the pier.

Balboa Park is home to gardens, trails, performing arts and 16 museums. Even if you only walk around to enjoy the architecture, theres plenty to do and see. Its an exciting place with plenty to keep you busy for your entire visit.

Grab a margarita in this section of town that features traditional Spanish Architecture and authentic Mexican cuisine. Enjoy the walking tour that lets you learn about the birthplace of California.

Hop on/off of a trolley that takes you around to the best San Diego has to offer. During the winter season, you can enjoy night tours to see the lights. Let someone else do the driving and give you information about the area to help you know the best spots to explore.

Ride an antique carousel. Enjoy a picnic. Fly kites. On the weekend, you can even listen to live music in the park.

Enjoy private dining San Diego on a boat that lets you enjoy ocean views, classic cocktails and a fine-dining experience on the high seas.

Schedule your magical night now.

Support Independent Indigenous Journalism

Native News Onlineis an independent, Indigenous-led newsroom with a crucial mission: We want to change the narrative about Indian Country. We do this by producing intelligent, fact-based journalism that tells the full story from all corners of Indian Country. We pride ourselves on covering the tribes you may have never heard of before and by respecting and listening to the communities we serve through our reporting. As newsrooms across the country continue to shrink, coverage of Indian Country is more important than ever, and we are committed to filling this ever-present hole in journalism.

Because we believe everyone in Indian Country deserves equal access to news and commentary pertaining to them, their relatives and their communities, the story youve just finished was free and we want to keep it that way, for all readers. But we hope it inspires you to make a gift toNative News Onlineso that we can continue publishing more stories that make a difference to Native people, whether they live on or off the reservation. Your donation will help us keep producing quality journalism and elevating Indigenous voices. Any contribution of any amount, big or small, gives us a better, stronger future and allows us to remain a force for change.Donate toNative News Onlinetoday and support independent Indigenous journalism. Thank you.

Read more:

10 Activities to Do in SD This Season | Branded Voices | Advertise - nativenewsonline.net

Posted in High Seas | Comments Off on 10 Activities to Do in SD This Season | Branded Voices | Advertise – nativenewsonline.net

Disney Cruise Line Removes All Jan., Feb. Itineraries – Inside the Magic

Posted: at 6:40 am

Even though the CDCs No-Sail Order has officially been lifted, it doesnt look like Disney Cruise Line will be getting back on the water anytime soon.

Related:Which Disney Cruise Line Ship Will Set Sail First?

As you can see in the Disney Cruise Line website screenshot above, the cruise operator has officially canceled all sailings through December 31, 2020.

However, all January and February 2021 itineraries have also been removed from the webpage. Previously, Disney Cruise Line Guests had the option to take numerous trips out of multiple ports, including Port Canaveral, the Port of New Orleans, and the Port of Galveston in early 2021.

This indicates that Disney does not expect any of their four ships the Disney Dream, the Disney Fantasy, the Disney Magic, or the Disney Wonder to obtain their conditional sailing certificates by February.

Among the canceled January and February sailings are Marvel Day at Sea and Star Wars Day at Sea itineraries. Disney Cruise Line officials have not announced if these special events will be rescheduled for later in the year.

Related:Disney Wonder is Heading to Florida, Could a Test Cruise Happen Soon?

Disney Cruise Line Blog shared some details regarding the January 2021 cruise cancelations:

Disney Cruise Line decided to cancel all sailings departingthrough January 2021. Sailings are cancelled on board the Disney Magic, Disney Wonder and Disney Dream through February 1 and the Disney Fantasy through February 6.

Guests booked on affected sailings who have paid their reservation in full will be offered the choice of a cruise credit to be used for a future sailing or a full refund. Guests who have not paid their reservations in full will automatically receive a refund of what they have paid so far. Affected Guests and travel agents will receive an email from Disney Cruise Line outlining details and next steps.

Disney Cruise Line Blog also rounded up the next available Disney Cruise Line cruises on each ship in the Disney fleet:

The next bookable cruises on Disney Cruise Lines website are:

The CDCs Conditional Sailing Framework includes regulations about how long cruises can be at this time as a result, Disney has also removed sailings over 7-nights from their available itineraries.

At this time, little is known about exactly how Disney Cruise Line will operate once they get back on the high seas. Stay tuned to Inside the Magic for the latest news regarding upcoming DCL itineraries.

Are you looking forward to booking a Disney Cruise Line vacation sometime in 2021? Let the expert team at Academy Travel help you plan every magical detail!

Read the original here:

Disney Cruise Line Removes All Jan., Feb. Itineraries - Inside the Magic

Posted in High Seas | Comments Off on Disney Cruise Line Removes All Jan., Feb. Itineraries – Inside the Magic

Voyage to Treasure Island with Rob McClure and Maggie Lakis – Broadway World

Posted: at 6:40 am

Resounding presents Rob McClure as Long John Silver in Treasure Island Buy Tickets 25% off w/ code:TIBWW https://www.resounding.live/treasure-island Two LIVE immersive audio performances! Nov. 27 + 28 at 8 PM ET Resounding is the future of live entertainment. With our amazing new technology, we create a virtual theater which places our audiences in the middle of a live, fully-immersive "3-D" soundscape, giving you the sensation of "being there," whether it's a car zooming by on your left, or someone whispering in your ear. The shows are performed and produced LIVE by professional actors and technicians working remotely and giving our audience a unique, one-time-only theatrical experience. Adaptation and Direction by Steve Wargo Immersive Sound Design and Score by Andy Evan Cohen This fast-paced new immersive audio experience, inspired by Orson Welles' 1938 radio play, stars Maggie Lakis (Something Rotten) as Jim Hawkins and Tony-nominee Rob McClure (Mrs. Doubtfire, Beetlejuice) as Long John Silver and narrator. They are joined by Victoria Huston-Elem (Finding Neverland 1st Nat., Addams Family 1st Nat.), Kurt Uy (CBS's Tommy, Vietgone), Rolonda Watts (Divorce Court, Rolonda), and Stuart Williams (The Plot Against America, Turn: Washington's Spies). Prepare to immerse yourself with the crashing roar of the high seas, the roar of cannon fire, swashbuckling and derring-do as only Resounding can deliver. Run-time: Approx. 1 hour Age Guidance: All-Ages

Related Articles

Read more:

Voyage to Treasure Island with Rob McClure and Maggie Lakis - Broadway World

Posted in High Seas | Comments Off on Voyage to Treasure Island with Rob McClure and Maggie Lakis – Broadway World

NEWPORT AREA WEATHER REPORT: Nov. 28-29 – newportri.com

Posted: at 6:40 am

Newport Daily News

COASTAL RHODE ISLAND

Saturday:Mostly sunny, with a high near 52. Northwest wind 6 to 10 mph.Saturday Night:Mostly clear, with a low around 37. Northwest wind 7 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph.

Sunday:Sunny, with a high near 50. Southwest wind 5 to 9 mph.Sunday Night:Mostly clear, with a low around 44. Southwest wind around 9 mph.

EXTENDED

Monday:Showers, mainly after 7 a.m. High near 59. Breezy, with a southeast wind 10 to 15 mph increasing to 19 to 24 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 36 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%.Monday Night:Showers. Low around 54. Windy, with a southeast wind 23 to 29 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%.

Tuesday:A chance of showers before noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 58. South wind 15 to 17 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Tuesday Night:A chance of showers between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40. Southwest wind 11 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Wednesday:Mostly sunny, with a high near 49. Southwest wind 10 to 16 mph.Wednesday Night:Partly cloudy, with a low around 38. West wind 10 to 14 mph.

MARINE

Saturday: West-northwest wind 5 to 9 knots. Mostly sunny. Seas 1 foot or less.Saturday Night:Northwestwind 6 to 9 knots. Mostly clear. Seas 1 foot or less.

Sunday:Variable winds less than 5 knots becoming southwest5 to 9 knots in the morning. Sunny. Seas 1 foot or less.Sunday Night: Southwestwind around 8 knots becoming southafter midnight. A slight chance of showers after 5 a.m. Seas 1 foot or less.

TIDES, ETC.

Saturday's high tides: 6:16a.m, 6:33p.m. Low tides: 12:07a.m., 11:45a.m

Sunday's high tides: 6:50a.m., 7:09p.m. Low tides: 12:45p.m.

Saturday's sunrise, 6:51. Sunset, 4:18.

Sunday's sunrise, 6:52. Sunset, 4:18.

Thursday's temperatures: High 59, low 50.

Read more:

NEWPORT AREA WEATHER REPORT: Nov. 28-29 - newportri.com

Posted in High Seas | Comments Off on NEWPORT AREA WEATHER REPORT: Nov. 28-29 – newportri.com

Cyclone Nivar and the shadow of climate change – Livemint

Posted: at 6:40 am

On the night of 25 November, at 11.30pm, cyclone Nivar began its landfall at Puducherry on the Tamil Nadu coast. A severe cyclonic storm (SCS) with wind speeds of 120-30 kmph, according the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Nivar finished making landfall at 2.30am on 26 November. It subsequently weakened into a cyclonic storm (CS), but not before dumping vast amounts of rainfall in the coastal areas around Chennai and Puducherry. By then, Puducherry had recorded 237mm of rainfall in 18 hours. In that same time, Cuddalore had recorded 246mm and Chennai, 83mm.

The good news is that the IMD had pinpointed the track of the cyclone as early as 23 November, and this helped with adequate warnings and evacuation from the coast. According to reports, through the 25th, thousands of families were evacuated across Chennai and the state's coastal districts. As many as 1,21,152 people have been evacuated across the state, including Cuddalore, Villupuram, Nagapattinam, Ariyalur, Perambalur, Phanindra Reddy, principal secretary and commissioner of Tamil Nadus disaster management and mitigation department, told Hindustan Times. Although this helped keep fatalities low, the true extent of the cyclones damage is still to be ascertained.

A NASA satellite image of cyclone Nivar. (Photo: AP/PTI) (AP)

A year of storms

2020 has been a year of tropical storms of unusual ferocity; storms super-charged over the open ocean by anomalously high sea surface temperatures. It has been a case of one of the worst scenarios of climate change impacts being played out in real time. And India has felt it more than most.

The fact that a pandemic has been ravaging the world has perhaps distracted people from how alarming this is. Between the evening of 16 May and the morning of 18 May, cyclone Amphan, belying all predictions, had turned into a monstrous super cyclone, the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane. The reason for this was a marine heatwave sweeping through the Bay of Bengal, driving up sea surface temperatures to unprecedented levels. Heat is energy, says climate scientist Roxy Mathew Koll of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) in Pune, and cyclones intensify rapidly by turning the potential energy stored in the ocean to kinetic energy.

Something similar occurred to cyclone Nivar. It intensified rapidly between 23-24 November, from a deep depression (DD) to a severe cyclonic storm (SCS), and by 25 November, into a very severe cyclonic storm (VSCS). Koll says that there are two reasons for this. The first and major reason is warmer seas. The Bay of Bengal is already a warm pool region, where the surface temperatures are permanently above 28 degrees Celsius. In November, the sea surface temperatures here are usually at 28-29 degrees Celsius, sometimes 30 degrees Celsius, he says. Observers were expecting a cyclone, especially since cooler La Nia (a weather pattern over the Pacific Ocean) conditions this year would have created favourable environmental conditions for cyclogenesis over the Bay of Bengal. But this is where global warming distorted the natural process.

The track of cyclone Nivar, which shows how the cyclone intensified over the Bay of Bengal. (Photo: India Meteorological Department)

According to the 2019 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Changes (IPCC's) Special Report On The Ocean And Cryosphere In A Changing Climate (Srocc), the global ocean has absorbed 90% of the excess heat generated by greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions since 1970. This has led to anomalous ocean warming, which in turn makes cyclones intensify rapidly. Prior to Nivars formation in the Bay of Bengal, climate change had made the Bay of Bengal hotter. This time the sea surface temperatures were are about 0.5-1 degree Celsius warmer, in some regions it is nearly 1.2 degree Celsius above normal, says Koll. He adds that every 0.1 degree of warmer seas gives a cyclone additional energy to feed off.

The other, lesser, factor for Nivar intensifying is an annual tropical weather fluctuation called the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO). It is a band of clouds and winds which initiates in the western Indian Ocean, then moves to the central Indian Ocean and then to the eastern Indian Ocean and then to the Pacific Ocean. So depending on where it is, it can affect the local weather conditions, says Koll. Given its current position south of Bay of Bengal, the MJO would have provided favourable winds for a cyclone to develop.

Koll finds similarities between Nivar and cyclone Okchi from November 2017. Then, as of now, Okchi began in southern Bay of Bengal, rapidly intensified due to warmer seas, and aided by the MJO, trailed a long path of destruction across Sri Lanka and crossed over to the Arabian Sea. Over 800 people died in Sri Lanka. Koll says more analysis is needed, but his observations suggest that the rapid intensification of cyclones is more dependent on higher sea surface temperatures. The role of a warmer ocean is greater. If we check the cyclones that developed during the pre-monsoon or the monsoon onset time, Amphan and Nisarga, there were no favourable winds, and yet the cyclones still intensified, he says.

The Indian Ocean hot spot

The Indian Ocean (including both the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal), is a climate change hot spot. According to a comprehensive study from 2017, Improved Estimates Of Ocean Heat Content From 1960 To 2015, published in Science Advances, the Indian Ocean has contributed to 25% of the excess global climate change-induced oceanic heat uptake. This is despite the fact that the Indian Ocean makes up only 13% of the global ocean surface. And this is important for global climate. The MJO, for example sometimes travels as far east as the Atlantic Ocean, affecting the weather in the tropics, in the US and also in Europe. Changes in the Indian Ocean also affect global atmospheric circulation. It also affects global ocean circulation, says Koll.

Koll says theres a need for more and better observation systems in the Indian Ocean. A multinational network of integrated observing systems for the Indian Ocean, called The Indian Ocean Observing System (IndOOS), was established in 2006. Koll is one of over 60 scientists from around the world who give recommendations and provide reports based on the IndOOS. In a three-year evaluation report co-authored by Koll, published earlier in November, scientists have called for better and more in-depth observation systems under a proposed IndOOS-2. In the years since it was established, the (observation) priorities have changed. Temperatures are rising rapidly in the Indian Ocean, the sea level is changing rapidly, and these changes are affecting the monsoon patterns, affecting the cyclones, the marine ecosystems, he says.

Go here to read the rest:

Cyclone Nivar and the shadow of climate change - Livemint

Posted in High Seas | Comments Off on Cyclone Nivar and the shadow of climate change – Livemint