Ever seen "sea smoke?"
Barbara Herron, of Baltimore, sent me this note this morning, with a photo she snapped during a recent cruise:
"Dear Frank,
"My husband and I got home on Monday from a cruise that went from Baltimore to Charleston, Key West, the Bahamas and back. On Sunday, in the Gulf Stream about 35 miles off Cape Hatteras, we had really awesome conditions – seas up to 15 feet, air temp around 35F, winds at 40 and gusting to 50, a fog bank, and sea smoke. I understand that sea smoke occurs when the water is at least 30 degrees F warmer than the air. It was amazing to watch. I thought you might enjoy the photo I snapped with my iPhone.
"Thanks for your terrific weather blog. You’re one of my favorite parts of the Sun.
"Barbara Herron"
(PHOTO by Barbara Herron/Used with permission)
Comments
Just wait another 20 years, and this will be a BIG problem in all metros on the coastal borders in the winter as global warming heats up the oceans.
Please all, do what you can now, i.e, recycle, get rid of the SUV, conserve power, don't build a McMansion, etc etc
Posted by: Eve Redman | February 3, 2010 12:20 PM
I'll get rid of my McMansion when Al Gore does.
Posted by: Perry | February 3, 2010 1:21 PM
You have it right Perry. Al's motto must be "do as I say and not as I do" since he has a mansion, yacht and heated pool. Eve don't buy the snake oil good old Al is selling. Just enjoy the picture of the sea smoke.
Posted by: Brett | February 3, 2010 2:16 PM
Sorry Eve, but man can do nothing to start or stop Global Warming. It's been part of Earth's natural lifecycle for millions of years. Don't forget, 10,000 years ago the land that sits under my house now was buried under a mile of ice. I don't think Native Americans driving around in SUV's caused all that ice to melt.
Sea Smoke often shows up on satellite photos after a particularly frigid cold front has passed off the East Coast.
Posted by: Mike C. | February 3, 2010 2:18 PM
I don't have a McMansion. :(
It sort of reminds me of hail fog
Posted by: Mike P | February 3, 2010 2:30 PM
Not a big buyer in of the global warming trend either, just enjoy good weather stories such as this. We need to conserve but global warming is not man made yet.
Posted by: tomWetzie | February 3, 2010 3:16 PM
NOTE: The sea smoke appeared only over the Gulf Stream, which is always warmer than the surrounding waters. The sea smoke stopped abruptly at the edge of the Gulf Stream, but, sadly, I didn't get a clear picture of that.
Posted by: Barbara | February 3, 2010 4:30 PM
I work in the Inner Harbor and park on the Federal Hill side. I occasionally see this while walking to work around the promenade on very cold mornings. I guess that it would be harbor smoke, though, instead of sea smoke!
On another note, it was so windy one day last week that we actually had white caps in the Inner Harbor.
Posted by: pgp | February 3, 2010 6:11 PM
Ocasionally while canoeing on calm water in the late evening, as the air cools in early June you can find yourself surrounded by vast numbers of little twisty spirals of "smoke" coming off the water about a foot or so up into the air. It's very cool.
Posted by: JohnR | February 4, 2010 9:03 AM
I have seen this many times in the Gulf Stream as I sailed from Norfolk for most my career as a Naval Officer. It is one of my best memories of years at sea seeing the wave tops poke out of a four or five foot sea smoke layer and then disappear again. It is a unique show.
Posted by: Bill | February 4, 2010 9:15 AM
Eve Redman wrote: " ... get rid of the SUV ... "
What about the families with four or more children? Should they buy two cars? How about the families that carpool? Would you rather have more cars on the road?
Posted by: Tom | February 11, 2010 8:29 PM