Category: Environment

Arctic Blast Spreads Shivers from Maine to Deep South

11/13/2019 - By David Sharp. PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — An arctic blast that sent shivers across the Midwest spread across the eastern U.S. on Wednesday, with bitter weather establishing new cold-temperature records from Mississippi to Maine. Temperatures dipped to single digits early Wednesday across parts of the Northeast, and unseasonably cold weather… SEE MORE

Record Temperatures

October 2019 Coolest in Ten Years

Environment

11/6/2019 - Climate by the numbers October 2019 The average temperature for October across the contiguous U.S. was 52.3 degrees F (1.8 degrees below the 20th-century average), making it the coolest October since 2009. It ranked in the lowest third of the 125-year record. Alaska had an average October temperature that ranked… SEE MORE

Fishing Community Supports Atlantic Striped Bass Limits

11/6/2019 - New Castle, N.H.– On October 30, members of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) Striped Bass Management Board voted 11 – 4 for Addendum VI Option 2 to require an 18% reduction in striped bass removals by both the recreational and commercial fishing sectors from North Carolina to Maine.… SEE MORE

This Device Has Been Measuring Plankton Since the 1930s

Environment

10/30/2019 - By Cathleen O'Grady. In the winter of 2013, a mass of warm water began to spread throughout the eastern Pacific Ocean. The Blob wreaked havoc on marine life—sea lion pups starved, seabirds died, and salmon fisheries suffered. Helping to unravel this mess is the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR), an antique… SEE MORE

Plankton

Photo Courtesy of AP Photo/Los Angeles Times, Mel Melcon

Understanding Wildfire Warnings, Watches and Behavior

Environment

10/30/2019 - How to Prepare for Wildfire: Take personal responsibility and prepare long before the threat of a wildland fire so your home is ready in case of a fire: Create defensible space by clearing brush away from your home. Use fire-resistant landscaping and harden your home with fire-safe construction measures. Put… SEE MORE

Judge Tosses Washington State Shellfish Permit

10/23/2019 - By Ben Fisher. This week, U.S. District Judge Robert Lasnik threw out a federal permit for Washington state’s shellfish industry, saying that the permit does not do enough to protect the environment. According to a Seattle Times report, the judge ruled that the federal permit issued by the Army Corps of Engineers… SEE MORE

What’s Your Vision for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary?

10/23/2019 - MIAMI – For the first time since its creation in 1990, the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary is giving recreational boaters and anglers the unique opportunity to help shape its future by commenting on the draft Restoration Blueprint. The plan could expand the sanctuary’s boundary, update regulations, modify and establish… SEE MORE

Florida Keys

Projected impact of climate change on agricultural yields by the 2080s.

Weather Channel to Host Its Own Climate Forum with Presidential Candidates

10/23/2019 - By Dino Grandoni. First it was CNN. Then MSNBC. Now even the Weather Channel wants to ask presidential candidates about climate change. The weather news network — better known for tracking hurricanes than following political campaigns — is set to air an hour-long prime-time special of interviews with nine 2020 White House hopefuls focused on how… SEE MORE

Pollution on US beaches has a direct impact on local tourism.

The Economic Impacts of Marine Debris on Tourism

10/2/2019 - The tourism and recreation sector is the largest employer in the ocean and Great Lakes economy. This sector relies heavily on healthy coastal and ocean resources as well as the aesthetic quality of the environment. Unfortunately, marine debris is a pervasive issue in many coastal areas of the United States, where… SEE MORE

Endangered North Atlantic right whales are dying at an alarming rate, with heavy losses in Canadian waters.

Why Whales Are Worrying Lobstermen in Maine

10/2/2019 - By John Kamp. Along the rocky coast of Maine, lobstermen are worried new federal requirements to clear fishing lines from the path of endangered whales will damage their iconic New England industry. A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration agency is trying to save North Atlantic right whales that are dying… SEE MORE