national oceanic and atmospheric administration

• Weather

Normal hurricane season forecast for 2019; four to eight hurricanes expected

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Thursday the coming hurricane season is expected to see between nine to 15 named storms.

• Opinion

Maryland overfishing imperils rockfish population

On Tuesday, Virginia did what Maryland should: close its 2019 spring recreational striped bass trophy season. A new report finds striped bass are overfished and that manmade overfishing — taking too many fish too fast — is accelerating the decline. Marylanders are among the worst offenders.

• Maryland

National Aquarium's plan to relocate dolphins from Baltimore by 2020 is delayed by climate change, pollution

The National Aquarium was planning to relocate its seven dolphins to a more tropical locale by 2020. Climate change and pollution are keeping them in Baltimore longer.

By Lillian Reed

Apr 19, 2019

• Science

A meteor flashed across the sky in Maryland, across the East Coast on Tuesday. Here’s what we know about it.

A meteor made a blue-green streak across the sky over Baltimore and other areas of the East Coast Tuesday night.

By Sarah Meehan

Apr 17, 2019

• Weather

University of Maryland used a private company to issue a tornado warning. Here's why that could be a problem.

The University of Maryland’s decision to issue a tornado warning based on a private weather company’s guidance is sparking questions and scrutiny about the accuracy of forecasts and the firm’s role in public institutions.

• Weather

Some Baltimore blocks could be 15 degrees hotter than others. Mapping them could help address heat hazards.

Researchers are creating a map of the pockets of Baltimore where an abundance of blacktop and a lack of tree cover create what are known as urban heat islands. The data will help address rising public health concerns about heat-related illnesses.

By Scott Dance

Aug 30, 2018

• Opinion

Cutting carbon pollution will help us all keep our heads above water

It’s shocking to realize that, by the end of the century, seas swollen by climate change could swallow over 60,000 Maryland homes

• Weather

U.S. weather agency in College Park opens its doors to curious public

An agency of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration opens its doors to public for first time.

By Michael Dresser

Sep 16, 2017

• Maryland

Dayhoff: Carroll County has a history of natural disasters

Since Feb. 19, 1893, there have been more than 20 weather events, in the Westminster and surrounding Carroll County area, which historians refer to as “tornadoes.”

• Opinion

Don't let Trump gut NOAA

President Trump is following the dangerous path of climate change denial.

• News

Researchers finding more dolphins than expected in lower Chesapeake Bay

With awareness on the rise, researchers in Maryland and Virginia are undertaking the first comprehensive studies of bottlenose dolphins in the Chesapeake Bay. Their early findings suggest more dolphins swim up the bay than they ever thought.

By Tim Prudente

Jun 11, 2017

• News

Amid the rise of GPS, NOAA weighs a move away from paper charting

In a potential sea change for a nautical industry heavy on tradition, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's recent National Charting Plan mused that, eventually, "the reduction or elimination of traditional paper nautical charts seems likely."

By Colin Campbell

Jun 5, 2017

• Weather

NOAA predicts above-normal hurricane season, counter to earlier forecasts

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasters predict a busy Atlantic hurricane season is ahead.

By Scott Dance

May 25, 2017

• News

NOAA investigating spate of humpback whale deaths, including two in Maryland waters

Biologists are investigating an unusual number of humpback whale deaths along the Atlantic Coast since the beginning of 2016, including six in recent months at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay or on the Delmarva Peninsula.

By Scott Dance

Apr 27, 2017

• Howard County

Students see room for improvement in Howard watershed, schoolyards

Students from the county's 12 high schools performed a yearlong assessment of their watershed and schoolyards, studying and grading the area's health based on biological, chemical and physical factors

By Andrew Michaels

Apr 25, 2017

• Maryland

Editorial: Nothing political about Earth Day

Saturday marks the 47th annual Earth Day, and this year, it also marks the first March for Science in Washington, D.C., and several other cities, organized in

• Health

Research shows significant ways climate already has changed for the Chesapeake

Climate change is not an abstract concept, scientists at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science say — it's already evident and tangible around the Chesapeake.

By Scott Dance

Mar 31, 2017

• Opinion

NOAA rules could jeopardize Md. fish stocks

When I opened Woodberry Kitchen in 2007, I promised to source my ingredients only from local growers and watermen of the Chesapeake in order to shift consumer spending away from industrial — and often exploitative — farms and fisheries toward those who are true stewards of the land and sea. I am deeply concerned about the new fisheries management rules proposed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries (NOAA Fisheries). The quantifiable progress my restaurants

• Opinion

The heat is on

International fight over climate change could turn on a federal appeals court ruling on EPA authority over air pollution

• Opinion

Climate change needs to be front-page news

In this election even the weather is a political story

• Golf

Recreation and outdoors calendar

MSSA Kent Island

• News

No 'Bait-to-Plate' leaves big gaps for fish fraud

By Catherine Rentz

Jun 12, 2016

• Opinion

It's almost hurricane season; are you ready?

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center indicates it's likely that four to eight hurricanes will develop during this

• Howard County

Howard students think 'big picture' while analyzing county watersheds

The 2016 Howard County Watershed Report Card grades are in and student scientists throughout the school system have deemed immediate action necessary after sharing their results of poor schoolyard and streams conditions Wednesday morning at the Watershed Summit at the Howard County Conservancy in Woodstock.

By Andrew Michaels

Apr 20, 2016

• Maryland

Maritime mystery solved: Baltimore-built Navy tug USS Conestoga found after 95 years

Baltimore-built Navy tug USS Conestoga is found 95 years after vanishing in Pacific Ocean.

By Tim Prudente

Mar 24, 2016

• Maryland

Howard residents looking up to serve as weather spotters

Called SKYWARN, the program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has trained nearly 300,000 people across the country to be weather spotters. A basic class is scheduled Tuesday at the George Howard Building in Ellicott City, followed two weeks later by a class on flooding.

• News

Imported fish must bring their papers

By Catherine Rentz

Feb 15, 2016

• Weather

NOAA ranks snowstorm as fourth-worst for Northeast since 1950

Last weekend's snowstorm was the fourth-biggest to strike the Northeast since 1950, dumping more than 30 inches of snow on 1.5 million people and affecting nearly 103 million people in all, according to government meteorologists.

By Scott Dance

Jan 28, 2016

• Opinion

Record snow, record heat

Rising global temperatures may spawn extreme storms like this week's blizzard

• Opinion

Republicans must tackle climate

After a year of record heat, Republicans must be prepared to tackle climate change

• Weather

After frigid cold, forecasters turn to possible 'major winter storm'

Confidence is building that a strong storm moving up the East Coast will dump a major snowfall across Maryland this weekend.

By Scott Dance

Jan 19, 2016

• Weather

El Niño ties 1997-1998 episode as strongest on record

El Niño strengthened in the final months of 2015 to tie a record as the most intense iteration of the global climate pattern ever observed.

By Scott Dance

Jan 5, 2016

• Weather

El Nino's weather extremes mean opportunity for scientists to study the future of global climate

The strongest El Nino in nearly two decades could help scientists answer questions about climate forecasting and weather disasters going forward.

By Scott Dance

Oct 30, 2015

• Howard County

Local students to evaluate watershed with help from Conservancy, NOAA

Howard County high school students will study the health of their local watershed for the next three years, thanks to a $310,000 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded to the Howard County Conservancy on Monday morning.

By Lisa Philip

Oct 20, 2015

• Weather

Hurricane Danny is a major storm, aircraft survey finds

A day after reaching hurricane status, Hurricane Danny is a major storm with maximum winds of 115 mph, according to data from an aircraft survey of the cyclone.

By Scott Dance

Aug 21, 2015

• Weather

Chance to see 'Northern Lights' forecast Wednesday night

The "Northern Lights" put on a colorful show early Tuesday that was visible as far south as Virginia and Texas, and the aurora borealis could be visible again Wednesday, according to space weather forecasters.

By Scott Dance

Jun 23, 2015

• Maryland

Letter: Plenty of facts to back-up climate change

• Maryland

Editorial: On being ready for storms

In Carroll County, the memory is still fresh and stinging from last July's tragedy at River Valley Ranch, where 12-year-old Justin Diggs was killed when a tree fell on him as a severe thunderstorm and high winds raced across Millers and Lineboro. For many, that incident serves as a reminder that we all must be aware and be prepared.

• Opinion

Don't take hurricanes lightly

Despite a prediction of a below-average hurricane season along the East Coast, local residents should be ready for the worst

• Weather

NOAA predicts below-normal hurricane season, but urges caution

U.S. government forecasters are predicting at least half a dozen tropical cyclones will form in the Atlantic this year, though it's possible El Niño will prevent any of them from becoming major hurricanes.

By Scott Dance

May 27, 2015

• Sports

Recreation and outdoors calendar

• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Obama plan to fight seafood fraud met with praise — and criticism

The Obama administration's new plan to fight seafood fraud and illegal fishing is being met with praise — and some criticism — by local and national groups involved in the issue.

By Catherine Rentz

Mar 16, 2015

• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Enforcing seafood fraud laws a problem, former agents say

Three recently retired senior federal agents expressed concern last week about the lack of resources to investigate the black market fishing industry.

By Catherine Rentz

Feb 28, 2015

• Baltimore County

Plan to remove Bloede Dam moves forward

The Bloede Dam was built in 1907 on the meandering Patapsco River to generate electricity, although it hasn't served that function in many years.

• Weather

2014 was globe's warmest year on record, say NASA, NOAA

Last year was the warmest on Earth since record-keeping began in 1880, according to two reports released Friday.

By Scott Dance

Jan 16, 2015

• Consumer Goods Industries

New U.S. plan aims to stop seafood fraud and black market

Addressing growing concerns over seafood fraud, a presidential task force called Tuesday for expanded enforcement and a new program to give consumers more information about the origins of the imported fish, crab and other seafood they eat.

By Catherine Rentz

Dec 16, 2014

• Opinion

The great seafood rip-off

Regulators must protect consumers from seafood fraud and help put an end to illegal fishing overseas

• News

U.S. enforcement changes raise concern over seafood fraud

With seafood fraud a continuing problem in Maryland and across the nation, environmentalists, fishermen and lawmakers are expressing concern about a decline in the number of special investigative agents and enforcement cases at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

By Catherine Rentz

Dec 11, 2014

• Graphic:

Seafood labeling and enforcement in the United States

By Adam Marton

Dec 5, 2014

• Maryland

Carroll joins three other counties with intentions to coordinate with EPA

The Board of Carroll County Commissioners signed a letter on Thursday stating their intent to join Dorchester and Kent Counties in their efforts to persuade federal and state agencies to allow them to engage in oyster restoration in the Chesapeake Bay.