Marine Science
Normal hurricane season forecast for 2019; four to eight hurricanes expected
The Atlantic Ocean and residents along its coasts and on its islands face a relatively normal hurricane season in 2019, according to projections from a variety of forecasters.
Officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced their outlook Thursday for the coming season, which they anticipate will see between nine to 15 named storms.
Of those storms, they forecast about four to eight are expected to become hurricanes, meaning they have winds of 74 mph or higher, and two to four storms are expected to reach a Category 3 or higher.
Hurricane season officially begins June 1 and runs through Nov. 30, but this year got off to an early start. A...
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Normal hurricane season forecast for 2019; four to eight hurricanes expected
The Atlantic Ocean and residents along its coasts and on its islands face a relatively normal hurricane season in 2019, according to projections from a variety of forecasters.
Officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced...
Maryland Rep. Ruppersberger presses for digital coastal mapping project to help prepare for floods, storms
Maryland Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger has introduced a bipartisan bill that would fund a project to produce a digital map of all 95,000 miles of the U.S. coastline.
Coastal communities like Baltimore and Ocean City would benefit from the collection of...
Oyster losses are not due to climate change alone
A recent article in The Baltimore Sun (“Research links dramatic declines in Chesapeake Bay oyster population to warmer winters — not overfishing,” Oct. 30) described a study concluding that a climate cycle, rather than overharvest and habitat degradation,...
Research links dramatic declines in Chesapeake Bay oyster population to warmer winters — not overfishing
Warmer winters — not overfishing — have depleted Chesapeake Bay oyster populations in recent decades, according to scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
Researchers link oyster...
Where do Maryland crabs come from? Researchers use a virus, ocean current maps and more to find out.
A common joke between politicians from Maryland and Virginia holds that all Maryland blue crabs actually come from Virginia, where saltier waters are hospitable to egg-bearing females. The retort: As soon as they can, they move to Maryland.
But what if...
Freshwater flows into the Chesapeake Bay hit an August record last month
It wasn't just a surge of debris that washed into the Chesapeake Bay last month — the estuary received a record-setting flow of fresh water, scientists say, potentially hinting at long-term impacts on ecosystem health.
On average, streams and rivers were...
Cownose ray study suggests maligned Chesapeake creatures could be more vulnerable to overfishing than previously thought
Chesapeake Bay watermen have long viewed the cownose ray as a pest, preying on a vulnerable oyster population. Their contempt even inspired tournaments of bow-wielding ray hunters — a practice the state has banned, at least temporarily.
But new...
Bay breathing easier? Scientists credit Chesapeake cleanup for tripling of underwater grasses critical to bay health
Researchers say Chesapeake Bay cleanup initiatives have triggered a major resurgence of the underwater grasses that are at the center of the estuary's fragile food web.
Scientists from across Maryland and Virginia say that from 1984 to 2014,...
Chesapeake crab caper results in felony charges
More than three years after federal fish fraud investigators were tipped off that a Virginian seafood company was selling foreign crabmeat labeled as more expensive domestic crabmeat, federal prosecutors filed felony charges against Casey’s Seafood owner,...
U.S. weather agency in College Park opens its doors to curious public
Judy Baylor peered intently over Bruce Sullivan’s shoulder Saturday as the veteran meteorologist showed her how he uses the tools of his trade to predict the course of hurricanes over the Atlantic and rain in the Pacific Northwest.
Baylor and her...
The inconvenient science of Tangier Island
Tangier Island Mayor James “Ooker” Eskridge’s 15 minutes of fame went into overtime this week when he appeared on a CNN town hall to tell former Vice President Al Gore that it isn’t sea-level rise but erosion that is destroying his Chesapeake Bay...
Trump admin proposes seismic surveys for Atlantic drilling
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is seeking permission to use seismic air guns to find oil and gas formations deep underneath the Atlantic Ocean floor, a reversal from the Obama administration that is outraging environmental groups and some East...
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 along the Delmarva Peninsula.In all, 41 dead humpback whales...
No 'Bait-to-Plate' leaves big gaps for fish fraud
A review of known seafood fraud indicates that proposed federal protections would fall short of stopping some of the most common forms of fish fakery.Researchers at the environmental advocacy group Oceana found that 21 of the 27 U.S. mislabeling cases...
State-funded endowments help Maryland colleges build science niches
Best known for training writers in the footsteps of Sophie Kerr, Washington College now aims to broaden its reputation, using its location by the Chester River to build standing in marine science and research.
Researchers at the liberal arts college in...
Record snow, record heat
For those still shoveling out from the aftermath of 29 inches of snow, a Baltimore record that has doubtless done wonders for sales of acetaminophen and other muscle ache treatments, here's something that won't give you any comfort: Global warming is...
El Nino's weather extremes mean opportunity for scientists to study the future of global climate
Scientists understand the basics of how El Nino changes weather around the globe — floods and mudslides in Peru, wildfires and drought in Indonesia, along with heavy rain for the southeastern United States.But it's harder to answer other questions — how...
New legislation to help block seafood pirates
Congress sent a bill to President Barack Obama last week that would bar seafood companies from dumping illegally caught fish products in the United States.
The bill would implement a 2009 international treaty designed to identify and eliminate illegal...
Scientists find 'armored' shoreline hinders bay grasses, crabs
Waterfront property owners all around the Chesapeake Bay have bulkheaded and riprapped their shoreline to protect it from erosion.It's their legal right to keep their land from washing away, and over the years a growing share of the water's edge has...
Joseph R. Geraci, expert in marine mammal medicine and National Aquarium official, dies
Dr. Joseph R Geraci, a scientist and veterinarian who was a leading expert in marine mammal medicine and aquatic wildlife conservation, died of cancer Thursday at his Leesburg, Va. home. The former Otterbein resident was 77.
A former official of the...