Historic Tide Levels for Hurricane Mathew

According to an article written by Dr. Jeff Masters and Bob Henson, despite hurricane Mathew only hitting the eastern coast as a category 1 hurricane, it still managed to set rainfall and storm surge records for the areas it sruck. The writers of the article documented a few peaks for the storm, including one area in Fort Pulaski Georgia where the storm surge made it nearly an entire 8 feet high. Hurricane Mathew managed to set a few record tide levels as well, shattering the previous record of 3.40’ with a whopping 5.06’ in the aforementioned Fort Pulaski, barely taking the lead in Wilmington North Carolina, beating out the previous record of 3.47’ at 3.53’, and topping the Mayport Florida record of 2.47’ with 3.28’. Hurricane Mathew also managed to come close to breaking records in three other stations, but did not actually break them.

https://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/matthew-flings-alltime-surge-and-rainfall-records-across-southeast

Greenhouse gases could extend Californian drought for centuries.

According to a study published in the nature journal Scientific Reports, which looked at a how changes in the climate can impact lengthy droughts, found that forces which “intermittently warm intermittently warmed the region through a process called radiative forcing” have been at the center of these inexplicably long droughts. It also found that greenhouse gasses may also be a huge factor in this process. According to one professor MacDonald, a professor of geography, ecology, and evolutionary biology, who is also an international authority on climate change, as long as warming forces, like greenhouse gasses, are present in the atmosphere they can potentially perpetuate the drought forever.

               The researchers conducted this study by examining large portions from different strata in the ground. They found that certain layers showed signs of high aridity, a lack of moisture. The researchers were able to clearly see a wide variety of historically documented droughts, including two instances of droughts in Kirman Lake. The article concludes by admitting that we are a technologically advanced culture, so it is unlikely that California will stop being a primarily agricultural state, but will still see a huge cut in productivity. California is also anticipated to receive an increase in wildfires and most bodies f water are likely to dry out.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/09/160915131524.htm

Climate Change Responsible For Massive Increases in Torrential Downpours in The Gulf Coast

An article from the New York Times details the findings from a collection of scientists on the impact that climate change has had on the likelihood of Torrential downpours within the Gulf Coast. The article explains the process they underwent as having involved previous recordings of rainfall, and computer models that were used to create a model of the current climate. The researchers involved found that climate change has increased the likelihood severe rainfall in this region by at least 40%; although Heidi Cullen, the chief scientist for Climate Central, claims that it is much more likely that the initial probability has actually doubled due to climate change. The one thing that the researchers all agreed upon, however, is that Climate change has had a very real impact on the rainfall.

The increase in deluges has caused devastation along the Gulf Coast, especially in Louisiana. The article sites an instance in which a large storm stalled over the southern portion of Louisiana, dropping two feet of rain within 48 hours causing massive losses to homes and businesses, but also killing 13 people, leading people to site the event as the nation's worst natural disaster since Hurricane Sandy in 2012. The Governor of Louisiana, John Bel Edwards, anticipated the damage to cost around 9 billion dollars.

The new process of using these advanced models to compare rainfall from prior years has allowed climatologists to better link specific storms to climate change, and is being referred to as attribution studies. It allows the scientists to compare the likelihood of cataclysmic events before the massive output of carbon dioxide had afflicted our atmosphere, and now, after all that.

The scientists are also seeking to speed up the process of doing these studies, as it typically takes months to complete. The study of the storm in  Louisiana, for instance, was intended to detail the effects of climate change as soon as possible. World Weather Attribution, the research team which conducted this study, has started using previously run models in their own.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/08/science/global-warming-louisiana-flooding.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FWeather&action=click&contentCollection=timestopics&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=collection&_r=0

Nutrient Pollution From Cities Negatively Affecting Sounds From Marine Life.

According to an article in the online journal Landscape Ecology a process known as eutrophication, a water based ecosystem's response to an increase of nutrients, primarily phosphates, has caused certain ecosystems to become more silent when  compared to ecosystems not affected by eutrophication. The article claims that a majority of the sounds that have gone missing primarily belonged to shrimp and sea urchins, but also came from fish. The primary reason that this is an issue is because many marine animals use sound to locate shelter, meaning that without the ability to find shelter their populations are likely to be at risk.

The writers of the article also found that the audio recordings in ecosystems near under-water volcanic vents, which act as accurate predictors of how future marine ecosystems will behave if climate change continues to be poorly managed, matched the audio recordings of systems which had been afflicted by eutrophication. The article concludes by suggesting that reducing the amount of nutrient pollution in areas near bodies of water would help to strengthen those ecosystems.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/09/160906103149.html

Tropical Storm Hermine; less dangerous than anticipated.

Tropical Storm Hermine continues to travel north, following much the same path as Hurricane Sandy, but has started to drift off to the east, making it less likely that the tropical storm will have much of an impact. Although Hermine is still considered to be a tropical storm its wind speeds are merely 4 mph short of being considered a full-fledged Hurricane.  That being said, the new direction of the storm has allowed for a few areas to breathe a sigh of relief. The Jersey Shore is no longer under Storm Surge Warning, although Long Island is still expected to be struck by Hermine.

               The primary danger appears to be coming from a combination of the storm surge and the natural tide, which is expected to cause heavy flooding both along the coastline, and typically dry areas for the 48 hours that the tropical storm is anticipated to be laying siege to Long Island, as the water is expected to reach heights of 3 feet. In preparation for the oncoming storm Long Island beaches have all been closed.

-Drew Wilson

http://patch.com/new-york/westhampton-hamptonbays/hermine-isnt-looking-so-mean-anymore-threats-remain