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Ecuador
Life Flourishes in Galapagos Upwelling
March 3, 2010 | Brown University

You might not expect to find lots of barnacles or other sea creatures clinging to a vertical surface in a cold, rapidly moving water current. Surprisingly, crustaceans can not only tolerate this environment, but are actually flourishing in the deep, upwelling waters of Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands.

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Red tide
Gulf of Maine 2010 Red Tide Warning
March 1, 2010 | Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

2010 is expected to be a banner year for red tide algal blooms in the Gulf of Maine. The seeds, or cysts, released last year far outnumber those that caused the large outbreak in 2005.

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Chile Earthquake M 8.8
February 27, 2010 | USGS

A massive earthquake occurred along the coast of Chile at 3:34 AM local time. This is a very large earthquake that ruptured the boundary between the Nazca and South American tectonic plates. The USGS instrumental intensity shake map shows severe shaking along the coast of Chile.

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Drilling Restrictions May Cost the US $2.4 Trillion
February 19, 2010 | Reuters

An article on the Reuters website reports that the United States economy will lose $2.4 trillion over the next twenty years if currently restricted onshore and offshore areas are not opened to oil and gas drilling. The article is based on a study done by the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners.

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Tsunami warning sign
Tsunami Preparedness for the Oregon Coast
February 15, 2010 | Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries

“The Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI), in partnership with Oregon Emergency Management and the National Weather Service, are enhancing and expanding tsunami preparedness for Oregon coastal communities with a new program called TsunamiReady, TsunamiPrepared.”

Related: What Causes a Tsunami?

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Rogue Wave Injuries in California
February 14, 2010 | CNN Video

Two rogue waves came ashore during a surfing contest in California, injuring over a dozen spectators.

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State Farm Drops Insurance of 125,000 Florida Homeowners
February 5, 2010 | MSNBC

State Farm Insurance requested a 47% rate increase for providing insurance to homeowners in some of Florida’s coastal areas. The rate increase was denied so State Farm sent cancellation notices to about 125,000 policy holders.

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Seismic Research Off the US Atlantic Coast
February 4, 2010 | Houston Chronicle

Department of Interior Secretary, Ken Salazar, says that the federal government will begin a process that might allow oil and gas companies to do seismic research off the US Atlantic coast to identify oil and natural gas accumulations.

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Video: Giant Squid in California Waters
February 2, 2010 | abc7.com

In the last few days, Humboldt squid have been invading California’s coastal waters by the hundreds. Fishermen are having a field day catching them and getting squirted with ink.

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Chesapeake Bay
Algae Poison Chesapeake Bay Fish
January 29, 2010 | Johns Hopkins University

The Karlodinium veneficum, a dinoflagellate algal microbe, emits karlotoxin to paralyze enemies and prey. Unfortunately, the karlotoxin is also responsible for poisoning and killing multitudes of fish in the Chesapeake Bay. Scientists are studying the organisms to determine what can be done to suppress lethal blooms of this harmful algae.

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Oregon
Higher Waves on U.S. West Coast
January 26, 2010 | Oregon State University

The average height of exceptionally large waves off the U.S. West Coast is rising substantially – from about 25 feet two decades ago, to around 50 feet now. What kind of effect will this have on coastal erosion and flooding in the Pacific Northwest?

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Cliff Erosion: Pacifica, California
January 23, 2010 | Sphere.com

Pacific Ocean waves are causing erosion that threatens buildings atop a cliff near Pacifica, California. Residents are evacuating because collapse appears certain.

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Eagle Otome Oil Spill: Port Arthur, Texas
January 23, 2010 | MSNBC

A tanker, Eagle Otome, collided with the towing vessel, Dixie Vengeance, ripping a large hole in one of its tanks and spilling nearly 1/2 million gallons of crude oil at Port Arthur, Texas.

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Giens Peninsula
Giens, France: Tombolos
January 18, 2010 | Earth Observatory

A tombolo is a coastal feature formed when a sand bridge develops between an island and the mainland, joining the two. This astronaut photograph by the ISS Expedition 22 crew shows the Giens Peninsula, which was created from two tombolos in the French Riviera.

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Areas Affected by Sea Level Rise
January 12, 2010 | Sphere.com

This article explores three areas that will be strongly affected by sea level rise: the Solomon Islands, the Florida Keys and the northeast coast of the United States.

Related: Interactive map showing areas of sea level rise.

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Oregon Natural Hazards Maps
January 7, 2010 | Oregon Hazards Explorer

Oregon State University has natural hazards data in an online GIS named the “Oregon Hazards Explorer”. It allows you to navigate the state with different layers turned on such as: landslide areas (shown below), 100 year flood boundaries, coastal erosion hazard areas, seismic hazards, wildfire risk areas and more.

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Baja California
Astronaut Photo of Baja California
January 5, 2010 | Earth Observatory

This photo by the Atlantis STS-129 crew shows the astronauts’ view of the area surrounding Puerto San Carlos, Baja California. Visible in this image are the dune-covered beaches, deserts, mangroves, and a variety of water features.

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Virginia
Virginia Governor-Elect on Offshore Oil and Gas
January 3, 2010 | NewsObserver.com

Bob McDonnell, Virginia’s governor-elect is pushing for an offshore oil and natural gas lease sale in 2011.

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Beach Safety: Identifying Rip Currents
December 30, 2009 | University of New South Wales

Rip currents are a hazard that beach visitors need to be aware of – during Australian summers, someone drowns in a rip current every few days. This video shows how to identify rip currents, and gives instructions on what to do if you are caught in one.

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Indian Ocean Tsunami Anniversary
December 27, 2009 | CNN

Yesterday was the fifth anniversary of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami that killed about 250,000 people around the rim of the Indian Ocean. An article and videos on the CNN website illustrate some of the observances.

Related: What causes a tsunami?

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Oregon Tsunami Evacuation Maps
December 24, 2009 | Oregon Coast Tsunami Hazards Program

A Google map of tsunami evacuation zones for the Oregon coast allows anyone to determine if they live or work in an area where special actions should be taken in the event of a strong earthquake. The website also provides tsunami safety advice for people who are in boats or buildings when a tsunami might occur. The map was a joint effort of the Oregon Department of Geology & Mineral Industries, Oregon Emergency Management and NOAA.

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Cliff Erosion: Pacifica, California
December 23, 2009 | CNN

CNN has a short video that shows an apartment complex near Pacifica, California where wave erosion at the base of a cliff has dangerously encroached upon the building. (Note: the video has no sound.)

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New Ship for Seafloor Mapping
December 22, 2009 | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NOAA has a new ship for seafloor mapping. It has a twin-hull design that is more stable than a mono-hull and particularly suited to mapping the ocean floor — it minimizes the rocking motion caused by wave action.

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Egypt
Reconstructing Cleopatra’s Palace
December 18, 2009 | NPR

It is theorized that Cleopatra’s palace was dislodged by earthquakes some 1700 years ago when it fell into the sea. Archaeologists are now retrieving pieces of the complex, and hope to create an underwater museum with the ruins.

Related stories.
Oregon Landslides and Coastal Erosion
December 17, 2009 | Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries

The Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries has new landslide inventory maps for the Canby Quadrangle and a report on coastal erosion in Clatsop County.

They also have an article on “Seeing landslides with lidar“.

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Hobart King

Geological Society of America


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