Coastal Topography Data
January 31, 2012 | USGS
USGS has released a large number of coastal topography data sets for the eastern coast and Gulf of Mexico acquired using lidar technology. |
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Shell Sets New Deep-Water Record in the Gulf of Mexico
November 21, 2011 | Houston Chronicle
Shell Oil Company has completed a well in the Gulf of Mexico that is producing oil from nearly two miles below the ocean surface. It sets a new world record for the deepest offshore well. |
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Mapping Undersea Gas Seeps
October 11, 2011 | University of New Hampshire
“A technology commonly used to map the bottom of the deep ocean can also detect gas seeps in the water column.” Quoted from the University of New Hampshire news release. |
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Archaeologists Discover Dozens of New Sites after the BP Spill
September 8, 2011 | Public Radio International
Archaeologists working with cleanup workers after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill discovered dozens of new archaeological sites. Public Radio International has a podcast interview with Chip McGimsey, Louisiana State Archaeologist. |
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Tropical Storm Lee: Flooding in Gulf Coast States
September 4, 2011 | NOLA.com
Tropical Storm Lee has been dumping heavy rain on the Gulf Coast and while many areas are experiencing heavy floods, New Orleans, so far (Sunday evening), has not had severe problems. Some of the most up-to-date information is on the NOLA.com website (the site is very busy because so many people are using it and can be unresponsive). |
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Tropical Storm Lee – Flooding in New Orleans
September 3, 2011 | National Hurricane Center
Tropical Storm Lee is moving very slowly over southern Louisiana. That slow rate of movement will allow it to drop very large amounts of rain on New Orleans and surrounding areas.
“TROPICAL STORM LEE IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAIN ACCUMULATIONS OF 10 TO 15 INCHES OVER SOUTHERN LOUISIANA…SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI…AND SOUTHERN ALABAMA THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT…WITH POSSIBLE ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 20 INCHES. THESE RAINS ARE EXPECTED TO CAUSE EXTENSIVE FLOODING.” Quote from the National Hurricane Center. |
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Hurricane Irene – Category Two and Strengthening
August 22, 2011 | National Weather Service
Hurricane Irene is moving along the northern coast of the Dominican Republic. The National Weather Service reports:
“IRENE IS A CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. ADDITIONAL STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS…AND IRENE COULD BECOME A MAJOR HURRICANE ON TUESDAY.” |
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Hurricane Irene – Up to 20 Inches of Rain
August 22, 2011 | National Hurricane Center
Hurricane Irene is expected to drop heavy rain on the Caribbean area today and reach Florida later this week. The National Hurricane Center forecast from Monday morning includes:
“RAINFALL…IRENE IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 5 TO 10 INCHES ACROSS PUERTO RICO…THE VIRGIN ISLANDS…THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC…HAITI…THE SOUTHEASTERN BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS. ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF UP TO 20 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE. THESE RAINS COULD CAUSE LIFE-THREATENING FLASH FLOODS AND MUD SLIDES IN AREAS OF STEEP TERRAIN.” |
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Exxon Sues the Federal Government to Hold a Billion Barrel Discovery
August 19, 2011 | Associated Press @ Google
The Julia Field is a huge Exxon discovery in the Gulf of Mexico about 250 miles southwest of New Orleans. It could contain a billion barrels of oil. The problem: the Department of Interior says that Exxon’s leases have expired. |
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Hurricane Research at NASA
August 18, 2011 | NASA
Hurricane season in the North Atlantic Ocean officially began on June 1, though the season typically peaks in September. Earth Observatory caught up recently with Scott A. Braun, a research meteorologist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Scott’s specialty is using computer models to recreate the components of hurricanes, including winds and rainfall, in order to better understand the detailed inner workings of storms. |
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Recovering Captain Henry Morgan’s Pirate Ship
August 8, 2011 | LA Times
After discovering six cannons believed to be part of Captain Henry Morgan’s pirate fleet, university and government researchers ran out of funds needed to sustain their marine archaeology work off the coast of Panama. However, Captain Morgan USA, the rum maker named after the 17th century pirate, kicked in enough money for a magnetometer survey and continued work. |
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Today’s Tides are Quite Different than Ancient Tides
August 4, 2011 | Oregon State University
“The ebb and flow of the ocean tides, generally thought to be one of the most predictable forces on Earth, are actually quite variable over long time periods, in ways that have not been adequately accounted for in most evaluations of prehistoric sea level changes.” Quoted from the Oregon State University news release. |
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Breaking Down the Deepwater Horizon Oil Slick
August 3, 2011 | Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
“More than a year after the largest oil spill in history, perhaps the dominant lingering question about the Deepwater Horizon spill is, “What happened to the oil?” Now, in the first published study to explain the role of microbes in breaking down the oil slick on the surface of the Gulf of Mexico, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution researchers have come up with answers that represent both surprisingly good news and a head-scratching mystery.” Quoted from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution news release. |
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Drought Relief for Texas from Tropical Storm Don?
July 28, 2011 | NASA
“Tropical Storm Don formed at 5 p.m. EDT last night, July 27, in the southern Gulf of Mexico and appears to be a small storm on GOES-13 satellite imagery. NASA compiled two days of GOES-13 imagery in a 30 second movie that shows how and where Don formed.” Quoted from the NASA news release.
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Determining the Chemical Make-up of the Gulf of Mexico Plume
July 19, 2011 | Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
“Taking another major step in sleuthing the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, a research team led by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution determined what chemicals were contained in a deep, hydrocarbon-containing plume.” Quoted from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution news release. |
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Floodwaters Ruin Gulf of Mexico Oyster Crop
July 19, 2011 | MSNBC
Heavy flooding this spring and summer has pumped so much fresh water into the Gulf of Mexico that many oysters have died – they require salt water to survive. As a result the oyster harvest could be cancelled or restricted to give oyster populations a chance to recover. This will severely hurt businesses and employees involved in the harvest, processing and sale of oyster products. |
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Seismic Assessment of Gas Hydrate Deposits, Gulf of Mexico
July 13, 2011 | BOEMRE
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement has released a study that describes new seismic assessment methods for gas hydrate deposits in the Gulf of Mexico. |
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Sediment From the Mississippi River Floods
June 30, 2011 | NASA Earth Observatory
“As the floodwaters swept over farms and towns in May and June 2011, they scoured fertilized soil from the ground and carried it downstream. Swollen rivers dumped thousands of tons of nutrients into the Gulf of Mexico, where they are forecast to cause a record “dead zone” this summer.” Quoted from the Earth Observatory image release.
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Exxon: Huge Oil Discovery in the Gulf of Mexico
June 8, 2011 | Exxon Mobile @ Business Wire
Exxon Mobil Corporation announced a large oil discovery in the Gulf of Mexico, believed to be the largest in the past decade. Company geologists estimate that is has the potential for more than 700 million barrels of recoverable oil equivalent. |
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Dead Zone Image by NASA
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Mississippi River Flooding and the Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone
June 6, 2011 | New York Times
Record flooding in the Mississippi River and Missouri River is expected to result in the largest dead zone ever seen in the Gulf of Mexico. Large amounts of fertilizer and animal waste carried by flood waters contribute to formation of the dead zone. |
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