Stories tagged Gulf of Mexico

5-Day Track Forecast Cone: 5-Day Track Forecast Cone: The black line and dots show the National Hurricane Center (NHC) forecast track of the center at the times indicated.
Courtesy NOAATropical storm Gustav is nearing hurricane strength as it is about to hit Jamica on its way to the Gulf Coast. Gustav has already been responsible for 23 deaths in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

After striking Haiti as a Category One hurricane on Tuesday Gustav weakened to a tropical storm but is gathering strength again.

Satellite image of Gustav
Courtesy NOAAAs the storm approaches the Gulf Coast is it possible it could make landfall near New Orleans. Current predictions place it just to the east, but folks in New Orleans are bracing for it all the same. Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal declared a state of emergency yesterday and announced plans to begin evacuating coastal areas. Forecasters warned that the average error in landfall predictions at this point is about 300 miles, meaning Gustav could hit anywhere from southern Texas to the Florida panhandle.

Oil prices rose as a result of the possible impact the storm could have on oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. Some oil companies have already been evacuating crews from oil rigs.

Tags : weather, new orleans, natural disaster, hurricane, huricane, gustav, Gulf of Mexico, evacuation

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The deadly cycle: Farming > River > Dead Zone > SHARKS!Did you know that the food we grow up here in the Midwest might cause shark attacks down in the Gulf of Mexico? Okay, I might be getting a little sensational but here is my train of thought.

• We do a ton of farming up here in the central states. This requires lots of fertilizer which in many cases eventually runs into the Mississippi River.
• The nutrients in this fertilizer flow down to the Gulf of Mexico where they cause a huge area of low oxygen in the water causing fish who can't swim long distances to die.
• Other fish that can migrate, like sharks, get the heck outta dodge and end up swimming around in larger numbers in beach areas where people swim.

It gets worse. Just today, the BBC is reporting that scientists think that this year's dead zone could grow to 8,500 sq miles, the biggest ever!

I wonder what the "tipping point" is for this issue? I'm not seriously too worried about the shark attacks. But the environmental impacts of the dead zone are huge. How bad will this have to get before people start talking about the issue of fertilizer run-off around the water cooler? Then again, maybe we can get some positive public action during the upcoming shark week, but I am guessing agricultural practices won't exactly be their focus...alas.

Related link

Dead Zone - Great resource on the science behind the Dead Zone from none other than...us, the Science Museum of Minnesota.

Tags : mississippi river, Gulf of Mexico, dead zone, fertilizer, nutrients

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That seems to be the conclusion of a report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that finds the northern Gulf of Mexico is sinking much faster than previously thought.

Every year, the Mississippi and other rivers dump millions of tons of sediment into the Gulf. All that weight pushes down on the Earth, causing some shoreline areas to disappear entirely, and other to sink dangerously low. Low-lying areas are vulnerable to flooding, especially during hurricane season.

Planners need to know how high or low each area is, in order to make the proper precautions. But a recent re-measuring showed that Louisiana is sinking faster than expected. Hurricane preparations currently underway may not be enough to protect some areas.

Tags : mississippi river, NOAA, Louisiana, Gulf of Mexico

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