Tag: NOAA

National Marine Sanctuaries

National Marine Sanctuaries

NMS’s  preserve our underwater treasures

In October 1972, Congress passed the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act. One of the goals of this act was to set up National Marine Sanctuaries (NMSs). These would be the oceanic equivalents of the National Parks, vast undersea areas protected by the government.

Under the direction of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), there are more than 600,000 square miles within the National Marine Sanctuary System. One sanctuary is in the Great Lakes, five are along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, five along the Pacific coast, one that includes the Hawaiian Islands, and one for American Samoa. In addition, there are two Marine National Monuments: Papahãnaumokuãkea off of Hawaii and Rose Atoll east of American Samoa, both under the auspices of the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. There are also two NMS designates, one in Lake Michigan and the other in Mallows Bay, Maryland.

Coral reefs are often a component of a National Marine Sanctuary.

How are National Marine Sanctuaries created?

Local communities can nominate locations for an NMS designation. Criteria NOAA looks
for include natural resources or habitat with special ecological significance, maritime heritage resources with special historical, cultural, or archaeological significance, or important economic uses like tourism, fishing, diving, and other recreational activities. Additionally, NOAA will ask if the conservation and management of the resources are necessary. Specifically, are there threats or impacts that could affect the resources? Will research and public education be beneficial?

If NOAA accepts the nomination, the location will be put on a list of possible future NMSs. A lengthy evaluation process (typically years) with much public input will follow until a determination is made. The final outcome is a compromise between protection and use.

Marine National Monuments are physically similar to Sanctuaries, but the designation process is different. These are selected by presidential proclamation and are acted upon much quicker, which is especially important if protection is critical. The purpose of NMSs is to protect valuable resources, whether aquatic life or significant man-made features—humpback whale breeding grounds, coral reef ecosystems, and shipwreck sites have all been included.

What can I do at a National Marine Sanctuary?

It depends on the NMS. Some specific activities are prohibited, while others are regulated and controlled. Educating the public about the importance of an area and what activities are allowed or banned is a preferred strategy. The NMSs are for scientific research and education. The end goal is sound “stewardship of our oceans.

The public is welcome to use and enjoy the various NMSs through activities such as swimming, snorkeling, diving, recreational fishing, boating, and marine life viewing. Many have visitor centers (called Discovery Centers) or Partner Exhibits (nearby educational attractions not specifically tied to the NMS). NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries hosts a “Get Into Your Sanctuary” event each year to familiarize the public with NMSs. Find specific event information online. The NMS Foundation also produces a yearly magazine, Earth Is Blue, that highlights activities at the various NMSs.

Where are some National Marine Sanctuaries?

The following National Marine Sanctuaries are along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, each with their own story.

Gray’s Reef NMS

Gray’s Reef NMS is off the coast of Georgia (19 miles east of Sapelo Island). This large sandstone reef, approximately 70 feet below the surface, is named for the scientist who first described the reef’s flora and fauna. The reef provides easy access to divers and fishermen. Characterized as a “live bottom” reef, Gray’s Reef is home to more than 200 fish species, loggerhead turtles, and even the endangered North Atlantic right whale. For those less adventuresome, “virtual” visits to the reef are available at a number of exhibit partners.

Black Sea Bass at Grey’s Reef NMS.

 

Florida Keys NMS

Florida Keys NMS protects the third-largest living coral barrier reef system in the world. More than 6,000 species of marine life call the reef, nearby seagrass meadows, and numerous mangrove forests home. There are also an estimated 1,000 shipwrecks within the NMS. An Eco-Discovery Center is located on Key West and houses a Living Reef Exhibit.

Flower Garden Banks NMS

Off the coasts of Texas and Louisiana, Flower Garden Banks NMS is the only NMS in the Gulf of Mexico. It derived its name from the colorful reefs found here, the only tropical reefs within hundreds of miles. The Flower Garden Banks is home to a wide variety of aquatic life, such as eagle and manta rays, hammerhead sharks, and even an occasional whale shark.

Monitor NMS

Designated in 1975, the nation’s first National Marine Sanctuary is the Monitor NMS.  Here—just 16 miles off the coast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina— is where the Monitor, an ironclad warship from the Civil War era, was discovered. There are multiple shipwrecks close by in the “Graveyard of the Atlantic,” including ones from World Wars I and II. The Mariners Museum is in nearby Newport News, Virginia.

Mallows Bay-Potomac River

Mallows Bay-Potomac River on the tidal Potomac River in Maryland is still in the designation process to become an NMS. Like the Monitor NMS, Mallows Bay is the repository of many shipwrecks, such as the “Ghost Fleet,” with more than 100 World War I-era wooden vessels. It is also an ecological trove of fish and wildlife including rare and endangered species.

Stellwagen Bank

The northernmost NMS is Stellwagen Bank NMS at the mouth of Massachusetts Bay. Named for U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander Henry Stellwagen, who first surveyed the area in 1854, the Stellwagen Bank is a sand and gravel plateau with nutrient-rich waters that provide for an abundance of marine life, most notably whales. In fact, Stellwagen Bank is one of the best whale-watching sights in the world. Additionally, there are many shipwrecks here, as it was once a major shipping route.

By Ed Brotak, Southern Boating August 2019

What is stony coral tissue loss disease?

What is stony coral tissue loss disease?

And more important, how do we stop it?

In September 2014, researchers noticed that certain stony corals along the Florida Reef Tract weren’t doing so well. The Florida Reef Tract stretches approximately 360 miles in an arc along the Florida Keys and southeastern Florida. It’s currently the world’s third largest reef.

In Miami-Dade County, of Virginia Key, corals were showing “small circular or irregular patches of white, exposed skeleton devoid of tissue,” explains Dr. Andy Bruckner, research coordinator for Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. From there, the tissue would slough off, leaving the stark white skeleton exposed until algae colonized it. The disease, he explains, “radiates across the colony and outward.”

Click the image to watch the sad progression of stony coral tissue disease along Florida’s East Coast.

 

And spread outward it did—the stony coral tissue loss disease has since been found in the Lower Florida Keys.

This spells trouble for the reefs, and for the creatures and people who depend on them. The reefs of the Florida Keys provide food and recreational opportunities for residents and vacationers alike, and they can protect coastal communities since they serve as a buffer for hurricanes and other storms.

Worldwide, coral reefs support approximately 25 percent of all known marine species. Reefs provide homes for more than 4,000 species of fish, 700 species of coral, and thousands of other plants and animals.

The architects of coral reefs are hard corals. Unlike soft corals, hard corals have stony skeletons made out of limestone that are produced by coral polyps. When polyps die, their skeletons are left behind and used as foundations for new polyps. An actual coral branch or mound is composed of layer upon layer of skeletons covered by a thin layer of living polyps.

Scientists believe the disease is likely caused by a bacterial infection carried by currents, but little else is known.

As Joanna Walczak, southeast regional administrator at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection puts it, “this is an all hands on deck situation, requiring an unprecedented effort and response.”

Partners from universities, nonprofits, and government agencies have joined the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to understand the disease and how it can be stopped.

What can we do?

To stop the spread of contamination from one dive site to another, experts have a few recommendations for divers/snorkelers and swimmers.

Dos

  • Inspect dive gear equipment and remove any debris between each dive
  • ALWAYS Sanitize non-sensitive gear with a bleach solution
  • For sensitive gear, wash with copious amounts of fresh water
  • Move from “healthiest” site to “dirtiest” site
  • Always decontaminate regulators, gauges and computers
  • Use a reef-healthy sunscreen

Don’ts

  • Never leave any debris on dive/snorkel gear
  • Don’t move from a diseased site to a healthy site
  • Don’t dispose of disinfectant or waste into the ocean or a storm drain

“This collaborative response effort is vitally important,” says Sarah Fangman, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary superintendent. “The broad knowledge provided by all our partners working together has resulted in the development of a variety of interventions.” Together, these partners hope to develop an effective treatment.

Learn more what scientists are doing to learn about stony coral tissue loss.

–Erin

New Hope is Found

New Hope Found

For more than 55 years, the tug New Hope was presumed lost. Now, New Hope is found, thanks to NOAA. And some deep-diving robots.

In 1965, the tugboat New Hope was taking on water in 20-foot tropical storm waves in the Gulf of Mexico south of Louisiana. A leak in the stern didn’t help. When the seven crew members realized they couldn’t pump out water fast enough, they abandoned ship. A few hours later, the Coast Guard rescued them, cold and shivering but okay. New Hope sank, and no one knew exactly where…until now.

Early in 2018, during a deep-water exploration of the Gulf, NOAA’s Okeanos Explorer team located what is believed to be New Hope. The tug was upright on a sandy bottom 2,700 feet below the water’s surface. It was just about 80 miles south of the mouth of the Mississippi River.

New Hope was one of many discoveries—anthropological, geological, biological—by the NOAA team. During their April 11th to May 3rd exploration, they took on the deepest parts of the Gulf across all bordering states. Besides discovering New Hope, the team also took images of other previously located sunken vessels, including the World War II German submarine U-166.

A discovery from NOAA.

Two of their most valuable searching tools were remotely operated, deep-diving vehicles: ROV Seirios and ROV Deep Discoverer. Because of the ROVs’ ability to go deep, the team documented five new deep-sea coral communities and found what might be a new squid species.

They also surveyed unexplored areas of Perdido fold belt in the northwestern Gulf and gathered imaging and data for two areas along the offshore bank south of Texas and Louisiana being considered to expand the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, one of NOAA’s 14 federally designated underwater sanctuaries.

By Bill AuCoin, Southern Boating October 2018

More Gulf Coast Report:

St Pete City Updates

Waterspouts: spectacular but dangerous

What do you know about waterspouts?

A mesmerizing vortex that spins down from a cloud to the surface of the ocean is one description of a waterspout. A starker definition is that it’s a tornado over water. Waterspouts may beguile you with their ephemeral beauty, but they pose a serious hazard for boats and a threat to anyone in their path if they come ashore. From a scientific viewpoint, there are differences between tornadoes and waterspouts. Waterspouts can be broken down into two categories: the weaker and more common fair weather waterspouts, and the much stronger, but far less common, tornadic waterspouts.

Fair weather waterspouts

Fair weather waterspouts can occur without a “parent” thunderstorm. They can develop underneath tall cumulus clouds that are very common in the warmer months. Usually, they are relatively small, typically a few hundred feet across or less with average wind speeds near 50 miles per hour. They may only last a few minutes, but the largest ones can go on for an hour. They also often move slowly or are stationary for a time.

The first indication of a circulation is a dark spot on the water surface. This is a low-level circulation that will develop vertically under the updraft of a growing cumulus cloud. The upper part of the funnel will become visible when water droplets condense as the vortex further develops (it isn’t water droplets being sucked up from below). This visible funnel may or may not reach all the way down to the ocean surface and even if it doesn’t, one should assume a surface circulation exists.

Waterspouts can occur virtually anywhere. They are not uncommon over the Great Lakes. They even occur over the offshore waters of Alaska. Spouts can occur anywhere along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, especially in the summer. A number of research projects have indicated that the area surrounding the Florida Keys has the highest concentration of waterspouts in the world. During the southern rainy season, typically from late May into September, hundreds can occur. Even though these waterspouts are weaker, they can certainly damage a boat and, if they come ashore, can cause damage to property and injuries to beachgoers. Fortunately, fair weather waterspouts almost always dissipate quickly over land.

Tornadic waterspouts

Like tornadoes, tornadic waterspouts are produced by severe thunderstorms. These can be vortices that form over land and then move over water, or they can develop from strong thunderstorms over water, typically near the coast. They tend to be more common in the spring, but can occur at other times. These waterspouts are much more akin to their overland counterparts. Very strong winds with speeds of more than 100 miles per hour are certainly possible, and the waves they can generate could capsize even larger vessels.

If they move over land, damage can be extreme and even fatalities can occur. A recent example occurred this past April when a tornadic waterspout moved over Okaloosa Island, across Santa Rosa Sound and into Fort Walton Beach, Florida. With estimated winds between 100-105 miles per hour, the storm tore the roof off a home on Okaloosa Island injuring two people and damaged parts of Fort Walton Beach.

The conditions that form the two different types vary considerably. Tornadic waterspouts (and tornadic thunderstorms in general) develop in a very unstable atmosphere with significant temperature changes through its height. Ambient winds tend to be strong and change with height (causing wind shear). Often synoptic scale systems, such as fronts or low-pressure areas, are involved. Fair weather spouts develop in a more benign atmospheric environment with weaker winds and a consistently warm and moist atmosphere. Typically, there are no larger scale weather systems associated with their occurrence; however, smaller scale features or boundaries where winds change direction (land breeze fronts, outflow boundaries from previous convection) are often involved. Typically, a line of developing cumulus clouds rather than single clouds is noted. If conditions are ripe for fair weather waterspout development, they will often occur on successive days.

What to Do

Before you head out, check the latest National Weather Service (NWS) forecasts for the beach and offshore waters. If waterspout occurrence is possible, it will be highlighted. Tornadic waterspouts are somewhat easier to forecast because the atmospheric situation is more pronounced. Fair weather waterspouts are more difficult to anticipate, although meteorologists in places like Key West have developed forecasting schemes that help. When you are out on the water, continue to monitor weather sources for changes in the forecast. If a waterspout is seen or detected by Doppler radar (and many can’t be detected by radar), the NWS will issue a Special Marine Warning.

The same is true when severe thunderstorms are over water. Then the warning would read “Severe thunderstorms capable of producing waterspouts.” Frequently check sky conditions for cumulus cloud development. If you see a waterspout, head at a 90-degree angle away from its apparent motion. Never try to navigate through a waterspout. If caught in one, make sure that all on board are in secure locations and wearing life jackets. Additionally, if a waterspout comes ashore (and officially becomes a tornado), the NWS will issue a Severe Weather Statement. A Tornado Warning will be issued if a waterspout comes ashore.

WATERSPOUT RESOURCES

NOAA Waterspout Video: oceantoday.noaa.gov/waterspouts

NWS Miami’s “About Waterspouts”: weather.gov/mfl/waterspouts

NWS Miami’s “South Florida Waterspout Forecasting”: weather.gov/mfl/waterspout_fcsting

By Ed Brotak, Southern Boating July 2018

Photos: SHUTTERSTOCK © ELLEPISTOCK,© NOAA/MELODY OVARD, NOAA/TIM OSBORN

Want more? Check out our Sea Watch archive.

Underwater Sound

Humans can’t hear underwater sound in the same way that whales or other creatures can.

Sound is an integral part of the undersea world. In fact, sound travels very well through water and much faster than through air. Furthermore, due to the thermal structure of the ocean, there are sound channels, or zones, where sound waves can propagate for long distances—hundreds and even thousands of miles—without losing much amplitude.

Humans can hear underwater sound but not very well because our ears and hearing system were designed to detect sound traveling through the air, whereas fish have inner ears and are better for detecting sound transmission through water. Fish also have the lateral line system on the outside of their bodies that can detect sound vibrations.

Cetaceans—aquatic mammals including whales, dolphins, and porpoises—also have evolved to hear underwater sound well, and they’ve developed the ability to make sounds to communicate with each other. Humpback whales, especially, are famous for their “songs.” Some toothed whales even have developed their own form of sonar, which they use to bounce sound waves off objects to determine the nature of the object and its distance. Scientists believe that echolocation—the biologically correct term—is critical for these ocean residents to perceive their 3D environment and travel through it.

Why is sound so critical to marine creatures? Because light and visibility issues often hamper sight, and olfactory signals are diluted and dispersed by water, sound is important to locate food, avoid predators, navigate the undersea world, and is the primary means of communication with their species.

Since the oceans formed and life flourished in them, marine creatures evolved to utilize sound. Marine life does not recognize the “foreign” sounds that man makes underwater
and often shies away from them if possible, including sounds as seemingly harmless as the bubbles that come out of scuba air tanks. Of much greater concern are the louder and more omnipresent man-made sounds that contribute to underwater noise pollution.

There are a number of major sources of man-made noise in the oceans, including the use of sonar. The Navy uses very powerful audio signals, and the sound can travel for hundreds of miles. Another major source of noise is the sound from ships, whose turning propellers, engines and ship systems emanate through and from the hull. In recent years, geological surveying to discover underwater oil and gas deposits has led to another significant source of noise. Prospecting operations use sound waves generated by blasts from seismic airguns to reveal geologic features underneath. These blasts can come out every 10 seconds, and the whole process can continue for weeks or months. The sound is estimated to be orders of magnitude greater than ship noise. The initial boom will morph into a more continuous roar as it traverses the ocean, and the sound can travel hundreds of miles.

Underwater sound can drive the ocean’s inhabitants away from natural locations and affect feeding and reproduction. It can interfere with communications between individuals
or individuals with a group, and it has been speculated that sonar signals have caused some whale beaching incidents.

To address the issue of noise pollution in the ocean, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) started a two-phase program in 2010 concentrating on cetaceans. Phase One involved defining the problem. One component consisted of mapping marine mammal locations, including variations over time. Of primary concern were “Biologically Important Areas,” where cetaceans reproduce, feed and migrate on a regular basis. The other component involved mapping of sonic danger zones. In 2014, NOAA deployed 10 undersea listening stations to measure ambient noise levels and to determine trends. Man-made sound levels were categorized by location, time, intensity, and source— commercial and passenger ships (chronic noise) and seismic surveys (noise events).

Phase Two of the program addresses mitigation of the noise problem over the next decade. For example, voluntary guidelines for commercial shipping to reduce underwater noise have been laid out, and now ships are being built that are 1,000 times quieter. Also, seismic vibrators like the ones used on land are being developed for underwater use to send out low-frequency vibrations rather than explosive shock waves resulting in a less obtrusive sound.

A variety of environmental groups, such as the Natural Resources Defense Council and Ocean Conservation Research in the U.S. and the International Ocean Noise Coalition, a
group of more than 150 non-government organizations from around the world, have taken legal actions against noise polluters. In fact, in 2013 the Marine Mammal Protection Act was successfully used to combat the U.S. Navy’s use of sonar in the Pacific.

By Ed Brotak, March 2018

photos from Wikipedia and Adobe

The Tsunami Threat

Due to its sheer magnitude and velocity, the tsunami is one of the most destructive forces in nature. From the Japanese words for “harbor wave”, tsunamis are actually a series of waves whose crests can be tens or even hundreds of miles apart. When this huge mass of water hits a coast, it can plow inland for miles like a raging river that can be over 100 feet high, and it can destroy everything in its path.

Unlike wind-driven waves or astronomically driven tides, tsunamis are the result of geological activity under the ocean floor, some movement that will cause a displacement
of a large amount of water, such as underwater landslides or volcanic eruptions. But the most significant tsunamis are caused by sudden movements of the sea floor associated
with earthquakes.

In the deep open ocean, a surface tsunami wave may only be a few inches high. But unlike other ocean waves, a tsunami wave extends downward to the ocean floor. This is
a tremendous mass of water, and the wave can be traveling at remarkable speeds of up to 500 mph. As it approaches a coastline and the water gets shallower, the wave slows to 20 or 30 mph; the water piles up, causing a significant rise in ocean level. When it reaches the coast, a tsunami seldom appears as a towering wave but rather like a fast-rising flood.

On average, locally damaging tsunamis occur twice a year, but major tsunami events that can affect areas hundreds or even thousands of miles away from the origin point only
occur about twice per decade. Since 1900, the seismically active Pacific basin has seen nearly three-quarters of all tsunami events. Less than 10 percent occurred in the Atlantic
and Caribbean.

In this millennium, there have been two historic tsunami events. In December 2004, a 9.1-magnitude earthquake off the Indonesia coast initiated tsunamis that killed 250,000 people some as far away as the east coast of Africa. Japan suffered devastating tsunamis that killed 18,000 people after a 9.0 earthquake hit in March 2011. The water traveled as much as six miles inland.

The US Tsunami Warning System run by the National Weather Service protects the citizens of the United States and its territories. There are two Tsunami Warning Centers. The one in Palmer, Alaska, serves the continental U.S., Alaska and Canada. The other in Honolulu, Hawaii, serves not only the Hawaiian Islands and U.S.-owned territories in the Pacific but also on the Atlantic side, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

To detect actual tsunamis as they are moving through the ocean, NOAA developed the Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunami (DART®) station which consists of a bottom pressure recorder anchored to the sea floor and a moored surface buoy with a transmitter to send information via satellite back to the Centers. The pressure sensor can convert a measured reading to the height of the ocean surface above, and if the system detects an unusual height, it will start sending readings every 15 seconds.

With the greatest tsunami risk in the Pacific region, the DART network of stations runs the length of the Aleutian Islands and southern Alaska as well as along the West Coast and Hawaii. Although the Atlantic is much less prone to tsunamis, there are stations off the East Coast, in the Gulf and off Puerto Rico where meteotsunamis tend to occur. With accelerated development along many coastlines and rising sea levels, future tsunami events could be catastrophic.

When seismic data indicate that a significant earthquake has occurred somewhere around the world, an Information Statement is issued immediately by the appropriate Warning
Center. Next, the nearest sea level gauges are closely monitored to see if a tsunami has been generated and its magnitude. The DART network will activate if a tsunami is approaching. If a tsunami has the potential to affect a covered area, there are three levels of alerts that can be issued by the appropriate Center:

  • Tsunami Watch: an event has occurred but the threat is yet to be determined. The public is advised to stay tuned for more information and be prepared to act.
  • Tsunami Advisory: implies strong currents and dangerous waves near the water and that people should vacate the beaches.
  • Tsunami Warning: dangerous coastal flooding and powerful currents exist. People are urged to seek higher ground and/or move inland. Warnings are typically issued within five minutes of the initiating earthquake. The official tsunami alerts are disseminated by local NWS offices.

Tsunami warnings are just one part of the National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program which includes agencies of the Federal government and 28 U.S. states and territories. Another component, Mapping and Modeling, uses computer analysis of possible tsunami events in conjunction with local topography to forecast the magnitude of potential flooding. The Mitigation and Education component is the public outreach to inform citizens of the tsunami risk in their area and what actions should be taken in response to the various advisories. To lessen property damage, land use policy and planning are also advocated.

By Ed Brotak, Southern Boating February 2018

ALL PHOTOS: COURTESY OF NOAA

Eddies in the Ocean

Put a Spin on It! Eddies in the Ocean effect more than just the water.

For many years, oceanic circulations were considered to be fairly simple with a huge spinning gyre in the middle of each ocean that was surrounded by swift-moving
currents along the periphery. With advances in observational capability in the 1960s, the complexity of oceanic circulations became apparent. There were numerous vortices or eddies much smaller than the massive gyres but still significant. With a diameter ranging from 50 to 200 miles or more, they are officially called “mesoscale eddies” or sometimes “rings”. They also can extend downward into the ocean for thousands of feet. These eddies can last from weeks to months or even more than a year. They travel hundreds or even thousands of miles albeit at a slow forward speed of perhaps a half a knot.

Strong western boundary currents like the Gulf Stream are prolific producers of eddies. The Gulf Stream doesn’t flow in a straight line; it has meanders or bends. These meanders can form oxbow-like flows similar to the way that rivers do. These oxbows can become cut off, forming eddies in a process that can take a month or more. The Gulf Stream separates warmer waters to its south and east from cooler waters to the north
and west. Depending on which side they form, these eddies contain either relatively warm or cold water compared to their surroundings. Warm eddies are found to the north and west of the Gulf Stream. They rotate clockwise (anti-cyclonic eddies) and sea level is slightly (6 inches or more) higher within them. Cold eddies are to the south and east of the Gulf Stream. They rotate counterclockwise (cyclonic eddies) and sea level is
slightly lower in them.

These eddies are a critical component of the oceanic environment. On the largest scale, they help move heat or energy. They are part of the ocean-atmosphere system that
transports excess heat from the tropics toward the energy deficient poles. Thus, oceanic eddies affect worldwide ocean temperatures and the atmospheric climate above the water.

With varying concentrations of saltiness (cold eddies are less salty, warm ones more so),
they help transport and balance salinity. Warm-core eddies can actually trap and transport a wide variety of aquatic life within them. But it’s the cold-core eddies that tend to have the greater amount of biological activity. Nutrient-rich bottom waters are pulled up in cold eddies and nourish aquatic ecosystems. The nutrients are then transported by the moving vortex.

There are also smaller eddies in the ocean. These measure 50 miles across or less but can still last for weeks or months. And, recently discovered are even smaller eddies, or “submesoscale vortices”; they measure less than a mile across and are primarily surface features. The idea of having progressively smaller vortices in the ocean is consistent with fluid dynamics theory. It’s these small-scale systems that actually transport energy, etc. which achieves the balance nature is always seeking.

How are eddies detected and tracked? Specialized drifting buoys can be deployed and tracked by satellite GPS technology. Their motion over time will indicate any persistent circulations. Satellites themselves have been constantly monitoring the ocean surface since the 1960s. Infrared thermal imagery will show hot or cold eddies clearly. Sensitive satellite altimeters can also detect small changes in sea level, characteristic of these eddies. Some cold eddies will show up on visible images as green vortices if significant amounts of phytoplankton are present.

Besides the broad-scale effects described above, oceanic eddies can have a direct impact on man’s activities. Certainly, nutrient-rich eddies teaming with aquatic life will attract fishing interests. The effects of eddies on current flow and sea level height can impact the operations of offshore energy production sites. The Gulf of Mexico is a prime example of its numerous offshore oil rigs (and soon, wind farms). The Loop Current is the clockwise flow of warm water that dominates the Gulf. It spawns a multitude of eddies, some of which can produce exceptionally strong currents of 3 to 4 knots. Drilling operations would have to be halted if these conditions are encountered. Horizon Marine, an oceanographic services company whose main clients are from the offshore energy industry, keeps track of these eddies. This includes detection, forecasting, and cataloging. They even name the eddies!

And, of course, the impact of eddies on current direction and speed can affect navigation. Forward speed can be hastened or slowed by a few knots. This will affect the timing of operations and fuel usage. Knowledge of eddy circulations that may be encountered can help in planning the most efficient route. Yacht racers even use this information in planning their strategy.

There is also a theory that ties warm-core eddies and hurricane intensification. Tropical cyclones get their energy from warm water. It makes sense then, that if a tropical
cyclone moves over a warm eddy, it would intensify. And keep in mind that eddies have considerable vertical depth; they are deep pools of warm water or “high ocean heat content” as it is known. It appears that Hurricane Harvey moved over such an eddy on Friday, August 26th. It intensified into a major Category 4 hurricane before moving
ashore and devastating sections of the Texas coast before bringing the unprecedented flooding to Houston.

By Ed Brotak, Southern Boating Magazine December 2017

PHOTO: U.S. ARMY/ 1ST LT. ZACHARY WEST

Exploring the Unexplored Oceans

It is estimated that 95 percent of the earth’s oceans remain unexplored. No wonder since the ocean covers 140 million square miles of the earth’s surface with an average depth of 12,000 feet.

The ocean floor’s deepest point is 36,000 feet below the water’s surface in the western Pacific Ocean and is called the Challenger Deep section of the Mariana Trench. It is extremely inhospitable down there. There’s virtually no light, water temperatures are near freezing and the pressure is a crushing 1,000 times what it is at sea level. But, in order to manage and protect ocean resources, we must learn what’s far below the surface.

The U.S. government agency that does much of the basic research for both the atmosphere and the oceans is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) under the Department of Commerce. One branch of NOAA is the Office of Ocean Exploration and Research (OER), which is touted as “the only federal organization dedicated to exploring the unknown reaches of our ocean”. To support these endeavors, the Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO) supplies the ships and aircraft needed as well as the personnel to run them (omao.noaa.gov/).

OMAO is staffed by civilians and also has an enlisted contingent. The NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps—simply known as NOAA Corps—is one of the nation’s seven uniformed services. Prior to admission, candidates must possess a baccalaureate degree preferably in math, science or engineering. Basic training in seamanship is held in conjunction with the Coast Guard’s officer training program. After successful basic training and commissioning, officers receive their first ship assignment based on their qualifications and service needs. The 321 officers of the NOAA Corps are seamen and scientists and support NOAA’s wide variety of oceanic research efforts.

One of the primary duties of NOAA Corps officers is to operate NOAA’s research aircraft and ships. NOAA has nine manned aircraft which are stationed at MacDill AFB in Tampa, Florida. Two Lockheed WP-3D aircraft are designated “Hurricane Hunters” and fly into these great storms to gather vital data. Other smaller aircraft fly a variety of scientific missions across the country. NOAA also has drones it uses for monitoring wildlife.

NOAA has a fleet of 16 ships, the nation’s largest fleet of oceanographic research and survey ships, which are administered by the OMAO. These ships are engaged in fisheries surveys, hydrographic surveys and oceanographic research. Operations centers are located in Norfolk, Virginia, Newport, Oregon, and Honolulu, Hawaii. The ships are run by NOAA Corps officers with some civilian seamen completing the crew.

The pride of the NOAA fleet is the NOAA ship Okeanos Explorer, dubbed “America’s ship for ocean exploration”. A former U.S. Navy ship, Okeanos was refitted for oceanographic exploration and commissioned in 2008. The name was actually the winning entry in NOAA’s nationwide ship-naming contest and according to Greek cosmology, Okeanos was the river/ocean that encircled the world. The 224-foot Okeanos Explorer has a crew of 27 and typically sails with 19 scientists on board. These are OER research missions, and NOAA wants to involve as many experts as possible. Interested scientists can apply for the limited number of positions actually on board the ship. But much of the expert input on missions comes from teams of scientists at various Exploration Command Centers with the Inner Space Center at the University of Rhode Island Bay Campus being the primary one.

Okeanos Explorer is equipped with a high-bandwidth satellite communications system (the large satellite dome on the ship) which allows rapid data transmission. Scientists on shore can then have “telepresence”, which enables them to view Okeanos’ findings almost instantaneously and communicate back to the ship as necessary while helping to direct the mission.

Exploration missions often take the vessel to remote ocean areas. With high-powered sonar equipment, a major objective of the research cruises is to map previously unknown sections of the sea floor. For a closer examination of deep water sites, Okeanos has two remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), Deep Discoverer (D2) and its sister vehicle Seirios. With 20 LED lights and 9 video cameras, the ROVs can plunge to depths of nearly four miles and send back high-definition video, which is live-streamed to scientists on the ship and back on shore.

In 2016, the Okeanos Explorer explored the Northern Marianas Islands, Guam and the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument. Scientists on board and connected remotely could view previously unexplored areas of the seafloor. They observed a number of new animal species and unusual geological features. This year, the Okeanos Explorer will again be involved with Project CAPSTONE, a multi-year scientific investigation of deep-water, U.S.-protected marine areas in the central and western Pacific Ocean. These include national marine sanctuaries and marine national monuments, the underwater equivalents of national parks. Again, the goal will be undersea mapping and further explorations of biological and geological features with the ROVs.

When a mission is ongoing, the video is live streamed and broadcast through standard Internet connections.

If you’d like take part in an ongoing mission, go to the NOAA Ocean Explorer website oceanexplorer.noaa.gov. The live video feeds on the last mission generated a record-breaking 3.1 million views over the course of the expedition.

— By Ed Brotak, Southern Boating Magazine March 2017

Watch Out– Rogue Waves Ahead!

Scientists have yet to determine how to forecast where and when rogue waves will strike.

The 1972 blockbuster movie The Poseidon Adventure depicts a large ocean liner that’s capsized by a huge wave. Although fictional, the movie was inspired by an actual incident. The R.M.S. Queen Mary was almost capsized by a 70-foot wave while carrying thousands of U.S. troops in 1942, which would have been a far worse disaster than the Titanic sinking. For hundreds of years, mariners have talked about monster waves, and Christopher Columbus wrote of an experience with one in 1498. It is even speculated that a “freak wave” on Lake Superior was what sank the Edmund Fitzgerald during a storm in November 1975.

Scientists, however, have been skeptical of the occurrence of such great waves. Other than personal accounts of those who survived an encounter, there was no hard evidence of their existence and no scientific explanation of how they could occur. Waves of 40 or even 50 feet were seen as possible but not waves approaching 100 feet. That changed in January 1995 when the Draupner—an oil-drilling platform in the North Sea—was hit by a wave accurately measured at 86 feet. The “Draupner Wave” was twice as tall as surrounding waves and fell well outside the range of scientific predictions.

A “rogue wave” is significantly higher and steeper than other waves that are occurring at the time, typically defined as twice as high as surrounding waves. It may even approach from a different direction than other waves. Rogue waves can occur in turbulent conditions as an exceptionally high wave amongst other high waves, or they can occur with much calmer seas.

Now with definitive proof of the existence of rogue waves, scientists sought to determine their frequency. With newly developed methods of analyzing satellite data, they found that rogue waves are common in all of the oceans of the world, particularly in the North Pacific and especially the North Atlantic.

There are several theories describing the formation of rogue waves. If waves are coming in from different directions, two waves may physically join up. The newly formed wave could have a crest approaching the additive height of the two component waves. Another possibility is that when waves are travelling in the opposite direction of a prevailing current, the wave length shortens and one wave may actually catch up to another and build. In this case, regions with strong currents such as the Gulf Stream would be more prone to rogue wave occurrence.

Forecasting the occurrence of individual rogue waves is beyond science today, but the standard National Weather Service marine forecast allows for their possibility with the following caution: “Individual waves may be more than twice the significant wave height.”

In addition to rogue waves—as if that’s not enough—coastal areas have another phenomenon to deal with. On January 17, 2016, a tidal surge 5.5 feet above normal struck the Naples, Florida, area in the early morning hours. It had the characteristics of a tsunami, but no seismic activity had been reported. Meteorologists announced that it was a meteotsunami, a tidal surge consisting of a series of waves. Unlike typical tsunamis, which are caused by geologic events such as earthquakes, this phenomenon is produced by a marine weather system. This is different from a storm surge—the high tide that accompanies hurricanes and strong winter storms, which are wind driven. Meteotsunamis are caused by changes in atmospheric pressure which can in turn affect sea-level height. Often the culprit is an area of strong thunderstorms such as an intense squall line, which was the case in Naples. Development of a meteotsunami depends on several factors including the intensity, direction, and speed of movement of the weather system as it travels over water. Over open water, these changes may hardly be noticeable, but just like other tsunamis, it can become dangerous when it hits the shallow water near the coast as this causes it to slow down and increase in height and intensity. Even greater magnification can occur in semi-enclosed water bodies such as harbors, inlets, and bays. Damaging waves, flooding and strong currents can last from several hours to a day.

The NOAA vessel Fairweather approaches one of many data buoys, which provide real-time information critical for understanding and predicting El Niño and La Niña events, ocean currents, rogue waves, and more. photo courtesy of NOAA

Although not as potent as a typical tsunami, meteotsunamis can be destructive and even deadly. On July 3, 1992, a particularly destructive one occurred on Daytona Beach, Florida. A 10-foot wave came crashing ashore, injuring 75 people and damaging 100 vehicles as well as other property. On June 13, 2013, despite clear skies and calm weather, a meteotsunami caused injuries and damage from southern Massachusetts to New Jersey.

The largest meteotsunami ever recorded occurred in Croatia in June 1978, when waves up to 19.5 feet battered the coast for several hours, significantly damaging boats and port infrastructure. Meteotsunamis can also strike large inland waters. In 1954, a deadly meteotsunami hit Chicago’s Lake Michigan waterfront and swept people into the cold water, which resulted in seven drownings.

Recent research has shown that meteotsunamis are more common than previously thought especially along the Atlantic Coast and the Gulf of Mexico. Some estimates attribute up to 13 percent of all tsunamis to them. Meteorologists are trying to develop a system to forecast them in advance, but for now they remain unpredictable.

By Ed Brotak, Southern Boating Magazine January 2017

Free Weather Widgets

Check the forecast with marine-centered apps before casting off.

Every cruiser should know to check the weather before leaving the dock. However, there’s more to it than simply seeing if it’s going to be a pleasant trip. Extreme weather conditions pose a very definite threat. Fortunately, there are meteorologists at work 24/7 making forecasts specifically for marine activities. And today, there are many ways of obtaining this information.

Among its variety of duties, the National Weather Service (NWS) “provides current, accurate information relating to the U.S. coast, coastal and offshore waters, and the open oceans to ensure the safety of life and property.” All NWS offices along the coast have a special marine unit. To check current conditions go to either the NWS homepage at weather.gov or nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/home.htm. On the U.S. map, just click on your location, which takes you to your local NWS office. Next, click on Marine Weather on the menu bar. The NWS maintains a network of coastal stations and offshore buoys that are constantly monitoring sea and air conditions. There are also private ships that take observations and relay them to the NWS. You can obtain the latest buoy reports—a few even have cameras—either from the local NWS office or the source, the National Data Buoy Center at ndbc.noaa.gov. Data includes current conditions in terms of air temperature, wind speed with gusts and wind direction, atmospheric pressure and tendency, and water temperature. Some buoys also report wave height, wave period and wave direction. Don’t forget to check the local radar, which shows precipitation, especially dangerous thunderstorms.

You can also get your weather forecast here, as marine forecasts are prepared by the local NWS Office every 6 hours. Besides basic training in meteorology, all NWS marine forecasters have completed special training specifically targeted for marine forecasting. The “Nearshore Marine Forecast” or “Coastal Waters Forecast” covers a specific given area from the coastline out to 20 nm. A brief synopsis of weather conditions is followed by a forecast that includes wind direction and speed, sea heights, sea condition, and any expected precipitation for the next 5 days.

This is followed by an “Offshore Marine Forecast” or “Offshore Waters Forecast” that goes out from 20 to 60 nm and is “mainly geared to those mariners operating further off shore, a day or more from safe harbor.” These are issued by the Ocean Prediction Center in Washington for offshore New England and the Mid-Atlantic (opc.ncep.noaa.gov/Atl_tab.shtml) and by the Tropical Analysis and Forecast Branch (TAFB) of the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami for the Southeast offshore waters, the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico (nhc.noaa.gov/marine/). The forecasts follow the same format as the “Nearshore”. Beyond this there are “High Seas Forecasts” which are “geared to the needs of the largest ocean-going vessels” and emphasize “gale force or worse conditions”. These again are produced by the TAFB and the Ocean Prediction Center.

Besides basic forecasts of weather and sea conditions, the NWS Marine Forecasts include marine warnings for potentially dangerous weather or sea conditions. Advisories and warnings will be headlined in the standard forecast. These include the standard wind advisories and warnings from Small Craft Advisories to Gale and Storm Warnings to Tropical Storm and Hurricane Warnings. The NWS would also issue “Special Marine Warnings” if necessary. These are for “potentially hazardous over-water events, usually of short duration (up to 2 hours), including thunderstorms, waterspouts, squalls, wind shifts, and other short-lived conditions”.

Of course, the NHC is also the source for information on all tropical systems. The Atlantic Tropical Weather Discussion highlights all tropical activity and related weather for the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea and tropical Atlantic. The Tropical Weather Outlook deals specifically with tropical cyclones. Once a system is deemed to have reached tropical depression strength (a closed circulation), forecast advisories will be issued every 6 hours. Besides forecasts of center location and maximum wind speed, the areal extent of winds exceeding 34, 50 and 64 knots and seas exceeding 12 feet will be given for every 12 hours out to 3 days.

The government provides all of the information described above for free. If, however, you desire weather information specifically tailored for your needs be it a race, a cruise, etc., there are private companies whose services you can hire. They also have teams of trained marine meteorologists who will make forecasts for the specific locations and times you need. Such companies include Buoyweather (buoyweather.com), Weather Routing, Inc. (wriwx.com) and Ocean Weather Services (oceanweatherservices.com).

If you have access to the Internet, all of the government information is readily available, but there are also other sources. NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts the marine information described above continuously and is disseminated by the NWS and the U.S. Coast Guard. NOAA telephone recordings of marine information are also available from many NWS offices.

Of course, today, there are also apps that can provide up-to-date weather information. Buoyweather has its “Marine Weather” iPhone app. “Boating Weather” by Blue Whale Apps, Inc. is available on iTunes as is “OutCast – Weather” and “NOAA Marine Forecasts” by Ardan Studios, LLC.  “SiriusXM Marine” is available from Sirius Radio. “Marine Weather” by Bluefin Engineering is an app for all Android, iOS and BlackBerry phones. Much of the information provided comes from the NWS but the data displays are typically customized.

By Ed Brotak, Southern Boating Magazine September 2016

INFORMATION:

-NWS Marine Warnings: nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/cwd.htm
-NWS Marine Weather Services: nws.noaa.gov/os/brochures/marinersguide_coastal.htm
-Map showing forecast responsibilities for Coastal Forecast Offices, NHC, and Ocean Prediction Center: opc.ncep.noaa.gov/marine_areas.php
-NWS Marine Forecasts phone numbers: nws.noaa.gov/os/marine/noaatel.htm

Loophole that lets anglers exceed snapper limits draws fire

Anglers in Texas are unleashing their creativity when it comes to getting around shortening seasons and shrinking quotas for red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico, but their actions are facing criticism.
The popular species has become a flashpoint in the debate over federal vs. regional management of fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico. In February, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council introduced the final draft of Amendment 39 to Fishery Management Plan for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico, which would establish a regional management program for recreational red snapper fishing.
For now, though, the NOAA’s Fisheries Service sets the length of the federal recreational red snapper fishing season. Historically, the season began June 1st and continued until the quota was met. But 2014 saw one of the shortest federal seasons on record—just nine days. However, individual states can set their own season length for anglers fishing in state waters, and this is where things get interesting.
Texas, for example, pretty much ignores the federal season altogether. Recreational anglers in Texan waters, which extend nine miles out from the coastline, can fish for snapper year-round as long as they stay within their bag limit.
However, catch limits are routinely exceeded thanks to charter fishing companies operating what they call “catch share fishing experiences.” These companies, such as Galveston Sea Ventures in Galveston, Texas, have been allocated a set portion of the commercial red snapper fishery—a catch share—in the Gulf, but they do not operate as commercial fishermen. Instead, they ferry recreational anglers out to the fishing grounds and back, and when they return, their customers can buy as many fish as they’d like to take home. Call it what you will—a loophole or a gray area—it’s stirring passions on both sides.
According to Scott Hickman, owner of Circle H Outfitters and Charters in Galveston—another catch share fishing experience company—they sought out the legal requirements prior to launching their first trip and continue to strictly follow the rules as to what is mandated by both federal and Texas law enforcement. Hickman reiterates that his trips are not charters but commercial fishing trips during which people can enjoy the experience and only reel in fish if they want to.
The Coastal Conservation Association (CCA), however, says that the growing popularity of catch share fishing does not bode well for the future of the fishery, as companies with commercial permits will be able to relentlessly fish near-shore fishing grounds. CCA Conservation Director, Ted Venker, claims the line between recreational and commercial fishing is no longer distinct, and that no one is protecting the public.
In April, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council stated that the 2016 recreational red snapper season is likely to be another short one running for as little as eight days, while charter boats operating in federal waters should see a longer season, between 38 and 56 days. For more information, visit: Sustainable Fisheries

By Del Gillis, Southern Boating Magazine June 2016

Florida governor recommends GPS emergency beacons.

Boating tragedies in Florida’s waters prompted Governor Rick Scott to write a letter to the state constituents supporting proposed boating safety legislation. The legislation encourages emergency position indicating radio beacons (EPIRBs) and personal locator beacons (PLB) to be part of all boaters’ onboard safety equipment, reducing registration fees for all classes of boats with the equipment.

 

Proposed law for FWC pullovers

Some say that overzealous Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) officers ruin great days on the water with their random checks. Others say they are necessary to deter illegal fishing, hunting and safety violations. Under a law proposed by Florida State Representative Ritch Workman, officers would need probable cause before stopping boaters. Workman said he wants to see more reasonable stops with FWC officers checking boats only if suspicious activity is observed. Workman said he envisions a safe boating sticker placed next to the boat’s registration after it passes inspection to limit boaters being hassled. If the proposed law (House Bill 703) passes, it would take effect July 1, 2016.

Improved Cuba charts

With increased cruising to Cuba from the U.S., the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Cuba are working together to improve nautical charts especially in the Straits of Florida. Following up on a Spring 2015 meeting with U.S. and Cuban chartmakers in Havana to work on a new international paper chart—INT Chart 4149 covering south Florida, The Bahamas, and north Cuba—the group then met in Maryland to discuss future collaboration and improving nautical charts.

Shipwreck artifacts returned

Updating the discovery of items from the Confederate CSS Georgia shipwreck, 30,000 articles were raised. Unique items kept for archiving by the U.S. government include small buttons, hilts of knives and swords, an intact glass bottle, leather boots, and an earring. Texas A&M is studying 13,000 articles at their lab, and 16,697 non-unique articles were returned to the mud of the Savannah River in plastic boxes, which, according to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers archaeologist Julie Morgan, will help preserve them. The Confederate gunship was sunk in 1864 in the Savannah River by its own crew to prevent the ship’s capture by Union troops during the Civil War.

Shoaling at Lockwoods Folly Inlet

North Carolina’s Lockwoods Folly Inlet Intersection near Cape Fear River, Little River Buoy 47, has a 250-yard shoal extending into the federal channel with depths from less than one foot to five feet at mean low water.

Handicapped sailor sails solo

Be on the lookout for Cliff Kyle aboard his 26′ Pearson Abby Normal traveling south on the ICW. Sailing solo can be challenging and for a man with one leg it could be more so, but Kyle throttles full steam ahead with a cheery disposition. “One thing sailing teaches you is how to handle what’s thrown at you and navigate through it,” says Kyle. When his house in Kentucky was foreclosed a couple of years ago, 40-something Kyle headed back to the sea and lived off the coast of Florida in the 1990s. He personally made several modifications on his vessel while sailing to Block Island, Mystic and the Chesapeake Bay. His final destination this season is St. Augustine or possibly The Bahamas.

 

By Nancy E. Spraker, Southern Boating Magazine April 2016

Mallows Bay to be a National Marine Sanctuary

With support from the state of Maryland, NOAA has declared its intent to designate Mallows Bay as a National Marine Sanctuary. The bay is located on the Maryland side of the Potomac River in Charles County. The bay is the site of what is regarded as the largest shipwreck fleet in the Western Hemisphere and contains the remnants of more than 230 U.S. Shipping Board ships sunk in the river. Almost 90 were poorly constructed steamships built in haste during World War I. In 1925, the boats were burned and scuttled in Mallows Bay. Over the years, the ships have formed a unique ecosystem that hosts a large variety of aquatic species and birds.

The bay was listed as an archaeological and historic district on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015. Currently, Mallows Bay has passed the nomination process to become a National Marine Sanctuary and is in the public review process. Feedback will be used to help create a draft plan for the site.

The national sanctuary system was established in 1972 and comprises of 14 sites totaling more than 170,000 square miles. They serve as natural classrooms and laboratories for school children and for researchers to promote stewardship of marine resources. sanctuaries.noaa.gov/mallows-bay

Visit Fred and crack a crab.

Every year I make the trip to the Baltimore Convention Center for the annual boat show for good reason; it’s a lot of fun, and the food and drinks are delicious. This year will be no exception. I always see people that I know who love to boat on the bay such as Jim High at the Baltimore Boating Center display.

This year’s show January 28-31 will feature hundreds of boats for virtually every lifestyle and budget. There’s plenty of gear to look over too, and lots of seminars are included with the price of admission. I’m a big fan of Fred’s Shed, a DIY garage with experts teaching the art of boat maintenance and repair. There’s also a crab picking contest, crafts for kids, remote control docking, and plenty of interesting and fun stuff to do. baltimoreboatshow.com

Southern hospitality

Lower your taxes by docking your boat at a new place this year. Ken and Karen Knull at Yankee Point Marina in Lancaster County, Virginia, already have 14 more slip holders than they did last June when the county eliminated the personal property boat tax for boats of 5 tons or more.

Lancaster County is following the lead of other Virginia counties by using a loophole in the state code. According to the Virginia tax code, you can’t eliminate the tax, but you can make the rate so low that it fails to show in the computerized accounting system. Lancaster County’s tax is $0.000000000000001 per $100 of assessed value for boats weighing 5 tons or more. That’s one kind of Southern hospitality boaters appreciate.

 

By Christopher Knauss, Southern Boating Magazine January 2016

Texas’ Flower Garden Banks

The Gulf of Mexico is a true tropical sea and one of the deepest bodies of water in the world. From the height of a cruise ship, one might not notice that the electric blue expanse is teaming with life from aquatic animals such as giant Kemp-Ridley turtles and recently discovered 55-foot-long Baleen whales. Stirred by the Great Loop Current that flies between Cuba and Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula at over four knots, this current eventually becomes the Gulf Stream that affects the weather and ecology as far away as England. However, this warm current also throws off giant eddies into the Gulf and feeds one of the most unique ecosystems in North America—the Flower Garden Banks.

Located a little over 100 miles offshore of Galveston, Texas, the Flower Garden is the most unique and extensive coral reef system in all of North America and considered to be the most pristine in the entire Western Hemisphere due to its relative remote location. Designated a Marine Sanctuary in 1992 by the U.S., this flourishing ecosystem is made possible by giant underground salt domes that push up the deep, featureless seabed to within 60 feet of the surface and allow an undersea oasis of tropical life. The nearest coral reef is 400 miles south along the coast of Mexico and as such, it has become a secret scuba-diving magnet and cruising layover in the Gulf of Mexico by boat owners in the know.

[photomosaic ids=”5171,5172,5174″ orderby=”rand”]

First discovered by fishermen in the late 1800s who suddenly noticed bright, vibrant colors beneath the waves, this marine sanctuary is now known to harbor more than 20 species of tropical corals and over 180 species of fish. Comprised of three separate salt domes that rise up and plateau, the largest expands out over 250 acres. As a designated marine sanctuary, fishing and anchoring are not allowed by law, however, there are three mooring fields that are available to transient cruisers in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico where the depths below them explode in color.

As a well-known overnight scuba-diving site, charters and private boats tend to visit on two- or three-day excursions primarily in the summer when the water is over 80 degrees. As such, mooring availability may get a bit tight. For cruisers who do not dive, it’s still a unique destination in the great expanse of the Gulf of Mexico to tie up and enjoy the blue waters where colors rise from the depths and the stars follow after sunset. February is also a heavily visited month due to the hordes of thousands of hammerhead sharks that transit the banks annually.

 

By Harlen Leslie, Southern Boating April 2015

EPIRBs

The devices that take the “search” out of search and rescue

The primary purpose of any emergency signaling device is to pinpoint a location to ensure rescue within that first 24 hours following an emergency during which the majority of survivors can (statistically, anyway) be saved. An Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) goes a long way toward accomplishing that goal. When activated, EPIPBs transmit a coded message on the 406 MHz distress frequency, which is then relayed via the Cospas-Sarsat global satellite system and earth stations to the nearest rescue coordination center. EPIRBs featuring built-in GPS can provide location accuracy of 150 feet or less.

EPIRB or PLB?

The popularity of Personal Location Beacons (PLBs) has soared in recent years due to their portability and lower costs, so why not skip an EPIRB altogether and go with something you can wear? Although PLBs and EPIRBS Personal Location Beacons work in exactly the same manner, there are a number of differences between them beyond just size.

While PLBs transmit for a minimum of 24 hours, transmit time for an EPIRB is double that (a minimum of 48 hours). Unlike a PLB, EPIRBs can also be configured to automatically deploy and activate in the event of an emergency. Category I EPIRBs are designed to float free from a sinking vessel and turn on automatically when it comes into contact with water, while a Category II rating denotes those that are manually activated and deployed.

As to downsides, unlike a PLB (which is registered to a person) an EPIRB is registered to a specific vessel, which means you can’t legally take it with you to use on board another vessel. While PLBs may be getting the lion’s share of recent publicity, EPIRBs haven’t been exactly idle. Here’s info on two of the latest offerings to hit the market.

Ocean Signal rescueME EPIRB1

Billed as the world’s most compact EPIRB, Ocean Signal’s new rescueME EPIRB1 boasts a 30% reduction in size compared to other units—it measures just 7 inches (height with antenna stowed) by 3.5 inches and weighs 14.8 ounces.

Designed to automatically activate once immersed in water, the small size of the EPIRB1 means it can be easily stowed in a grab bag, life raft, or mounted within a manual release bracket. The retractable antenna provides maximum protection and a reduced outline for easier stowage. The antenna can be deployed using just one hand, while a simple protective tab over the operating keys prevents inadvertent activation.

“An EPIRB is an essential safety product for boat owners, so we are excited to be introducing our rescueME EPIRB1, which offers an impressive 10-year battery life at an extremely competitive price,” notes Ocean Signal Managing Director Alan Wrigley. “Despite its compact size, its sophisticated design ensures the EPIRB1 comes complete with a 66-channel GPS, providing fast and accurate positioning information for transmission to the rescue services.”

The EPIRB1 provides location information to search and rescue services in three ways—the designated 406MHz Cospas-Sarsat satellite system with position provided by an integrated 66-channel GPS receiver, a 121.5MHz homing beacon, plus two high intensity strobes to maximize visibility in low light conditions. Backed by a 5-year warranty, the EPIRB1 touts 48 hours of transmit time operating within a temperature range of –4° F to 131° F (-20C to +55C). It also has a whopping 10-year battery life.

ACR Electronics GlobalFix iPro EPIRB

ACR states their all new GlobalFix™ iPRO EPIRB is the next generation in marine safety electronics. The 406 MHz iPro features a digital display that allows you to see all of the beacon’s operational activities—GPS LAT/LON, operating instructions, usage tips, transmission bursts, as well as battery power. The display also makes self-testing your beacon simple and easy to understand, with the iPRO visually guiding you through the self-test step by step—no more listening to beeps while trying to figure out just what those flashing LEDs are supposed to tell you.

The CAT 2 iPRO is also touted as being the first EPIRB that offers Dual GPS Technology. Interface it to your onboard GPS to ensure that your LAT/LON is stored inside, so your precise coordinates are transmitted in the first data burst. iPRO’s internal GPS is optimized for cold starts in order to pinpoint your exact location faster than standard GPS-enabled EPIRBs. Constructed of high-impact, high-visibility, yellow UV-resistant polymer, the iPRO also has a 121.5MHz homing beacon and high-intensity white strobe to help rescuers home in on your position. Battery life is advertised as 48 hours minimum at –4° F (–20° C) and is provided by a Class 2 (non-hazmat) lithium battery with a 5-year shelf life. The iPRO is backed by a 5-year warranty.

INFORMATION:

oceansignal.com

acrartex.com

REGISTRATION REQUIRED: Federal law requires that new or used 406 MHz EPIRBs (or PLBs) purchased are registered with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The purpose is so that if your EPIRP goes off, search and rescue organizations will know who they’re looking for. It also gives them contact information to verify if it’s an actual emergency rather than a false alarm. EPIRB owners will also need to re-register if any of the information changes. Register online at sarsat.noaa.gov/beacon.html

By Frank Lanier, Southern Boating February 2015

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