Severe solar storm creates dazzling auroras farther south
April 24, 2023 GMTCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — An intense solar storm has the northern lights gracing the skies farther south than usual.
A blast of superhot material from the sun late last week hurled scorching gases known as plasma toward Earth at nearly 2 million mph (3 million kph), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Monday.
Methane big part of ‘alarming’ rise in planet-warming gases
April 6, 2023 GMTMethane in the atmosphere had its fourth-highest annual increase in 2022, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported, part of an overall rise in planet-warming greenhouse gases that the agency called “alarming.”
Feds deny emergency call to slow ships, ease whale strikes
January 23, 2023 GMTPORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The U.S. government has denied a request from a group of environmental organizations to immediately apply proposed ship-speed restrictions in an effort to save a vanishing species of whale.
Feds: Vanishing right whale must remain on endangered list
December 27, 2022 GMTPORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The fading North Atlantic right whale will remain protected under the Endangered Species Act, and the species requires a series of protective steps to stave off extinction, federal authorities said Tuesday.
Fishermen take case against paying for monitors to SCOTUS
November 10, 2022 GMTPORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A group of commercial fishermen is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to stop the federal government from making them pay for workers who gather data aboard fishing boats.
The fishermen harvest Atlantic herring off the East Coast and are opposed to a 2020 rule implemented by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that requires the industry-funded monitoring.
Feds unveil plan to grow wind power while sparing rare whale
October 29, 2022 GMTPORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The federal government has outlined a strategy to try to protect an endangered species of whale while also developing offshore wind power off the East Coast.
President Joe Biden's administration has made a priority of encouraging offshore wind along the Atlantic coast as the U.S.
Drought, fire risk to stay high during third La Niña winter
October 20, 2022 GMTDrought and wildfire risks will remain elevated in the western states while warmer than average temperatures will greet the Southwest, Gulf Coast and East Coast this winter, federal weather officials said Thursday.
AP EXPLAINS: How one computer forecast model botched Ian
October 7, 2022 GMTAs Hurricane Ian bore down on Florida, normally reliable computer forecast models couldn’t agree on where the killer storm would land.
NOAA: Tampa Bay dropped 5 feet in storm reverse surge
September 29, 2022 GMTTAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The waters of Tampa Bay dropped 5 feet (1.5 meters) in a phenomenon known as reverse storm surge as powerful Hurricane Ian passed to the south, weather officials say.
Fishermen must be heard about whale rules, Maine gov says
September 13, 2022 GMTPORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine's governor said Tuesday the federal government is moving ahead too quickly with potential new restrictions on the lobster fishing industry, and isn't taking the industry's concerns about the changes into account.
Lobster fishing union drops lawsuit about new whale closure
August 26, 2022 GMTPORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A lobster fishing union in Maine has decided to drop part of its lawsuit against the federal government over new restrictions meant to protect rare whales.
Some ships push back at rules requiring slowdown for whales
August 13, 2022 GMTPORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Federal regulators who want to enforce new vessel speed rules to help protect rare whales can expect some pushback from ship operators.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced the new proposed rules, which are designed to protect the last remaining North Atlantic right whales, last month.
Officials: high tide flooding more common as sea levels rise
August 10, 2022 GMTBELLINGHAM, Wash. (AP) — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said high tide flooding has become more common as sea levels rise and is affecting residents of coastal towns and states.
Forecasters trim hurricane season outlook a bit, still busy
August 4, 2022 GMTThis hurricane season may be a tad quieter than initially projected, but it is still likely to be busier than normal, government forecasters and others say.
Drought, sluggish Mississippi River make small dead zone
August 3, 2022 GMTNEW ORLEANS (AP) — Drought made the Mississippi River sluggish and led to a smaller than average dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico — an area where there’s too little oxygen to support marine life, the scientist who's been measuring it for decades said Wednesday.
Ships must slow down more often to save whales, feds say
July 29, 2022 GMTPORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Vessels off the East Coast must slow down more often to help save a vanishing species of whale from extinction, the federal government said Friday.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration made the announcement via new proposed rules designed to prevent ships colliding with North Atlantic right whales.
‘Unusual’: Feds investigate seal deaths linked to avian flu
July 20, 2022 GMTPORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The deaths of dozens of seals off the coast of Maine has been deemed an “unusual mortality event,” sparking a federal investigation into strandings that appear linked to avian influenza.
NOAA ups observers in commercial snapper-grouper fishery
July 15, 2022 GMTThe federal government plans to increase observation of the commercial snapper-grouper fishery from North Carolina to east Florida, with an eye to improving population assessments.
“Historically the observer data have been lacking from the South Atlantic snapper-grouper fishery,” the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s fisheries division said in a news release Friday.
US agency studies rare whale habitat expansion request
July 12, 2022 GMTANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The U.S. government on Monday agreed to a request from environmental groups to study increasing critical habitat designations in Alaska waters for North Pacific right whales, one of the rarest whale species in the world.
Mako shark fishing shut down to try to rebuild species
July 5, 2022 GMTBOSTON (AP) — The federal government is shutting down fishing of a popular species of shark to try to give the animals a chance to recover from population decline.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shut down shortfin mako fishing on Tuesday.
High number of seal deaths linked to bird flu, feds say
July 5, 2022 GMTPORTLAND, Maine (AP) — An unusual number of seals are becoming stranded and dying off Maine this summer, and avian influenza is to blame, the federal government said Tuesday.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has confirmed that samples from four Maine seals tested positive for the virus.
Amberjack count: tags worth $250 to Gulf, S Atlantic anglers
June 28, 2022 GMTNEW ORLEANS (AP) — Scientists are trying to get a better estimate of greater amberjack populations in the South Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico, and this means the chance at a $250 catch for anglers.
New restrictions on ships to protect whales coming soon
June 10, 2022 GMTPORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Federal authorities spent the past few years analyzing rules for the shipping industry and are now close to releasing fresh guidelines to help protect a vanishing species of whale.
Sky high: Carbon dioxide levels in air spike past milestone
June 3, 2022 GMTThe amount of heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has shot past a key milestone -- more than 50% higher than pre-industrial times -- and is at levels not seen since millions of years ago when Earth was a hothouse ocean-inundated planet, federal scientists announced Friday.
Goal is to shrink Gulf dead zone, but that’s not happening
June 2, 2022 GMTNEW ORLEANS (AP) — Decades of work haven’t shrunk the oxygen-depleted “dead zone” that forms each year in the Gulf of Mexico off Louisiana and Texas.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is forecasting that this year's will be about the 35-year average.
Stormy repeat: NOAA predicts busy Atlantic hurricane season
May 24, 2022 GMTFederal meteorologists are forecasting a record-shattering seventh straight unusually busy Atlantic hurricane season.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted Tuesday that the summer in the Atlantic will produce 14 to 21 named storms, six to 10 becoming hurricanes and three to six turbo-charging into major hurricanes with winds greater than 110 mph.
Hawaii hurricane season forecasted to be slow with La Nina
May 18, 2022 GMTHONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii and the Central Pacific basin should expect two to four hurricanes, tropical depressions or tropical storms this year, federal forecasters said Wednesday.
The annual National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration outlook predicts there is a 60% chance of a below-average season.
US fishing haul fell 10% during first pandemic year
May 12, 2022 GMTPORTLAND, Maine (AP) — America's commercial fishing industry fell 10% in catch volume and 15% in value during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, federal regulators said Thursday.
The 2020 haul of fish was 8.4 billion pounds, while the value of that catch was $4.8 billion, officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.
Endangered Hawaiian monk seal population highest in decades
May 6, 2022 GMTHONOLULU (AP) — The population of endangered Hawaiian monk seals has surpassed a level not seen in more than two decades, according to federal officials.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials this week said that the seal population has steadily increased over the past two years.
NOAA acknowledges shortage of gear to protect whales
April 21, 2022 GMTPORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The federal government is acknowledging that supply chain issues will prevent all lobstermen from having gear needed to protect North Atlantic right whales before a May 1 deadline.
NOAA seeks person who impaled dolphin found dead in Florida
April 16, 2022 GMTTALLAHASSEE, Florida (AP) — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is asking the public for helping finding the person who impaled a dolphin that was found dead on a Florida beach last month.
NOAA: Potent heat-trapping methane increases at record pace
April 7, 2022 GMTGlobal atmospheric levels of the potent but short-lived greenhouse gas methane increased a record amount last year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday, worrying scientists because of the large role methane has in climate change.
Hot spring forecast: Drought deepens in West, flooding ebbs
March 17, 2022 GMTThere’s no relief in sight for the West’s record-shattering megadrought, which will likely only deepen this spring, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in its seasonal outlook Thursday.
Team frees humpback whale tangled in line off Hawaii
March 17, 2022 GMTHONOLULU (AP) — A male humpback whale that was tangled so tightly in heavy line off Hawaii that his life was in danger has been freed, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Wednesday.
Turtle escape-hatches now required in more shrimp nets
March 9, 2022 GMTNEW ORLEANS (AP) — The federal government is reminding shrimpers that more boats are now required to have escape hatches for sea turtles installed in their nets.
Weather satellite rockets to orbit to monitor US West
March 1, 2022 GMTCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — America’s newest weather satellite blasted off Tuesday to improve wildfire and flood forecasting across the western half of the country.
It's the replacement for a satellite launched exactly four years ago, which ended up with a cooling line blockage that hindered its main camera.
US could see a century’s worth of sea rise in just 30 years
February 15, 2022 GMTAmerica's coastline will see sea levels rise in the next 30 years by as much as they did in the entire 20th century, with major Eastern cities hit regularly with costly floods even on sunny days, a government report warns.
The heat stays on: Earth hits 6th warmest year on record
January 13, 2022 GMTEarth simmered to the sixth hottest year on record in 2021, according to several newly released temperature measurements.
And scientists say the exceptionally hot year is part of a long-term warming trend that shows hints of accelerating.
US to close Gulf ports to Mexican fishing boats for poaching
January 13, 2022 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — The U.S. government will prevent Mexican fishing vessels from entering U.S. ports on the Gulf of Mexico, arguing the Mexican government has not done enough to prevent its boats from illegally fishing in U.S.
Endangered Hawaiian monk seal shot in head on Molokai
December 22, 2021 GMTHONOLULU (AP) — An endangered Hawaiian monk seal that was found dead on the island of Molokai in September was intentionally killed with a gun, federal officials said Tuesday.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials said in a statement that the young female seal suffered a gunshot would to its head.
Feds ask ships to slow down to protect rare whales near NYC
November 29, 2021 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Scientists have detected a rare species of whale southeast of New York City, and the federal government is using a voluntary protected zone to try to keep them safe.
There are fewer than 350 North Atlantic right whales left, according to scientists.
Florida’s hurricane hunter team getting new aircraft
November 23, 2021 GMTLAKELAND, Fla. (AP) — The Florida-based hurricane hunter team is getting a new aircraft to help chase fierce storms.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's team will add a Gulfstream 550 to the three other aircraft at its home base at the Lakeland Linder International Airport in central Florida, the Orlando Sentinel reported.
US considers creating national marine sanctuary off Hawaii
November 19, 2021 GMTHONOLULU (AP) — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is considering additional protections for waters off the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.
NOAA announced the proposal to designate oceanic areas of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, which is already one of the largest protected natural areas in the world, as a national marine sanctuary on Friday.
Proposed national marine sanctuary off California advances
November 9, 2021 GMTLOS ANGELES (AP) — A federal agency announced Tuesday that it is taking a step toward designating a new national marine sanctuary off the central California coast that would be named for the region's Indigenous people.
NOAA: Ida debris exempts E Louisiana shrimpers from TEDs
November 5, 2021 GMTNEW ORLEANS (AP) — Hurricane Ida has left so much debris along Louisiana’s eastern coast that shrimpers there may limit trawl times rather than using escape hatches for sea turtles, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Friday.
Atlantic mackerel fishing shut down for the rest of the year
October 23, 2021 GMTPORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The federal government is shutting down the harvest of an important species of fish for the rest of the year because of concerns about overfishing.
Fishermen from Maine to North Carolina commercially harvest Atlantic mackerel, which is used as food as well as bait.
Coast Guard: Wreck found in Atlantic is storied cutter Bear
October 14, 2021 GMTBOSTON (AP) — The wreck of a storied military ship that served in two World Wars, performed patrols in waters off Alaska for decades, and at one point was captained by the first Black man to command a U.S.
Maryland sees increase in precipitation, sea level, flooding
October 13, 2021 GMTOver the past 20 years, rainfall, flooding and sea level have increased across Maryland, according to data collected from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
From 2000 to 2020, precipitation in Maryland increased by 2.63 inches per decade, according to NOAA.
Charter fishing for red snapper reopening in federal waters
October 4, 2021 GMTBATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — With nearly 24% of the for-hire recreational red snapper catch target still in the Gulf of Mexico, charter vessels can take anglers to try to catch the fish in federal waters from Oct.
Lobster fishing group files lawsuit against feds whale plan
September 27, 2021 GMTPORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A lobster fishing group based in Maine filed a lawsuit against the federal government on Monday charging new rules designed to protect whales are not based on the best available science.
New voluntary slow zone off Nantucket to protect whales
September 15, 2021 GMTNANTUCKET, Mass. (AP) — Federal officials are implementing a new slow zone off Massachusetts to try to protect a rare species of whale.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration created the slow zone south of Nantucket on Sept.
Photos show black slick in water near Gulf oil rig after Ida
September 2, 2021 GMTPORT FOURCHON, La. (AP) — Photos show what appears to be a miles-long oil slick near an offshore rig in the Gulf of Mexico after Hurricane Ida, according to aerial survey imagery released Wednesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and reviewed by The Associated Press.
Lobster fishing will face restrictions to try to save whales
August 31, 2021 GMTPORTLAND, Maine (AP) — America's lobster fishing industry will face a host of new harvesting restrictions amid a new push from the federal government to try to save a vanishing species of whale.
The new rules, which have loomed over the profitable lobster industry for years and were announced Tuesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, are designed to protect the North Atlantic right whale.
NOAA asks for help locating stranded sea turtles
August 29, 2021 GMTPORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Federal ocean managers are asking beachgoers in New England and elsewhere to keep an eye out for stranded turtles.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office said several species of sea turtle will still be in the area for a few months.
NOAA extends right whale protection zone into September
August 27, 2021 GMTNANTUCKET, Mass. (AP) — The federal government said it's extending a voluntary protective zone designed to help rare whales into September.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the protective zone is located south of Nantucket and it's designed to help North Atlantic right whales.
Feds eye new rules to protect right whales from fishing gear
August 25, 2021 GMTPORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Federal ocean regulators are considering new rules to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales from fishing gear.
The whales number only about 360 and are vulnerable to entanglement in the gear.
Global sizzling: July was hottest month on record, NOAA says
August 13, 2021 GMTEarth sizzled in July and became the hottest month in 142 years of recordkeeping, U.S. weather officials announced.
Gulf of Mexico’s ‘dead zone’ larger than average this year
August 5, 2021 GMTThis year’s Gulf of Mexico “dead zone” — an area where there’s too little oxygen to support marine life — is larger than average, according to researchers.
Scientists supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration determined that the area off Louisiana and Texas’ coasts covers about 6,334 square miles (16,405 square kilometers), the agency said in a news release Tuesday.
NOAA to support Maine dam removal project to help salmon
July 22, 2021 GMTFARMINGTON, Maine (AP) — The federal government is going to help fund a dam removal project in Maine that conservationists have said is critical to restoring fish habitat.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is giving more than $300,000 toward the Walton's Mill Dam removal project.
Scallop harvest to decline again this year, but still strong
July 15, 2021 GMTPORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Fishermen are harvesting fewer scallops off the East Coast as the population of the valuable shellfish appears to be on the decline.
Sea scallops are one of the most profitable resources in the Atlantic, and the U.S.