Tag Archives: Gulf of Mexico

Trying to save the deep sea coral after the BP oil spill

Posted on October 4, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Fascinating stuff. In the early morning, at a lab not too far from the Galveston coast, Shannon Ainsworth is collecting hundreds of tiny, floating brown eggs from a tank of deep-sea coral. She sticks a little plastic dropper into the … Continue reading →

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The less-than-expected hurricane season (so far)

Posted on September 7, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Sure hope this doesn’t jinx anything. Although the historical peak of the Atlantic hurricane season is around Sept. 10, based on data since the 1850s, storm experts are giving the next two weeks of tropical development a 60% chance of … Continue reading →

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Flooding in Texas

Posted on July 11, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

We have a lot. We’re going to get more. Any questions? The combination of rising sea levels and sinking land along the Texas Gulf Coast has made the region one of the most frequently flooded in the country, according to … Continue reading →

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Tuesday Beryl checkin

Posted on July 9, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve got no power but I do have Internet, so here’s a brief Beryl overview for you. We’re all fine and we do have some battery power to charge devices and keep the fridge and freezer cold, but expect things … Continue reading →

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Here’s Beryl

Posted on July 8, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Hoping for the best. Beryl is on the cusp of regaining hurricane status this evening as it lumbers its way north northwest through the western Gulf of Mexico. At this point, it’s mostly a waiting game as the outer bands … Continue reading →

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Keeping an eye on Beryl

Posted on July 7, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

From Space City Weather: In brief: Although we cannot be certain at this time, it increasingly looks as though Tropical Storm Beryl is on track to make landfall somewhere between Corpus Christi and Matagorda Bay on Monday. For the greater … Continue reading →

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“Venice of the South” sounds like an optimistic outlook to me

Posted on June 1, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Just a reminder, Galveston is going to be mostly under water in the not too distant future. In a city that once built a 17-foot seawall to keep Mother Nature in check, Galveston is slowly but steadily bracing itself against … Continue reading →

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Another “extremely active hurricane season” forecast

Posted on May 27, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Buckle up. With the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season starting in less than 10 days, the nation’s top weather agency on Thursday released its most pessimistic forecast to date, giving this year an 85% chance of having an unusually high number … Continue reading →

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“Extremely active” hurricane season coming

Posted on April 6, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Be prepared. The emergence of a La Niña weather pattern and warmer tropical waters could lead to an “extremely active” 2024 hurricane season, according to researchers at Colorado State University who issued their first hurricane season outlook of the year … Continue reading →

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And the seas will rise

Posted on April 3, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

We’re so not ready for this. Cities along the Gulf Coast are bracing for 10 to 12 inches of sea level rise by 2050, and data from a study in the journal Nature last week showed those risks will be … Continue reading →

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“Near normal” hurricane season this year

Posted on June 1, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Good news, bad news. Texas and the rest of the Gulf and East coasts are most likely to see a “near-normal” hurricane season this year, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Federal forecasters are predicting between 12 and … Continue reading →

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So yeah, climate change is bad for Houston

Posted on April 24, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Some science for you. As Houston continues to grapple with extreme weather conditions, scientists find record-breaking sea level rises in the U.S. Gulf Coast, which could leave cities such as Houston more vulnerable to severe storms and flooding in the coming decades than previously … Continue reading →

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Ike Dike authorization officially passed

Posted on December 27, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Took a roundabout route to get there, but here we are. With the stroke of a pen, President Joe Biden authorized a $34 billion proposal to build a massive storm surge protection system on the Texas coast and around Galveston … Continue reading →

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Still rough times for oysters

Posted on November 16, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Continuing from earlier in the year. Tuesday marks the start of Texas’ commercial and recreational oyster season, but the bulk of the state’s oyster reefs are already closed for harvesting. This follows last year’s season during which the majority of … Continue reading →

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The Corpus Christi desalination plant fight

Posted on October 30, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This ought to be interesting. Texas regulators issued an environmental permit Thursday for the Port of Corpus Christi to build what could become the state’s first seawater desalination plant — but the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency may refuse to accept … Continue reading →

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Kemp’s ridley turtles making a comeback

Posted on August 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We deserve a little good news. For the first time in 75 years, hatchlings of the world’s smallest sea turtle species have been discovered on the Chandeleur Islands, a chain of barrier islands in the Gulf of Mexico off the … Continue reading →

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More on the seafaring abortion clinic

Posted on July 30, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

There were a couple of stories on that proposed abortion clinic on a ship in the Gulf of Mexico, which will operate in federal waters and thus be outside state jurisdiction. The clinic is intended to serve women in the … Continue reading →

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Offshore wind farm proposed

Posted on July 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s do it. The Gulf of Mexico’s first offshore wind farms will be developed off the coasts of Texas and Louisiana, the Biden administration announced Wednesday, and together they’re projected to produce enough energy to power around 3 million homes. … Continue reading →

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A seafaring abortion clinic?

Posted on July 12, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It could happen. A California doctor has a plan to launch a floating reproductive health clinic in the Gulf of Mexico, where care will be regulated by federal — not state — law. The plan — currently in the fundraising … Continue reading →

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This could be a really bad hurricane season

Posted on May 27, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Anytime the year 2005 is used as a point of comparison, it’s bad news. The Atlantic hurricane season starts on June 1, and the Gulf of Mexico is already warmer than average. Even more worrying is a current of warm tropical … Continue reading →

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Rough times for oysters

Posted on May 20, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s bad for oyster fishers, too. But if there just aren’t enough oysters to support harvesting them, well… Currently, 25 of the state’s 27 harvesting areas are already closed. The season normally runs from Nov. 1 through April 30, but … Continue reading →

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A tour of the future Ike Dike

Posted on May 8, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Fascinating stuff. Federal engineers envisioned a massive version of the “Ike Dike” plan to protect the region from hurricane storm surge. It’s currently sitting with lawmakers, who have to decide whether to pay their share of the $29 billion proposal and move the years-long … Continue reading →

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The New Orleans perspective on the Ike Dike

Posted on April 28, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. Kelly Burks-Copes braces herself against the wind and marches past the ruins of Fort San Jacinto, a strategic spot on a sandy, wave-battered point where Spain, France, the Republic of Texas, the Confederacy and the United States have … Continue reading →

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It’s hurricane forecast season

Posted on April 15, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Gonna be busy again. You should know what to do about it by now. Another above-average hurricane season is in the forecast for 2022. A prediction issued Thursday by scientists at Colorado State University says there will be at least … Continue reading →

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Let’s pay some attention to the Gulf Coast Protection District

Posted on February 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

They may raise some tax revenue to help pay for the Ike Dike, so best to know what’s happening with it. Especially since they didn’t exactly go out of their way to make it easy to do that. Danielle Goshen … Continue reading →

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The Ike Dike is still a work in progress

Posted on November 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I’ll be honest, I thought we were further along than this. Members of Texas’ congressional delegation are gearing up for a “marathon” effort to secure funding for a long-sought barrier to protect the Texas Gulf Coast from catastrophic storm surge. … Continue reading →

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The final Ike Dike plan

Posted on September 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s taken a long time to get to this point. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has released the final version of its Coastal Texas Study, which examines a proposed coastal barrier to protect the Houston region against storm surge. … Continue reading →

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Another catastrophe averted, for us

Posted on September 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Sooner or later our luck is going to run out. If Hurricane Ida had veered west and hit Galveston, its 15-foot storm surge could have devastated the city and plowed up the Houston Ship Channel, smashing into residential communities and … Continue reading →

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We still have half of hurricane season to go

Posted on August 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Don’t get distracted. Don’t be lulled by the quiet start to this year’s hurricane season in Texas. NOAA is maintaining its forecast for an above-average year and has upped the number of storms it’s expecting. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric … Continue reading →

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Hurricane season is (almost) upon us

Posted on May 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Are you ready? Be prepared for another busier-than-normal Atlantic hurricane season, NOAA warned Thursday. The agency is forecasting 13 to 20 named storms. Between six and 10 of those could become hurricanes and three to five could be major hurricanes … Continue reading →

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More than one way to fund the Ike Dike

Posted on May 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

As long as it gets funded, that’s what matters. When President Joe Biden proposed a nearly $2 trillion infrastructure bill, some Texas officials had high hopes that it might include funding for the long-awaited “Ike Dike” project to protect the … Continue reading →

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The infrastructure bill and Texas flooding

Posted on April 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s more than just the Ike Dike. President Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan includes $50 billion to fortify states against future extreme weather events such as the droughts, floods and hurricanes that caused up to $200 billion in damage in Texas … Continue reading →

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First look at the 2021 hurricane season

Posted on April 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Yeah, it’s getting to be that time of year. From Space City Weather: Good morning. The most reputable hurricane season forecasting service, led by Phil Klotzbach at Colorado State University, has released its first outlook for the 2021 Atlantic season. … Continue reading →

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The infrastructure bill and the Ike Dike

Posted on April 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This is encouraging. President Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan sure seems to be considering building the Ike Dike. His $2 trillion plan includes improving and strengthening infrastructure in coastal areas most vulnerable during hurricane season. Biden pitched part of the American … Continue reading →

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