Managers of New York Fish Dealer Plead Guilty to Fishing Fraud Conspiracy
On April 20, a federal grand jury indicted Christopher Winkler, Bryan Gosman, Asa Gosman and Bob Gosman Co. Inc. with one count of conspiracy, among other crimes. Bryan and Asa Gosman admitted that this fish was then sold to a now-defunct company, an unindicted co-conspirator, in the New Fulton Fish Market in the Bronx, New York. Both Asa Gosman and Bryan Gosman had an ownership interest in the defunct company. In court documents, Bryan and Asa Gosman admit that the sales of illegal fish (to both companies) totaled at least $240,000 wholesale. Bryan and Asa Gosman stated that part of the conspiracy was to falsify both FVTRs and dealer reports to cover-up the fact that fish were taken in excess of quotas.
justice.govAtlantic hurricane season shows no signs of slowing
We’re two months into the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season and atmospheric and oceanic conditions remain conducive for an above-average hurricane season, according to the annual mid-season update issued by NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, a division of the National Weather Service.
New York Fisherman and Fish Dealer Charged with Conspiracy, Fraud, and Obstruction
Today, a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of New York unsealed the indictment of one fisherman, a wholesale fish dealer, and two of its managers for conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and obstruction in connection with a scheme to illegally overharvest fluke and black sea bass. This fish was then sold to a now-defunct company and unindicted co-conspirator in the New Fulton Fish Market in the Bronx. The overages of fish included at least 74,000 pounds of fluke, and the overall over-quota fish (of all species) were valued at least $250,000 wholesale. Similarly, the first company that buys fish directly from a fishing vessel is termed a fish dealer, and fish dealers are required to specify what they purchase on a federal form known as a dealer report, which is transmitted electronically to NOAA. An indictment is only an accusation, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven otherwise before a jury at trial.
justice.govGreenhouse gas levels surged in 2020, NOAA says
A new report from the NOAA finds that despite global shutdowns, greenhouse gas levels in 2020 surged. In fact, levels of carbon dioxide are at the highest they've been in 3.6 million years. CBS News meteorologist and climate specialist Jeff Berardelli joins CBSN to explain.
cbsnews.comNOAA hikes hurricane season ‘average’ to reflect more storms
The numbers 12-6-3 have been ingrained in meteorologists’ minds for a decade as the average numbers for tropical activity each year. Typically 12 tropical storms develop on average, with six becoming hurricanes and three becoming major hurricanes.
Timeline for climate change is moving
Forthcoming new normals for winter temperature are different from the current normals, which cover 1981-2010. NOAA’s database of “climate normals” is being updated with the results expected to be released May 1. Climate normals provide the baseline for comparing U.S weather and climate to the recent past. Rain totals in north Florida will be up to 5% less under the revised climate range. (noaa)New with this update will be additional monthly temperature normals for hundreds of U.S. stations with shorter 15-year averages.
NOAA upgrades US weather forecast model
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – NOAA is upgrading its Global Forecast System (GFS) weather model to boost weather forecasting capabilities across the U.S. These advancements will improve hurricane genesis forecasting, modeling for snowfall location, heavy rainfall forecasts, and overall model performance. Coupling the GFS and wave models will streamline the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) production suite by consolidating atmospheric and wave forecast data and distributing them together. Ad“This substantial upgrade to the GFS, along with ongoing upgrades to our supercomputing capacity, demonstrates our commitment to advancing weather forecasting to fulfill our mission of protecting life and property,” said Louis W. Uccellini, Ph.D., director, NOAA’s National Weather Service. Learn more about previous GFS upgrades and the history of the FV3 dynamical core at NOAA.
NOAA to test drones that could improve hurricane forecasts
Snapshot of the drone being released from the Hurricane Hunter Aircraft (NOAA)JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – We might still be a few months away from the start of the 2021 Atlantic Hurricane season, but NOAA is working on new ways to gather data within storms. During the 2021 season, NOAA will be testing a new drone that can fly at the surface of the storm and give scientists a batter understanding of the winds before landfall. “We should be able to give a better depiction of what the winds are in that lowest layer that the Hurricane Center could use in its immediate forecast for the public,” said Dr. Joseph Cione, with NOAA. “So far, everything looks really, really good, and we’re pleased with the results,” said NOAA Corps Lt. Cmdr. “There’s actually a couple different ways we can control it,” Abitbol said.
2020 ties 2016 as Earth’s warmest year
Higher than normal temperatures are shown in red and lower than normal temperatures in blue. A European climate center revealed that globally 2020 was tied with the previous warmest year -- 2016 -- making it the sixth in a series of exceptionally warm years starting in 2015. In addition, NOAA said Friday the average temperature across the contiguous U.S. in 2020 was 54.4 degrees F (2.4 degrees above the 20th century average), making 2020 the fifth warmest year on record. There were no areas of below-average annual temperatures observed across the lower 48 states during 2020. AdMeanwhile, Europe saw its warmest year on record, 0.4°C warmer than 2019, which was previously the warmest year.
A new whale species discovered in the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico Bryde’s whale is listed under the Mammal Protection Act. A new whale species has been discovered in the Gulf of Mexico. NOAA Fisheries scientists published a paper showing that the Bryde’s (pronounced “broodus”) whale is actually a new whale species. The discovery comes after decades of research on endangered Bryde’s species living in the Gulf of Mexico. He was the first researcher to recognize that Bryde’s whales (now Rice’s whales) are present in the Gulf of Mexico,” NOAA said.
NOAA satellites helped save 304 lives last year
Of the 304 U.S. rescues last year, 217 were water rescues, 12 were from aviation incidents and 75 were from events on land. Florida had the most SARSAT rescues with 67, followed by Alaska with 29. The record for the most SARSAT U.S. rescues in one year was set in 2019, with 421. (NOAA) (NOAA)When a NOAA satellite pinpoints the location of a distress signal in the U.S., the information is relayed to the SARSAT Mission Control Center at NOAA’s Satellite Operations Facility in Suitland, Maryland. NOAA also supports rescues globally by relaying distress signal information to international SARSAT partners.
12th right whale calf spotted this season
A 19-year-old right whale known as Infinity and her first calf were sighted Sunday off Amelia Island. Another right whale calf was spotted this year with its mother off the coast of Northeast Florida. So far, there have been 12 calves sighted this right whale season, NOAA said. NOAA said 13-year-old Bocce and her second calf, as well as a 20-year-old right whale and her third calf, were seen Wednesday. If you’re along the coast and see a right whale and it’s a calf, it’s very important to give them space -- 500 yards to be exact.
2020 is "effectively tied" for warmest year on record
The conclusion: 2020 was nearly tied with 2016 for the warmest year globally on record. Global temperature departures from average in 2020 Berkeley EarthNOAA concludes the United States had its fifth warmest year on record, with all five of the warmest years occurring since 2012. NASA's GIS dataset shows 2020 as the warmest year, but only by a minuscule margin, whereas the NOAA and Berkeley Earth data show 2020 a hair behind 2016 for the warmest year globally on record. Comparison of various datasets on global temperatures Berkeley EarthAlthough we have come to expect each new year to be one of the warmest on record, 2020 should not have been able to reach such heights. Rohde from Berkeley Earth says 87% of the Earth was significantly above normal in 2020 and 10% saw record average annual warmth.
cbsnews.com2 right whale calves spotted off coast of Northeast Florida
Two right whale calves and their mothers were spotted last week off the coast of Northeast Florida. So far, there have been seven calves sighted this right whale season, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Southeast. On Friday, a right whale known as Minus One and her new calf were sighted off South Ponte Vedra Beach. A right whale known as ‘Minus One’ is a mom again! Right whales are an endangered species that usually migrate south along the Georgia and Florida coastline to give birth to their calves.
Climate change is responsible for billions of dollars in flood costs, study says
Now a new study from Stanford University puts a number value on the portion of the increasing costs caused specifically by the rise in floods linked to climate change. That's important because, with the impacts of climate change continuing to mount, there's an urgency among scientists and economists to quantify how much climate change is costing us and how much it may cost us in the future. A series of studies after Harvey found that climate change resulted in the storm dumping up to 38% more rainfall than it otherwise would have. Together, these analyses revealed that climate change has contributed substantially to the growing cost of flooding in the U.S. That's because as the planet gets warmer, the impacts of climate change increase exponentially.
cbsnews.comNew right whale spotted off Georgia coast
“Nauset’’ & her new calf were sighted off Sapelo Island, Georgia, yesterday. VILANO BEACH, Fla. – We have another right whale baby sighting! Weeks after the first two calves of the season were sighted off the coasts of Florida and Georgia, another baby was spotted Monday, according to NOAA. She and the little one were spotted off Sapelo Island, Georgia. We have a new right whale!
"Alarming" and "extraordinary" rate of change as the Arctic warms, NOAA report says
That's according to an international team of 133 researchers from over a dozen countries who contributed to the 15th annual NOAA Arctic Report Card, released on Tuesday. In the a video accompanying the report, NOAA says there have been "alarming rates of change observed" since the 2006 Arctic Report Card, and adds, "the rate of change has been extraordinary." That was part of a several months long heat event which climate scientists said was made 600 times more likely by human-caused climate change. NOAAThe cause of the rapid warming is straightforward and well understood: It is human-caused climate change. Since 1981, June Arctic snow cover extent is decreasing at a rate of 15% per decade.
cbsnews.comZeta Zooming Offshore The Mid-Atlantic Coast Toward The Western Atlantic
Zeta is moving toward the east-northeast near 55 mph (89 km/h), and this general motion is expected to continue through tonight. On the forecast track, the center of Zeta will emerge over the western Atlantic this evening. Maximum sustained winds are near 50 mph (85 km/h) with higher gusts. A sustained wind of 39 mph (63 km/h) and a gust to 46 mph (74 km/h) were recently reported at Ocean City, Maryland. RAINFALL: The last of the heavy rainfall along the track of Zeta will impact the Mid-Atlantic through this evening.
NOAA sees 60% chance of having warmer winter than normal
With a La Nina climate pattern in place, southern parts of the U.S. may experience expanded and intensifying drought during the winter months ahead. More modest probabilities for warmer temperatures are forecast in the southern parts of the west coast, and from the Mid-Atlantic into the Northeast. Above-average temperatures are also favored for Hawaii and western and northern Alaska. More modest chances for drier conditions are forecast in southern Alaska, and from California across the Rockies, Central Plains, and into the Southeast. Drought conditions are expected to improve in the northern Rockies, Northwest, New England, Alaska, and Hawaii over the coming months.
Delta adds insult to injury in hurricane-ravaged Louisiana
Delta made landfall Friday evening near the coastal Louisiana town of Creole with top winds of 100 mph (155 kph). It then moved over Lake Charles, a city where Hurricane Laura damaged nearly every home and building in late August. While Delta was a weaker storm than Category 4 Laura, it brought significantly more flooding, Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter said. Forecasters warned that heavy rain, storm surges and flash floods continued to pose dangers in areas from Texas to Mississippi. They arrived back in Lake Charles last weekend, got a new roof on Monday and had to evacuate again Thursday.
Delta intensifies to Category 3 hurricane as it bounds toward Louisiana
The center of Hurricane Delta was located near latitude 24.8 North, longitude 93.4 West. Delta is a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Some weakening is possible as Delta approaches the northern Gulf coast on Friday, with rapid weakening expected after the center moves inland. Within minutes of the National Hurricane Center upgrading Delta to a Category 3 hurricane Tuesday morning, data from a NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicated that sustained winds had increased to 130 mph. Residents in these areas should ensure they have their hurricane plan in place and monitor updates to the forecast of Delta,” the Hurricane Center said.
Heavy Rainfall Threat With Beta Has Diminished As The Center Has Become Less Determinant In The Pressure And Wind Fields
Location 60 miles NNE of Birmingham Alabama Wind 10 mph Heading NE at 10 mph Pressure 29.83 Coordinates 86.3W, 34.3NDiscussionAt 400 AM CDT (0900 UTC), the center of Post-Tropical Cyclone Beta was located near latitude 34.3 North, longitude 86.3 West. The post-tropical cyclone is moving toward the northeast near 10 mph (17 km/h) until it becomes indistinguishable within the background wind and pressure field by mid-afternoon Friday. Maximum sustained winds are near 10 mph (20 km/h) with higher gusts. The estimated minimum central pressure is 1010 mb (29.83 inches). Tropics Satellite at 4:39 Friday Night, September 25thWatches and WarningsThere are no watches or warnings in effect.
Teddy Heading Toward The Northwest Coast Of Newfoundland
Location 530 miles NNE of Halifax Nova Scotia Wind 50 mph Heading NNE at 32 mph Pressure 28.8 Coordinates 57.3W, 51.0NDiscussionAt 1100 PM AST (0300 UTC), the center of Post-Tropical Cyclone Teddy was located near latitude 51.0 North, longitude 57.3 West based on the Marble Mountain, Newfoundland, radar and surface observations along the west coast of Newfoundland. On the forecast track, the center of Teddy should move closer to the northwestern Newfoundland coast tonight and into the Labrador Sea on Thursday before merging with a larger extratropical low. By the Sea, Newfoundland (near the Cow Head Lighthouse) reported a barometric pressure of 979 mb (28.91 inches). SURF: Large swells generated by Teddy are affecting Bermuda, the Lesser Antilles, the Greater Antilles, the Bahamas, the east coast of the United States, and Atlantic Canada. WIND: Gusty winds are possible along the western coast of Newfoundland tonight.
Hurricane Laura now a Category 2 storm with 110 mph winds
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Update: The hurricane is now moving northward with the initial motion estimated to be 15 mph. Laura is expected to continue moving northward through today which should take the core of the system across Louisiana and Arkansas. An Air Force Reserve hurricane hunter aircraft that is still investigating the hurricane has reported peak 700-mb flight-level winds of 156mph and SFMR winds of 139mph in the northeast eye wall. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 60 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 205 miles. Tropical-storm-force winds have reached the coast of Louisiana and an observing site at Eugene Island recently measured sustained winds of 39 mph and a gust to 64 mph.
UNF receives award to fight ocean plastic pollution
According to UNF, a two-year project will combine education and outreach efforts to increase awareness, affect attitudes and beliefs, and encourage behavior changes among members of the UNF campus community regarding reducing plastic consumption. Single-use plastics are well-documented to be one of the major sources of plastic debris in the ocean. Eckerd College launched the Reduce Single-Use project in 2018 at its St. Petersburg campus. Participants will log each use and refusal of single-use plastic and receive real-time feedback on behavior. Eckerd College will continue to manage the grant, run surveys, conduct challenges and outreach activities, as well as collect and analyze the data received from the UNF campus.
Tropical Storm Bertha hits South Carolina coast
A map from NOAA shows Tropical Storm Bertha forming off the coast of South Carolina on May 27th, 2020. Tropical Storm Bertha made landfall on South Carolina's coast Wednesday morning shortly after it formed, becoming the second named storm before the official start of this year's Atlantic hurricane season. A tropical storm warning was issued for South Carolina's coast and the storm was expected to bring heavy rainfall, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. The storm was centered about 20 miles (40 kilometers) east of Charleston, South Carolina, and was moving northwest near 9 mph (15 kph). Earlier this month, Tropical Storm Arthur brought rain to North Carolina before moving out to sea.
cnbc.comChernobyl forest wildfire seen from space as radiation spikes (photo)
A wildfire burning in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, as imaged on April 5, 2020, by the NOAA-NASA Suomi NPP satellite. The forest near the old Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant is burning, and the effects are visible from space. "At this point, the fire is about 250 acres (100 hectares)," NASA officials wrote in an image description . Related: Chernobyl Exclusion Zone is on fire and radiation levels are spikingChernobyl, of course, was the site of a deadly meltdown on April 26, 1986 . The Exclusion Zone is still heavily contaminated, and will be for many years to come.
space.comRumbling Alaska volcano sends ash plume 5 miles into the air
Still image taken from satellite footage shows smoke emerging from the Shishaldin Volcano eruption in Alaska, U.S., January 3, 2020. The ash burst from Shishaldin Volcano, about 670 miles southwest of Anchorage, was part of an on-and-off, mostly low-level series of eruptions that began in July with a stream of lava from the crater at the peak of the 9,373-foot-tall mountain. The ash plume was spotted by a pilot and was visible in satellite images captured from space. It drifted over the sea at least 75 miles southeast of the volcano, the Alaska Volcano Observatory reported. Shishaldin remains at a heightened level of unrest, and explosions may occur with little warning, the observatory warned in a public statement.
feeds.reuters.comLooking back: the 2019 Hurricane Season Ends
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The 2019 Atlantic hurricane season, which ends on November 30, was marked by tropical activity that churned busily from mid-August through October. NOAA’s outlook called for 10-17 named storms, 5-9 hurricanes and 2-4 major hurricanes, and accurately predicted the overall activity of the season. Hurricane Dorian is tied with three other hurricanes — the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane, 1988’s Hurricane Gilbert and 2005’s Hurricane Wilma — as the second strongest hurricane on record in the Atlantic basin in terms of wind (185 mph). During the 2019 season, NOAA’s hurricane hunter aircraft and crews flew 57 missions over 430 hours, which along with the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron of the Air Force Reserve, provided critical data that aided in storm forecasting and research. The 2020 hurricane season will officially begin on June 1 and NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center will provide its initial seasonal outlook in May.
Home sweet volcano: Alaska fur seals thrive at unlikely spot
Geographically speaking, the island is not a particularly unusual place for the seals known for their thick coats to hang out. Most of the world's roughly 1.1 million northern fur seals breed in the eastern Bering Sea. The animals live in the ocean from November to June and head for land in summer to breed and nurse pups.
chicagotribune.comCategory 3 Humberto may swipe Bermuda Wednesday
Humberto, a sprawling Category 3 storm, is packing sustained winds of 115 mph as it pushes east-northeast about 285 miles west of Bermuda, the National Hurricane Center said Wednesday at 5 a.m. Two to 4 inches of rain, dangerous waves along south-facing beaches and a storm surge of 1 to 3 feet also are expected, the hurricane center said. And Tropical Storm Jerry, still far east of the Leeward Islands, could strengthen into a hurricane by week's end. Humberto could strengthen as it passes Wednesday into Thursday morning less than 100 miles to the island's north, Jones and Garrett said. "Weather should begin to deteriorate in Bermuda later today," the hurricane center said early Wednesday.
Summer 2019 was hottest ever in Northern Hemisphere
Hottest summer temps were across parts of the North Pacific Ocean, the Bering Sea, northern Canada, the south-central contiguous U.S.JACKSONVILLE. Fla - If this summer felt hotter than normal, it was -- and not just in Jacksonville but in the entire northern hemisphere. Scorching temperatures around the world last month tied August 2019 as the second-hottest August on record and capped off the hottest Northern Hemisphere summer (June through August), tied with 2016 according to NOAA. Although the calendar says we are still in summer, the hottest months are June, July and August --meteorological summer. The hottest August on record was August 2016, and the five hottest August dates on record have all occurred since 2014.
Hurricane Dorian survivors still face uncertain future
NOAA via CNN(CNN) - As Tropical Storm Humberto passed by the Bahamas before becoming a hurricane, residents recovering from Hurricane Dorian worried they would be pummeled again before being able to recover. Humberto resurfaced feelings of terror for Dorian survivors -- just two weeks after the Category 5 storm decimated much of Grand Bahamas and Abaco Islands. "I lift my brother ... lift him, literally lift him with my hands and the other friends bring him by the road," she said. Silien says she told the government about her mother, brother, and a cousin who all died during the storm. But government officials have said repeatedly that all Dorian victims will be treated equally when it comes to disaster relief.
Exclusive: First big U.S. offshore wind project hits snag due to fishing-industry concerns
(Reuters) - Trump administration infighting is holding up approval of the first major U.S. offshore wind energy project, with agencies sparring over whether the proposal does enough to protect the fishing industry, according to interviews and agency documents. FILE PHOTO: Power-generating windmill turbines are pictured at sunset at a wind park in Fins near Cambrai, France, February 5, 2019. REUTERS/Pascal RossignolThe delays are a setback to President Donald Trumps efforts to fast-track big energy infrastructure projects and could threaten the administrations plans to launch a promising new domestic industry. The Trump administration has sought to fire up development of the nascent offshore wind industry by streamlining permitting and carving out areas off the coast for leasing - part of its policy to boost domestic energy production and jobs. But a federal environmental study crucial to its permitting has been repeatedly delayed since April, according to published government timelines, without any public explanation from Trump administration officials.
feeds.reuters.comHow the new NOAA supercomputer will boost forecasting
After storms like Hurricane Katrina and Superstorm Sandy, the United States has updated its computer systems to help citizens deal with natural disasters. With more on the new NOAA supercomputer, DeMarco Morgan joins CBSN from New York.
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