PMEL in the News
Unmanned Vessels Deployed for Alaska Ocean Research
Researchers in the Bering Sea off Alaska's west coast will get help this summer from drones, but not the kind that fly. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and private researchers are gathering data on marine mammals, fish and ocean conditions from two "autonomous sailing vessels" built by Saildrone, an Alameda, California, company.
Climate change could further delay crab season
When the state delayed our local Dungeness crab season last November, San Franciscans were upset. I heard people blame climate change for the toxic algae bloom that poisoned our crabs, but this explanation may be too simple. What really caused the unusual bloom of Pseudo-nitzschia phytoplankton and will our Thanksgiving plates be without crab again?
Scientists: 2016 likely to be hottest year on record despite looming La Niña
The phenomenon known as El Niño, which combined with human-caused warming to supercharge global temperature in 2015/16 and brought chaotic weather worldwide, is officially on its way out. But stepping quickly into El Niño’s shoes is its cooler counterpart, La Niña.
Summer 2014 winds gave the 2015-16 El Niño a head start
Following a large westerly wind burst in February 2014, buzz developed that a strong El Niño event would occur in the following winter. However, during June and July of 2014, anomalous easterly winds along the equator occurred, forestalling the developing El Niño.
Multiyear crab disaster brewing
State officials fear the historic 2015-2016 Dungeness crab collapse may go on for at least another year and probably longer.