Ocean Waters Off New England Much Warmer Than Normal This Year
August 22, 2009
If you’ve been swimming, body surfing or surfing recently in the waters off our beaches, such as at Crane Beach, Ipswich; North Beach, North Hampton, NH; Hampton Beach, Hampton, NH; Good Harbor Beach on Cape Ann; or Salisbury Beach, and thought that the water has been much warmer and more comfortable than normal, you are correct!
An article by Richard Gaines in the Gloucester Daily Times earlier this week reported that ocean surface water temperatures around the world, as well as locally in the Gulf of Maine, are indeed much warmer than normal according to statistics and data collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
July 2009 Ocean Surface Temperature Highest Recorded Since NOAA Began Keeping Records
NOAA’s analysis of ocean surface temperatures for July 2009, concluded that the ocean surface temperature in July was the highest ever recorded during that month, going back to when NOAA began keeping records in 1880.
Family Ecology Cruise Aboard Yankee Clipper, Joppa Flats Education Center, Newburyport, August 22nd & 23rd
August 21, 2009
When: Saturday, August 22nd, from 11:45 am to 2:15 pm; Sunday, August 23rd, from 8:45 am to 10:45 am.Where: Meet at the Newburyport boardwalk (on the Merrimack River in downtown Newburyport)
On Saturday and Sunday, August 22nd and 23rd, Mass Audubon’s Joppa Flats Education Center, Newburyport, is offering a family ecology cruise aboard the Yankee Clipper.
If you’ve ever wanted to see and/or learn more about the ecology of the lower Merrimack River ecosystem, here is your chance!
Lisa Hutchings of Mass Audubon’s Joppa Flats Education Center and the crew of Harbor Tour’s Yankee Clipper will host this exploratory cruise of the ecosystem of the lower Merrimack River that runs through Newburyport, Amesbury and Salisbury.
The tour is being offered on Saturday and Sunday:
- Saturday: August 22nd, from 11:45 am to 2:15 pm
- Sunday: August 23rd, from 8:45 am to 10:45 am
Preregistration is required for this program. To register, please call 978-462-9998.
Teacher Workshop: Educator’s Overview Of Plum Island, Joppa Flats Education Center, Newburyport, August 8th
August 5, 2009
When: Saturday, August 8th, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.Where: Mass Audubon’s Joppa Flats Education Center, One Plum Island Turnpike, Newburyport, MA
Mass Audubon’s Joppa Flats Education Center is offering a Teacher Workshop for educator’s, An Educator’s Overview of Plum Island, on Saturday, August 8th.
The six hour program will provide enhanced training for teachers, with a focus on coastal adaptations, habitats, and environmental stresses.
Location
Meet in the parking lot at the Joppa Flats Education Center, One Plum Island Turnpike, Newburyport.
Fee:
$35 for Mass Audubon members; $50 for non-members.
Pre-registration is required.
Tide Pooling for Kids, Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, Newburyport, Saturday, July 25th
July 18, 2009
When: Saturday, July 25th, 8:00 to 9:30 a.mWhere: Meet at Parking Lot 7, Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, Plum Island, Newbury, MA
The Parker River National Wildlife Refuge is offering a free, 90-minute program for children, Tidepools for Kids!, on Saturday, July 25th, from 8:00 to 9:30 a.m.
The program, which is for children ages 4 to 12, will explore the beaches and tidepools of Plum Island. They will learn about hermit crabs, periwinkles and urchins and other inhabitants of local tide pools.
This free outdoor program is a great way to introduce a child to the wonderful world of tide pools. Participants will be walking in rocky and wet areas, so parental supervision and sturdy shoes are a must.
Shorts or pants that can be rolled up are recommended.
Greenheads will be around (though not as active in the morning), so bring the bug spray.
Meet at Refuge Parking Lot 7.
Please note that the outdoor program may be cancelled if there is inclement weather.
Read more
Tour Sailing Research Vessel Corwith Cramer In Gloucester, Saturday, July 18th, 3 to 5 pm
July 16, 2009
When: Saturday, July 18th, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.mWhere: Gloucester Maritime Heritage Center, Gloucester, MA
If you appreciate beautiful ships, the sailing research vessel Corwith Cramer, a 134-foot steel brigantine owned by the Sea Education Association (SEA) of Woods Hole, will be in Gloucester for the upcoming weekend. She will be docked at the Gloucester Maritime Heritage Center from Friday, July 17th through Sunday, July 19th.
Onboard Tours From 3:00 to 5:00 PM on Saturday, July 18th
The crew of the Corwith Cramer will welcome visitors aboard on Saturday from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. You will learn about the vessel and the research conducted on its decks and in its lab. The Corwith Cramer’s visit is one of many activities offered at the Heritage Center to provide Gloucester students with hands-on opportunities to learn about marine science.
Program For Teachers And Students From 1:00 to 3:00 PM
A special program will aldo be conducted for teachers, and middle and high school students from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. There is no charge for this program, but interested teachers and students must register in advance by calling the Heritage Center at 978-281-0470.
Research Equipment And Laboratory
The Corwith Cramer is a floating laboratory and research center. Onboard research equipment includes oceanographic sampling gear such as plankton nets, trawls, cores, dredges, and Nisken bottles.
The ship’s lab is outfitted with modern sampling and analytic gear including a digital recording bathythermograph, salinometer, fluorometer, spectrophotometer, and four mini computers for data recovery, processing and storage.
Read more
Summer Programs For Kids at Boat Camp, Newburyport
March 24, 2009
River Runners” Program – Exploration of the Merrimack River
BOAT CAMP Inc., a nonprofit marine and environmental education organization that offers a variety of week-long summer programs for kids ages 5 and older ashore and afloat, is offering a new summer program this year, ”River Runners.”
The River Runners program is an exploration of the Merrimack River for kids ages five and six and includes a boat tour of the Merrimack River estuary The program runs from June 29th to July 3rd or from July 6th to 10th.
Other summer programs offered by BOAT CAMP Inc. include the following:
- Kids ages 7 to 9 are welcome aboard our “Young Scientists” program. Each morning, kids spend time on the water exploring the Merrimack River Estuary and Great Marsh.
- Kids ages 9 and older are welcome aboard the Erica Lee for a week of ocean exploration, including hauling lobster traps, sand eel seining, otter trawl exploration, fishing for bass and blues, cod and flounder, and tidepooling at the Isles of Shoals.
- In addition, kids ages 13 to 17 are welcome during the week of July 20th, when we will offer optional academic credit for participation.
- We also offer a number of year-round programs for all ages, including professional development for educators.
Plum Island Barrier Beach Presentation, March 16th
March 13, 2009
When: Monday, March 16th, 7:00 pm.Where: Newbury Elementary School, Hanover Street, Newbury, MA.
If you want to learn more about the Plum Island barrier beach, plan on attending the free presentation by coastal geologist Christopher Hein on Monday, March 16th at the Newbury Elementary School.
Mr. Hein’s presentation, which is being sponsored by Eight Towns and the Bay, an organization that is dedicated to the protection of the coastal waters and watersheds on the upper North Shore of Massachusetts Bay, will discuss the formation and evolution of the Plum Island barrier beach.
Mr. Hein, a fourth-year doctoral candidate at Boston University’s Department of Earth Sciences, has been studying Plum Island for the last two years and has performed a detailed study of island’s geology and topography using the latest technology.
In an article by Victor Tine in the Daily News of Newburyport, Mr. Hein said he will discuss the glacial history and the sea level history of the island over the last 20,000 years.
Read more
Stellwagen Sweep, First Dedicated Effort to Clean Up Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary
December 12, 2008
An Abundance of Marine Debris Is Believed To Be In The Sanctuary
It is widely accepted by the fishing and the scientific communities that there is an abundance of marine debris within the confines of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary.
Stellwagen Sweep will consist of a series of multi-day events during which professional fishing captains in specially prepared vessels will locate and hoist harmful debris from the ocean floor. Some of this debris has already been removed by concerned fishermen and needs to be disposed of properly. Read more
Plum Island Beach Erosion Presentation, October 22nd
October 19, 2008
When: Wednesday, October 22nd, 7:30 p.m to 9:00 p.mWhere: Newbury Elementary School, Hanover Street, Newbury
Plum Island resident Michael Morris will present an up-to-date study on Plum Island’s beach erosion over the past 300 years, illustrating the many natural forces at play, on Wednesday, October 22, at 7:30 p.m., at the Newbury Elementary School, Hanover Street, Newbury.
The free presentation is being sponsored by Mass Audubon’s Joppa Flats Education Center.
Presentation on Independent Plum Island Sand Migration Study, September 24th
September 19, 2008
When: Wednesday, September 24th, from 6:00 to 8:00 pmWhere: Newbury Elementary School Auditorium, Hanover Street, Newbury
A local Plum Island resident, Michael Morris, will give a public presentation on the results of his independent, five month long study of the sand migration patterns on Plum Island this Wednesday, September 24th, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at the Newbury Elementary School Auditorium.
Wednesday’s presentation, called “Unlocking the Mystery to Beach Erosion at Plum Island,” will be divided into two segments with a 15-minute break in between. Refreshments will also be served.
An article by Victor Tine in the Daily News of Newburyport provides an overview the study undertaken by Mr. Morris.
Some of the interesting findings of the study by Mr. Morris are:
- He believes that the net migration of sand along Plum Island’s shoreline is in a northerly direction, a departure from the conventional wisdom that it flows southward.
- He believes that two separate streams of sand are migrating toward Plum Island Center. One stream is moving south from the mouth of the Merrimack River along a submerged offshore sand bar, while another stream is flowing north from the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge’s dune system.
