Amanda Hurricane Degenerates –NOAA Caribbean Tour

The first Hurricane of 2014 season touched open waters of the Pacific Ocean moving from Category IV and degenerating into Post Tropical Cyclone in under 10 days. Impacts and damages are not reported, Mexico is expected to see rainfall. The Hurricane Season 2014 is expected to be "weak" dominated by El Niño.

On May 29^th the National Hurricane Center of NOAA -National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued the final pubic advisory for Amanda follow up.

NOAA stated that Amanda had degenerated to a “remnant low”. Following the hurricane through satellite images NOAA concluded that Amanda continued to weaken. The center of the post tropical cyclone moved east at approximately 13 kilometer an hour.

“The system is expected to slow down and become near stationary during the next day or so…this is the last public advise,” the Hurricane Center reported. Amanda registered maximum sustained winds decreasing to 45 kilometers an hour. No hazards lands were reported by NOAA:

Mexico however did take precautions and issued warnings. Rain is expected to fall as a direct consequence of Amanda´s atmospheric transit. Rain is imminent, local press of Mexico reported.

In Oaxaca the Ocean Navigation sector was issued recommendations and warnings to maintain measures of safety in presence of altered environmental conditions and winds. Inland the rain fall could affect the coastal areas, rivers and lead to floods and slides.

The 2014 Hurricane Seasons is expected to be below average. A total of 23 cyclones are expected -14 in the Pacific and 9 in the Atlantic Ocean which will impact the Caribbean ocean as well.

NOAA while touring Mexico, Puerto Rico, San Vincente and Las Granadinas urged the population and the authorities to stay on Alert for Hurricanes in 2014 despite models that indicate the season is expected to be “weak”.

Consequences of not taking precautions are costly according to NOAA. Tribuna of Puerto Rico reported on NOAA´s Hurricane Alert Tour. The Hurricane Season is expected to extend as every year from June 1^st to November 30^th. This year the season is dominated by El Niño which will attenuate the activity of storms, cyclones and hurricanes as well as the rate of hurricane occurrence.

“Regardless the previsions for the season of what El Niño does or how many years have passed since we suffered an impact, we must prepare just the same because every year is different … and we cannot predict where a storm will direct or when it will form,” Director of NOAA, Rick Knabb told AFP.

NOAA´s tour through Caribbean islands was an action of “awareness awakening on hurricane”. Amanda has officially become the first hurricane of the season.

The destructive power and impacts of Hurricanes for social sectors can be devastating. However both the Caribbean and the Pacific Basin are impacted by Hurricanes and Cyclones every year, these are part of the natural cycles of life and play a fundamental role in life making specially biological forms of life in the islands. Scientists are only now beginning to understand the importance of Hurricanes in environmental cycles – a “below average season” presents a massive opportunity for scientifically research.

Ocean Life News in Brief

Ocean Level Increase Dropping Oceans Floor: International Press reported on December 5 on the findings of new research which assures that due to ocean level increase the ocean floor is sinking. The study published online in Geophysical Research Levels used mathematical equations to accurately measure the Ocean's floor impact driven by the increased of water volume weight. Using data from 1993 to 2014 researchers found that ocean level increase is causing the Ocean floor to drop globally by the milimeters. Ocean Dead Zones Up By Four: On January 8 New York Daily reported that Ocean Dead Zones have quadrupled.Researchers warned in a new study that oxygen-starved ocean dead zones, where animals and plants are struggling to survive, have increased fourfold and it may not be reversible. The new study was published in the Journal Science. The increase of Dead Zones was linked to climate change. La Niña´s Polar Wave Hitting Hard the US -Freezing Oceans: International Press reported on the Polar Wave hitting hard the US. The event is linked by experts to the influence of La Niña. “For the past couple of weeks, parts of North America have been chilling down to record temperatures, with massive snowfall and icy cold conditions putting life at a standstill for many,” media reported. The US East Coast has been particularly badly hit with the likes of Boston down to Philadelphia reaching bone-chilling lows of near 0°F , with icy winds making it feel closer to around -10°F to -20°F. Officially 18 were dead and 100 million affected. Government of Bali Declares a Garbage Emergency: On January 5 Ocean Conservancy reported on a New Waste Management Emergency in Bali. Massive amounts of ocean debri are affecting the island. The situation has reached its peak as the Government of Bali declared a “Garbage Emergency”. Clean up works have began. “Ivory Coast Village Swallowed by Ocean Increase,” Aljazeera Reports: On January 8 Al Jazeera reported that ocean increase levels are affecting infrastructure in the Ivory Coast. “Rising tides and more frequent, devastating storms are slowly destroying what is left of Lahou-Kpanda, the offshoot of what was once a major colonial town near the mouth of the Bandama River, the longest river in Ivory Coast,” Al Jazeera reported. Arctic Ocean Radioactive Levels on the Rise: IFL Science reported on January 3 on the findings of new report which assures that radioactive levels in the Arctic Ocean are on the rise. “Concentrations of radioactive radium-228 in the Arctic Ocean increased between 2007 and 2015,” the report reads. While levels have not yet reached a mark of concern the trend is worries experts. Lauren Kipp of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution addressed the issue. New World Wide Ocean Turtle Study Says 90% of Plastic Pollution Cases Result in Death: Earth Sky Org reported on January 7 that hundreds of marine turtles die every year after getting tangled in trash in oceans and on beaches. A research published in the journal Endangered Species Research took on a World-Wide Survey covering the major oceans where turtles live. They discovered that 91 % of the entangled turtles were found dead. They also suffered serious wounds from entanglement, leading to maiming, amputation or choking. Double Whirlpools Discovered for First Time: December 4 Press reported that Double Eddies have been registered for the first time in History. Tangled up Double Eddies can travel great distances affecting ecology significantly. Eddies are a natural part of the ocean environment but double whirlpools had only been theorized by mathematicians.