Vice on HBO. Watch the episode on Climate Change

The Manatee Project at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute

@hboimanatees

Did you know that scientists at the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute @FAU have a program that keeps track of manatees that frequent campus?

Since the 1970's, manatees have been noted in the channel at Harbor Branch Oceanographic, with large number seen in the winter time. Because this is not a warm water spring nor a power plant outflow, it has not been considered a traditional warm water refuge. The nearest warm water refuges where manatee observations continue are at the power plants in Coco Beach and Riviera Beach (Coco is about 60 miles north and Riviera is about 60 mile south). So, Harbor Branch is in the middle of a 120 mile gap in observations. Since 2009, we have conducted a formal photo-identification program to document which manatees are using the Harbor Branch waters, note the behaviors, and share our photos with the Manatee Individual Photo-identification System (MIPS) operated by the USGS in Gainesville, FL.

You can find them on Facebook here  and at their website here.

Gulf of Mexico Interactive coral map

We found this to be very interesting and useful.

Here is a link to the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council's interactive coral map

First click on the link to access the map:
htmlhttp://portal.gulfcouncil.org/coral.html

Then, Click on any of the dots on the map for information on that area’s corals. 
It can be downloaded on most mobile devices.

Here is a static view of the map.

The Climate Reality Project and Solar Energy Myths

The Climate Reality Project put together the e-book, Top Solar Energy Myths, where they debunk some of the most common misconceptions around solar power.

You can learn more about the Climate Reality Project by going to their website here.

Here is a brief overview from the website:

In 2006, Nobel Laureate and former U.S. Vice President Al Gore got the world talking about climate change with the Academy Award-winning film An Inconvenient Truth. It was just the beginning of a climate revolution, and later that year, he founded The Climate Reality Project to take the conversation forward and turn awareness into action.

The Climate Reality Project is a diverse group of passionate individuals who have come together to help solve the greatest challenge of our time. We are cultural leaders, marketers, organizers, scientists, storytellers and more, and we are committed to building a better future together.

The Climate Reality Projecct

750 9th Street, NW

Suite 520

Washington, DC 20001

The science guy

Climate change and urban planning

Grist posted an article By Katie Herzog on May 31, 2016 that discusses the recent rash of flooding in Houston. 

Here is a an excerpt. Please click on the following LINK to read the whole article.

U.S. Army National Guard/1st Lt. Zachary West/Handout via Reuters

“One likely cause,” Texas’ state climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon tells Grist, “is the increase in ocean temperatures from the Gulf of Mexico and tropical Atlantic. That determines how much moisture is in the atmosphere.” As temperatures increase, so does rainfall.

But it’s not just the rainfall that is endangering Houston’s citizens — it’s also ecologically irresponsible development.

With many of the same problems as Houston, South Florida is no stranger to flooding woes. Here is an article about Miami written by World Resources Institute. Click on this LINK to download the article.

Getty images: http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/hotel-guest-steps-out-of-a-hotel-into-a-flooded-street-that-news-photo/490535700