NOAA science story tips -- AAAS 20...(l seriously impact the continental Unite...)

An addition, a new experiment--the Hydrometeorology Testbest (HMT) "Atmospheric Rivers" project--will be added to the aircraft's mission. HMT will focus observations on low-level jets of high moisture within winter cyclones making landfall on the West Coast. In addition to causing flooding rains in the coastal mountains and playing a critical role in the global water cycle, atmospheric rivers are integral to water resource issues in the semi-arid West, where a majority of snowfall in the higher elevations provides year-round fresh water to the population.

Media are invited to fly on the P-3 out of Portland International Airport. Flights begin around 11 a.m. and end around 7 p.m. PST. Flights, dependent on weather conditions, are scheduled one day in advance. Please contact Lori Bast at 813-828-3310, ext. 3072 (Tampa, Fla.) for flight information and to request a seat on the aircraft.

Fish Kill Study Will Advance HAB Prediction
Ben Sherman, NOAA National Ocean Service, 301-713-3066 ext. 178

Water samples taken during the development of a 2006 harmful algal bloom (HAB) in North Carolinas Neuse River Estuary will help coastal managers predict fish-kills and allay public fears about these events. For the first time, NOAA researchers and colleagues used real-time data from shipboard and fixed automated sampling stations to document conditions surrounding a fish kill caused by the toxic dinoflagellate Karlodinium veneficum. This species is lethal to fish, but harmless to humans.

The real-time data of a K. veneficum event was shown to provide clues that help explained the development and demise of this bloom, and providing managers with an improved understanding of when K. veneficum blooms may occur in the future. The work was completed in collaboration with the University of North Carolinas Institute of Marine Sciences, the Maryland Center for Marine Biotechnolog
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