NEW YORK — Looking for a place to assemble offshore wind farms on the East Coast? New York officials say their 63 acres at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal could be just the place.

Environmental remediation represents a promising solution to many of today’s most pressing concerns. With the perils of human encroachment, remediation services help to offset the damage, preserving natural habitats and restoring balance to sensitive ecosystems. Through these efforts, progress is possible.

Rising sea levels can submerge the backbone of the internet, increasingly powerful storms can destroy the cell networks phones need to work, and high-intensity winds can tear down the critical infrastructure that makes 21st century America go.

There’s a new sweetheart of the ocean, and they go by nudibranch

As the fastest growing food production sector in the world, aquaculture accounts for 50 percent of the world’s fish consumption. According to a recent analysis, the aquaculture market was valued at $176 billion in 2017, with an annual growth of 5.8 percent.

Here’s what you need to know about the Disaster Bill

The Surfrider Foundation has been one of the leading nonprofits on the frontlines of lobbying for our oceans and their recent "United States and Oceans of America" campaign generated a huge amount of buzz and awareness.

Fortified wetlands can protect shorelines better than hard structures. Surprising data show that in many places marshes protect shorelines better than walls and are cheaper to construct. Scientists are perfecting techniques for rebuilding tattered wetlands, creating custom configurations for individual shorelines. Governments and disaster planners are starting to give more consideration to living shorelines, and money to restore them is rising.

Climate change is already leading to unprecedented flooding, but urban planners have many tools to help them keep things dry

The American wind industry emerged from 2018 stronger than ever, now able to power 30 million American homes after 8% capacity growth last year. The newly released U.S. Wind Industry Annual Market Report, Year Ending 2018 reveals that U.S. wind power supports a record 114,000 American jobs, over 500 domestic factories, and more than $1 billion a year in revenue for states and communities that host wind farms.

The Merchant Marine Act of 1920, commonly known as the Jones Act, is the fundamental law of the U.S. maritime industry. The Jones Act is a cabotage law. Cabotage is the trade between two ports within the same country. The Jones Act applies certain restrictions to vessels that can participate in cabotage, or coastwise trade. The principles of the Jones Act date back to the early formation of the United States, with the Tariff Act of 1789, which required all coastwise trade to be conducted on American vessels.

Some of the world’s largest insurers are eagerly pitching cities, states and even school districts on policies designed to pay out quickly with few questions in the event of extreme weather. The catch: Even a hurricane might not be extreme enough.

It was a wild March headlined by abnormal warmth in our nation’s coldest state and a destructive and costly “bomb cyclone” in central United States.

Damage to coastal property, primarily on the Gulf and East coasts, will total $120 billion per year by 2090. Labor productivity lost to warmer temperatures will amount to $155 billion.

New research from the University of Notre Dame shows that many coastal homes have significant structural vulnerabilities that leave homeowners and their homes largely unprotected from storms. Additionally, the majority of coastal homeowners have little to no intention of reducing these structural vulnerabilities, even though they live in areas frequently affected by damaging hurricanes and flooding.

Investors sentiment increased to 1.61 in Q4 2018. It's up 0.30, from 1.31 in 2018Q3. It is positive, as 4 investors sold Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation shares while 32 reduced holdings. 32 funds opened positions while 26 raised stakes. 43.74 million shares or 0.86% more from 43.37 million shares in 2018Q3 were reported.

OFFSHORE DRILLING CONTINUES TO DRAW ATTENTION CONTROVERSY AND LEGAL ACTION

An estimated $70 billion will be spent on offshore wind development by 2030 providing rich picking for OSV operators, despite Jones Act limitations

Grantees use BIG funds to construct, renovate and maintain marinas and other facilities with features for transient boats, that are 26 feet or more in length, and are used for recreation. They can also be used to educate the public about recreational boating.

The National Coastal Resilience Fund will award up to $29 million in grant funding to enhance coastal communities’ natural defenses against severe weather and flooding ​

Climate change describes the current trend toward higher average global temperatures and accompanying environmental shifts such as rising sea levels and more severe storms, floods, droughts, and heat waves.

The funding of the NOAA is likely to get reduced by 17 % in the plan of 2020 budget of the Trump administration. The task of NOAA is to purchase and handle the weather satellites. In 2020 budget, Trump has requested the Congress for a $1.47bn funding for NESDIS on March 11. This can be compared with the $1.77bnomnibus legislation, 2019 which was approved in February. The blueprint of the 2020 budget allocates NOAA almost $218 million.

The National Coastal Resilience Fund will award up to $29 million in grant funding to enhance coastal communities’ natural defenses against severe weather and flooding ​

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- With some parts of the country still recovering from the events of Hurricanes Michael and Florence in 2018, meteorologists at AccuWeather are advising coastal areas to brace for two to four major hurricanes in 2019.

Many invasive species are found along U.S. coasts, including fishes, crabs, mollusks and marsh grasses. Since the general opinion is that invasives are harmful, land managers and communities spend a lot of time and resources attempting to remove them. Often this happens before much is known about their actual effects, either good or bad.

Nationwide, communities are becoming cognizant of the need to plan for the impacts of climate change, but too often, they aren’t sure how to implement climate adaptation plans, particularly in smaller, rural areas with fewer resources, according to officials at a climate leadership conference.

A comprehensive analysis of more than 11,000 previous coastal-habitat measurements suggests that mangroves and seagrasses provide the greatest value as “nurseries” for young fishes and invertebrates, providing key guidance for managers of threatened marine resources.

The federal flood insurance program has a knack for inspiring ideas from reformers across the political spectrum on how to improve government.

Every uptick in wind speed along the Gulf of Mexico shoreline is of enormous interest to Mike Eilts.

The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management (BOEM) to date has auctioned 16 U.S. offshore wind energy areas (WEAs) designated in federal waters for offshore wind development. Each area has been leased to a qualified offshore wind developer.

Few of us, however, have ever witnessed anything like 2018’s Hurricane Florence.

No question the current floods were unexpected, but the infrastructure and insurance policies that protect us need an update

A new GAO report signals bad news for places that will try to rebuild after the Midwest flooding.

WASHINGTON — Urban flooding is a complex and distinct kind of flooding, compounded by land use and high population density, and it requires a different approach to assess and manage, says Framing the Challenge of Urban Flooding in the United States, a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

The U.S. Department of Commerce allocated $20 million to help tribes, communities, fishermen, and businesses affected by commercial fishery failures that occurred in Georgia, California, Oregon, and Washington between 2013 and 2017.

Beach communities that rely on dredging to replenish protective dunes object to expanded federal protections

Comprehensive analysis suggests that mangroves and seagrasses provide the greatest value as 'nurseries' for young fishes and invertebrates, providing key guidance for managers of threatened marine resources. Findings will help resource managers with difficult conservation decisions.

Rep. Garret Graves steps into new role as ranking Republican of House select climate committee. Graves has earned respect of coastal conservationists

Residents and businesses may see changes to their flood insurance rates as Hillsborough County coastal flood maps are updated for the first time in 30 years.

Climate change will affect coastal businesses. But don’t bet on it hurting their landlords.

BATON ROUGE -- The Federal Emergency Management Agency has announced a major plan to overhaul how risk is assessed in the National Flood Insurance Program, which could mean major changes for Louisiana homeowners, but details remain murky and state officials say they’re holding out hope for an ultimately positive outcome.

Beach communities that rely on dredging to replenish protective dunes object to expanded federal protections

The Federal Emergency Management Agency wrongly released to a contractor the personal information of 2.3 million survivors of devastating 2017 hurricanes and wildfires, potentially exposing the victims to identity fraud and theft, a government watchdog reported Friday.

San Francisco, CA-March 25—The University of California-Berkeley Environmental Law Clinic today announced a lawsuit to compel the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to issue rules on the use of chemical agents such as Corexit (NASDAQ: ECL) to clean up oil spills. Instead of mitigating environmental harm, Corexit dispersants have proven to be more toxic to humans and the environment than the oil alone.

MBARI scientists and engineers have been developing new methods to study ocean acidification and its effects on marine organisms in their natural habitats for 15 years. Researchers around the world have been adapting MBARI instruments to perform their own experiments in habitats ranging from coral reefs to the Antarctic seafloor. These diverse projects have recently been highlighted in an article in the journal Progress in Oceanography.

New management schemes needed to maintain stocks in fisheries worldwide -- A new paper by an international team of researchers argues that decision-makers and fishing organizations must recognize the growing role of recreational fishing and the potential pressures it places on fish stocks.

The emission reduction goals of the Paris Agreement demand rapid action at all scales and levels of governance – from individual to international – and cities are no exception. Many urban governments recognise this and are embarking on projects to improve public transport services, mandate efficient buildings, or produce energy from local renewable sources.

For environmental conflict and political drama, it’s hard to beat fishing. Almost all the fish consumed by developed countries comes from industrial fisheries, which generate not just a lot of revenue, but controversy over their impact, such as accidentally harming seabirds or scraping the sea floor. Meanwhile, recreational fishing usually escapes notice. Although it also has a large impact, both environmental and economic, amateur fishing is often ignored by regulators or swept under the same kind of rules as commercial fishing.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler appeared on CBS for the first network interview since his confirmation, and while he acknowledged the human contribution to climate change, he also said most threats are “50 to 75 years out.”

There are roughly five times as many recreational fishers as commercial fishers throughout the world. And yet, the needs and peculiarities of these recreational fishers have largely been ignored in international fisheries and conservation policy.

BMT has been named a prime awardee on ProTech Oceans Domain, a $3bn multiple-award indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract serving the National Ocean Service (NOS), part of US-based scientific agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

As Rowan Jacobsen reports in FERN’s latest story, published with Scientific American, research done over the last decade has made clear that “living shorelines” are far better at protecting the coastline from the devastating floods and tidal surges caused by the huge storms of the climate-change era than seawalls and other “armored” shorelines.

The Trump administration has announced plans to overhaul the federally subsidized National Flood Insurance Program, increasing policy premiums to more accurately reflect flood risk and home values starting in October 2020. The decision comes in the midst of historic flooding that has displaced thousands of people and destroyed homes, farms, and infrastructure across parts of the U.S. Midwest.

Over the last several decades, cities and other municipal entities (such as water reclamation districts) that own and operate wastewater treatment plants and sewer systems have been subjected to additional and increasingly stringent regulatory requirements under the Clean Water Act (CWA).

Organs in ‘smart skin’ lead to changes in color and pattern, MBL study find. Organs in ‘smart skin’ lead to changes in color and pattern, MBL study finds

Climate advocates say an overhaul of the nation’s flood insurance program being unveiled by the Trump administration will spur communities around the country to better plan for extreme weather, but could drive up costs for some homeowners.

The U.S. offshore wind industry is expected to grow substantially over the next few years. Several offshore auctions have already taken place, ports have begun restructuring to better serve the market, and the Department of Energy recently announced up to $28 million in funding for offshore wind R&D.

SAN FRANCISCO — Dozens of species of sea slugs, jellyfish and other marine life from toastier southern waters migrated into the Northern California region over an unusually long two-year period of severe heatwaves, says a new scientific report.

Economists have found that when money is at stake, companies whose future depends on the weather are more likely to tie their decisions to the scientific consensus on climate change.

Efforts in Congress to overhaul an embattled insurance program that covers millions of properties against flood damage were jolted yesterday by a plan to make taxpayers pay $20 billion in cost overruns.

With only two-and-a-half months until hurricane season and with most people in the Florida Panhandle still grappling with the damage left over from last year, it’s almost time once again to check preparation kits, stock up on batteries and plan evacuation routes.

Coastal inundation due to sea level rise (SLR) is projected to displace hundreds of millions of people worldwide over the next century, creating significant economic, humanitarian, and national-security challenges. However, the majority of previous efforts to characterize potential coastal impacts of climate change have focused primarily on long-term SLR with a static tide level, and have not comprehensively accounted for dynamic physical drivers such as tidal non-linearity, storms, short-term climate variability, erosion response and consequent flooding responses.

March 14 (UPI) -- According to a new study, coastal ecosystems suffer when hydroelectric dams are built upstream. Mangrove forests, wetlands and other estuarine habitats are already facing the threat of rising sea levels. Now, new research suggests these ecosystems are disrupted by upstream dam construction.

After a comprehensive review of current knowledge, a panel of scientists has published new recommendations regarding marine mammal noise exposure

MMIS maps offshore sand information for managing physical sediment resources in the OCS

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that it is proposing possible changes in the Coastal Zone Management Act aimed at making the federal consistency process more efficient across all stages of US Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas projects from leasing through development.

For the first time, famed music and culture festival South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas, featured a panel on aquaculture dubbed “The Future of Food: Aquaculture” on 11 March.

President Trump today proposed cutting the budget of the military arm tasked with flood control and emergency response by nearly a third.

President Donald Trump has proposed a $193.4 million fiscal year (FY) 2020 budget for the Bureau of Ocean Energy and Management (BOEM) to safely and responsibly manage offshore energy and mineral resources.

The U.S. Interior Department's Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) is in the process of rolling back several offshore safety rules that were enacted under the Obama administration-era Well Control Rule. According to a new report by Politico, based on data provided by BSEE, the department has also been issuing hundreds of waivers for some of these rules, even before their repeal. (BSEE asserts that the term "waiver" is inaccurate, and it prefers "alternate compliance.")

One out of five seafood samples taken from across the country, including Kansas, Missouri and Colorado, are mislabeled. That’s according to a study by Oceana, a nonprofit organization that promotes marine conservation.

A total of $193m proposed by President Trump for funding the federal agency in the next fiscal year

Big ships come to U.S. even as backhaul cargoes still lacking, and truckers deal with terminal shut-outs and chassis imbalances.

NASA, the National Science Foundation and the Energy Department are among the agencies affected. The Trump budget proposes to eliminate three environmental programs at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Around half of the global population now lives within 62 miles of the coast, and coastal cities are among the fastest growing population centers on the planet. As these urban communities grow, however, so does the potential for damage.

As sea levels rise, coastal wetlands could play a key role in mitigating the effects of greenhouse gas emissions by capturing and storing large volumes of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), research published in Nature has found.

The discovery answers lots of questions about how animals evolve to have regenerative abilities.

Neil Jacobs, an atmospheric scientist, has taken the helm of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), replacing Timothy Gallaudet in the interim leadership role, in case you missed it.

WASHINGTON - Louisiana Rep. Garret Graves says he hopes to broaden the focus of a special House committee on climate change as he becomes its top Republican. Graves, who was named to the panel Thursday (Feb. 28), said the current climate debate centers on only part of the equation.

WASHINGTON • When Democrats rolled out their “Green New Deal” resolutions in Congress, 38 of the 68 initial House sponsors were from three states: California, New York and Massachusetts. Only 18 were from noncoastal states.

Investors were pleased with the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) new approach to its balance sheet. The Fed has delivered its semi-annual Monetary Policy Report to Congress. The report recapped the events of late 2018 and reiterated the Fed’s intention to “…be patient as it determines what future adjustments to the federal funds rate may be appropriate to support the Committee's congressionally mandated objectives of maximum employment and price stability.” In other words, rate hikes are on hold for now.

The threat of flooding has driven some buyers away and caused losses in property values

The data showed that a seabird ingesting a single piece of plastic had a 20 per cent chance of mortality, rising to 50 per cent for nine items and 100 per cent for 93 items.

At the end of December, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) announced its selection of ten dredging projects that will form the core of a pilot program to advance the beneficial use of dredged material.

High-tide flooding is eating away at the coastal property tax base just when communities need it most to adapt to climate change and repair the damage.