From the Editor 



A Lion or a Lamb? 



aybe Spring 2000 will skip the lion bit and | 

 just come on in like a lamb. 



Such is the plea from many North Carolinians 1 

 who in recent months have seen weather records 

 shattered, from massive flooding that followed 

 Hurricane Floyd to two feet of snow in January. 



And while we all know that April showers 

 bring May flowers, many Tar Heels will be 

 checking both the Old Fanner's Almanac and the 

 latest online forecasts. 



North Carolina Sea Grant researchers will 

 continue to monitor rivers, estuaries, sounds and 

 coastal ocean waters for environmental effects from 

 Floyd's floods, not to mention the effects of the 

 melted snow and melting agents, as well as other 

 winter storms. 



Initially, Floyd's freshwater plume lowered 

 salinity levels. Pockets of low oxygen levels 

 resulted in stressed fish and shellfish, but no major fish kills. In 

 October, coastal residents braced themselves for Hurricane Irene, but 

 that storm actually helped areas such as Pamlico Sound, where winds 

 stirred the soupy waters, renewing some mixing of salt and oxygen. 



Before the January snow hit much of the state, Pamlico Sound 

 still was showing areas of salinity half the normal rate. 'There is a lot 

 of fresh water that needs to exit the system or evaporate," says Hans 

 Paerl of the University of North Carolina Institute of Marine Sciences. 

 In the Pamlico, that exit normally takes almost a year. 



In six weeks following Floyd, the sound received as much 

 nitrogen and other nutrients as it normally receives in six months, Paerl 

 says. More nutrients could result in a higher productivity rate for algae. 

 "It depends on the weather. If it is calm, stagnant and sunny, we may 

 see some blooms that could reduce oxygen levels," Paerl says. 



Mike Mallin of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington is 

 watching for heavy rains in swine-producing areas. If Floyd's 

 floodwaters carried animal waste into the flood plain, those deposits 

 could be washed back into the Cape Fear system with winter and 

 spring rains. "It may come back to haunt us," says Mallin, who heads 

 the Lower Cape Fear River Program. 



So far. the Cape Fear system, which moves water to the coastal 

 ocean much more quickly than the Neuse/Pamlico estuary, has had 

 nutrient levels within average ranges. 'The residence time in this 



estuary is days. Water that runs out of the Cape 

 Fear gets out fast," says UNC-W scientist Larry 

 Cahoon, leader of a team studying the coastal 

 ocean off the Cape Fear. 



The Cape Fear system received a large 

 volume of nutrients in the flood runoff, but the 

 load was diluted by the 19 inches of rain. "We 

 dodged a cannonball," says Cahoon, who will 

 continue sampling this spring. "This area had an 

 immediate impact with the flooding, but limited 

 effects on water quality." 



Sea Grant scientists will present post-Floyd 

 studies at the Water Resources Research Institute 

 Conference March 30. 



North Carolina Sea Grant researchers have 

 a new leader. Steve Rebach joined us in January as 

 associate director for research. His years at the 

 University of Maryland Eastern Shore included a variety of research 

 projects involving blue crabs, a major fishery in both Maryland and 

 North Carolina. 



Just as the Sea Grant staff and friends were welcoming Steve 

 Rebach, we found ourselves planning a farewell for Steve Olson, 

 associate director for outreach, who is now leading governmental 

 relations for the American Zoo and Aquarium Association. 



Officially, one of Steve Olson's jobs was to give our communi- 

 cation and extension efforts a more unified "outreach" approach. But 

 in January 1999, his leadership abilities took on new light as we 

 coped with the plane crash that critically injured our director, Ron 

 Hodson. Steve's compassion was clear as the staff shared in the grief 

 of the loss of Ron's wife, Ruthie. 



As Ron gained strength and was able to work from home, Steve 

 would visit most days. They would review work details, discuss 

 Ron's therapy progress, or maybe just discuss ways to roast duck. 



In November, we were elated when Ron returned to the office 

 on a daily basis. We had stayed afloat during rough seas. And with 

 the arrival of Steve Rebach, we would be at full staff for the first time 

 in several years. 



But there is one thing that working with coastal and marine 

 issues teaches you: The most constant factor is change. So, we offer 

 our best to both Steves. And we look forward to a gentle spring. 



Katie Mosher, Managing Editor 



Contributors 



Writers: 



Ann Green D Katie Mosher Q Renee Wolcott Shannon D Pam Smith D Cynthia Henderson Vega 



Photographers: 



Peter Damroth a Herman Lankford a Katie Mosher Q Jim Page D Sandy Rogers Q Ken Taylor Q Scott D. Taylor 



