COASTAL 



TIDINGS 



Active Hurricane Season Predicted 



Be 



5" West 0* Eaa 5" 



prepared for a very active hurricane season. 

 "For the 2006 north Atlantic hurricane season, NOAA 

 is predicting 1 3 to 1 6 named storms, with eight to 1 

 becoming hurricanes, of which four to six could become 

 'major' hurricanes of Category 3 strength or higher," 

 says retired Navy Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher, 

 undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere 

 and National Atmospheric & Ocean Administration 

 (NOAA) administrator. 



On average, the north Atlantic hurricane season 

 produces 1 1 named storms, with six becoming hurricanes, 

 including two major hurncanes. The season runsjune 1 

 through Nov. 30. 



In 2005, a record 28 storms hit the region, including 

 1 5 hurncanes. Seven of those hurncanes were considered 

 "major," of which a record four hit the United States. 



"Although NOAA is not forecasting a repeat of last 

 year's season, the potential for hurricanes striking the U.S. 

 is high," adds Lautenbacher. 



Warmer ocean water combined with lower wind 

 shear, weaker easterly trade winds, and a more favorable 

 wind pattern in the mid-levels of the atmosphere are the 

 factors that collectively will favor the development of 

 storms in greater numbers and to greater intensity. Warm 

 water is the energy source for storms, while favorable wind 

 patterns limit the wind shear that can tear apart a storm's 

 building cloud structure. 



This confluence of conditions in the ocean and 

 atmosphere is strongly related to a climate pattern known 

 as the multi-decadal signal, which has been in place since 

 1995. Since then, nine of the last 1 1 hurricane seasons have 

 been above normal, with only two below-normal seasons during the El Nino years of 1997 and 2002. 



"Whether we face an active hurricane season, like this year, or a below-normal season, the crucial 

 message for every person is the same: prepare, prepare, prepare," said Max Mayfield, director of the 

 NOAA National Hurricane Center. "One hurricane hitting where you live is enough to make it a bad 



7 Sop. -23 Sop. 



H RITA 16 Sop. -26 Sop. 



H STAN 1 Oct i CM 



>T UNNAMED 4 Oct S Oct 



T TAMMY 5 Oct. -6 Oct. 



H VINCE 6 Oct. -11 Oct 



H WILMA 1i Oct.-2t Ocl. 



T ALPHA 22 0ct.-2J Oct. 



H BETA 26 Oct. -31 Oct, 



I GAMMA 14 No*. -21 Nov. 



T DELTA 22 Nov.-2BNov. 



H EPSIION 20 Nov. 8 Doc. 



ABOVE: A record 28 named storms struck 

 the Gulf and East Coasts in 2005. 



To follow tropical storms and hurricanes, visit the Web: www.nhc.noaa.gov. 



■A.G. 



Grass Class Teaches 

 Wetland Restoration 



Almost 50 students from 

 Wrightsville Beach Elementary helped plant 

 more than 2,000 marsh grass seedlings at 

 the North Carolina Coastal Federation's 

 (NCCF) Morris Landing site as part of the 

 Student Wetland Nursery. 



The NCCF program teaches 

 elementary and middle school students 

 about the importance of a healthy coastal 

 environment. 



This is the third year that Wrightsville 

 Beach Elementary has participated. 

 Students have helped plant a total of more 

 than 4,000 seedlings of Spartina alterniflora, 

 commonly known as smooth cordgrass. 



Each year, more than 200 students 

 from approximately seven schools are 

 involved with the program. Nine North 

 Carolina schools participated in the 2005- 

 2006 Wetland Nursery Program. 



In the past three years, the combined 

 effort of participating schools resulted in 

 a total of three acres of marshland, using 

 more than 24,000 marsh plants. 



Students plant at various sites, 

 including Morris Landing, a 52-acre site 

 that has a 575-foot sill or protective rock 

 structure. The sill was installed on the 

 degraded shoreline of Stump Sound near 

 Holly Ridge. 



The site is used by NCCF for public 

 education and recreation. It was acquired 

 through a grant from the N.C. Clean Water 

 Management Trust Fund. 



For more information and to view the 

 timeline of the Student Wetland Nursery 

 Program, visit www.nccoast.org/education/ 

 wetlandnursery.html. To learn more about 

 Wrightsville Beach Elementary, visit www. 

 nhcs.k12.ncMs/wbeach, or call 910/256-3171. 



-J.H. 



In the Next Issue of Coastwatch 



As summer turns to fall, folks flock to the coast to fish for red drum. 

 Ann Green checks in on the latest Sea Grant research about the state saltwater fish. 

 A year after Hurricane Katrina, learn how Sea Grant's Spencer Rogers has been part 



of a federal team assessing the storm surge and flood damage in Mississippi. 



And we take you along to North Carolina Sea Grant's 30th anniversary events. 



Coastwatch I 



High Season 2006 I www.ncseagrant.org 3 



