Sandra Harris

Dec 1, 2009

PEOPLE & PLACES: No Haunting, Just History

FISHERMEN LIKE TO TEASE JACQUELINE MARCOTTE ABOUT HER research into junked and sunken boats in remote creeks along the Pungo River in Beaufort County.

Dec 1, 2009

Otolith IDs: Tracing Elements of Prime Habitat

John Mohan, a graduate student at East Carolina University, checks a probe monitoring the temperature and dissolved oxygen in a tub aboard a boat in Batchelor Bay. In the tub swim some silvery juvenile striped bass that Mohan picked up earlier that morning from the Edenton National Fish Hatchery. Ten are intended for each of two research cages in the bay.

Dec 1, 2009

Stepping Up the Pace for Coastal Water Quality

It's that time of year when the winter chill might prompt stepping up the pace of a walk on the beach or choosing a heavier coat for a day on the fishing pier.

Dec 1, 2009

Species on the Brink: Latest Challenges for River Herring Research

Once upon a time, river herring multiplied by the millions in North Carolina's waters. During spring spawning runs in the Chowan and other rivers, fishermen were literally knee-deep in the easy-to-preserve protein source.

Sep 1, 2009

EMERGENCY MANAGERS PREPARE FOR THE WORST; HOPE FOR THE BEST

On a recent July morning in Brunswick County, carefree locals and tourists head for their favorite barrier island beaches. Most are unaware of the dozens of emergency workers scrambling to "hurricane disasters" enfolding at sites in nearby Shallotte and Grissettown: A Category 3 hurricane has leveled two buildings — trapping, injuring or killing the occupants.

Sep 1, 2009

FROM NC TO DC: NOAA Official Remembers Floyd

Heavy surf battered the coastline for days on end. Drenching rain was recorded well inland. As the warning coordination meteorologist, Laura Furgione was still working with county emergency management leaders to review damage surveys and conduct outreach when a new tropical system — to be named Floyd — was identified.

Sep 1, 2009

CI-FLOW: Partnerships Enhance Flood Forecasting

Although significant near-record river flooding was anticipated in advance of Hurricane Floyd, the uncertainty in its track and rainfall amounts made it difficult to forecast the unprecedented speed and extent of rising water levels in inland rivers and coastal sounds.

Sep 1, 2009

COMMUNICATING HURRICANES: Accurate Information, Timely Delivery

If a coastal storm is brewing, where will coastal residents turn for accurate information? How do social, news and other information networks become emergency communications networks?

Sep 1, 2009

THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING FLOYD

Along North Carolina's southeastern coast, all eyes were on Hurricane Floyd on Sept. 15, 1999. And, for good reason. The monstrous storm was churning up the Atlantic with its eye fixed on the Cape Fear region. Floyd had roared through the Bahamas as a Category 4 and threatened the Florida coast as a Category 3.

Jun 1, 2009

WIN-WIN RESEARCH: Pilot Whale Studies Help Fishermen, Species

  During yellowfin and bigeye tuna seasons, or in search of swordfish, boats from Wanchese head 40 miles offshore to waters near the continental shelf’s edge. Captains and mates set…