A View of Our Hurricane Season Dashboard

As the hurricane season comes to an end (or is it?), we look back on the new and improved hurricane season dashboard. We pulled the best products from the National Weather Service and other NOAA programs to provide you with a synoptic view of what’s going on in the Atlantic. This year we had almost 7000… Read More

Natural Coastal Barriers at Risk?

Coral reefs act as coastal barriers against incoming wave energy which would otherwise cause inundation and erosion. Their skeleton is made out of calcium, similar to our bones. When exposed to slightly more acidic water, resulting from an increased level of atmospheric CO2, they can undergo dissolution and weakening. The potential consequences could be devastating… Read More

¿En riesgo nuestras barreras costeras?

Los arrecifes de coral actúan como barreras naturales y disipan la energía de las olas antes de llegar a nuestras costas. El esqueleto de los corales vivos, y de aquellos muertos donde los vivos crecen, aguanta el embate de las olas. Este esqueleto esta hecho de calcio, igual que nuestros huesos. La exposición a aguas… Read More

Towards Improving Beach Water Quality Predictions

UPRM students, CARICOOS staff, and local volunteers occupy Rincon’s Public Beach for a 48-hr sampling campaign aiming at improving the first beach water quality nowcast in the island. The effort, which included hourly samples at eight different beach and fresh water stations, took place last October. Two laboratories were set up nearby for microbiological analysis,… Read More

CARICOOS Assets Help Explain Short Term Beach Erosion in Rincón, Puerto Rico

Before affecting Haiti and the US East Coast, powerful, slow-moving Hurricane Matthew churned up waves in the Caribbean Sea, causing a small to medium-sized wave event from a very rare west-southwest direction. These waves affected south and west-facing coastlines in the US Caribbean, causing severe beach erosion at many locations, especially in Rincón, Puerto Rico…. Read More

Surface Currents Now Available at CARICOOS’ Main Map

They’re not hidden anymore! Surface currents are now displayed on the CARICOOS homepage. Just select Currents from the markers available on the bottom left of the map to see the latest surface current data as resolved by CARICOOS’ HFR network. Use the SCALE bullet to translate colors into current magnitude. You can also click on… Read More

CARICOOS with the CIAPR Commission for Natural Disaster Management

The Commission for Natural Disaster Management of the College of Engineers and Land Surveyors of Puerto Rico (CIAPR) invited CARICOOS to participate in the workshop: Anticipating Surprises and Taking Action – The Integration of CIAPR to the Climate Change Council. Offered last August in Mayaguez, the workshop aimed at familiarizing engineers and land surveyors with… Read More

CARICOOS at Planeta Digital

CARICOOS was present at Planeta Digital – Mayaguez Mall. Produced by the Ecoexploratorio Science Museum, this mobile exhibit brought science, technology and nature to the local community. Topics on climate change, natural hazards, and emergency management were presented in a series of booths, talks, games, cinema, and others. CARICOOS participation focused on advising the public on the vast… Read More

New Glider Mission in the Water

The latest NOAA AOML and CARICOOS glider missions kicked off this summer. Two gliders were deployed into the Caribbean Sea, 8 nautical miles south of La Parguera during late July; two more started their voyage in the Atlantic Ocean just 8 nautical miles north of San Juan around early August. Our objective is to have the… Read More

Training the Trainers: Forging a Safer Utilization of Marine Resources

Last June Dr. Juan G. González Lagoa and CARICOOS personnel engaged secondary school teachers in a two-day workshop with the purpose of spreading CARICOOS mission to make marine activities safer, foster economic development, encourage conservation of marine resources, and further educate in topics related to the marine environment. In order to provide the necessary tools to… Read More