Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania -- While global-warming-induced coastal flooding moves populations inland, the changes in sea level will affect the salinity of estuaries, which influences aquatic life, fishing and recreation.
Researchers from Penn State and the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science are studying the Chesapeake Bay to see how changes in sea level may have affected the salinity of various parts of the estuary. "Many have hypothesized that sea-level rise will lead to an increase in estuarine salinity, but the hypothesis has never been evaluated using observations or 3-D models of estuarine flow and salinity," says Timothy W. Hilton, graduate student in meteorology at Penn State.
"The Chesapeake is very large, the largest estuary in the U.S. and it is very productive," says Raymond Najjar, associate professor of meteorology. "It has been the site of many large fisheries and supported many fishermen. A lot of money has gone into cleaning up the bay and reducing nutrient and sediment inputs. Climate change might make this work easier, or it could make it harder."
The Chesapeake is naturally saltier near its mouth and fresher near the inflow of rivers. The researchers, who also included Ming Li and Liejun. Zhong of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, studied the Chesapeake Bay, using two complementary approaches, one based on a statistical analysis of historical data and one based on a computer model of the bay's flow and salinity.
They looked at historical data for the Susquehanna River as it flows into the Chesapeake Bay from 1949 to 2006. The flow of this fresh water into the bay naturally changes salinity. After accounting for the change in salinity due to rivers, the researchers found an increasing trend in salinity. The researchers reported their results in a recent edition of Journal of Geophysical Research.
The team then ran a hydrodynamic model of the Bay using present-day and reduced sea level conditions. The salinity change they found was consistent with the trend determined from the statistical analysis, supporting the hypothesis that sea-level rise has significantly increased salinity in the Bay. However, the Penn State researchers note that historical salinity data is limited and sedimentation reshapes the bed of the Bay. There are also cyclical effects partially due to Potomac River flow, Atlantic Shelf salinity and winds.
"Salt content affects jelly fish, oysters, sea grasses and many other forms of aquatic life," says Hilton. "The Chesapeake Bay is a beautiful place, used for recreation and for people's livelihoods. It is a real jewel on the East Coast and changes in salinity can alter its uses. Our research improves our understanding of the influence of climate change on the Bay and can therefore be used to improve costly restoration strategies."
http://www.underwatertimes.com/news.php?article_id=28365401791
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008
Most Dangerous Beaches
Vacation
in a beach usually makes up to enjoy with images of lying on white sand relaxing not dicing with death but do you know the list of the world’s most dangerous beaches.
Strong currents and deadly jellyfish are among the dangers that spring to mind but the biggest fear is sharks, in Miami beach and there were only 112 incidents globally of shark bites in 2007.
Following is a list of the most dangerous beaches by category which was prepared by Forbes.com and focuses mainly on the United States.
1. Shark Attacks/Bites, New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County, Florida.
The were 112 incidents of shark-human "contact" in 2007, according to the International Shark Attack File released in March but only one resulted in a human fatality. New Smyrna, an inlet on the eastern coastline of Florida, had the most attacks, with 17 bites recorded.
2. Pollution, Hacks Point Beach, Kent County, Md./Beachwood Beach West, Ocean County, N.J.
According to the National Research Defense Council, an environmental action group, these two beaches had the highest percentage of samples exceeding U.S. health standards in 2006.
3. Jellyfish Attacks, Northern Australia
The coast of Northern Australia serves as a home to chironex fleckeri, also known as the box jellyfish, which has caused 60 deaths in the last 100 years, according the Center for Disease Control, Australia. While fatalities are rare, about 40 people are hospitalized each year in the Northern Territory. Last year, a 6-year-old boy died in the Tiwi Islands, north of Darwin.
4. Lightning, Florida
Florida tops off the list as the most dangerous spot for lightning, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Between 1997 and 2006, there were 71 deaths caused by lightning in Florida, more than any other state.
Popular beaches such as New Smyrna and Clearwater are often evacuated and then closed for days because of the threat of lightning.
5. Boating Accidents, Florida
Data by county or beach is not available, but according to the U.S. Coast Guard’s Boating Safety Division, the state of Florida reported 633 boating accidents and 68 fatalities in 2006, the highest number of any state in the country with more people actively involved in boating in Florida.
6. Rip Current Drowning, Brevard County, Florida
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/8440/mf7741rm2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://latest-news-portal.blogspot.com/2008/06/most-dangerous-beaches.html&usg=__mw3t48-mRJugZqaojZOFWfECG6o=&h=267&w=400&sz=12&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=9fAm-Ft1KBihZM:&tbnh=83&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3DVacation%2Bin%2Ba%2Bbeach%2Busually%2Bmakes%2Bup%2Bto%2Benjoy%2Bwith%2Bimages%2Bof%2Blying%2Bon%2Bwhite%2Bsand%2Brelaxing%2Bnot%2Bdicing%2Bwith%2Bdeath%2Bbut%2Bdo%2Byou%2Bknow%2Bthe%2Blist%2Bof%2Bthe%2Bworld%25E2%2580%2599s%2Bmost%2Bdangerous%2Bbeaches.%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us%26sa%3DN
in a beach usually makes up to enjoy with images of lying on white sand relaxing not dicing with death but do you know the list of the world’s most dangerous beaches.
Strong currents and deadly jellyfish are among the dangers that spring to mind but the biggest fear is sharks, in Miami beach and there were only 112 incidents globally of shark bites in 2007.
Following is a list of the most dangerous beaches by category which was prepared by Forbes.com and focuses mainly on the United States.
1. Shark Attacks/Bites, New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County, Florida.
The were 112 incidents of shark-human "contact" in 2007, according to the International Shark Attack File released in March but only one resulted in a human fatality. New Smyrna, an inlet on the eastern coastline of Florida, had the most attacks, with 17 bites recorded.
2. Pollution, Hacks Point Beach, Kent County, Md./Beachwood Beach West, Ocean County, N.J.
According to the National Research Defense Council, an environmental action group, these two beaches had the highest percentage of samples exceeding U.S. health standards in 2006.
3. Jellyfish Attacks, Northern Australia
The coast of Northern Australia serves as a home to chironex fleckeri, also known as the box jellyfish, which has caused 60 deaths in the last 100 years, according the Center for Disease Control, Australia. While fatalities are rare, about 40 people are hospitalized each year in the Northern Territory. Last year, a 6-year-old boy died in the Tiwi Islands, north of Darwin.
4. Lightning, Florida
Florida tops off the list as the most dangerous spot for lightning, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Between 1997 and 2006, there were 71 deaths caused by lightning in Florida, more than any other state.
Popular beaches such as New Smyrna and Clearwater are often evacuated and then closed for days because of the threat of lightning.
5. Boating Accidents, Florida
Data by county or beach is not available, but according to the U.S. Coast Guard’s Boating Safety Division, the state of Florida reported 633 boating accidents and 68 fatalities in 2006, the highest number of any state in the country with more people actively involved in boating in Florida.
6. Rip Current Drowning, Brevard County, Florida
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/8440/mf7741rm2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://latest-news-portal.blogspot.com/2008/06/most-dangerous-beaches.html&usg=__mw3t48-mRJugZqaojZOFWfECG6o=&h=267&w=400&sz=12&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=9fAm-Ft1KBihZM:&tbnh=83&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3DVacation%2Bin%2Ba%2Bbeach%2Busually%2Bmakes%2Bup%2Bto%2Benjoy%2Bwith%2Bimages%2Bof%2Blying%2Bon%2Bwhite%2Bsand%2Brelaxing%2Bnot%2Bdicing%2Bwith%2Bdeath%2Bbut%2Bdo%2Byou%2Bknow%2Bthe%2Blist%2Bof%2Bthe%2Bworld%25E2%2580%2599s%2Bmost%2Bdangerous%2Bbeaches.%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us%26sa%3DN
Surfers Defy Giant Waves Awakened by Storm
DANA POINT, Calif. — One of the strongest storms recorded in the northern Pacific Ocean pummeled the West Coast last weekend, leading to widespread flooding and state and federal disaster declarations. The storm also left behind some of the most remarkable waves ever surfed.With a second major storm bearing down, four of the most experienced big-wave surfers in the world launched a boat and two Jet Skis toward Cortes Bank, an underwater mountain range whose tallest peak rises 4,000 feet from the ocean floor to within about four feet of the surface. The perilous spot, about 100 miles off the coast of Southern California, had been surfed only a handful of times in the past decade. With just the right conditions, its shallow waters turn huge ocean swells into giant, perfect breaking waves.
“I’ve made some heavy missions out to Cortes Bank,” said Greg Long, one of the surfers who ventured out Saturday. “But this time, it was all on the line: The biggest storm. The biggest swell. The biggest buoy readings ever seen. And as far as the risk factor, it was off the charts.”
Long, a 25-year-old Californian, made these comments while watching a video of the experience with the surfers who had joined him: Grant Baker, 34; Brad Gerlach, 41; and Mike Parsons, 42.
They sling-shotted one another from behind their 140-horsepower Jet Skis onto some of biggest swells ever ridden. They gawked as Parsons froze the screen on an image of an avalanche of water swatting him like a fly. “We couldn’t go fast enough,” Long said. “The waves were moving so fast that it felt like we were moving backwards.”
Before the first storm passed the Cortes Bank, surfers were stunned that weather-buoy readings showed massive swells that had the potential to become breaking waves of 80 to 100 feet. As they studied the weather maps, Parsons, Long and the surfing forecaster Sean Collins thought there might be a brief period of calm between storms.
“They had this tiny window,” Collins said, adding that if the weather had changed it would have created poor surfing conditions.
The surfers committed to the trip just as the big storm roared to land late Friday. But, Long said, he woke up at 4 a.m. Saturday to calm winds. The surfers converged at dawn on the Dana Point Harbor between San Diego and Los Angeles with the surf photographer Rob Brown and a videographer, Matt Wybenga. When they left midmorning, the ocean was still so disrupted that they could carry only one of the two Jet Skis aboard Brown’s boat. So the surfers, wearing an emergency survival suit, took turns following the boat in the other Jet Ski.
About 50 miles offshore, the weather continued to ease while the deep swells continued to grow. Just past noon the surfers cautiously launched their Jet Skis toward the waves.
“We looked out to the north at these giant mountains of water,” Gerlach said. “And the wind was just perfect. It was creating these giant, giant tubes.”
In the past seven years, all four surfers have either won or been nominated for Billabong XXL Awards, considered the top honor among the big-wave set. Gerlach, Long and Parsons are considered the most experienced surfers of Cortes Bank. Several waves, they said, far eclipsed anything they had ever seen.
The surfers traded vast, swooping carves and dropped down vertical blue walls 80 feet high or more at perhaps 45 miles an hour — faster than they had ever surfed. They rode cautiously, they said, realizing the consequences of a collision with a 20-pound, lead-weighted surfboard, or a harrowing pummeling beneath the dense foam.
“There was so much water moving, and so much turbulence, that you could have had a worst-case scenario of a guy getting flushed through the white water and you simply might have never found him,” Baker said.
Still, Baker and Parsons endured horrifying wipeouts, managing to bob to the surface thanks to their flotation vests. Then with Gerlach precariously skiing behind him on his foot-strap-equipped surfboard, Parsons was unable to outrun a giant wave — even with his ski at full throttle. After they were driven under water and tossed around, the surfers and the Jet Ski emerged, sputtering but unscathed.
The surfers waited until it was nearly dark before they headed back to shore, barely outrunning the second storm before pulling into the harbor entrance at midnight.
When asked to gauge the size of the biggest waves, Baker pointed to a poster of Parsons that promoted the 2002 surf movie “Billabong Odyssey.” The photo was of a stunning Cortes Bank ride that XXL judges deemed greater than 60 feet high.
“That doesn’t even come close to what we were seeing,” Baker said.
Long added: “It just all came together. Definitely the best surf session of my life.”
“I’ve made some heavy missions out to Cortes Bank,” said Greg Long, one of the surfers who ventured out Saturday. “But this time, it was all on the line: The biggest storm. The biggest swell. The biggest buoy readings ever seen. And as far as the risk factor, it was off the charts.”
Long, a 25-year-old Californian, made these comments while watching a video of the experience with the surfers who had joined him: Grant Baker, 34; Brad Gerlach, 41; and Mike Parsons, 42.
They sling-shotted one another from behind their 140-horsepower Jet Skis onto some of biggest swells ever ridden. They gawked as Parsons froze the screen on an image of an avalanche of water swatting him like a fly. “We couldn’t go fast enough,” Long said. “The waves were moving so fast that it felt like we were moving backwards.”
Before the first storm passed the Cortes Bank, surfers were stunned that weather-buoy readings showed massive swells that had the potential to become breaking waves of 80 to 100 feet. As they studied the weather maps, Parsons, Long and the surfing forecaster Sean Collins thought there might be a brief period of calm between storms.
“They had this tiny window,” Collins said, adding that if the weather had changed it would have created poor surfing conditions.
The surfers committed to the trip just as the big storm roared to land late Friday. But, Long said, he woke up at 4 a.m. Saturday to calm winds. The surfers converged at dawn on the Dana Point Harbor between San Diego and Los Angeles with the surf photographer Rob Brown and a videographer, Matt Wybenga. When they left midmorning, the ocean was still so disrupted that they could carry only one of the two Jet Skis aboard Brown’s boat. So the surfers, wearing an emergency survival suit, took turns following the boat in the other Jet Ski.
About 50 miles offshore, the weather continued to ease while the deep swells continued to grow. Just past noon the surfers cautiously launched their Jet Skis toward the waves.
“We looked out to the north at these giant mountains of water,” Gerlach said. “And the wind was just perfect. It was creating these giant, giant tubes.”
In the past seven years, all four surfers have either won or been nominated for Billabong XXL Awards, considered the top honor among the big-wave set. Gerlach, Long and Parsons are considered the most experienced surfers of Cortes Bank. Several waves, they said, far eclipsed anything they had ever seen.
The surfers traded vast, swooping carves and dropped down vertical blue walls 80 feet high or more at perhaps 45 miles an hour — faster than they had ever surfed. They rode cautiously, they said, realizing the consequences of a collision with a 20-pound, lead-weighted surfboard, or a harrowing pummeling beneath the dense foam.
“There was so much water moving, and so much turbulence, that you could have had a worst-case scenario of a guy getting flushed through the white water and you simply might have never found him,” Baker said.
Still, Baker and Parsons endured horrifying wipeouts, managing to bob to the surface thanks to their flotation vests. Then with Gerlach precariously skiing behind him on his foot-strap-equipped surfboard, Parsons was unable to outrun a giant wave — even with his ski at full throttle. After they were driven under water and tossed around, the surfers and the Jet Ski emerged, sputtering but unscathed.
The surfers waited until it was nearly dark before they headed back to shore, barely outrunning the second storm before pulling into the harbor entrance at midnight.
When asked to gauge the size of the biggest waves, Baker pointed to a poster of Parsons that promoted the 2002 surf movie “Billabong Odyssey.” The photo was of a stunning Cortes Bank ride that XXL judges deemed greater than 60 feet high.
“That doesn’t even come close to what we were seeing,” Baker said.
Long added: “It just all came together. Definitely the best surf session of my life.”
NOAA: Ancient Deep-sea Coral Reefs Off Southeastern US Serve As Underwater 'Islands' In The Gulf Stream
Washington, D.C. -- Largely unexplored deep-sea coral reefs, some perhaps hundreds of thousands of years old, off the coast of the southeastern U.S. are not only larger than expected but also home to commercially valuable fish populations and many newly discovered and unusual species. Results from a series of NOAA-funded expeditions to document these previously unstudied and diverse habitats and their associated marine life have revealed some surprising results.
Some of those findings and images of the reef habitats 60 to 100 miles off the North Carolina coast will be featured in a high-definition film, “Beneath the Blue”, to be shown for the first time in public May 17 at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh, N.C. Research scientists, joined by museum staff, conducted a series of expeditions to the deep coral habitats on the continental slope off the east coast from North Carolina to central Florida, in an area known as the Blake Plateau. “We discovered that a number of animals thought to be rare are common around the corals, documented many animals outside of their previously known ranges, and discovered species new to science,” NOAA zoologist Martha Nizinski said. “We also have had a firsthand look at how animals are using the habitat and interacting with each other. These discoveries relate to the fact that this has been a difficult habitat for scientists to sample because of the deep depths, rough topography and strong currents from the overlying Gulf Stream.”
For Nizinski, who has worked at NOAA Fisheries’ National Systematics Laboratory in Washington, DC since 1987 and served as co-principal investigator and invertebrate specialist on the annual expeditions between 2002 and 2005, the opportunity to explore these uncharted waters was one she could not pass up. She worked with a team of researchers from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, the U.S. Geological Survey, the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, and Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, which operates the research vessel Seward Johnson and manned submersible Johnson Sea Link used in the expeditions.
Nizinski says the coral habitats explored during the expeditions appear to be more extensive than previously believed and are important habitat for several species of commercially and recreationally important fish as well as sponges, crabs, brittle stars and other creatures. The corals also contain historical data about changing ocean climate and productivity, and are hotspots of biodiversity. Many organisms live in and around these deep coral habitats, including species new to science and species with pharmaceutical potential. She is still studying the biological and coral samples collected during the various expeditions, research that will take several more years to complete.
Prior to these expeditions to explore and document deep coral habitats off the coast of the southeastern U.S., little was known about the location or extent of these reefs, composed primarily of the deep coral species Lophelia pertusa, how they form, and what marine species are dependent upon them. Lophelia is the most common reef-building cold-water coral and is found throughout the world. It has been found as far north as Nova Scotia in the western North Atlantic Ocean colonizing seamounts and other hard surfaces, but does not form the extensive banks that are found off the North Carolina coast, where Lophelia reefs may be tens to hundreds of thousands of years old.
"Most people associate coral reef habitats with tropical islands and warm, shallow waters, so when you tell people that reef systems exist in the cold waters off the coast of North Carolina they are surprised,” Nizinski says. “These deep-water coral banks can grow to be 100 meters (about 330 feet) tall and kilometers (miles) long. It is not what people expect to find off North Carolina, probably the northernmost deep-water coral banks existing along the U.S. East Coast.”
Unlike the colorful corals found in shallow tropical waters, Lophelia lacks zooxanthellae, the symbiotic algae which live inside most tropical reef-building corals. Generally white in color, Lophelia is fragile and slow growing. It lives in water depths between 80 and 3,000 meters (roughly 260 to 9,850 feet), but is most commonly found between 200 and 1,000 meters (about 650 to 3,300 feet) depth, where there is no sunlight, and water temperatures range from about 4 to 12 °C (between 39 and 54°F).
Nizinski says the Lophelia deep-reef habitats may be more important to many western Atlantic species than previously believed. Yet despite being in deep water with strong currents, the reefs are potentially threatened by fishing, energy exploration, and other activities. The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council has proposed for protection, as Habitat Areas of Particular Concern (HAPCs), a large area which includes the deep-water coral habits off North Carolina.
Some of those findings and images of the reef habitats 60 to 100 miles off the North Carolina coast will be featured in a high-definition film, “Beneath the Blue”, to be shown for the first time in public May 17 at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh, N.C. Research scientists, joined by museum staff, conducted a series of expeditions to the deep coral habitats on the continental slope off the east coast from North Carolina to central Florida, in an area known as the Blake Plateau. “We discovered that a number of animals thought to be rare are common around the corals, documented many animals outside of their previously known ranges, and discovered species new to science,” NOAA zoologist Martha Nizinski said. “We also have had a firsthand look at how animals are using the habitat and interacting with each other. These discoveries relate to the fact that this has been a difficult habitat for scientists to sample because of the deep depths, rough topography and strong currents from the overlying Gulf Stream.”
For Nizinski, who has worked at NOAA Fisheries’ National Systematics Laboratory in Washington, DC since 1987 and served as co-principal investigator and invertebrate specialist on the annual expeditions between 2002 and 2005, the opportunity to explore these uncharted waters was one she could not pass up. She worked with a team of researchers from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, the U.S. Geological Survey, the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, and Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, which operates the research vessel Seward Johnson and manned submersible Johnson Sea Link used in the expeditions.
Nizinski says the coral habitats explored during the expeditions appear to be more extensive than previously believed and are important habitat for several species of commercially and recreationally important fish as well as sponges, crabs, brittle stars and other creatures. The corals also contain historical data about changing ocean climate and productivity, and are hotspots of biodiversity. Many organisms live in and around these deep coral habitats, including species new to science and species with pharmaceutical potential. She is still studying the biological and coral samples collected during the various expeditions, research that will take several more years to complete.
Prior to these expeditions to explore and document deep coral habitats off the coast of the southeastern U.S., little was known about the location or extent of these reefs, composed primarily of the deep coral species Lophelia pertusa, how they form, and what marine species are dependent upon them. Lophelia is the most common reef-building cold-water coral and is found throughout the world. It has been found as far north as Nova Scotia in the western North Atlantic Ocean colonizing seamounts and other hard surfaces, but does not form the extensive banks that are found off the North Carolina coast, where Lophelia reefs may be tens to hundreds of thousands of years old.
"Most people associate coral reef habitats with tropical islands and warm, shallow waters, so when you tell people that reef systems exist in the cold waters off the coast of North Carolina they are surprised,” Nizinski says. “These deep-water coral banks can grow to be 100 meters (about 330 feet) tall and kilometers (miles) long. It is not what people expect to find off North Carolina, probably the northernmost deep-water coral banks existing along the U.S. East Coast.”
Unlike the colorful corals found in shallow tropical waters, Lophelia lacks zooxanthellae, the symbiotic algae which live inside most tropical reef-building corals. Generally white in color, Lophelia is fragile and slow growing. It lives in water depths between 80 and 3,000 meters (roughly 260 to 9,850 feet), but is most commonly found between 200 and 1,000 meters (about 650 to 3,300 feet) depth, where there is no sunlight, and water temperatures range from about 4 to 12 °C (between 39 and 54°F).
Nizinski says the Lophelia deep-reef habitats may be more important to many western Atlantic species than previously believed. Yet despite being in deep water with strong currents, the reefs are potentially threatened by fishing, energy exploration, and other activities. The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council has proposed for protection, as Habitat Areas of Particular Concern (HAPCs), a large area which includes the deep-water coral habits off North Carolina.
World's most dangerous beaches
Strong currents and deadly jellyfish are among the dangers that spring to mind but the biggest fear is sharks, according to Stephen P Leatherman of the International Hurricane Research Center & Laboratory for Coastal Research in Miami.
"But in reality, you've got a better chance at winning the lottery than getting bitten," he told Forbes.com, adding that there were only 112 incidents globally of shark bites in 2007.
Following is a list of the most dangerous beaches by category which was prepared by Forbes.com and focuses mainly on the United States. The list is not endorsed by Reuters:
1. Shark Attacks/Bites: New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County, Florida
The were 112 incidents of shark-human "contact" in 2007, according to the International Shark Attack File released in March but only one resulted in a human fatality. New Smyrna, an inlet on the eastern coastline of Florida, had the most attacks, with 17 bites recorded.
2. Pollution: Hacks Point Beach, Kent County, Md/Beachwood Beach West, Ocean County, NJ
According to the National Research Defense Council, an environmental action group, these two beaches had the highest percentage of samples exceeding US health standards in 2006.
3. Jellyfish Attacks: Northern Australia
The coast of Northern Australia serves as a home to chironex fleckeri, also known as the box jellyfish, which has caused 60 deaths in the last 100 years, according the Center for Disease Control, Australia. While fatalities are rare, about 40 people are hospitalized each year in the Northern Territory. Last year, a 6-year-old boy died in the Tiwi Islands, north of Darwin.
4. Lightning: Florida
Florida tops off the list as the most dangerous spot for lightning, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Between 1997 and 2006, there were 71 deaths caused by lightning in Florida, more than any other state.
Popular beaches such as New Smyrna and Clearwater are often evacuated and then closed for days because of the threat of lightning.
5. Boating Accidents: Florida
Data by county or beach is not available, but according to the US Coast Guard's Boating Safety Division, the state of Florida reported 633 boating accidents and 68 fatalities in 2006, the highest number of any state in the country with more people actively involved in boating in Florida.
6. Rip Current Drowning: Brevard County, Florida
In 2007, 10 people drowned in Brevard County due to the rip current alone, according to the United States Life Saving Association.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4518062a34.html
"But in reality, you've got a better chance at winning the lottery than getting bitten," he told Forbes.com, adding that there were only 112 incidents globally of shark bites in 2007.
Following is a list of the most dangerous beaches by category which was prepared by Forbes.com and focuses mainly on the United States. The list is not endorsed by Reuters:
1. Shark Attacks/Bites: New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County, Florida
The were 112 incidents of shark-human "contact" in 2007, according to the International Shark Attack File released in March but only one resulted in a human fatality. New Smyrna, an inlet on the eastern coastline of Florida, had the most attacks, with 17 bites recorded.
2. Pollution: Hacks Point Beach, Kent County, Md/Beachwood Beach West, Ocean County, NJ
According to the National Research Defense Council, an environmental action group, these two beaches had the highest percentage of samples exceeding US health standards in 2006.
3. Jellyfish Attacks: Northern Australia
The coast of Northern Australia serves as a home to chironex fleckeri, also known as the box jellyfish, which has caused 60 deaths in the last 100 years, according the Center for Disease Control, Australia. While fatalities are rare, about 40 people are hospitalized each year in the Northern Territory. Last year, a 6-year-old boy died in the Tiwi Islands, north of Darwin.
4. Lightning: Florida
Florida tops off the list as the most dangerous spot for lightning, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Between 1997 and 2006, there were 71 deaths caused by lightning in Florida, more than any other state.
Popular beaches such as New Smyrna and Clearwater are often evacuated and then closed for days because of the threat of lightning.
5. Boating Accidents: Florida
Data by county or beach is not available, but according to the US Coast Guard's Boating Safety Division, the state of Florida reported 633 boating accidents and 68 fatalities in 2006, the highest number of any state in the country with more people actively involved in boating in Florida.
6. Rip Current Drowning: Brevard County, Florida
In 2007, 10 people drowned in Brevard County due to the rip current alone, according to the United States Life Saving Association.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4518062a34.html
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