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Seagrass loss bad sign for water quality

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Reprinted courtesy of Coastal Review Online
By Jennifer Allen
March 12, 2021

Seagrass beds like this can be found on the sound side of North Carolina’s barrier islands. Photo: APNEP

North Carolina sounds are losing seagrass, an indicator of the state’s water quality.

According to a recently published metric report by Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Partnership, or APNEP, there’s been a net loss of at least 5% between 2006 and 2013 of the high-salinity submerged aquatic vegetation, or SAV, habitat in the Albemarle-Pamlico estuarine system, which is the second-largest in the United States.

APNEP works to identify, protect, restore and monitor the natural resources of the Albemarle-Pamlico region, which has more than 3,000 square miles of estuarine waters and a land area of 28,000 square miles. Pasquotank, Chowan and Roanoke basins flow into Albemarle Sound, and the Tar-Pamlico and Neuse basins into Pamlico Sound. Rivers of the White Oak basin flow into the southern sounds — Core, Back, and Bogue – of the region.

Also known as seagrass or underwater grasses, this vegetation plays various roles in keeping Albemarle-Pamlico Estuarine System waters healthy by providing habitat, food and shelter for aquatic life as well as absorbing and recycling nutrients and filtering sediment, according to the report.

The seagrasses also act as a barometer of the condition of water. SAV is extremely sensitive to water quality, including nutrient and sediment pollution. The decrease in acreage suggests that the overall health of North Carolina’s estuaries may be worsening, according to APNEP.

“Because these underwater meadows are a public resource that play a vital role in maintaining the diversity, health, and sustainability of North Carolina’s sounds, APNEP has designated seagrass as a ‘valued ecosystem component’ and an ecosystem indicator that should be regularly monitored and assessed,” Dean Carpenter, program scientist for APNEP, told Coastal Review Online.

The data used for the report from two aerial surveys, one from 2006-2007 and the other from 2013, confirm that the state has about 100,000 acres of seagrass, the largest acreage on the east coast, according to APNEP.

However, the overall amount of seagrass meadows in the Albemarle-Pamlico estuary decreased by 5,686 acres, or 5.6%, between 2006 and 2013, even though the estuary is an ideal habitat for seagrasses to survive.

The seagrass communities in the APNEP region are on the back-barrier shelves of the Outer Banks between the Virginia Dare Memorial Bridge on U.S. 64 that connects Roanoke Island and the Outer Banks, south to Ocracoke Inlet, and on the Outer Banks and mainland shores of Core, Back and Bogue sounds, the report states.

The Albemarle-Pamlico watershed. All the streams, creeks, and rivers in the area shown ultimately flow into the Albemarle-Pamlico Estuary. Map: APNEP

The observed decline in seagrass was more pronounced in the southern end of the study area, which includes Back and Bogue sounds, with a decrease of about 1.5% per year, compared to the central and northern sections of the study area, which declined 0.5% and 1.1% per year, respectively.

It is likely that increased water pollution within the relatively highly populated, densely developed southern region contributed to its higher observed rate of seagrass decline, according to APNEP.

The report cites the state Department of Environmental Quality’s North Carolina Coastal Habitat Protection Plan, which states that major threats to SAV habitat are channel dredging and water quality degradation from excessive nutrient and sediment loading, as well as the emerging threat of accelerated sea level rise, barrier island instability, increasing water temperatures and the expansion of shellfish mariculture.

The data presented in the report cannot be compared to earlier SAV mapping efforts, according to the recent report. While some pre-2000 efforts to map SAV in the APNEP region have been performed, they are limited in scope.

Meanwhile, steps are being taken to rebuild SAV in North Carolina waters.

“One of the leading causes of SAV decline is thought to be decreased water clarity, which inhibits sunlight to reach these aquatic plants,” Carpenter explained.

On the research front, he continued, APNEP is supporting research by University of North Carolina Institute of Marine Sciences faculty involving the refinement of a bio-optical SAV model, which will help determine how different water-quality components such as phytoplankton and turbidity are contributing to decreased water clarity.

“Using this bio-optical model in concert with targeted monitoring data will provide valuable input to future assessments as to where water resource managers need to focus their efforts with respect to mitigating particular constituents, with the intention of improving water clarity,” Carpenter said.

On the policy front, APNEP has a SAV Team that includes partners involved the Coastal Habitat Protection Plan implementation, with SAV being a priority focal habitat during 2020-2021, he said.

“Team partners are also involved in NCDEQ’s Nutrient Criteria Development Plan implementation, with SAV under consideration as a biological endpoint targeted for protection.”

More mapping of seagrass amounts is essential to better understand the current status and long-term trends of SAV in North Carolina. Integration of seagrass mapping with other collaborative environmental monitoring programs is critical to identifying and managing the causes of seagrass decline, APNEP said in a release.

A close-up view of subaquatic vegetation. Photo: APNEP

APNEP and partner organizations, including the state Division of Marine Fisheries, coordinated a third study completed in 2019-2020.

The additional survey data being analyzed will help APNEP provide a more complete picture of seagrass status and trends in the Albemarle-Pamlico estuary, and will be used to help develop protection and restoration strategies for the region, including conservation and management actions supported by the North Carolina Coastal Habitat Protection Plan.

The hope is to produce a map by the third quarter of this year, followed by a revised assessment report during the fourth quarter. “Note that such deliverable schedules provide a much more rapid turnaround than before,” he said.

Carpenter said it would be premature to predict what the data will show from the third survey.

“Having documented only two intervals in time roughly six years apart, coupled with a lack of knowledge of SAV baseline (historical) dynamics at the regional scale, a forecast would be premature,” Carpenter explained. “But given the factors influencing SAV condition, it would not surprise me if we discover a continued decline in the resource. An intriguing question when we establish that third point is whether that decline is accelerating, and if so in what areas.”

In the near future, Carpenter said that APNEP is scheduled to produce an initial SAV monitoring plan in the first quarter of this year, “Whose purpose is two-fold: to develop an improved SAV monitoring network that in turn generates targeted data for future SAV assessment reports, and to facilitate the engagement of current and potential partners in that effort.”

The report and an associated interactive map are available online. For more information, visit APNEP’s SAV Monitoring webpage.

Jennifer Allen is the assistant editor of the Coastal Review Online.

‘Dorian,’ Greek alphabet storm names retired

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Hurricane Dorian at peak intensity on Sept. 1, 2019. Photo by NOAA

By Peter Vankevich

Don’t expect to see another Hurricane Dorian or Laura–at least by name, not intensity.  Both names along with last November’s hurricanes, Eta and Iota, were added to a long list of retired names by the World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) Hurricane Committee at its virtual three-day spring meeting on March 17.

The committee also decided to no longer use the Greek alphabet for storm names when the names selected for a given year are all used.

There were discussions of starting the official hurricane season earlier than June 1, but that date will not change this year. The reason for a possible earlier date is that tropical storms have formed in May for the past six years. Taking into consideration the increased early storm activity, the National Hurricane Center said it will begin issuing Tropical Weather Outlooks in May, weeks before the official start of hurricane season.

Last year’s early starting and record-breaking Atlantic hurricane season, a total of 30 named storms that included 13 hurricanes, went beyond the normal list of 21 storm names so the following were added: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, Zeta, Eta, Theta and Iota.

Since 1954, the supplemental Greek letters were used only once before in the busy 2005 hurricane season.

A WMO press release stated the Greek alphabet will not be used in future because it creates a distraction from the communication of hazard and storm warnings and is potentially confusing.

According to the New York Times, the National Hurricane Center received inquiries from people who believed that Zeta was the last letter in the Greek alphabet and were asking what the next storm would be named. Zeta is only the sixth letter in the 24-letter Greek alphabet. Omega is the last.

Greek letters can be confusing when translated to other languages and the similarity of the sounds of the letters Zeta, Eta, and Theta were other reasons to no longer use this alphabet.

The Atlantic tropical cyclone name lists repeat every six years unless a storm is retired and would be replaced with another name starting with the same letter.

Here is the list of the 2021 Atlantic Basin storm names. The letters Q, U, X, Y and Z, which have few common names, are not used: Ana, Bill, Claudette, Danny, Elsa, Fred, Grace, Henri, Ida, Julian, Kate, Larry, Mindy, Nicholas, Odette, Peter, Rose, Sam, Teresa, Victor and Wanda.

The names selected come from one of six rotating alphabetic lists of 21 names. So, this list will be used again in 2027 with the possible exceptions that some storm names will be retired and replaced with other names.

Should there be more named storms this year, in lieu of the Greek alphabet, the following names will be used for the Atlantic Basin: Adria, Braylen, Caridad, Deshawn, Emery, Foster, Gemma, Heath, Isla, Jacobus, Kenzie, Lucio, Makayla,  Nolan, Orlanda, Pax, Ronin, Sophie, Tayshaun, Viviana and Will.

The practice of retiring storm names was begun by the United States Weather Bureau in 1955, after major hurricanes Carol, Edna and Hazel struck the Northeastern United States during the previous year. Initially their names were retired for 10 years, after which time they could be reintroduced, but in 1969, the policy was changed to have the names retired permanently.

The retirement of Hurricane Dorian (2019) was delayed due the cancellation of last year’s spring meeting over the concerns of COVID-19.

Dorian was a Category 5 hurricane that at one time had winds peaking at 185 mph and surpassed Hurricane Irma of 2017 to become the most powerful Atlantic hurricane on record outside of the Caribbean Sea. Dorian was the worst natural disaster to strike the Bahamas in the country’s history. Dorian also is now one of the worst hurricanes to strike Ocracoke Island, and the island-wide inundation from it was the most damage than any other place in the continental United States. On the rotating list, scheduled for 2025, it will be replaced with Dexter.

Laura, in 2020, caused major devastation as it crossed the Atlantic from its origins off the coast of Africa striking the Lesser Antilles, the island of Hispaniola and across the length of Cuba. It continued its trek west across the Gulf of Mexico making landfall on Cameron, Louisiana, killing 33 people and caused approximately $19 billion in damage in the state. Leah will replace Laura on the list of names in 2026.

Hurricanes Eta and Iota both made landfall as Category 4 storms less than two weeks apart during November 2020 in the same area of the Nicaraguan coast just south of Puerto Cabezas. They caused extensive flooding in the Central American countries, resulting in at least 272 fatalities and damage losses of more than $9 billion. In the list of retired names, they will be Eta 2020 and Iota 2020.

Strong winds to continue tonight

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March 19, 2021. 6 p.m.

The National Weather Service out of Newport/Morehead City reported this afternoon that strong northerly winds will continue through tonight, becoming north easterly on Saturday.

This will lead to minor to moderate coastal flooding for portions of soundside Outer Banks, areas adjacent to the southern Pamlico Sound and the Neuse River.

Ocean overwash is also a significant concern, mainly for areas north of Cape Hatteras. The NWS is already receiving reports of minor coastal flooding across portions of the area. 

The N.C. Ferry Division tweeted at 1:17 p.m. today that ferry service between Hatteras and Ocracoke is suspended.

Ferries to and from Cedar Island and Swan Quarter have been suspended all day.

Gale warnings, wind advisories, coastal flood warnings and advisories continue.  

Beauty and the Beach: The case for carbon pricing

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Overwash on Ocracoke while Hurricane Teddy passed the coast in September caused dune breaches on Ocracoke and on Hatteras Island where Buxton is located. NCDOT photo.

Editor:

The NYT article in Sunday’s (March 14)  paper, “Tiny Town, Big Decision: What Are We Willing to Pay to Fight the Rising Sea?” reminds us that if we don’t take real action against climate change it won’t be long before our coastlines are entirely gone, and with it towns like Avon and generations of history.

Over the past decade, our town (Avon), like so many other coastal towns, has experienced beach erosion, increased water levels, constant flooding, regular evacuations and human tragedy, all leading to nearing insurmountable damage.  As the damage continues to get more acute each year, we are now frantically scrambling to find a solution before the only major road in and out of town is washed away in a major storm.  Property tax hikes, beach restructurings, new tourist taxes, forced relocations away from the beach.  

No disrespect but these conversations are just a waste of time coming up with band aids that will only waste millions of dollars and buy a tiny bit of time (just look next door at Buxton, whose multi-million dollar beach restructuring lasted a mere two years and has already completely washed away due to the effects of extreme hurricanes).  

Carbon fee and dividend return is the cure for climate change!  It’s a simple solution – charge a fee to those discharging carbon pollution into the atmosphere and return that money back to the most vulnerable households.  Not a tax and not government regulation.  Formulaically rising fees each year would encourage innovation and a market shift to a clean energy economy.  Many leading economists and studies widely agree, carbon pricing would add millions of new jobs and decrease greenhouse gases by 90% by 2050.  

So…no tax, no government interference, increased well-paying jobs, money in peoples’ pockets, a stronger economy and a position as a global leader in green energy. Sounds like a conversative win all around!

And this solution already exists as the bipartisan Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act that has bipartisan support.  This is the only way to stop the destruction that climate change is causing.  Take action now.  Write to Senator Richard Burr, Senator Thom Tillis and Representative Greg Murphy and ask them to support this bill.  They can help save our town!!  

Lora M. Epstein
Manhattan, NYC 

Pedimos que TODOS los pacientes se preinscriban para sus vacunas COVID

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Continuamos siguiendo las pautas de NCDHHS y estamos vacunando a los Grupos 1 a 4.

La preinscripción nos permitirá programar su cita y tener vacunas disponibles para usted. Hay 3 formas de prerregistrarse:

EN LÍNEA:

https://ocracokehealthcenter.org/covid-19-vaccine-registration-request-form/

FORMA DE PAPEL:
Puede obtener una copia en el Centro de salud de Ocracoke o aquí como se proporciona.

TELÉFONO:
Llame al número de teléfono designado para vacunas COVID al 252-489-3622. Deje un mensaje con su nombre, fecha de nacimiento y número de teléfono. Alguien le devolverá la llamada. Múltiples mensajes retrasarán los tiempos de devolución de llamadas.

Severe weather heading our way update

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From our news services

The National Weather Service today updated its forecast this morning and severe weather, including the possibility of tornadoes, is expected to begin late Thursday afternoon (March 18) across eastern North Carolina.

The Storm Prediction Center has an Ehanced Risk for the Outer Banks. All severe hazards remain possible, including wind gusts that could lead to structural damage, trees down/uprooted, power outages and large hail in excess of one inch in diameter. A few tornadoes could be strong.

The Outer Banks can expect northerly wind gusts up to 45 to 50 mph with possible beach erosion and ocean overwash.

Minor to moderate coastal flooding is possible for several locations adjacent to inland sounds and tidal rivers.  w

On Friday, a strong cold front will push across the region bringing strong northerly winds. This could lead to minor to moderate coastal flooding for portions of sound side Outer Banks and tidal tributaries, and ocean overwash across the northern Outer Banks.

Gale warnings, wind advisories and coastal flood watches have been issued in anticipation of the strong winds Friday into the weekend.

Hyde County has zero COVID-19 cases

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Ava Johnson, an R.N. with the Hyde County Health Department, prepares a COVID-19 vaccine. Photo: C. Leinbach

By Connie Leinbach

As of today, Hyde County has zero COVID-19 cases.

Hyde County Health Director Luana Gibbs said in an interview today that the one case Hyde had in the last several days was released from quarantine on Tuesday.

COVID-19 cases are decreasing statewide, she said, and activity at the Health Department has finally started to slow down.

“We don’t have the high demand for vaccines and testing has waned,” she said, noting that January was especially hectic and stressful.

Gov. Roy Cooper gave a hopeful report in a press briefing today.

“With more students in the classroom and millions of people receiving vaccines, there is hope on the horizon,” Cooper said. “But with this virus and its variants continuing to spread, it is too early to let our guard down.”

Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services guidelines, noted that all the key metrics of the pandemic are declining but with new, more contagious variants in the state, everyone needs to keep their guard up as recent data shows an increase in these more contagious variants among those infected in North Carolina. 

North Carolina continues to focus on distributing vaccines quickly and equitably. To date, the state has administered over 3.4 million doses. 25.7 percent of those 18 and up is at least partially vaccinated, and 16.5 percent of those 18 and up have been fully vaccinated.

The state is also seeing progress in its continued efforts to emphasize equity in vaccine distribution. Today, the CDC released a report that puts North Carolina among the top ten states in the nation for equitable vaccine distribution.

People in Group 4 with high-risk medical conditions or who live in certain congregate living settings can start getting vaccines starting today Wednesday (March 17).

The rest of Group 4, which includes other essential workers will become eligible April 7.

Both the Hyde County Health Department and the Ocracoke Health Center are asking that all Hyde citizens may pre-register for COVID-19 vaccines.

The Ocracoke Health Center issued the following information today:

We continue to follow the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services guidelines and are vaccinating Groups 1 through 4.

Preregistration will allow us to make your appointment and have vaccines available to
you. There are three ways to preregister:

ONLINE:

https://ocracokehealthcenter.org/covid-19-vaccine-registration-request-form/

PAPER FORM:
You can get a copy at the Ocracoke Health Center or by clicking the above link.

PHONE:
Call the designated phone number for COVID vaccines at 252-489-3622. Leave a message with your name, DOB, and phone number. Someone will call you back.

Multiple messages will delay callback times.

People should continue to protect themselves and those around them by practicing the Three Ws: Wear a mask, wait six feet apart, and wash hands often.

Ocracoke Health Center seeks new CEO

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Cheryl Ballance, the Ocracoke Health Center CEO, at right, helps at the first Ocracoke Seafood Festival in 2019 that benefitted the health center. Photo: C. Leinbach

From our news services

After almost 30 years serving the communities of Hyde County, Cheryl Ballance will retire as CEO of the Ocracoke Health Center.

Through the years, Ballance worked as an R.N. for the health center as well as Hyde County Health Department.

Under her administration, the Ocracoke Health Center and Engelhard Medical Center became a federally qualified health center (FQHC) in 2013 providing quality medical care to residents and visitors of Hyde County and opened the first pharmacy in the county in 2014 at the Engelhard Medical Center.

She has remained committed to having strong teams of clinical and administrative staff at both locations to provide quality healthcare in this area.

“My career at the health center has been very fulfilling and I’ve really enjoyed working with my staff and the communities of Hyde County, but it’s time for me to step down,” Ballance said. “Although challenging with the uniqueness of the area and hurricanes, it has been fulfilling to see both centers flourish and continue to provide consistent and quality service to our residents.”

The Ocracoke Health Center is not taking walk-ins, but patients may call for appointments (phone or virtual) at 252-928-1511. Photo: C. Leinbach

With Ballance retiring, the board of directors of the Health Centers have established a CEO Search Committee. Finding a replacement for Ballance will not be easy and they are emphasizing the need for a strong leader that can continue to guide the growth of this organization and someone who loves and appreciates this rural area and the uniqueness of living and working here.

They have set a goal to find a qualified candidate by May and have engaged the SPARKS Group to manage the recruitment process.

Interested applicants can send their resume to Chelsea Liddell cliddell@sparksgroupinc.com and view the job listing  https://jobs.sparksgroupinc.com/jobs/227405.

Severe weather possible for Thursday afternoon

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Graphic from the National Weather Service.

From our news services

The National Weather Service today forecasts the potential for severe weather across the southeastern U.S. Thursday afternoon and evening, including eastern North Carolina.

The Storm Prediction Center has increased our risk level to Moderate for most of the area. The main risks remain damaging wind gusts, large hail in excess of one inch in diameter and tornadoes.

In addition to severe weather, a strong cold front is forecast to push across the region on Friday bringing strong northerly winds. This could lead to minor to moderate coastal flooding for portions of sound side Outer Banks and tidal tributaries, and ocean over wash across the Northern Outer Banks.

COVID-19 cases down to one in Hyde County–updated

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Deanna Randalls, rear, Hyde County Covid coordinator, and Ava Johnson, R.N., administer COVID-19 vaccinations inside the Hyde County Health Department in Swan Quarter. Photo: C. Leinbach

Editor’s note 2:08 p.m. March 17, 2021: As of today, Hyde County has zero active COVID-19 cases, said Luana Gibbs, Hyde County Health director.

By Connie Leinbach

As of Friday, Hyde County Health Department reported one active case of COVID-19 in the entire county.

In addition to that one case, of the 642 total cases to date since the pandemic began last year, 633 have recovered and there have been eight deaths.

According to the North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services COVID-19 dashboard, Ocracoke has had 94 cases.

Misty Gibbs, Hyde County preparedness coordinator, said every Hyde County citizen can register to receive a vaccine regardless of the grouping timetable, though it’s not an automatic appointment.

“You will get on the waiting list and receive a call back,” she said in an interview last week. “Every person in Hyde County who wants a vaccine needs to call us as soon as possible.”

That number is 252-926-4467. 

The health department is still prioritizing the groups but wants to preplan for the next groups.

Group 3 is eligible for vaccines now and eligibility for people with high-risk medical conditions or who live in certain congregate living settings in Group 4 begins Wednesday (March 17).

The rest of Group 4, which includes other essential workers will become eligible April 7.

Gibbs said that the health department does not administer shots to people from out of state.

“North Carolina issued a rule: No shots to out-of-state people unless they own property in the state,” she said.

If you work here or own property here you can get a shot, she said. Just visiting from out of state doesn’t qualify.

The Hyde health department is administering the Moderna vaccines which require two shots. North Carolina recently was authorized to receive the new Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which is only one shot.

Misty Gibbs, Hyde County preparedness coordinator, chats with clients in the Hyde County Health Department. Photo: C. Leinbach

“We are very fortunate to now have three tested, safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines that keep people out of the hospital and prevent death from this virus,” said Health & Human Services Department Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen in a statement last week. “With improving supplies, North Carolina can get more people vaccinated sooner and meet our goals to provide equitable access to vaccinations in every community in the state.”

As of March 15, Hyde County has administered 2,902 shots. Of this total, 975 people are fully vaccinated, and 1,627 are partially vaccinated.

Much information is provided on the NC DHHS website, including, but not limited to the number of cases (by zip code or countywide), deaths, vaccinations, and includes demographics. Go to https://covid19.ncdhhs.gov/dashboard and you can access the data you wish by clicking on the links to the right of the page.

People should continue to practice the 3 Ws: Wear a face mask; Wait six feet apart; and Wash your hands frequently.

For 24/7 on-call services, dial the Coronavirus Hotline: 1-866-462-3821.

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