The consummate team player on the pitch, Brianne Reed earned the ultimate individual honor off it. After leading the Rutgers women’s soccer team to the NCAA Tournament semifinals, the Tinton Falls native and Red Bank Catholic graduate earned the Division I Senior CLASS Award… “I put in a lot of hard work at this university, and for it to show on and off the field, in the classroom and in the community is truly an honor,” Reed said… Off the field, the public health major is a three-time Dean’s List selection who has served on Rutgers’ Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. In the community, Reed has volunteered with Read Across America, the Elijah’s Promise soup kitchen and local hospitals in New Brunswick, and has participated in toy and book drives and visits to area schools.
Climatologist: ‘Real Winter’ Won’t Start Until January
There’s no sign of winter weather in sight, forecasters say. December in New Jersey will continue to be warmer than normal with little chance that cold winter temperatures and snow will be here before January, said David Robinson, New Jersey’s state climatologist… “I’d be awfully surprised if we end up on the cold end of the ledger this month,” Robinson said. “Once we get to the New Year, I’d expect we’d see some cold and occasional snow. But I don’t think it’s going to happen in December.” Dec. 1 is the first day of what’s known as the meteorological winter, which is what weather scientists and climatologists consider the first day of winter based on months with similar weather patterns. The average daytime temperatures in the first week of December range from 47 to 49 degrees, according to 1981 to 2010 daily norms from the Office of the New Jersey State Climatologist at Rutgers University.
Residents Resist Tidal Flooding, an Increasing Threat to the Jersey Shore
Tidal flooding has been increasing along the Jersey Shore and it’s expected to get worse. Flooding challenges the O’Neills’ access to doctors or repairmen or houseguests. Flooding has increased more than 600 percent in the last 60 years at Atlantic City and Sandy Hook, according to NOAA data from those two places, which have a long history of tidal gauge data compared to other points on the coast… Atlantic City and Sandy Hook ranked third and fifth in a list of 45 sites in the nation for increased flooding in a 2014 NOAA study… As sea levels rise, the Mallard Island woes will spread along the Shore, according to Lisa Auermuller, watershed and outreach coordinator for Rutgers’ Jacques Cousteau Coastal Education Center, based in Tuckerton… Trouble comes down to inches, according to Dave Robinson, state climatologist at Rutgers University. “When you think about it, there are areas that are just precariously above sea level – when you raise it up 6, 10, 12 inches – that’s the difference between having a dry road and a road that’s underwater,” he said.
DEP: Barnegat Bay’s Health a “Mixed Bag”
While portions of Barnegat Bay’s ecosystem appear strained by pollution, life remains resilient under its murky waves… The risks to bay life if phytoplankton disappear would be catastrophic. Native phytoplankton is eaten by zooplankton and other creatures, which feed clams, crabs and fish, Buchanan said… Yet, the same species that lived in Barnegat Bay in 1973 are still here now, said Gary Taghon, a professor of marine ecology at Rutgers University… “Their abundances have shifted, but they haven’t disappeared,” he said during a panel discussion at Ocean County College where researchers and environmentalists discussed the studies’ results… The changes in the bay’s ecology are speeding up, and are now noticeable within the span of a single human lifetime.
Rain Storm Could Cause Minor Flooding on Jersey Shore
A coastal flood advisory for the New Jersey coastline will be in effect Wednesday night as the remnants of Hurricane Patricia bring wind and steady rain to the region, according to the National Weather Service… The storm system moving toward New Jers…
Could Powerful Hurricane Patricia Impact NJ?
The strongest hurricane on record in the West Hemisphere smashed southwestern Mexico Friday night with wind speeds of 160 mph… Hurricane Patricia, a Category 5 storm, was seen hovering over the eastern Pacific coast with a central pressure of 880 millibars, the lowest sea-level pressure ever recorded by the National Hurricane Center… “It’s not going to have any direct impact on us,” said David A. Robinson, the state climatologist and professor at Rutgers University in New Brunswick. “It will fall apart over Mexico, but we are quite likely going to see some of its energy and moisture develop into a low-pressure system off the Texas coast.”… That low-pressure system, he said, likely will head up to the Northeast and bring rain over the next week. “If we get some rain later next week, it would be quite indirectly associated with some of the remnant energy and moisture from the storm,” Robinson added.
Sex Leads to Better Science
The group met on a Friday evening in late September to talk about sex and summer flounder. The topics are closely intertwined… Interested parties from the commercial and recreational fishing industries, outdoor groups and party boat captains had gath…
Tree-killing Beetles to Spread in NJ
The beautiful beetles are here and that’s ominous news for ash trees in Monmouth County… The state Department of Agriculture announced last week that the emerald ash borer, a shiny green beetle that kills ash trees, is in Allentown and 13 other towns in five other counties… Lynne Richmond, spokeswoman for the state Department of Agriculture, said the invasive insect is expected to spread in New Jersey and that’s why several agencies and Rutgers University formed a task force to prepare for it. The group hopes municipalities will prepare because many towns have used ash trees in landscaping, she said… William J. Sciarappa, agricultural agent with Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Monmouth County, said area nurseries may have only an acre of ash trees. But “that acre is worth $100,000, so it’s economically important from that perspective when you have to go and replace that species of tree,” he said.
Near-Record Warmth in September in NJ
The weather was warm, warm, warm. Indeed, last month was the third warmest September on record in New Jersey, according to the state climatologist… The warm season (May through September) was also the third warmest since 1895, according to a monthly …
Drought Watch Issued In NJ
With New Jersey’s dry spell growing, state officials issued a drought watch Wednesday and called on residents to conserve water… “It is prudent,” said David A. Robinson, the New Jersey state climatologist. “I think the timing is right. It’s always a tricky call because these generally are somewhat subjective decisions, mind you underlaid by factual data.”… If it remains warm and dry and water use does not drop, the state Department of Environmental Protection will consider taking further action, such as declaring a drought warning. Under a warning, the DEP may order water purveyors to develop alternative sources of water or transfer water from areas with relatively more water to those with less, according to the DEP statement… Robinson, the state climatologist who is based at Rutgers University, said rainfall over the past 30 days has been 25 to 50 percent of average. Rainfall in the past 90 days has been about half the norm, and the past 90 days were warmer than normal.
