Pacific Hurricane Season 2012
The 2012 Pacific hurricane season officially starts on May 15, 2012 in the Eastern Pacific, and on June 1, 2012 in the Central Pacific, and ends on November 30, 2012. There are approximately 80-100 tropical storms annually and about half of these storms become full-fledged hurricanes when their winds reach 74 mph. Hurricanes vary widely in area and intensity. They can be from 60 to 1000 miles wide, and their strength is measured on the Saffir-Simpson scale from a weak category 1 storm to a catastrophic category 5 storm.
Hurricane damage results from three primary causes:
Storm Surge.
Most human fatalities can be attributed to the storm surge that quickly floods low-lying coastal areas with anywhere from 3 feet to 20 feet of storm surge.
Wind Damage.
The strong winds of a hurricane can cause widespread destruction far inland of coastal areas, destroying homes, buildings, and infrastructure.
Freshwater Flooding.
Hurricanes are huge tropical storms and dump many inches of rain over a widespread area in a short period of time. This water can engorge rivers and streams, causing hurricane-induced flooding.
Pacific Hurricane Formation
In the Pacific Ocean when an organized area of showers and thunderstorms intensifies, it becomes known as a tropical disturbance. This disturbance becomes an organized area of tropical low pressure that is called a tropical depression. A tropical depression’s winds are measured at 33 feet above the surface, and must be at or below 38 miles per hour when averaged out over one minute. These cyclonic winds go counter-clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere. Once average winds reach 39 mph then the cyclonic system becomes a tropical storm and receives a name. Tropical storm names are preselected and issued alphabetically for each storm, while tropical depressions are numbered.
A hurricane is a heat engine, powered by the latent heat energy released from condensation. That heat energy is derived from the ocean, and to develop it must be supplied with a constant supply of warm humid air for this process. When seawater evaporates from the surface, it takes heat with it. As the rising water vapor reaches clouds an incredible amount of heat is released, warming the air and driving the hurricane’s circulation. Surface air with enough energy to generate a hurricane only exists over oceans with a temperature greater than 80 degrees F and at least 600 feet deep. Ocean temperatures this high only occur in selected regions of our planet and during particular seasons.
On average, hurricanes that form in the North Pacific move in a west or northwestward path. In reality, the track taken by any individual storm is often very chaotic. Hurricanes can suddenly change both their speed and direction of travel.
Hawaiian Birds and Nihoa Millerbird Success
Endangered Nihoa Millerbirds were reintroduced to Laysan Island in 2011, after a 100-year absence, and are now breeding there. These tiny Hawaiian songbirds were relocated in a bold effort to initiate a second population and minimize the risk of extinction. Biologists monitoring the birds have just reported that some of the birds have laid eggs, and some of these eggs have now hatched.
The Nihoa Millerbird (Acrocephalus familiaris kingi) made an unsuccessful out-of-season breeding attempt shortly after their arrival. Now the birds are entering their first proper breeding season, and nest building activity was observed in February, and the first eggs in March. This first-ever opportunity to observe Millerbird breeding from start to finish and collect behavioral and life-history data throughout the season is a significant advance in the study of this endangered species. The next important milestone for Millerbirds on Laysan will be when chicks fledge and forage on their own. Following that, the project team will be looking for this first generation of Laysan-hatched birds to begin breeding themselves.
The first Millerbird translocation to Laysan Island, which is within Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge and the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, was the result of many years of research and detailed planning by biologists and resource managers. By creating a second population of Millerbirds on a second, distant island, the translocation project will reduce the chances that catastrophic events on Nihoa, such as hurricanes or the introduction of predators, will drive the Millerbird to extinction. Plans are already underway for a second translocation to ensure that the Laysan population has a solid foundation to build upon.
Monk Seal Foundation Video 1
The Monk Seal Foundation, based on Maui, has launched a new educational series. For the next 12 months they will be releasing one video a month highlighting information about the Hawaiian Monk Seal (Monachus schauinslandi) and how people can get involved with helping in the recovery process. Their goal is to preserve the monk seals for current and future generations to come.
Q: What should I do if I see a Hawaiian Monk Seal?
A: There is also a statewide network of dedicated response teams which actively work to protect monk seals which have hauled out on beaches and rocks. The best thing you can do is to leave the seal undisturbed and call the appropriate seal sighting hotline:
Oahu: (808) 220-7802
Kauai: (808) 651-7668
Molokai: (808) 553-5555
Maui & Lanai: (808) 292-2372
East Hawaii (Big Island): (808) 756-5961
West Hawaii (Big Island): (808) 987-0765
Monk Seal Foundation
The Monk Seal Foundation is a Maui based non profit dedicated to the preservation of the critically endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal. Their mission is to provide support for the protection of Read more
Hawaiian Birds and Bryan’s Shearwater
After decades of research, scientists have confirmed thru DNA a unique specimen among the other known species of Shearwaters. Most of the more than 9,000 known bird species, including twenty-one Read more
