Florida water demand shrinks even as state, US grow

Andy Reid and Kevin Spear in the Sun-Sentinel (Florida): Aross the country and in Florida, Americans are only using as much water as almost 45 years ago, even though the population has grown by more than 100 million people, the U.S. Geological Survey reported this week. Environmentalists point to efficient toilets, low-flow showers and limits on lawn sprinkling, saying water conservation is the way to go.

"We have hardly scratched the surface of what can be achieved by really effective efforts toward water conservation," Audubon Florida's Charles Lee said in a comment on facebook.com/envirospear.

In Florida, increased water demand has been anticipated for years but has failed in nearly spectacular fashion to materialize. Earlier this year, a USGS report for Florida stated that freshwater use in the state decreased 22 percent from 2000 to 2010, while the state's population increased 18 percent. In South Florida, the amount of water used is about the same as it was in 1995, even with 1.1 million more people in the region, according to the South Florida Water Management District.

As a result, per capita water use in Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties also dropped about 22 percent from 1995 to 2010, according to the district. In 1995, the average person in southeast Florida used 184 gallons of water per day. That dropped to 142 gallons per day by 2010.

Conservation efforts take much of the credit, district officials said. "Our freshwater is a limited resource," said Mark Elsner, the district's water supply administrator. "The conservation initiative is hitting. … We are definitely more efficient than we were 20 years ago."...

Aerial view of Jim Woodruff Lock and Dam, impounding Lake Seminole on the Chattahoochee River and Flint River confluence. The Apalachicola River flows out of the dam. The dam spans the Florida–Georgia border. US Army Corps of Engineers photo

Miami, the great world city, is drowning while the powers that be look away

Robin McKie in the Guardian (UK): ... "There has been a rise of about 10 inches in sea levels since the 19th century – brought about by humanity's heating of the planet through its industrial practices – and that is now bringing chaos to Miami Beach by regularly flooding places like Alton Road," says Harold Wanless, a geology professor at the University of Miami. "And it is going to get worse. By the end of this century we could easily have a rise of six feet, possibly 10 feet. Nothing much will survive that. Most of the land here is less than 10 feet above sea level."

What makes Miami exceptionally vulnerable to climate change is its unique geology. The city – and its satellite towns and resorts – is built on a dome of porous limestone which is soaking up the rising seawater, slowly filling up the city's foundations and then bubbling up through drains and pipes. Sewage is being forced upwards and fresh water polluted. Miami's low topography only adds to these problems. There is little land out here that rises more than six feet above sea level. Many condos and apartment blocks open straight on the edge of the sea. Of the total of 4.2 million US citizens who live at an elevation of four feet or less, 2.4 million of them live in south Florida.

...Miami and its surroundings are facing a calamity worthy of the Old Testament. It is an astonishing story. Despite its vast wealth, the city might soon be consumed by the waves, for even if all emissions of carbon dioxide were halted tomorrow – a very unlikely event given their consistent rise over the decades – there is probably enough of the gas in the atmosphere to continue to warm our planet, heat and expand our seas, and melt polar ice. In short, there seems there is nothing that can stop the waters washing over Miami completely.

It a devastating scenario. But what really surprises visitors and observers is the city's response, or to be more accurate, its almost total lack of reaction. The local population is steadily increasing; land prices continue to surge; and building is progressing at a generous pace. During my visit last month, signs of construction – new shopping malls, cranes towering over new condominiums and scaffolding enclosing freshly built apartment blocks – could be seen across the city, its backers apparently oblivious of scientists' warnings that the foundations of their buildings may be awash very soon....

An aerial photo of downtown Miami, shot by Averette, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons 3.0 license

Florida's political climate change

Bloomberg View: Adapting to climate change is such a daunting task that it can be hard to know where, or how, to begin. Here's one answer: in southeastern Florida, with yellow foam earplugs.

The plugs are needed to keep out the din of the South Florida Water Management District's pumping station, with its 400-horsepower pumps submerged in the Miami River. They are capable of changing the direction of the river, ensuring that it always runs toward the ocean, as it's supposed to, draining storm water. Gravity used to do the job, but with sea level rising -- it's up at least 8 inches (20 centimeters) from what it was a century ago -- gravity doesn't always do the trick.

Florida's state and national politicians, including Governor Rick Scott and U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, are free to question whether climate change exists. Local officials don’t have that luxury. When it floods, people call city hall.

The need for a practical response, requiring both pumping stations and political cooperation, makes South Florida ground zero (sea zero?) in the debate over climate change. Its public officials, elected and otherwise, are showing how adaptation is not only necessary but also possible.

Miami Beach, for example, is installing80 underground pumps to deal with the increasingly frequent "sunny-day floods" that inundate the western side of the island city during high tides in the fall and spring. Miami-Dade County is reseeding mangroves behind the beaches and preserving coastal wetlands to soak up intensifying storm surges. Engineers in Fort Lauderdale and Pompano Beach are experimenting with new designs for "backflow preventers" to keep seawater from rushing into public pipes but still allow freshwater to flow out....

FEMA image of Miami flooding in 2000 from Tropical Storm Leslie

US can learn from Florida climate change response

Insurance Journal via Bloomberg: Adapting to climate change is such a daunting task that it can be hard to know where, or how, to begin. Here’s one answer: in southeastern Florida, with yellow foam earplugs.

The plugs are needed to keep out the din of the South Florida Water Management District’s pumping station, with its 400-horsepower pumps submerged in the Miami River. They are capable of changing the direction of the river, ensuring that it always runs toward the ocean, as it’s supposed to, draining storm water. Gravity used to do the job, but with sea level rising — it’s up at least 8 inches (20 centimeters) from what it was a century ago — gravity doesn’t always do the trick.

Florida’s state and national politicians, including Governor Rick Scott and U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, are free to question whether climate change exists. Local officials don’t have that luxury. When it floods, people call city hall.

The need for a practical response, requiring both pumping stations and political cooperation, makes South Florida ground zero (sea zero?) in the debate over climate change. Its public officials, elected and otherwise, are showing how adaptation is not only necessary but also possible.

Miami Beach, for example, is installing 80 underground pumps to deal with the increasingly frequent “sunny-day floods” that inundate the western side of the island city during high tides in the fall and spring. The Miami-Dade County is reseeding mangroves behind the beaches and preserving coastal wetlands to soak up intensifying storm surges. Engineers in Fort Lauderdale and Pompano Beach are experimenting with new designs for “backflow preventers” to keep seawater from rushing into public pipes but still allow freshwater to flow out.

Southeastern Florida is facing the symptoms of climate change sooner than most places. Other effects identified in this month’s National Climate Assessment — persistent drought in Kansas, say, or frequent wildfires in Alaska — could be decades off...

A 2012 flood in Doral, Florida, shot by Cyclonebiskit, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons 3.0 license

Florida's federal aid may be available this week

Rob Johnson in the Pensacola News Journal: Residents of the Florida Panhandle are used to hurricane warnings and flood alerts, but on Monday many were on a watch for federal emergency funding as they waited for Washington to release money to help homeowners and businesses with efforts to recover from last week's torrential rains.

Federal aid to Florida because of last week's flooding isn't a sure thing, but the director of the state's Division of Emergency Management in Tallahassee says he's "hopeful" that President Barack Obama soon will give the OK. "We have two press releases written: one that says yes and one that says no," said Bryan Koon, director of the agency.

Some flood victims in Santa Rosa County went online to FEMA's website on Monday to fill out the agency's application for money that could come in the form of grants or low-interest loans. But they were frustrated to discover that after nearly completing a lengthy form the website told them that Florida isn't yet eligible for help.

The delay came despite written appeals to Obama from U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller, Florida Gov. Rick Scott and U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, who even gave a speech on the Senate floor in Washington.

Nelson, a Florida Democrat, said in his letter, "Storms brought torrential rain and severe weather to northern Florida in recent days, which included more than 20 inches of rain in some parts of the Panhandle last week alone. Flooding has destroyed people's homes, roads, and other critical infrastructure that people rely on daily. These storms forged a path of destruction across the Southeast United States, and many people lost their lives as a result, including one Floridian."...

An ambulance on flooded road in Florida in 2008, image by FEMA 

Two feet of rain causes massive flooding in Florida, Alabama

Scott Neuman at NPR: Extreme rainfall in much of the East and parts of the South is causing major problems, with Florida's Panhandle and southern Alabama — which got more than 2 feet of rain in 24 hours — bearing the brunt of the onslaught. The torrential rains followed close on the heels of a rash of deadly tornadoes that battered a broad swath of the country earlier this week, killing dozens of people.

Flood warnings for today stretch from Massachusetts to the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Mississippi. The Associated Press says the system is expected to bring heavy rain and thunderstorms to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions.

In Pensacola, Fla., it was the single rainiest day ever recorded, and people climbed to rooftops or into attics to escape the rising floodwaters. NPR's Debbie Elliot says Pensacola's high bluffs over the bay undermined the busy scenic highway there.

"Scores of motorists were stranded as water gushed over roads," she reports on Morning Edition. "At least one person was killed on a flooded roadway. Some homes are now flooded out, and entire neighborhoods are unnavigable. Boats have floated away from docks and are making landfall elsewhere."  The cause of an apparent gas explosion at a Pensacola jail that killed at least two inmates and injured dozens of others has yet to be determined, but the severe weather and flooding could be a factor.

The Pensacola News Journal quotes Ben Kitzel, who was out in a kayak with his black Labrador retriever, Abby, on board: "There's no way this flooding is going away anytime soon," he told the newspaper....

Hurricane Dennis soaking Pensecola in 2005. Continuing the Carbon Based tradition of outdated and on partly relevant photos. US Navy photo

Researchers target sea level rise to save years of archaeological evidence

Newswise via Florida State University: Prehistoric shell mounds found on some of Florida’s most pristine beaches are at risk of washing away as the sea level rises, wiping away thousands of years of archaeological evidence.

“The largest risk for these ancient treasure troves of information is sea level rise,” said Shawn Smith, a senior research associate with the Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies at Florida State University.

But a joint project between Smith and the National Park Service is drawing attention to the problem to hopefully minimize the impact on the state’s cultural sites. Smith and Margo Schwadron, an archaeologist with the National Park Service, have embarked on a project to examine past and future changes in climate and how we can adapt to those changes to save areas of shoreline and thus preserve cultural and archeological evidence.

“We’re kind of the pioneers in looking at the cultural focus of this issue,” Smith said, noting that most weather and ocean experts are concerned about city infrastructure for coastal areas.

To complete the project, the National Park Service awarded Smith a $30,000 grant. With that money, Smith and former Florida State University undergraduate Marcus Johnson spent hours compiling modern, colonial and paleo weather data.

The focus of their initial research is the Canaveral National Seashore and Everglades National Park, which both have prehistoric shell mounds, about 50 feet to 70 feet high. Researchers believe these shell mounds served as foundations for structures and settlements and later served as navigational landmarks during European exploration of the region....

The beach at Canaveral National Seashore, National Park Service

Mangroves in Florida expanding due to climate change

Nature World News: Fewer cold snaps in Florida are helping mangroves extend their territory, according to a new study. Mangroves thrive in warm, salty areas and are known to form complex ecosystems. Their presence in the Sunshine State was limited due to freezing temperatures during winter. However, from the past few years, there has been a decline in the number of days that see temperatures dipping below negative 4 degrees Celsius (25 degrees Fahrenheit).

Fewer cold days have led mangroves to getting a foothold in the region. "Before this work there had been some scattered anecdotal accountsand observations of mangroves appearing in areas where people had not seen them, but they were very local," said study lead author Kyle Cavanaugh, a postdoctoral researcher at Brown University and at the Smithsonian Institution, according to a news release. "One unique aspect of this work is that we were able to use this incredible time series of large scale satellite imagery to show that this expansion is a regional phenomenon. It's a very large scale change."

The study team didn't just document the rise of the mangroves in Florida, but even tried to assess the factors that helped these forests thrive. The team, along with researchers at the University of Maryland, ruled out major contributors such as rise in the annual mean temperature, land use and rainfall.

Researchers then focused on cold snaps, the days that see a brief dip in temperature. Daytona Beach experienced just 1.4 fewer cold snaps between 1984 and 2011 while Titusville had just 1.2 days a year that saw the mercury levels drop below freezing point. The scientists found that these subtle changes were enough to explain the doubling of mangrove in these areas....

US Fish and Wildlife service photo of a mangrove swamp in Florida

Miami-Dade commissioners: We want county plans to consider sea-level rise

Patricia Mazzei in a bog at the Miami Herald: Is there a sea change of opinion among Miami-Dade County commissioners over the threat of climate change? A broad discussion on the county's dilapidated water and sewer pipes began Tuesday with Commission Chairwoman Rebeca Sosa exhorting staff to consider rising sea levels "in every detail" of the future development of infrastructure.

"We have seen what is happening in Miami-Dade County. We see that the state of Florida is placed on the map as one state that is in incredible danger because of the changes in climate and in weather," she said.

If planners don't take into account the threat as new projects get under way, she said, "We will be misspending that money, because we will have to come back and we will have to fix the infrastructure."

This is the same commission being sued by Biscayne Bay Waterkeeper, a clean-water advocacy group, over a federally mandated plan to spend $1.6 billion in sewer repairs because the advocates say the plan doesn't take into account rising sea levels....

A 2002 shot of the Miami skyline, shot by Towpilot, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license

New research reveals dengue fever mystery in two US cities both exposed to risk

EurekAlert via the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene: As dengue fever continues to spread from Key West north into the Florida mainland, it remains a mystery as to why this dangerous mosquito-borne illness is not yet common around Tucson, Arizona—even though outbreaks routinely occur in nearby Mexico and mosquitoes that can carry dengue are now common in the state, according to a new research presented today at the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH).

"Key West and Tucson share a lot of risk factors. Even in arid Tucson we have a large population of mosquitoes that can carry dengue, and people here spend a lot of time outdoors, but we have yet to see evidence of locally-acquired infections," said Kacey Ernst, PhD, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the University of Arizona in Tucson.

Ernst presented preliminary findings from an ongoing study she is conducting with Mary Hayden, PhD, a scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado, whose work focuses on the link between human behavior and climate-related health threats.

Their survey of residents in the two cities 2,000 miles apart and with different climates turned up many similarities. More than half of the respondents in both cities reported spending at least an hour outside each day. The use of central air conditioning, thought to lower the risk of dengue, was virtually identical (55% in Key West vs. 56% for Tucson), though some of the Tucson air conditioning systems are less dengue-friendly. They note that many people in the Tucson area use evaporative cooling systems or "swamp coolers," which increase the humidity in the home and may increase mosquito survivability, particularly in a desert environment.

"It is still a mystery as to why dengue infection has not shown up here," Ernst said. "When researchers looked at why dengue is not more common along the Texas side of the Mexico border, they cited factors limiting contact with mosquitoes, like people spending a lot of time in sealed, air conditioned buildings. Those issues are extremely important considerations, but we don't think they fully explain why Key West has dengue and Tucson doesn't."...

Tucson at dusk shot by Zereshk, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license

Rising sea levels threaten Everglades freshwater plants

Marie Guma-Diaz and Annette Gallagher in Terra Daily via UM News Coral Gables: Just inland from the familiar salt-loving mangroves that line the Southern tip of the Florida Peninsula lie plant communities that depend on freshwater flowing south from Lake Okeechobee. These communities provide critical habitats to many wildlife species, and as salt water intrudes, it could spell problems for freshwater plants and animals alike.

Satellite imagery over the southeastern Everglades confirms long-term trends of mangrove expansion and sawgrass habitat loss near the shore. The trend is related to salt water intrusion caused by sea-level rise and water management practices, according to a new study published in the scientific journal Wetlands.

"I was very surprised at how well the results matched our understanding of long-term trends and field data. Normally, we don't see such clear patterns," said Douglas Fuller, principal investigator of the study.

The findings show large patches of vegetation loss closer to the coast, approximately four kilometers from the shoreline, in and around a vegetative band of low productivity that has been shifting inland over the past 70 years. Growth trends were seen primarily in the interior, at about eight kilometers from the shore.

"Less salt-tolerant plants like the sawgrass, spike rush, and tropical hardwood hammocks are retreating. At the same time, salt-loving mangroves continue to extend inland," said Fuller, professor of Geography and Regional studies in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Miami....

A storm over the Everglades, shot by Moni3, public domain

Obama aide promises support for Florida., other states threatened by sea-level rise

Christa Marshall in E&E News:  At a conference that touched on everything from the possible submergence of the Florida Keys to contaminated drinking water wells, President Obama's principal environmental adviser told south Florida officials yesterday that the "next step" in the administration's efforts on climate change involves supporting state and local governments.

White House Council On Environmental Quality chief Nancy Sutley did not say whether additional money or incentives to help south Florida and other coastal regions prepare for rising sea levels would be part of President Obama's upcoming plan on climate change, expected in coming weeks. "You never get ahead of the boss," she said.

But she emphasized that Obama's earlier speeches mentioned not just curbing emissions but helping the nation prepare for climate change. "We've been thinking about what else we need to do as a federal government to help ensure to meet that goal," said Sutley at the Rising Seas Summit in Fort Lauderdale, organized by the Association of Climate Change Officers.

The Department of Agriculture's announcement of seven regional hubs on climate change this month is an example of the administration's local focus, according to Sutley.

At the conference, southeast Florida officials said they are making progress in preparing for rising sea levels, even as scientific research paints a catastrophic future of flooding for many communities. In the Florida Keys, for example, modeling suggests that 86 percent of Monroe County could be completely inundated at high tide with 3 feet of sea-level rise....

An aerial view of Miami, shot by Towpilot, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license

Andrea speeding up southern East Coast

CBS News: After bringing rains, heavy winds and even tornadoes to parts of Florida, Tropical Storm Andrea moved quickly across south Georgia and was speeding through the Carolinas on Friday morning, promising sloppy commutes and waterlogged vacation getaways through the beginning of the weekend.

The first named storm of the Atlantic season lost some intensity after making landfall Thursday in Florida's Big Bend and its winds were down to 45 mph Friday. Ben Nelson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Jacksonville, Fla., said Andrea was "moving at a pretty brisk pace" and could lose its tropical characteristics Friday.

During the morning rush hour in Charleston, S.C., there was little evidence the center of the storm was passing to the northwest beyond a few downed tree branches, gusty winds and some puddles in the street. The sun occasionally peeked through.

Derrec Becker with the South Carolina Emergency Management Division said the storm was moving northeast at nearly 30 mph. Across the state, he said, Andrea has brought nothing more than a severe thunderstorm. No injuries were reported and there had been no reports of significant damage.

The storm was expected to move into North Carolina by midday. The National Weather Service issued flood watches across much of both states, was well as tornado and flash flood watches in several counties. Thousands of power outages were also reported....

Hurricane Andrea's track as of June 4, image by Supportstorm

Why Everglades restoration really needs to be about adapting to climate change

Tricia Woolfenden in WLRN (Florida): When the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) was approved in 2000, it was a historic move to "restore, protect and preserve" water resources in central and south Florida. The 30-year framework was designed with the ultimate goal of restoring historic water-flows to a "dying ecosystem." Project leaders and scientists are now focused on incorporating climate change adaptation into the plans and acknowledging that the Everglades will likely never look the way it once did.

"We were looking back, now we need to look forward," said Eric Bush who is with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, one of the partners in CERP and other Everglades restoration efforts.  Bush said when CERP was created, it didn't take climate change into account. Sea level rise and fluctuations in precipitation and temperature will alter Florida's landscape, making it necessary to morph Everglades restoration plans into an "adaptation plan" for climate change.

"I don't think the public really understands the implications of climate change (on South Florida)," Bush said. He said while authorities don't yet know how serious the effects will be, adaptation needs to begin "now, or it will be too late," given the many years it takes to put any significant plan into place.

Bush's sentiments were echoed -- to one degree or another -- by numerous speakers at last week's meeting of the Committee on Independent Scientific Review of Everglades Restoration Progress (CISRERP) in Miami. The committee is part of the National Academies, a nonprofit organization that provides government and public institutions with independent analysis and recommendations on public policy....

The Turner River in the Everglades, shot by Chauncey Davis, Wikimedia Commons via Flickr, under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license

Pythons, lionfish and now willow invade Florida's waterways

University of Central Florida: Foreign invaders such as pythons and lionfish are not the only threats to Florida’s natural habitat. The native Carolina Willow is also starting to strangle portions of the St. Johns River.

Biologists at the University of Central Florida recently completed a study that shows this slender tree once used by Native Americans for medicinal purposes, may  be thriving because of water-management projects initiated in the 1950s. Canals were built to control  runoff and provide water for agriculture. The unintended consequence — stable water levels — allowed Carolina Willow to spread and thrive.

They now cover thousands of acres. Willows form impenetrable thickets that prevent boating and eliminate duck habitat. Willow thickets also use tremendous amounts of water, leaving less available for wildlife and people. The findings were published today in Restoration Ecology,  the peer-reviewed journal of the Society for Ecological Restoration. The St. Johns Water Management District funded the study.

While the trees previously were kept in check by natural annual flooding, they can now be found thriving in wetlands, swamps and marshes. Some trees grow as tall as 35 feet. The leaves of the tree contain salicin, which is the compound behind the pain-relieving effect of salicylic acid found in aspirin.

UCF professors Pedro F. Quintana-Ascencio and John Fauth worked with Kimberli Ponzio and Dianne Hall, scientists from the St. Johns River Water Management District, to run experiments that found ways to control the willow, which is taking over marshes in the upper St. Johns River basin....

St. John's River near Orange City, Florida, shot by Mwanner, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license

Planners wary of coastal sea rise in St. Augustine area

Peter Guinta in the Florida Times-Union: Scientists studying the effect of higher sea levels on the 100,000-acre Matanzas Basin — which runs from Anastasia Island to Crescent Beach — say that rising waters will turn coastal marshes into open water and coastal forests into marshes. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projections point to a potential 3- to 7-inch sea level rise along St. Johns County’s coast over several decades.

Kathryn Frank, assistant professor at the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Florida, said coastal marshes are an important wildlife habitat that should be preserved. “Higher sea levels come from global warming,” she said, explaining that rising average temperatures heat up and thus expand sea water. The higher temps also melt ice and glaciers on land masses such as Greenland and the Antarctic. That ice melt then runs into the sea.

“We’re land-use planners who focus on preserving ecosystems and habitats,” Frank said. Teams of scientists are working for UF and the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve on this project, which began in November 2011 and runs to October 2014.

A workshop Dec. 6 at Flagler College, “Planning for Sea Level Rise in the Matanzas Basin,” was designed to inform the public that rapid sea level rise can mean flooding, coastal erosion, saltwater intrusion into the water supply, storm surges moving farther inland and habitat and species changes in the Matanzas Basin.

Michael Shirley of the Guana reserve said his agency has tracked sea levels for quite a while. “We have many salt marshes [along our coast], [which are] some of the most sensitive habitats to sea level rise,” he said. “Salt marshes are important to our coastal economy, affecting ecotourism, fishing, absorbing the impact of storms, helping to detoxify runoff. They act as a water filter by absorbing nutrients. They are the canary in the coal mine for sea level rise.”...

Matanzas River near Fort Matanzas, in St. Johns County, Florida, shot by Ebyabe, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license

Sea level rise washes out a bunny

Mickie Anderson in Futurity.org: A rise in sea level is responsible for the disappearance of nearly half of the endangered marsh rabbit’s Florida Keys habitat, research shows. The Lower Keys marsh rabbit, known to scientists as Sylvilagus palustris hefneri—named for Playboy publishing magnate Hugh Hefner–is a small- to medium-sized rabbit with dark brown fur and a grayish-white belly.

Once abundant in the lower Florida Keys, the rabbit has been on the federal endangered species list since 1990, and only a few hundred remain on just a few of the keys, including Boca Chica, Sugarloaf, and Big Pine.

The findings raise concerns about the outlook for many coastal species, researchers say, because there is no reason to believe that outlook won’t worsen over time, as ocean levels are predicted to continue to rise.

 “We kind of look at sea level rise as this problem that’s just starting, something that is going to be a real problem for conservation in the future. But what we’re showing here is that it’s already a problem,” says Robert McCleery, assistant professor wildlife ecology and conservation at the University of Florida....

An employee of The Nature Conservancy uses a drip torch filled with gasoline and diesel fuel to set fires along the runways of Naval Air Station (NAS) Key West. Working in cooperation with the State of Florida and The Nature Conservancy, NAS Key West's Environmental Department conducted prescribed burns to gauge the effectiveness of prescribed fires for maintaining vegetative growth in areas around runways, reducing invasive and exotic vegetation, and improving forage and cover habitats for the Lower Keys Marsh Rabbit. U.S. Navy photo by Trice Denny (RELEASED)

Isaac officially reaches hurricane strength

CBS News: Isaac officially ballooned into a hurricane Tuesday that could flood the coasts of four states with storm surge and heavy rains on its way to New Orleans, where residents hunkered down behind levees fortified after Katrina struck seven years ago this week.

Shelters were open for those who chose to stay or missed the chance to get away before the outer bands of the large storm blow ashore ahead of a forecast landfall in southeast Louisiana on Tuesday night or early Wednesday.

Forecasters warned that Isaac was a large storm whose effects could reach out 200 miles from its center. Water may be worse than wind because the storm could push walls of water while dumping rain to flood the low-lying coast in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami upgraded Isaac to a Category 1 hurricane midday Tuesday, with surface wind speeds of 75 mph and flight-level winds even stronger, at 110 mph. The storm system was centered about 75 miles south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River at 12:20 p.m. ET and was moving northwest at 10 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. It was 160 miles southeast of New Orleans.

CBS News hurricane consultant David Bernard reports from CBS station WFOR-TV in Miami that some areas hit by Isaac could see as much as 20 inches of rain. In Washington, President Obama urged Gulf Coast residents to listen to local authorities, saying in brief remarks at the White House that "now is not the time to tempt fate."

The president declared a state of emergency in Louisiana late Monday, more than 24 hours before the storm was expected to hit the Gulf Coast. The declaration makes federal support available to save lives, protect public health and safety and preserve property in coastal areas....

GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba (Aug. 23, 2012) Employees of Bremcor, a military contracting company, tie down geo-fabric netting that surrounds the detainee camps at Guantanamo in preparation for Tropical Storm Isaac.

Tropical Storm Isaac starts lashing Florida Keys

CBS News: Tropical Storm Isaac gained fresh muscle Sunday as it bore down on the Florida Keys, with forecasters warning it could grow into a dangerous Category 2 hurricane as it nears the northern Gulf Coast.

Isaac drew new strength early Sunday during a warm-water crossing of the Florida Straits after causing weekend havoc in Cuba, where it downed trees and power lines. Before that, Isaac was blamed for four deaths in Haiti. The death toll in Haiti from the storm has risen to seven.

Gov. Rick Scott said in a news conference on Sunday that state, federal and local officials are coordinating efforts to make sure everyone is on the same page as Tropical Storm Isaac approaches Florida. he also said delegates visiting the Tampa area for the Republican National Convention will learn that in addition be being a great tourist destination, Florida is prepared to deal with hurricanes.

Scott noted there had been some minor power outages in South Florida as Isaac's feeder bands bring rain and wind to the area. He said the major concern in the Tampa Bay area will be wind. And as the storm approaches the rain-saturated Florida Panhandle, flooding may become an issue.

On Key West, locals followed time-worn storm preparedness rituals while awaiting the storm after Isaac swamped the Caribbean and shuffled plans for the Republican National Convention. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Sunday that Isaac had started lashing the Keys with rain and wind by late morning....

Tropical Storm Isaac on August 24, 2012

Tropical Storm Isaac poses potential threat for Republican national convention

Fox News via the Associated Press: Tropical Storm Isaac is posing a potential threat to next week's Republican National Convention in Florida, which culminates in the nomination of Mitt Romney for president. The U.S. National Hurricane Center on Wednesday morning said Isaac was expected to strengthen and could become a hurricane by Thursday.

Convention organizers knew it was a possibility during the peak of hurricane season. About 70,000 delegates, party officials, journalists, protesters and others are expected to attend. It's been 90 years since a major hurricane made a direct hit on Tampa, the site of the convention. Florida, historically the nation's top target for tropical systems, has not been hit by a major hurricane since Wilma in 2005.

National Hurricane Center computer models had predicted Isaac would become a hurricane over the next few days, meaning maximum winds must be at least 74 mph. Some models had the storm striking Florida, including the Tampa Bay area, after moving across Cuba or the Bahamas as early as Sunday morning.

Jeff Masters, director of meteorology at Weatherunderground.com, said long-range storm track predictions five days in advance are notoriously inaccurate, often off an average of 260 miles. But Masters said the climate situation has improved chances that Florida could be in the system's sights during the Republican event that runs Monday through Thursday.

"It would take a perfect storm of a scenario where a bunch of factors all conspire together," Masters said. "But we definitely have to watch this one." The storm's maximum sustained winds early Wednesday were near 45 mph. It was centered about 280 miles east of Guadeloupe and is moving west near 18 mph....

Hundreds of boats watching the 2002 Gasparilla Pirate Fest, which is held yearly in Tampa, Florida. Shot by Christopher Hollis for Wdwic Pictures, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license