Sea Science: by Scott McDowell Boaters and professional captains alike know that one of the most dangerous hazards at sea is colliding with a partially submerged shipping container that has…
Sea Science: by Scott McDowell You need not be a sober scientist to realize that ice is lighter than water. We see cubes floating in our cocktails, and we’re aware…
Sea Science: by Scott McDowell When mariners share sea stories of encounters with gales and rogue waves, rarely does a session end without mention of the elusive green flash. With…
Sea Science: by Scott McDowell The Gulf Stream “system” begins with westward surface flow through the Caribbean, looping through the Gulf of Mexico, then northward as the Florida Current (FC)…
Sea Science: by Scott McDowell The strong northward current between the eastern shore of Florida and the Bahamas is officially named the Florida Current (FC), as clarified by Dr. Arthur…
Sea Science by Scott McDowell Rogue waves are not uncommon throughout our world’s oceans, as documented by dozens of examples in this space last month. What’s more surprising is that…
By definition, a rogue is one who behaves unexpectedly and abnormally, often causing damage to anything nearby. This succinctly describes the extremely large and unpredictable rogue waves that are gaining…
Rainbows require sunlight and moisture in the air but it’s the magic angle of 42 degrees that causes rainbows to exist. Light rays from the sun appear to the naked…
Lightning bolts represent a tremendous discharge of electricity: 100-300 million volts and 30,000 amps. Most often, they occur between clouds, but 25 percent occur from cloud to ground. Lightning begins…
Because of severe injuries and death caused by convective (rising warm-air) storms, the National Weather Service has compiled accurate statistics on the incidence of reported lightning casualties in the United…