UPDATE: The GFDL model has shifted west. You can see a newer animation here.

The GFDL forecast model is predicting Fay will make landfall over the Everglades and the eye will pass over South Florida. This is only one of several models used to predict the storm's path so Fay could still miss South Florida. But the images do provide insight to how the storm could look if it did hit us. Click the image to view an animation. When the page opens, hit the "FWD" button to start the animation.

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This cool map offered by the USGS lets you look anywhere in the country to see past and current oil and gas production. How rich (in oil) is your state?
TIP: For an interactive map, go to the pulldown box in the center of the page and select Choose Map Size.

Here's a look at South Florida.

UPDATE: Download my News Illustrated page to see where undiscovered oil and gas deposits stretch beneath South Florida into the Gulf of Mexico.

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This venomous lionfish, native to the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific spilled into the Atlantic in 1992 and it has spread rapidly up the U.S. coast and into the Caribbean. It is 18 inches long and could certainly hold its own in an eating contest. That's the problem. This dangerous fish is eating up a lot of reef fish at a pretty quick pace. Mark Hixon, an Oregon State University marine ecology expert compared the invasion of lionfish to a plague of locusts. To control the invasion, researchers are trying to figure out what would eat it for breakfast - and lunch, and dinner. It's not the tastiest fish and even sharks steer clear. Surprisingly though, grouper will take the bait.

Check out the video below to see how quickly it attacks its prey.

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The Olympics is just around the corner. Athletes from around the world will test their skills in Beijing. But with all the excitement surrounding the games, China's relationship with Tibet has become a big issue. Protests have sprung up around the world and human rights leaders and journalists have been detained.

The News Illustrated takes a look at the history behind the conflict. You can download it here.

You can find out more at freetibet.org.

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Technology can come from anywhere.

The bombardier beetle‘s backside is being studied by scientist to advance spray technology and preserve the environment.

This tiny beetle can shoot super hot spray at up to 212 degrees Fahrenheit which will ward off any opposing enemy.

Learn more about the way this beetle defends itself at the National Academy of Sciences.

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UPDATE: Here's the latest map illustrating Florida's plan to buy US Sugar and create a natural flow for water into the everglades. Get the full story.

Here's a couple graphics from our archives that relate to the recent story on the state purchasing land in the EAA.
Graphics locate government-owned property in the EAA and diagram the "River of Grass" through the Everglades.

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If you didn't see Sunday's New Illustrated page on hurricane buoys, you can download it here. The page explains how the buoys help forecasters predict storms by measuring air temperature, atmospheric pressure, wind speed, wind direction and wave data.

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Hurricane season starts Sunday. So with that in mind, this week's News Illustrated page in the Sun-Sentinel takes a look at weather buoys, which give us information to predict the weather. Sensors placed on the buoy help scientist measure air temperature, atmospheric pressure, wind speed, wind direction and wave data. These measurements help forecasters predict storms and, in turn, helps us prepare for them.

But weather buoys can also be use for lounging:

Also this Sunday, the Sun-Sentinel is chock-full of hurricane coverage, including our annual hurricane guide. Don't forget to pick it up.

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Mosquitoes can be a real pain in South Florida. Look to one of our News Illustrated pages to help keep mosquitoes at bay, and summertime more enjoyable. The graphic includes information on:

• Mosquito repellents
• How to mosquito-proof your home
• Information on a powered bug trap, foggers & sprayers, insect zappers, ultrasound devices and citronella candles
• Tidbits on the mosquito

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A "doomsday" vault built to withstand an earthquake or nuclear strike opened in February deep in the permafrost of an Arctic mountain, where it will protect millions of agriculture seeds from man-made and natural disasters. Cary Fowler, the Executive Director of the Global Crop Diversity Fund, holds seeds inside the vault. AP Photo/John McConnico

UPDATE: My News Illustrated page in Sunday's South Florida Sun-Sentinel had all the details. In case you missed it you can download the pdf.

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault has tons of information on the vault deep within Plataberget Mountain at Longyearbyen, Norway.

There are at least 113,075,986 seeds in the vault. For information on where they came from and a database on the type of seeds check the Seed Portal.

Well, I find this all amazing.
I hope you find it just as interesting.

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Tired of paying $3.93 at the pumps? Well, be glad you don't live in Alaska, where prices are almost $5 a gallon (yikes)!!! I know, I can't imagine paying that much, but then again I didn't think we'd be at $4 a gallon either. Check out the pump prices across the country with this handy AP graphic.

And if you're like me, you'd be wishing we had Wyoming prices. But since we don't, try to find the cheapest gas in your neighborhood by using the S-S gas watch (shameless plug!!) to do a ZIP code search. Good luck!

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NOAA cane out with their hurricane forecast today and said a weak La Nina and warmer than normal sea surface temperatures could contribute to a storm season with as many as 9 hurricanes.

Animation of La Niña off the coast of South America Flashing will stop once loaded.

The blue areas off the coast of South America extending through the middle of the image are sea surface temperatures that indicate a La Niña. They are stronger in February and there appears to be a slight warming trend closer to the coast.

Sea surface temperatures
The images below compare temperatures for May 21 in 2008 and 2005, a record-setting hurricane season. While 2008 appears to have warm waters covering more area, 2005 had hotter temperatures in the Caribbean Sea. The images are produced daily by NOAA, so you can check on them at any time.

Also, check out Ken Kaye's Storm Center for regular updates on hurricane coverage.

For more information, click on the image above to see more animations or checkout NOAA's La Niña Web site.

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Since we are at the height of fire season, we thought we would give you another way to keep track of the smoldering state we call home.

The map shows current fires in red and fires from throughout the year in yellow. The USDA Forest Service creates these maps for the entire United States. They also provide maps of fires for various regions and some individual states like Florida.

We also have a Google map with active fires.

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Sea level is rising as ice at the poles melts, but will it cover part of South Florida? Who knows? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released maps that project the areas that could be affected. They show the elevations of lands close to sea level. The areas of land in red are the areas that would be covered with a 70 cm (about 2.3 feet) rise in sea level. According to the EPA, this is likely to happen in the next 120 years and has a 1% chance of happening in the next 60 years.

For additional information on sea level rise, check out these reports.

And to learn more about the melting ice in the Arctic, check out this News Illustrated page that ran a few Sundays ago. It talks about the conditions that led to the record breaking melting season last year.

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So how do firefighters battle a blaze in the wild, wild east?

See for yourself in this graphic we did last year when the rural communities in western Palm Beach County were faced with fire threat due to the drought. Firefighters adapt to the unique Florida terrain (by that I mean canals and lakes) to replenish water for fire trucks. What surprised me when I was doing my initial research is the use of bulldozers to create an area that the fire cannot jump. I always thought they either dug trenches or used drip torches.

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Maybe the satellites know.

The Satellite Services Division (SSD) collects data for many environmental uses. In this situation satellites use data to analyze fires, smoke plumes and fire potential across North and Central America.

To see the current status of fires and smoke check out the SSD: Fire Products page. The interactive map has many variables with the ability to zoom in and out of Canada, U.S. and Central America.

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A massive 7.8 earthquake struck China on Monday, possibly killing as many as 5,000 people. The quake hit at 2:28 EDT.

The U.S. Geological Survey monitors earthquakes around the world and offers detailed information. The maps are updated daily.

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This pair of images from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASAs Terra satellite use a combination of visible and infrared light to make floodwaters obvious. Water is blue or nearly black, vegetation is bright green, bare ground is tan, and clouds are white or light blue.

AP Photo/NASA

On the left: On April 15 (before the storm), rivers and lakes are sharply defined against a backdrop of vegetation and fallow agricultural land. The Irrawaddy River flows south through the left-hand side of the image. The wetlands near the shore are a deep blue green.

On the right: Cyclone Nargis came ashore across the Mouths of the Irrawaddy and followed the coastline northeast. The entire coastal plain is flooded in the May 5 image.

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Say what you will about global warming, but it is hard to deny the steady and fast loss of sea ice in the Arctic. These two images show sea ice extent at the end of the melting season in September. The top image is from 1979, the bottom image is from 2007.

Pretty big difference, huh? The 2007 melting season set a new record for melting, which isn't good, because sea ice plays an important role in regulating climate and providing a habitat for some pretty cool animals, like the narwhal. Even if you have no particular feelings towards blocks of ice, you've got to admit the narwhal is worth saving. I'm mean, come on - it's got a tooth that's longer than you are tall. Check out my News Illustrated page in the Outlook section on Sunday to find out why the ice is melting so fast and how it's affecting the people and animals living in the Arctic.

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With the rising price of rice and possible shortages, here is a look at rice production in the U.S. You can also find information about acreage and yield in the U.S. and by state on the United States Department of Agriculture website.

Soaring rice prices:

Also, here's a look at where rice is grown around the world.

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Scientists at the Vulcan Project, have collected data to create a series of maps to illustrate CO2 emissions in the US.

The Project is funded by NASA and the Department of Energy under the North American Carbon Program (NACP). The Vulcan CO2 inventory is intended to add detail and scope to policy discussions and aid demographers and social scientists.

Detail map of carbon emissions for Florida taken from map below.

Map of carbon emissions for the United States.

Are we making progress? The news is mixed. The image below illustrates the change in emissions from 1998 to 2002. The West, North East and parts of Florida have decreased their CO2 levels while levels in the middle of the country have increased. Methodology.

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Animation of La Niña off the coast of South America Flashing will stop once loaded.

William Gray came out with his annual prediction today and said a weak La Nina could contribute to a storm season with as many as 15 named storms.

The blue areas off the coast of South America extending through the middle of the image are sea surface temperatures that indicate a La Niña. They are stronger in January, but there appears to be a slight warming trend closer to the coast.

For more information, click on the image above to see more animations or checkout NOAA's La Niña Web site.

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Wow. That was a bunch of rain last night. The image above is a composite of several NEXRAD radar stations that shows rainfall in inches. More is on the way, so try to stay dry.

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Noel's actual path superimposed on a 5-day forecast.

With the National Hurricane Center's push to extend their forecast to seven days, we decided to take a quick look at Noel, a tropical storm that threatened Florida last year. The track veers wildly at times, but it mostly stays within the forecast cone. Noel became a hurricane after passing over the Bahamas.

You can view the NHC's animation of Noel forecast maps or the report for the entire 2007 hurricane season.

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This is a News Illustrated page that was done last year. It looks at shark attacks in Florida and around the world. It also talks about who usually is attacked.

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Forecasters are warning of an intense hurricane season this year. So we thought we would offer you a look at sea surface temperatures, a contributor to hurricane formation and intensity.

The images below compare three years of records for March 31. While 2008 doesn't look bad yet, there is still plenty of time for oceans to heat up. The images are produced daily by NOAA, so you can check on them at any time.

Also, check out Ken Kaye's Storm Center for regular updates on hurricane coverage.

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Light pollution is most prevalent in urban areas across the U.S. Many parts of Florida are not good for people looking to catch a nice view of stars. Here's some information about where you'll find the most and least polluted areas in case you want to do some star gazing.

Here is another map that has details about where to check out the night sky, including detailed light pollution maps for areas all over Florida.

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