Fellmer with Alma Lucia, left, and Nieves Palmer. Photo courtesy of Raphael Fellmer.A Berlin family of three has been living on practically nothing but love and the goodwill of others for more than two years and counting—not as a victims of the rough economy, but as activists who are on a money strike to protest what they call our “excess-consumption society.”
“As consumers, we support the system, and we are all responsible for making a wasteful society,” Raphael Fellmer, 29, told Yahoo! Shine. “This strike is to inspire other people to reflect about our other possibilities.”
Fellmer, who said he’d held jobs since he was 12 years old, began his protest after years of working in hotels, bars, restaurants and various offices. In 2010, after graduating from college in the Hague as a European Studies major, he and two friends embarked upon a 15-month “journey of humanity” to raise awareness of environmental destruction and of society’s many wastes, including estimates that about one-third of all food produced worldwide (valued at about $1 trillion a year) gets wasted.
That trip involved hitchhiking from Europe to Mexico without cash, simply depending on the goodwill and excess resources of others. It carried them over more than 19,000 miles on more than 500 vehicles—including a sailboat that took the trio from the Canary Islands to Brazil in exchange for crew duties—and soon led Fellmer to meet his wife, Nieves Palmer, who became pregnant along the way.
Now the couple, along with their 18-month-old daughter Alma Lucia, are continuing to live nearly money-free in Berlin, where they do odd jobs and organizing work in exchange for living space, with roommates, in the Peace House Martin Niemöller, which contains various non-profits. (Though Fellmer uses no money, he said Palmer does use a little, mainly in the form of child support she receives from the government, which is granted to all children.)
Remember the 2011 Lorca(Murcia) earthquake from 11 may 2011.
With a magnitude of 5.1 at only a depht of 1 km.
Lots of buildings and historical monuments were damaged, 10 deaths and over 400 people were injured.
Now in that same region the earth is cracking up.
The crack extends along the industrial park in the direction of the sport city “Valverde Reina”; It has a length of more than 300 meters and a depth of more than two metres in some places.
According to europapress.es at the beginning of November, cracks appeared on top of a cliff at Cotillo, located at the northern end of Fuerteventura, one of the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa.
link
If those are the same cracks that are showing on the mainland I would imagine more cracks will appear on that line. The distance between the island and the place where the cracks are reported in Murcia is over 2000km.
What the cause may be it still a mystery, as there hasn’t been any recent earthquakes in the region.
Unless it’s been caused by the 2011 earthquake and the volcano activity on the Canary Islands.
Could these be linked?
The Department of Emergency situations urgently requested the Geological Survey of Murcia to assess the cause of the “huge cracks in ground”, which appeared after the recent heavy rains in the industrial park area “El Saladar”, Totana, situated in the south-east of the Iberian Peninsula.
Fractures in the ground often occur during earthquakes. They appear frequently and their origin is not a mystery.
However, fractures not associated with known earthquake movements, are relatively rare and usually remain – unexplained
1 month ago cracks were showing up after the floods of September which caused the life of 3 people. This crack is extending up to 1.5 km and at some places a depht of 5meters. There are no conclusions made of what the cause may be.
The month of October, in El Esparragal, a crack of 1.5 kilometres appeared, that came to light after disappearing water from the floods of September.
The crack affects both houses as farms. Technical Civil Protection and the Geological Survey of Spain moved a few days ago to the place to make a first assessment, but there are no conclusions. A “comprehensive study” is required to analyze the situation, according to the abc.es.
Today the cracks are still growing in some areas and are now up to 50 cm wide. They are closing of the area to avoid any accident by other geological hazards in that region.
Living in Spain, I will follow this and will add updates to this thread if conclusions are made or more cracks appear.
All information and opinions are welcome.
MessageToEagle.com – New dangerous cracks in ground appeared on our planet.
This time, they have been reported in Spain.
The Department of Emergency situations urgently requested the Geological Survey of Murcia to assess the cause of the “huge cracks in ground”, which appeared after the recent heavy rains in the industrial park area “El Saladar”, Totana, situated in the south-east of the Iberian Peninsula.
The crack extends along the industrial park in the direction of the sport city “Valverde Reina”; It has a length of more than 300 meters and a depth of more than two metres in some places.
Crack appeared two days ago and opens gradually reaching a width of 40 to 50 cm.
According to europapress.es at the beginning of November, cracks appeared on top of a cliff at Cotillo, located at the northern end of Fuerteventura, one of the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa.
Terremotos de los últimos 2 días en las Islas Canarias de magnitud igual o superior a 1.5 o sentidos:Earthquakes for the last 2 days on the Canary Islands magnitude equal or greater than 1.5 registered
JAKARTA, Indonesia – A volcano in northern Indonesia has spewed hot smoke and ash thousands of feet into the air in two new eruptions.
Mount Lokon on Sulawesi island had been dormant before rumbling back to life last year.
Government volcanologist Hendrasto says it unleashed two strong eruptions Friday.
Residents have been put on alert, but no evacuations are planned since the nearest villages are beyond the danger area about 2.5 kilometres (1.5 miles) from the crater.
Mount Lokon’s last major eruption in 1991 killed a Swiss hiker and forced thousands to flee. The volcano is one of five on high alert in Indonesia. The archipelago straddles the “Pacific Ring of Fire” and has more active volcanoes than any other nation.
Niamey, Niger – At least 92 people have died in floods that have swept Niger following torrential rains, according to the latest data released by the Prime minister’s office on Friday. The data indicate that 72,396 families are affected with 511,484 people being victims, as at Thursday. All the country’s eight regions are affected by floods with Tillabéry, Dosso and Niamey being the worst affected. Huge damage is reported on basic socio-economic infrastructure and other items crucial to the people.
Rice crops, schools, health centres, roads, bridges, dams have all been affected while a huge quantities of food and many cattle have been swept away by flood waters.
The chairperson of the technical committee in charge of managing the floods, Mrs Saadatou Malam Barmou, said that thanks to national solidarity and international cooperation, food needs are covered for 45 days out.
Water containers have been distributed to victims to fetch potable water to reduce water-related diseases. The ministry of Health has also set up health centres at the sites and mobile teams to solve health problems.
The government has made available 3,400 tonnes of cereals for the victims and raised 700 million CFAF to support re-housing and buy additional food.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Flooding continues to cause problems throughout Southcentral Alaska.
Jeremy Zidek, spokesman for the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, says in a release that there have been reports of flooding, landslides and road closures throughout the area.
But there has been no report of major injuries.
Residents in East Talkeetna are being told to evacuate because of flooding.
The Red Cross has established three shelters in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough and helped with another in Seward.
Weather problems are not confined to Southcentral Alaska.
Zidek says a landslide has blocked access from the village of Chenega to its airport, and state transportation officials are working to restore access. And an assessment team is in Tanacross to evaluate damage from Sunday’s wind storm.
Cameroon authorities have found six more bodies in flood waters, bringing the number killed to as high as 40 in the wake of tropical downpours and the breaching of a dam in the west African country. The inundation in the Far North Region has affected more than 26,000, officials said Thursday, and in neighboring Nigeria at least 15 deaths are blamed on waters rushing into the country from Cameroon’s compromised Lagdo Dam on the Benoue River. Cameroon’s Communication Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary has described the flooding as “a calamity” and called for urgent action to save lives and property. Local officials are calling it the worst flood disaster in over 60 years. Water has submerged swaths of the North Region downstream, wiping out homes, farms and livestock, and Cameroon’s government has dispatched a military contingency to assist and evacuate victims.
Residents of Talkeetna are being asked to evacuate the town after its dike system against heavy flooding failed Friday, according to local firefighters. The evacuation is now voluntary, although an initial order was mandatory. Talkeetna Fire Department Battalion Chief Johnny Murdoch, the incident commander for flooding in the area, says the Susitna River started backing up to the Talkeetna River, causing the dike to fail. According to local officials the decision to evacuate Talkeetna was made by Alaska State Troopers, with authorities expecting water to continue rising Friday afternoon. The Associated Press reports that overnight rains in Talkeetna ranged from half an inch to 1 1/2 inches over a 6- to 8-hour period. The Talkeetna River was within a foot of its record stage of 17.4 feet, with officials telling the AP about 35 percent of Talkeetna has some form of water coverage. Students from Talkeetna’s elementary school were being bused to the local high school Friday. Traffic was blocked from entering Talkeetna until the evacuation was no longer mandatory, a change made shortly before 2 p.m. In a flood warning effective through 10 p.m. Friday, the National Weather Service says a levee protecting the town was breached as of 1 p.m. The Talkeetna River is 4 feet above flood stage, and expected to crest Friday evening. âAll persons in the vicinity of Talkeetna should take precautions now to protect life and property,â meteorologists wrote. The NWS advises people to avoid crossing flowing streams — even small ones â on foot, or driving across flooded roadways in cars, under the slogan âTurn around, donât drown.â
This shows Fukushima after a tsunami in March 2011. Credit: IAEA
The tsunami in Japan in March 2011 unleashed a series of negligence related with the resulting nuclear disaster. A scientific study headed by Spanish researchers has for the first time identified those atomic power plants that are more prone to suffering the effects of a tsunami. In total, 23 plants are in dangerous areas, including Fukushima I, with 74 reactors located in the east and southeast of Asia.
Tsunamis are synonymous with the destruction of cities and homes and since the Japanese coast was devastated in March 2011 we now know that they cause nuclear disaster, endanger the safety of the population and pollute the environment. As such phenomena are still difficult to predict, a team of scientists have assessed “potentially dangerous” areas that are home to completed nuclear plants or those under construction. In the study published in the ‘Natural Hazards’ journal, the researchers drew a map of the world’s geographic zones that are more at risk of large tsunamis. Based on this data, 23 nuclear power plants with 74 reactors have been identified in high risk areas. One of them includes Fukushima I. Out of them, 13 plants with 29 reactors are active; another four, that now have 20 reactors, are being expanded to house nine more; and there are seven new plants under construction with 16 reactors. “We are dealing with the first vision of the global distribution of civil nuclear power plants situated on the coast and exposed to tsunamis,” as explained to SINC by José Manuel Rodríguez-Llanes, coauthor of the study and researcher at the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) of the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium. The authors used historical, archaeological, geological and instrumental records as a base for determining tsunami risk. Despite the fact that the risk of these natural disasters threatens practically the entire western coast of the American continent, the Spanish/Portuguese Atlantic Coast and the coast of North Africa, the Eastern Mediterranean and areas of Oceania, especially in South and Southeast Asia are at greater risk due to the presence of atomic power stations.
23 nuclear power plants are in tsunami risk areas Credit: SINC For Debarati Guha-Sapir, another coauthor of the study and CRED researcher, “the impact of natural disaster is getting worse due to the growing interaction with technological installations.” China: a nuclear power in the making Some 27 out of 64 nuclear reactors that are currently under construction in the world are found in China. This is an example of the massive nuclear investment of the Asian giant. “The most important fact is that 19 (two of which are in Taiwan) out of the 27 reactors are being built in areas identified as dangerous,” state the authors of the study. In the case of Japan, which in March 2011 suffered the consequences of the worse tsunami in its history, there are seven plants with 19 reactors at risk, one of which is currently under construction. South Korea is now expanding two plants at risk with five reactors. India (two reactors) and Pakistan (one reactor) could also feel the consequences of a tsunami in the plants. The ghost of Fukushima “The location of nuclear installations does not only have implications for their host countries but also for the areas which could be affected by radioactive leaks,” as outlined to SINC by Joaquín Rodríguez-Vidal, lead author of the study and researcher at the Geodynamics and Paleontology Department of the University of Huelva. According to the study, we should learn our lessons from the Fukushima accident. For the authors, prevention and previous scientific studies are the best tools for avoiding such disasters. “But since the tsunami in 2004 the Indian Ocean region is still to take effective political measures,” warn the researchers. The Fukushima crisis took place in a highly developed country with one of the highest standards in scientific knowledge and technological infrastructure. “If it had occurred in a country less equipped for dealing with the consequences of catastrophe, the impact would have been a lot more serious for the world at large,” claim the experts. Therefore, Professor Rodríguez-Vidal recommends the drafting of more local analyses that consider the seismic amplification of each nuclear power plant and determine the adaptation of installation identified in the study. More information: Rodríguez-Vidal, Joaquin ; Rodríguez-Llanes, Jose M. ; Guha-Sapir, Debarati. “Civil nuclear power at risk of tsunamis “
Natural Hazards 63 (2) : 1273-1278 DOI: 10.1007/s11069-012-0162-0 , septiembre de 2012.
Last week, Japan surprised the world by announcing that it plans to abandon atomic energy completely by the 2030s. But now in an abrupt turnaround, the Japanese Cabinet appears to be backpedaling on that decision, dropping any mention of the 2030s deadline in its approval of Japan’s new energy policy.
Arnie Gundersen @Congressional Briefing Cannon House Office Building — Room 121
About 11:05 of 9/22/2012, Tepco dropped a steel frame of 7m long and 470kg into the SFP of reactor3. 514 assemblies of spent fuel and 52 fuel assemblies are kept in the pool.
Tepco was removing debris by the remote controlling crane and dropped it into the pool mistakenly.
The steel frame was 30cm×20cm×7m, 470kg. It was dropped from South-East side.
Tepco states the radiation level did not change, the dosimeter set 2m above the pool did not measure any change in radiation level either. Water level and the temperature did not change.
It hasn’t happened that such a large material dropped into the pool. Tepco is planning to investigate if the fuel assemblies are not damaged by underwater camera.
PRISTINA, (bdnews24.com/Reuters) – At least five people in the Balkans have died from West Nile virus and several dozen others have been hospitalized in the past four weeks, according to health authorities in Serbia, Kosovo, Macedonia and Croatia.
West Nile virus is a mosquito-borne disease usually found in temperate and tropical regions. While many cases are mild and have no symptoms, severe disease symptoms can include headaches, high fever, neck stiffness, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness and paralysis.
Kosovo confirmed its first fatality on Wednesday, saying the victim was a woman from central Kosovo who died on Sept 14. Macedonia’s health officials said on Thursday one woman had died and two other people were infected with the virus.
A spokesman for the Kosovo Health Ministry told Reuters on Thursday two other people who died recently were also suspected of having the same virus, but the cases had not been confirmed with laboratory blood tests.
The United States is currently experiencing one of its worst outbreaks of West Nile virus since 2003.
In Serbia, three people have died and 35 were hospitalized since mid-August.
“This is the first time the West Nile virus has been officially registered in Serbia,” the country’s Department for Public Health said in a statement.
All the infected people were over 50 and had other chronic diseases, it said. Serbia’s western neighbor Croatia has registered five probable cases of the virus but no deaths.
Measles epidemic Congo – An outbreak of measles, which has been raging in Likouala, North-eastern Congo since April, has already killed 22 people, the state-run radio said Friday.
The epidemic, which initially hit Liranga and Bétou, have now reached Impfondo and Epena.
Following the outbreak, the Ministry of Health Thursday launched a 5-day vaccination campaign against measles in the district.
Vaccination teams will travel throughout the localities of Likouala, which since 2009 has sheltered over 100,000 refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), who are fleeing inter-ethnic violence in the Equateur province.
- In light of confirmation of a measles case in a school-aged child in Ulster County, State Health Commissioner Nirav R. Shah, M.D., M.P.H., advises all New Yorkers to be vaccinated against measles. “Many people think measles is a childhood disease of the past, but it remains a highly-contagious viral disease that can cause serious health problems and even death,” Shah said. “The good news is that measles is preventable, and people who are vaccinated can protect themselves against the disease.” The current Ulster County measles case involves a child who attends a school where nearly half of the students are not vaccinated against measles. Although vaccination against measles is one of the required immunizations for school children in New York, exemptions from the requirement may be granted by a school. The Ulster County Health Department is working with the school district to protect other school children from measles. Unvaccinated children who attend the same Ulster County school as the child with measles and unvaccinated school staff are being excluded from the school for 21 days to help prevent them from contracting or spreading the disease. Individuals are not at risk of contracting measles if they are immune. A person is considered immune if they were born before January 1, 1957, have a history of physician-diagnosed measles, a blood test confirming immunity, or have received two doses of the MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) vaccine. Measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by a virus and is spread by direct contact with nasal or throat secretions of infected people. Due to widespread immunization in the United States, the measles virus does not circulate in this country, but is present in some foreign countries, including some in Europe and Asia. It is strongly recommended that anyone traveling to a country where measles is circulating be immunized before their trip; those who are not immunized could potentially contract the disease while abroad and infect other non-immunized individuals upon their return back to the U.S.
Biohazard name:
Measles
Biohazard level:
2/4 Medium
Biohazard desc.:
Bacteria and viruses that cause only mild disease to humans, or are difficult to contract via aerosol in a lab setting, such as hepatitis A, B, and C, influenza A, Lyme disease, salmonella, mumps, measles, scrapie, dengue fever, and HIV. “Routine diagnostic work with clinical specimens can be done safely at Biosafety Level 2, using Biosafety Level 2 practices and procedures. Research work (including co-cultivation, virus replication studies, or manipulations involving concentrated virus) can be done in a BSL-2 (P2) facility, using BSL-3 practices and procedures. Virus production activities, including virus concentrations, require a BSL-3 (P3) facility and use of BSL-3 practices and procedures”, see Recommended Biosafety Levels for Infectious Agents.
The international humanitarian agency Oxfam is warning that living conditions of refugees in a camp in Upper Nile state are becoming increasingly desperate, and more people will probably die if help does not arrive soon. More than 100,000 refugees have fled fighting between Sudanese armed forces and rebels in Sudan’s Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan states. At least 16 refugees have died in the past two weeks from an outbreak of Hepatitis E, according to the U.N. Pauline Ballaman, Oxfam’s South Sudan director, said the best way to curb the spread of the water-borne disease is to relocate thousands of Sudanese refugees to a safer place. “The government of South Sudan and UNHCR, who are the lead agencies, would encourage them to look at all other possibilities because this is not going to be a sustainable job or solution,” Ballaman said. South Sudan and the UN refugee agency considered relocating the refugees to areas along the Nile River, according to Ballaman, but she said no decision has been made so far. Ballaman said more people are showing symptoms of Hepatitis E. She added, “there are a lot more people affected and, of course, it is far more serious for the nursing and pregnant mothers and young children, and malnutrition kicks in as well,” According to Ballaman, no season is favorable to housing more than 100,000 refugees. Widespread flooding during South Sudan’s rainy season is the problem right now, but when the dry season arrives the problem will be not enough water.
Biohazard name:
Hepatitis E. Outbreak
Biohazard level:
2/4 Medium
Biohazard desc.:
Bacteria and viruses that cause only mild disease to humans, or are difficult to contract via aerosol in a lab setting, such as hepatitis A, B, and C, influenza A, Lyme disease, salmonella, mumps, measles, scrapie, dengue fever, and HIV. “Routine diagnostic work with clinical specimens can be done safely at Biosafety Level 2, using Biosafety Level 2 practices and procedures. Research work (including co-cultivation, virus replication studies, or manipulations involving concentrated virus) can be done in a BSL-2 (P2) facility, using BSL-3 practices and procedures. Virus production activities, including virus concentrations, require a BSL-3 (P3) facility and use of BSL-3 practices and procedures”, see Recommended Biosafety Levels for Infectious Agents.
Symptoms:
Status:
confirmed
23.09.2012
Epidemic Hazard
USA
State of New York, New Paltz [Mountain Laurel Waldorf School]
A case of measles has been confirmed in a student who attends the Mountain Laurel Waldorf School in New Paltz, according to the Dutchess County Department of Health. The measles case was reported by Dutchess County Health Commissioner Dr. Michael Caldwell in a press release emailed to local media outlets late Friday. It was not immediately clear why the release came from a Dutchess County official rather than one in Ulster County, where the private school is located, and the name and hometown of the infected person were not provided. Caldwell said his office has “been in close communication” with the Ulster County Department of Health and the state Department of Health. Caldwell said anyone who has visited the school since Sept. 10 or has had contact with anyone from the school since that date should make sure their measles vaccinations are up to date. Those who lack proper vaccinations should consult with a doctor. Caldwell said his department has learned that a number of students at the New Paltz school have not been vaccinated for measles, meaning they could become ill and put others at risk. Caldwell said all medical practices and laboratories in the area should be on high alert that there may be a number of children and family members who have been exposed and could spread the disease further. Incidents of measles, which is highly contagious, have increased in the United States recently due to a growing number of unvaccinated individuals who travel to countries where measles is prevalent, Caldwell said.
Biohazard name:
Measles
Biohazard level:
2/4 Medium
Biohazard desc.:
Bacteria and viruses that cause only mild disease to humans, or are difficult to contract via aerosol in a lab setting, such as hepatitis A, B, and C, influenza A, Lyme disease, salmonella, mumps, measles, scrapie, dengue fever, and HIV. “Routine diagnostic work with clinical specimens can be done safely at Biosafety Level 2, using Biosafety Level 2 practices and procedures. Research work (including co-cultivation, virus replication studies, or manipulations involving concentrated virus) can be done in a BSL-2 (P2) facility, using BSL-3 practices and procedures. Virus production activities, including virus concentrations, require a BSL-3 (P3) facility and use of BSL-3 practices and procedures”, see Recommended Biosafety Levels for Infectious Agents.
A massive fireball was seen right across Ireland last night which may be “one of the best ever seen” in Europe and was a “huge event”, according to Astronomy Ireland. The trail of fragments passed across the sky at about 10.55pm with sightings reported from Dublin, Donegal, Cork, Sligo, Carlow, Longford, Antrim and across Britain and as far away as as The Netherlands. It was “very unusual to see it in multiple countries,” David Moore of Astronomy Ireland said. “I’ve never seen one fragmented like that and streaked across the sky,” he said. The fireball later exploded into fragments. Mr Moore said the cause of the fireball was not yet clear. “It is a piece of space debris, but whether it is man made or natural is not known,” he said. He said it was too slow for natural debris and was going the wrong direction for man-made debris. “It is probably a space rock that has skidded across the atmosphere.” Meteorites will have been dropped “but whether they landed in Ireland or at sea we will have to figure out”, he said. Witnesses described a trail of seven to 12 fireballs in a straight line across the sky. No sound was to be heard either by witnesses in the city or the countryside. Kielder Observatory in Britain last night reported a sighting of a “huge fireball” .Mr Moore asked for witnesses to submit a fireball report to the Astronomy Ireland website “This will help us to triangulate the path,” he said. Twitter and Facebook filled with reports of the strange sightings last night, with meteor trending on Twitter in Ireland. “Spotted what looked like about eight fireballs travelling east to west over the M1 at Santry, Dublin at 10.56pm. Amazing,” wrote one tweeter last night. The Irish Coast Guard had reports from the north coast right down the east coast.
22.09.2012
Event into space
United Kingdom
Scotland and England, [Between Airdrie and Arbroath, Greater Manchester]
A suspected meteorite shower over Scotland has prompted a flurry of 999 calls from worried members of the public. Concerned callers from Airdrie to Arbroath likened the lights they saw in the sky to flares, fireworks and even a plane crash. Coastguard and police forces up and down the country were inundated with reports from around 11pm on Friday night. A spokesman for Forth Coastguard said: “From talking to other stations and to the RAF it’s almost certainly meteorite activity. “Calls came in from all over the place, thick and fast. We’ve had people report possible plane crashes, and others the weirdest fireworks they’ve ever seen. “Folk just haven’t known how to describe what they’ve seen. It’s quite extraordinary.” The spokesman said reports had come from Crail, Johnshaven and Arbroath. Clyde Coastguard said it had received a “flurry” of calls reporting flares seen in Drummore, Airdrie and Brodick on Arran. A spokeswoman said: “When we get it all over and at the same time then we attribute them to meteorites. There was meteorite activity forecast from September 15 to 21.” Shetland Coastguard said a report of a flare at 11.10pm at Duncansby Head near John O’Groats was thought to be part of the meteorite shower.
MessageToEagle.com – Beautiful and mysterious structures known as superbubbles result from the stellar winds and supernovae of OB [spectral types O or early-type B] associations.
Astronomers believe they play play a fundamental role in the structure and energetics of the ISM [interstellar medium] in star-forming galaxies.
Their influence may also dominate the relationship between the different interstellar gas phases.
How do superbubbles form and evolve?
How do they affect the local and global ISM?
The Magellanic Clouds provide a superior opportunity to study this shell-forming activity, since both stellar content and gaseous structure can be examined in detail.
A superbubble in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) was observed by astronomers using Chandra X-ray Observatory.
LMC is a small satellite galaxy of the Milky Way, located about 160,000 light years from Earth.
Many new stars, some of them very massive, are forming in the star cluster NGC 1929, which is embedded in the nebula N44.
The massive stars produce intense radiation, expel matter at high speeds, and race through their evolution to explode as supernovas.
The winds and supernova shock waves carve out huge cavities called superbubbles in the surrounding gas. X-rays from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory (blue) show hot regions created by these winds and shocks, while infrared data from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope (red) outline where the dust and cooler gas are found.
The optical light from the 2.2m Max-Planck-ESO telescope (yellow) in Chile shows where ultraviolet radiation from hot, young stars is causing gas in the nebula to glow.
A long-running problem in high-energy astrophysics has been that some superbubbles in the LMC, including N44, give off a lot more X-rays than expected from models of their structure.
A Chandra study published in 2011 showed that there are two extra sources of the bright X-ray emission: supernova shock waves striking the walls of the cavities, and hot material evaporating from the cavity walls.
The observations show no evidence for an enhancement of elements heavier than hydrogen and helium in the cavities, thus ruling out this possibility as an explanation for the bright X-ray emission.
Click on image to enlarge
NGC 1929 is a star cluster embedded in the N44 nebula, which is found in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Massive stars in the cluster produce intense radiation, expel matter at high speeds, and explode relatively quickly as supernovas.
Winds from the massive stars and shocks from the supernovas carve out “superbubbles” in the gas seen in X-rays by Chandra (blue). Infrared data show dust (red) and cooler gas and optical light (yellow) reveals where ultraviolet radiation is causing the gas to glow. Credits: X-ray: NASA/CXC/U.Mich./S.Oey, IR: NASA/JPL, Optical: ESO/WFI/2.2-m
This is the first time that the data have been good enough to distinguish between different sources of the X-rays produced by superbubbles.
The Chandra study of N44 and another superbubble in the LMC was led by Anne Jaskot from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. The co-authors were Dave Strickland from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD, Sally Oey from University of Michigan, You-Hua Chu from University of Illinois and Guillermo Garcia-Segura from Instituto de Astronomia-UNAM in Ensenada, Mexico.
MessageToEagle.com – Cassini spacecraft has taken great photos of Saturn and its largest moon, Titan.
The colors are spectacular and on one of the images you can even see the changing hues of Saturn’s northern and southern hemispheres as they pass from one season to the next.
Upon Cassini’s arrival at Saturn eight years ago, Saturn’s northern winter hemisphere was an azure blue.
Now that winter is encroaching on the planet’s southern hemisphere and summer on the north, the color scheme is reversing: blue is tinting the southern atmosphere and is fading from the north.
Some of these views, such as those of the polar vortex, are only possible because Cassini’s newly inclined — or tilted — orbits allow more direct viewing of the polar regions of Saturn and its moons.
Click on image to enlargeColorful Colossi and Changing Hues
A giant of a moon appears before a giant of a planet undergoing seasonal changes in this natural color view of Titan and Saturn from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft.
Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, measures 3,200 miles, or 5,150 kilometers, across and is larger than the planet Mercury. Cassini scientists have been watching the moon’s south pole since a vortex appeared in its atmosphere in 2012.
As the seasons have changed in the Saturnian system, and spring has come to the north and autumn to the south, the azure blue in the northern Saturnian hemisphere that greeted Cassini upon its arrival in 2004 is now fading. The southern hemisphere, in its approach to winter, is taking on a bluish hue. This change is likely due to the reduced intensity of ultraviolet light and the haze it produces in the hemisphere approaching winter, and the increasing intensity of ultraviolet light and haze production in the hemisphere approaching summer. Image credit: NASA
Scientists are looking forward to seeing more of the same — new phenomena like Titan’s south polar vortex and changes wrought by the passage of time and seasons — during the remainder of Cassini’s mission.
“Cassini has been in orbit now for the last eight years, and despite the fact that we can’t know exactly what the next five years will show us, we can be certain that whatever it is will be wondrous,” said Carolyn Porco, imaging team lead based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo.“It is so fantastic to experience, through the instruments of Cassini, seasonal changes in the Saturn system,” said Amanda Hendrix, deputy project scientist, based at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.
“Some of the changes we see in the data are completely unexpected, while some occur like clockwork on a seasonal timescale.
It’s an exciting time to be at Saturn.”
Click on image to enlargeObscured by Rings
Saturn’s rings obscure part of Titan’s colorful visage in this image from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft. The south polar vortex that first appeared in Titan’s atmosphere in 2012 is visible at the bottom of this view. Image credit: NASA
Click on image to enlargeA Ring of Color
Titan’s north polar hood can be seen at the top of this view, and a hint of the south polar vortex can be detected at the bottom. Image credit: NASA
Click on image to enlargePolar Vortex in Color
The recently formed south polar vortex stands out in the color-swaddled atmosphere of Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, in this natural color view from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft. The south polar vortex can be seen approximately centered over the south pole in the lower left of the image. Image credit: NASA
[In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit, for research and/or educational purposes. This constitutes 'FAIR USE' of any such copyrighted material.]
Earthquakes of the last 2 days on the Canary Islands Mgnitude 1.5 or greater
Terremotos de los últimos 2 días en las Islas Canarias de magnitud igual o superior a 1.5 o sentidos:
The earthquake information for lesser magnitudes can be found at this link Catálogo y boletines sísmicos.
La información de terremotos de magnitud inferior se puede obtener en Catálogo y boletines sísmicos.This data is subject to change as a consequence of continuous revisions of seismic analysis
Esta información está sujeta a modificaciones como consecuencia de la continua revisión del análisis sísmico.
Translation by Desert Rose
95 Tremors in the Canary Islands Region between 9/17/2012 and 9/18/2012
Event Date Time Lat. Long. Depth Mag. Type Location
A man in Quang Nam Province swings his arms to describe earthquakes that rattled his house early on Monday. The tremors have left his wife and son in a panic, he said.
The central province of Quang Nam, which has been disturbed by tremors caused by the Song Tranh 2 dam, was hit by more earthquakes Monday and Tuesday.
Two earthquakes, the bigger of which registered 2.7 on the Richter scale, occurred early Monday, and three others early on Tuesday.
Nguyen Quoc Viet, who lives near the dam, said he was sleeping when a tremor woke him Monday.
“The bed shook. I knew it was another earthquake, and I just ran out of the house.”
Ho Van Tien, who felt a quake while exercising at 5 p.m., said the tremors lasted around seven seconds. He said it was the biggest of the recent quakes he’d experienced.
Many local residents agreed the late quake Monday was the worst, while scientists later said it occurred as close as five kilometers from the earth’s surface.
The quakes added to a series of at least 17 since September 3, including one of a magnitude 4.2, which have panicked local residents.
Scientists said the quakes were “normal” reservoir-induced ones, caused by the increased pressure of the dam’s water on the earth’s surface as water from the reservoir is absorbed into fault lines in the area, triggering seismic activity.
Geologists sent to the province said the quakes were not dangerous, but local authorities did not believe them.
Many local residents have packed their clothes and blankets and are ready to leave at a moment’s notice. Others have built wooden houses, leaving their cracked concrete houses abandoned.
Many parents have also pulled their children out of schools downstream from the dam.
Local officials have demanded that the dam’s investor, the state-owned monopoly Electricity of Vietnam, not to store any more water at the dam, and compensate affected families, at least with rice.
The Song Tranh 2 hydropower dam, the biggest in the central region, was built at a cost of more than VND4.15 trillion (US$197.53 million). It caused first quakes in November 2010 soon after it was completed, and more in April this year after it developed cracks. The cracks were fixed by the end of August.
JAKARTA, Indonesia — One of Indonesia’s most active volcanos has erupted, shooting ash and smoke nearly 1 1/2 kilometers (one mile) into the sky.
State volcanology official Kristianto says Mount Soputan on central Indonesia’s Sulawesi island erupted Tuesday afternoon.
Kristianto, who uses one name, says there is no plan for an immediate evacuation since the nearest villages are outside the danger area of about 6.5 kilometers (4 miles) from the crater.
Mount Soputan is about 1,350 miles (2,160 kilometers) northeast of Jakarta. It last erupted in July last year, causing no casualties.
Indonesia straddles the “Pacific Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanos and fault lines around the Pacific Basin. It has more active volcanoes than any other nation. Another mountain, Gamalama, erupted last week on the Molucca Islands.
Steam and ash billow out of Mount Gamalama on Ternate Island on Sunday. (AP Photo)
Solo, Central Java. As two volcanos in the eastern part of Indonesia continued to erupt on Monday, Mount Merapi in Central Java has been displaying increasing activity, with rumblings in the past week.
“In the evenings, there are rumblings that are accompanied by the ground shaking,” Sapto, from Samiran village in the district of Boyolali on the slope of Merapi, said on Monday.
He said that the 2,968-meter volcano was also active during the day, as evidenced by the thick column of ash billowing out from its crater.
Sapto said that as of Monday, local authorities had not issued any information to the public regarding the volcano.
Subiso, head of Selo subdistrict in Boyolali, confirmed that no official advisories or warnings had been issued yet about the increased activity on Merapi.
However, he said that the rumbling sounds from the volcano were almost routine in the area, and added that the situation there “is still safe.”
Ngatini, another resident said that the rumblings did not disturb local residents too much.
“If an eruption is imminent, the rumbling will be heard continuously and there will be some ash rain,” she said.
Merapi last erupted in October 2010, spewing enormous amounts of ash. Pyroclastic flows, fast-moving currents of superheated gas and rock, killed more than 300 people along the heavily populated slopes and forced 350,000 to evacuate.
Meanwhile, with a small eruption still taking place on Mount Lokon in Tomohon, North Sulawesi, authorities there are maintaining the alert status for the volcano and have banned all human activities within a 2.5-kilometer radius of the crater.
Farid Sukendar, head of the Lokon volcano observation post, said that the mountain erupted after dusk on Saturday, spewing superheated volcanic material up to 600 meters and ash up to 1,500 meters into the atmosphere.
“This volcano is active and therefore we should remain vigilant because it could erupt any time,” he said.
Arnold Poli, secretary of the town of Tomohon, located at the base of the mountain, said that the authorities were continuously monitoring the volcano. He said that the series of eruptions had not affected the activities of the local population but added the authorities were calling on everyone to remain alert.
He also said that despite the volcanic activity, the government had yet to evacuate anyone from the villages of Kinilow and Kakaskasen III, the two villages closest to the smoldering crater.
“No one has yet been ordered to evacuate,” he said.
Mount Soputan, in North Sulawesi’s South Minahasa district, and Mount Karangetang in the Sitaro Islands district across from the northernmost tip of Sulawesi remained on a government-ordered standby alert status, or just one rung below the most severe alert.
“There are now three volcanoes in North Sulawesi under the standby alert status,” said Hooke Makarawung, head of the North Sulawesi Disaster Mitigation Office (BPBD).
“People should remain vigilant.”
He said that about 110 people had been evacuated from the slopes of Karangetang and that the North Sulawesi administration had sent relief supplies to them.
Djauhari Kansil, the deputy governor of North Sulawesi, said that those evacuated were from East Siau subdistrict, but he added that in the daytime, the people were allowed to return to their village to work their fields.
They have been asked to return to the shelters in the evening.
The volcanology office also announced on Monday that it had raised the alert level for Mount Gamalama, on Ternate Island in North Maluku province, to standby.
The office, on its website, said that the alert status was raised on Sunday.
The site offered no further details.
The 1,715-meter Gamalama, a conical volcano that dominates Ternate Island, last erupted in December, destroying more than 100 houses and leaving farmers devastated after a thick layer of ash smothered fruit trees and crops.
Four villagers were confirmed dead in that eruption.
Metro TV reported on Monday that the mountain spewed a white column of ash about 500 meters into the atmosphere.
There was also some volcanic debris thrown up by the mountain but on a smaller scale.
It also said the local volcanology authorities had declared a 2.5-kilometer exclusion radius around the crater of the erupting volcano.
On Sunday evening, the smoke and volcanic debris thrown up by Gamalama reached about 1,000 meters into the atmosphere, according to the report.
Anak Krakatau in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra also showed some signs of activity earlier this month. The volcano is the remnant of Krakatau, the site of an earth-shattering eruption in 1883.
Seismic unrest has been increasing. 2 earthquake swarms occurred on 23 and 26 August, with 115 and 94 quakes, respectively. White gas emissions from the El Verde fumarole could be observed on 24 August. INGEOMINAS mintains yellow alert for the volcano.
One of Indonesia’s most active volcanos has erupted, shooting ash and smoke nearly 1 1/2 kilometers (one mile) into the sky. State volcanology official Kristianto says Mount Soputan on central Indonesia’s Sulawesi island erupted Tuesday afternoon. Kristianto, who uses one name, says there is no plan for an immediate evacuation since the nearest villages are outside the danger area of about 6.5 kilometers (4 miles) from the crater. Mount Soputan is about 1,350 miles (2,160 kilometers) northeast of Jakarta. It last erupted in July last year, causing no casualties. Indonesia straddles the “Pacific Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanos and fault lines around the Pacific Basin. It has more active volcanoes than any other nation. Another mountain, Gamalama, erupted last week on the Molucca Islands.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A second major wind storm in less than two weeks swept through Alaska’s largest city on Sunday, but unlike the earlier storm, its greatest intensity was mostly on higher elevations where gusts as high as 120 mph were reported, weather forecasters said.
Chugach Electric said as many as 6,000 customers between Anchorage and the northern Kenai Peninsula were without power at the height of the storm. Fewer than two dozen customers remained in the dark, utility spokesman Phil Steyer said.
The outages are known or suspected to be caused by fallen trees, although not as many as the stronger storm earlier this month that downed hundreds of trees across the city. That storm blew a lot of leaves off branches, making “less surface area now for the wind to catch on,” Steyer said.
iWitness/cindymbrice
The storm two weeks ago brought down trees and caused thousands of power outages. Only 6,000 outages were reported Sunday.
Era Aviation commuter planes were grounded Saturday evening, though only partially because of the weather. Spokesman Steve Smith said the statewide airline also learned recently that electronic components for cockpit voice recorders on its 12-plane fleet must be replaced to conform to federal regulatory specifications.
Smith said the equipment could be replaced within a few hours and a few days, depending on the aircraft. In the meantime, some passengers have been rerouted to other carriers, he said. With moderate rains in the area, the National Weather service issued a flood warning for Anchorage’s Chester Creek.
The storm turned out to be less dramatic than expected in the lower elevation Anchorage bowl, with the fiercest winds concentrated in higher elevations, such as the Hillside area and Turnagain Arm south of town.
“It looks like we’re dodging a bullet in the bowl,” weather service meteorologist John Papineau said.
For Anchorage police, the storm brought far fewer calls than the last one, with just a few reports of downed trees and of two flooded intersections, dispatcher Eric Anderson said.
“It’s pretty uneventful so far,” he said. “We’re pretty happy about that.”
The weather service said wind gusts of 35-40 mph were hitting parts of anchorage Sunday night.
With weather service instruments in some of the windiest spots knocked out by the earlier storm, the agency was relying on wind measurements taken by weather enthusiasts, meteorologist Emily Niebuhr said.
The storm, whose long front has stretched over much of south-central Alaska, was expected to shift to the east and diminish later Sunday, Papineau said.
More rain was expected early in the week, he said.
Arctic sea ice is shrinking at a rate much faster than scientists ever predicted and its collapse, due to global warming, may well cause extreme weather this winter in North America and Europe, according to climate scientists.
Last month, researchers announced that Arctic sea ice had dwindled to the smallest size ever observed by man, covering almost half the area it did 30 years ago, when satellites and submarines first began measuring it. While the loss of summer sea ice is likely to open up new shipping lanes and may connect the West Coast of the United States to the Far East via a trans-polar route, researchers say it will also affect weather patterns and Arctic wildlife. “It’s probably going to be a very interesting winter,” climate scientist Jennifer Francis said Wednesday in a teleconference with reporters. Francis, a researcher at the Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences at Rutgers University, has argued that shrinking Arctic ice can be tied to such recent weather events as prolonged cold spells in Europe, heavy snows in the Northeastern U.S. and Alaska, and heat waves in Russia. Decades ago, Arctic ice covered about 6 million square miles of sea in the winter, and would shrink to about 3 million square miles in the summer. The rate of summer melt increased enormously around 2005, however, and today scientists say Arctic ice covers about 1 million square miles. “This is a very small amount of ice indeed,” said Peter Wadhams, an ocean physics professor at the University of Cambridge. Wadhams said that while Arctic ice used to build up over many years, new ice formations are now breaking up and melting each summer. “I think that what we can expect in the next few years is further collapse leading to an ice-free Arctic in summer,” Wadhams said. “It really is a dramatic change.” Previously, scientists had predicted that it would take 30 or 40 more years before the Arctic was ice-free in the summer.
The loss of Arctic ice has several effects. Ice reflects heat and solar energy back into space. With less ice cover, that heat energy is instead absorbed by the ocean, which warms and melts more ice. Currently, the Arctic region is the fastest-warming region on the planet, and the change in temperature will probably influence weather patterns here and in Europe, according to Francis. The heating and cooling of Arctic seawater has been affecting the jet stream – the river of air that flows from west to east high above the Earth’s surface – and has slowed it down, Francis said. The jet stream controls the formation and movement of storm systems, so when its movement slows, weather conditions persist for longer periods of time over the same area. They get “stuck.” “If you’re in a nice dry pattern with sunny skies, it’s great if it lasts for a few days. But If it lasts for a few weeks, well then you’re starting to talk about a drought,” Francis said. “If you have a rainy pattern and it hangs around for a long time, then that becomes a situation that could lead to flooding.” Arctic warming will influence weather to the south during the late fall and winter. While Francis said it would probably result in severe weather this winter, it was impossible to predict when and where those events would occur. Record ice melts this year and in 2007 have alarmed many scientists, mostly because they thought it would take many more years to reach this state. James Overland, an oceanographer with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said forecasts failed to account for the physics of lost solar energy reflection and warming ocean water. “These are really surprises to most scientists,” Overland said. “In looking at climate models that are used to look forward, they’ve tended to say the Arctic may be ice-free by 2040 or 2050. It looks like things are happening a lot faster, and it’s because not all of the physics that we’re seeing today were well-handled in these climate models.” Overland, who is also an associate professor at the University of Washington’s Department of Atmospheric Sciences, said these effects are known as “Arctic amplification” and would carry heavy consequences for wildlife like polar bears and walruses by reducing their habitat. Wednesday’s telephone news conference was hosted by Climate Nexus, a New York-based nonprofit that seeks to publicize the effects of climate change. (c)2012 Los Angeles Times Distributed by MCT Information Services
During the first six months of 2012, sea surface temperatures in the Northeast Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem were the highest ever recorded, according to the latest Ecosystem Advisory issued by NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC). Above-average temperatures were found in all parts of the ecosystem, from the ocean bottom to the sea surface and across the region, and the above average temperatures extended beyond the shelf break front to the Gulf Stream.
The annual 2012 spring plankton bloom was intense, started earlier and lasted longer than average. This has implications for marine life from the smallest creatures to the largest marine mammals like whales. Atlantic cod continued to shift northeastward from its historic distribution center. The Northeast US Continental Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem (LME) extends from the Gulf of Maine to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The NEFSC has monitored this ecosystem with comprehensive sampling programs from 1977 onward; prior to 1977, this ecosystem was also monitored by the NEFSC through a series of separate but coordinated programs dating back decades. “A pronounced warming event occurred on the Northeast Shelf this spring, and this will have a profound impact throughout the ecosystem,” said Kevin Friedland, a scientist in the NEFSC’s Ecosystem Assessment Program. “Changes in ocean temperatures and the timing of the spring plankton bloom could affect the biological clocks of many marine species, which spawn at specific times of the year based on environmental cues like water temperature.” Friedland said the average sea surface temperature (SST) exceeded 10.5 degrees C (51°F) during the first half of 2012, exceeding the previous record high in 1951. Average SST has typically been lower than 9 degrees C (48°F) over the past three decades. Sea surface temperature in the region is based on both contemporary satellite remote-sensing data and long-term ship-board measurements, with historical SST conditions based on ship-board measurements dating back to 1854. In some nearshore locations like Delaware and Chesapeake Bays in the Middle Atlantic Bight region, temperatures were more than 6 degrees C (11°F) above historical average at the surface and more than 5 degrees C (9°F) above average at the bottom. In deeper offshore waters to the north, bottom waters were 1 degree C (2°F) warmer in the eastern Gulf of Maine and greater than 2 degrees C (3.6°F) warmer in the western Gulf of Maine.
Ocean bottom temperature data cited in the advisory posted today came from a variety of sources, including eMOLT, a cooperative research program between the Northeast Fisheries Science Center and lobstermen who deploy temperature probes attached to lobster traps. While some of the temperature probes from the eMOLT program are still in the water and have not yet been returned, those that have been returned indicate that bottom water temperatures in 2012 were the warmest since the eMOLT program began in 2001. Atlantic cod distribution in the Gulf of Maine continues a northeasterly shift, with the spring 2012 data consistent with a response to ecosystem warming. Warming ocean temperatures and the resulting impact on the distribution of 36 fish stocks was reported by the Center in a 2009 study published in Marine Ecology Progress Series. That study analyzed annual NEFSC spring survey data from 1968 to 2007 and other information and found that about half of the 36 fish stocks studied in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean, many of them commercially valuable species, have been shifting northward over the past four decades, with some disappearing from US waters as they move farther offshore. Friedland notes that although cod didn’t shift as much as other species like hake in the 2009 study, the effects of warming water on ocean currents and other ocean circulation patterns could change that. “Cod distribution continues to be dynamic, with northerly shifts detected in the spring 2012 data, consistent with a response to ecosystem warming,” Friedland said. “The big question is whether or not these changes will continue, or are they a short-term anomaly?” Mike Fogarty, who heads the Ecosystem Assessment Program, says the abundance of cod and other finfish is controlled by a complex set of factors, and that increasing temperatures in the ecosystem make it essential to monitor the distribution of many species, some of them migratory and others not. “A complex combination of factors influence ocean conditions, and it isn’t always easy to understand the big picture when you are looking at one specific part of it at one specific point in time, “Fogarty said, a comparison similar to not seeing the forest when looking at a single tree in it. “We now have information from a variety of sources collected over a long period of time on the ecosystem, and are continually adding more data to clarify specific details. The data clearly show a relationship between all of these factors.” The 2012 spring plankton bloom, one of the longest duration and most intense in recent history, started at the earliest date recorded since the ocean color remote sensing data series began in 1998. In some locations, the spring bloom began in February, and was fully developed by March in all areas except Georges Bank, which had an average although variable spring bloom. The 2012 spring bloom in the Gulf of Maine began in early March, the earliest recorded bloom in that area. “What this early start means for the Northeast Shelf ecosystem and its marine life is unknown,” Fogarty said. “What is known is that things are changing, and we need to continue monitoring and adapting to these changes.” Intensive surveys of environmental conditions on the Northeast Shelf from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina to Nova Scotia were conducted from 1977 to 1987 as part of the Marine Resources Monitoring, Assessment & Prediction (MARMAP) program. The efforts continued at reduced levels through the 1990s and are ongoing today as part of the Center’s Ecosystems Monitoring (EcoMon) program. Plankton samples are collected six times a year in each of the four subareas of the Northeast Shelf: the Middle Atlantic Bight, Southern New England, Georges Bank, and the Gulf of Maine. EcoMon scientists also collect water samples and other oceanographic data about conditions during each season in each of the four areas to provide a long-term view of changing conditions on the Shelf. Ecosystem advisories have been issued twice a year by the NEFSC’s Ecosystems Assessment Program since 2006 as a way to routinely summarize overall conditions in the region. The reports show the effects of changing coastal and ocean temperatures on fisheries from Cape Hatteras to the Canadian border. The advisories provide a snapshot of the ecosystem for the fishery management councils and also a broad range of stakeholders from fishermen to researchers. The Spring 2012 Ecosystem Advisory with supporting information is available online.
A fierce storm packing 140-kilometer (87-mile) an hour winds tore across the heart of South America on Wednesday, killing five people in Paraguay and wreaking havoc in Argentina and Uruguay.
The Roque Alonso suburb of the Paraguayan capital Asuncion was devastated by the storm and widespread looting was reported in its aftermath.
Four police cadets died and 15 were injured when the roof of their dormitory collapsed, and a 16-year-old boy died at a shopping center when a water tank collapsed on him outside a pharmacy.
“Roque Alonso has to be built all over again,” police commander Heriberto Marmol said.
Dozens of injured people flooded Asuncion hospitals and traffic was gridlocked in parts of the city.
A crowd of thousands braved torrential rain for a concert by the rock band Scorpions only to see the show cancelled.
Nationwide, at least 5,000 homes were destroyed and more than 80 people injured in storm-related incidents, Aldo Saldivar of the national emergency response center said.
The storm also blew the roof off homes and barns in Neembucu, south of the capital and knocked out power in the town of Encarnacion for many hours.
The wind was less severe further south in Argentina and Uruguay, around 100 kilometers (62 mph) per hour, but strong gusts still ripped of roofs and toppled trees and power lines, plunging some regions into darkness.
RUDRAPRAYAG, India (CNN) — The death toll in cloudburst that triggered a massive landslide and affected nearly five villages of northern India’s Uttarakhand state, rose to 50 and about 20 people are still reported to be missing.
The cloudburst preceded by incessant rains led to a massive landslide in the state’s Rudraprayag district caused heavy damage in the hilly region rendering almost 500 people homeless.
Search and the rescue operations are in full swing in the cloudburst-hit area, but the official says rains have disrupted the relief and rescue work.
Speaking to Asian News International in the state capital Dehradun, director of the Disaster Management and Mitigation Department (DMMD), Piyush Rautela said the rescue operations are in full swing in the region and also the basic necessities are being provided to the homeless people staying in relief camps.
“The incident happened on September 13 and 14 which affected four to five villages around Ukhimath. Again there were incidents of landslides in the morning of September 16. From this incident, so far 50 bodies have been recovered, and 20 people are still reported to be missing. The operation to search the missing people is going on.
The personnel from ITBP (Indo Tibetan Border Police Force), NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) and PAC (Provincial Armed Constabulary) are engaged in rescue operations. All our rescue teams are working. Two relief camps are there in Ukhimath for those who have been affected. About 500 people are staying there.
All the necessary items like food and other basic facilities are being provided to them,” he said
The cloudburst that occurred in the wee hours on last Friday, wreaked havoc in several villages of the area and killed most of the victims in their sleep.
Heavy monsoons have always resulted in calamities in different parts of India with each passing year.
The annual monsoon, vital for South Asia’ s agricultural dependent economy, often wreaks havoc as floods and landslides inundate vast swathes of low-lying lands. Weather News at TerraDaily.com
Mutated sunflower was found in Manno cho Kagawa prefecture. Kagawa is in Shikoku. 大きな地図で見る
For the question of the prefectural agriculture and distribution department, an expert commented it may be prolification flower, which is a sort of mutation. This is a rare phenomenon for sunflower.
General causes are
1. Excessive fertilizer
2. Unusual heat
However, it was growing naturally.
The central flower is about 20cm diameter, 14 other ones are 3cm diameter.
For the questionnaire, 34% of the people answered they want to evacuate Fukushima city, and local government staff is commenting they need to take measures about this situation.
In May, Fukushima city government sent questionnaires to 5,000 people of over 20 years old living in Fukushima city and to 500 people who evacuated to out of Fukushima city. The valid response rate was 55%.
The result showed 34% of them answered “They want to evacuate even now.”. 31% of them answered “They used to want to evacuate.”.
Among people who evacuated to out of Fukushima city, 27% of them answered “They don’t want to come back.”. 19% of them answered “They don’t want to come back to Fukushima city if possible.”
However, 55% of them answered “They want to come back to Fukushima city.”
The city government staff comments, “The result is very severe. We need to take some measures. “.
Before 311, nuclear material to contain more than 100 Bq/Kg of Cs 134 or 137 was treated as nuclear waste. Now it is the safety limit of food in Japan.
Japanese government is still investing into making people consume radioactive food.
On 9/12/2012, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Consumer Affairs Agency, food safety commission of Japan and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries published the leaflets.
The purpose is to help people understand and resolve their anxiety about radiation properly by supplying consumers with information about how Japanese and local governments take measures about food contamination, and the fact that only little amount of radiation is contained in food.
<End>
On the leaflet, they emphasized it’s safe to keep eating potentially contaminated food only if it’s under the safety limit.
<Translate>
If it’s under the safety limit, it’s safe to keep eating.
New safety limit has been introduced since April 2012. If it’s under this safety limit, the total dose for the entire life is less than 1mSv, which is safe adequately.
This safety limit is strictly determined by FAO and WHO and it doesn’t have to be more strict.
<End>
The leaflet is to be distributed at supermarkets or chain stores.
Residents in the Concho Valley area off of Highway 61 noticed hundreds of prairies dogs had died in a short span of time. Prairie dogs are considered sentinel animals to the fact that plague is in the area. Officials with Arizona Game and Fish were notified by an alert resident and further contact was made with health officials from Apache and Coconino counties, the state health department, as well as experts at Northern Arizona University. NAU is home to the Microbial Genetics and Genomics Center and has been a key player in testing for plague for the past 10 years. The lab sent a team to the area to trap fleas in the prairie dog holes that had recent die-offs. The team’s first visit was on August 27 and results from the lab testing showed positive for plague.
Biohazard name:
Yersinia pestis (plague)
Biohazard level:
4/4 Hazardous
Biohazard desc.:
Viruses and bacteria that cause severe to fatal disease in humans, and for which vaccines or other treatments are not available, such as Bolivian and Argentine hemorrhagic fevers, H5N1(bird flu), Dengue hemorrhagic fever, Marburg virus, Ebola virus, hantaviruses, Lassa fever, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, and other hemorrhagic or unidentified diseases. When dealing with biological hazards at this level the use of a Hazmat suit and a self-contained oxygen supply is mandatory. The entrance and exit of a Level Four biolab will contain multiple showers, a vacuum room, an ultraviolet light room, autonomous detection system, and other safety precautions designed to destroy all traces of the biohazard. Multiple airlocks are employed and are electronically secured to prevent both doors opening at the same time. All air and water service going to and coming from a Biosafety Level 4 (P4) lab will undergo similar decontamination procedures to eliminate the possibility of an accidental release.
Malaria has been found in birds in parts of Alaska, and global climate change will drive it even farther north, according to a new study published today in the journal PLOS ONE.
The spread could prove devastating to arctic bird species that have never encountered the disease and thus have no resistance to it, said San Francisco State University Associate Professor of Biology Ravinder Sehgal, one of the study’s co-authors. It may also help scientists understand the effects of climate change on the spread of human malaria, which is caused by a similar parasite. Researchers examined blood samples from birds collected at four sites of varying latitude, with Anchorage as a southern point, Denali and Fairbanks as middle points and Coldfoot as a northern point, roughly 600 miles north of Anchorage. They found infected birds in Anchorage and Fairbanks but not in Coldfoot. Using satellite imagery and other data, researchers were able to predict how environments will change due to global warming—and where malaria parasites will be able to survive in the future. They found that by 2080, the disease will have spread north to Coldfoot and beyond. “Right now, there’s no avian malaria above latitude 64 degrees, but in the future, with global warming, that will certainly change,” Sehgal said. The northerly spread is alarming, he added, because there are species in the North American arctic that have never been exposed to the disease and may be highly susceptible to it.
Avian malaria was found in Alaska in the Savannah sparrow, pictured here. Credit: Jenny Carlson, SF State “For example, penguins in zoos die when they get malaria, because far southern birds have not been exposed to malaria and thus have not developed any resistance to it,” he said. “There are birds in the north, such as snowy owls or gyrfalcons, that could experience the same thing.” The study’s lead author is Claire Loiseau, a former postdoctoral fellow in Sehgal’s laboratory at SF State. Ryan Harrigan, a postdoctoral scholar at the University of California, Los Angeles, provided data modeling for the project. The research was funded by grants from the AXA Foundation and National Geographic. Researchers are still unsure how the disease is being spread in Alaska and are currently collecting additional data to determine which mosquito species are transmitting the Plasmodium parasites that cause malaria. The data may also indicate if and how malaria in humans will spread northward. Modern medicine makes it difficult to track the natural spread of the disease, Sehgal said, but monitoring birds may provide clues as to how global climate change may effect the spread of human malaria. More information: “First evidence and predictions of Plasmodium transmission in Alaskan bird populations” was written by Claire Loiseau, Ryan J. Harrigan, Anthony K. Cornel, Sue L. Guers, Molly Dodge, Timothy Marzec, Jenny S. Carlson, Bruce Seppi and Ravinder N. M. Sehgal and published Sept. 19 in PLoS ONE. Journal reference: PLoS ONE search and more info website Provided by San Francisco State University search and more info website
A ringed seal peaks out from its snow cave. (Credit: Brendan Kelly, NSF)
As sea ice in the Arctic continues to shrink during this century, more than two thirds of the area with sufficient snow cover for ringed seals to reproduce also will disappear, challenging their survival, scientists report in a new study.
The ringed seal, currently under consideration for threatened species listing, builds caves to rear its young in snow drifts on sea ice. Snow depths must be on average at least 20 centimeters, or 8 inches, to enable drifts deep enough to support the caves.
“It’s an absolute condition they need,” said Cecilia Bitz, an associate professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Washington. She’s a co-author of the study, published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
But without sea ice, the platform that allows the snow to pile up disappears, ultimately reducing the area where the seals can raise their pups.
Bitz typically focuses on studying the area and thickness of sea ice. “But when a seal biologist telephoned and asked what our climate models predict for snow depth on the ice, I said, ‘I have no idea,’” she said. “We had never looked.”
That biologist was co-author Brendan Kelly of the National Science Foundation and he was curious about the snow depth trend because he was contributing to a governmental report in response to the petition to list the seals as threatened.
The researchers, including lead author and UW atmospheric sciences graduate student Paul Hezel, found that snowfall patterns will change during this century but the most important factor in determining snow depth on the ice will be the disappearance of the sea ice.
“The snowfall rate increases slightly in the middle of winter by the end of the century,” Hezel said. However, at the same time sea ice is expected to start forming later in the year than it does now. The slightly heavier snowfall in the winter won’t compensate for the fact that in the fall — which is also when it snows the heaviest — snow will drop into the ocean instead of piling up on the ice.
The researchers anticipate that the area of the Arctic that accumulates at least 20 centimeters of snow will decrease by almost 70 percent this century. With insufficient snow depth, caves won’t hold up.
Other climate changes threaten those caves, too. For instance, the snow will melt earlier in the year than it does now, so it’s possible the caves won’t last until the young seals are old enough to venture out on their own. In addition, more precipitation will fall as rain, which soaks into the snow and can cause caves to collapse.
The research is important for more than just the ringed seals. “There are many other reasons to study snow cover,” Hezel said. “It has a huge thermodynamic impact on the thickness of the ice.”
Snow on sea ice in fall and winter acts like a blanket that slows the release of heat from the relatively warm ocean into the atmosphere. That means deeper snow tempers sea ice growth.
In the spring, snow has a different impact on the ice. Since snow is more reflective than ice, it creates a cooling effect on the surface. “So the presence of snow helps sustain the icepack into spring time,” Hezel said.
To produce the study, the scientists examined 10 different climate models, looking at historic and future changes of things like sea ice area, precipitation, snowfall and snow depth on sea ice. The resulting prediction for declining snow depth on sea ice this century agreed across all of the models.
The new research comes too late to be cited in the report about ringed seals that was written by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in response to the petition to list the ringed seal as threatened. However, it confirms results that were based on a single model that Bitz provided for the report two years ago. NOAA expects to issue its final decision soon.
The UW scientists on this study were funded by the Office of Naval Research.
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Washington. The original article was written by Nancy Gohring.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
P. J. Hezel, X. Zhang, C. M. Bitz, B. P. Kelly, F. Massonnet. Projected decline in spring snow depth on Arctic sea ice caused by progressively later autumn open ocean freeze-up this century. Geophysical Research Letters, 2012; 39 (17) DOI: 10.1029/2012GL052794
Day 256 Antarctic ice is the highest ever for the date, and the eighth highest daily reading ever recorded. All seven higher readings occurred during the third week of September, 2007 – the week of the previous Arctic record minimum.
NSIDC does not mention the record Antarctic cold or ice on their web site, choosing inside to feature an article about global warming threatening penguins.
NSIDC does have a completely nonsensical discussion page explaining why Antarctic ice does not affect the climate.
Scientists monitor both Arctic and Antarctic sea ice, but Arctic sea ice is more significant to understanding global climate because much more Arctic ice remains through the summer months, reflecting sunlight and cooling the planet.
Nonsense. There is very little sunlight reaching the Arctic Ocean in September, and much more reaching Antarctic ice – because it is located at lower latitudes. Arctic ice took its big decline in mid-August, after the sun was already low in the sky.
Sea ice near the Antarctic Peninsula, south of the tip of South America, has recently experienced a significant decline. The rest of Antarctica has experienced a small increase in Antarctic sea ice.
Antarctic ice is nearing an all-time record high, and is above average everywhere.
Antarctica and the Arctic are reacting differently to climate change partly because of geographical differences. Antarctica is a continent surrounded by water, while the Arctic is an ocean surrounded by land. Wind and ocean currents around Antarctica isolate the continent from global weather patterns, keeping it cold. In contrast, the Arctic Ocean is intimately linked with the climate systems around it, making it more sensitive to changes in climate.
Antarctic and Arctic ice move opposite each other. NSIDC`s dissonance about this is astonishing.
The H5N1 avian flu virus has been detected in the city of Zhanjiang in south China’s Guangdong province, experts confirmed on Tuesday. The virus has infected 14,050 ducks and killed 6,300 of them since Sept. 11, when symptoms were first reported, a Ministry of Agriculture official said. After the epidemic was confirmed, local authorities cordoned off an infected area in the city and killed all poultry in the area before starting to decontaminate it, the official said. China is particularly prone to bird flu epidemics, as it has the world’s largest poultry population and many rural farmers live in close proximity to their poultry.
Biohazard name:
H5N1 – Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus
Biohazard level:
4/4 Hazardous
Biohazard desc.:
Viruses and bacteria that cause severe to fatal disease in humans, and for which vaccines or other treatments are not available, such as Bolivian and Argentine hemorrhagic fevers, H5N1(bird flu), Dengue hemorrhagic fever, Marburg virus, Ebola virus, hantaviruses, Lassa fever, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, and other hemorrhagic or unidentified diseases. When dealing with biological hazards at this level the use of a Hazmat suit and a self-contained oxygen supply is mandatory. The entrance and exit of a Level Four biolab will contain multiple showers, a vacuum room, an ultraviolet light room, autonomous detection system, and other safety precautions designed to destroy all traces of the biohazard. Multiple airlocks are employed and are electronically secured to prevent both doors opening at the same time. All air and water service going to and coming from a Biosafety Level 4 (P4) lab will undergo similar decontamination procedures to eliminate the possibility of an accidental release.
A fourth case of anthrax has been confirmed in a German heroin user since June, reports the Robert Koch Institut (RKI) in a news release Friday, September 14. According to the release (translated), the individual saw a doctor in mid-September presenting with a soft tissue infection in the area of injection site. The presumptive diagnosis of anthrax was confirmed by the RKI using real-time PCR laboratory on the wound material. Germany has now confirmed 4 cases in two states, two in Regensburg and two in Berlin since June 2012. The RKI says, the fact that the anthrax strains that were isolated from the first three anthrax cases in 2012 are similar or at least very closely related to the strains of the German and British cases of the years 2009/2010, suggests that the same source of infection might still be active. This case is the eleventh of anthrax among people who inject drugs (PWID) in Europe reported since June. In addition to the four cases in Germany, there have been four in the United Kingdom, two in Denmark and one in France. The RKI reminds the public, since anthrax is not passed on from person-to-person, there is no risk of transmission.
Biohazard name:
Anthrax contained heroin
Biohazard level:
0/4 —
Biohazard desc.:
This does not included biological hazard category.
Symptoms:
Status:
19.09.2012
Biological Hazard
Vietnam
MultiProvinces, [Provinces of Haiphong, Ha Tinh, Ninh Binh, Nam Dinh, Bac Kan, Thanh Hoa and Quang Ngai]
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has decided to stop transport of live water-fowl from North and Central Vietnam to the South, in an effort to curb spread of the new highly toxic strain of avian flu virus. Pham Van Dong, deputy director of the Department of Animal Health, stated this at a meeting held yesterday in Hanoi by the National Steering Committee for Avian Flu Prevention and Control. The new strain, 2.3.2.1 C, which has been detected, is highly toxic and therefore extremely deadly. The virus strain has recently spread to Vietnam and is now present in affected areas in the northern and central provinces of Hai Phong, Ha Tinh, Ninh Binh, Nam Dinh, Bac Kan, Thanh Hoa and Quang Ngai. Fearing the virus may spread to South Vietnam, the Department of Animal Health was asked to isolate the virus and ban transport of live water-fowl from infected areas. Dong said that slaughterhouses practicing good hygiene should be mentioned to localities from the central province of Thua Thien-Hue to Ho Chi Minh City. Because the new strain is different from the earlier A/H5N1 virus, the ministry has urged for experiments and tests to confirm whether the vaccine used to combat A/H5N1 is also effective against the new strain. If the existing vaccine is ineffective, studies on new vaccines should be conducted soon. The Central Veterinary Diagnosis Center has been asked to study the new strain to help find a specific medication to fight the virus.
A substantial escape of hydrocarbons occurred on the Ula field in the Norwegian North Sea on 12 September. The Petroleum Safety Authority Norway (PSA) has decide to investigate this incident.
No people were injured and no damage caused to the installation beyond the equipment directly involved. But the PSA considers the incident to have had a substantial potential.
The leak arose in the separator module on Ula’s production platform (PP). Nobody was in the module when the incident occurred.
While the facility was automatically shut down, all personnel on the installation were evacuated to the drilling platform (DP). Production on Ula has been suspended for the time being.
One reason why the PSA has resolved to conduct an investigation is the substantial potential involved in the incident.
Objectives include establishing the course of events and identifying the direct and underlying causes. The resulting report will be published on the PSA’s website.
The Ula oil field lies in Norway’s North Sea sector and has three conventional steel platforms for production, drilling and quarters. These are linked by bridges. BP is the operator.
The Czech Republic has the 23rd victim of methyl alcohol, an autopsy has confirmed, Stepanka Zatloukalova, from the police presidium said. She said methanol was not confirmed as the cause of death of another two people. They, too, died of alcohol, but not of methyl alcohol, Zatloukalova said. Tens of other people are hospitalised. Some of the cured have gone blind. The first victim in the series of methanol-related poisonings was reported on September 6. The sale of drinks with more than 20 percent of alcohol have been banned in the country since Friday evening. Extensive police raids and checks have uncovered barrels with dangerous alcohol since the “prohibition” was introduced on Friday and some distributors of the bootleg alcohol have been arrested. Both producers and sellers complain about the ban because it inflicts huge damage on them.
THERE’S something mean and magical about Australia’s Outback. An Alice Springs filmmaker captured both when a whirlwind of fire erupted before his eyes.
Chris Tangey of Alice Springs Film and Television was scouting locations near Curtin Springs station, about 80km from Ularu, last week when confronted by a fiery phenomenon.
He had just finished his tour of the station when workers encountered difficulties with a grader. So he went to help them.
A small fire was burning in nearby bushland, so Mr Tangey decided to start filming.
He caught the sight of his life.
A twister touched down on the spot fire, fanning it into a furious tower of flame.
“It sounded like a jet fighter going by, yet there wasn’t a breath of wind where we were,” he told the Northern Territory News.
“You would have paid $1000 a head if you knew it was about to happen.”
The column of fire danced about the landscape for about 40 minutes, he said, as he and the station workers stood transfixed.
There was talk of making a quick getaway, Mr Tangey said. But everyone was too hypnotised to feel scared – and he continued furiously filming.
“The bizarre thing was that it rarely moved,” he said.
“These things just stood there because there was no wind to move them … but it was flickering incredibly fast.”
Darwin weather forecaster David Matthews said small twisters were common in isolated areas. But the fiery vortex was highly unusual.
“The flames would have assisted by trying to suck in air and that could have helped generate those circular winds,” Mr Matthews said.
MessageToEagle.com – The problem with rivers around the world continues. A while back the Yangtze River in China turned red, and now there are reports of a river in Russia that has suddenly started to boil.
Hundreds of shocked residents that live in Yekaterinburg, Russia describe how a small river named Olkhovka that passes through the city unexpectedly turned into a stream of extremely hot water.
Olkhovka river in Russia begins to boil, causing yet another environmental disaster.
No one knew what caused the phenomenon, but the fact is that the river ecosystem was severely affected, causing the death of thousands of fish lying on the banks.
“The water is really hot. The shore of the river is littered with dead fish,” a Professor from a local university said.
The local urban traffic control service reported the problem.
According to them, the most likely cause to the disaster is that a great leakage of hot water that had flowed into the river Olkhovka of such intensity that could be water vapor on the surface.
“The problem is that when the river connects to the pond, the water flows through a tunnel, and no one knows exactly where there was a rush, “Russian urban traffic control dispatchers said.
Industries that might be involved, among which is the “heat supply company Sverdlovsk” deny any connection with thermal pollution of the watercourse. But local authorities are well aware that this is a problem caused by human action.
[In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit, for research and/or educational purposes. This constitutes 'FAIR USE' of any such copyrighted material.]
Some called it an “earthquake cluster,” others a “swarm.” Seismologists used the term “earthquake sequence.”
Whatever the name, a series of more than 30 small to moderate temblors jolted Southern California on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, rattling nerves but causing no significant damage.
The cluster of earthquakes that struck near Yorba Linda was centered near the Whittier fault, but preliminary data suggested that fault was not responsible for the temblor, said Doug Given, a geophysicist with theU.S. Geological Survey.
“There are lots and lots of little faults all over that area,” Given said of the northern Orange County region where the quakes were centered. “It’s a known active area.”
The shaking began with a magnitude 4.5 earthquake near Yorba Linda about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, bookended by another 4.5 quake about 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, but with many smaller ones in between.
At a news conference Wednesday morning, Kate Hutton of theU.S. Geological Surveysaid that of all the quakes, only three were probably felt by residents. The two 4.5 temblors were felt across a wide swath of Southern California, with people reporting shaking as far away as Thousand Oaks, the Santa Clarita Valley, the Westside and northern San Diego County, according to the USGS’s “Did You Feel It?” website.
“This is all part of the same earthquake sequence; they’re all in the same area,” Hutton told reporters.
“It shook us pretty good. We’ve felt earthquakes before, so it came as no surprise,” said Chris Nordyke, director of marketing at the Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace in Yorba Linda. “It shook open the door, but nothing fell off the shelves.”
Given said the excitement offers a lesson for the region. “We live in earthquake country. Earthquakes are normal here, and people should be prepared,” he said.
YORBA LINDA, CALIF. — The earthquakes keep coming for Southern California was shaken Wednesday by the second moderate but widely felt earthquake in less than 11 hours, but no harm was reported. Officials said the recent outbreak of California earthquakes in 2012 is not out of the ordinary.
Or at least, the recent flurry of California earthquakes is nothing for residents to get unusually rattled about.
“There is nothing in this sequence, at this point, that tells us we need to be particularly worried,” said Elizabeth Cochran, a geophycist at the U.S. Geological Survey, according to the Lake Forest Patch in California.
Cochran said more aftershocks should be expected.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude-4.5 quake occurred at 9:33 a.m. and was centered two miles northeast of the Orange County city of Yorba Linda, about 35 miles southeast of Los Angeles.
A magnitude-4.5 quake centered in the same area struck late Tuesday night. Both temblors were followed by numerous aftershocks that were mostly too small to be felt.
Quakes of such magnitude are unlikely to cause damage in cities built to modern standards but can rattle nerves.
The Orange County Fire Authority did not receive any 911 calls about the latest quake, said Capt. Marc Stone.
“It was a decent sized shake and it’s a reminder for everyone to have a plan for the Big One,” said Stone. “How would you and your family survive for 72 hours with no water, no food and no amenities? Think about it. It’s a reminder to go home and say, ‘What if?’ and make that plan.”
Seismologist Kate Hutton of the California Institute of Technology characterized the quakes as a swarm.
The location is near the Whittier Fault, but the quakes could be occurring on an unmapped fault, she said.
“This is likely normal California earthquake activity,” Hutton said.
The staff of the Richard Nixon Presidential Library & Museum in Yorba Linda was still talking about Tuesday night’s quake when Wednesday’s struck, said Jonathan Movroydis, director of communications.
“It did shake us pretty well,” Movroydis said, but the jolt was so short no one ducked under their desks.
Meanwhile, newly acquired Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Shane Victorino tweeted: “Why is the hotel shaking????? … Welcome to LA!”
(Reuters) – Overcrowded hospitals in northwest Iran struggled to cope with thousands of earthquake victims on Sunday as rescuers raced to reach remote villages after two powerful quakes killed nearly 300 people.
Thousands huddled in makeshift camps or slept in the street after Saturday’s quakes for fear of more aftershocks, 60 of which had already struck. A lack of tents and other supplies left them exposed to the night chill, one witness told Reuters.
“I saw some people whose entire home was destroyed, and all their livestock killed,” Tahir Sadati, a local photographer, said by telephone. “People need help, they need warm clothes, more tents, blankets and bread.”
The worst damage and most casualties appeared to have been in rural villages around the towns of Ahar, Varzaghan and Harees, near the major city of Tabriz, Iranian media reported.
Tabriz resident Ahmad, 41, told Reuters his cousin living in a village near Ahar was killed and his body found.
“Nobody knows what happened to his wife and two daughters,” aged 4 and 7, Ahmad said. “We fear that if rescuers don’t get to them soon, they will lose their lives too if they’re still alive.”
But Iranian officials said rescue operations had ended by Sunday afternoon and that all those trapped beneath the rubble had been freed, Iran’s English-language Press TV reported.
Many villages are hard to reach by road, hindering rescue efforts. Hospitals in Tabriz, Ardabil and other cities nearby took in many of the injured, residents and Iranian media said, and there were long queues of survivors waiting to be treated.
“I wanted to go there last night to help but heard there was bad traffic and that it wasn’t safe enough,” Ahmad said. “People in those villages need help.”
Abbas Falahi, member of parliament for Ahar and Harees, said people in some villages were still “in dire need of food and drinking water”, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported.
“Despite the promises of officials, little first aide has been distributed in the region and most people are left without tents. If the situation continues, the toll will rise,” he said.
Aidin, a Tabriz resident, said he went to give blood at a local hospital on Saturday and saw staff struggling to cope with the influx of patients. Most patients had been taken there by their families, he said, indicating a shortage of ambulances.
Ahar’s 120-bed hospital was full, said Arash, a college student in the town. There were traffic jams on the narrow road to Tabriz as victims tried to reach hospitals, he said by telephone.
VILLAGES DESTROYED
“People are scared and won’t go back into their houses because they fear the buildings aren’t safe.”
The U.S. Geological Survey measured Saturday’s first quake at 6.4 magnitude and said it struck 60 km (37 miles) northeast of the city of Tabriz, a trading hub far from Iran’s oil-producing areas and known nuclear facilities.
The second, measuring 6.3, struck 11 minutes later near Varzaghan, 49 km (30 miles) northeast of Tabriz.
More than 1,000 villages in the area were affected by the earthquakes, Ahmad Reza Shaji’i, a Red Crescent official, told the Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA). Some 130 villages suffered more than 70 percent damage, and 20 villages were completely destroyed, he said.
“We saw some villages that were truly destroyed,” said Sadati, the photographer who was documenting the quake aftermath. “One good thing was that the earthquake happened during the day, so many people were not in their homes. If it had happened at night the casualties would have been far worse.”
Close to 300 people were believed to be dead, said Reza Sadighi, Ahar’s local governor, Fars news agency said. National emergency head Gholam Reza Masoumi said 5,000 people are believed to be injured, according to ISNA.
Nearly 100 ambulances and 1,100 Red Crescent workers were deployed, Shaji’i said, along with 44,000 food packages and 5,600 tents for shelter. The relief agency had enough supplies and most residents in the area had access to clean water but Shaji’i asked residents to donate cash to the relief effort.
Tehran officials sent condolences to the victims and declared two days of mourning in the province, ISNA reported.
About 36,000 people in the quake-hit area have been given emergency shelter, Masoumi was quoted as saying by ISNA.
Iranian lawmaker Mohammad Hassan-Nejad warned that if relief efforts did not speed up, the death toll would swiftly rise.
“Relief groups have still not reached many villages, because in normal conditions some of these villages are several hours away,” he told ISNA. “Currently the roads are closed and the only way to reach these villages is by air.”
COLLAPSED BUILDINGS
Photographs posted on Iranian news websites showed numerous bodies, including children, lying on the floor of a white-tiled morgue in Ahar and medical staff treating the injured in the open air as dusk fell on Saturday. Other images showed rescue workers digging people out of rubble – some alive, many dead.
Twenty-eight year old Narges in Tehran said she saw dozens of people in a hospital waiting to donate blood for the victims.
Iran is crisscrossed by major fault lines and has suffered several devastating earthquakes in recent years, including a 6.6 magnitude quake in 2003 that reduced the historic southeastern city of Bam to dust and killed about 31,000 people.
Saturday’s quakes struck in East Azerbaijan province, a mountainous region that neighbors Azerbaijan and Armenia to the north. Buildings in Tabriz, the provincial capital, are substantially built and ISNA reported nobody in the city had been killed or hurt.
Homes and business premises in Iranian villages, however, are often made of concrete blocks or mud brick that can crumble and collapse in a strong quake.
Water, electricity, and phone lines in the area of Varzaghan are all down, further hindering rescue efforts, Iran’s English-language Press TV reported.
Tabriz residents left their homes and crowded the streets following the two quakes, those in the city said. “Everyone was scared last night,” a resident said by telephone. “They set up tents and were sleeping in the streets and in parks.”
(Additional reporting by Marcus George and Zahra Hosseinian; Writing by Andrew Torchia and Marcus George; Editing by Jon Hemming)
14.08.2012
Earthquake
Iran
Province of East Azarbaijan, [About 21 miles west of Ahar]
With thousands injured as the death toll from Iran’s dual earthquakes nears 300, hospitals are reeling from the increased traffic. There are long lines outside as doctors work feverishly to cope with the injuries. “From last night until this afternoon when I left Shohada-ye Tabriz hospital, doctors were constantly performing operations,” said one physician. “Ordinary people were working alongside rescuers. They were bringing food and water to the hospital.” Meanwhile, thousands of refugees are staying in camps and parks as they weather the some 60 aftershocks that have hit thus far, Reuters reports.
Some 20 villages were completely destroyed, and 130 saw more than 70% damage, according to the Red Crescent. Officials say search and rescue operations are over; now they’re “working to provide shelter and food to the survivors.” But stories conflict as to how effective efforts have been. The Red Crescent says it has enough supplies, and an emergency official says 36,000 people have received emergency shelter. But “despite the promises of officials, little first aid has been distributed in the region and most people are left without tents,” said an MP.
Overcrowded hospitals in northwestern Iran struggled to cope with thousands of earthquake victims on Sunday and rescuers raced to reach remote villages after two powerful quakes killed nearly 300 people and injured 5,000. Thousands huddled in makeshift camps or slept in the street after Saturday’s quakes in fear of more aftershocks, 60 of which had already struck. A lack of tents and other supplies left them exposed to the night chill, one witness told Reuters. “I saw some people whose entire home was destroyed, and all their livestock killed,” Tahir Sadati, a local photographer, said by telephone. “People need help, they need warm clothes, more tents, blankets and bread.” The worst damage and most casualties appeared to have been in rural villages around the towns of Ahar, Varzaghan and Harees, near the major city of Tabriz, Iranian media reported. The U.S. Geological Survey measured Saturday’s first quake at 6.4 magnitude and said it struck 37 miles northeast of the city of Tabriz, a trading hub far from Iran’s oil-producing areas and known nuclear facilities.Tabriz resident Ahmad, 41, told Reuters his cousin living in a village near Ahar was killed and that his body had already been found.
“Nobody knows what happened to his wife and two daughters,” aged 4 and 7, Ahmad said. “We fear that if rescuers don’t get to them soon, they will lose their lives too if they’re still alive.” Iranian officials said rescue operations had ended by Sunday afternoon and that all those trapped beneath the rubble had been freed, Iran’s English-language Press TV reported. But the head of Iran’s Relief and Emergency Organization said that rescue operations were continuing, according to the New York Times.Many villages are hard to reach by road, hindering rescue efforts. Hospitals in Tabriz, Ardabil and other cities nearby took in many of the injured, residents and Iranian media said, and there were long queues of survivors waiting to be treated. “I wanted to go there last night to help but heard there was bad traffic and that it wasn’t safe enough,” Ahmad said. “People in those villages need help.” Aidin, a Tabriz resident, said he went to give blood at a local hospital on Saturday and saw staff struggling to cope with the influx of patients. Most patients had been taken there by their families, he said, indicating a shortage of ambulances. Ahar’s 120-bed hospital was full, said Arash, a college student and resident of the town. There were traffic jams on the narrow road between Ahar and Tabriz as victims tried to reach hospitals, he said by telephone.
“People are scared and won’t go back into their houses because they fear the buildings aren’t safe.” The second, measuring 6.3, struck 11 minutes later near Varzaghan, 30 miles northeast of Tabriz. More than 1,000 villages in the area were affected by the earthquakes, Ahmad Reza Shaji’i, a Red Crescent official, told the Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA). About 130 villages suffered more than 70 percent damage, and 20 villages were completely destroyed, he said. “We saw some villages that were truly destroyed,” said Sadati, the photographer who was documenting the quake aftermath. “One good thing was that the earthquake happened during the day, so many people were not in their homes. If it had happened at night the casualties would have been far worse.” Close to 300 people were believed to be dead, said Reza Sadighi, Ahar’s local governor, Fars news agency said. National emergency head Gholam Reza Masoumi said 5,000 people are believed to be injured, according to ISNA.“Most of the dead are women and children, as the earthquake happened during the day, when many men were out working,” said Marjan Lagaei, an Iranian reporter who traveled to the area, told the New York Times.Nearly 100 ambulances and 1,100 Red Crescent workers were deployed, Shaji’i said, along with 44,000 food packages and 5,600 tents for shelter. The relief agency had enough supplies and most residents in the area had access to clean water but Shaji’i asked residents to donate cash to the relief effort. Officials in Tehran extended condolences to the victims and declared two days of mourning to be held in the province, ISNA reported. About 16,000 people in the quake-hit area have been given emergency shelter, Red Crescent official Mahmoud Mozafar told Mehr news agency. Iranian lawmaker Mohammad Hassan-Nejad warned that if relief efforts did not speed up, the death toll would swiftly rise. “Relief groups have still not reached many villages, because in normal conditions some of these villages are several hours away,” he told ISNA. “Currently the roads are closed and the only way to reach these villages is by air.”
Photographs posted on Iranian news websites showed numerous bodies, including children, lying on the floor of a white-tiled morgue in Ahar and medical staff treating the injured in the open air as dusk fell on Saturday. Other images showed rescue workers digging people out of rubble – some alive, many dead. Iran is crisscrossed by major fault lines and has suffered several devastating earthquakes in recent years, including a 6.6 magnitude quake in 2003 that reduced the historic southeastern city of Bam to dust and killed about 31,000 people. Saturday’s quakes struck in East Azerbaijan province, a mountainous region that neighbors Azerbaijan and Armenia to the north. Buildings in Tabriz, the provincial capital, are substantially built and ISNA reported nobody in the city had been killed or hurt. Homes and business premises in Iranian villages, however, are often made of concrete blocks or mud brick that can crumble and collapse in a strong quake. Water, electricity, and phone lines in the area of Varzaghan are all down, further hindering rescue efforts, Iran’s English-language Press TV reported. Tabriz residents left their homes and crowded the streets following the two quakes, those in the city said. “Everyone was scared last night,” a resident said by telephone. “They set up tents and were sleeping in the streets and in parks.” Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a telegram to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Sunday expressing his sympathy and offering assistance, the Kremlin’s press service said. Pope Benedict XVI asked Christians to pray for the victims of the quakes.
An earthquake of the magnitude 2.7 hit just north of Goðabunga in Mýrdalsjökull glacier, which covers the volcano Katla in South Iceland, around 8:30 am yesterday morning. It was part of a swarm of minor earthquakes. The second-largest had a magnitude of 1.8. The Katla area has been rather quiet in the past weeks. There was more activity in the area in the spring when two small glacier outbursts flooded the river Leirá in Kötlukriki and Emstrur, to the west of Mýrdalsjökull, ruv.is reports. The seismic activity then subsided and GPS monitors showed decreasing tension in the lithosphere. Yesterday’s quakes were not connected with any volcanic activity and there has not been any increased flow in glacial rivers originating in Mýrdalsjökull. However, glacial water in the vicinity has smelled of sulfur, according to geophysicist Benedikt Ófeigsson at the Icelandic Meteorological Office, such as in the river Jökulsá at Sólheimasandur and Leirá in Kötlukriki. Katla has been monitored closely by scientists since a major glacial outburst, possibly caused by a minor volcanic eruption underneath Mýrdalsjökull, tore a hole in the Ring Road in South Iceland in July 2011.
…………………………..
Pacific quake swarm woke up underwater volcano
A screenshot of the Pumice island that the volcano is believed to have birthed. Image by: RoyalW1979 / YouTube
A swarm of more than 150 earthquakes over two days last month caused a previously dormant volcano to erupt 1 100 metres beneath the Pacific Ocean, a scientist says.
The eruption of the Havre Volcano, about halfway between New Zealand and Tonga, is believed to have caused a 7 500 square kilometre floating island of pumice that was encountered by a New Zealand navy ship last week.
Cornel de Ronde, principal scientist of the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences, told Radio New Zealand the source of the pumice had been identified in cooperation with French researchers in Tahiti who monitor earthquakes in the south-west Pacific.
“When they looked at their physical records they saw that on July 17th and 18th, there were some 157 earthquakes of magnitudes between 3.0 and 4.8,” he said.
De Ronde said they occurred near the time of the first sighting of the pumice “raft” and when the institute looked at its database it found the Havre volcano which it had previously surveyed.
It was a caldera volcano, like White Island, 50 kilometres off the west coast of New Zealand’s North Island, which erupted last week, but the Havre was not thought to have erupted before, he said.
De Ronde said the pumice island was so light that it had floated several hundred kilometres from the volcano when it was encountered by the HMNZS Canterbury, which took samples last week.
Scientists were also analysing samples of rock ejected from Mount Tongariro, on New Zealand’s North Island, to try to find out why it erupted a week ago for the first time in 115 years.
A mass of small volcanic rocks nearly the size of Belgium has been discovered floating off the coast.
The stretch of golf-ball-size pumice rocks was first spotted this week by a New Zealand air force plane about 1,000 kilometres northwest of Auckland.
The rocks stretch for about 26,000 square kilometres.
A navy ship took scientists to the rocks Thursday night. Naval Lt. Tim Oscar says the rocks appeared a brilliant white under a spotlight, like a giant ice shelf.
He says it’s the “weirdest thing” he’s seen in 18 years at sea.
“The rock looked to be sitting two feet above the surface of the waves, and lit up a brilliant white colour in the spotlight. It looked exactly like the edge of an ice shelf,” he said.
Lt. Oscar said he had been briefed by GNS Volcanologist Helen Bostock the previous day when the ship first encountered an area of pumice from an undersea volcano.
“I knew the pumice was lightweight and posed no danger to the ship. None the less it was quite daunting to be moving toward it at 14 knots. It took about 3 – 4 minutes to travel through the raft of pumice and as predicted there was no damage. As we moved through the raft of pumice we used the spotlights to try and find the edge – but it extended as far as we could see.”
Scientists say the rocks likely spewed up in an eruption by an underwater volcano. They don’t believe the eruption is connected to the onshore ash eruption this week of another volcano, Mount Tongariro.
Officials say the small rocks pose no danger to shipping.
The Defence Force says the mass of rocks stretches 250 nautical miles by 30 nautical miles.
SOURCE: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10826068
TUPI, SOUTH COTABATO — The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) has allayed fears of volcanic activity in Mt. Matutum as claimed by residents.
Phivolcs chief Renato U. Solidum, Jr. said in a letter sent to Mayor Reynaldo S. Tamayo on Friday that the observations of smoke and fire coming out of the crater were non-volcanic in nature.
“Ocular inspections at the crater area and seismic records showed that there were no volcanic activities, specifically an imminent eruption, in Mt. Matutum,” Mr. Solidum said.
Rolly T. Visaya, Tupi information officer, told BusinessWorld that weeks prior to the Phivolcs letter, residents of Barangays Acmonan and Kablon in Tupi, and Maligo in Polomolok observed certain developments such as the descent of wild animals from the mountains as well as burnt vegetation.
The locals also claimed to have felt the ground shaking and heard unusual rumblings from the volcano, he added.
To confirm the observations, both Tupi and Polomolok towns sent their rescue teams to Mt. Matutum to get firsthand information through photographs and videos.
From the information acquired, Mr. Tamayo, who also chairs the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council of Tupi, then requested for Phivolcs’s investigation.
The absence of micro-earthquake activity in the seismic record of the agency’s volcano-seismic observatory at Mindanao State University in General Santos City meant that the phenomenon is not volcanic in origin, Mr. Solidum said.
On the reported sighting of wild animals descending to the lowlands, he said it could be due to scarcity of food or disturbances of their habitat, be it man-made, lighting and other phenomena.
Before Phivolcs’s response, there have been reports of several families from the adjoining town of Malungon in Sarangani province who have evacuated from their houses for safety, Mr. Visaya said.
Mt. Matutum stands 2,286 meters, the 14th highest peak in the Philippines, and has a base that covers the towns of Tupi and Polomolok in South Cotabato and Malungon in Sarangani. The popular trekking destination’s last recorded eruption was in 1911, Mr. Visaya said citing Phivolcs records.
Mr. Solidum explained that a new volcanic vent as dormant volcano reactivates will not dissipate overnight, but will become more vigorous over time.
He explained “that should the volcano end its dormancy and enter a period of magmatic activity, unmistakable signs of unrest will be manifested, such as small ash and gas explosions that can intensify through time, ground deformation, vegetation kill, unabated crater glow at the summit and increasingly perceptible earthquakes.”
Mr. Visaya said Phivolcs national office personnel are in town to further study the volcanic conditions. — Louie O. Pacardo
A fast-moving brush fire in Northern California is threatening 500 homes and has prompted officials to evacuate an entire town. Fueled by broiling, dry conditions, the Wye fire off Highway 20 has burned 3,000 acres near the Lake County town of Spring Valley, which was evacuated. “It is burning on both sides of Highway 20 and it’s burning in an easterly direction toward the community of Spring Valley,” Cal Fire Battalion Chief Julie Hutchinson told the Lake County News. According to Cal Fire, a second fire is also burning in Lake County. The Walker fire has burned 2,000 acres. Firefighters were traveling from across the state to help battle both fires.
A new wildfire burning east of Cle Elum in central Washington is growing quickly and reportedly threatening some homes. A Washington Department of Natural Resources spokeswoman says the Taylor Bridge fire had burned across more than a square mile – or about 800 acres- by mid-afternoon Monday. Fire crews from nearby communities are being called to the scene. The Daily Record of Ellensburg reports that the state Transportation Department is closing a two-mile section of U.S. Highway 97 because of the fire. The newspaper says a stable has moved all of its horses.
Hot, dry winds Monday afternoon prompted major growth in a week-old lightning-sparked forest fire on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation, estimated to have burned 70 to 100 acres of valuable timber. The newly named Waterfall fire, burning about three miles northeast of the Mt. Jefferson summit, is “one we’ve been watching” since a lightning strike from Aug. 5 thunderstorms ignited it, said fire spokesman Clay Penhollow. “We had a crew on, fighting the west side of it today, but it took off on the east” side as winds picked up, Penhollow said, adding that no structures or roads were threatened. Instead, he said, it was burning some “valuable timber,” putting up a plume visible for many miles. An air tanker dropped retardant on the fire Monday morning until it was diverted to another fire in Washington state, Penhollow said. There were two helicopters dropping water on the flames later in the day, with one 20-person firefighting crew on the lines, another on its way and three more ordered up, he added. The fire was moving east down the headwaters of Shitike Creek, but was still more than 20 miles west of Warm Springs, Penhollow.
More than 5,000 people have been evacuated from La Gomera, one of the smallest Canary Islands, as forest fires that began nine days ago continue to burn out of control. Nearly 2,000 acres of the Garajonay national park have been destroyed. The evacuees represent a quarter of the population and some 11% of the island’s landmass is in flames. A dry winter and high August temperatures have led to this being one of the worst in many years for forest fires in Spain. On the Spanish mainland, tens of thousands of acres of woodland have been lost in Valencia, Galicia and Catalunya. Two people died fighting fires in Alicante. Humberto Gutiérrez, head of emergency services in the Canaries, says there is no hope of dousing the flames in the short term. “Meteorological conditions are not on our side,” he said. Paulino Rivero, the Canary Islands’ president, said he hoped falling temperatures and rising humidity might slow the spread of the fires.
A mudslide near Pahaska Tepee closed down the East Entrance to Yellowstone Park on Sunday morning. Early morning thunderstorms led to heavy rain and the slide covered both lanes of the North Fork Highway. Chris Jones, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Riverton, said about a half inch of rain fell in under 30 minutes. The same amount of rain in an urban area would cause street flooding, where water would rise above the sidewalks, Jones said. “A half inch in an urban area can cause problems,” he said. The slide caused the east gate to close 6:30-10 a.m. Sunday, Yellowstone spokesman Al Nash said. A truck ended up stuck in the slide. It was traveling in the rain and was on top of the slide, said Jim Berry, maintenance foreman for the Wyoming Department of Transportation in Cody. Berry said traffic began moving again at 9:30 a.m. and the two lanes were open by 12:30 p.m. Jones said the area around the east gate, which has steep sides and sometimes low vegetation, has been known to have slides in the past.
A reactor at the Millstone nuclear plant in Waterford, Conn., has shut down because of something that its 1960s designers never anticipated: the water in Long Island Sound was too warm to cool it. Under the reactor’s safety rules, the cooling water can be no higher than 75 degrees. On Sunday afternoon, the water’s temperature soared to 76.7 degrees, prompting the operator, Dominion Power, to order the shutdown of the 880-megawatt reactor. “Temperatures this summer are the warmest we’ve had since operations began here at Millstone,’’ said a spokesman for Dominion, Ken Holt. The plant’s first reactor, now retired, began operation in 1970. The plant’s third reactor was still running on Monday, but engineers were watching temperature trends carefully out of concern that it, too, might have to shut down. A spokeswoman for the regional grid control center, ISO-New England, said the shutdown had not impaired the functioning of the grid because generation has been more than sufficient. But in periods when industrial demand for electricity has been stronger, a reactor shutdown has sometimes forced grid operators to scramble.
The water from the sound is piped into the plant to absorb heat from pumps and other pieces of equipment. As the sound’s temperature inched upward this summer, Dominion Power received permission from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to measure it at three locations instead of one and to calculate the average in the hope that it would be lower. That did not help on Sunday. And higher water temperatures could lie ahead. The sound’s temperature usually does not peak until late August. Eventually, engineers could change the Millford reactor’s intake pipe so it draws water from further below the surface, where temperatures are lower, Mr. Holt said. They could also sharpen their pencils and try to determine whether the plant can operate safely with cooling water above 75 degrees, but neither is a short-term project. Cloud cover and the mixing of some cooler rainfall might also bring down temperatures, Mr. Holt suggested. While some reactors in inland locations have had to reduce their power output or shut down because of warm cooling water in the past, it is unusual for coastal plants, nuclear industry officials say. “We are evaluating our options for the future,’’ Mr. Holt said. “We don’t know, is this year an anomaly or is it the continuation of a longer trend?’ Power plants in the Midwest have also experienced problems as temperatures soared in recent weeks. In some cases, reactors shut down because the cooling water was too warm; in others, the ongoing drought had shrunken the body of water from which the cooling water is drawn, and the plant’s intake pipes were above the surface. Last month the twin-unit Braidwood nuclear plant in Illinois needed special permission to keep operating because its cooling water pond reached 102 degrees as a result of low rainfall and high air temperatures. When Braidwood opened 26 years ago, it was designed to run at temperatures up to 98 degrees.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The Pennsylvania Department of Health is once again providing free potassium iodide tablets to help residents of the commonwealth prepare for public health emergencies involving nuclear facilities.
People who live, work or attend school within a 10-mile radius of the state’s five nuclear power plants can get the tablets, which can help protect the thyroid gland against harmful radioactive iodine.
The tablets will be distributed Aug. 9 at 14 locations statewide, or can be obtained at state, county or municipal health agencies
Four 65-milligram tablets will be provided to each adult. Smaller doses will be given to children based on their age.
The department says people should only take potassium iodide tablets when directed to do so by health officials or the governor.
Two months after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident in March 2011, a team of Japanese researchers collected 144 adult pale grass blue (Zizeeria maha) butterflies from 10 locations in Japan, including the Fukushima area.
When the accident occurred, the adult butterflies would have been overwintering as larvae.
Unexpected results
By comparing mutations found on the butterflies collected from the different sites, the team found that areas with greater amounts of radiation in the environment were home to butterflies with much smaller wings and irregularly developed eyes.
“It has been believed that insects are very resistant to radiation,” said lead researcher Joji Otaki from the University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa.
“In that sense, our results were unexpected,” he told BBC News.
The Japanese researchers have been studying the species for more than a decade
Prof Otaki’s team then bred these butterflies within labs 1,750km (1,090 miles) away from the accident, where artificial radiation could hardly be detected.
It was by breeding these butterflies that they began noticing a suite of abnormalities that hadn’t been seen in the previous generation – that collected from Fukushima – such as malformed antennae, which the insects use to explore their environment and seek out mates.
Six months later, they again collected adults from the 10 sites and found that butterflies from the Fukushima area showed a mutation rate more than double that of those found sooner after the accident.
The team concluded that this higher rate of mutation came from eating contaminated food, but also from mutations of the parents’ genetic material that was passed on to the next generation, even though these mutations were not evident in the previous generations’ adult butterflies.
The team of researchers have been studying that particular species butterfly for more than 10 years.
They were considering using the species as an “environmental indicator” before the Fukushima accident, as previous work had shown it is very sensitive to environmental changes.
“We had reported the real-time field evolution of colour patterns of this butterfly in response to global warming before, and [because] this butterfly is found in artificial environments – such as gardens and public parks – this butterfly can monitor human environments,” Prof Otaki said.
But the findings from their new research show that the radionuclides released from the accident were still affecting the development of the animals, even after the residual radiation in the environment had decayed.
“This study is important and overwhelming in its implications for both the human and biological communities living in Fukushima,” explained University of South Carolina biologist Tim Mousseau, who studies the impacts of radiation on animals and plants in Chernobyl and Fukushima, but was not involved in this research.
“These observations of mutations and morphological abnormalities can only be explained as having resulted from exposure to radioactive contaminants,” Dr Mousseau told BBC News.
The findings from the Japanese team are consistent with previous studies that have indicated birds and butterflies are important tools to investigate the long-term impacts of radioactive contaminants in the environment.
A suspected food poisoning case on a southern Chinese island led to the hospitalization of 120 tourists on Sunday, including six foreigners, local authorities reported on Monday. The vacationers were sent for medical treatment after their breakfast in the Howard Johnson Hotel in Sanya City in Hainan Province, said Zhou Baocang, deputy director of the Sanya Health Bureau. Twenty-eight people left hospital after treatment, while the other 92 remain in the People’s Hospital of Sanya and No.425 Hospital of the People’s Liberation Army. “No deaths have been reported. The patients are recovering well,” said Chen Weijie, deputy director of the Sanya City Food and Drug Administration. Four of the six foreigners are from Russia and two from Japan, and all of them are in stable condition, Zhou said. Initial investigation showed that the illnesses were caused by food harboring bacteria, and more evidence needs to be collected, Zhou said. Service at the hotel’s restaurant has been suspended. “The fried rice at breakfast might be to blame. The biggest discomfort was suffered by my friend, who had stomach ache and wanted to vomit. Another friend has been suffering from fever,” said a tourist named Li Ximing from south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Hainan provincial government officials have urged local authorities to guarantee the safety of the tourists. Experts have been sent by the provincial government to the scene. An emergency response team has been set up by the hotel and 80 employees have been dispatched to hospital to help take care of the patients, said Wang Li, a spokeswoman for the hotel. The hotel will compensate the patients based on investigation, Wang added.
Biohazard name:
Mass. Food Poisoning
Biohazard level:
2/4 Medium
Biohazard desc.:
Bacteria and viruses that cause only mild disease to humans, or are difficult to contract via aerosol in a lab setting, such as hepatitis A, B, and C, influenza A, Lyme disease, salmonella, mumps, measles, scrapie, dengue fever, and HIV. “Routine diagnostic work with clinical specimens can be done safely at Biosafety Level 2, using Biosafety Level 2 practices and procedures. Research work (including co-cultivation, virus replication studies, or manipulations involving concentrated virus) can be done in a BSL-2 (P2) facility, using BSL-3 practices and procedures. Virus production activities, including virus concentrations, require a BSL-3 (P3) facility and use of BSL-3 practices and procedures”, see Recommended Biosafety Levels for Infectious Agents.
NBC-10 reports, tens of millions of Jellyfish have invaded Barnegat Bay. The jellyfish have been spotted in Barnegat Bay, Manahawkin in Stafford, Waretown, and the bay side of Harvey Cedars on Long Beach Island. According to Professor Paul Bologna, Montclair State’s Director of Aquatic and Coastal Sciences, the reason for the proliferation of jellyfish could be the use of plastic on the surfaces of docks. He explains sea nettle larvae settle on those surfaces and change into polyps, which bud off to create more of themselves. Another theory from a Rutgers University report: the bay’s ecological decline has spread southward since the 1990s. The declining ecological conditions have become a perfect place for jellyfish to prosper. Whatever the reason, unless they’re looking for a shock to their system, swimmers and surfers should be on the lookout for the jellyfish.
Biohazard name:
Jellyfish invasion
Biohazard level:
0/4 —
Biohazard desc.:
This does not included biological hazard category.
It’s hot and getting hotter, and one more Lane County lake has sprouted a toxic algae bloom. State officials today said that based on scum they have observed, Dexter Lake has toxic blue-green algae, and they issued an advisory that people stay out of the water and avoid touching it or inhaling water droplets. Testing is taking place to determine whether the blue-green algae is of the type that produces cyanotoxins harmful to people and animals, the state said. Dexter Lake, about 20 miles southeast of Eugene on Highway 58, is the third Lane County body of water to merit a blue-green algae alert this summer, and only the fourth in the state. State officials on July 27 issued an alert for Walterville Pond off Highway 126 east of Springfield that is still in effect, followed by a July 31 alert on Dorena Lake southeast of Cottage Grove that is still in effect. Earlier in the summer, the state also issued an alert for a lake in Jackson County that lasted only five days. By comparison, at this time last year, the state had issued algae alerts at seven lakes. Last summer, alerts were issued for Cougar, Dorena, Dexter and Fall Creek lakes in Lane County. Health officials say exposure to the toxins can produce numbness, dizziness and breathing or heart problems, plus skin irritation, nausea and cramps. Dexter Lake is managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Oregon State Parks Department.
Biohazard name:
Blue-Green (cyanobacteria) Algae bloom
Biohazard level:
0/4 —
Biohazard desc.:
This does not included biological hazard category.
The city of Long Beach issued an alert to residents regarding an outbreak of flea-borne typhus, a disease transmitted to humans via fleas. Murine typhus, also known as flea-borne typhus, is spread from fleas living on rodents, possums, raccoons and cats. The disease is transmitted by bites from infected fleas. The disease is not spread from person to person. Symptoms include high fever, body aches, severe headaches and a rash. People may become sick enough to be hospitalized, but the disease is rarely fatal. Public health officials will continue to monitor and test for evidence of flea-borne typhus in areas throughout Long Beach. Area veterinarians will receive a letter requesting they educate pet owners on the importance of flea control in preventing flea-borne typhus. Long Beach has also issued letters to area health care providers providing guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of this disease.
Biohazard name:
Typhus (flea-borne)
Biohazard level:
0/4 —
Biohazard desc.:
This does not included biological hazard category.
Last week dead fish were found mysteriously washing up along the shores of Pago bay. Today PNC went to Pago Bay to investigate the possible cause of this unusual phenomenon. On Thursday of last week a student at the University of Guam’s marine lab noticed a lot of dead fish along the short in Pago bay. He took pictures of the fish and forwarded them to UOG marine lab professor Dr. Jason Biggs. “Well one of the things that set up a red flag for me is that this is the first time that it’s ever been noticed for Pago bay to have a fish kill like this,” said Dr. Biggs. Department of agriculture fisheries biologist Brent Tibbats also examined the photos. He says they appear to be shallow water fish that live in the reef flats and sea grass. Based on the photos, which show that many of the fish died with open mouths, Tibbats believes that natural causes are the most likely culprit. “We do get reports of fish kills almost every year at around this time of year, July and August, when there are very low tides during the hottest part of the day during the middle of the day what happens is fish get trapped in shallow water pools and they overheat and with a lack of oxygen they suffocate actually in the water and then when the next high tide comes in the fish get deposited on shore and people see this,” explained Tibbats.
However, as Dr. Biggs has pointed out this is the first time that they’ve seen this at Pago bay. “Over the past we’ve noticed areas where it happens commonly actually are Tumon bay is one and down along the southeast coast kind of from Ipan beach park down to first beach those areas something about them seems to be where fish kills repeatedly during these low tides during the middle of the day,” said Tibbats. Nevertheless Dr. Biggs is concerned that something else maybe the cause of this strange event. “Another thing that we’d like to point out is because it hasn’t happened at Pago bay before that maybe the sedimentation could have the same effect because if you have a big load of water bringing down a lot of dirt with it that dirt could mix with the salt water as well and particulate matter is known to clog the gills of the fish and make it so that water can’t pass and they can’t breathe,” explained Dr. Biggs. The marine lab professor says that choking from sedimentation would also result in dead fish with mouths open as seen in the photos. Pago bay has been known to have a lot of sedimentation after heavy rains. “You can see it every time it rains really hard there’s a plume that goes all the way out and then extends for miles out into the ocean,” said Dr. Biggs.
Tibbats says there is no way to tell for sure what killed these fish because he received the email over the weekend and by then the fish were gone. Tibbats says there are other potential causes for example fresh water can flood the reef flats killing saltwater fish. There is also the possibility that toxins from the land are washed into the water. Tibbats says that if anyone notices dead fish washing up on the shores anywhere on guam to try and collect some of the fish and then contact the Department of Agriculture’s Division of Aquatics and Wildlife Resources so they can study the dead fish and get a better determination of their actual cause of death. Senator Sam Mabini is concerned with the dead fish found at Pago bay and she has sent a letter to the Guam Environmental Protection Agency requesting their immediate attention to Pago bay’s current condition.
Biohazard name:
Mass Die-off (Fishes)
Biohazard level:
1/4 Low
Biohazard desc.:
Bacteria and viruses including Bacillus subtilis, canine hepatitis, Escherichia coli, varicella (chicken pox), as well as some cell cultures and non-infectious bacteria. At this level precautions against the biohazardous materials in question are minimal, most likely involving gloves and some sort of facial protection. Usually, contaminated materials are left in open (but separately indicated) waste receptacles. Decontamination procedures for this level are similar in most respects to modern precautions against everyday viruses (i.e.: washing one’s hands with anti-bacterial soap, washing all exposed surfaces of the lab with disinfectants, etc). In a lab environment, all materials used for cell and/or bacteria cultures are decontaminated via autoclave.
Symptoms:
Status:
confirmed
13.08.2012
Biological Hazard
USA
State of Pennsylvania, [Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area]
A local Boy Scout leader is recovering this week after wrestling with a rabid beaver in the Delaware River. Health officials describe the attack as rare, but say human encounters with wild animals are more common in the summer months. On Aug. 2, Normand Brousseau, 51, of Pine Plains, an assistant scoutmaster with Boy Scout Troop 32 out of Elizaville, Columbia County, was swimming in the Delaware River. Brousseau, another leader and four Scouts were on a field trip at the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area in Pennsylvania. Brousseau, who was in the water hanging onto a noodle float, noticed a dark shape nearby. “It came through my legs and attached itself to my chest,” he said. “I thought it was a giant carp fish.” It wasn’t. He was being attacked by a rabid beaver. Once he was bitten, he grabbed the animal and threw it away from his body. “Then it came at me again,” he said. The beaver bit him in the leg and then again in his buttocks, arm, hand and waist. At that point, Brousseau said, “the adrenaline kicked in.” “I grabbed it in its mouth,” he said. “I had it around its bottom jaw as tightly as I could because I knew it was going to either bite me or bite the boys. I called the Scouts to come give me a hand.” One of the Scouts was 16-year-old Nick Hedges of Elizaville. “I grabbed him by the arm and started pulling him to the shore,” Hedges said.
The Scout was careful to keep an eye on the beaver, which, he said, was in Brousseau’s grasp about five feet away. Brousseau tossed the animal up onto the shore. The beaver was stunned for a second or two, Hedges said, but “then it started attacking the noodle.” With their counselor hurt and bleeding on shore, the teens took matters into their own hands. “We started throwing rocks at it,” he said. “We could see it was still dangerous.” The Scouts threw stones at the beaver until it was dead. A couple passing by in a canoe took Brousseau to the other side of the river and another passerby called 911. Dutchess County health officials said an attack from a rabid beaver is unusual, explaining that more often people in Dutchess report suspected cases of rabid cats, dogs and bats. “This is the time of year people will encounter more bats because they’re active now — they’re coming into contact with them more often,” said Stephen Capowski, director of environmental health services for the Dutchess County Health Department. Capowski cautioned people to steer clear of animals exhibiting unusual behavior: nocturnal animals such as bats, skunks and raccoons out during the daytime; dogs and cats indiscriminately attacking other dogs and cats, or people, and any animal behaving aggressively. Capowski said human cases of rabies are rare in Dutchess.
Park rangers brought Brousseau to the Pocono Medical Center in East Stroudsburg, Pa., where he was treated for his injuries. He’s now on the mend and the parents of Scouts in his troop are feeling grateful. “It was very brave of him,” said Susan Treacy of Stanfordville, whose 15-year-old son, Zach Pruner, was also in the river during the attack. “Who’d be crazy enough to hang onto a rabid beaver?” The day after the attack, Brousseau received a call from a doctor confirming the beaver had been rabid. Since then, he’s received more than 20 rabies shots. “I’m pretty sore,” he said, still appearing bruised with small cuts along his hands and arms Friday. Brousseau brushed off the notion of acting heroically that day. “It’s my job to protect the boys,” he said. “Part of what I do is to make sure they’re always protected.” Brousseau said he has gained a new-found respect for nature. “When you go out into nature, you always need to veer on the side of caution,” he said. “Don’t assume a wild animal is not sick. You have to be on your toes at all times.”
Biohazard name:
Rabies (beaver)
Biohazard level:
3/4 Hight
Biohazard desc.:
Bacteria and viruses that can cause severe to fatal disease in humans, but for which vaccines or other treatments exist, such as anthrax, West Nile virus, Venezuelan equine encephalitis, SARS virus, variola virus (smallpox), tuberculosis, typhus, Rift Valley fever, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, yellow fever, and malaria. Among parasites Plasmodium falciparum, which causes Malaria, and Trypanosoma cruzi, which causes trypanosomiasis, also come under this level.
Thousands of dead fish are washing ashore along the Texas coast from the Colorado River to Galveston Island and Parks and Wildlife biologists suspect low oxygen levels off shore may be to blame. What tides are bringing in on Jamaica Beach is making people pause. “I hope it’s nothing major,” said Mark Gannon, who took his family to the beach Sunday. “I hope the water is safe.” Thousands of dead shad litter the sand. “Any idea what it is?” asked Gannon’s wife Alexia. Her children tried to explain the problem. “At night time, the waves pull up really far so the fish can’t handle that, so they get up on the shore,” said Abby Gannon. Authorities said the answer is not so simple. Biologists with the Parks and Wildlife Department began testing ph, saline and oxygen levels in water samples taken along the coast. “When something’s affecting one [fish] then usually a lot of them are being affected at the same time because it’s such a big group [swimming in schools] together,” said Steven Mitchell of Texas Parks and Wildlife. He suspects low oxygen in the water is a problem. However, he won’t know for sure until biologists are able to test water up to 10 miles off shore. That could take several days. Meanwhile, there is no threat to people on the beach, authorities said. Still, people like the Gannons said their plan to spend the children’s final week of summer vacation on the beach could change a bit. “I imagine as it gets warmer the smell [of the dead shad] will get stronger and we will likely want to go home,” Alexia Gannon said.
Biohazard name:
Mass. Die-off (fishes)
Biohazard level:
0/4 —
Biohazard desc.:
This does not included biological hazard category.
GALVESTON (August 13, 2012)–Hundreds of thousands of dead fish have washed up on the beach in Galveston, where crews went to work Monday to remove the dead fish.
Peter Davis of the Galveston Island Beach Patrol said Sunday the small shad fish likely were killed by low oxygen levels in the Gulf of Mexico.
Davis estimated hundreds of thousands of fish have died.
Galveston County health officials said the water is fine for beachgoers.
Biologist Steven Mitchell with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said calm conditions and summer heat may have contributed to the fish kill.
He said there’s a possibility of a dead zone in the water off Galveston.
Testing is expected this week.
Today
HAZMAT
USA
State of Colorado, Colorado Springs [Centennial Boulevard, Thin Metal Parts]
Around 100 employees have been evacuated from a handful of businesses on Centennial Boulevard because of a reported chlorine gas leak. The Colorado Springs Fire Department reports the leak occurred inside the Thin Metal Parts building off of Centennial and List north of Garden of the Gods. One person was being evaluated by medical personnel at the scene. There are no other reports of injuries.
[In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit, for research and/or educational purposes. This constitutes 'FAIR USE' of any such copyrighted material.]
A New Zealand volcano dormant for more than a century has erupted, sending up ash clouds, disrupting flights and closing roads.
Mount Tongariro, one of three volcanoes in the centre of the North Island, became active just before midnight local time, with reports of loud explosions, spewing rocks and steam.
The 1,978m (6,490 ft) peak is in a national park popular with hikers.
No casualties or damage have been reported after the eruption.
Witnesses described a dramatic scene as the volcano erupted.
”I saw this beautiful, big cloud and I thought: ‘Gee that looks like a volcanic plume’. Just as I thought that there was a great big orange flash,” truck driver Bryn Rodda told New Zealand National Radio.
“It was quite impressive.”
Mount Tongariro last erupted 115 years ago, and scientists said they did not yet know if this eruption was a single event or if it signalled the start of more activity.
The eruption sent ash clouds over the area, causing disruptions to flights
Experts said they were caught by surprise – they had recorded some seismic activity in recent weeks but were not expecting an eruption.
“This might just be a quiet period and we should expect it to start again at any time. So we are watching things very closely,” volcanologist Michael Rosenberg told TVNZ.
Eruption activity has currently subsided, New Zealand media said. Meteorologists said the ash was blowing east towards the Pacific Ocean.
A number of domestic flights on the North Island had been affected by the volcanic activity, Air New Zealand said.
Police said highways that had been closed because visibility was affected after the eruption are now open.
Some residents in the vicinity had temporarily left their homes. Officials have not ordered an evacuation, but advised those affected by the ash cloud to stay indoors and close their doors and windows.
Etna (Italy): Strombolian activity continues at varying levels. Following a phase of weak activity during 4-6 Aug, an increase of activity was observed at the Bocca Nuova during the night 6-7 Aug.
Also in Italy, the activity at Stromboli (Eolian Islands) has been at relatively high levels over the past days. The number and size of explosions from the summit vents has increased.
Popocatépetl in Mexico: About 1 explosion occurs per hour, and strong glow is visible at night. A relatively powerful eruption late on 6 Aug sent ash to up to 30,000 ft (10 km) altitude.
The volcanoes in Guatemala have shown little changes in activity over the past days. Fuego volcano has intermittent weak strombolian explosions throwing lava up to 100 m above the crater, and the lava flow on the south flank is still active. Santiaguito / Santa Maria (Guatemala): Weak to moderate explosions occur regularly and produce ash plumes up to 900 meters high. Avalanches of lava blocks descend on the south flank of the dome.
Lots of seismic activity is visible on the seismograms, most of it related to rockfalls.
Some tremor and shallow volcanic quakes and weak degassing are the only signs of activity reported from Pacaya.
In Colombia, there are currently 1 volcanoes on orange alert (Ruiz)(eruption warning) and 4 on yellow (unrest): Nevado del Ruiz (Colombia) shows tremor, associated with gas and minor ash emissions at low level. A shallow M1.2 earthquake occurred at 3:11 (local time) near the Arenas crater. INGEOMINAS keeps a close watch of the volcano.
Compared to the previous week, the seismicity at Galeras has increased and shows events related to fluid movements within the volcano. Few weak earthquakes with magnitudes less than 1.1 related to fracturing of rock occurred at shallow depths (less than 4 km) at various locations under the volcano.
Seismicity at Cerro Machin volcano remains at slightly elevated levels with some weak earthquakes SE under the lava dome at depths between 3.5 and 5 km.
At Cumbal volcano, seismicity is still above background levels, but has has decreased. Signals are interpreted as fluid movements under the volcano. Nevado del Huila The volcano shows normal seismic activity and degassing at low levels with no significant changes to previous weeks. INGEOMINAS keeps the alert level at yellow.
Ecuador: Tungurahua volcano: Activity remains generally at relatively low levels. Few small to moderate explosions (about 3-5 per day) and weak steam and ash venting continue at Tungurahua. The last reported ash cloud altitude was at 18,000 ft (4.5 km) from an explosion on 6 Aug.
This morning, a more intense phase with volcanic tremor is visible on the seismograms. Reventador volcano: IG reports a strong steam plume rising 1500 m above the summit, but does no more mention any active lava flow. Sangay volcano: No recent reports of eruptions from remote Sangay are available, but this might simply incidate that its typical strombolian eruptions are too small.
The volcanic alert level for Mt Tongariro has risen from 1 to 2 after the central North Island volcano erupted for the first time in more than a century late last night. GNS science is reporting that at approximately 11:50pm on Monday night ash fall began to be reported in the volcano’s vicinity – it has since been reported as far east as SH5 near Te Haroto and in Napier. GNS duty volcanologist Michael Rosenberg told Radio New Zealand that some people are reported to have left their houses on the southern shores of Lake Rotoaira, though no formal notices of evacuation have been issued so far by Civil Defense. He said residents in the area have told GNS of hearing several loud explosions, lightning and plumes of smoke and police have been told by an onlooker that “a new hole in the side of the mountain” had formed. They have also reported bright red rocks flying out of the mountain. The eruption reportedly happened at the Te Mari Craters, which are close to the Ketetahi Hot Springs on the northern side of the mountain. Civil defence spokesman Vince Cholewa told NewstalkZb ash could reach those living in Waikato, Hawke’s Bay, Gisborne, Manawatu-Wanganui, Bay of Plenty and Taranaki. “The advice to people is to stay indoors, because volcanic ash can obviously be a health hazard, if they’re indoors please close windows and doors to try and limit the entry of ash.” Mr Cholewa says at this stage not all areas alerted are affected by ash, but that situation could change. “We’re working actively with GNS Science who operate the monitoring equipment on the mountains, and with police so all the information from the ground is being gathered, and decisions will be based on that information. “Evacuations have not been ordered, please listen to the radio for advice from local authorities and police, any evacuations would be issued at that level, and based on the evidence from GNS Science.”Due to possible danger to the public the police have closed SH1 between Rangipo and Waiouru (Desert Road) and SH46 west of Rangipo. SH47 and 4 remain open at this stage as does SH5. Motorists are being advised to avoid travel in the area and these closures will be re-assessed once daylight reveals the extent of the ash cloud. A truck driver has told Radio New Zealand that the ash cloud has caused thick dust and reduced visibility on the Desert Road. Bryn Rodda said he saw a large cloud rising from the mountain with orange flashes. Civil Aviation Authority manager of meteorology Peter Lechner told NewstalkZb the plume is leading off to the east and south east. “Flight operations to the west of the plume should remain unaffected, however operations to the eastern half of the North Island will have some difficulty at this stage.” Mr Lechner says a frontal system is on its way which should disperse the cloud, but that depends on whether there are further eruptions. Police are sending search and rescue teams up Mt Tongariro at first light to check no one is stranded in huts. However, they say there have been no reports of injuries or damage. The Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management (MCDEM) is currently assessing information with the assistance of GNS scientific advisors. It has not yet activated the National Crisis Management Centre which is called upon in times of emergency like the Christchurch earthquake. New Zealand’s other high profile active volcano, White Island, also had its alert level raised from 1 to 2 on Monday after a small eruption was recorded in its crater lake.
Historically high temperatures were recorded in 28 locations throughout Bulgaria on Monday, the country’s National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (NIMH) said. At 3 p.m. local time (0200 GMT), the temperature in Ruse by the Danube River was 41 degrees Celsius. Pleven in northern Bulgaria recorded 40 degrees Celsius, followed by Sandanski in the southwest of the country at 39.6 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, temperatures in the capital Sofia also hit 34.6 degrees Celsius. Temperatures were unusually high even in the mountains, NIMH said. At Botev peak, temperatures reached 17.5 degrees Celsius, 25.2 degrees Celsius at Murgash peak, and 26.5 degrees Celsius at Rozhen peak. Record-high temperatures were reported also on the Black Sea coast in the towns of Ahtopol and Varna at 35 degree Celsius, and cape of Kaliakra at 32.8 degree Celsius. Temperatures will remain high on Tuesday, after which they should return to what is considered normal for the season, NIMH said.
Eleven small fires are confirmed to have been started by Sunday night’s lightning across the Klamath National Forest. Six of the fires are burning in the Scott River Ranger District and five are located in the Happy Camp Ranger District, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Another fire burning in the area, the Emily Fire, which is located just over the forest boundary within the Red Buttes Wilderness in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest area. All fires are being managed with a full suppression strategy. Nine of the 11 fires are one-half acre in size or smaller, with the smallest being a single burning tree near the Shackleford Creek Trailhead. The largest of the fires, the Bill Fire, is located near Billberry Creek in the Scott Bar Ponds area and is estimated to be between six and 10 acres, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Fire crews and equipment standing by from the Dillon Fire, located approximately 15 miles southwest of Happy Camp, are available to help extinguish these new fires. The Dillon Fire, which ignited on Aug. 3, is now 90 percent contained.
07.08.2012
Forest / Wild Fire
Canary-Islands (Esp.)
Island of La Gomera, [Garajonay National Park]
Forest / Wild Fire in Canary-Islands (Esp.) on Tuesday, 07 August, 2012 at 16:20 (04:20 PM) UTC.
Description
A wildfire raged Monday on Spain’s Canary Island of La Gomera which burnt down several homes and raced through a national park housing a rare subtropical forest, officials said. Deep ravines made it difficult to fight the blaze, which erupted on Saturday and has affected 3,100 hectares of land, including 350 hectares, or 9 percent, of the Garajonay national park, a World Heritage Site. “The ravines act as genuine chimneys for the fire when the wind blows and this complicates the task of getting the fire under control,” the head of the islands’ government, Paulino Rivero, told reporters. By late Monday firefighters, aided by cooler temperatures and higher air humidity levels, had managed to stop the advance of the flames at Garajonay, the regional government said in a statement. The national park was added to UN cultural body UNESCO’s World Heritage list for its rare subtropical forests which covered the Mediterranean millions of years ago but have now largely disappeared. It is home to 450 plant species, including eight that are found only in the park.At Igualero, a village inside the park whose residents were evacuated over the weekend, several houses were completely burned down. The burned down homes were surrouned by charred fruit trees, vineyards and potato crops as well as the dead sheep, goats, chickens and other animals. Several homes near the town of Vallehermoso had been destroyed, mayor Jaime Luis Noda said. “We have still not done an evaluation of exactly how many, so we don’t know how many,” he said. Mobile telephone services on the island were disrupted as several relay stations had burnt down, power was out in some parts of the island and four roads where shut, the regional government said. But around 600 people who were evacuated over the weekend, including those at Igualero, were allowed to return to their homes Monday. Heavy fog on Monday morning prevented two firefighting aircraft sent from mainland Spain from flying but by afternoon the authorities were able to use water-dropping aircraft against the blaze, which has three active fronts. The authorites suspect arson as the cause of the blaze “because it started in three different places and it is practically impossible for an accident to trigger such a violent fire,” he added. A shepherd on the island of La Gomera, Sebastian Vera Herrera, said many of his sheep were killed by the flames after he ignored police orders to evacuate.
“I guided them to the farm in the hamlet of Magana. Many sheep burned. I managed to save many, about 300 because I stayed,” the 58-year-old said. “This is the first time that I have seen a fire likes this, of this size. There are 200-year-old houses that completely burned down.” Another fire on the neighbouring island of La Palma near the town of Mazo has been stabilised. That blaze had affected about 1,700 hectares. Spain has been battling fires in both the Canaries and on the mainland after a winter that saw almost no rainfall, leaving the Spanish landscape its driest in seven decades. On July 22, a wind-whipped wildfire in the northeast province of Catalonia near the border with France scorched 14,000 hectares, claiming four lives. Spain’s most destructive fires so far this year were in the Valencia region in early July, burning some 50,000 hectares of vegetation.
Storms wreaked havoc in Austria and northern Italy over the weekend, causing landslides that killed two people, authorities said Sunday.
An 84-year-old woman was killed when a landslide hit a farm in Afens, on the Italian side of the border with Austria.
In nearby Tulfer, the body of another woman who had been declared missing after her house was struck by a mud flow, was uncovered on Sunday morning.
Major storms lashed much of Austria and German-speaking northern Italy late Saturday, causing flooding and power cuts, and disrupting rail and road connections.
About 1,000 homes were without electricity Sunday morning in the Virgental valley in southern Austria.
In South Tyrol, a northern province of Italy also known as Alto Adige, some 500 emergency workers, firefighters and civil protection officers were mobilised to deal with the damages.
The rail line between Austria and Italy over the Brenner Pass was buried by a landslide overnight and was expected to remain shut for two weeks.
Road and rail connections were also shut elsewhere in Austria, including in Tyrol, Styria and Salzburg provinces. Most were due to re-open on Sunday but others remained closed due to a further risk of landslides.
In Styria, several houses had to be evacuated after they were flooded, and cellars in northern Austria were also filled with water following heavy rain.
A few barns meanwhile went up in flames after they were hit by lightning, with over 250 animals perishing at one farm in northern Austria.
Shanghai and the nearby coastal province Zhejiang have evacuated 456,000 people as China prepares for its third typhoon in less than a week.
The emergency measures were taken after Typhoon Haikui turned Manila, the Philippines capital into “waterworld”, killing 50 people.
The typhoon is expected to make landfall in Zhejiang province, just south of Shanghai, late Tuesday or early Wednesday, the China Meteorological Administration said.
Shanghai officials fear the storm could be the worst since 2005, when Typhoon Matsa killed seven people in the city, state media said.
The city aimed to move 200,000 people to more than a hundred shelters by Tuesday evening, government officials were quoted as saying.
The Shanghai government ordered outdoor construction sites shut down and cancelled summer classes for children until the typhoon had eased.
Authorities in Zhejiang were also rushing to get people out the path of the storm, with 256,000 residents of the province evacuated so far, state media said.
More than 30,000 ships had rushed to shelter in ports.
The typhoon was packing winds of up to 151 kilometres per hour and could bring up to 400 millimetres (16 inches) of rain to some areas, it said. The eastern provinces of Jiangsu and Anhui would also be affected. China is still recovering from Typhoons Damrey and Saola, which hit over the weekend. Those storms brought heavy rains that killed 23 and left nine missing.
Xinhua said the heavy rains that came with the typhoons triggered mudslides and flooding, affecting hundreds of thousands of people.
Typhoon Haikui’s torrential rains submerged much of the Philippine capital and surrounding areas on Tuesday, forcing nearly 270,000 people to flee their homes with more flooding expected in the north of the country as a tropical storm passes through the region, officials said.
Steady rains for the past 10 days, killing more than 50 people, are set to continue until Wednesday, the Philippines weather bureau said.
A man pushes his bicycle through murky floodwaters in Quezon City in suburban Manila, Philippines JAY DIRECTO/AFP/Getty Images
“It’s like Waterworld,” said Benito Ramos, head of the Philippines national disaster agency, referring to a Hollywood movie about a flooded world.
Schools , financial markets, and public and private offices were ordered shut, including outsourcing firms whose corporate clients are mainly from the United States and Europe.
Disaster officials said over half of Manila was swamped by floods as high as three metres, worsened by a high tide and the release of water from dams in surrounding provinces.
President Benigno Aquino, in an emergency meeting briefly interrupted by a power failure at the main army base in Manila, ordered officials to exert maximum effort to aid residents in flooded areas. Officials have deployed army troops, police and emergency workers with rubber boats and amphibious trucks.
The monsoon rains, which dumped about 300 mm (12 inches) or three times the daily average of 80-100 mm from late Monday to Tuesday, were the heaviest in three years, the weather bureau said.
Most major roads in Manila were inundated by knee- to waist-deep floodwaters. Some flights were delayed or cancelled. Power, water and communications in flooded areas were disrupted.
Some of the affected residents were marooned on the roofs of their houses.
“There are about 5,000 people here,” said Ester Ronabio, a public school teacher and volunteer in one of the temporary shelter areas in low-lying Marikina City in the eastern part of Manila. “We can’t control the flow of people.”
In a sign of the difficult scramble to move people to safety, Aquino appealed to an anti-graft court to release dozens of rubber boats held as evidence in a case against senior police officials for use in evacuation efforts.
Residents of Manila expressed concern the rains were a repeat of Typhoon Ketsana which killed more than 700 people and destroyed $1 billion worth of private and public property.
“The floods are so deep where we live, we don’t want a repeat of Typhoon Ketsana a few years ago,” Melanio David, a father of four, told Reuters. “We got scared so we evacuated last night.”
Torrential rains pounding the Philippine capital on Tuesday paralyzed traffic as waist-deep floods triggered evacuations of tens of thousands of residents and the government suspended work in offices and schools. Incessant downpours set off by the seasonal monsoon overflowed major dams and rivers in Manila and nine surrounding provinces and put authorities on alert. The death toll from last week’s Typhoon Saola, which battered Manila and the northern Philippines for several days, has climbed steadily to 51. The head of the government’s rescue agency, Benito Ramos, said there were no immediate reports of new casualties early Tuesday after the rains pounded already saturated Manila for more than 24 hours. Vehicles and even heavy trucks struggled to navigate water-clogged roads, where hundreds of thousands of commuters were stranded overnight. Many cars were stuck in the muddy waters. The La Mesa dam, which supplies water to the capital of 12 million people, spilled excess water for a second time early Tuesday into the rivers flowing into Quezon city, a middle-class Manila suburb, as well as the neighborhoods of Malabon, Valenzuela and Caloocan, where several villages were submerged. Along the swollen Marikina River, police were deployed to move more than 5,000 residents away from the riverbanks in what Vice Mayor Jose Cadiz said was an enforced evacuation. The operation started after the City Hall sounded the alarm bell. The Philippine Stock Exchange in the financial district of Makati, which was also flooded, was closed Tuesday. Also closed was the U.S. Embassy along Manila Bay in the historic old city, which was drenched out last week when a storm surge pushed the water over the seawall. “The embassy is closed today due to excessive flooding in the streets and concern for the safety of our employees and consular applicants,” Ambassador Harry Thomas Jr. said in an announcement.
07.08.2012
Flash Flood
India
MultiStates, [States of Uttarakhand, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir]
Seven people, including five members of a family, were reportedly missing in landslides at various parts of Kannur and Kozhikode districts on Monday evening. The five-member family of Biju of Thundathil house was reportedly washed away at Aanakampoyil at Pulloorampara. There were unconfirmed reports that the body of Biju’s three-and-a-half-year-old son, Kuttan, had been recovered. Two people, identified as Gopalan and Varkey, were reported missing in the landslide at Kodencherry in the district. Rescue operations were going on till late in the night. Heavy rains accompanied by landslides wreaked havoc in Iritty and other high range regions of Kannur district on Monday. Landslides threw life out of gear in Vaniyambara in Ayyankunnu panchayat and in Pulloorampara near Thiruvambadi in Kozhikode. The landslides, besides causing heavy damage to several houses, crops and business establishments, also unleashed flash floods in Vaniyambara and Vallithode. A 10-year-old bridge at Odichikunnu was washed away. A car and a bike moving on the bridge at that time were also swept away. Two people who were inside the car swam to safety and five others were rescued by the local people and the fire force from Iritty. Panic prevailed in the place as people were told that the shutters of the Pazhassi Irrigation Project Division would be opened. The water level in the dam had been steadily rising. However, the officials were able to open only seven or eight shutters. The dam which had a capacity to store 27 metres of water was now already full up to 26 metres, officials said. The officials were trying to open the other shutters to divert the water through another irrigation canal in the area nearby. After inspecting the spot, ADM N.T. Mathew said that five families from Vaniyambara had been shifted to safe locations. “We will provide them free ration and other facilities”, he said. The officials were yet to make an assessment of the damage caused by heavy rains and landslides, he said. One house was totally destroyed in the heavy rains and four others were partially damaged. Crops, especially arecanut palms and plantains were damaged. Thalassery sub-collector Kesavendra Kumar also inspected the spot. Landslides at Pulloorampara and Thiruvambadi areas in Kozhikode district on Monday evening caused heavy damages.
A red tide was sighted in Hong Kong waters 3 August 3, an inter-departmental red tide working group reported. Staff of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) sighted the red tide at Tolo Harbour, including the Yim Tin Tsai and Yim Tin Tsai (East) Fish Culture Zones. It still persists. No associated death of fish has been reported by mariculturists so far. “The red tide was formed by Scrippsiella trochoidea, which is common in Hong Kong waters and non-toxic,” a spokesman for the working group said. The AFCD urged mariculturists at Yim Tin Tsai, Yim Tin Tsai (East), Yung Shue Au and Lo Fu Wat to monitor the situation closely. Red tide is a natural phenomenon. The AFCD’s proactive phytoplankton monitoring programme will continue monitoring red tide occurrences to minimise the impact on the mariculture industry and the public.
Biohazard name:
Red Tide
Biohazard level:
0/4 —
Biohazard desc.:
This does not included biological hazard category.
Symptoms:
Status:
07.08.2012
HAZMAT
Canada
Province of Ontario, Limoges [Calypso Theme Waterpark ]
Thirteen children were taken to the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario this afternoon, after an apparent chlorine leak at the Calypso Water Park, east of Ottawa. Ottawa paramedics spokesperson J.P. Trottier says 14 children, between the ages of 4 and 14, were complaining of irritated and burning eyes. Three had more serious symptoms, including nausea. Thirteen children were transported to CHEO. One was treated at the park by paramedics. The pool where the leak occurred has been closed, and an investigation is under way.
Low levels of a deadly nerve agent have been detected in a chemical weapons igloo containing M55 GB, or sarin, rockets at Blue Grass Army Depot in central Kentucky. The Army Chemical Materials Agency says there’s no danger to people in Madison or surrounding counties and that state and local emergency officials have been notified of the leak. Toxic chemical workers have connected a 1,000 cubic feet-per-minute filter to the igloo’s rear vent. The agency says the leak was discovered during weekly monitoring.
RICHMOND, Calif. (AP) — Analysts say a fire at one of the country’s biggest oil refineries will contribute to higher prices at the pump on the West Coast.
The fire at the Chevron refinery in Richmond, about 10 miles northeast of San Francisco, broke out Monday evening.
It sent plumes of black smoke over the San Francisco Bay area and sent scores of people to hospitals with breathing problems before it was out the following morning.
Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst at Oil Price Information Service, says Chevron’s refinery is big and important to the market.
With inventories of gasoline in the region already low compared with the rest of the country, Kloza says pump prices in California and elsewhere on the West Coast will soon average more than $4 per gallon.
[In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit, for research and/or educational purposes. This constitutes 'FAIR USE' of any such copyrighted material.]
Volcanic activity prompts officials to partially restrict access in the national park.
Authorities declared a green (preventive) alert on Rincón de la Vieja volcano in May. Courtesy of National Seismological Network
Following an increase in its volcanic activity, visits to the crater of Rincón de la Vieja Volcano, in the northwestern province of Guanacaste, are prohibited until further notice.
Volcanologist Raúl Mora, from the National Seismological Network, explained that the Rincón de la Vieja Volcano, “while not the most active in the country, is a volcano in full activity, which prompted authorities to take preventive measures.”
Mora said restricted access to the crater does not affect public access to the national park of the same name, one of northwestern Costa Rica’s main attractions.
Rincón de la Vieja and Turrialba are the country’s only two volcanoes with restricted access for tourists.
ST LOUIS MO
BISMARCK ND
TULSA OK
NORTH PLATTE NE
SPRINGFIELD MO
LITTLE ROCK AR
TOPEKA KS
SIOUX FALLS SD
HASTINGS NE
WICHITA KS
MEMPHIS TN
LINCOLN IL
WILMINGTON OH
LOUISVILLE KY
INDIANAPOLIS IN
PADUCAH KY
RAPID CITY SD
ABERDEEN SD
KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO
Temperatures in Des Moines reached triple digits Tuesday for the fifth time this summer, extending a month-long heat wave that will likely continue for at least another week. Des Moines peaked at 100 degrees. While temperatures will fall slightly toward the end of the week, according to the National Weather Service, highs will remain in the 90s and lows won’t drop below the low 70s. Large parts of eastern and southern Iowa, including Polk County, are under a heat advisory. Wednesday’s high should reach 98 degrees and Thursday may top out at 96. Friday likely will be the coolest day this week with a high of 92, meteorologists said. There is a small chance of thunderstorms Wednesday night and rain could continue overnight, but no other precipitation is expected this week. “Tomorrow evening and overnight is the best shot at any rain,” National Weather Service meteorologist Kevin Skow said. “And that’s less than a 30 percent chance.” The rest of the state may see some rain but, “as far as a good soaking, we’re not seeing it,” Skow said. The number of counties under a burn ban grew to 32 on Tuesday and firefighters, farmers and officials continued to voice concern about the dry conditions.
Spanish authorities evacuated a town of 1,800 residents on the Canary Islands on Tuesday, after three days of firefighting efforts failed to prevent a raging wildfire from reaching it.
Residents were evacuating from the town of Vilaflor, south of the Teide national park that spans the centre of the Spanish island of Tenerife, as flames reached parts of the town.
Emergency services “are evacuating residents from Vilaflor due to the advance of the fire from the east,” the regional government said in a statement Tuesday evening.
It said the 1,800 people of the village were leaving by road. Authorities provided buses for some 200 people who did not have their own vehicles.
Authorities had prepared a shelter for the evacuees in the nearby town of Granadilla, the statement added.
Authorities earlier said the fire had crept a few metres into the Teide park, a major tourist attraction on the archipelago off northwest Africa, as firefighters battled to keep the flames away from populated areas.
Some 800 firefighters were battling the blaze, which broke out Sunday and has spread with strong winds and high temperatures, regional authorities said.
More than 90 people were evacuated from other parts of the island on Monday, of whom 60 remained away from their homes before the latest evacuations.
The fire had affected an area of about 3,000 hectares, of which half had been burnt, a spokeswoman for the regional emergency services said.
Firefighters said they were using five helicopters and three water-bombing planes that arrived Tuesday from mainland Spain, but authorities later said the thick smoke at Vilaflor was hampering efforts.
Another four helicopters and 300 firefighters were working to put out a blaze on one of the neighbouring islands, La Palma, that has engulfed around 500 hectares and forced more than 150 evacuations.
The spokeswoman said this fire had been “stabilised” on Tuesday afternoon after 160 people were evacuated.
Spain has been hit particularly hard by forest fires this year after experiencing its driest winter in 70 years.
The worst fire ravaged 50,000 hectares in the eastern Spanish region of Valencia in July.
Authorities issued evacuation orders for villages in southwestern Greece on Wednesday where wildfires, aided by strong winds and soaring temperatures, have ravaged large areas. The blaze, burning mostly pine forest, sent smoke over the city of Patras, a port with some 220,000 inhabitants, where regional authorities have declared an emergency. Nine planes and one helicopter were involved in the firefighting effort at Argyra, some 15 kilometres (9 miles) east of Patras. Apostolos Katsifaras, regional governor for western Greece, said evacuation orders had been issued for villages in the rugged fire stricken area — likely to involve several hundred residents. “The conditions are very tough. We are using everything we have against the fire,” Katsifaras said. The state of emergency allows authorities to use additional resources, including Greece’s military.
Today
Forest / Wild Fire
Portugal
Municipality of Vila Franca de Xira, [Povoa de Santa Iria]
In Portugal, five major fires were reported. The three largest of them, which were raging in the north and in Povoa de Santa Iria near Lisbon, were largely under control, authorities said.
Strong thunderstorms moved slowly across the Tennessee Valley and produced torrential rain and strong gusty winds. Rainfall totals exceeded three inches in some areas before 5 p.m. Flash Flood Warnings were issued for some counties in North Alabama. Some of the stronger storms produced significant lightning. In Athens, thousands of customers were without power and crews worked in the storms to restore it. Roads flooded in Limestone County and drivers were urged to stay off of them. Athens Bible School suffered roof damage during the storm, and firefighters were at a home on Pepper Road where the roof caught fire, possibly because of lightning.
About 3,000 people in a city of southwestern Japanese island of Kyushu were forced to evacuate their homes again on Thursday due to threats of landslide and flood caused by heavy rain. According to Japan’s public broadcaster NHK, the residents in Aso City where landslides hit houses last week were ordered to evacuate their houses on Thursday morning as heavy rain continued to fall on the area covered with volcanic ash soil which is very fragile. In Aso City and its surrounding region of Kumamoto Prefecture, at least 23 people were found dead and two went missing after landslides hit houses last week in more than 60 places. Heavy rain caused by Tropical Storm Khanun poured in several areas of northern Kyushu which saw hourly rainfall between 40 and 50 mm in the morning hours. The Japan Meteorological agency warned as the tropical storm moves north, heavy rainfall may trigger further floods and landslides in Kyushu till Friday.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said it is closely monitoring events at the Limerick Generating Station after a manual scram around 8:15 a.m. shut down the reactor at the nuclear power plant. According to NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan, an electrical fault was reported in a transformer in a turbine building that spurred the scram and that the transformer is not a main transformer. The event was listed as an “unusual event” around 8:39 a.m., the lowest of the event ratings, Sheehan said. No one was injured in the incident and no outside help was requested, Sheehan said. Sheehan said the transformers have been known to fail from time to time and that the reactor was safely shut down. Sheehan said there are no complications at the power plant at this time and there is no danger to the public from the incident.
An outbreak of the deadly cholera disease in Bundibugyo district has killed four people leaving over 150 others hospitalized. The epidemic spread to the district from the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo. The four persons died before being taken to hospitals for medication according to Isaac Bisunga – the district disease surveillance officer. Bisunga says the epidemic broke out last month but only to realize it was cholera last week. The most affected areas include Bundibugyo town council, Nyahuka town council, Kasithu sub-county, Bukukwanga sub-county, Kisuba sub-county and Bubandi sub-county. Isolation centers have been established at Bundibugyo hospital and Nyahuka health center IV according to the disease surveillance officer.
Biohazard name:
Cholera
Biohazard level:
3/4 Hight
Biohazard desc.:
Bacteria and viruses that can cause severe to fatal disease in humans, but for which vaccines or other treatments exist, such as anthrax, West Nile virus, Venezuelan equine encephalitis, SARS virus, variola virus (smallpox), tuberculosis, typhus, Rift Valley fever, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, yellow fever, and malaria. Among parasites Plasmodium falciparum, which causes Malaria, and Trypanosoma cruzi, which causes trypanosomiasis, also come under this level.
An exceptional bright light phenomenon was observed in many parts of Ostobothnia, western Finland, just after 5pm on Tuesday. According to the Ursa astronomical association, this was a meteorite which had passed through the Earth’s upper atmosphere before hitting the ground. According to Esko Lyytinen of Ursa, the object definitely made it to the ground. He speculated it could be as heavy as dozens of kilograms. The object’s final explosion occurred probably between the towns of Kalajoki and Ylivieska. Several observations of the object were made by Ursa at locations across Ostrobothnia. The subsonic blast was heard over a wide area. Amateur astronomers are now eager to find the heavenly body which lies somewhere in the area of Ylivieska and Kalajoki. Meteorites are a rare occurrence whereas meteors, objects that fail to reach the Earth’s surface, are more common. For example, during the course of the year, the Earth passes through dust clouds which give rise to a phenomenon known as a “meteor shower.” During such an event, streaks of light caused by small rocky particles are visible at regular intervals in the night sky.
Dozens of pet birds smuggled from southern China into Taiwan tested positive for the deadly H5N1 avian flu virus and were destroyed, Taiwanese authorities said Tuesday. The smuggler bought the 38 birds in the Chinese city of Guangzhou and was caught at the Taoyuan international airport in northern Taiwan when he returned via Macau earlier this month, said the Centers for Disease Control. The birds later tested positive for the H5N1 virus and were killed, it said, adding that nine people who had contact with the birds had not shown any flu symptoms during a ten-day screening. Taiwan has no recorded cases of the deadly H5N1 strain, although in 2005 health authorities said eight pet birds smuggled from China tested positive for the strain and destroyed. The island has reported several outbreaks of the H5N2 bird flu, a less virulent strain of the virus, in recent years. China is considered one of the nations most at risk of bird flu epidemics because it has the world’s biggest poultry population and many chickens in rural areas are kept close to humans.
Biohazard name:
H5N1 – Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus
Biohazard level:
4/4 Hazardous
Biohazard desc.:
Viruses and bacteria that cause severe to fatal disease in humans, and for which vaccines or other treatments are not available, such as Bolivian and Argentine hemorrhagic fevers, H5N1(bird flu), Dengue hemorrhagic fever, Marburg virus, Ebola virus, hantaviruses, Lassa fever, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, and other hemorrhagic or unidentified diseases. When dealing with biological hazards at this level the use of a Hazmat suit and a self-contained oxygen supply is mandatory. The entrance and exit of a Level Four biolab will contain multiple showers, a vacuum room, an ultraviolet light room, autonomous detection system, and other safety precautions designed to destroy all traces of the biohazard. Multiple airlocks are employed and are electronically secured to prevent both doors opening at the same time. All air and water service going to and coming from a Biosafety Level 4 (P4) lab will undergo similar decontamination procedures to eliminate the possibility of an accidental release.
A large swarm of bees stung an employee of a tree removal business multiple times as he and three others began cutting down a large cottonwood near downtown Las Cruces. The 52-year-old man was stung possibly hundreds of times and was found, unconscious, by Las Cruces firefighters who arrived shortly before noon today at The Alameda House at 526 S. Alameda Boulevard. Firefighters used foam and water to scatter the bees that were covering the man who was found lying on a driveway. The man was treated at the scene and then rushed to Mountain View Regional Medical Center where he is in serious but stable condition. Two other employees of the tree-removal business were also stung by bees. One of the men, age 30, was transported to Memorial Medical Center but has since been released. A third victim was treated at the scene. Fire and police officials learned that employees with a tree removal business, Las Cruces Heights, were beginning to cut limbs off an old cottonwood on the southwest corner of The Alameda House property. The 52-year-old man was scaling the tree and was suspended by a belay line when the bees started swarming. His coworkers lowered the man to the ground and called for help. Entomologists from the city and county are assessing how best to eradicate the bee colony that is believed to be living inside the large cottonwood. Police and firefighters strongly suggest that residents avoid foot traffic in the area of Alameda Boulevard and Miranda Street, between Lohman Avenue and El Molino Boulevard. Residents of that area also are encouraged to bring pets indoors until at least sunset when the bees are expected to return to their hive.
Biohazard name:
Bees attack
Biohazard level:
0/4 —
Biohazard desc.:
This does not included biological hazard category.
Strong thunderstorms barreled across New Hampshire on Tuesday evening, knocking out power to more than 24,000 homes and businesses, including nearly 1,000 in Manchester. Manchester fire crews responded to “a bunch of trees around the city” that came down, especially in the Hackett Hill area, said District Fire Chief James Michael. “Some hit wires; some didn’t.” Hooksett firefighters responded to 15 Fieldstone Drive for a reported lightning strike. “It hit a tree out in the back yard and traveled into the house,” Deputy Fire Chief deputy Mike Hoisington said. An electrical outlet got scorched, and the homeowners were checking to see if any appliances were damaged, he said. Not everyone got the heavy storms. Bedford police reported wind but no rain. Londonderry police also had no rain outside their station. In Rochester, a live power line fell on the Spaulding Turnpike, closing a section of turnpike. Northbound traffic went through the toll booth and then was U-turned back through the tolls in the opposite direction safely because a different section of the southbound turnpike was shuttered, according to Rochester fire Lt. Eric Lenzi.
The turnpike was closed for just over an hour. “We were just trying to empty the highway from a dangerous situation,” a state police dispatcher said. She doesn’t believe people were charged to go through the toll again. Otherwise, the dispatcher said, “they’d be calling here screaming at me.” James Brown, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gray, Maine, said winds topped 60 mph in some places, including Alton. “We’re looking mostly for wind damage,” he said. “We’ve all kinds of trees down” Blame the storms on a clash of air masses. “We’ve got a very warm, humid air mass in place and a colder air mass coming down from Canada,” Brown said. “The two are clashing and creating these thunderstorms.” By late last night, utilities had cut the number of outages in half to more than 11,000. Farmington, Hopkinton and Rochester each had more than 1,000 customers without power. PSNH spokesman Matthew Chagnon said the outages were spread over a wide section of the state. “From what I understand, there’s a lot of wires down,” he said. “There’s some poles down in some cases and those can take longer because it requires different crews to come in and set the poles.”
[In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit, for research and/or educational purposes. This constitutes 'FAIR USE' of any such copyrighted material.]
CHARLESTON WV
GAYLORD MI
ST LOUIS MO
PITTSBURGH PA
INDIANAPOLIS IN
NORTHERN INDIANA
LA CROSSE WI
LINCOLN IL
MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
GREEN BAY WI
CHICAGO IL
NEW YORK NY
CLEVELAND OH
WILMINGTON OH
GRAND RAPIDS MI
QUAD CITIES IA IL
MOUNT HOLLY NJ
STATE COLLEGE PA
Monuments on the Acropolis Hill in Athens will close early due to a heat wave in Greece that saw temperatures reach 42 degrees Celsius (107.6 degrees Fahrenheit). The site will close to the public on Monday at 2:00 p.m. (1100GMT), and return to regular summer opening hours on Tuesday, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (0500-1700GMT), the Culture Ministry’s association of employees at ancient sites said. Municipal authorities in Greek cities are on alert, providing air-conditioned halls for the public, while the government’s Civil Protection Agency advised elderly Greeks to remain indoors until evening hours.
Images like this will be common on area thermometers the next few days. Image courtesy of Photos.com.
While temperatures have recently been warm across the Midwest and Northeast, intense heat has been absent–that will change in the upcoming few days.
Another sizzling stretch of weather awaits the Midwest and Northeast this week as the heat baking the Plains expands eastward.
After engulfing the mid-Mississippi Valley, the heat will then continue to build to the Northeast Monday into Tuesday, replacing the ongoing drenching thunderstorms that are being jeered by those with outdoor plans but welcomed by farmers and gardeners.
Triple-digit heat will return to Chicago and St. Louis on Tuesday, challenging record highs. On the same day, highs in the middle to upper 90s will bake nearly every community along the Northeast’s I-95 corridor.
Temperatures will be just as hot, if not hotter, throughout the mid-Atlantic on Wednesday.
High humidity will worsen the situation by creating even hotter AccuWeather.com RealFeel® temperatures.
Forecast High Temperatures
City
Mon.
Tues.
Wed.
Des Moines
97
103
90
Chicago
97
100
88
Detroit
92
97
89
Boston
90
95
87
New York City
92
95
92
Philadelphia
95
98
97
Washington, D.C.
95
98
98
The return of intense heat is the last thing many residents, including the Midwestern farmers facing a corn crop disaster, want to hear. The good news is that its presence will be short-lived.
Not long after the heat builds, a cold front will sweep it back out of the Midwest and Northeast in a northwest to southeast fashion to end the workweek on a comfortable note.
The only problem is that before the refreshing air arrives, severe thunderstorms will first ignite.
16.07.2012
Extreme Weather
Canada
Province of Ontario, Whitby [Ribfest Food Festival]
Hundreds of people at an Ontario food festival were crammed into a dining tent waiting out a sudden rainshower Sunday when a lightning bolt struck one of the structure’s steel poles, triggering an electrical discharge that sent 17 people to hospital amid a buzz of concern. “You see the flash and it sounded like a bomb (went off) exactly at the same time. It was so loud,” said Steve Peddle, who was with his wife inside the main tent of the inaugural Whitby Ribfest when the lightning hit around 2 p.m. “All of a sudden, like not even three seconds after that, you started hearing people screaming.” Officials said none of the 17 taken to hospital suffered life-threatening injuries, but many at the event were shaken by the incident. “It wasn’t just one person – there was a lot of people screaming. And so you knew somebody must have got hit,” said Peddle, who travelled from nearby Pickering with his wife Rose.
“I looked over and where my wife had been sitting before we got our ribs… there was three people lying on the ground there.” Another festival-goer, Michael Thompson, said a huge crowd of people had flooded into the large white tent moments before the strike as rain pounded the festival grounds at Iroquois Park in Whitby, which sits some 55 kilometres east of Toronto. “It was pretty chaotic. We didn’t really know what was going on,” the 45-year-old said of the immediate aftermath of the strike. “Some first aid people were in there and they (were) pretty quick when they rushed in. They were throwing tables out of the way so they could reach the injured.” Durham police said those who were injured were quickly taken to local hospitals. Nine people were rushed via ambulance to Lakeridge Health in Durham, some suffering from minor burns, while others were uninjured but want to be checked up on, said a spokesman with the hospital. “Everyone who came, nobody had anything serious. Everybody has been discharged,” said Aaron Lazarus. Whitby Ribfest chairman Colin O’Regan said the festival didn’t see the lightning storm coming before the bolt hit the tent. “Basically a sudden storm came out of nowhere,” he said.
The festival’s emergency plan – drawing on lessons learned from other rib festivals – ensured first aid workers were able to race inside the tent “within seconds,” while other staff and police already at the event kept the crowd orderly, O’Regan added. Additional police, fire and emergency officials arrived minutes later, he said. The Durham Region, which includes Whitby, was put under a severe thunderstorm watch hours before the strike. O’Regan said emergency officials who were already at the festival had been monitoring the thunderstorm watch. “We were aware but felt that there was no risk to the patrons attending,” he said. No heavy rain or any other indication the storm was coming was noticed until minutes before thunderclouds rolled in and lightning struck the tent, he said. There were several thousand people attending the festival when the strike took place and many more were expected to show up later in the afternoon, O’Regan said. “It occurred earlier in the day when we were not as populated as we would have been,” he said, noting that thousands had attended on each of the two previous festival days.
16.07.2012
Extreme Weather
China
MultiProvinces, [Provinces of Hubei,Guizhou, Anhui and Hunan ]
Heavy rain has swept across central and southern China, killing dozens and forcing thousands to evacuate. Rain-triggered floods have killed 10 people and affected over 2 million others in central China’s Hubei province. Recent rainstorms in Guizhou Province left at least 11 people dead and affected nearly a million others. And east China’s Anhui Province and central Hunan have also been badly affected by extremely heavy rain over the past few days. It‘s not easy to live a normal life here when your whole city has been mired in floods for days. Here in Anyang City in Anhui Province, hundreds of people are still trapped in their houses, waiting to be taken to safety. Meters-high water forced rescuers to try different ways of reaching to those trapped. Families’ belongings are also passed out, one thing at a time. Over the course of 3 hours, rescuers managed to take over 200 people to safe areas. They also brought in disaster relief goods such as blankets and rice, to help those left homeless. The local meteorological office is continuing to issue rain alerts. Meanwhile, emergency plans have been launched by the city government, to try to stop the flood spreading through the city.
Heavy rain and lightning across the Travis and Williamson counties is causing an array of problems for the Austin area. All of Round Rock is under voluntary evacuation. A temporary shelter was established in the Clay Madsen Rec Center at 1600 Gattis School Road. It has since closed as the water is now receding. Many roads across the area are closed. There have been at least nine swift water rescues in the Austin area caused by quickly rising water. One person from a water rescue on South Pleasant Valley Road was transported to St. David’s Hospital in Downtown Austin by EMS. This was the only injury reported. The storm has knocked out power to thousands of Austin Energy customers. The utility has an up-to-date map of the outages on its website here. Ed Clark with Austin Energy said that as of 10 p.m., about 800 customers were still without power. At the storms peak, power outages affected about 5000 Austin Energy customers. High winds from the storm have flipped six boats on Lake Travis off of the Emerald Point Marina, according to the National Weather Service. It’s not known how large the boats are or if the weather has caused any injuries in that area.
A wildfire started on a Wyoming National Guard training area forced the partial evacuation of Glendo State Park, about 100 miles north of Cheyenne. Glendo is northwest of Guernsey State Park, which was evacuated and closed this summer because of another wildfire, which was human caused. An unknown number of campers and visitors on the east side of Glendo Park were evacuated Sunday night and moved to the west side of the park, according to Domenic Bravo, administrator of the state Parks, Historic Sites and Trails Division. “There wasn’t a lot of folks that we had to evacuate,” Bravo said Monday. “There was good handful though.” The park includes Glendo Reservoir, which is a popular destination for boaters and has more than 400 campsites. The Sawmill Canyon fire began Saturday on Camp Guernsey Joint Training Center land, which is operated by the Wyoming Guard. The fire had burned about 7 to 10 square miles of rough terrain with mixed trees and grass by Monday morning. About 180 firefighters aided by helicopters and heavy air tankers are battling the fire. There were some Guard units training in the area, which includes an artillery range, Guard spokeswoman Deidre Forster said. Forster said she didn’t know what type of training was occurring or what units were involved. The area is used for training by various agencies, including the U.S. military, police units, as well as by the Wyoming Guard. State Forester Bill Crapser said the cause of the fire was under investigation.
The fire broke out on Sunday, prompting emergency services to evacuate 50 villagers from their homes overnight, and has spread over 1,100 hectares (2,700 acres), the regional government said on Monday. Fanned by wind, it reached the edge of the Teide National Park – a mountainous beauty spot centring on the Teide volcano, Spain’s highest peak and a Unesco world heritage site. Coaches and cars were moved from the grounds of the park as a precaution. It was not immediately clear whether the fire threatened to spread into the natural park. The regional government of the Canary Islands, the Atlantic archipelago of which Tenerife is part, said 70 firefighters and seven helicopters were busy battling the blaze. Spain is at higher risk of forest fires than ever this summer after suffering its driest winter in 70 years. One fire in eastern Spain this month ravaged 50,000 hectares.
Firefighters in Montenegro are struggling to contain wildfires that are threatening an ancient pine forest in the northeast of the country. Fires have erupted amid extremely high temperatures in the Balkans, reaching around 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in Montenegro in the past weeks. Fires have destroyed hundreds of acres of forests and about a dozen houses and stables. Officials say the blaze has reached the outer rim of the Crna Poda forest, where some of the pine trees are 400 years old. Emergency official Radomir Scepanovic said Monday that “we will stay to protect (the forest) until the rain falls.” Firefighters have been using planes and choppers, but efforts are hampered by hilly terrain and occasional strong winds. The forest is located within the UNESCO-protected Tara river canyon.
About 500 people, including tourists, were evacuated Sunday from the vicinity of the town of San Teodoro on the Italian island of Sardinia, due to raging fires in the area. The fire had already spread to residential houses. There is no information regarding the casualties as yet. Land and air resources have been mobilized to fight the blaze. Forest fires are raging across nearly half of Italy, including the region of Abruzzo, Apulia, Calabria and Sicily, due to record- high temperatures, which have been registered in the country for the third week running.
The drought has already raised the price of corn following lowered USDA crop projections that some experts say are still optimistic. Look for meats to lead the way as food prices rise.
Leaves become dry and brittle on stalks of corn in a parched field outside Effingham, Ill., Monday, July 16. The drought gripping the United States is the widest since 1956, according to new data released Monday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Sunday’s storms resulted in flash flooding in certain parts of the Valley. The area near ABC15 at 44th and Van Buren streets got hit especially hard with one impressive downpour. The area is prone to flooding so city officials put up a sign to warn drivers to not enter the area when flooded. Few drivers actually chose to heed that warning. Despite the fact that 48th Street looked more like a lake, people still chose to drive through the water. A few drivers actually did the right thing and found another route to get where they were going. But most people rolled the dice and drove right through the flood water. Arizona does have a stupid motorist law which states that you will be forced to pay for the cost of your rescue if you ignore warning signs and enter a flooded area. Nobody needed to be rescued from the area near 48th Street Sunday night.
At least 337 families were affected by flash floods that hit Tulunan town in North Cotabato Saturday afternoon, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said Sunday. In a report posted on its website Sunday night, the NDRRMC said the incident occurred at 4 p.m. due to continuous rain. The NDRRMC said the flood waters were knee- to waist-deep, although the flood waters had subsided by Sunday. It also said there was no initial report of missing or dead residents due to the floods. Among the villages affected by the floods were F. Cajelo; Minapan (Purok 1, 2, 3, 6, 7), La Esperanza, Poblacion Purok 8, and Galidan. The incident has prompted the Office of Civil Defense to coordinate with the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council to assist the affected residents.
16.07.2012
Flash Flood
USA
State of Utah, [St. George, Santa Clara, Snow Canyon State Park and Veyo]
Heavy rain and flash flooding shut down a portion of a road in St. George, and people are reporting water gushing down roadways. Washington County’s emergency services division said Sunset Boulevard east of Lava Flow Drive is closed because of flooding. Flash floods are also happening in Santa Clara. Severe rain, damaging winds and cloud-to-ground lightning prompted the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City to issue warnings Sunday afternoon for multiple areas throughout the state. The weather service says the thunderstorm is capable of producing quarter-sized hail in Washington County. Locations in warning area also include Snow Canyon State Park and Veyo. People should move indoors and stay clear of windows because of the storm’s damaging winds. The warning, which was supposed to lapse at 5:45 p.m., has been extended to 8:30 p.m., as was the danger for flooding. A similar warning was issued for east central Emery County or 15 miles southwest of Green River. I-70 is also listed in the warning, with winds that could top 60 mph. Like Washington County, quarter-sized hail is possible, and the weather service is warning people to seek shelter from the dangerous storm. The warning is in effect until 7:15 p.m. Elsewhere, heavy rain over the Wood Hollow Fire’s burn scar could result in debris flows and is asking residents to take precautions. A flash flood warning has been issued for east central Juab County, north central Sanpete County and south central Utah County. The burn scar is west of U.S. 89 between Birdseye and Mount Pleasant, where up to three quarters of inch of rain is predicted to fall. Particularly vulnerable areas include, but are not limited to Indianola and U.S. 89 from Birdseye through Fairview. The weather service warns that even if a debris flow has already happened, it could followed by additional flows of debris.
Houston police have reported two people dead and a third injured after lightning struck a soccer field in northwest Harris County during a thunderstorm on Sunday. A sheriff’s spokesman says a men’s league soccer club had been playing on a field today when it began to rain around noon. The men decided to seek shelter under nearby trees when lightning hit one of the trees. According to FOX26, lightning touched down on a field near West Hardy Street Sunday afternoon. One of the victims died at the field, another died after being rushed to the hospital. A third victim was injured during the incident and remains in stable condition at Ben Taub General hospital. The Houston area has been drenched by rain the past week, flooding between 50 and 100 homes.
About 100 homes are being evacuated in Huonville, south of Hobart, as a dam threatens to burst. Police have confirmed one of the dam’s walls is leaking and could break, spilling up to 10 megalitres of water down Scenic Hill Road, on the town’s outskirts. The State Emergency Service and police have blocked roads in the area and have begun doorknocking residents, asking them to evacuate. The private dam is about one hectare in size and the damage is being assessed by the local council and the state water department. Residents have taken to social media networks saying they are nervously waiting and watching to see if the dam will hold. A recovery centre has been set up at the local youth club.
BEIJING — The Chinese province of Hunan urged parents on Sunday to seek immediate treatment for children showing symptoms of hand, foot and mouth disease after official figures showed 112 people died from the illness last month.
The disease, which children are especially vulnerable to, also infected more than 381,000 people, the Ministry of Health reported last week.
“The disease incidence rate in June was much higher than that of last June, which has much to do with the high temperatures this summer,” said Liu Fuqiang with the provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The province urged parents and teachers to send children to hospital as soon as they showed symptoms of the disease, including mouth sores, skin rashes or fever.
In June, 34,768 cases were reported and 17 people died from the disease in Hunan, the statement said.
According to the Ministry of Health, over 460,000 people were infected by the disease in May, leading to 132 deaths.
In recent days, health departments in numerous Chinese provinces and regions, including Gansu, Fujian, Jiangsu and Xinjiang have issued warnings over the outbreak of the disease, state press reports said.
16.07.2012
Epidemic Hazard
Australia
State of Queensland, Brisbane [Westfield Chermside and Brisbane airport]
People who went to a busy Brisbane shopping centre and the city’s domestic airport last week have been warned to look out for measles symptoms. A person with a confirmed case of the illness visited Westfield Chermside on Thursday and Brisbane airport domestic terminal on Friday while they were infectious, Queensland Health says. Measles is one of the most infectious of all communicable diseases, and is spread by coughing and sneezing. The initial symptoms of fever, lethargy, runny nose, moist cough and sore and red eyes usually start around 10 days after infection. They are followed a few days later by a blotchy red rash on the face, which then becomes widespread. Queensland Health says anyone who develops the symptoms should phone their GP before visiting, so they can avoid the disease spreading to other patients. It says measles complications can include pneumonia or encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) and occasionally death. It can be a severe illness even in otherwise healthy adolescents and young adults.
Biohazard name:
Measles
Biohazard level:
2/4 Medium
Biohazard desc.:
Bacteria and viruses that cause only mild disease to humans, or are difficult to contract via aerosol in a lab setting, such as hepatitis A, B, and C, influenza A, Lyme disease, salmonella, mumps, measles, scrapie, dengue fever, and HIV. “Routine diagnostic work with clinical specimens can be done safely at Biosafety Level 2, using Biosafety Level 2 practices and procedures. Research work (including co-cultivation, virus replication studies, or manipulations involving concentrated virus) can be done in a BSL-2 (P2) facility, using BSL-3 practices and procedures. Virus production activities, including virus concentrations, require a BSL-3 (P3) facility and use of BSL-3 practices and procedures”, see Recommended Biosafety Levels for Infectious Agents.
Skywatchers keep an eye out for northern lights; no negative effects reported
Space weather experts kept track of a solar storm that swept over our planet on Saturday, representing the fallout from a powerful solar flare earlier this week.
“The impact was not as strong as forecasters expected,” SpaceWeather.com’s Tony Phillips wrote. “Nevertheless, the blow compressed Earth’s magnetosphere and sparked a mild … geomagnetic storm.”
The solar storm originated from a massive solar flare on Thursday that included a powerful eruption on the sun, known as a coronal mass ejection, or CME. The eruption sent a wave of charged solar plasma toward Earth. The CME could amplify auroral displays, some space weather officials said
Initial forecasts predicted the CME would arrive at Earth between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m. ET, with an error margin of plus or minus seven hours. The actual timing was on the late side: SpaceWeather.com reported that the CME hit Earth’s magnetic field at about 2 p.m. ET.
This weekend’s solar storm originated from one of the most powerful sun flares to occur this year. The flare registered as an X1.4-class sun storm, one of the strongest flares the sun can unleash. It marked the sixth X-class solar flare of 2012.
The solar storm erupted from the giant sunspot AR1520, or Active Region 1520, which is actually a group of sunspots that at its peak may have stretched across 186,000 miles of the sun’s surface, NASA scientists have said. [ Photos of Huge Sunspot AR1520 ]
Auroral displays occur when charged solar particle interact with Earth’s upper atmosphere. Usuallly, they are confined to high-latitude regions around the polar regions by the planet’s magnetic field. Space weather forecasters said there was a chance that the auroral zone would be mo
Fellmer with Alma Lucia, left, and Nieves Palmer. Photo courtesy of Raphael Fellmer.A Berlin family of three has been living on practically nothing but love and the goodwill of others for more than two years and counting—not as a victims of the rough economy, but as activists who are on a money strike to protest what they call our “excess-consumption society.”
MessageToEagle.com – New dangerous cracks in ground appeared on our planet.
MessageToEagle.com – Beautiful and mysterious structures known as superbubbles result from the stellar winds and supernovae of OB [spectral types O or early-type B] associations.
MessageToEagle.com – Cassini spacecraft has taken great photos of Saturn and its largest moon, Titan.
iWitness/cindymbrice
MessageToEagle.com – The problem with rivers around the world continues. A while back the 
Olkhovka river in Russia begins to boil, causing yet another environmental disaster. 
The study found that mutation rates were much higher among butterfly collected near Fukushima
The Japanese researchers have been studying the species for more than a decade
The eruption sent ash clouds over the area, causing disruptions to flights
A man pushes his bicycle through murky floodwaters in Quezon City in suburban Manila, Philippines JAY DIRECTO/AFP/Getty Images
Images like this will be common on area thermometers the next few days. Image courtesy of Photos.com.
