Date/Time (UTC)	Magnitude	Area	Country	State/Prov./Gov.	Location	Risk			Source	Details
13.07.2012 04:25:34	2.0	North America	United States	Hawaii	Pahala				USGS-RSOE
13.07.2012 04:10:22	2.5	Europe	Greece	Attica	Agia Pelagia				EMSC
13.07.2012 03:45:21	2.6	Caribbean	Puerto Rico	Arroyo	Arroyo				USGS-RSOE
13.07.2012 04:10:44	2.5	South-America	Chile	Coquimbo	Illapel				EMSC
13.07.2012 03:10:28	2.3	North America	United States	Hawaii	Waimea				USGS-RSOE
13.07.2012 04:11:53	4.4	South-America	Peru	Tacna	Calana				EMSC
13.07.2012 04:12:17	4.8	Atlantic Ocean – North	South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands		Grytviken				EMSC
13.07.2012 03:20:24	4.8	Atlantic Ocean	South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands		Grytviken				USGS-RSOE
13.07.2012 04:12:39	2.0	Asia	Turkey	?zmir	Karaburun				EMSC
13.07.2012 03:05:26	2.2	Europe	Greece	South Aegean	Asfendiou				EMSC
13.07.2012 03:05:43	4.0	Middle-East	Iran	S?st?n va Bal?chest?n	Iranshahr				EMSC
13.07.2012 03:06:00	4.7	Middle-East	Iran	S?st?n va Bal?chest?n	Iranshahr				EMSC
13.07.2012 02:06:10	4.5	Middle East	Iran	S?st?n va Bal?chest?n	Iranshahr				USGS-RSOE
13.07.2012 01:40:39	2.2	North America	United States	Oregon	Vernonia				USGS-RSOE
13.07.2012 03:06:21	2.0	Asia	Turkey	Van	Yuvacik				EMSC
13.07.2012 02:00:25	2.0	Asia	Turkey	Afyonkarahisar	Bolvadin				EMSC
13.07.2012 02:00:43	2.3	Asia	Turkey	Diyarbak?r	Hazro				EMSC
13.07.2012 02:01:01	3.4	South-America	Bolivia	Potosí	Villa Alota				EMSC
12.07.2012 23:55:19	2.2	Asia	Turkey	Mu?la	OEluedeniz				EMSC
12.07.2012 23:55:38	4.0	Europe	Italy	Campania	Ischia Porto				EMSC
13.07.2012 00:05:29	4.1	Europe	Italy	Campania	Ischia Porto				USGS-RSOE
12.07.2012 23:58:38	4.5	Middle East	Iran	Hormozg?n	Bandar-e Lengeh				USGS-RSOE
12.07.2012 23:56:01	4.5	Middle-East	Iran	Hormozg?n	Bandar-e Lengeh				EMSC
12.07.2012 23:56:24	2.0	Europe	Italy	Umbria	Terria di Contra				EMSC
12.07.2012 23:56:45	2.6	Europe	Greece	Epirus	Dolon				EMSC
12.07.2012 22:40:41	2.1	North America	United States	Hawaii	Volcano				USGS-RSOE
12.07.2012 23:57:07	2.3	Asia	Turkey	Van	Toyga				EMSC
12.07.2012 22:25:33	3.7	North America	United States	Alaska	Petersville				USGS-RSOE
12.07.2012 22:50:26	2.4	Europe	Italy	Emilia-Romagna	San Prospero				EMSC
12.07.2012 22:50:47	2.5	Asia	Turkey	Van	Yuvacik				EMSC
12.07.2012 22:51:06	2.8	South-America	Chile	Libertador General Bernardo O?Higgins	Santa Cruz				EMSC
12.07.2012 22:51:26	2.5	Asia	Turkey	Mu?la	Ula				EMSC
12.07.2012 22:35:42	2.3	Middle America	Mexico	Baja California	Alberto Oviedo Mota				USGS-RSOE
12.07.2012 21:50:22	4.2	Asia	China	Xinjiang Uygur Zizhiqu	Shihezi				EMSC
12.07.2012 21:50:46	2.0	Asia	Turkey	Kütahya	Simav				EMSC
12.07.2012 20:45:27	2.4	Asia	Turkey	Mu?la	Ula				EMSC
12.07.2012 20:05:33	3.5	North America	United States	California	Yucca Valley				USGS-RSOE
12.07.2012 20:00:47	3.9	North America	United States	California	Yucca Valley				USGS-RSOE
12.07.2012 19:35:43	2.6	North America	United States	Alaska	Chase				USGS-RSOE
13.07.2012 02:20:34	2.6	North America	Canada	British Columbia	Princeton				USGS-RSOE
12.07.2012 20:45:47	2.2	Europe	Greece	South Aegean	Faliraki				EMSC
12.07.2012 19:30:42	4.9	Indian Ocean	Mauritius	Grand Port	Bambous Virieux				USGS-RSOE
12.07.2012 19:40:27	4.9	Indian Ocean	Mauritius	Grand Port	Bambous Virieux				EMSC
12.07.2012 19:40:45	4.5	Atlantic Ocean – North	Greenland	Kujalleq	Prins Christians Sund				EMSC
12.07.2012 19:10:31	4.5	Atlantic Ocean	Greenland	Kujalleq	Prins Christians Sund				USGS-RSOE
12.07.2012 18:35:25	2.4	Asia	Turkey	Adana	Kadirli				EMSC
12.07.2012 18:35:48	2.5	Europe	Greece	Thessaly	Vamvakou				EMSC
12.07.2012 18:36:17	2.4	Asia	Turkey	Ayd?n	Kocarli				EMSC
12.07.2012 18:36:43	5.5	Indonesian Archipelago	Indonesia	Maluku	Amahai				EMSC
12.07.2012 17:55:35	5.5	Indonesian archipelago	Indonesia	Maluku	Amahai				USGS-RSOE

The heat outside is taking a toll on firefighters. The men and women who sacrifice their safety on a regular basis to fight fires are working overtime now any time they get a fire call.

12.07.2012

Forest / Wild Fire

USA

State of Idaho, [Boise National Forest (Avelene)]

Forest / Wild Fire in USA on Thursday, 12 July, 2012 at 03:29 (03:29 AM) UTC.

Description

The Avelene Fire grew quickly overnight and is threatening homes in the Boise National Forest. Three fires started on Tuesday and combined into the 250-acre Avelene Fire, near Highway 21 and Grimes Creek Road. Steep terrain, scorching temperatures, thick smoke, and wind are making life hard for firefighters. But crews have put a fire line around half of the fire perimeter as they try to protect the community of Clear Creek, the edge of which is about 1/8 of a mile away. “There’s structure protection around 20 homes, but there are 100 homes in the area that are of concern,” said Christine Schuldheisz, with the Boise National Forest. Deputies are recommending people living within a mile of the fire evacuate, but they aren’t forcing them to. However, all that could change if the fire gets much closer to Clear Creek, and homes like Terry Day’s. “If it drops down into the gulch over this way and comes up, that’s going to threaten a bunch of homes. There’s probably 350 homes up here,” said Day. “If it gets hot enough, it could catch my house.” Day also happens to be a Boise County commissioner, and says commissioners have declared a county emergency to mobilize the sheriff’s department and other resources. But Day says this is bad timing for a county that just had to increase its budget to pay off a lawsuit. “They’ve got another fire on the Boise Front, Aldape Summit, that’s affecting us as far as the county goes,” said Day. “We’ve got to pay for all this stuff and we’re not financially real solvent right now.” If the fire continues to grow, the commission will ask the governor to declare a state emergency to get state resources. Fifteen engines, two helicopters and air tankers, and about 130 firefighters are battling the Avelene Fire, but a Type 1 Incident Management Team has been ordered to help manage the fire, and should be there in one or two days. Dave Olson with the Boise National Forest say a lot of support has come from the Clear Creek and Wilderness Ranch Rural Fire Departments. Also, firefighters urge you to drive very carefully on Highway 21, there’s a lot of fire traffic and heavy smoke.

(USDA)

The United States Department of Agriculture has declared natural disaster areas in more than 1,000 counties and 26 drought-stricken states, making it the largest natural disaster in America ever.

The declaration—which covers roughly half of the country—gives farmers and ranchers devastated by drought access to federal aid, including low-interest emergency loans.

“Agriculture remains a bright spot in our nation’s economy,” U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Wednesday while announcing the assistance program. “We need to be cognizant of the fact that drought and weather conditions have severely impacted farmers around the country.”

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, more than half the country (56 percent) experienced drought conditions—the largest percentage in the 12-year history of the service. And according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the period from January through June was “the warmest first half of any year on record for the contiguous United States.”

The average temperature was 52.9 degrees Fahrenheit, or 4.5 degrees above average, NOAA said on Monday. Twenty-eight states east of the Rockies set temperature records for the six-month period.

A heat wave blistered most of the United States in June, with more than 170 all-time temperature records broken or tied during the month. On June 28 in Norton, Kan., for instance, the temperature reached 118 degrees, an all-time high. On June 26, Red Willow, Neb., set a temperature record of 115 degrees, eclipsing the 114-degree mark set in 1932.

Watch Video Here

Global food crisis looms as grain prices soar

The world is watching and waiting while US farmers struggle with the worst drought in 25 years

LONDON — What looks to be the worst U.S. drought in a quarter of a century has given rise to an old-fashioned commodity rally on world markets, with key grain prices hitting highs which caused food crises in vulnerable parts of the globe last time around.

Seeking to protect their populations from hunger this time, many countries relying heavily on imports have held off for now, touting healthy stock levels and hoping other sources will come through and bring prices down.

But their hopes may be dashed if they all return to market at once.

With so much of the world putting faith in a record U.S. corn crop, it is little wonder that prices have surged around 40 percent in the past three weeks as relentless dry weather melted yield expectations for cereals. Soybeans are at record highs, while wheat is not far behind.

“Production potential looked great and it kind of lulled these end-users into a false sense of security. At that point we were seriously looking at (corn) prices under $5 if weather conditions remained ideal, but now we’ve rallied sharply higher and never looked back,” Jefferies Bache analyst Shawn McCambridge said.

Now, corn futures contracts backed by the 2012 harvest are above $7 a bushel and climbing fast.

Traders said consumers in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East had pulled back on regular purchases, expecting prices to cool off.

“This to me is a time bomb. I am routinely one of the more bearish people but it wouldn’t surprise me if corn traded at $10,” the trader added.

There are several parallels between the current state of play and food crises of the past few years, including scorching weather, wilting crops and sky-rocketing prices. Just substitute 2012′s U.S. drought and corn for 2010′s Russian crop failure.

Similarities can also be found on the macro front – 2008, when prices were last at these levels, saw a mushrooming financial crisis culminate in the failure of Lehman Brothers, and now Europe’s debt crisis has left the euro zone precariously balanced, with other regions also on edge.

The uncertainty has led to swings in all the markets this time as then, but the simple common denominator of supply and demand has been the driving force of the latest grain price spike, with weather the only fundamental that matters.

Such frenzied buying leads ultimately to additional food inflation and domestic price rises can be a tipping point in countries with already struggling populations.

Bulging demand pipeline
Parking on the sidelines to avoid the sting of higher prices seems like a sensible tactic

Morocco is currently reluctant to buy, but faces its highest cereal import needs in three decades due to a poor domestic harvest. The north African country’s cereals crop fell from 8.4 million tonnes in 2011 to 5.1 million tonnes this year.

“Buyers have been rejecting offers in the last couple of weeks expecting prices to come down,” a Singapore-based grain trader said. “We have seen it in South Korea, the Philippines and Vietnam but how long can they wait?”

Buyers will do their best to hold out for the release of new crop grain in September and October from multiple sources including Eastern Europe, with Black Sea countries having forged a place on international markets as key suppliers of grain at cheap prices.

However those origins are also under pressure.

Hot and dry weather has forced Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan to reduce their harvest forecasts and the region’s total grain output could be at least 35 million tonnes less than in 2011.

A severe thunderstorm has flooded streets, yards, basements and construction sites in Edmonton. Sections of Whitemud Drive are underwater at 111th Street west of Calgary Trail. City workers arrived shortly after 7:30 a.m. to begin clearing the water.

Dharminder Gill told CBC News he was driving to work at 3 a.m.when his car stalled in the rising water. Within five minutes the water was waist deep, he said, and when he opened his window to escape the water began pouring in.

“I was scared,” he said. “I took my bag and ran through the water and moved to a safe place.”

The normally busy Mill Woods intersection at 66 Street and 34 Avenue is also flooded.

Firefighters spent much of the morning rescuing people from submerged vehicles, with at least 18 cars becoming trapped due to rainstorm, and responding to alarms set off by the storm.

Additional photos

“We had over 70 calls in a short period of time,” said fire Chief Ken Block, adding the calls left some areas of the city without direct fire coverage. “At a point last night we had crews from downtown responding in Mill Woods, which is a long ways away.”

Some off-duty firefighters had to be called in to bolster resources, he said.

Firefighters also responded to two house fires caused by lightning strikes, each damaged to the tune of $100,000, Block said. “Our resources were stretched very thin.”

Epcor reported 15 electrical circuits knocked out by lightning, though most power was restored by 8:30 a.m.

Several millimetres of rain and hail fell between 3 a.m. and 4:30 a.m.

The severe thunderstorm warning for Edmonton, St. Albert, Sherwood Park has ended, though Environment Canada says a few showers with thunderstorms are expected this morning.

The heatwave that helped generate the storm will continue Thursday with a high of 30 C.

Kyodo via Reuters

Jiji Press via AFP – Getty Images

• Kim Willsher in Paris, Ed Douglas and Peter Beaumont
• guardian.co.uk,

Solar Update. Mutiple Solar Links @ http://www.mrcometwatch.com

When species lose their natural habitat to deforestation and other causes, they don’t immediately disappear. Instead, they gradually die off over several generations, racking up an “extinction debt” that must eventually be paid in full. New research shows that the Brazilian Amazon has accrued a heavy vertebrate extinction debt, with more than 80 percent of extinctions expected from historical deforestation still impending.

While the results are alarming, this deathly time lag provides a conservation opportunity to save some of the disappearing species, scientists said, stressing that actions taken in the next few years are critical.

“Now that we know where the extinction debt is likely to be, we can go to the ground to restore habitat and take remedial actions to try to regenerate new habitats,” said study lead author Robert Ewers, an ecologist at Imperial College London in the U.K. “We can try to put off ever having to pay that debt.”

Extinction debt

The Brazilian Amazonis home to about 40 percent of the planet’s tropical forests and a staggering amount of biodiversity. However, the Amazon’s plant and animal species are under threat by deforestation, mostly due to agriculture and cattle ranging.

Ewers and his colleagues set out to determine how many species would be lost from at least part of their historical habitats in the Amazon because of past and future deforestation. They began by looking at the “species-area relationship,” a well-established ecological pattern describing how the number of species in a given habitat increases predictably as the habitat area increases. By turning this idea on its head, you can figure out how many species should go extinct as their habitat shrinks.

The researchers modeled the number of vertebrate species expected to go extinct within 31-mile by 31-mile blocks (50 by 50 kilometer blocks). They used a combination of deforestation data spanning back to 1970 and species-distribution maps of the Amazon. They compared their model’s predictions with the actual number of extinctions seen thus far in the forest regions and found that 80 to 90 percent of the expected local extinctions have yet to happen, and many of them will occur in the southern and eastern regions of the Amazon.

Next, Ewers and his team used their model to estimate the magnitude of the local extinctions and extinction debts expected to occur in four scenarios, which mainly differ in their projections of future deforestation rates. Under the most likely scenario, every forest block will lose an average of about nine vertebrate speciesand be in debt for another 16 species by 2050.

And in all scenarios, species will continue to go extinct more than three decades after deforestation in the Amazon has stopped, if key forest areas are not restored, the researchers found.

“What we’ve seen in the last four decades is nothing like what we are going to see in the next four decades,” Ewers told LiveScience.

Defaulting on the debt

Thiago Rangel, an ecologist at the Federal University of Goiás in Brazil who wasn’t involved in the research, was surprised to see the Amazon’s huge extinction debt. “Of course, that gives Brazil a very good opportunity for conservation measures,” Rangel said.

Rangel, who wrote a perspective article accompanying the study published July 13 in the journal Science, pointed out that Brazil has made a lot of progress in reducing deforestation in the last decade. Moreover, the county has been expanding its network of protected areas – more than 50 percent of the Amazon is now under some form of environmental protection.”But we are in the middle of a strong transition in Brazil from a very good and modern environmental legislation to something else,” Rangel told LiveScience. Agricultural businesses, for example, have been lobbying for weaker forest protection codes – this past May, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff vetoed portions of such a bill, though this isn’t likely the end of the debate, Rangel said.

Rangel stresses that Brazil must “default on its extinction debt,” possibly by creating more conservation areas, particularly in places that have been abandoned by agriculturalists. Whatever the case, something needs to be done soon, he said.

Ewers agreed. “This problem has been building, and it will soon roll over and crash like a wave,” he said.

12.07.2012

HAZMAT

China

Province of Jiangsu Sheng, Zhenjiang City [Jiangsu SOPO Group Co., Ltd]