Tag Archive: Flash Flood in Indonesia


Earthquakes

USGS

MAG UTC DATE-TIME
y/m/d h:m:s
LAT
deg
LON
deg
DEPTH
km
 Region
MAP  3.3 2012/10/22 23:27:33   63.405  -151.294 7.8  CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP  4.7   2012/10/22 23:05:07   -4.860   133.972 10.0  NEAR THE SOUTH COAST OF PAPUA, INDONESIA
MAP  2.8 2012/10/22 21:50:02   19.130   -64.730 59.0  VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP  3.2 2012/10/22 21:39:45   51.472  -178.154 13.2  ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP  2.5 2012/10/22 21:39:33   56.422  -158.152 73.9  ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP  2.6 2012/10/22 21:38:07   19.387  -155.239 3.8  ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP  4.4 2012/10/22 19:23:04   51.982  -175.044 71.6  ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP  2.9 2012/10/22 15:11:31   18.684   -64.357 81.0  VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP  5.1   2012/10/22 14:46:43   2.865   147.691 15.1  FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA REGION
MAP  2.7 2012/10/22 12:37:58   44.910  -125.348 27.9  OFF THE COAST OF OREGON
MAP  4.8   2012/10/22 11:58:24   50.157   156.840 40.8  KURIL ISLANDS
MAP  2.8 2012/10/22 10:46:13   19.524   -64.168 77.0  VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP  5.2   2012/10/22 09:56:00  -56.339   -25.749 46.0  SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION
MAP  4.6   2012/10/22 09:27:10   38.020   141.889 53.9  NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP  3.6 2012/10/22 08:19:10   58.245  -155.136 6.1  ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP  3.2 2012/10/22 05:26:30   19.664   -64.264 63.0  VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP  3.4 2012/10/22 03:43:35   51.720   176.289 36.6  RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP  2.5 2012/10/22 02:04:22   61.065  -155.867 15.3  SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP  4.8   2012/10/22 01:43:21   39.083   142.305 66.3  NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
MAP  4.6   2012/10/22 01:02:25   4.220   124.547 319.6  CELEBES SEA
MAP  3.6 2012/10/22 00:49:45   52.669  -169.341 49.7  FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP  4.8   2012/10/22 00:32:11  -16.473  -174.764 37.7  TONGA

MAG UTC DATE-TIME
y/m/d h:m:s
LAT
deg
LON
deg
DEPTH
km
 Region
MAP  3.2 2012/10/21 23:47:35   31.301  -115.584 10.0  BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP  3.0 2012/10/21 23:28:42   19.065   -66.457 38.0  PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP  3.0 2012/10/21 23:26:25   52.399  -169.027 29.1  FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP  2.8 2012/10/21 23:03:14   40.310  -124.522 19.1  OFFSHORE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP  5.0   2012/10/21 20:44:20   12.655   -88.147 92.1  OFFSHORE EL SALVADOR
MAP  3.6 2012/10/21 20:40:08   40.901  -123.934 21.9  NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP  5.5   2012/10/21 20:28:20   12.683   -88.106 65.6  OFFSHORE EL SALVADOR
MAP  4.3 2012/10/21 19:14:21   -5.441   128.202 365.0  BANDA SEA
MAP  2.6 2012/10/21 19:05:23   18.719   -64.368 40.0  VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP  4.7   2012/10/21 16:38:20   27.753   59.395 10.0  SOUTHEASTERN IRAN
MAP  4.5   2012/10/21 16:13:23   24.956   56.139 33.0  NEAR THE COAST OF OMAN
MAP  4.6   2012/10/21 15:30:45   -7.346   128.594 158.5  KEPULAUAN BARAT DAYA, INDONESIA
MAP  2.8 2012/10/21 15:21:02   36.281  -120.840 9.8  CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP  4.3 2012/10/21 15:07:31   19.521   -69.823 17.9  DOMINICAN REPUBLIC REGION
MAP  2.8 2012/10/21 13:54:03   61.786  -152.024 60.3  SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP  4.4 2012/10/21 13:32:03   10.128   -85.525 41.1  COSTA RICA
MAP  5.1   2012/10/21 11:57:28   53.434   142.634 9.9  SAKHALIN, RUSSIA
MAP  4.7   2012/10/21 11:40:38  -37.617   -73.440 16.5  BIO-BIO, CHILE
MAP  4.4 2012/10/21 10:58:29   38.182   74.130 156.0  TAJIKISTAN
MAP  3.1 2012/10/21 10:51:50   19.045   -63.914 93.0  VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP  2.8 2012/10/21 10:44:16   35.631   -97.214 4.7  OKLAHOMA
MAP  2.7 2012/10/21 09:58:34   19.379  -155.241 3.4  ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
MAP  4.6   2012/10/21 08:43:54   52.208   176.552 31.8  RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA
MAP  4.7   2012/10/21 07:54:47   13.783   96.225 30.0  ANDAMAN ISLANDS, INDIA REGION
MAP  3.1 2012/10/21 07:51:34   36.307  -120.847 10.9  CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP  3.6 2012/10/21 07:37:47   36.309  -120.849 10.2  CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP  2.7 2012/10/21 07:18:06   19.058   -64.332 56.0  VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP  2.9 2012/10/21 07:18:03   36.306  -120.858 8.0  CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP  2.8 2012/10/21 07:15:12   17.934   -65.782 13.0  PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP  5.3   2012/10/21 06:55:10   36.310  -120.856 9.2  CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP  4.6   2012/10/21 06:27:45   21.072   122.075 156.1  TAIWAN REGION
MAP  4.4 2012/10/21 02:41:15   -8.021   108.224 71.0  JAVA, INDONESIA
MAP  3.4 2012/10/21 02:27:11   60.313  -144.676 11.3  SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP  5.7   2012/10/21 01:25:23   66.296   -18.685 9.9  ICELAND REGION
MAP  3.3 2012/10/21 00:52:32   19.728   -65.603 63.0  PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP  4.8   2012/10/21 00:10:36   66.372   -18.554 10.2  ICELAND REGION

MAG UTC DATE-TIME
y/m/d h:m:s
LAT
deg
LON
deg
DEPTH
km
 Region
MAP  4.8   2012/10/20 23:30:06   -5.409   68.581 10.0  CHAGOS ARCHIPELAGO REGION
MAP  2.9 2012/10/20 23:17:14   19.317   -63.807 90.0  VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP  6.2   2012/10/20 23:00:33  -13.565   166.601 35.6  VANUATU
MAP  4.8   2012/10/20 22:46:38   49.920   88.493 16.8  RUSSIA-MONGOLIA BORDER REGION
MAP  3.0 2012/10/20 22:38:56   32.520  -115.645 12.4  BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP  4.3 2012/10/20 22:14:56  -17.537  -178.958 515.7  FIJI REGION
MAP  4.5   2012/10/20 21:51:11   6.756   -73.051 165.2  NORTHERN COLOMBIA
MAP  4.6   2012/10/20 21:48:51  -21.486   -66.713 208.0  POTOSI, BOLIVIA
MAP  4.7   2012/10/20 17:31:58   37.471   69.174 10.4  TAJIKISTAN
MAP  4.9   2012/10/20 16:29:51   -3.546   100.573 35.8  KEPULAUAN MENTAWAI REGION, INDONESIA
MAP  2.9 2012/10/20 13:39:50   19.491   -64.202 72.0  VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP  4.8   2012/10/20 10:56:40   2.593   -79.848 10.0  SOUTH OF PANAMA
MAP  4.5   2012/10/20 10:38:20   7.378   91.870 30.3  NICOBAR ISLANDS, INDIA REGION
MAP  4.9   2012/10/20 08:49:39   24.447   122.525 78.8  TAIWAN REGION
MAP  2.8 2012/10/20 07:51:21   18.013   -66.621 14.0  PUERTO RICO
MAP  3.2 2012/10/20 07:28:58   18.809   -64.316 51.0  VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP  3.0 2012/10/20 06:03:41   18.969   -65.828 17.0  PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP  4.4 2012/10/20 03:42:06   10.936   -74.136 49.7  NEAR THE NORTH COAST OF COLOMBIA
MAP  2.5 2012/10/20 03:34:17   51.132  -176.232 13.9  ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
MAP  3.1 2012/10/20 03:25:11   61.093  -150.397 37.7  SOUTHERN ALASKA
MAP  4.7   2012/10/20 02:49:16   30.113   130.983 24.9  KYUSHU, JAPAN
MAP  4.3 2012/10/20 00:25:52  -32.208   -71.931 21.4  OFFSHORE VALPARAISO, CHILE

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A 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit Alexandria early on Friday morning.

Hatem Oada, head of the National Institute for Astronomical and Geophysical Research, said in a statement to the state-run MENA news agency that regional seismic networks indicate the tremor hit at 5:35 am, Cairo time. No damages or injuries have been reported.

The epicenter of the quake was in the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Delta. This region is not typically seismically active, Oada said.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

Strong 6.2-magnitude earthquake rattles Vanuatu

AFP

SYDNEY, Oct 21, 2012 (AFP) – – A strong 6.2-magnitude earthquake rattled the South Pacific island of Vanuatu Sunday, seismologists said, but there were no immediate reports of damage and no tsunami warning was issued.

The quake struck at 10:00 am (2300 GMT Saturday) 500 kilometres (310 miles) northwest of the capital Port Vila at a depth of 35 kilometres, the United States Geological Survey said.

The USGS had earlier put the magnitude at 6.6.

Vanuatu lies on the so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire”, a zone of frequent seismic activity caused by friction between shifting tectonic plates.

It has been rocked by several large quakes in recent years, averaging about three magnitude 7.0 or above incidents every year without any major damage.

ajc/jw

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Mýrdalsjökull – earthquakes during the last 48 hours
(Preliminary results)

Earthquake location   23 Oct 00:15 GMT

Map of earthquake epicentres

Time and magnitude of earthquake   23 Oct 00:15 GMT

Graph showing earthquake timing and magnitude

ICELAND EARTHQUAKE Swarm Oct 19-20. 2012

Published on Oct 22, 2012 by EQForecaster

Biggest earthquakes during the last 48 hours
Size Time Quality Location
5.2 21 Oct 01:25:15 Checked 19.3 km NNE of Siglufjörður
4.9 20 Oct 22:53:46 38.3 116.8 km NE of Kolbeinsey
4.8 21 Oct 00:10:20 Checked 20.4 km NNE of Siglufjörður
4.4 21 Oct 01:03:42 90.0 20.1 km NNE of Siglufjörður
4.3 21 Oct 02:20:01 90.0 27.5 km NNE of Siglufjörður
4.1 21 Oct 00:10:21 90.0 16.6 km NE of Siglufjörður

Icelandic Met Office
http://en.vedur.is/earthquakes-and-volcanism/earthquakes/

Verdict set for Monday in Italy quake scientists trial

by Staff Writers
Rome (AFP)

A verdict in the trial of seven top Italian scientists for manslaughter for underestimating the risks of an earthquake which killed 309 people in L’Aquila, central Italy, in 2009, is expected on Monday.

“The verdict is expected on October 22,” said Enzo Musco, a lawyer for Professor Gian Michele Calvi who is one of the defendants.

The prosecutor’s office has asked for sentences of four years in prison for each of the seven who were all members of the Major Risks Committee.

The committee met in the central Italian city on March 31, 2009 — six days before the powerful earthquake devastated the region — after a series of small tremors in the preceding weeks had sown panic among local inhabitants.

Prosecutor Fabio Picuti said the experts had provided “an incomplete, inept, unsuitable and criminally mistaken” analysis after that meeting, which reassured locals and prevented them from preparing for the quake.

The experts had said after their meeting that they could not predict an earthquake but urged local authorities to ensure safety rules were respected.

The seven include Enzo Boschi, who at the time was the head of Italy’s National Institute for Geophysics and Vulcanology.

The La Repubblica daily on Friday also reported on a separate case against an engineer who lost his daughter in the earthquake but was put on trial for failing to respect anti-quake regulations in one of his constructions.

Diego De Angelis, 67, was convicted on Thursday and sentenced to three years in prison.

Related Links
Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters
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When the Earth Quakes

LISS – Live Internet Seismic Server

GSN Stations

These data update automatically every 30 minutes. Last update: October 23, 2012 03:49:10 UTC

Seismograms may take several moments to load. Click on a plot to see larger image.

CU/ANWB, Willy Bob, Antigua and Barbuda

 ANWB 24hr plot

CU/BBGH, Gun Hill, Barbados

 BBGH 24hr plot

CU/BCIP, Isla Barro Colorado, Panama

 BCIP 24hr plot

CU/GRGR, Grenville, Grenada

 GRGR 24hr plot

CU/GRTK, Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos Islands

 GRTK 24hr plot

CU/GTBY, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

 GTBY 24hr plot

CU/MTDJ, Mount Denham, Jamaica

 MTDJ 24hr plot

CU/SDDR, Presa de Sabaneta, Dominican Republic

 SDDR 24hr plot

CU/TGUH, Tegucigalpa, Honduras

 TGUH 24hr plot

IC/BJT, Baijiatuan, Beijing, China

 BJT 24hr plot

IC/ENH, Enshi, China

 ENH 24hr plot

IC/HIA, Hailar, Neimenggu Province, China

 HIA 24hr plot

IC/LSA, Lhasa, China

 LSA 24hr plot

IC/MDJ, Mudanjiang, China

 MDJ 24hr plot

IC/QIZ, Qiongzhong, Guangduong Province, China

 QIZ 24hr plot

IU/ADK, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, USA

 ADK 24hr plot

IU/AFI, Afiamalu, Samoa

 AFI 24hr plot

IU/ANMO, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

 ANMO 24hr plot

IU/ANTO, Ankara, Turkey

 ANTO 24hr plot

IU/BBSR, Bermuda

 BBSR 24hr plot

IU/BILL, Bilibino, Russia

 BILL 24hr plot

IU/CASY, Casey, Antarctica

 CASY 24hr plot

IU/CCM, Cathedral Cave, Missouri, USA

 CCM 24hr plot

IU/CHTO, Chiang Mai, Thailand

 CHTO 24hr plot

IU/COLA, College Outpost, Alaska, USA

 COLA 24hr plot

IU/COR, Corvallis, Oregon, USA

 COR 24hr plot

IU/CTAO, Charters Towers, Australia

 CTAO 24hr plot

IU/DAV,Davao, Philippines

 DAV 24hr plot

IU/DWPF,Disney Wilderness Preserve, Florida, USA

 DWPF 24hr plot

IU/FUNA,Funafuti, Tuvalu

 FUNA 24hr plot

IU/FURI, Mt. Furi, Ethiopia

 FURI 24hr plot

IU/GNI, Garni, Armenia

 GNI 24hr plot

IU/GRFO, Grafenberg, Germany

 GRFO 24hr plot

IU/GUMO, Guam, Mariana Islands

 GUMO 24hr plot

IU/HKT, Hockley, Texas, USA

 HKT 24hr plot

IU/HNR, Honiara, Solomon Islands

 HNR 24hr plot

IU/HRV, Adam Dziewonski Observatory (Oak Ridge), Massachusetts, USA

 HRV 24hr plot

IU/INCN, Inchon, Republic of Korea

 INCN 24hr plot

IU/JOHN, Johnston Island, Pacific Ocean

 JOHN 24hr plot

IU/KBS, Ny-Alesund, Spitzbergen, Norway

 KBS 24hr plot

IU/KEV, Kevo, Finland

 KEV 24hr plot

IU/KIEV, Kiev, Ukraine

 KIEV 24hr plot

IU/KIP, Kipapa, Hawaii, USA

 KIP 24hr plot

IU/KMBO, Kilima Mbogo, Kenya

 KMBO 24hr plot

IU/KNTN, Kanton Island, Kiribati

 KNTN 24hr plot

IU/KONO, Kongsberg, Norway

 KONO 24hr plot

IU/KOWA, Kowa, Mali

 KOWA 24hr plot

IU/LCO, Las Campanas Astronomical Observatory, Chile

 LCO 24hr plot

IU/LSZ, Lusaka, Zambia

 LSZ 24hr plot

IU/LVC, Limon Verde, Chile

 LVC 24hr plot

IU/MA2, Magadan, Russia

 MA2 24hr plot

IU/MAJO, Matsushiro, Japan

 MAJO 24hr plot

IU/MAKZ,Makanchi, Kazakhstan

 MAKZ 24hr plot

IU/MBWA, Marble Bar, Western Australia

 MBWA 24hr plot

IU/MIDW, Midway Island, Pacific Ocean, USA

 MIDW 24hr plot

IU/MSKU, Masuku, Gabon

 MSKU 24hr plot

IU/NWAO, Narrogin, Australia

 NWAO 24hr plot

IU/OTAV, Otavalo, Equador

 OTAV 24hr plot

IU/PAB, San Pablo, Spain

 PAB 24hr plot

IU/PAYG Puerto Ayora, Galapagos Islands

 PAYG 24hr plot

IU/PET, Petropavlovsk, Russia

 PET 24hr plot

IU/PMG, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

 PMG 24hr plot

IU/PMSA, Palmer Station, Antarctica

 PMSA 24hr plot

IU/POHA, Pohakaloa, Hawaii

 POHA 24hr plot

IU/PTCN, Pitcairn Island, South Pacific

 PTCN 24hr plot

IU/PTGA, Pitinga, Brazil

 PTGA 24hr plot

IU/QSPA, South Pole, Antarctica

 QSPA 24hr plot

IU/RAO, Raoul, Kermandec Islands

 RAO 24hr plot

IU/RAR, Rarotonga, Cook Islands

 RAR 24hr plot

IU/RCBR, Riachuelo, Brazil

 RCBR 24hr plot

IU/RSSD, Black Hills, South Dakota, USA

 RSSD 24hr plot

IU/SAML, Samuel, Brazil

 SAML 24hr plot

IU/SBA, Scott Base, Antarctica

 SBA 24hr plot

IU/SDV, Santo Domingo, Venezuela

 SDV 24hr plot

IU/SFJD, Sondre Stromfjord, Greenland

 SFJD 24hr plot

IU/SJG, San Juan, Puerto Rico

 SJG 24hr plot

IU/SLBS, Sierra la Laguna Baja California Sur, Mexico

 SLBS 24hr plot

IU/SNZO, South Karori, New Zealand

 SNZO 24hr plot

IU/SSPA, Standing Stone, Pennsylvania USA

 SSPA 24hr plot

IU/TARA, Tarawa Island, Republic of Kiribati

 TARA 24hr plot

IU/TATO, Taipei, Taiwan

 TATO 24hr plot

IU/TEIG, Tepich, Yucatan, Mexico

 TEIG 24hr plot

IU/TIXI, Tiksi, Russia

 TIXI 24hr plot

IU/TRIS, Tristan da Cunha, Atlantic Ocean

 TRIS 24hr plot

IU/TRQA, Tornquist, Argentina

 TRQA 24hr plot

IU/TSUM, Tsumeb, Namibia

 TSUM 24hr plot

IU/TUC, Tucson, Arizona

 TUC 24hr plot

IU/ULN, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

 ULN 24hr plot

IU/WAKE, Wake Island, Pacific Ocean

 WAKE 24hr plot

IU/WCI, Wyandotte Cave, Indiana, USA

 WCI 24hr plot

IU/WVT, Waverly, Tennessee, USA

 WVT 24hr plot

IU/XMAS, Kiritimati Island, Republic of Kiribati

 XMAS 24hr plot

IU/YAK, Yakutsk, Russia

 YAK 24hr plot

IU/YSS, Yuzhno Sakhalinsk, Russia

 YSS 24hr plot

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Volcanic Activity

Lava Dome on Top of Mount Merapi Collapses

SP/Imron Rosyid Taufikur

Mount Merapi erupting in 2010. (JG Photo/Boy T Harjanto). Mount Merapi erupting in 2010. (JG Photo/Boy T Harjanto).

Solo, Central Java. A lava dome that formed on top of Mount Merapi following its 2010 eruption has collapsed, prompting volcanology officials to issue a warning on Friday of a possible deadly cold lava stream on the mountain slope.

Tri Mujianto, from the Merapi mountain observatory in Jrakah, in the Selo subdistrict of Boyolali, said the lava dome had disappeared but he could not say precisely when.

“The dome is now no longer there but we were not able to monitor when it collapsed. Some [of the material] may have fallen inside [the crater] while some may have flowed into the channel of Apu River,” he said.

They have not been able to determine the cause of the collapse, as there has been no rain in the crater area for days. They also haven’t been able to estimate the volume of cold lava in the collapsed dome.

Tri said the alert status for Merapi remained at the normal level but warned that should rains fall over the crater, cold lava stream may flow down through natural river channels. A cold lava stream is congealed lava and other volcanic mud and debris flushed down the slopes of a volcano by heavy rains.

“Entering the rainy season, the frequency of cold lava stream is rising. We have checked the conditions at the craters several times and it appears to still be very much unstable. People on the slopes of Merapi, especially those living on the banks of rivers originating from the peak, should remain alert,” he said.

Meanwhile, Subandriyo, the head of the Volcanology office in Yogyakarta, said that parts of the lava dome facing Boyolali district had collapsed, and ventured that it was due to its fragile condition.

“The collapse was not directly recorded because there were so many small deflagrations. On the scale, they did not even reach one kilometer down the slope,” Subandriyo said.

He warned that rains with intensity of more than 20 millimeters and lasting more than two hours were enough to trigger flash floods of cold lava down the mountain’s slope.

Related articles

Merapi Victims Mend Their Villages and Lives 10:00am Jun 7, 2012

The Hidden Past of Indonesia’s Gunung Lawu 7:11pm Feb 29, 2012

Documentary Tells Stories Of Mt. Merapi’s Impact 6:02pm Dec 11, 2011

Battling Merapi’s Mudflows an Uphill Battle 10:36pm Nov 20, 2011

Hungry Monkeys Eye Merapi Villagers’ Crops 11:04pm Nov 15, 2011

Volcanism in the American Southwest

Contact Information:
U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey
Office of Communications and Publishing
12201 Sunrise Valley Dr, MS 119
Reston, VA 20192
John Bwarie 1-click interview
Phone: 626-318-5547Leslie Gordon 1-click interview
Phone: 650-329-4006
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — Experts in volcano hazards and public safety have started a conversation about volcanoes in the southwestern United States, and how best to prepare for future activity. Prior to this meeting, emergency response planning for volcanic unrest in the region had received little attention by federal or state agencies.Though volcanic eruptions are comparatively rare in the American Southwest, the states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah host geologically-recent volcanic eruption deposits and are vulnerable to future volcanic activity. Compared with other parts of the western U.S., comparatively little research has been focused on this area, and eruption probabilities are poorly understood.“A volcanic eruption in the American southwest is an example of a low-probability, but high-impact event for which we should be prepared to respond,” said USGS Director Marcia McNutt. “No one wants to be exchanging business cards during an emergency, and thus a small investment in advance planning could pay off in personal relationships and coordination between scientists and first responders.””The goal of the conference is to increase awareness of volcanism and vulnerabilities in the American Southwest, and to begin coordination among volcano scientists, land managers, and emergency responders regarding future volcanic activity,” said Dr. Jacob Lowenstern, one of the organizers of the conference, and the U.S. Geological Survey Scientist-In-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. “This is the first time these federal, state, and local agencies have met to discuss their roles, responsibilities, and resources, should an eruption occur.”The “Volcanism in the American Southwest” conference on Oct. 18-19 in Flagstaff, Ariz. was organized by the USGS, Northern Arizona University, University at Buffalo, and New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, the meeting included interdisciplinary talks, posters, and panel discussions, providing an opportunity for volcanologists, land managers, and emergency responders to meet, converse, and begin to plan protocols for any future volcanic activity.

More information about the meeting, including presentation abstracts, is online.

……………………….

20.10.2012 05:44 PM Sunda Strait, Indonesia Mt. Anak Krakatoa Volcano Volcano Activity 0602-00= Caldera 2009 No. 0 Details

Volcano Activity in Indonesia on Saturday, 20 October, 2012 at 17:44 (05:44 PM) UTC.

Description
Indonesia issued today an official alert at the straight of Sunda for the increasing activity of Mt. Anak Krakatoa. Dense clouds surrounding the mountain blind it from human eyes while fishers and tourists must remain at a distance of two kilometres, said Andi Suardi, head of the watch deport in Hargopancuran. Just 30 days earlier, Anak Krakatoa spewed lava and other material 2,000 meters high above the peak; there have been since hundreds of quakes in the area and black clouds continue to veil the mouth of the mountain. Situated between Sumatra and Java Islands, Anak Krakatoa emerged from sea late in the 1930s and from 1950, growing an average of five meters per year. Science has confirmed another five active volcanos and the authorities have activated the alert in their vicinity, and Indonesia has more than 400 volcanos and some 130 remain active.

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Extreme Temperatures/ Weather

Wave snatches Polish woman to her death in Spain

by Staff Writers
Barcelona (AFP)

A huge wave dragged a Polish woman to her death as she walked on a Spanish beach with a friend on Friday in a storm that also left a young French man missing.

As the powerful storm smashed into northeastern Catalonia, a big wave snatched away the 37-year-old Polish woman in the holiday resort of Lloret del Mar in the early hours, emergency services officials said.

“She was walking along the beach with a friend when she was surprised by a wave that dragged her in,” said a police spokesman.

Her corpse was found five nautical miles down the coast near Blanes later in the morning, officials said, and she was identified by her clothes and jewellery.

The French man, described only as a young person, disappeared after going fishing in a rocky area of the coast of Roses, about 100 kilometres (60 miles) further north.

Only his fishing rod was recovered.

Emergency services were alerted by the French man’s friend after he went fishing in a rocky area known as Carretera de Canyelles and failed to return, an emergency services spokesman said.

“This morning we found his fishing rod in a rocky area and began a search of the land and sea with helicopters and specialized vehicles,” he said.

Catalonia’s emergency services declared a state of alert on Friday because of forecasts for the weekend of heavy rain, rough seas with waves higher than 2.5 metres (eight feet) and strong winds.

The authorities warned people to avoid breakwaters, coastal paths and beaches affected by the waves.

Storms also beat down on the neighbouring northern Spanish region of Aragon, causing floods in the province of Zaragoza.

Spain has been punished by extreme weather in the past year.

After the driest winter in 70 years, forest fires scorched more than 184,000 hectares (454,000 acres) of land in the first nine months of 2012, the largest amount in a decade, according to government figures.

Related Links
Water News – Science, Technology and Politics

Bitterly cold end to Labour weekend

Bitterly cold end to Labour weekend

New Zealand

While the roads remained clear of any snow, ewes and lambs picked their way through the icy crust

While the roads remained clear of any snow, ewes and lambs picked their way through the icy crust

By Hamish Clark

It’s been a bitterly cold end to Labour Weekend, with bad weather sweeping across the South Island.

Snow fell in Canterbury from Lake Tekapo up to Methven, while over on the West Coast, a tornado flattened an old theatre in the northern township of Hector.

The storm arrived at the break of dawn and blanketed the countryside. Temperatures dived in the wintry blast to near freezing – a turnaround on yesterday’s 20degC highs.

Five-to-10cm of snow covered the Canterbury Foothills, falling as far south as Twizel and Tekapo, cutting short holiday-makers’ long weekend away.

One by one, caravans, campervans and boats joined the queue home, although one classic bike was left on the side of the road.

“We have just come back from Twizel on the old motorbike and been in the snow,” says motorcyclist Grant Jones. “I have just blown a head casket on her, so she is on the trailer now until home.”

While the roads remained clear of any snow, ewes and lambs picked their way through the icy crust.

“[We have] few lambing ewes and a few sorry looking lambs,” says farming student Hamish Forrester.

Over on the West Coast, there was not much left of an old Hector theatre and dancehall north of Westport – a tornado flattened it in the middle of the night.

But if Tourism New Zealand ever wanted the perfect promo, this was it – visitors say they loved seeing the snow in Tekapo.

3 News

Central Australia baking in rare October heat

Brett Dutschke, Monday October 22, 2012 – 17:09 EDT Much of central Australia is baking in heat not experienced at this time of year in decades.

Temperatures have been reaching the high thirties each day for about a week, the longest it has been this hot at this time of year in more than 20 years.

Today is Yulara’s eighth day of reaching 35 degrees or more. In more than 20 years of record there hasn’t been a longer run of such heat at this time of year.

Alice Springs has reached at least 38 degrees in each of the past six days, beating the previous September/October record of four days, most recently set in 2008.

Across the border in far southwest Queensland, Birdsville has almost equalled its longest run of 40-degree days for this time of year. Sunday was the fourth day of 40 or more. This is only one day short of the October record of five days, set in 1988. Monday had only reached 39.4 degrees by 3:30pm. Birdsville’s records go back to the 1950s.

This heat has a few more days to go, at least until Wednesday in Yulara and Alice Springs and until Thursday in Birdsville, when a cooler southerly change is due. This change will drop temperatures by about 10 degrees.

Before the cooler change arrives Alice Springs is on target for nine consecutive days of 35 degrees, also a record for this time of year.

– Weatherzone

Today Snow Storm China Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, [Xinjiang-wide] Damage level Details

Snow Storm in China on Tuesday, 23 October, 2012 at 03:30 (03:30 AM) UTC.

Description
The persistent snow and rain hit the northwestern part of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, causing a dramatic temperature drop. This has resulted in the freezing of the road surface on several sections of Sayram Lake-Guozigou Highway, causing traffic congestion in the direction to Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang, northwest China.
22.10.2012 Extreme Weather Zambia Copperbelt Province, Lufwanyama Damage level Details

Extreme Weather in Zambia on Monday, 22 October, 2012 at 14:32 (02:32 PM) UTC.

Description
A hailstorm has left a trail of destruction, damaging furniture and ripping off roofing sheets at Lumanto Basic School in Lufwanyama. The storm, which happened last Friday, damaged a 1×2 classroom block at the school, whose window panes and part of the wall collapsed. Lufwanyama district education board secretary Hilda Kulelwa confirmed the tragedy in an interview yesterday. Ms Kulelwa said the hailstorm struck when schoolchildren were on lunch break and no one was hurt. “We had a very strong wind yesterday (Friday) which ripped off iron sheets at Lumanto Basic School. The desks are also damaged. The storm struck as soon as the grade nines finished their practical examinations,” she said. Ms Kulelwa said the damage left by the hailstorm will affect the school timetable as some classes will have to be rescheduled until the affected block is rehabilitated. She said the matter has been reported to the district commissioner and the provincial education officer. And Lufwanyama district commissioner Alex Kalela said his office will write to the provincial permanent secretary, requesting for the rehabilitation of the school as soon as possible. “The children are writing their final examinations and we don’t want their timetable to be affected. We are appealing to the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit to quickly repair the roofs before the rains start,” Mr Kalela said.

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Storms / Flooding / Landslides / Tornado

Active tropical storm system(s)
Name of storm system Location Formed Last update Last category Course Wind Speed Gust Wave Source Details
Sandy (AL18) Carib Sea 22.10.2012 23.10.2012 Tropical Depression 0 ° 74 km/h 93 km/h 3.66 m NOAA NHC Details

Tropical Storm data

Share:
Storm name: Sandy (AL18)
Area: Carib Sea
Start up location: N 13° 30.000, W 78° 0.000
Start up: 22nd October 2012
Status: Active
Track long: 68.44 km
Top category.:
Report by: NOAA NHC
Useful links:

Past track
Date Time Position Speed
km/h
Wind
km/h
Gust
km/h
Category Course Wave Pressure Source
Current position
Date Time Position Speed
km/h
Wind
km/h
Gust
km/h
Category Course Wave
feet
Pressure Source
23rd Oct 2012 05:01:30 N 12° 42.000, W 78° 36.000 0 74 93 Tropical Depression 0 ° 12 998 MB NOAA NHC
Forecast track
Date Time Position Category Wind
km/h
Gust
km/h
Source
24th Oct 2012 00:00:00 N 14° 48.000, W 77° 54.000 Hurricane I 111 139 NOAA NHC
24th Oct 2012 12:00:00 N 16° 36.000, W 77° 30.000 Hurricane II 130 157 NOAA NHC
25th Oct 2012 00:00:00 N 18° 30.000, W 77° 6.000 Hurricane I 111 139 NOAA NHC
26th Oct 2012 00:00:00 N 22° 42.000, W 75° 48.000 Hurricane I 102 120 NOAA NHC
27th Oct 2012 00:00:00 N 25° 42.000, W 75° 24.000 Hurricane I 102 120 NOAA NHC
28th Oct 2012 00:00:00 N 28° 12.000, W 73° 36.000 Hurricane I 102 120 NOAA NHC
AL19 Atlantic Ocean 23.10.2012 23.10.2012 Tropical Depression 355 ° 56 km/h 74 km/h 3.66 m NOAA NHC Details

Tropical Storm data

Share:
Storm name: AL19
Area: Atlantic Ocean
Start up location: N 22° 18.000, W 51° 42.000
Start up: 23rd October 2012
Status: Active
Track long: 0.00 km
Top category.:
Report by: NOAA NHC
Useful links:

Past track
Date Time Position Speed
km/h
Wind
km/h
Gust
km/h
Category Course Wave Pressure Source
Current position
Date Time Position Speed
km/h
Wind
km/h
Gust
km/h
Category Course Wave
feet
Pressure Source
23rd Oct 2012 05:00:42 N 23° 0.000, W 51° 48.000 15 56 74 Tropical Depression 355 ° 12 1006 MB NOAA NHC
Forecast track
Date Time Position Category Wind
km/h
Gust
km/h
Source
24th Oct 2012 18:00:00 N 27° 42.000, W 47° 6.000 Tropical Depression 93 111 NOAA NHC
24th Oct 2012 06:00:00 N 26° 42.000, W 49° 36.000 Tropical Depression 83 102 NOAA NHC
25th Oct 2012 18:00:00 N 30° 0.000, W 40° 30.000 Tropical Depression 83 102 NOAA NHC
26th Oct 2012 18:00:00 N 33° 30.000, W 34° 0.000 Tropical Depression 74 93 NOAA NHC

……………………………

22.10.2012 Hailstorm South Africa State of Gauteng, [Ekurhuleni area] Damage level Details

Hailstorm in South Africa on Monday, 22 October, 2012 at 14:30 (02:30 PM) UTC.

Description
Ekurhuleni metro police ran for cover as hail the size of golf balls shattered their car windscreens and side mirrors, spokesman Kobeli Mokheseng said. The hail “came down like a ton of bricks” for about five minutes on Saturday between 2pm and 3pm, he said. “Metro police officers who were patrolling… ran for cover following heavy rain and winds blowing uncontrollably,” said Mokheseng. He said metro police were still assessing the damage, and that no one was hurt. The hail appeared to have been heaviest in Edenvale, Midrand, Germiston, Boksburg and Benoni. People took to the social networking site, Twitter, to express their dismay at the damage it caused. “What a scary experience yesterday really bad weather hail were so big damaged my younger sister’s kids playroom,” a Twitter user wrote. “Tennis ball sized hail at our place on Saturday crazy.” Another Twitter user wrote: “Talk about hail damage… 12 windows KO!!!!”. “Every car in the East Rand that wasn’t under cover or was on the road is damaged. Mine has 3 dents on boot,” wrote another person. “My mom’s Clio took a beating… Hail damage all over! It went right through the body work.” The Sunday Times showed a photograph of a Benoni man, Jimmy Sales, inspecting his car’s shattered rear windscreen under the headline “This weather is insane”. The newspaper carried an inset picture of a hailstone almost the size of a cricket ball which was among those which fell at the Glendower Golf Club, reportedly damaging several cars in the parking lot and gouging chunks out of the green.
22.10.2012 Flash Flood Bulgaria Province of Burgas, [Varvara and Ahtopol, Municipality of Tsarevo] Damage level Details

Okla. Interstate Reopens After Dust Storm

Associated Press

Overlay

Dust Storm Causes Big Pile-up

BLACKWELL, Okla. — Transportation officials say a stretch of Interstate 35 in northern Oklahoma is open again after a massive dust storm triggered a multi-vehicle accident.

(Weather Extra: Satellite Shows Blowing Dust in the Plains)

Oklahoma Department of Transportation spokesman Cole Hackett said the 8-mile stretch of Interstate 35 reopened Thursday evening.

Transportation workers had been called in earlier Thursday to close the highway between U.S. 60 and Oklahoma 11. The area just south of the Kansas state line remained closed for several hours as crews cleared debris from the crash and waited for winds to die down.

weather.com

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol said visibility was less than 10 feet as gusts as high as 55 mph blew dust over the roadway Thursday afternoon.

No one was killed in the multi-vehicle accident, though Blackwell Police Chief Fred LeValley said nine people were injured.

In a scene reminiscent of the Dust Bowl days, choking dust suspended on strong wind gusts shrouded Interstate 35, which links Dallas and Oklahoma City to Kansas City, Mo. Video from television station helicopters showed the four-lane highway virtually disappearing into billowing dust on the harsh landscape near Blackwell, plus dozens of vehicles scattered in the median and on the shoulders.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Jodi Palmer, a dispatcher with the Kay County Sheriff’s Office. “In this area alone, the dirt is blowing because we’ve been in a drought. I think from the drought everything’s so dry and the wind is high.”

(MORE: The Dust Bowl 2012 vs 1930s)

The highway patrol said the dust storm caused a multi-car accident, and local police said nearly three dozen cars and tractor-trailers were involved. Blackwell Police Chief Fred LeValley said nine people were injured, but there were no fatalities.

State transportation workers were called into to close the highway between U.S. 60 and Oklahoma 11, an 8-mile stretch of the cross-country roadway.

The area is just south of the Kansas state line in far northern Oklahoma. Interstate 35 runs from the Mexican border in south Texas to Duluth, Minn.

A red flag fire warning was in place for parts of northern Oklahoma on Thursday, as is a blowing dust advisory.

The National Weather Service forecast for the area said winds would subside to 20 mph or lower overnight but that gusts as high as 28 mph could continue. Calm winds were expected by Friday night.

The area has suffered through an extended drought and many farmers had recently loosened the soil while preparing for the winter wheat season.

(PHOTOS: Drought Disaster 2012)

“You have the perfect combination of extended drought in that area … and we have the extremely strong winds,” said Gary McManus, the Oklahoma associate state climatologist.

“Also, the timing is bad because a lot of those farm fields are bare. The soil is so dry, it’s like powder. Basically what you have is a whole bunch of topsoil waiting for the wind to blow it away. It’s no different from the 1930s than it is now.”

Steve Austin, a Kay County commissioner, said visibility was terrible.

“It looked like a huge fog was over the city of Ponca City,” he said. “We’ve had dust storms before, but I don’t remember anything of this magnitude in years.”

Flash Flood in Bulgaria on Monday, 22 October, 2012 at 09:57 (09:57 AM) UTC.

Description
There are no flooded and isolated settlements after the heavy rain in the coastal municipality of Tsarevo on Sunday. A bridge has been hit by a tidal wave on the road between the southeastern village of Varvara and town of Ahtopol, municipality mayor Georgi Lapchev said. He added that the road was closed and experts were working to restore the damaged section. He said there was a roundabout route. He noted that Sunday’s heavy rain caused damages and other settlements might experience problems as well.
22.10.2012 Flash Flood Indonesia State of Papua, [Panja district] Damage level Details

Flash Flood in Indonesia on Monday, 22 October, 2012 at 09:55 (09:55 AM) UTC.

Description
Flash floods in Papua in eastern Indonesia on Sunday night has displaced over 1,000 people and damaged over 200 houses and other public facilities, an official of disaster relief agency said here on Monday. Spokesman of the National Disaster Management and Mitigation Agency Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said that heavy rains at mountainous area led to overflow of Eranouli river and caused flash floods in Eranouli village in Panja district at about 21:00 pm Jakarta time (1400 GMT). “Over 200 houses and scores of office building have been damaged and about 1,000 people have escaped to higher grounds,” he said. The waters inundated the village by up to 2 meters high, said Sutopo. The waters also damaged a health clinic and a clean water facility, he said.
21.10.2012 Flash Flood India State of Sikkim, Chungthan Damage level Details

Flash Flood in India on Sunday, 21 October, 2012 at 10:50 (10:50 AM) UTC.

Description
A flash flood triggered by torrential rain has killed at least nine construction workers and left 15 others missing and feared dead in India’s remote northeast. Karma Zyatso, chief secretary of Sikkim state, says the workers, who lived in camps, were swept away by the swirling waters of a flooded river Friday in Chungthan, a small town in the mountainous region. Zyatso said Sunday that authorities had recovered nine bodies and were searching for the 15 missing workers, who were building roads.

………………………….

Eleven killed, 10 missing in Peru landslide

by Staff Writers
Lima (AFP)

At least 11 Peruvians were killed and 10 more are missing after a mudslide Wednesday slammed into a small village in a mountainous jungle region, officials said.

Those killed in the landslide include five children, Ronald Garcia, the provincial mayor, told RPP national radio network.

The avalanche of mud and rocks swept away 24 homes when it crashed into the village of El Porvenir, in the northern department of San Martin, at dawn.

The head of Peru’s Civil Defense Institute, Alfredo Murgueytio, told the daily El Comercio in an interview posted online that rescuers pulled 11 bodies from the rubble, and that 10 people are still missing.

Mayor Garcia said that some of the missing people may have fled into the hills to save their lives.

“Whole families are missing,” said Garcia. More than 80 families live in the village, he said.

El Porvenir residents are mostly coffee farmers, officials said.

Heavy rain in Peru’s Andean region in recent weeks has triggered several landslides.

Related Links
Weather News at TerraDaily.com

Today Tornado USA State of California, [Sutter, Yuba and Butte counties] Damage level Details

Tornado in USA on Tuesday, 23 October, 2012 at 03:29 (03:29 AM) UTC.

Description
Tornadoes reportedly touched down Monday afternoon in three Northern California counties, knocking down some trees and power lines as a powerful storm blew over the region. Officials said no injuries were reported by the tornadoes, which were caused by the first storm of the season in Northern California. The National Weather Service said preliminary reports indicated that the tornadoes touched down in Sutter, Yuba and Butte counties. The unstable weather prompted the agency to issue a tornado warning for Placer County. Officials said they received reports from residents of toppled trees and power lines and damage to rooftops after shingles were ripped off by powerful winds.
22.10.2012 Tornado USA State of Pennsylvania, Fern Glen [Lancaster County] Damage level Details

Tornado in USA on Monday, 22 October, 2012 at 09:47 (09:47 AM) UTC.

Description
Authorities have confirmed that a tornado caused a pavilion to collapse at a Lancaster County park, injuring 15 people and causing millions of dollars in damage. The EF-1 tornado touched down shortly after 8 p.m. Friday and over the next 10 minutes traveled about 16 miles from Fern Glen to Paradise in Lancaster County, packing maximum winds of 100 to 110 m.p.h., the National Weather Service said Sunday. Officials said several dozen people attending a baseball game near Paradise sought shelter at the 40-by-40-foot pavilion, but high winds collapsed it. Police said 10 to 12 people were injured, but the weather service put the injury total at 15. Authorities said most of the injuries were minor; one person had a broken bone. The tornado damage was sporadic and contained within a larger area of straight-line wind damage, weather observers said. Officials said 50 structures were damaged, including several barns that were destroyed. Two small high-tension towers and thousands of trees were toppled. The county emergency management office estimated damage at $3 million to $5 million.

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Epidemic Hazards / Diseases

22.10.2012 Epidemic Hazard India State of Madhya Pradesh, Bhopal Damage level Details

Epidemic Hazard in India on Monday, 22 October, 2012 at 09:49 (09:49 AM) UTC.

Description
More than 20 schoolchildren, who have fallen sick in some posh localities of the city, are attending their classes, posing a danger to others kids. Teachers suspect students are afflicted with chickenpox. With blisters over body, fever and tiredness, these students are going to school. The parents say they have to send their children to schools as their absence from the school would affect studies and they might miss the chance of writing their annual test because of falling short of minimum attendance necessary to appear in examination. “I know many children who are suffering from chickenpox, a woman teacher, residing in Arera Colony, told TOI. Instead of quarantining such kids, their parents were sending them to schools, which may trigger the spread of the contagious disease, she said. These kids, some from my locality, are from the posh localities, she said. The health officials should take some steps and visit schools.
Biohazard name: Chicken Pox
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: suspected
21.10.2012 Epidemic Hazard India Capital City, New Delhi Damage level Details

Epidemic Hazard in India on Sunday, 21 October, 2012 at 03:43 (03:43 AM) UTC.

Description
Hospitals in the city have reported cases of rickettsial disease caused by tick bites – a rare infectious fever that is common in hilly regions having a tropical climate. Though doctors said the disease “is very rare” in Delhi, AIIMS has reported at least two cases in its paediatric unit over the past six weeks. Serological reports from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) confirmed that these patients were afflicted with scrub typhus, a variant of rickettsia. Doctors at three private hospitals said they had sent samples to the NCDC and received confirmed reports. Serological tests to confirm the infection is not available in government and most private hospitals. The Director of Health Services (DHS) Dr N V Kamat said the city’s infectious disease surveillance programme was yet to be notified about the cases. Dr V K Paul, the head of paediatrics in AIIMS, said: “The disease is very rare and we do not often get patients suffering from the it in Delhi. But we have received confirmation from the NCDC that two of our patients were diagnosed with Scrub Typhus over the past six weeks.” Dr Atul Gogia, associate consultant of internal medicine in Sir Ganga Ram Hospital said: “We have seen 8-10 cases of scrub typhus in the past month. We used to see a case once a year. This year, there has been a sudden jump. So we are sending every suspected, unexplained fever for tests.” Dr Gogia said patients have a characteristic black mark, known as eschar, left by the mite on the body accompanied by fever.
Biohazard name: Typhus (Scrub)
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.
Symptoms:
Status: confirmed

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Solar Activity

3MIN News October 20. 2012: Contact the Australian Bureau of Meteorology re:Buoy 53046

Published on Oct 20, 2012 by

TODAY’S LINKS
OK Dust Storm: http://www.weather.com/news/dust-storm-shuts-down-interstate-20121018
Buoy Event: Google Sidapan Buoy Malaysian and look for recent news.

REPEAT LINKS
Spaceweather: http://spaceweather.com/ [Look on the left at the X-ray Flux and Solar Wind Speed/Density]

HAARP: http://www.haarp.alaska.edu/haarp/data.html [Click online data, and have a little fun]

CERES JPL: http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=ceres;orb=1;cov=0;log=0;cad=0#orb

SDO: http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/data/ [Place to find Solar Images and Videos – as seen from earth]

Helioviewer: http://www.helioviewer.org/

SOHO: http://sohodata.nascom.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/soho_movie_theater [SOHO; Lasco and EIT – as seen from earth]

Stereo: http://stereo.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/images [Stereo; Cor, EUVI, HI – as seen from the side]

SunAEON:http://www.sunaeon.com/#/solarsystem/ [Just click it… trust me]

SOLARIMG: http://solarimg.org/artis/ [All purpose data viewing site]

iSWA: http://iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov/iswa/iSWA.html [Free Application; for advanced sun watchers]

NASA ENLIL SPIRAL: http://iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov:8080/IswaSystemWebApp/iSWACygnetStreamer?timestamp=…
NOAA ENLIL SPIRAL: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/wsa-enlil/

US Wind Map: http://hint.fm/wind/

NOAA Bouys: http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/

RADIATION Network: http://radiationnetwork.com/

NOAA Environmental Visualization Laboratory: http://www.nnvl.noaa.gov/Default.php

RSOE: http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/index2.php [That cool alert map I use]

GOES Xray: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/sxi/goes15/index.html

JAPAN Radiation Map: http://jciv.iidj.net/map/

LISS: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/monitoring/operations/heliplots_gsn.php

Gamma Ray Bursts: http://grb.sonoma.edu/ [Really? You can’t figure out what this one is for?]

BARTOL Cosmic Rays: http://neutronm.bartol.udel.edu//spaceweather/welcome.html [Top left box, look for BIG blue circles]

TORCON: http://www.weather.com/news/tornado-torcon-index [Tornado Forecast for the day]

GOES Weather: http://rsd.gsfc.nasa.gov/goes/ [Clouds over America]

RAIN RECORDS: http://www.cocorahs.org/ViewData/ListIntensePrecipReports.aspx

EL DORADO WORLD WEATHER MAP: http://www.eldoradocountyweather.com/satellite/ssec/world/world-composite-ir-…

PRESSURE MAP: http://www.woweather.com/cgi-bin/expertcharts?LANG=us&MENU=0000000000&…

HURRICANE TRACKER: http://www.weather.com/weather/hurricanecentral/tracker

INTELLICAST: http://www.intellicast.com/ [Weather site used by many youtubers]

NASA News: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/

PHYSORG: http://phys.org/ [GREAT News Site!]

QUAKES LIST FULL: http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/seismologist.php

3MIN News October 21. 2012: M9 Flare. 6.6 Quake. Magnetic Instability

Published on Oct 21, 2012 by

REPEAT LINKS
Spaceweather: http://spaceweather.com/ [Look on the left at the X-ray Flux and Solar Wind Speed/Density]

HAARP: http://www.haarp.alaska.edu/haarp/data.html [Click online data, and have a little fun]

CERES JPL: http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=ceres;orb=1;cov=0;log=0;cad=0#orb

SDO: http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/data/ [Place to find Solar Images and Videos – as seen from earth]

Helioviewer: http://www.helioviewer.org/

SOHO: http://sohodata.nascom.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/soho_movie_theater [SOHO; Lasco and EIT – as seen from earth]

Stereo: http://stereo.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/images [Stereo; Cor, EUVI, HI – as seen from the side]

SunAEON:http://www.sunaeon.com/#/solarsystem/ [Just click it… trust me]

SOLARIMG: http://solarimg.org/artis/ [All purpose data viewing site]

iSWA: http://iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov/iswa/iSWA.html [Free Application; for advanced sun watchers]

NASA ENLIL SPIRAL: http://iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov:8080/IswaSystemWebApp/iSWACygnetStreamer?timestamp=…
NOAA ENLIL SPIRAL: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/wsa-enlil/

US Wind Map: http://hint.fm/wind/

NOAA Bouys: http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/

RADIATION Network: http://radiationnetwork.com/

NOAA Environmental Visualization Laboratory: http://www.nnvl.noaa.gov/Default.php

RSOE: http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/index2.php [That cool alert map I use]

GOES Xray: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/sxi/goes15/index.html

JAPAN Radiation Map: http://jciv.iidj.net/map/

LISS: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/monitoring/operations/heliplots_gsn.php

Gamma Ray Bursts: http://grb.sonoma.edu/ [Really? You can’t figure out what this one is for?]

BARTOL Cosmic Rays: http://neutronm.bartol.udel.edu//spaceweather/welcome.html [Top left box, look for BIG blue circles]

TORCON: http://www.weather.com/news/tornado-torcon-index [Tornado Forecast for the day]

GOES Weather: http://rsd.gsfc.nasa.gov/goes/ [Clouds over America]

RAIN RECORDS: http://www.cocorahs.org/ViewData/ListIntensePrecipReports.aspx

EL DORADO WORLD WEATHER MAP: http://www.eldoradocountyweather.com/satellite/ssec/world/world-composite-ir-…

PRESSURE MAP: http://www.woweather.com/cgi-bin/expertcharts?LANG=us&MENU=0000000000&…

HURRICANE TRACKER: http://www.weather.com/weather/hurricanecentral/tracker

INTELLICAST: http://www.intellicast.com/ [Weather site used by many youtubers]

NASA News: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/

PHYSORG: http://phys.org/ [GREAT News Site!]

QUAKES LIST FULL: http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/seismologist.php

2MIN News October 22. 2012

Published on Oct 22, 2012 by

TODAY’S LINKS
Central Australia Heat: http://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/central-australia-baking-in-rare-october-h…
Cold/Tornado in NZ: http://www.3news.co.nz/Bitterly-cold-end-to-Labour-weekend/tabid/423/articleI…
Record Lava Height: http://www.weather.com/weather/videos/news-41/top-stories-169/lava-reaches-re…
France Floods: http://www.weather.com/news/france-floods-evacuations-20121021

REPEAT LINKS
Spaceweather: http://spaceweather.com/ [Look on the left at the X-ray Flux and Solar Wind Speed/Density]

HAARP: http://www.haarp.alaska.edu/haarp/data.html [Click online data, and have a little fun]

CERES JPL: http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=ceres;orb=1;cov=0;log=0;cad=0#orb

SDO: http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/data/ [Place to find Solar Images and Videos – as seen from earth]

Helioviewer: http://www.helioviewer.org/

SOHO: http://sohodata.nascom.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/soho_movie_theater [SOHO; Lasco and EIT – as seen from earth]

Stereo: http://stereo.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/images [Stereo; Cor, EUVI, HI – as seen from the side]

SunAEON:http://www.sunaeon.com/#/solarsystem/ [Just click it… trust me]

SOLARIMG: http://solarimg.org/artis/ [All purpose data viewing site]

iSWA: http://iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov/iswa/iSWA.html [Free Application; for advanced sun watchers]

NASA ENLIL SPIRAL: http://iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov:8080/IswaSystemWebApp/iSWACygnetStreamer?timestamp=…
NOAA ENLIL SPIRAL: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/wsa-enlil/

US Wind Map: http://hint.fm/wind/

NOAA Bouys: http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/

RADIATION Network: http://radiationnetwork.com/

NOAA Environmental Visualization Laboratory: http://www.nnvl.noaa.gov/Default.php

RSOE: http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/index2.php [That cool alert map I use]

GOES Xray: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/sxi/goes15/index.html

JAPAN Radiation Map: http://jciv.iidj.net/map/

LISS: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/monitoring/operations/heliplots_gsn.php

Gamma Ray Bursts: http://grb.sonoma.edu/ [Really? You can’t figure out what this one is for?]

BARTOL Cosmic Rays: http://neutronm.bartol.udel.edu//spaceweather/welcome.html [Top left box, look for BIG blue circles]

TORCON: http://www.weather.com/news/tornado-torcon-index [Tornado Forecast for the day]

GOES Weather: http://rsd.gsfc.nasa.gov/goes/ [Clouds over America]

RAIN RECORDS: http://www.cocorahs.org/ViewData/ListIntensePrecipReports.aspx

EL DORADO WORLD WEATHER MAP: http://www.eldoradocountyweather.com/satellite/ssec/world/world-composite-ir-…

PRESSURE MAP: http://www.woweather.com/cgi-bin/expertcharts?LANG=us&MENU=0000000000&…

HURRICANE TRACKER: http://www.weather.com/weather/hurricanecentral/tracker

INTELLICAST: http://www.intellicast.com/ [Weather site used by many youtubers]

NASA News: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/

PHYSORG: http://phys.org/ [GREAT News Site!]

QUAKES LIST FULL: http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/seismologist.php

JUST IN: Solar Activity Ramps Up – Warning Issued  

by Mitch Battros – Earth Changes Media

Solar activity has increased to active during the past 24 hours, featuring a long duration M9.1 flare and six C flares.

The M9.1 flare was released by sunspot region 1598 on the east limb of the Sun and peaked at 18:14 UT on October 20th. A high-speed shock wave registered 516 kilometers per second (320 miles per second) observed at 18:15 UT. An associated CME was observed by LASCO C2 at 19:00 UT, but is not directed towards Earth.

Earlier today sunspot region 1596 produced a M1.3 (2003UT), C7.8 (0316UT), and C5.6 (0534UT). Both regions 1596 and 1598 maintain potential for further isolated M-class to X-class activity.

Solar wind speed is expected to increase slightly days one and two under the influence of a coronal hole wind stream. NASA and NOAA has issued a WARNING for high flying aircraft, the ISS, NSSO and NSTAC due to an increased possibility of satellite deep dielectric discharge.

In a flux of high energy charged particles, they penetrate the spacecraft or satellite’s outer surface and bury themselves in dielectric materials such as circuit boards and the insulation in coaxial cables. The buildup of charge will continue until the dielectric strength of the material is exceeded, when a sudden electrical discharge will occur. This miniature lightning stroke can cause permanent damage in the associated or nearby circuitry.

Watch for increased extreme weather events which include earthquake, volcano, tornado, and cyclone activity over the next 48 to 72 hours.

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Space

 Earth approaching objects (objects that are known in the next 30 days)

Object Name Apporach Date Left AU Distance LD Distance Estimated Diameter* Relative Velocity
214869 (2007 PA8) 05th November 2012 13 day(s) 0.0433 16.8 1.5 km – 3.3 km 10.79 km/s 38844 km/h
(2011 UG21) 06th November 2012 14 day(s) 0.1784 69.4 340 m – 760 m 19.73 km/s 71028 km/h
(2010 WT) 07th November 2012 15 day(s) 0.1251 48.7 53 m – 120 m 6.53 km/s 23508 km/h
333358 (2001 WN1) 09th November 2012 17 day(s) 0.1285 50.0 370 m – 830 m 8.73 km/s 31428 km/h
330233 (2006 KV86) 11th November 2012 19 day(s) 0.1876 73.0 450 m – 1.0 km 23.35 km/s 84060 km/h
(2008 LH2) 12th November 2012 20 day(s) 0.1487 57.9 35 m – 78 m 5.10 km/s 18360 km/h
(2001 YM2) 12th November 2012 20 day(s) 0.0860 33.5 440 m – 980 m 9.26 km/s 33336 km/h
(2012 KF25) 15th November 2012 23 day(s) 0.1528 59.5 23 m – 51 m 9.75 km/s 35100 km/h
(1999 SF10) 19th November 2012 27 day(s) 0.0346 13.5 41 m – 92 m 4.08 km/s 14688 km/h
1 AU = ~150 million kilometers,1 LD = Lunar Distance = ~384,000 kilometers Source: NASA-NEO

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22.10.2012 Event into space USA State of California, Novato Damage level Details

Event into space in USA on Monday, 22 October, 2012 at 09:50 (09:50 AM) UTC.

Description
A gray, 2-inch rock that hit a Novato home is the first confirmed chunk of the meteor that dramatically exploded over the Bay Area, a scientist said Sunday. Lisa Webber, 61, found the meteorite in her yard on Saturday, three days after the object fell onto the roof of her home on St. Francis Avenue. She had heard a strange sound at the time but didn’t think twice about it until she read a Chronicle story saying debris from the meteor would be found in a band stretching east of San Rafael toward Napa and Sonoma. Some have marveled at the potential cosmic significance of the fact that it hit a home belonging to a man of the cloth – Webber’s husband, Kent Webber, is pastor at Presbyterian Church of Novato. The space rock, in fact, had first hit the roof of his study, she said. “It’s just science – and it’s cool,” said Lisa Webber, an administrative nurse at UCSF Medical Center. “It’s wonderful. It’s like the heavens coming down, and history and this thing probably came from an asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter – I mean, how cool is that?” Peter Jenniskens, a leading meteor hunter at the Seti Institute in Mountain View, confirmed that the space rock was indeed debris from the meteor that streaked over the sky Wednesday night.”The significance of this find is that we can now hope to use our fireball trajectory to trace this type of meteorite back to its origins in the asteroid belt,” Jenniskens wrote on his group’s website. At the time the object hit her roof, Webber thought the sound she heard had come from an animal that was rummaging on her property. She checked the roof, found nothing, and quickly forgot about it until she read The Chronicle on Friday night. That’s when she went searching through the yard and found a rock. She summoned her neighbor’s son, the two put a magnet to the object, and they stuck together. On Saturday, neighbor Luis Rivera climbed onto the roof and found an indentation left by the meteorite. “The surprising thing about it all is that it’s something from the orbit between Mars and Jupiter, and it ended up in Novato,” Rivera said. “And when Lisa was relating all of this to me, it took a while to sink in as to the odds of this happening.”

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Russia may build rocket to destroy Earth-threatening asteroids

by Staff Writers
Moscow (XNA)


illustration only

Russia could start building a space rocket capable of destroying asteroids threatening the Earth, chief of rocket and space corporation Energia said Friday.

“There are three large asteroids, including Apophis, whose orbits cross the Earth’s orbit and which could hit the Earth in the next several decades,” Vitaly Lopota told the state newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

To change the orbit of a small planet of Apophis’ size, a 70-ton rocket was needed to “tow” an asteroid away from Earth or to destroy it with a thermonuclear blast, Lopota said.

Apophis was discovered in 2004. It will approach the Earth dangerously close, at about 30,000 km, which is less than one-tenth of the Moon’s distance from Earth, in 2029.

Experts calculate impact of a collision between Apophis and the Earth will be equal to a 1,700-Megaton explosion.

Lopota said existing Russian rocket carriers with RD-171 engines could be redesigned to produce a rocket capable of destroying an asteroid. Energia was ready to build such a rocket within three to five years, he said.

Currently, RD-171 engines made by NPO Energomash have been used on Zenit-3SL missiles employed in the Russia-Ukraine-Norway-U.S. joint project Sea Launch.

“We call them Tsar Engines, which no other country possesses,” Lopota said, referring to Russian artifacts, the Tsar Cannon and Tsar Bell, which were the world’s largest in their time.

Source: Xinhua News Agency

Related Links
Roscosmos
Asteroid and Comet Impact Danger To Earth – News and Science

Astronomers Uncover A Surprising Trend in Galaxy Evolution

by Francis Reddy for Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt MD (SPX)


This plot shows the fractions of settled disk galaxies in four time spans, each about 3 billion years long. (full size chart) There is a steady shift toward higher percentages of settled galaxies closer to the present time. At any given time, the most massive galaxies are the most settled. More distant and less massive galaxies on average exhibit more disorganized internal motions, with gas moving in multiple directions, and slower rotation speeds. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

A comprehensive study of hundreds of galaxies observed by the Keck telescopes in Hawaii and NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has revealed an unexpected pattern of change that extends back 8 billion years, or more than half the age of the universe.

“Astronomers thought disk galaxies in the nearby universe had settled into their present form by about 8 billion years ago, with little additional development since,” said Susan Kassin, an astronomer at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., and the study’s lead researcher. “The trend we’ve observed instead shows the opposite, that galaxies were steadily changing over this time period.”

Today, star-forming galaxies take the form of orderly disk-shaped systems, such as the Andromeda Galaxy or the Milky Way, where rotation dominates over other internal motions. The most distant blue galaxies in the study tend to be very different, exhibiting disorganized motions in multiple directions. There is a steady shift toward greater organization to the present time as the disorganized motions dissipate and rotation speeds increase. These galaxies are gradually settling into well-behaved disks.

Blue galaxies – their color indicates stars are forming within them – show less disorganized motions and ever-faster rotation speeds the closer they are observed to the present. This trend holds true for galaxies of all masses, but the most massive systems always show the highest level of organization.

Researchers say the distant blue galaxies they studied are gradually transforming into rotating disk galaxies like our own Milky Way.

“Previous studies removed galaxies that did not look like the well-ordered rotating disks now common in the universe today,” said co-author Benjamin Weiner, an astronomer at the University of Arizona in Tucson. “By neglecting them, these studies examined only those rare galaxies in the distant universe that are well-behaved and concluded that galaxies didn’t change.”

Rather than limit their sample to certain galaxy types, the researchers instead looked at all galaxies with emission lines bright enough to be used for determining internal motions. Emission lines are the discrete wavelengths of radiation characteristically emitted by the gas within a galaxy. They are revealed when a galaxy’s light is separated into its component colors. These emission lines also carry information about the galaxy’s internal motions and distance.

The team studied a sample of 544 blue galaxies from the Deep Extragalactic Evolutionary Probe 2 (DEEP2) Redshift Survey, a project that employs Hubble and the twin 10-meter telescopes at the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii. Located between 2 billion and 8 billion light-years away, the galaxies have stellar masses ranging from about 0.3 percent to 100 percent of the mass of our home galaxy.

A paper describing these findings will be published Oct. 20 in The Astrophysical Journal.

The Milky Way galaxy must have gone through the same rough-and-tumble evolution as the galaxies in the DEEP2 sample, and gradually settled into its present state as the sun and solar system were being formed.

In the past 8 billion years, the number of mergers between galaxies large and small has decreased sharply. So has the overall rate of star formation and disruptions of supernova explosions associated with star formation. Scientists speculate these factors may play a role in creating the evolutionary trend they observe.

Now that astronomers see this pattern, they can adjust computer simulations of galaxy evolution until these models are able to replicate the observed trend. This will guide scientists to the physical processes most responsible for it.

The DEEP2 survey is led by Lick Observatory at the University of California at Santa Cruz in collaboration with the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., the University of Chicago and the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Md., conducts Hubble science operations. STScI is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. in Washington.

Related Links
NASA’s Hubble website
Stellar Chemistry, The Universe And All Within It

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Mysterious Booms / Rumblings

Many in Bay Area heard and saw bright meteor on October 17

October 17 meteor via Wes Jones.  Used with permission.

October 17 meteor via Wes Jones. Used with permission.
Many in and around San Francisco’s Bay Area heard a loud boom and saw a fireball streaking across the sky on October 17, 2012.

Looking for info on this weekend’s Orionid meteor shower? Click here.

A bright fireball, reportedly with hues of red and orange, streaked across the night sky visible from San Francisco’s Bay Area on Wednesday, October 18, around 8 p.m. local time (3UTC on October 18). Many say they heard a boom, which was so loud it “shook their homes,” some residents said, making them think it may be an earthquake.

If you observed it, you might want to tell someone what you saw. Here’s a place to report your meteor sighting.

Wes Jones in Belmont, California caught the meteor disappearing behind the trees while using a wide-field camera. Image copyright Wes Jones. Used with permission.

Belmont, California astronomer Wes Jones captured the fireball as it sailed across the sky on October 17, just as it was entering the trees.

Here is the capture data for the Wes Jones’ image above:

Camera: Interactiveastronomy Skyeye Camera
Camera Location: 122°16’31.73″ W, 37°31’1.17″ N
Altitude: 17 Meters
Exposure Duration: 30 seconds
File Write Time: 07:44:44 PM PDT 10/17/2012

Click here for live Interactiveastronomy Skyeye Camera feeds.

The video above is raw footage from the security camera at Lick Observatory, located in the hills above San Jose, California. Camera is a little out of focus. Round structure to the left is the 40-inch Nickel refracting telescope dome. Lights in the background are the San Jose cityscape. Video posted to YouTube by Erik Kovacs.

Screen grab from Google maps (not clickable) of area where October 17, 2012 meteorite might have fallen. One expert said it might have come down in the hills north of Martinez, California. If so, he said, hikers might be able to find pieces of the meteorite.

Jonathan Braidman, astronomy instructor at Oakland’s Chabot Space and Science Center, told SuiSunCityPatch.com that the meteor may have been “roughly the size of a car when it broke up over the Bay Area.” He said hikers might be able to find small pieces of the meteorite in the hills north of Martinez, California.

Was the October 17, 2012 meteor seen over the Bay Area associated with the Orionid meteor shower? If it were associated, it would have to have radiated from the same point in the sky as the Orionids. That point is in the the same famous constellation Orion the Hunter, shown here. Can anyone who saw the October 17 meteor tell us if it radiated from this constellation? More about this weekend’s Orionid meteor shower here.

Is the October 17, 2012 meteor associated with the Orionid meteor shower? That shower is coming up this weekend. Although I didn’t see it, and don’t know if its path could be traced back to the constellation Orion – which is the radiant point for all meteors in the Orionid shower – the answer is likely that the two are not associated. Meteors in annual showers are tiny, icy bits left behind by comets orbiting the sun. The Orionids, in particular, come from one of the most famous comets, Comet Halley, which last visited Earth in 1986. The meteor seen over the Bay Area on October 17, 2012 was more likely a larger, rocky meteor, just a random chunk of space debris that entered Earth’s atmosphere and vaporized due to friction with the air.

EarthSky’s meteor shower guide 2012

The October 17, 2012 meteor sighting is reminiscent of another meteor sighting earlier this year, when – on the morning of April 22, 2012 – many in Nevada and California saw a bright flash across the sky, and heard an audible boom, or explosion. The object was later called “a small asteroid” whose estimated weight was some 70 metric tons.

Read more about the April 22 meteor sighting in California and Nevada here

Wikimedia Commons image of a bollide or fireball – a piece of space debris entering Earth’s atmosphere and causing a particularly bright streak across the sky.

Astronomers use the word bolide to describe an exceptionally bright fireball such as this one. The term bolide – which comes the Greek word bolis, meaning a missile or to flash – is particularly applicable when the object is so bright it can be seen in broad daylight, when the object explodes in the atmosphere and when it creates audible sounds. In other words, all of these phenomena are known to occur, and astronomers even have a word for it.

Bright meteors or bollides were also seen in the U.K. and New Zealand in 2012. They are not uncommon, if you are considering the entire globe.

However, from any one spot on Earth, they are uncommon, Among astronomers, it’s sometimes said you might witness one bolide, or very bright fireball, in your lifetime. So if you saw this one, this was yours!

Bottom line: Many in San Francisco’s Bay Area saw an exceptionally bright meteor, and heard a loud boom, on the night of October 17, 2012. Photo and video in this post, plus information on the Orionid meteor shower, which peaks on the morning of October 21.

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Biological Hazards / Wildlife / Environmental Pollution

23.10.2012 Biological Hazard USA State of Florida, [Collier County beaches] Damage level Details

Biological Hazard in USA on Thursday, 18 October, 2012 at 14:33 (02:33 PM) UTC.

Back

Updated: Tuesday, 23 October, 2012 at 03:43 UTC
Description
Concentrations of red tide have been detected from Charlotte County to Collier County. Hundreds of dead fish are washing ashore and a foul odor now fills the air at many beaches throughout Southwest Florida. Many residents and visitors are hoping that red tide is on its way out of town, but at Wiggins Pass State Park in Collier County, things aren’t looking too great. Thousands of dead fish remain in sight. But beachgoers we spoke with said they aren’t letting the toxic algae ruin their fun. “This is the first time I’ve seen this,” said Karl Udo, who has been visiting Southwest Florida from Germany for over 20 years. “It’s no good.” The toxic algae started to wash through Collier County beaches just last week, carrying with it the unpleasant stench. “You got to breathe through your mouth. So don’t take deep breaths through your nose,” said Liz Koch, who is visiting from Chicago. The latest tests done by county officials show that red tide is at medium levels throughout some of Collier’s beaches. The toxin can cause respiratory irritation, a concern for county officials with tourist season in sight.

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21.10.2012 Environment Pollution USA State of New Mexico, [Kirtland Air Force Base] Damage level Details

Environment Pollution in USA on Sunday, 21 October, 2012 at 04:00 (04:00 AM) UTC.

Description
Crews working on an old Air Force fuel spill have found potentially cancer-causing chemicals beneath a southeast Albuquerque neighborhood, Kirtland Air Force Base announced. The New Mexico Environment Department said Friday that Air Force crews found the pollutant Perchloroethylene, or PCE, in water around 500 feet underground while installing test wells. However, officials say they don’t believe the recently discovered pollutant is connected to a decades-old Kirtland Air Force Base jet fuel spill threatening Albuquerque’s water supply that could be as large as 24 million gallons. Davis tsaid that the chemicals likely came from a dry cleaner. Jim Davis, head of New Mexico Environment Department Resource Protection, told reporters that the chemical is threatening groundwater and not residents in the neighborhood above the contamination. Still, the discovery could trigger action under the federal Superfund law, a program aimed at the nation’s most serious hazardous chemical contamination problems. New Mexico Environment Department Secretary David Martin praised crews for making the discovery.The department has launched a probe to see if any businesses that used PCE were located in the vicinity of the well clusters in the past. The Air Force is two years away from finalizing a cleanup plan in connection with a toxin-laden plume from a 40-year underground pipe leak was discovered at Kirtland Air Force Base. The spill was first discovered in 1999 when the Air Force noticed a pool of fuel coming up out of the ground at its old aircraft fuel storage center, which dates back to the 1950s. Air Force officials say the fuel was leaking from an underground pipe for at least 40 years as tests on elements in the plume — which contains the cancer-causing Benzyne and other harmful toxins — show it dates back to at least the 1970s. Less than half a million gallons have been pumped out of the ground.

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[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

USGS

MAG UTC DATE-TIME
y/m/d h:m:s
LAT
deg
LON
deg
DEPTH
km
 Region
MAP  3.3 2012/09/14 23:51:33   19.001   -64.156 62.0  VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP  4.4 2012/09/14 23:13:13   10.127   -85.352 35.3  COSTA RICA
MAP  3.1 2012/09/14 21:28:55   19.786   -64.085 20.0  NORTH OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS
MAP  3.3 2012/09/14 19:58:39   19.591   -64.172 74.0  VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP  3.1 2012/09/14 18:32:37   19.475   -64.347 70.0  VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP  2.5 2012/09/14 18:25:39   40.434  -124.161 26.4  NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP  3.1 2012/09/14 18:21:59   40.440  -124.165 25.5  NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP  4.0 2012/09/14 18:19:51   40.437  -124.163 26.8  NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP  3.6 2012/09/14 17:50:15   65.642  -143.268 7.8  NORTHERN ALASKA
MAP  3.2 2012/09/14 16:33:08   19.610   -64.293 7.0  VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP  4.6   2012/09/14 16:14:59  -23.512  -179.109 387.0  SOUTH OF THE FIJI ISLANDS
MAP  3.2 2012/09/14 15:34:18   19.405   -64.155 84.0  VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP  3.5 2012/09/14 13:32:23   54.428  -161.160 3.7  ALASKA PENINSULA
MAP  3.1 2012/09/14 11:57:21   40.438  -124.161 25.0  NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP  4.4 2012/09/14 11:53:18   40.443  -124.186 27.2  NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP  2.5 2012/09/14 11:50:16   35.496  -102.753 5.0  TEXAS PANHANDLE REGION
MAP  2.6 2012/09/14 11:23:23   19.519   -64.945 8.0  VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP  3.3 2012/09/14 11:18:53   19.545   -64.101 71.0  VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP  3.3 2012/09/14 07:28:53   19.695   -64.337 44.0  VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP  5.1   2012/09/14 07:18:39  -39.689   -16.038 10.0  SOUTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
MAP  5.1   2012/09/14 06:56:17  -39.633   -16.059 10.0  SOUTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
MAP  4.5   2012/09/14 06:45:09   36.369   69.760 165.6  HINDU KUSH REGION, AFGHANISTAN
MAP  4.3 2012/09/14 06:34:27   14.826   -93.244 63.8  OFFSHORE CHIAPAS, MEXICO
MAP  3.0 2012/09/14 06:07:28   18.875   -65.331 28.0  PUERTO RICO REGION
MAP  2.9 2012/09/14 06:06:00   18.999   -63.791 92.0  VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP  6.2   2012/09/14 04:51:47   -3.363   100.588 19.8  KEPULAUAN MENTAWAI REGION, INDONESIA
MAP  3.2 2012/09/14 04:04:46   17.927   -68.492 92.0  DOMINICAN REPUBLIC REGION
MAP  5.0   2012/09/14 03:21:48   43.627   82.357 26.9  NORTHERN XINJIANG, CHINA
MAP  3.1 2012/09/14 01:54:10   19.614   -64.306 25.0  VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP  3.3 2012/09/14 00:46:52   19.529   -65.698 44.0  PUERTO RICO REGION

6.3-Quake Hits Off Indonesia’s Sumatra: USGS

A 6.3-magnitude quake struck off Indonesia’s Sumatra island on Friday, the US Geological Survey said, but no tsunami warning was issued and there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

The epicenter of the quake, which struck at 11:51 am (0451 GMT) at a depth of 25 kilometers (15.5 miles), was 190 kilometers northwest of the town of Bengkulu.

Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency measured the magnitude at 6.1.

The Indonesian agency said the earthquake was felt in the cities of Padang and Bengkulu and along the southern coast of Sumatra.

“There are no reports of damage so far. The quake happened in the sea close to Mentawai island, but no tsunami warning has been issued,” the agency’s duty officer, Koko Widyatmoko, told AFP.

AFP, AP

Quake jolts rural Northern California, no damage

The Associated Press

FORTUNA, Calif. — There are no damage reports after an earthquake jolted rural areas of Northern California near the Oregon border.

A U.S. Geological Survey computer generated report says the magnitude-4.3 quake struck at 4:53 a.m. Friday and was centered 10 miles south of Fortuna. The area is about 270 miles northwest of Sacramento.

Fortuna police dispatcher Tanya Kadle says she felt a quick jolt.

She says there have been no reports of damage or injury.

 

 

LISS – Live Internet Seismic Server

GSN Stations

These data update automatically every 30 minutes. Last update: September 15, 2012 08:49:00 UTC

Seismograms may take several moments to load. Click on a plot to see larger image.

CU/ANWB, Willy Bob, Antigua and Barbuda

 ANWB 24hr plot

CU/BBGH, Gun Hill, Barbados

 BBGH 24hr plot

CU/BCIP, Isla Barro Colorado, Panama

 BCIP 24hr plot

CU/GRGR, Grenville, Grenada

 GRGR 24hr plot

CU/GRTK, Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos Islands

 GRTK 24hr plot

CU/GTBY, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

 GTBY 24hr plot

CU/MTDJ, Mount Denham, Jamaica

 MTDJ 24hr plot

CU/SDDR, Presa de Sabaneta, Dominican Republic

 SDDR 24hr plot

CU/TGUH, Tegucigalpa, Honduras

 TGUH 24hr plot

IC/BJT, Baijiatuan, Beijing, China

 BJT 24hr plot

IC/ENH, Enshi, China

 ENH 24hr plot

IC/HIA, Hailar, Neimenggu Province, China

 HIA 24hr plot

IC/LSA, Lhasa, China

 LSA 24hr plot

IC/MDJ, Mudanjiang, China

 MDJ 24hr plot

IC/QIZ, Qiongzhong, Guangduong Province, China

 QIZ 24hr plot

IU/ADK, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, USA

 ADK 24hr plot

IU/AFI, Afiamalu, Samoa

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IU/ANMO, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

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IU/ANTO, Ankara, Turkey

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IU/BBSR, Bermuda

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IU/BILL, Bilibino, Russia

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IU/CASY, Casey, Antarctica

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IU/CCM, Cathedral Cave, Missouri, USA

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IU/CHTO, Chiang Mai, Thailand

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IU/COLA, College Outpost, Alaska, USA

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IU/COR, Corvallis, Oregon, USA

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IU/CTAO, Charters Towers, Australia

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IU/DAV,Davao, Philippines

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IU/DWPF,Disney Wilderness Preserve, Florida, USA

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IU/FUNA,Funafuti, Tuvalu

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IU/FURI, Mt. Furi, Ethiopia

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IU/GNI, Garni, Armenia

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IU/GRFO, Grafenberg, Germany

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IU/GUMO, Guam, Mariana Islands

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IU/HKT, Hockley, Texas, USA

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IU/HNR, Honiara, Solomon Islands

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IU/HRV, Adam Dziewonski Observatory (Oak Ridge), Massachusetts, USA

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IU/INCN, Inchon, Republic of Korea

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IU/JOHN, Johnston Island, Pacific Ocean

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IU/KBS, Ny-Alesund, Spitzbergen, Norway

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IU/KEV, Kevo, Finland

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IU/KIEV, Kiev, Ukraine

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IU/KIP, Kipapa, Hawaii, USA

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IU/KMBO, Kilima Mbogo, Kenya

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IU/KNTN, Kanton Island, Kiribati

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IU/KONO, Kongsberg, Norway

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IU/KOWA, Kowa, Mali

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IU/LCO, Las Campanas Astronomical Observatory, Chile

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IU/LSZ, Lusaka, Zambia

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IU/LVC, Limon Verde, Chile

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IU/MA2, Magadan, Russia

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IU/MAJO, Matsushiro, Japan

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IU/MAKZ,Makanchi, Kazakhstan

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IU/MBWA, Marble Bar, Western Australia

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IU/MIDW, Midway Island, Pacific Ocean, USA

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IU/MSKU, Masuku, Gabon

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IU/NWAO, Narrogin, Australia

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IU/OTAV, Otavalo, Equador

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IU/PAB, San Pablo, Spain

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IU/PAYG Puerto Ayora, Galapagos Islands

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IU/PET, Petropavlovsk, Russia

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IU/PMG, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

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IU/PMSA, Palmer Station, Antarctica

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IU/POHA, Pohakaloa, Hawaii

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IU/PTCN, Pitcairn Island, South Pacific

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IU/PTGA, Pitinga, Brazil

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IU/QSPA, South Pole, Antarctica

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IU/RAO, Raoul, Kermandec Islands

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IU/RAR, Rarotonga, Cook Islands

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IU/RCBR, Riachuelo, Brazil

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IU/RSSD, Black Hills, South Dakota, USA

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IU/SAML, Samuel, Brazil

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IU/SBA, Scott Base, Antarctica

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IU/SDV, Santo Domingo, Venezuela

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IU/SFJD, Sondre Stromfjord, Greenland

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IU/SJG, San Juan, Puerto Rico

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IU/SLBS, Sierra la Laguna Baja California Sur, Mexico

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IU/SNZO, South Karori, New Zealand

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IU/SSPA, Standing Stone, Pennsylvania USA

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IU/TARA, Tarawa Island, Republic of Kiribati

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IU/TATO, Taipei, Taiwan

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IU/TEIG, Tepich, Yucatan, Mexico

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IU/TIXI, Tiksi, Russia

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IU/TRIS, Tristan da Cunha, Atlantic Ocean

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IU/TRQA, Tornquist, Argentina

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IU/TSUM, Tsumeb, Namibia

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IU/TUC, Tucson, Arizona

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IU/ULN, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

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IU/WAKE, Wake Island, Pacific Ocean

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IU/WCI, Wyandotte Cave, Indiana, USA

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IU/WVT, Waverly, Tennessee, USA

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IU/XMAS, Kiritimati Island, Republic of Kiribati

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IU/YAK, Yakutsk, Russia

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IU/YSS, Yuzhno Sakhalinsk, Russia

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Volcanic Activity

temala Departmento de Sacatepequez, [Volcan of Fuego] Damage level Details

Volcano Eruption in Guatemala on Wednesday, 05 September, 2012 at 02:58 (02:58 AM) UTC.

Back

Updated: Friday, 14 September, 2012 at 02:50 UTC
Description
At least 17 villages near the Volcan del Fuego, six miles from the colonial city of Antigua, are being evacuated. The eruption of the volcano could cause a disruption in airline flights in and out of Guatemala. A long-simmering volcano outside one of the Guatemala’s most famous tourist attractions exploded into a series of powerful eruptions Thursday, hurling thick clouds of ash nearly two miles (three kilometers) high, spewing rivers of lava down its flanks and forcing the evacuation of more than 33,000 people from surrounding communities. Guatemala’s head of emergency evacuations, Sergio Cabanas, said the evacuees were leaving some 17 villages around the Volcan del Fuego, which sits about six miles southwest (16 kilometers) from the colonial city of Antigua. The ash was blowing south and authorities said Antigua was not currently in danger, although they expected the eruption to last for at least 12 more hours.The agency said the volcano spewed lava nearly 2,000 feet (600 meters) down slopes billowing with ash around Acatenango, a 12,346-foot-high (3,763-meter-high) volcano whose name translates as “Volcano of Fire.” “A paroxysm of an eruption is taking place, a great volcanic eruption, with strong explosions and columns of ash,” said Gustavo Chicna, a volcanologist with the National Institute of Seismology, Vulcanology, Meteorology and Hydrology. He said the cinders spewing from the volcano were settling a half-inch thick in many places. He said extremely hot gases were also rolling down the sides of the volcano, which was entirely wreathed in ash and smoke. The emergency agency warned that flights through the area could be affected. There was a general orange alert, the second-highest level, but a red alert south and southeast of the mountain, where, Chicna said, “it’s almost in total darkness.” Teresa Marroquin, disaster coordinator for the Guatemalan Red Cross, said the organization had set up 10 emergency shelters and was sending hygiene kits and water. “There are lots of respiratory problems and eye problems,” she said.

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Extreme Temperatures/ Weather /  Drought

 

Warmer temperatures make new USDA plant zone map obsolete

 

 

Warmer temperatures make new USDA plant zone map obsolete

Enlarge Credit: USDA
Gardeners and landscapers may want to rethink their fall tree plantings. Warming temperatures have already made the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s new cold-weather planting guidelines obsolete, according to Dr. Nir Krakauer, assistant professor of civil engineering in The City College of New York’s Grove School of Engineering.

Professor Krakauer developed a new method to map cold-weather zones in the United States that takes rapidly rising temperatures into account. Analyzing recent weather data, he overhauled the Department of Agriculture’s latest plant zone map released in January. The new USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, which predicts which trees and perennials can survive the winter in a given region, was a long time coming. Temperature boundaries shown in the latest version have shifted northward since the last one appeared in 1990. But the true zones have moved even further, according to Professor Krakauer’s calculations. “Over one-third of the country has already shifted half-zones compared to the current release, and over one-fifth has shifted full zones,” Professor Krakauer wrote this summer in the journal Advances in Meteorology. This means that fig trees, once challenged by frosty temperatures above North Carolina, are already weathering New York City winters thanks to changing temperatures and the insulating effect of the metropolis. Camellias, once happiest south of Ohio, may now be able to shrug off Detroit winters. The USDA divides the country into zones based on their annual minimum temperatures – frigid dips that determine which plants perish overnight or live to flower another day. (Each zone has a minimum temperature range of 10 degrees Fahrenheit; half zones have a 5-degree range.) Professor Krakauer found a weakness in how the agency came up with the zones, however. The USDA averaged annual minimum temperatures over a 30-year span, from 1976 to 2005, but winters have warmed significantly over that period. Zones now average about 2 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the USDA’s 30-year average. “What is happening is that the winter is warming faster than the summer. Since [my] hardiness temperatures are based on minimum temperatures each year, they are changing faster than the average temperatures,” Professor Krakauer said. He found that these lowest yearly temperatures warmed roughly two and a half times faster than the average temperatures. His analysis also showed that the country is changing unevenly; more warming is occurring over the eastern interior and less in the Southwest. Professor Krakauer’s technique will allow gardeners and farmers to reassess what will survive the next year’s winter more frequently than the USDA can produce a new map. “The idea is that you could use this method to keep updating the zone map year by year instead of waiting for the official map – just keep adding new data and recalculate.” He noted that similar analyses could distinguish long-lasting climate trends – in wind or rainfall, for example – from year-to-year weather variations to distinguish between what some are calling the recent “weird weather” and the natural variations in global weather. More information: Nir Y. Krakauer. Estimating Climate Trends: Application to United States Plant Hardiness Zones. Advances in Meteorology, Vol. 2012 (2012), Article ID 404876, doi:10.1155/2012/404876 USDA Plant Hardiness Interactive Map planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/phzmweb/interactivemap.aspx Calculator for Regional Warming (by Nir Krakauer) www-ce.ccny.cuny.edu/nir/sw/hardiness-change.html Hardiness Zone Change Calculator, USDA vs. Krakauer www-ce.ccny.cuny.edu/nir/sw/hardiness-stations.html Provided by City College of New York search and more info website

Queensland’s southeast coast has remained very dry over the last two months with Coolangatta recording its longest dry spell in over 27 years.

It has been 49 days since the Gold Coast town has recorded rain in the gauge, making it the longest dry spell since records began in 1985. Brisbane has also been very dry with only 0.2mm of rain in the last 56 days, its driest period in over a decade.

The prolonged dry period has been due to a number of factors. During the past two months, there have been few strong fronts, with nothing in the way of rain. Conditions have also been trending towards an El Niño weather pattern, which is associated with lower than usual rainfall.

The dry spell is set to continue on Saturday with only a low chance of rain on Sunday, giving Coolangatta a good chance to exceed 50 days without rain. It will be a beautiful, mostly sunny weekend with only the chance of a light shower or two near the coast on Sunday.

On Monday a low pressure trough will develop over Queensland, bringing showers to much of the state’s southeast. However there is still an even chance that Coolangatta will go another day without rain.

Tuesday is looking more certain to end Coolangatta’s dry spell as the trough deepens, bringing showers and the chance of storms. There will be widespread falls of 5-10mm across Queensland’s southeast on Tuesday with isolated areas likely to get more than 15mm.

The much needed rain will bring relief to parched gardens and lawns. The rain will also remind people that the wetter months of the year are just around the corner.

– Weatherzone

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Storms / Flooding

Active tropical storm system(s)
Name of storm system Location Formed Last update Last category Course Wind Speed Gust Wave Source Details
Sanba (17W) Pacific Ocean 11.09.2012 15.09.2012 Typhoon IV 345 ° 204 km/h 250 km/h 4.57 m NOAA NHC Details

Tropical Storm data

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Storm name: Sanba (17W)
Area: Pacific Ocean
Start up location: N 11° 6.000, E 133° 48.000
Start up: 11th September 2012
Status: Active
Track long: 913.10 km
Top category.:
Report by: JTWC
Useful links:

Past track
Date Time Position Speed
km/h
Wind
km/h
Gust
km/h
Category Course Wave Pressure Source
11th Sep 2012 09:49:04 N 11° 6.000, E 133° 48.000 33 65 83 Tropical Storm 345 20 JTWC
12th Sep 2012 05:03:46 N 12° 42.000, E 131° 48.000 15 102 130 Tropical Storm 310 18 JTWC
12th Sep 2012 10:43:24 N 13° 6.000, E 131° 0.000 17 120 148 Typhoon I. 295 15 JTWC
13th Sep 2012 04:24:21 N 14° 48.000, E 129° 48.000 13 167 204 Typhoon II. 335 17 JTWC
13th Sep 2012 11:08:12 N 15° 36.000, E 129° 30.000 17 213 259 Typhoon IV. 340 19 JTWC
14th Sep 2012 05:10:27 N 18° 12.000, E 129° 42.000 19 278 296 Super Typhoon 360 20 JTWC
Current position
Date Time Position Speed
km/h
Wind
km/h
Gust
km/h
Category Course Wave
feet
Pressure Source
15th Sep 2012 10:32:07 N 23° 24.000, E 128° 42.000 20 204 250 Typhoon IV 345 ° 15 JTWC
Forecast track
Date Time Position Category Wind
km/h
Gust
km/h
Source
16th Sep 2012 12:00:00 N 30° 36.000, E 127° 36.000 Typhoon III 157 194 JTWC
16th Sep 2012 00:00:00 N 27° 24.000, E 127° 54.000 Typhoon III 167 204 JTWC
17th Sep 2012 00:00:00 N 34° 0.000, E 127° 54.000 Typhoon II 139 167 JTWC
18th Sep 2012 00:00:00 N 43° 0.000, E 130° 18.000 Typhoon I 93 120 JTWC
19th Sep 2012 00:00:00 N 52° 30.000, E 135° 6.000 Tropical Depression 65 83 JTWC
Nadine (AL14) Atlantic Ocean 11.09.2012 15.09.2012 Hurricane I 50 ° 120 km/h 148 km/h 3.96 m NOAA NHC Details

  Tropical Storm data

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Storm name: Nadine (AL14)
Area: Atlantic Ocean
Start up location: N 16° 18.000, W 43° 6.000
Start up: 11th September 2012
Status: Active
Track long: 1,122.87 km
Top category.:
Report by: NOAA NHC
Useful links:

Past track
Date Time Position Speed
km/h
Wind
km/h
Gust
km/h
Category Course Wave Pressure Source
12th Sep 2012 05:01:17 N 17° 48.000, W 45° 12.000 24 65 83 Tropical Storm 300 13 1004 MB NOAA NHC
12th Sep 2012 10:46:22 N 18° 36.000, W 46° 36.000 28 74 93 Tropical Storm 300 15 1001 MB NOAA NHC
13th Sep 2012 05:34:52 N 20° 42.000, W 50° 6.000 26 111 139 Tropical Storm 305 17 990 MB NOAA NHC
13th Sep 2012 11:12:43 N 21° 30.000, W 51° 18.000 26 111 139 Tropical Storm 305 17 990 MB NOAA NHC
14th Sep 2012 05:11:31 N 25° 0.000, W 53° 42.000 24 111 139 Tropical Storm 330 17 989 MB NOAA NHC
Current position
Date Time Position Speed
km/h
Wind
km/h
Gust
km/h
Category Course Wave
feet
Pressure Source
15th Sep 2012 10:59:20 N 30° 42.000, W 51° 24.000 24 120 148 Hurricane I 50 ° 13 985 MB NOAA NHC
Forecast track
Date Time Position Category Wind
km/h
Gust
km/h
Source
16th Sep 2012 12:00:00 N 31° 6.000, W 45° 30.000 Hurricane II 130 157 NOAA NHC
16th Sep 2012 00:00:00 N 31° 12.000, W 48° 42.000 Hurricane II 130 157 NOAA NHC
17th Sep 2012 00:00:00 N 31° 12.000, W 42° 6.000 Hurricane II 130 157 NOAA NHC
18th Sep 2012 00:00:00 N 33° 0.000, W 36° 0.000 Hurricane I 120 148 NOAA NHC
19th Sep 2012 00:00:00 N 35° 30.000, W 33° 0.000 Hurricane I 111 139 NOAA NHC
20th Sep 2012 00:00:00 N 37° 30.000, W 31° 30.000 Tropical Depression 93 111 NOAA NHC
Kristy (EP11) Pacific Ocean – East 12.09.2012 15.09.2012 Tropical Depression 310 ° 74 km/h 93 km/h 5.49 m NOAA NHC Details

Tropical Storm data

Share:
Storm name: Kristy (EP11)
Area: Pacific Ocean – East
Start up location: N 16° 42.000, W 106° 0.000
Start up: 12th September 2012
Status: Active
Track long: 596.57 km
Top category.:
Report by: NOAA NHC
Useful links:

Past track
Date Time Position Speed
km/h
Wind
km/h
Gust
km/h
Category Course Wave Pressure Source
13th Sep 2012 05:35:33 N 18° 0.000, W 107° 24.000 15 83 102 Tropical Storm 295 11 1002 MB NOAA NHC
13th Sep 2012 11:10:36 N 18° 30.000, W 108° 30.000 17 83 102 Tropical Storm 295 15 1002 MB NOAA NHC
14th Sep 2012 05:12:13 N 19° 42.000, W 111° 6.000 17 83 102 Tropical Storm 295 15 1000 MB NOAA NHC
Current position
Date Time Position Speed
km/h
Wind
km/h
Gust
km/h
Category Course Wave
feet
Pressure Source
15th Sep 2012 10:36:05 N 21° 48.000, W 114° 36.000 15 74 93 Tropical Depression 310 ° 18 1001 MB NOAA NHC
Forecast track
Date Time Position Category Wind
km/h
Gust
km/h
Source
16th Sep 2012 12:00:00 N 24° 12.000, W 117° 30.000 Tropical Depression 56 74 NOAA NHC
16th Sep 2012 00:00:00 N 23° 6.000, W 116° 6.000 Tropical Depression 65 83 NOAA NHC
17th Sep 2012 00:00:00 N 25° 6.000, W 118° 18.000 Tropical Depression 46 65 NOAA NHC
18th Sep 2012 00:00:00 N 26° 30.000, W 118° 30.000 Tropical Depression 37 56 NOAA NHC
19th Sep 2012 00:00:00 N 27° 0.000, W 117° 30.000 Tropical Depression 37 56 NOAA NHC

………………………………………….

Flash Flood India State of Uttarakhand, [Bageshwar district] Damage level Details

Flash Flood in India on Friday, 14 September, 2012 at 13:19 (01:19 PM) UTC.

Description
Four persons died after being swept away by flash floods triggerred by incessant rains in Kapkot area of Uttarakhand’s Bageshwar district, officials said on Friday. Madhuri Devi and her husband Bishan Singh were swept away after a flash flood occurred in Kapkot last night following torrential rains, Disaster Management and Mitigation department officials said. Another man Dhumar Singh is also feared to have been swept away in the flash flood that hit Kapkot but his body is yet to be recovered, they said. Flash floods also occurred at Jagthana and Kahark Tana Toli villages in the district claiming the lives of a 20-year-old woman and a man respectively, they said.
14.09.2012 Flash Flood Indonesia West Sumatra, [Padang region] Damage level Details

Flash Flood in Indonesia on Friday, 14 September, 2012 at 13:17 (01:17 PM) UTC.

Description
A flash flood following incessant rain struck parts of Padang in West Sumatra on Wednesday night, killing four people and making dozens of others homeless. Idel, 30, a local resident involved in the search and rescue, said on Thursday that the four were buried by landslides at Kampong Ubi, Pauh district. “When we heard about the incident, lots of us rushed to the spot and at about 9 p.m. members of the search and rescue team arrived,” Idel said. The SAR team found the body of a six-year-old girl, Najwa, at around 1 a.m. on Thursday and the body of Jamaris, 50, one hour later. The bodies were taken to a house of their relatives about a one-hour walk from the incident site. Around 7 a.m. the SAR team found another body, identified as Nila, 20, disinterred by local residents using hoes and other makeshift rescue equipment. Several hours later the body of the fourth victim, two-year-old Salva, was also found. Head of the West Sumatra Disaster Mitigation Agency’s logistic and emergency unit Ade Edward said that the landslide took place at 5 p.m. after three hours of heavy rain. The two houses of the victims very engulfed in mud, Ade said, adding that three others living in the ill-fated houses had managed to flee in time.“The SAR team managed to arrive at the location several hours later as many parts of the roads leading to the location were flooded,” Ade said. He explained that the search was halted after finding the four victims. However, 24 families have been forced to live in temporary accommodation centers. Heavy machinery was used on Thursday to clean the rubble. The landslide occurred five kilometers from Andalas University campus in Lamau Manis on the slopes of Bukit Barisan by the Batang Kuranji river, one of the major rivers dividing Padang. No official data on damage to buildings and public infrastructure have yet been released, but at least seven houses in a number of locations were washed away. The heavy rain had caused Batang Kuranji river to overflow, inundating dozens of houses by up to two meters. Meanwhile, a sedan was trapped in floodwaters not far from Semen Padang cement factory. Both Batang Kuranji and Batang Arau rivers also overflowed on July 24, 2012, damaging 33 houses in eight subdistricts.

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Radiation

Thyroid disease rate spiked to 43.7%, “About 1 in 2 children have nodule or cyst in Fukushima city”

Fukushima Diary

Posted by Mochizuki

Healthy children are decreasing in Fukushima.

43.7% of children turned out to have nodules or cysts in Fukushima city.

Fukushima local government conducted thyroid test for under 18 living in Fukushima city.

The target persons were 53,619 and 44,959(83.8%)had the test. The test was conducted from 5/14 to 8/31/2012.

On 9/11/2012, they released the result of 42,060 of them, which they finished the test with by 8/24/2012. (The results from 8/25 to 8/31/2012 are not published yet.)

The result showed 18,119 (43.1%) of them have thyroid nodules (≦5.0mm) or cysts (≦20.0mm) and 239 (0.6%) of them have thyroid nodules (≧5.1mm) or cyst (≧20.1mm).  In total, 43.7% of the children who had the test in Fukushima city turned out to have nodules and cysts.

In their previous test, it was 35.8%, which means it spiked up by 7.9%. (cf. Thyroid nodules rate in Fukushima is 20 time higher than in Chernobyl)

Thyroid disease rate spiked from 35.8% to 43.7%, "About one in two children have nodules or cyst 2

The ratio of women to have nodules and cysts (≧3.1m) was 130%  of the one of men.

Thyroid disease rate spiked from 35.8% to 43.7%, "About one in two children have nodules or cystRecommended article..Yamashita “I cut down the compensation amount to save the Gov, and the people.”

Source 1 2

88 Bq/Kg from well water in Minamisoma Fukushima

Fukushima Diary

Posted by Mochizuki

Cesium is penetrating into ground water. People are having less and less safe water.

88 Bq/Kg of cesium was measured from well water in Fukushima.

On 9/11/2012, ministry of the environment announced they measured 88 Bq/Kg of cesium from well water in Odaka Minamisoma city, Fukushima.

The sample was taken in June and July of 2012. The safety limit is 10Bq/Kg. They measured cesium more than 10 Bq/Kg at 2 of 436 locations. They also measured cesium less than 10Bq/Kg from 4 of 436 locations.

They commented, they found something like mud in the well water that they measured 88 Bq/Kg of cesium from.

Source

 
 
 

Ministry of Education, Science and Technology’s report “110m Ag measured in North Kanto”

Fukushiima Diary

Posted by Mochizuki
It’s not only cesium, not even only strontium, but also radioactive silver is leaked from Fukushima plant.Radioactive silver, 110mAg was detected in Gunma, Tochigi and Ibaraki.On 9/12/2012,  Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology published their latest radiation monitoring map.The measurement was conducted from 12/13/2011 to 5/29/2012.

Because the half-life is 249.95 days, it’s re-calculated to be the amount of 3/1/2012.

The map shows 110mAg (≦ 100 Bq/m2) scattered in Gunma, Tochigi, and Ibaraki prefecture.

Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's report "110mAg measured in North Kanto"

Source

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Epidemic Hazards / Diseases

Niger floods and cholera claim 162 lives: UN

by Staff Writers
Niamey (AFP)

Floods in Niger have killed 81 people since July, the UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs announced Thursday, adding cholera outbreaks have killed a further 81 people.

“The last update of the toll of the floods dating from September 11 indicates that 527,471 people have been affected by the bad weather and 81 people have lost their lives,” OCHA said in a statement in Niamey.

The previous toll established by the authorities was 68 dead and 485,000 people affected in the Sahel nation in west Africa.

Thousands of homes, schools, health centres and mosques have been destroyed, along with large quantities of food supplies, according to the authorities.

The UN office also reported outbreaks of cholera, which have claimed 81 lives since the start of the year, mainly in the west of the country.

Cholera is spreading fast in at least four places, making 3,854 people sick and notably affecting the Tillaberi regions lying by the Niger river and close to the border with Mali, OCHA said.

In the provinces and in the capital, where the Niger river level is rising significantly, most of the people stricken by flooding are being housed mainly in schools, as well as mosques and public buildings.

While preparing to move flood victims to more appropriate accommodation, the government has postponed the start of the school year from October 17 until October 27.

In neighbouring Burkina Faso, heavy rains have killed 18 people and made 21,000 homeless since June. Senegal and Nigeria have also been affected by the bad weather.

Related Links
Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters
When the Earth Quakes
A world of storm and tempest

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Solar Activity

3MIN News Sept 14. 2012

Published on Sep 14, 2012 by

TODAY’S LINKS
Winter Plant Survival Map: http://phys.org/news/2012-09-warmer-temperatures-usda-zone-obsolete.html
Guatemala Volcano: http://www.latimes.com/news/la-fgw-guatemala-volcano-20120913,0,2071860.story
Eruption video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Er0uCzOm9zY
Cold Coming: http://www.weather.com/news/weather-forecast/cool-pattern-central-east-20120913
Quennsland Drought: http://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/coolangattas-dry-half-century/22412
Watch Typhoon Sanba: http://www.hurricanezone.net/westpacific/animations.html
Sunspot Class: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/ftpdir/latest/SRS.txt

REPEAT LINKS
Spaceweather: http://spaceweather.com/ [Look on the left at the X-ray Flux and Solar Wind Speed/Density]

HAARP: http://www.haarp.alaska.edu/haarp/data.html [Click online data, and have a little fun]

SDO: http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/data/ [Place to find Solar Images and Videos – as seen from earth]

SOHO: http://sohodata.nascom.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/soho_movie_theater [SOHO; Lasco and EIT – as seen from earth]

Stereo: http://stereo.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/images [Stereo; Cor, EUVI, HI – as seen from the side]

SunAEON:http://www.sunaeon.com/#/solarsystem/ [Just click it… trust me]

SOLARIMG: http://solarimg.org/artis/ [All purpose data viewing site]

iSWA: http://iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov/iswa/iSWA.html [Free Application; for advanced sun watchers]

NASA ENLIL SPIRAL: http://iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov:8080/IswaSystemWebApp/iSWACygnetStreamer?timestamp=…
NOAA ENLIL SPIRAL: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/wsa-enlil/

US Wind Map: http://hint.fm/wind/

NOAA Bouys: http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/

NOAA Environmental Visualization Laboratory: http://www.nnvl.noaa.gov/Default.php

RSOE: http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/index2.php [That cool alert map I use]

GOES Xray: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/sxi/goes15/index.html

JAPAN Radiation Map: http://jciv.iidj.net/map/

LISS: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/monitoring/operations/heliplots_gsn.php

Gamma Ray Bursts: http://grb.sonoma.edu/ [Really? You can’t figure out what this one is for?]

BARTOL Cosmic Rays: http://neutronm.bartol.udel.edu//spaceweather/welcome.html [Top left box, look for BIG blue circles]

TORCON: http://www.weather.com/news/tornado-torcon-index [Tornado Forecast for the day]

GOES Weather: http://rsd.gsfc.nasa.gov/goes/ [Clouds over America]

RAIN RECORDS: http://www.cocorahs.org/ViewData/ListIntensePrecipReports.aspx

EL DORADO WORLD WEATHER MAP: http://www.eldoradocountyweather.com/satellite/ssec/world/world-composite-ir-…

PRESSURE MAP: http://www.woweather.com/cgi-bin/expertcharts?LANG=us&MENU=0000000000&…

HURRICANE TRACKER: http://www.weather.com/weather/hurricanecentral/tracker

INTELLICAST: http://www.intellicast.com/ [Weather site used by many youtubers]

NASA News: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/

PHYSORG: http://phys.org/ [GREAT News Site!]

QUAKES LIST FULL: http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/seismologist.php

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Space

  Earth approaching objects (objects that are known in the next 30 days)

Object Name Apporach Date Left AU Distance LD Distance Estimated Diameter* Relative Velocity
(2002 EM6) 15th September 2012 0 day(s) 0.1833 71.3 270 m – 590 m 18.56 km/s 66816 km/h
(2002 RP137) 16th September 2012 1 day(s) 0.1624 63.2 67 m – 150 m 7.31 km/s 26316 km/h
(2009 RX4) 16th September 2012 1 day(s) 0.1701 66.2 15 m – 35 m 8.35 km/s 30060 km/h
(2005 UC) 17th September 2012 2 day(s) 0.1992 77.5 280 m – 640 m 7.55 km/s 27180 km/h
(2012 FC71) 18th September 2012 3 day(s) 0.1074 41.8 24 m – 53 m 3.51 km/s 12636 km/h
(1998 FF14) 19th September 2012 4 day(s) 0.0928 36.1 210 m – 480 m 21.40 km/s 77040 km/h
331990 (2005 FD) 19th September 2012 4 day(s) 0.1914 74.5 320 m – 710 m 15.92 km/s 57312 km/h
(2009 SH2) 24th September 2012 9 day(s) 0.1462 56.9 28 m – 62 m 7.52 km/s 27072 km/h
333578 (2006 KM103) 25th September 2012 10 day(s) 0.0626 24.4 250 m – 560 m 8.54 km/s 30744 km/h
(2002 EZ2) 26th September 2012 11 day(s) 0.1922 74.8 270 m – 610 m 6.76 km/s 24336 km/h
(2009 SB170) 29th September 2012 14 day(s) 0.1789 69.6 200 m – 440 m 32.39 km/s 116604 km/h
(2011 OJ45) 29th September 2012 14 day(s) 0.1339 52.1 18 m – 39 m 4.24 km/s 15264 km/h
(2012 JS11) 30th September 2012 15 day(s) 0.0712 27.7 270 m – 600 m 12.60 km/s 45360 km/h
137032 (1998 UO1) 04th October 2012 19 day(s) 0.1545 60.1 1.3 km – 2.9 km 32.90 km/s 118440 km/h
(2012 GV11) 05th October 2012 20 day(s) 0.1830 71.2 100 m – 230 m 6.96 km/s 25056 km/h
(2009 XZ1) 05th October 2012 20 day(s) 0.1382 53.8 120 m – 280 m 16.87 km/s 60732 km/h
(2006 TD) 06th October 2012 21 day(s) 0.1746 68.0 88 m – 200 m 13.03 km/s 46908 km/h
(2009 TK) 06th October 2012 21 day(s) 0.0450 17.5 100 m – 230 m 11.10 km/s 39960 km/h
(2004 UB) 08th October 2012 23 day(s) 0.1995 77.6 240 m – 530 m 14.65 km/s 52740 km/h
277830 (2006 HR29) 11th October 2012 26 day(s) 0.1917 74.6 190 m – 440 m 7.88 km/s 28368 km/h
(2008 BW2) 11th October 2012 26 day(s) 0.1678 65.3 3.1 m – 6.8 m 11.10 km/s 39960 km/h
(2005 GQ21) 12th October 2012 27 day(s) 0.1980 77.0 620 m – 1.4 km 23.86 km/s 85896 km/h
(2012 GV17) 12th October 2012 27 day(s) 0.1500 58.4 160 m – 370 m 16.11 km/s 57996 km/h
256004 (2006 UP) 14th October 2012 29 day(s) 0.1374 53.5 65 m – 140 m 3.06 km/s 11016 km/h
(2005 ST1) 14th October 2012 29 day(s) 0.1319 51.3 230 m – 510 m 12.88 km/s 46368 km/h
(2011 OB57) 14th October 2012 29 day(s) 0.1553 60.4 17 m – 37 m 4.95 km/s 17820 km/h
(2012 KB4) 14th October 2012 29 day(s) 0.1271 49.4 22 m – 49 m 4.98 km/s 17928 km/h
1 AU = ~150 million kilometers,1 LD = Lunar Distance = ~384,000 kilometers Source: NASA-NEO

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Biological Hazards / Wildlife / Hazmat

14.09.2012 Biological Hazard USA State of Nebraska, [Nebraska-wide] Damage level Details

Biological Hazard in USA on Friday, 14 September, 2012 at 13:16 (01:16 PM) UTC.

Description
The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission says a viral disease has spread to deer populations across much of Nebraska. Epizootic hemorrhagic disease spreads from deer to deer by the bite of a small insect known as a midge. Game and Parks says the virus is suspected in the reported deaths of more than 2,200 Nebraska deer this year. The disease causes hemorrhaging within the deer’s body. Deer suffering from the virus may develop a high fever and seek water, which is why many deer killed by the disease are found in or near water. The disease is not a threat to humans. The commission wants people to report to their nearest Game and Parks office any deer deaths that may be attributed to this disease.
Biohazard name: EHD (epizootic hemorrhagic disease)
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
14.09.2012 HAZMAT USA State of Texas, Halliburton Damage level Details

HAZMAT in USA on Friday, 14 September, 2012 at 03:03 (03:03 AM) UTC.

Description
The Texas Department of State Health Services is looking for piece of equipment containing potentially dangerous radioactive material that was lost Tuesday by an oil and gas crew in a rural part of West Texas. The sealed radioactive source, a small stainless steel cylinder approximately 7 inches long and an inch across, contains Americium-241/Beryllium….The cylinder is stamped with the words “danger radioactive” and “do not handle” along with a radiation warning symbol. Anyone who sees it should stay at least 25 feet away and notify local law enforcement. This type of device is used to evaluate oil and gas wells and is usually stored in a protective shielding. A Halliburton crew was transporting it from a well outside of Pecos to another well south of Odessa. On arrival, the crew noticed the shielding was not locked and the device was missing. DSHS is assisting law enforcement with the search and investigating the loss of the radioactive material.

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[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

RSOE EDIS

Date/Time (UTC) Magnitude Area Country State/Prov./Gov. Location Risk Source Details
26.07.2012 09:35:33 2.3 North America United States Alaska Cordova VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
26.07.2012 09:15:27 4.9 Pacific Ocean New Zealand Wellington Castlepoint VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
26.07.2012 08:30:32 5.2 Pacific Ocean Tonga Tongatapu Vaini VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
26.07.2012 07:50:29 2.2 North America United States Alaska Willow VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
26.07.2012 08:00:27 5.8 Indian Ocean Mauritius Cargados Carajos VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
26.07.2012 07:20:53 2.5 Caribbean British Virgin Islands Road Town VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
26.07.2012 07:25:25 3.4 Caribbean British Virgin Islands Road Town VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
26.07.2012 06:05:27 2.8 Caribbean Puerto Rico Maunabo Emajagua VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
26.07.2012 06:25:29 2.8 Europe Spain Andalusia Sotogrande VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
26.07.2012 05:11:41 2.2 North America United States Nevada Mina There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
26.07.2012 05:25:29 4.9 Australia & New-Zealand New Zealand Gisborne Ruatoria VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
26.07.2012 04:55:29 4.9 Pacific Ocean New Zealand Gisborne Ruatoria VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
26.07.2012 05:25:58 2.7 Asia Turkey ?zmir Aliaga VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
26.07.2012 04:25:19 2.4 Asia Turkey Bal?kesir Dursunbey VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
26.07.2012 03:30:25 2.6 North America United States Alaska Ninilchik There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
26.07.2012 03:20:28 5.3 Asia Tajikistan Gorno-Badakhshan Murghob VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
26.07.2012 03:22:09 5.3 Asia Tajikistan Gorno-Badakhshan Murghob VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
26.07.2012 03:05:27 2.4 North America Canada British Columbia Colwood VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
26.07.2012 02:45:29 2.4 North America United States California Cobb There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
26.07.2012 03:20:48 2.2 Asia Turkey Mu?la Ula VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
26.07.2012 03:21:07 2.3 Asia Turkey Bal?kesir Dursunbey VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
26.07.2012 03:21:25 2.5 Europe Albania Durrës Metaj VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
26.07.2012 03:15:28 2.1 North America Canada British Columbia Princeton VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
26.07.2012 01:15:20 3.5 South-America Peru Tacna Sobraya There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
26.07.2012 00:35:30 4.7 North America United States Oregon Barview VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
26.07.2012 01:16:41 4.3 North America United States Oregon Barview VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
26.07.2012 01:15:45 4.3 North-America United States Oregon Barview VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
26.07.2012 00:15:25 3.1 South-America Chile Valparaíso Vina del Mar VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
26.07.2012 00:15:47 5.2 Pacific Ocean – Middle Solomon Islands Guadalcanal Honiara There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
26.07.2012 00:05:27 5.1 Solomon Islands Guadalcanal Honiara There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
26.07.2012 00:30:40 2.9 Pacific Ocean New Zealand Canterbury Methven VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 GEONET Details
26.07.2012 00:31:06 2.2 Pacific Ocean New Zealand Canterbury Methven VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 GEONET Details
26.07.2012 00:16:10 4.6 Asia Turkey Edirne Enez VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
26.07.2012 02:15:20 2.7 South-America Chile Antofagasta Calama There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
25.07.2012 23:55:28 2.1 North America Canada British Columbia Princeton VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
26.07.2012 00:05:52 2.7 North America United States Nevada Golconda VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
25.07.2012 23:10:31 2.2 North America United States Alaska Cantwell VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
26.07.2012 00:16:33 3.6 South-America Bolivia Potosí Villa Alota There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
25.07.2012 23:16:43 2.5 Caribbean Puerto Rico Humacao Punta Santiago VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
25.07.2012 23:30:29 4.7 Asia Japan Fukushima Iwaki VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
25.07.2012 23:15:44 4.7 Asia Japan Fukushima Iwaki VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
25.07.2012 22:15:26 3.3 South-America Chile Libertador General Bernardo O?Higgins Santa Cruz VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
25.07.2012 21:35:31 2.2 North America United States Alaska Happy Valley There are volcano(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
25.07.2012 23:16:06 2.4 Asia Turkey Afyonkarahisar Sultandagi VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
25.07.2012 22:15:46 4.9 Indonesian Archipelago Indonesia North Sulawesi Tondano VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
25.07.2012 21:35:56 5.0 Pacific Ocean – West New Caledonia Fayaoue VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
25.07.2012 22:16:05 5.0 Pacific Ocean – West Vanuatu Shefa Port-Vila VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
25.07.2012 20:35:32 2.1 North America United States California Mojave VulkĂĄn 0 There are airport(s) nearby the epicenter. VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details
25.07.2012 21:10:21 4.5 Asia Uzbekistan Fergana Shohimardon VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 EMSC Details
25.07.2012 22:16:55 2.5 North America United States Montana Whitefish VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 VulkĂĄn 0 USGS-RSOE Details

Today Earthquake Solomon Islands Capital City, [About 39 kilometres of Honiara ] Damage level Details

Earthquake in Solomon Islands on Thursday, 26 July, 2012 at 05:02 (05:02 AM) UTC.

Description
A strong earthquake struck the main island of the Solomon Islands on late Wednesday evening, destroying an unknown number of houses and causing injuries, seismologists and local officials said on Thursday. No tsunami warning was issued. The 6.5-magnitude earthquake at 10:20 p.m. local time (1120 GMT) was centered about 39 kilometers (24 miles) southwest of Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands. It struck about 22.9 kilometers (14.2 miles) deep, making it a shallow earthquake, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Emergency management officials in Honiara said they have received reports that a number of houses in settlements near the epicenter were destroyed and damaged, injuring at least one person. But the extent of the damage in the remote area was not immediately clear, and officials were still working to determine if there were other victims. The USGS estimated that some 137,000 people on Guadalcanal island may have felt moderate to strong shaking, while 348,000 others may have felt light shaking. The tremors caused scores of people to run out of their homes and flee inland or to higher ground in fear of a tsunami, which was not generated. Both the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) and the Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Center (JATWC) said there was no threat of a tsunami and did not issue a warning. “A destructive tsunami was not generated based on earthquake and historical tsunami data,” PTWC said in a bulletin.

6.5-magnitude quake hits Solomon Islands

SYDNEY : A strong 6.5-magnitude earthquake hit the Solomon Islands in the Pacific Ocean late Wednesday, the US Geological Survey said.

The tremor, which was just 22 kilometres (14 miles) deep, had its epicentre on the south coast of the island of Guadalcanal, 39 kilometres southwest of the capital Honiara.

The US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a statement saying: “Based on all available data, a destructive Pacific-wide tsunami is not expected.”

The Solomons National Disaster Management Office could not be reached but Australia said that the quake was unlikely to pose a risk of a tsunami.

“It’s just the usual Pacific kind of event, they get earthquakes of this size regularly,” duty seismologist Mark Leonard told AFP.

“It’s unlikely that it’s going to cause any grief at all.”

The Solomon Islands form part of the Ring of Fire, a zone of tectonic activity around the Pacific Ocean that is subject to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

In 2007, a tsunami following an 8.1-magnitude earthquake killed at least 52 people in the Solomons and left thousands homeless.

Leonard said an earthquake of the magnitude experienced Wednesday would need to be much more shallow to cause that kind of impact.

– AFP/ms

Mild quake rattles Los Angeles area; no damage

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Seismologists say a mild earthquake widely felt throughout Southern California was centered along the coast west of downtown Los Angeles.

No injuries were reported.

The U.S. Geological Survey says the magnitude-3.7 quake struck at 3:18 a.m. Wednesday. The quake initially was reported as a magnitude-3.8, but seismologist Kate Hutton says it was later found to be a 3.74 so it was downgraded.

The epicenter was 2 miles east-southeast of Marina del Rey near Culver City and Inglewood. A Sheriff’s Department dispatcher says it “wasn’t much of a quake” and no one called about it.

Dozens of people from as far away as Riverside and the San Fernando Valley logged onto the USGS website to report feeling the jolt.

Fire Department spokesman Matt Spence says firefighters rolled out of stations citywide and surveyed 470 square miles. No infrastructure or other damage was found.

Pacific Ocean Region
Date/Time (UTC) Message Location Magnitude Depth Status Details
25.07.2012 11:28 AM Tsunami Information Bulletin Solomon Islands 6.6 114 km Details

Tsunami Information Bulletin in Solomon Islands, Pacific Ocean

000
WEPA42 PHEB 251128
TIBPAC

TSUNAMI BULLETIN NUMBER 001
PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER/NOAA/NWS
ISSUED AT 1128Z 25 JUL 2012

THIS BULLETIN APPLIES TO AREAS WITHIN AND BORDERING THE PACIFIC
OCEAN AND ADJACENT SEAS...EXCEPT ALASKA...BRITISH COLUMBIA...
WASHINGTON...OREGON AND CALIFORNIA.

... TSUNAMI INFORMATION BULLETIN ...

THIS BULLETIN IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY.

THIS BULLETIN IS ISSUED AS ADVICE TO GOVERNMENT AGENCIES.  ONLY
NATIONAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO MAKE
DECISIONS REGARDING THE OFFICIAL STATE OF ALERT IN THEIR AREA AND
ANY ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN IN RESPONSE.

AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS

 ORIGIN TIME -  1121Z 25 JUL 2012
 COORDINATES -   9.8 SOUTH  160.2 EAST
 DEPTH       -  114 KM
 LOCATION    -  SOLOMON ISLANDS
 MAGNITUDE   -  6.6

EVALUATION

 A DESTRUCTIVE TSUNAMI WAS NOT GENERATED BASED ON EARTHQUAKE AND
 HISTORICAL TSUNAMI DATA.

THIS WILL BE THE ONLY BULLETIN ISSUED FOR THIS EVENT UNLESS
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE.

THE JAPAN METEOROLOGICAL AGENCY MAY ALSO ISSUE TSUNAMI MESSAGES
FOR THIS EVENT TO COUNTRIES IN THE NORTHWEST PACIFIC AND SOUTH
CHINA SEA REGION.  IN CASE OF CONFLICTING INFORMATION... THE
MORE CONSERVATIVE INFORMATION SHOULD BE USED FOR SAFETY.

THE WEST COAST/ALASKA TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER WILL ISSUE PRODUCTS
FOR ALASKA...BRITISH COLUMBIA...WASHINGTON...OREGON...CALIFORNIA.
Indian Ocean Region
Date/Time (UTC) Message Location Magnitude Depth Status Details
25.07.2012 00:34 AM Tsunami Information Bulletin Off W Coast Of Northern Sumatra 6.6 0 km Details

Tsunami Information Bulletin in Off W Coast Of Northern Sumatra, Indian Ocean

000
WEIO23 PHEB 250034
TIBIOX

TSUNAMI BULLETIN NUMBER 001
PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER/NOAA/NWS
ISSUED AT 0034Z 25 JUL 2012

THIS BULLETIN IS FOR ALL AREAS OF THE INDIAN OCEAN.

... TSUNAMI INFORMATION BULLETIN ...

THIS MESSAGE IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY.

THIS BULLETIN IS ISSUED AS ADVICE TO GOVERNMENT AGENCIES.  ONLY
NATIONAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO MAKE
DECISIONS REGARDING THE OFFICIAL STATE OF ALERT IN THEIR AREA AND
ANY ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN IN RESPONSE.

AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS

 ORIGIN TIME -  0028Z 25 JUL 2012
 COORDINATES -   2.5 NORTH   95.8 EAST
 LOCATION    -  OFF W COAST OF NORTHERN SUMATRA
 MAGNITUDE   -  6.6

EVALUATION

 A DESTRUCTIVE WIDESPREAD TSUNAMI THREAT DOES NOT EXIST BASED ON
 HISTORICAL EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI DATA.

 HOWEVER - THERE IS A VERY SMALL POSSIBILITY OF A LOCAL TSUNAMI
 THAT COULD AFFECT COASTS LOCATED USUALLY NO MORE THAN A HUNDRED
 KILOMETERS FROM THE EARTHQUAKE EPICENTER. AUTHORITIES IN THE
 REGION NEAR THE EPICENTER SHOULD BE MADE AWARE OF THIS
 POSSIBILITY.

THIS WILL BE THE ONLY BULLETIN ISSUED BY THE PACIFIC TSUNAMI
WARNING CENTER FOR THIS EVENT UNLESS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
BECOMES AVAILABLE.

THE JAPAN METEOROLOGICAL AGENCY MAY ISSUE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
FOR THIS EVENT. IN THE CASE OF CONFLICTING INFORMATION...THE
MORE CONSERVATIVE INFORMATION SHOULD BE USED FOR SAFETY.

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Volcanic Activity

Volcano blast showers ash on Japanese city

  • News Limited Network

Volcano explodes in Japan

A volcano erupts in southern Japan spewing ash onto Kagoshima City. Rough cut (no reporter narration).

japan volcano Sakaurajima eruption July 25 2012

Video still of Sakurajima in southern Japan erupting on July 25, 2012. Source: Supplied

THE Sakurajima volcano in southern Japan has erupted, spewing volcanic ash onto Kagoshima City.

The eruption at one of Japan’s most active volcanoes showered ash on the streets of Kagoshima, which lies just 2km across a bay from the volcano.

Residents of Kagoshima donned face masks to protect themselves while sweeping away the ash.

The volcano has erupted more than 600 times this year and is expected to continue its intermittent eruptions.

Currently, the volcano warning there is at level three out of a possible five levels.

A level five would mean that the residents living near the crater would have to be evacuated, while level three warns people not to approach the volcano.

Today Volcano Eruption Japan Prefecture of Kagoshima, [Volcano Sakura-jima] Damage level Details

Volcano Eruption in Japan on Thursday, 26 July, 2012 at 02:59 (02:59 AM) UTC.

Description
A volcano in Sakurajima in southern Japan has erupted, spewing volcanic ash onto Kagoshima City. The eruption at one of Japan’s most active volcanoes caused ash to cover roads. Residents of Kagoshima donned face masks to protect themselves while sweeping away the ash. The volcano has erupted over 600 times this year and is expected to continue its intermittent eruptions. Currently, the volcano warning there is at level three out of a possible five levels. A level five would mean that the residents living near the crater would have to be evacuated, while level three warns people not to approach the volcano.

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Extreme Temperatures/ Weather / Drought

Excessive Heat Warning

ST LOUIS MO
MOUNT HOLLY NJ
WILMINGTON OH
PADUCAH KY

Heat Advisory

MEMPHIS TN
ST LOUIS MO
LINCOLN IL
PEACHTREE CITY GA
SPRINGFIELD MO
TULSA OK
WAKEFIELD VA
MOUNT HOLLY NJ
LITTLE ROCK AR
WILMINGTON OH
LOUISVILLE KY
NASHVILLE TN
CHARLESTON WV
GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
CLEVELAND OH
NEWPORT/MOREHEAD CITY NC
CHARLESTON SC
JACKSONVILLE FL
INDIANAPOLIS IN
BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC
STATE COLLEGE PA
PITTSBURGH PA
WILMINGTON NC
RALEIGH NC

Red Flag Warning

FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE

HANFORD CA
HANFORD CA
25.07.2012 Forest / Wild Fire Canada Province of Manitoba, [Red Sucker Lake First Nation, Wasagamack First Nation, St. Theresa Point First Nation and Garden Hill First Nation] Damage level Details

Forest / Wild Fire in Canada on Tuesday, 24 July, 2012 at 17:09 (05:09 PM) UTC.

Description
More than 800 people from four northern Manitoba First Nations have been flown to Winnipeg and Brandon due to forest fires near their home communities. Officials said people deemed the most vulnerable, such as those with asthma and other breathing conditions, were flown out first, while others may follow if the fire situation gets worse. “We didn’t have anybody who was acutely distressed from smoke inhalation but we did have folks with runny eyes, coughing, sore throats, which is a normal effect from being involved with the forest fires,” said Janice Lowe from the Brandon Regional Health Authority. The Manitoba Association of Native Firefighters is looking after the evacuations and asked both Brandon and Winnipeg to host the evacuees, due to the large number. “This is the largest evacuation that we’ve handled in recent times,” said Brian Kayes from the City of Brandon. On Monday, the province said 77 forest fires are burning in Manitoba. As of July 20, more than 360 firefighters were battling the blazes, with 12 water bombers and 31 helicopters being used. Fires are currently burning in northeastern and western, central and eastern parts of Manitoba, said officials. The largest numbers of fires are currently burning in the northeastern part of Manitoba. Officials from the Manitoba Association of Native Firefighters said people had to leave Red Sucker Lake First Nation, Wasagamack First Nation, St. Theresa Point First Nation and Garden Hill First Nation. They said it’s tough to determine how long people could be out of their homes, due to the unpredictable nature of forest fires. They said, however, people should be prepared to be out of their homes for approximately three to seven days. Community members said homes are not currently at risk of burning. Some evacuees, however, said leaving was still difficult. “Some people don’t want to go because they don’t want to leave their homes,” said Eric Wood from Garden Hill Public Health.
Today Forest / Wild Fire USA State of Nebraska, [Fairfield Creek] Damage level Details

Forest / Wild Fire in USA on Thursday, 26 July, 2012 at 03:10 (03:10 AM) UTC.

Description
More federal firefighters were being deployed to bone-dry Nebraska, where a huge wildfire is threatening more structures and two smaller fires are still out of control. The handful of people living in Sparks, a gateway to canoeing and tubing on the Niobrara River, were on alert for possible evacuation. A 14-mile stretch of the valley already has been evacuated. While a cold front is expected to provide some relief, highs Wednesday will still be in the mid-90s. The front may also bring some rain, but major storms aren’t likely to develop near the fire. Plus, storms could also bring lightning and spark new fires. Hot, windy weather on Monday helped the main Fairfield Creek Fire expand to 58,000 acres, or nearly 92 square miles. Two other smaller fires about 20 miles east of the main fire had burned more than six square miles. And Tuesday’s high temperature again topped Officials estimate the fires, which have already destroyed at least 10 homes, are about 25 percent contained. Some 200 federal firefighters were being sent to join the more than 300 crews already on the front lines. Four helicopters are also fighting the fires, and three firefighters have been injured. Much of the fire-swept land near the river is rugged, forested and populated with cabins, so only 17 residences had been evacuated as of Tuesday morning.
25.07.2012 Forest / Wild Fire Macedonia Municipality of Strumica, [Near to Strumica] Damage level Details

Forest / Wild Fire in Macedonia on Wednesday, 25 July, 2012 at 09:52 (09:52 AM) UTC.

Description
Reports from Macedonia say two foresters died and one was critically injured on July 24 while trying to put out a forest fire. Four other people — including a teenage boy — were hospitalized after strong winds fanned the flames of the forest fire near Strumica, about 100 kilometers southeast of Skopje. About 50 acres of pine forest was burned before the fire eventually was extinguished by rain. Agriculture Minister Ivo Kotevski said, arson is suspected. The fire appeared to have been started as a result of “carelessness.”

Five Dies as Vacationers Flee Fires in Spain, Croatia

BARCELONA, Spain, (ENS) – Four people have died in two giant wildfires now devastating northeastern Spain’s Catalonia region. Since they blazed up on the weekend, the fires have injured at least 100 people and scorched about 10,000 hectares (38 square miles). Authorities have ordered 150,000 residents to shelter in their homes.

One fire has charred the forests of Costa Brava, one of Spain’s most popular beach and resort destinations.

Inland, the town of La Junquera, in the border area between France and Spain, is at the center of a second huge fire, that police believe was started by a discarded cigarette.

Smoke billows over the Catalonian town of Terrades, July 23, 2012 (Photo by Celia Santacreu)

All four of those who died were French. One man died of a heart attack while trying to protect his home in the Catalonian town of Llers, and another died from burns.

A father and his 15-year-old daughter lost their lives while trying to escape the flames by jumping down a cliff in the Costa Brava town of Port Bou.

Flames forced the father and daughter, as well as three of their family members and some 150 other visitors, out of their cars as they were returning to France from the Spanish coast.

As ash from the Costa Brava fire reaches Barcelona this morning, Spanish firefighters say they are starting to gain control because strong winds that initially fanned the flames have now abated.

Temperatures have soared to over 32 degrees Celsius (90 degrees F.) in the stricken area, and water levels in reservoirs are low there and across the country, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.

Planes are dropping water in an effort to douse the raging fire in the border area between France and northern Catalonia, but until the fires are under control several cross-border roads connecting Barcelona with France have been closed.

Other fires are taking their toll across southern Europe.

In Croatia, hundreds of firefighters have been called up to battle fires all along the Adriatic coast.

Fire threatens the Croatian town of Crikvenica (Photo by Nika G.)

A firefighter died Monday while putting out a fire near Moscenicka Draga on the Istria peninsula, while other fires blaze near Pula at the southern tip of the peninsula.

At least 350 firefighters battled a large fire near the coastal town of Crikvenica, a favorite vacation spot for residents of the nearby Croatian capital of Zagreb.

Homes in Crikvenica were in danger Monday but the firefighters defended them. Residents fled and gathered to watch the situation from a safe distance.

One of the most serious fires has caused locals and tourists to flee the Croatian coastal towns of Selce and Novi Vinodolski.

In the popular resort town of Selce on a long, sandy beach, more than 1,500 visitors were forced to evacuate the Selce autocamp and nearby Club Adriatica.

“The situation is very serious, everyone is trying their best. Houses are in danger, and some have already been victim to the fires,” Slavko Gaus from the county fire department, told the “Croatian Times.”

Thick smoke has forced authorities to close the D8 road, and also the Adriactic highway, reported daily newspaper “24sata.”

More fires are burning on the islands of Rab and Mljet and near the town of Sibenik, located in central Dalmatia where the river Krka flows into the Adriatic Sea.

Over 1,500 tourists evacuated as fires rage in Croatia

by Staff Writers
Zagreb (AFP)

A firefighter died and 1,500 tourists were evacuated after forest fires fanned by strong winds broke out on Croatia’s Adriatic coast Monday, with the interior minister warning of a “very difficult” scenario.

“The situation is very difficult … we are doing everything possible to protect people’s lives and property,” Interior Minister Ranko Ostojic told commercial Nova television, as the fires continued to blaze out of control in the increasingly popular tourist area.

“Everything is ready for (further) evacuations,” said the minister, who visited the coastal resort of Selce, close to the northern port of Rijeka, where some 150 firefighters were battling the blaze.

A 45-year firefighter died while battling another blaze that broke out near Moscenicka Draga on the Istria peninsula, fire service official Slavko Gaus told national HRT television.

That fire was brought under control later in the day.

The inferno broke out in the morning in the hinterland of Rijeka, some 180 kilometres (110 miles) southwest of Zagreb, and spread towards Selce.

Strong winds of more than 100 kilometres (60 miles) an hour made tackling the fires very difficult as water-bombing planes could not be used, the authorities said.

In Selce some 1,500 tourists from two campsites, mostly Slovenians and Austrians, were evacuated while a number of other tourists left a nearby hotel, officials said.

Part of the Adriatic coastal highway was closed, police said.

The resort was cut off from electricity and phone lines were down, Nova television reported, showing footage of people in Selce covering their faces with scarves to protect themselves from the thick smoke and ashes.

The roofs of several houses also caught fire.

In fellow former Yugoslav republic Macedonia, 14 people were injured, five of them seriously, in a forest fire at Strumica, 100 kilometres (60 miles) east of Skopje, the country’s farm minister said.

The minister, Lupco Dimovski, said there was information suggesting that this fire may heave been started deliberately

The Macedonia fire was still raging late Monday.

Related Links
Forest and Wild Fires – News, Science and Technology

Drought, culling hits Australia’s feral camels

by Staff Writers
Sydney (AFP)

Australia’s feral camel population has dropped by an estimated 250,000 in recent years, but the arid outback is still home to the world’s largest wild herd, officials said Tuesday.

The Australian Feral Camel Management Project said about 750,000 camels were thought to roam the country’s desert heartland.

“Between 2001 and 2008, it was estimated that there could have been as many as a million feral camels in the outback,” said Jan Ferguson, the managing director of Ninti One, which manages the project.

“Since then, however, there has been a major drought, the feral camel management programme has come into effect and population survey techniques have been improved.”

Camels, first introduced as pack animals to help early settlers in the 19th century, roam wild in the states of Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland in the east, as well as the Northern Territory.

About 85,000 were culled under a plan to reduce their impact on sensitive areas and native animals but Ferguson said some populations were still too dense.

Wildlife scientist Glenn Edwards said the latest monitoring, under which about 50 camels fitted with special collars were tracked using satellites, provided a clearer picture of the extensive damage they caused.

“Feral camels can travel 70 kilometres (43 miles) in one day, and hundreds of kilometres within a week, over incredibly harsh terrain,” he said.

“We know that when they herd, they can converge on a natural waterhole used by native animals, and drink it dry within days.

“This has a devastating effect on the local flora and fauna and shows exactly why we need to control the population density of these animals.”

With few natural predators and vast sparsely-populated areas in which to roam, feral camels have put pressure on native Australian species by reducing food sources, destroying habitat and spreading disease.

During some of the worst months of drought, thousands of thirsty camels even besieged a remote town in search of water, leaving residents scared to leave their homes.

Related Links
Farming Today – Suppliers and Technology

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Storms / Flooding

 

 

Severe Thunderstorm Warning

GRAND RAPIDS MI
26.07.2012 Tropical Storm North Korea MultiProvinces, [Provinces of Kangwon, North Gyeongsang and South Hwanghae] Damage level Details

Tropical Storm in North Korea on Saturday, 21 July, 2012 at 03:31 (03:31 AM) UTC.

Description
Tropical storm Khanun destroyed scores of houses, buildings and transportation infrastructure in southern parts of North Korea this week, killing at least seven people in the reclusive state, state-run media reported on Friday. It weakened quickly over North Korea before Khanun’s remnants dissipated over China. The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Friday that flooding triggered by Khanun caused significant damage and casualties in the southern regions of North Korea. It said at least seven people were killed in Kangwon Province, but few other details about casualties were released. “Many hectares of farmland were inundated in Kangwon province and some dwelling houses, public buildings, railways, roads, bridges, breakwaters, electric supply and communication networks were destroyed,” KCNA said in its report, adding that some areas saw up to 200 millimeters (7.8 inches) of rain. “The water supply system was paralyzed in Wonsan and Munchon cities, suspending the provision of drinking water to citizens.” In South Hwanghae province, several houses were destroyed in Haeju City and Jaeryong County while large areas of cropland were submerged in Unchon County. The report did not say whether there were casualties in South Hwanghae province, or in any other regions of North Korea. In South Korea, Khanun also caused flooding, power outages, and affected major transportation systems. One fatality was reported in North Gyeongsang province when the wall of a home collapsed, officials said.

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By Brian K. Sullivan

A derecho, the kind of storm that knocked out power to millions in Washington last month, may accompany bad weather forecast for New York City and the rest of the Northeast tomorrow, the U.S. Storm Prediction Center said.

There’s a moderate chance the rare windstorm will develop in an area from Indiana to Massachusetts, the center said on its website. The region is also at risk for severe thunderstorms, hail and possible tornadoes after noon, according to John Hart, a meteorologist at the agency’s Norman, Oklahoma, offices.

“The environment is going to be favorable for considerably severe weather right across the area even if we don’t get a derecho,” Hart said by telephone.

Last month, a derecho knocked out power to at least 4.3 million people from New Jersey to North Carolina as it unleashed winds of as much as 91 miles (146 kilometers) per hour, as powerful as a Category 1 hurricane. Twenty-four deaths were linked to the storm and its aftermath, according to the Associated Press.

A derecho is defined as an event that has wind gusts of at least 58 mph and leaves a swath of damage for 240 miles, according to the storm center’s website.

A storm that swept from Chicago to Kentucky yesterday also seems to have met the definition of a derecho, Hart said. Yesterday’s storm wasn’t as intense as the one that struck the mid-Atlantic, including Washington, on June 29, he said.

Predictions Difficult

Hart said derechos are hard to predict because they require that a number of atmospheric elements come together.

“There is no way to have high confidence in such a forecast,” Hart said. “We decided the risk of that scenario happening was high enough that we would highlight it.”

The area from western Ohio to southern New England will probably be in the path of severe storms tomorrow afternoon, Hart said. New York, Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Cincinnati all have a 45 percent chance of severe thunderstorms, high winds and hail.

Severe storms between the large airline hub cities of Chicago, New York and Atlanta often disrupt air travel throughout the U.S. Such fast-moving storms, which may include tornadoes, accounted for about $8.8 billion in insured losses in the U.S. in the first six months of 2012, according to the Insurance Information Institute in New York.

 

 

Flash Flood Warning

GRAND RAPIDS MI

Flood Warning

TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL

Flood Advisory

FAIRBANKS AK
LUBBOCK TX
Today Complex Emergency China Capital City, Beijing Damage level Details

Complex Emergency in China on Thursday, 26 July, 2012 at 08:01 (08:01 AM) UTC.

Description
A much expected downpour bypassed Beijing Wednesday but battered the neighboring city of Tianjin, flooding many downtown streets and vehicles. As of 11 a.m. Thursday, the maximum precipitation had exceeded 300 millimeters, Tianjin’s meteorological center said in a press release. It said the city proper received an average rainfall of 147 mm, while the outer Xiqing district, one of the worst-battered areas, received 309.8 mm. The local fire prevention bureau sent 190 fire engines and 1,140 rescuers to help rescue flood stranded vehicles and pedestrians. The rain had largely stopped by midday, but the center issued another orange alarm at 11:10 a.m., warning residents of a further rainstorm. The downpour has paralyzed traffic in downtown Tianjin, drowning many roads. Dozens of vehicles were stranded on Baidi road in Nankai district after their engines died in the flood. Many pedestrians complained they had to trek in knee-deep water. In some sections of Xianyang Street, flood water was waist deep. On the badly flooded Friendship Road in Hexi district, five workers kept watch next to sewage wells whose manholes had been removed for faster drainage.

The rain disrupted air traffic at Tianjin’s airport, where 20 flights were canceled and 34 delayed.8 The first flight, an incoming flight from Shanghai, landed in Tianjin after the rain subsided at 11:32 a.m., and the first departing flight took off at 12:08 p.m., according to the airport’s official website. Railway transportation, however, was largely unaffected, including the express rail link to Beijing, the city’s railway authorities confirmed. Vegetable prices were up at the city’s major wholesale markets Thursday. “Each kilo is at least 0.4 yuan — about 30 percent — more expensive than yesterday,” said Cui Hongqing, a wholesaler at Hongqi Market. Cui predicted further price hikes Friday as the rain devastated crops and increased transportation costs. China’s capital Beijing was on guard against heavy rain Wednesday, fearing a repeat of Saturday’s mayhem. Saturday’s downpour, which the local weather bureau described as the “heaviest in 61 years,” killed at least 37 people — some were drowned in private cars. Many office workers were allowed to go home early Wednesday for safety considerations, and city authorities bombarded mobile phone subscribers with text message warnings of an imminent downpour. The much expected rain, however, did not fall in Beijing. The capital was still overcast Thursday, as the central weather bureau has forecast rain in seven northern China provinces and municipalities, including Beijing, over the coming three days.

Scores injured as typhoon lashes Hong Kong

by Staff Writers
Hong Kong (AFP)

Scores of people were injured and trees were ripped from the ground as a typhoon lashed Hong Kong packing winds in excess of 140 kilometres (87 miles) an hour, officials said Tuesday.

Authorities issued a hurricane warning for the first time since 1999 as Typhoon Vicente roared to within 100 kilometres of Hong Kong shortly after midnight, disrupting dozens of flights to the regional hub.

The alarm was downgraded to a strong wind warning by mid-morning as the cyclone passed to the west and weakened over the southern Chinese coast.

The storm brought down hundreds of trees and sent debris crashing into downtown streets as commuters made their way home from work on Monday evening, when people were told to seek shelter.

Ferry, bus and train services were suspended or ran at reduced capacity, the port and schools were closed, and 44 passenger flights were cancelled. More than 270 flights were delayed.

The stock exchange was also closed for the morning but reopened in the afternoon after authorities gave the all clear to go back to work.

“We haven’t experienced this for 10 years. I could hardly walk, the wind kept pushing me,” marketing research manager Alpha Yung, 28, told AFP as she went to work in the almost deserted streets.

Mignon Chan, a 21-year-old marketing assistant, said the storm was “crazy”.

“Last time I suffered this kind of weather I was small. It’s chaotic here, trees fell down, people fell down, but I still have to work. That’s the worst part,” she said.

Almost 140 people sought medical treatment and 268 people took refuge in storm shelters, officials said. Seventy-one people remained in hospital including one who was in a serious condition.

Local media reported that more than 100 commuters stayed in the Tai Wai train station overnight, unable to get home after services were suspended.

A landslide occurred in the upscale Peak neighbourhood but there were no casualties as a result, officials said.

“The wind and rain were pounding on my windows at home last night — bam, bam, bam — they were so strong that I couldn’t sleep,” security guard Tony Chan said as he cleared shattered glass on the street outside an office tower.

Ocean Park tourist attraction said it would remain closed for the day to carry out a “thorough inspection” of the property for possible storm damage.

In the nearby territory of Macau, three major bridges over the city’s harbour were closed overnight as the typhoon approached, the government said.

Mainland offcials said the typhoon hit Taishan city in Guangdong province at 4:00 am (2000 GMT Monday). There were no immediate reports of casualties but officials said damage was still being assessed.

Related Links
Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters
When the Earth Quakes
A world of storm and tempest

Today Flash Flood Indonesia Province of West Sumatra, [Padang area] Damage level Details

Flash Flood in Indonesia on Thursday, 26 July, 2012 at 07:57 (07:57 AM) UTC.

Description
Flash floods in West Sumatra of Indonesia on Tuesday evening have killed eight people and caused massive infrastructure damage, local officials said on Thursday. Heavy rains caused the river in Padang city overflowed its banks at about 6:30 p.m. Tuesday when people were breaking their fasting, Ade Edward senior official at the local disaster management and mitigation agency said. “Eight people are dead in the floods and scores of buildings and bridges have collapsed,” he reported from Padang, the capital of West Sumatra province. Edward said that the floods had seriously damaged over 90 houses, 11 mosques, five bridges and one health clinic. Some rescuers are still trapped in the flooded areas, he added. The rescuers had difficulty in reaching some areas where water level was chest-deep, said Edward. The local authorities had delcared a state of emergency and warned residents who live near the rivers to be on alert. More than 250 people are taking shelter in their relative houses or mosques, said Edward.

China censors coverage of deadly Beijing floods

by Staff Writers
Beijing (AFP)

Beijing authorities have reportedly ordered Chinese media to stick to positive news about record weekend floods, after the death of at least 37 people sparked fierce criticism of the government.

Censors also deleted microblog posts criticising the official response to the disaster in China’s rapidly modernising capital, which came at a time of heightened political sensitivity ahead of a 10-yearly handover of power.

City propaganda chief Lu Wei told media outlets to stick to stories of “achievements worthy of praise and tears”, the Beijing Times daily reported, as authorities tried to stem a tide of accusations that they failed to do enough.

Many Beijing residents took to the country’s popular microblogs, or weibos, to complain that some of the deaths could have been prevented if better warnings had been issued and the city’s ancient drainage systems modernised.

A call by the Beijing government for donations to an emergency flood relief fund was also criticised by microbloggers, with many ridiculing the authorities for asking ordinary people to pay for the damage.

On Tuesday, over 72,000 postings on a microblog thread focused on the call for donations were deleted.

David Bandurski, who monitors China’s Internet censorship at the Hong Kong-based China Media Project, said most of the microblog postings censored in China over the last two days related to the Beijing floods.

“There could be a number of reasons for this, but the overarching reason could be the upcoming change of leadership at the (Communist Party’s) 18th Party Congress,” Bandurski told AFP.

“This is an important political meeting, so when people are pointing responsibility at local government incompetence, everyone goes into sensitive mode… no one wants to take responsibility for anything.”

This year’s Congress will see President Hu Jintao step down from his position as head of China’s ruling Communist party in a leadership change that will usher in a new generation of leaders expected to be led by Vice President Xi Jinping.

Authorities were still clearing up the damage from Saturday’s disaster as the country’s top leaders gathered in Beijing on Monday for a meeting addressed by Hu that was given front-page coverage in state newspapers.

The China Daily, a state-run English-language newspaper with a predominantly foreign readership, ran an editorial on Tuesday urging Beijing authorities to improve the drainage system, which it said “leaves much to be desired”.

But much of China’s state-run media steered away from critical stories, focusing on human interest angles of residents helping each other out.

Senior Beijing leaders at an emergency meeting late Monday urged greater efforts to find those still missing, identify the bodies and repair flood-damaged roads.

But residents in the worst hit district of Fangshan on the mountainous southwestern outskirts of China’s sprawling capital told AFP the government was doing little to help find their missing loved-ones.

“The government doesn’t help at all, every family is responsible for searching for their own family members,” said Wang Baoxiang, whose 30-year-old nephew had been missing since going out in Saturday’s rains.

According to official assessments released Monday, seven people remained missing, but in the badly hit Fangshan district, locals told AFP reporters that at least 10 people were missing in one small village.

Tuesday’s Beijing Daily quoted mayor Guo Jinlong as saying any increases in the death toll should be reported immediately, amid suspicion that the authorities may be underplaying the impact of the floods.

Guo also urged journalists to “correctly guide public opinion”, code words in China that which mean to only portray the government in a positive light.

“The news media has played a very good role in timely reporting the developments in emergency response operations, correctly leading the public opinion… and playing a role in boosting morale,” Guo said.

“The focus of our rescue work and news propaganda must now be moved toward the suburban areas, especially those areas severely hit by the disaster like Fangshan.”

Related Links
Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters
When the Earth Quakes
A world of storm and tempest

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Epidemic Hazards / Diseases

IDF Quarantines Yoav Base Amid ‘Outbreak’

The IDF’s top physician has ordered a base in the Golan sealed and cleansed, and its soldiers screened, amid a spreading bacterial infection

By Gabe Kahn

IDF checkpoint  

IDF checkpoint
Israel news photo: Flash 90

IDF chief medical officer Gen. Itzik Kreis on Tuesday ordered the Yoav base in the Golan Heights quarantined after several soldiers fell ill with a bacterial infection.

Arutz Sheva has learned many soldiers at the base, including soldiers working in the kitchens, complained of itching all over their bodies.

As a result, the base has been sealed and a full sanitization effort is underway. All equipment, personal belongings, textile goods, and even personnel files are being removed in order to be cleansed.

Arutz Sheva further learned that all mattresses on the base were removed and will be replaced. Hazmat teams are spraying and disenfecting structures, vehicles, and grounds, as well.

Meanwhile, IDF medical personnel are screening soldiers and isolating those affected to ensure the infection does not spread.

The IDF spokesperson’s office has thus far declined to comment on the exact nature and full extent of the infection.

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Radiation / Nuclear

25.07.2012 Nuclear Event India State of Rajasthan, Rawatbhata [Rajasthan Atomic Power Station, District of Chittorgarh] Damage level Details

Nuclear Event in India on Tuesday, 24 July, 2012 at 10:49 (10:49 AM) UTC.

Description
More than 40 workers at a nuclear power station in northern India have been exposed to tritium radiation in two separate leaks in the past five weeks. The first accident occurred on June 23 when 38 people were exposed during maintenance work on a coolant channel at the Rajasthan Atomic Power Station in Rawatbhata, senior plant manager Vinod Kumar said. Two of them received radiation doses equivalent to the annual permissible limit, he said, but all those involved have returned to work. In a second incident last Thursday, another four maintenance workers at the plant were exposed to tritium radiation while they were repairing a faulty seal on a pipe. India is on a nuclear power drive, with a host of plants based on Russian, Japanese, American and French technology under consideration or construction.

The country’s growing economy is currently heavily dependent on coal, getting less than 3% of its energy from its existing atomic plants, and the government hopes to raise the figure to 25% by 2050. But environmental watchdogs have expressed concerns about safety in India, where small-scale industrial accidents due to negligence or poor maintenance are commonplace and regulatory bodies are often under-staffed and under-funded. The director of the Rajasthan power station, C.P. Jamb, confirmed the second accident to AFP but said the radiation was within permissible limits and posed no health threat. “The workers were exposed to radiation from 10 to 25 per cent of the annual limit,” Jamb said. “Such minor leakages keep on happening but they cause no harm.” C.D. Rajput, director of the unit where the leak happened, also said the radiation exposure “was well under the limits and all the workers are working normally”. No explanation was immediately available as to why the first incident at the plant took a month to emerge.

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Climate Change

Today Climate Change Greenland [Continent-wide] Damage level Photo available! Details

Climate Change in Greenland on Thursday, 26 July, 2012 at 04:42 (04:42 AM) UTC.

Description
For several days this month, Greenland’s surface ice cover melted over a larger area than at any time in more than 30 years of satellite observations. Nearly the entire ice cover of Greenland, from its thin, low-lying coastal edges to its two-mile-thick center, experienced some degree of melting at its surface, according to measurements from three independent satellites analyzed by NASA and university scientists. On average in the summer, about half of the surface of Greenland’s ice sheet naturally melts. At high elevations, most of that melt water quickly refreezes in place. Near the coast, some of the melt water is retained by the ice sheet and the rest is lost to the ocean. But this year the extent of ice melting at or near the surface jumped dramatically. According to satellite data, an estimated 97 percent of the ice sheet surface thawed at some point in mid-July. Researchers have not yet determined whether this extensive melt event will affect the overall volume of ice loss this summer and contribute to sea level rise. “The Greenland ice sheet is a vast area with a varied history of change. This event, combined with other natural but uncommon phenomena, such as the large calving event last week on Petermann Glacier, are part of a complex story,” said Tom Wagner, NASA’s cryosphere program manager in Washington. “Satellite observations are helping us understand how events like these may relate to one another as well as to the broader climate system.”

Son Nghiem of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., was analyzing radar data from the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Oceansat-2 satellite last week when he noticed that most of Greenland appeared to have undergone surface melting on July 12. Nghiem said, “This was so extraordinary that at first I questioned the result: was this real or was it due to a data error?” Nghiem consulted with Dorothy Hall at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. Hall studies the surface temperature of Greenland using the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites. She confirmed that MODIS showed unusually high temperatures and that melt was extensive over the ice sheet surface. Thomas Mote, a climatologist at the University of Georgia, Athens, Ga; and Marco Tedesco of City University of New York also confirmed the melt seen by Oceansat-2 and MODIS with passive-microwave satellite data from the Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Sounder on a U.S. Air Force meteorological satellite. The melting spread quickly. Melt maps derived from the three satellites showed that on July 8, about 40 percent of the ice sheet’s surface had melted. By July 12, 97 percent had melted.

This extreme melt event coincided with an unusually strong ridge of warm air, or a heat dome, over Greenland. The ridge was one of a series that has dominated Greenland’s weather since the end of May. “Each successive ridge has been stronger than the previous one,” said Mote. This latest heat dome started to move over Greenland on July 8, and then parked itself over the ice sheet about three days later. By July 16, it had begun to dissipate. Even the area around Summit Station in central Greenland, which at 2 miles above sea level is near the highest point of the ice sheet, showed signs of melting. Such pronounced melting at Summit and across the ice sheet has not occurred since 1889, according to ice cores analyzed by Kaitlin Keegan at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H. A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather station at Summit confirmed air temperatures hovered above or within a degree of freezing for several hours July 11-12. “Ice cores from Summit show that melting events of this type occur about once every 150 years on average. With the last one happening in 1889, this event is right on time,” says Lora Koenig, a Goddard glaciologist and a member of the research team analyzing the satellite data. “But if we continue to observe melting events like this in upcoming years, it will be worrisome.” Nghiem’s finding while analyzing Oceansat-2 data was the kind of benefit that NASA and ISRO had hoped to stimulate when they signed an agreement in March 2012 to cooperate on Oceansat-2 by sharing data.

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Solar Activity

2MIN News July 25, 2012

Published on Jul 25, 2012 by

EARTHQUAKE WATCH: http://youtu.be/SMiHsOYwdCs

TODAY’S LINKS
Greenland Ice Melt: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/jpl/news/earth20120724.html
Ecuador Landslide: http://poleshift.ning.com/profiles/blogs/ecuador-earth-movement-is-rampant-in…

REPEAT LINKS
Spaceweather: http://spaceweather.com/ [Look on the left at the X-ray Flux and Solar Wind Speed/Density]

HAARP: http://www.haarp.alaska.edu/haarp/data.html [Click online data, and have a little fun]

SDO: http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/data/ [Place to find Solar Images and Videos – as seen from earth]

SOHO: http://sohodata.nascom.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/soho_movie_theater [SOHO; Lasco and EIT – as seen from earth]

Stereo: http://stereo.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/images [Stereo; Cor, EUVI, HI – as seen from the side]

SunAEON:http://www.sunaeon.com/#/solarsystem/ [Just click it… trust me]

SOLARIMG: http://solarimg.org/artis/ [All purpose data viewing site]

iSWA: http://iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov/iswa/iSWA.html [Free Application; for advanced sun watchers]

NOAA ENLIL SPIRAL: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/wsa-enlil/cme-based/ [CME Evolution]

NOAA Bouys: http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/

RSOE: http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/index2.php [That cool alert map I use]

JAPAN Radiation Map: http://jciv.iidj.net/map/

LISS: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/monitoring/operations/heliplots_gsn.php

Gamma Ray Bursts: http://grb.sonoma.edu/ [Really? You can’t figure out what this one is for?]

BARTOL Cosmic Rays: http://neutronm.bartol.udel.edu//spaceweather/welcome.html [Top left box, look for BIG blue circles]

TORCON: http://www.weather.com/news/tornado-torcon-index [Tornado Forecast for the day]

GOES Weather: http://rsd.gsfc.nasa.gov/goes/ [Clouds over America]

INTELLICAST: http://www.intellicast.com/ [Weather site used by many youtubers]

NASA News: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/

PHYSORG: http://phys.org/ [GREAT News Site!]

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Space

25.07.2012 Event into space Saudi Arabia Province of Al Jawf, [Al-Shifa Mountain] Damage level Photo available! Details

Event into space in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, 25 July, 2012 at 09:06 (09:06 AM) UTC.

Description
The deputy chairman of the Astronomy Society in Jeddah and member of the Arab Federation for Space Science and Astrophysics, astrophysicist. Sharaf al-Sufiyani revealed that meteorite debris fell on Al-Shifa mountain last Sunday near the village of Al-Ajbel. He pointed out in his statement to the daily Medina newspaper today that the meteorite debris comprises large rocky pieces which before landing disintegrated into smaller pieces and landed on various locations. One of the dwellers told him that there are two other locations similar debris has fallen. Regarding the timing of the meteorite’s falling, Al-Sufiyani said that it would be too difficult to determine the exact timing which requires specialized laboratories, but it looks not too old because parts of the debris are still scattered on the surface and if it is old then it would have been buried under the ground and would have been too difficult to find. He also said that should this meteorite have fallen on a house or heavily populated region it would have inflicted gross damage. However, thanks to divine providence , our planet earth is surrounded by an atmospheric layer which prevents the landing of lots of meteorite debris onto mother earth otherwise it would have caused a great disaster that is many folds of its weight. Meteorites are universal rocky formations orbiting outer space and whenever these pass through the stratosphere the earth attracts them and so they fall onto earth. Such meteorites burnout as a result of friction against air and if burned before arrival onto earth, scientists call them meteorites however should they land on earth they are called universal debris.

  Earth approaching objects (objects that are known in the next 30 days)

Object Name Apporach Date Left AU Distance LD Distance Estimated Diameter* Relative Velocity
(2009 PC) 28th July 2012 2 day(s) 0.1772 68.9 61 m – 140 m 7.34 km/s 26424 km/h
217013 (2001 AA50) 31st July 2012 5 day(s) 0.1355 52.7 580 m – 1.3 km 22.15 km/s 79740 km/h
(2012 DS30) 02nd August 2012 7 day(s) 0.1224 47.6 18 m – 39 m 5.39 km/s 19404 km/h
(2000 RN77) 03rd August 2012 8 day(s) 0.1955 76.1 410 m – 920 m 9.87 km/s 35532 km/h
(2004 SB56) 04th August 2012 9 day(s) 0.1393 54.2 380 m – 840 m 13.72 km/s 49392 km/h
(2000 SD8) 04th August 2012 9 day(s) 0.1675 65.2 180 m – 400 m 5.82 km/s 20952 km/h
(2006 EC) 06th August 2012 11 day(s) 0.0932 36.3 13 m – 28 m 6.13 km/s 22068 km/h
(2006 MV1) 07th August 2012 12 day(s) 0.0612 23.8 12 m – 28 m 4.79 km/s 17244 km/h
(2005 RK3) 08th August 2012 13 day(s) 0.1843 71.7 52 m – 120 m 8.27 km/s 29772 km/h
(2009 BW2) 09th August 2012 14 day(s) 0.0337 13.1 25 m – 56 m 5.27 km/s 18972 km/h
277475 (2005 WK4) 09th August 2012 14 day(s) 0.1283 49.9 260 m – 580 m 6.18 km/s 22248 km/h
(2004 SC56) 09th August 2012 14 day(s) 0.0811 31.6 74 m – 170 m 10.57 km/s 38052 km/h
(2008 AF4) 10th August 2012 15 day(s) 0.1936 75.3 310 m – 690 m 16.05 km/s 57780 km/h
37655 Illapa 12th August 2012 17 day(s) 0.0951 37.0 770 m – 1.7 km 28.73 km/s 103428 km/h
(2012 HS15) 14th August 2012 19 day(s) 0.1803 70.2 220 m – 490 m 11.54 km/s 41544 km/h
4581 Asclepius 16th August 2012 21 day(s) 0.1079 42.0 220 m – 490 m 13.48 km/s 48528 km/h
(2008 TC4) 18th August 2012 23 day(s) 0.1937 75.4 140 m – 300 m 17.34 km/s 62424 km/h
(2006 CV) 20th August 2012 25 day(s) 0.1744 67.9 290 m – 640 m 13.24 km/s 47664 km/h
(2012 EC) 20th August 2012 25 day(s) 0.0815 31.7 56 m – 130 m 5.57 km/s 20052 km/h
162421 (2000 ET70) 21st August 2012 26 day(s) 0.1503 58.5 640 m – 1.4 km 12.92 km/s 46512 km/h
(2007 WU3) 21st August 2012 26 day(s) 0.1954 76.0 56 m – 120 m 5.25 km/s 18900 km/h
(2012 BB14) 24th August 2012 29 day(s) 0.1234 48.0 27 m – 60 m 2.58 km/s 9288 km/h
1 AU = ~150 million kilometers,1 LD = Lunar Distance = ~384,000 kilometers Source: NASA-NEO

 

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Biological Hazards / Wildlife /  Hazmat

Today Biological Hazard United Kingdom Scotland, [Lanarkshire] Damage level Details

Biological Hazard in United Kingdom on Thursday, 26 July, 2012 at 04:54 (04:54 AM) UTC.

Description
A case of anthrax has been confirmed in an injecting drug user in Lanarkshire. The area’s health authority said the patient was being treated at one of its hospitals and was in a critical but stable condition. NHS Lanarkshire believes the patient could have contracted the anthrax bacteria from a contaminated batch of heroin circulating in the area. Anthrax is an acute bacterial infection most commonly found in hoofed animals such as cattle, sheep and goats. It normally infects humans when they inhale or ingest anthrax spores, but cannot be passed from person to person. Symptoms can include a raised, itchy, inflamed pimple which turns into a blister with extensive swelling. The lesion is usually painless, and will later turn into a black eschar. f left untreated the infection can spread to cause blood poisoning. It can take up to a week for symptoms to develop after a person comes into contact with anthrax. Dr David Cromie, consultant in public health medicine at NHS Lanarkshire, said: “It is possible that heroin contaminated with anthrax may be circulating in Lanarkshire and potentially other parts of Scotland.

“There have been recent reports of anthrax from contaminated heroin in other western European countries, the most recent reported outbreak being in Germany. “It is important that drug users are aware of the particular dangers involved when they are injecting heroin.” Dr Cromie said injecting drug users known to Lanarkshire addiction services were being contacted to alert them to the problem. “The advice to drug users is to avoid all heroin use, which we recognise may be very difficult for drug users to follow,” he said. “Muscle-popping, skin-popping, and injecting when a vein has been missed are particularly dangerous. “Smoking heroin carries much less risk than injecting it. If there is any pain or swelling around an injection site drug users should seek urgent medical attention.” The worst outbreak of anthrax in the UK for 50 years occurred among drug users in Scotland between 2009 and 2010. A total of 119 cases were recorded with a total of 14 deaths during the outbreak.

Biohazard name: Heroin containing anthrax
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.
Symptoms:
Status: confirmed
Today Biological Hazard Canada Province of Prince Edward Island, [Watershed region] Damage level Details

Biological Hazard in Canada on Thursday, 26 July, 2012 at 03:13 (03:13 AM) UTC.

Description
Watershed groups on P.E.I .are wading through rivers and streams Wednesday, checking to see if there are any dead fish. Parts of the Island got heavy rain Tuesday night and there’s concern about sediment that could have run into streams. Fred Cheverie, head of the Souris Watershed group, said about 75 millimetres of rain fell in that area. “So we’re just out checking the streams … the water’s pretty high in most of all the streams,” Cheverie said. “Everything looks good so far, we haven’t encountered anything. We hit some crucial zones so things are looking pretty good. We definitely have some red water. Some siltation in the water all right but everything’s no problem so far.” Other watershed groups and environment officials are also checking streams.
Biohazard name: Mass. Die-off (fishes)
Biohazard level: 0/4 —
Biohazard desc.: This does not included biological hazard category.
Symptoms:
Status:
25.07.2012 HAZMAT United Kingdom England, Gravesend [Cascades Leisure Centre, Thong Lane] Damage level Details

HAZMAT in United Kingdom on Wednesday, 25 July, 2012 at 12:47 (12:47 PM) UTC.

Description
A swimming pool had to close after a chlorine leak – just as the school holidays got under way. Fire crews were called to Cascades Leisure Centre, Thong Lane, Gravesend, at 10.30pm yesterday. The pool remained closed today on what was expected to be one of the hottest days of the year so far, but was expected to re-open as soon as it had been given the all-clear by plant engineers. Ambulance crews were put on standby today, but did not attend. A Kent Fire and Rescue spokesman said: “We were called out to a chemical drum that had a spillage in the swimming pool plant room. The building was evacuated as a precaution. “Crews in chemical suits removed the chemical and handed back to building management at about 1am.” A Gravesham council spokesman said: “There was a chemical incident at Cascades Leisure Centre about 10pm last night. “The incident was in the pool plant room and involved a chemical reaction in the system. The fire and rescue service was called. The pool was empty at the time. “The pool remains closed this morning as a precautionary measure. The water has been replaced and the chemicals changed. Suppliers are coming to site to investigate the incident.”
25.07.2012 HAZMAT USA State of Minnesota, Willmar [Rice Park (wading pool)] Damage level Details

HAZMAT in USA on Wednesday, 25 July, 2012 at 10:04 (10:04 AM) UTC.

Description
A Willmar city worker was treated at Rice Memorial Hospital for a chemical reaction experienced while performing maintenance work Tuesday on the Rice Park wading pool. The man’s identity and condition were not released. The pool had been closed for the maintenance work, and no children were endangered, reported Willmar Police Capt. James Felt. Emergency responders were waiting to meet with the worker to learn what chemical or chemicals he was using and apparently spilled in the small maintenance building at the pool site. A Willmar EMS team transported the worker by ambulance to the hospital while Willmar police, fire and the Kandiyohi County Rescue and the Hazardous Materials Emergency Assistance Team, or HEAT responded shortly after 1 p.m. Tuesday. Police cordoned off the area around Rice Park, located between Second and Third Streets and Rice and Kandiyohi Avenues. Police evacuated residents in several homes on Third Street located downwind of the pool for about 1½ hours. Officers also diverted traffic.

About 10 or 11 people were in their homes at the time and very cooperative with the need to evacuate, according to Willmar Police Sgt. Michael Markkanen. “If it had to happen, it was not a bad time to do it,’’ he said. Few people were at home, and most homes were sealed with their air conditioning units running. Also, a steady, southeast breeze of about 8.5 miles per hour kept any possible fumes from the heavy-traffic area of First Street South, only a block from the park. The decision to evacuate the area was based on the initial concern that chlorine or another hazardous material could be leaking. Two Willmar firefighters, also members of the Kandiyohi County Hazardous Material Emergency Assist Team, donned hazardous material suits to enter the pool building. They isolated the chemicals used by the worker, and placed them in a sealed container for safe transportation and handling. As they worked, two other members of the hazardous materials team waited in standby, and two Willmar firefighters using self-contained breathing apparatus also were in standby. City Administrator Charlene Stevens said the name of the employee will not be released due to privacy concerns. Steve Brisendine, director of Willmar Community Education and Recreation, said information to him was not complete as of Tuesday afternoon. His department oversees the operations of the wading pool.

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Articles of Interest

Tropical plankton invade Arctic waters

by Staff Writers
New York NY (SPX)

Terra Daily


Researchers lower plankton nets over the side during a scientific expedition in northern waters. Credit: Beth Stauffer/Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.

For the first time, scientists have identified tropical and subtropical species of marine protozoa living in the Arctic Ocean. Apparently, they traveled thousands of miles on Atlantic currents and ended up above Norway with an unusual-but naturally cyclic-pulse of warm water, not as a direct result of overall warming climate, say the researchers.

On the other hand: arctic waters are warming rapidly, and such pulses are predicted to grow as global climate change causes shifts in long-distance currents.

Thus, colleagues wonder if the exotic creatures offers a preview of climate-induced changes already overtaking the oceans and land, causing redistributions of species and shifts in ecology. The study, by a team from the United States, Norway and Russia, was just published in the British Journal of Micropalaeontology.

The creatures in question are radiolaria-microscopic one-celled plankton that envelop themselves in ornate glassy shells and graze on marine algae, bacteria and other tiny prey.

Different species inhabit characteristic temperature ranges, and their shells coat much of the world’s ocean bottoms in a deep ooze going back millions of years; thus climate scientists routinely analyze layers of them to plot swings in ocean temperatures in the past. The new study looks at where radiolarians are living now.

In 2010, a ship operated by the Norwegian Polar Institute netted plankton samples northwest of the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, about midway between the European mainland and the North Pole. When the coauthors analyzed the samples, they were startled to find that of the 145 taxa they spotted, 98 had come from much farther south-some as far as the tropics.

Furthermore, the southern radiolaria were in different sizes and apparently different stages of growth for each species, indicating they were reproducing, despite the harsh conditions.

It was the first time since modern arctic oceanographic research began in the early 20th century that researchers had spotted a living population of such creatures in the northern ocean.

Coauthor O. Roger Anderson, a specialist in one-celled organisms at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, said, “When we suddenly find tropical plankton in the arctic, the issue of global warming comes right up, and possible inferences about it can become very charged. So, it’s important to examine critically the evidence to account for the observations.”

He said the invaders were apparently swept up in the warm Gulf Stream, which travels from the Caribbean into the north Atlantic, but usually peters out somewhere between Greenland and Europe. Oceanographers have previously shown that sometimes pulses of warm water penetrate along the Norwegian coast and into the arctic basin; such pulses have occurred in the 1920s, 1930s and 1950s.

Further, the authors say that well-dated fossils of foraminifera-protozoans closely related to radiolaria-found on the arctic seafloor suggest that warm-water plankton may have temporarily established themselves at least several times before-around 4200 and 4100 BC, and again around 220, 370 and 1100 AD.

“All the evidence is that this isn’t necessarily immediate evidence of global warming of the ocean,” said Anderson. Lead author Kjell Bjorklund, of the University of Oslo Natural History Museum said of the invaders, “This doesn’t happen continuously-but it happens.”

That said, oceanographers have noted that such pulses seem to be coming more often and penetrating further-“exactly what one would expect from global warming,” said Rainer Froese, an oceanographer at the Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research who tracks fish global populations. Could this be the start of a switch in currents predicted by climate models?

The most recent pulse began in the early 1980s, and has lasted more or less to the present. Even without that, the arctic ocean itself is warming rapidly; with progressive loss of summer sea ice over past decades, average surface temperature has gone up as much as 5 degrees centigrade (9 degrees Fahrenheit) since 1950 in some patches.

Physical oceanographers have different ideas on the mechanics of how more southerly water–and the things living in it–may arrive in the arctic. However, most agree that it will happen if climate keeps warming, said Arnold Gordon, head of Lamont’s division of ocean and climate physics, who was not involved in the research.

For one, a countercurrent running near Greenland, the North Atlantic Polar Gyre, normally wards off the Gulf Stream; but that gyre is predicted to slow with warming. Atlantic currents might also respond to changing wind patterns, or to the increasing fresh water now pouring into the northern ocean from melting sea ice and glaciers. Either way, this could draw more southerly water into the north, said Gordon.

Louis Fortier, an arctic oceanographer at Laval University in Quebec, said of the recent injections of southerly waters, “Whether or not [such] intrusions are signs of this predicted increased advection in response to climate change, nobody can tell yet, I believe. But for me, the observations so far certainly support the models.”

Paul Snelgrove, a specialist in cold-ocean studies at Memorial University of Newfoundland, agreed. “The question is, are these kinds of incursions becoming more frequent and stronger? If it continues, the case would become more persuasive. Right now, this study is not a definitive test, but it seems like an intriguing teaser as to what might happen.”

Whatever the answer, this is the first time a living population of southern radiolaria has been found so far north. Radiolaria live only about a month, so it must have taken 80-some generations for some species to make the five- to seven-year trip, say the authors. On the way, successive generations could have adapted to colder waters.

In 2009, the surface water in the sample area measured an extraordinary 7.5 degrees C (about 45.5F). A year later, when the samples were taken, it was down to a more normal level of 3.5C (38F), and yet the radiolarians were still there.

However, the fast-changing nature of the ocean makes their presence in the arctic hard to interpret, said Paul Wassman, an arctic biologist at the University of Tromso in Norway. Marine creatures routinely travel vast distances on currents.

Water temperatures may vary widely in the same latitude. Populations of some creatures may live for a while in a narrow tongue of temperate water, then wink out once that gets too diluted, he said.

Bjorklund, Anderson and their coauthor Svetlana Kruglikova of the P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanography in Moscow note that it is uncertain whether the southern invaders are still there; they have not gotten any new samples since 2010.

In any case, changes in global ocean ecology are already being detected in many places. Warmer-water species are marching poleward, much as creatures are on land, where butterflies have been shifting ranges northward about 6 kilometers per decade, and amphibians and migratory birds are breeding an average of two days earlier.

A 2011 global study on the impact of climate change on fisheries says that many marine species are moving poleward or into deeper, cooler waters in response to warming–among other places, along the U.S. east coast, the Bering Sea, and off Australia.

The North Sea, off Scandinavia and the United Kingdom, has warmed about 2 degrees F in the last 50 to 100 years; there, 15 of 36 fish species studied have moved northward; fish more common nearer the Mediterranean-anchovy, red mullet, sea bass-are being caught by commercial fishermen, while cod, which prefer colder waters, are moving out.

There is also evidence that zooplankton similar to the radiolaria are shifting northward in the North Atlantic. In the Pacific, poisonous algal blooms harmful to the shellfish industry are being detected farther north, into Alaskan waters.

In the arctic itself, earlier and faster melting of sea ice in the summer appears to be shifting plankton species assemblages toward smaller types. This could ultimately damage the food web that feeds much larger creatures, including seals, walruses and whales, said Jody Deming, a biologist at the University of Washington who studies arctic microbes.

In an email, Deming said the new paper “presents an intriguing observation (warmer species making it into Arctic waters and surviving at least on the short term), but without more knowledge of how living radiolarians fit into the larger ecosystem, as both prey and predator, potential impacts on the whole ecosystem cannot be predicted reliably or at all really.”

The big question, said Bjorklund, is what happens next. In the future, radiolaria may serve as useful indicators of how currents, and ecology, are changing. There are at least 60-some radiolaria species peculiar to the arctic; they may be quite different from the new arrivals, but too little is known about the life cycles of either group to say how either will react if they meet on a long-term basis, and how this might affect arctic ecosystems.

Of the southerly radiolaria, Bjorklund said, “Will they adapt? Will they perish? Will they mix with the native fauna?” He said that he and his colleagues are anxious to receive new samples to find out.

Copies of the paper, “Modern incursions of tropical Radiolaria in the Arctic Ocean” are available from the authors or the Earth Institute press office.

Related Links
The Earth Institute at Columbia University
Beyond the Ice Age

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[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.]