Earth Watch Report – Saturday July 28th, 2012

Earthquakes

RSOE EDIS

Date/Time (UTC)	Magnitude	Area	Country	State/Prov./Gov.	Location	Risk			Source	Details
28.07.2012 10:25:21	3.1	Europe	Italy	Apulia	San Nicola				EMSC
28.07.2012 10:25:45	2.1	Europe	Romania		Paltin				EMSC
28.07.2012 09:20:28	2.6	North America	United States	California	Ferndale				USGS-RSOE
28.07.2012 09:15:31	2.0	North America	United States	Hawaii	Volcano				USGS-RSOE
28.07.2012 09:25:19	2.8	South-America	Chile	Valparaíso	San Antonio				EMSC
28.07.2012 08:25:26	2.2	Asia	Turkey	Malatya	Doganyol				EMSC
28.07.2012 09:25:45	3.9	North-America	United States	Alaska	Tyonek				EMSC
28.07.2012 08:16:02	4.1	North America	United States	Alaska	Tyonek				USGS-RSOE
28.07.2012 08:16:26	4.6	Asia	India	Uttarakhand	Dharchula				USGS-RSOE
28.07.2012 08:25:48	4.6	Asia	India	Uttarakhand	Dharchula				EMSC
28.07.2012 08:26:10	3.1	South-America	Chile	Antofagasta	Tocopilla				EMSC
28.07.2012 07:35:25	2.7	North America	United States	Nevada	Beatty				USGS-RSOE
28.07.2012 08:26:31	2.4	Asia	Turkey	Bursa	Karacabey				EMSC
28.07.2012 08:26:52	4.5	Middle-East	Yemen	Mu??faz?at Shabwah	Al Hamiyah				EMSC
28.07.2012 07:35:45	4.5	Middle East	Yemen	Mu??faz?at Shabwah	Al Hamiyah				USGS-RSOE
28.07.2012 10:05:27	3.6	North America	United States	Nevada	Crescent Valley				USGS-RSOE
28.07.2012 06:35:29	2.7	North America	United States	Alaska	Akutan				USGS-RSOE
28.07.2012 07:25:26	2.2	North America	United States	Texas	Keene				USGS-RSOE
28.07.2012 05:16:11	3.1	Europe	Greece	Crete	Platanos				EMSC
28.07.2012 06:25:39	2.9	North America	United States	Alaska	Adak				USGS-RSOE
28.07.2012 04:17:00	2.3	North America	United States	California	Westley				USGS-RSOE
28.07.2012 04:15:18	2.7	Europe	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina	Zenica				EMSC
28.07.2012 04:15:36	2.0	Asia	Turkey	?zmir	Foca				EMSC
28.07.2012 04:16:00	3.3	Asia	Turkey	Antalya	Tekirova				EMSC
28.07.2012 03:35:51	2.7	North America	United States	California	Cabazon				USGS-RSOE
28.07.2012 04:16:20	3.4	Asia	Turkey	Antalya	Tekirova				EMSC
28.07.2012 03:50:33	2.6	Caribbean	U.S. Virgin Islands	Saint Thomas Island	Charlotte Amalie				USGS-RSOE
28.07.2012 03:15:19	2.9	Europe	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina	Zenica				EMSC
28.07.2012 03:15:47	3.0	Asia	Turkey	Bal?kesir	Sindirgi				EMSC
28.07.2012 04:16:38	3.0	Europe	Romania		Gura Teghii				EMSC
28.07.2012 03:16:11	2.0	Europe	Italy	Emilia-Romagna	San Prospero				EMSC
28.07.2012 02:45:23	4.2	Middle America	Guatemala	Escuintla	Pueblo Nuevo Tiquisate				USGS-RSOE
28.07.2012 03:16:33	4.2	Middle-America	Guatemala	Escuintla	Pueblo Nuevo Tiquisate				EMSC
28.07.2012 02:10:21	4.2	Europe	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina	Zenica				EMSC
28.07.2012 01:50:54	3.8	Pacific Ocean	New Zealand	Canterbury	Kaiapoi				GEONET
28.07.2012 02:10:42	4.7	Europe	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina	Zenica				EMSC
28.07.2012 01:30:28	4.6	Europe	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina	Zenica				USGS-RSOE
28.07.2012 02:11:01	2.8	Asia	Turkey	Isparta	Anamas				EMSC
28.07.2012 01:10:20	2.8	Europe	Greece	North Aegean	Eresos				EMSC
28.07.2012 00:05:20	2.2	Europe	Italy	Campania	Montoro Superiore				EMSC
28.07.2012 00:05:42	4.1	Middle-East	Iran	M?zandar?n	Tonekabon				EMSC
28.07.2012 00:20:30	4.4	Middle East	Iran	M?zandar?n	Chalus				USGS-RSOE
28.07.2012 00:06:09	4.6	Asia	China	Sichuan	Leshan				EMSC
28.07.2012 00:07:40	4.6	Asia	China	Sichuan	Leshan				USGS-RSOE
28.07.2012 00:00:39	4.2	Middle East	Iran	M?zandar?n	Chalus				USGS-RSOE
28.07.2012 00:06:31	4.2	Middle-East	Iran	M?zandar?n	Chalus				EMSC
27.07.2012 23:20:29	2.1	North America	United States	California	Mountain Gate				USGS-RSOE
28.07.2012 00:06:52	3.1	Asia	Turkey	Bursa	Karacabey				EMSC
27.07.2012 23:15:56	2.6	North America	United States	Hawaii	Volcano				USGS-RSOE
27.07.2012 21:35:40	2.1	North America	United States	Alaska	Nanwalek				USGS-RSOE

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Volcanic Activity

Fuego volcano (Guatemala), activity update: strombolian activity and lava flows

BY: T

Weak but frequent explosions occur at Fuego volcano in Guatemala. On 25-26 July, they were producing gray ash columns reaching heights of 300 m to 600 m, and drifting up to 12 km west, northwest and southwest.
The explosions ejected incandescent material to heights of 100 to 150 m above the crater and generated weak avalanches on the upper crater flanks with rumbling and jetting sounds. Weak glow is seen at the crater at night.
The lava flow toward Taniluyá canyon reaches 400 meters in length. A new lava flow is active toward Ceniza (“ash”) Canyon and has reached 200 m length, and from both flows, glowing lava blocks roll down the flanks and reach the vegetation. A third lava flow was observed in the direction of the Lajas Canyon with a length of 600 m.
Weak avalanches from the summit area were directed toward Canyon Santa Teresa and reached about 300 m distance and lifted up light ash clouds.

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Extreme Temperatures/ Weather

Excessive Heat Warning

TULSA OK

Heat Advisory

SPRINGFIELD MO
TOPEKA KS
KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO
NORMAN OK
FORT WORTH TX
WICHITA KS
TULSA OK

27.07.2012

Heat Wave

Japan

[Statewide]

Heat Wave in Japan on Wednesday, 25 July, 2012 at 03:36 (03:36 AM) UTC.

Description

The number of people taken to hospitals by ambulance due to heatstroke in the week through Sunday more than doubled from the preceding week to 5,467, preliminary data showed Tuesday. The figure, up from 2,622 in the week to July 15, hit the highest for a single week this summer, according to the data released by the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. Deaths caused by heatstroke increased to 13 from five in the preceding week. Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture had the most victims, with ambulances called for 388 people each. They were followed by 382 in Aichi Prefecture and 372 in Osaka Prefecture. People aged 65 or older accounted for 45.9 percent of the total. Since the agency started this year’s survey on May 28, 11,116 people were taken to hospitals as of Sunday. Twenty-three people have died. The rise in heatstroke cases reflects the smothering heat wave, with temperatures of 35 degrees or higher observed in many places for the four days from July 16, agency officials said. In Tatebayashi, Gunma Prefecture, the mercury shot up to 37.6 on July 16 and to 39.2 the following day, according to the Meteorological Agency.

Abnormal Heat, Strong Winds Feed Siberian Forest Fire

Published on Jul 27, 2012 by IBTimesTV

Abnormal heat and strong winds have firefighters working overtime in Tomsk, Siberia this week where they are still battling blazes that have now spread over 15,000 hectares of Russian forests.

Thick smog from the fire has forced the local airport to close, delaying travelers with flight cancellations.

Firefighters are using helicopters to dump water on the fire because this summer broke 170 year old records for heat and dryness.

With temperatures over 90 degrees and without any precipitation in the forecast the job won’t be getting any easier for those firefighters.

Mandatory evacuations ordered on Skibstad fire

• 

PAUL RUHTER/Gazette Staff

The Skibstad Fire burns southeast of Columbus on Wednesday, July 25, 2012.

  •  By MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press

 

BILLINGS – Mandatory evacuations were ordered Thursday for residents of 20 to 30 houses in south-central Montana after a 5-square-mile wildfire surged toward a rural subdivision.

The order from Stillwater County commissioners covered the Hermit Creek subdivision and a five-mile stretch of Shane Creek Road south of Columbus.

Firefighters made some progress Thursday on the back end of the Skibstad, reporting that it was 35 percent contained by late afternoon. But on the fire’s leading edge, a steady breeze was pushing the blaze toward houses.

“That north and northeast portion up by the homes is a lot of concern,” said Paula Short with the state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.

A shelter for evacuees was set up at Columbus High School.

As flames approached within a couple miles of his property on Shane Creek Road, Shane Fouhy said he was packing some belongings, setting out sprinklers to water down his house and yard and heading into Columbus to stay with relatives.

“I’ve been out all morning watering and the wind is kind of whirling,” he said. “It’s burning in all directions.”

Some structures were confirmed burned; how many and whether any were houses remained unclear. No injuries have been reported.

Residents of dozens more houses were put on notice that they, too, might have to go. State officials say there are 124 homes in the area.

Barb Marshall, who lives on Shane Creek Road several miles outside the area under mandatory evacuation, was keeping a close eye on the smoke plumes billowing up to the south.

“I’ve got my rig loaded and I’m ready to go,” she said.

The fire started Wednesday evening in a secondary building on Skibstad Road and quickly spread across the surrounding landscape. Pushed south by the wind through timber, grass and sage brush, it reached into areas of Carbon County.

Prior to the mandatory order, county workers and firefighters went door to door asking people to leave voluntarily.

A heavy air tanker and several smaller aircraft were providing support to at least 60 firefighters with more personnel en route, Short said.

A federal incident management team was to take over the battle against the fire.

Elsewhere in Montana, the Wolf Creek fire north of Winnett grew to more than 9 square miles but was 70 percent contained Thursday afternoon, The Great Falls Tribune reported. The lightning-caused fire had threatened five houses and 10 outbuildings.

The nearby 15 Mile fire that began Wednesday had burned 1,350 acres, the paper reported. No structures were threatened.

In western Montana, the 5-square-mile Mission Road fire was reported to be 80 percent contained.

Near Lincoln, officials said a three-story lodge destroyed in a 43-acre fire that started Tuesday in the Roger’s Pass area was worth an estimated $3 million, according to the Helena Independent Record. The cause of that blaze, known as Joe’s Mountain fire, was under investigation.

Gov. Brian Schweitzer Thursday asked President Barack Obama to declare a disaster area for parts of southeast Montana with damage from the Ash Creek Fire.

If the request is granted it could make federal aid available to restore public infrastructure damaged by the fire, which burned 390 square miles in Powder River and Rosebud counties and on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation.

Public damages in those areas is estimated at $1.6 million. Most of that was to Tongue River Electric Co-op infrastructure. Schweitzer says he also has requested the Small Business Administration complete a damage assessment.

More than 925 wildfires have burned a combined 732 square miles across Montana so far in 2012. That’s well above the 530-square-mile annual average over the past decade.

About two-thirds of this year’s fires have been human caused. However, fires caused by lightning account for the bulk of the acreage burned.

Extreme Fire Danger

HASTINGS NE

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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
10W	Pacific Ocean	28.07.2012	28.07.2012	Tropical Depression	325 °	46 km/h	65 km/h	4.27 m	JTWC

Tropical Storm data

Share: Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on email Share on print More Sharing Services 2 Storm name: 10W Area: Pacific Ocean Start up location: N 14° 24.000, E 127° 6.000 Start up: 28th July 2012 Status: Active Track long: 0.00 km Top category.: Report by: JTWC Useful links: Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale FEMA – How To Prepare for a Hurricane Effects of a Hurricane USA – National Hurricane Center

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 28th Jul 2012 05:07:30 N 14° 24.000, E 127° 6.000 17 46 65 Tropical Depression 325 ° 14 JTWC Forecast track Date Time Position Category Wind km/h Gust km/h Source 29th Jul 2012 00:00:00 N 16° 42.000, E 125° 36.000 Tropical Storm 74 93 JTWC 29th Jul 2012 120:00:00 N 17° 24.000, E 125° 12.000 Tropical Storm 83 102 JTWC 30th Jul 2012 00:00:00 N 18° 18.000, E 124° 54.000 Tropical Storm 93 120 JTWC 31st Jul 2012 00:00:00 N 19° 48.000, E 124° 24.000 Typhoon I. 120 148 JTWC 01st Aug 2012 00:00:00 N 21° 30.000, E 123° 24.000 Typhoon I. 139 167 JTWC 02nd Aug 2012 00:00:00 N 23° 30.000, E 121° 54.000 Typhoon I. 148 185 JTWC

………………………

Flights Canceled, Power Disrupted As Storms Wreak Havoc In US Northeast (PHOTOS)

By Amrutha Gayathri: Subscribe to Amrutha Gayathri’s RSS feed

Flights Canceled, Power Disrupted As Storms Wreak Havoc In US Northeast (PHOTOS)

Storms hit the U.S. Northeast Thursday, leaving at least one person dead and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of residents.

About 900 flights have been canceled due to bad weather. New York’s LaGuardia Airport reported the maximum number of cancellations, with 162 flights grounded while many flights were delayed at airports in Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington, DC, Baltimore and Boston, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

Severe thunderstorms accompanied by heavy downpour are expected to hit the Midwest, New York City and the Northeast Friday, forecasters have said.

The National Weather Service issued thunderstorm warnings in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Kentucky, Virginia, Arkansas and several other points that lie in between.

In Pennsylvania, a woman died in her car, which was crushed under a tree, according to CNN.

“The risk for widespread damaging winds will increase from midday to mid-afternoon from Indiana and Ohio across Pennsylvania, southeast New York, into western Massachusetts and Connecticut,” the U.S. Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla., said.

The weather service has warned of possible tornadoes ripping through Elmira, N.Y., and Brookville, Pa.

DAY28: America’s infrastructure takes another hit from 2nd apocalyptic ‘derecho’ superstorm

Published on Jul 27, 2012 by N0LINKNEWS

The ‘Great Derecho’ Exposed Old Grids
By MoneyShow.com Jul 24, 2012 3:30 pm
The power is back up (for the most part) after the storm that swept down on the mid-Atlantic states in early July. Now utilities are going to have to calculate what it cost them.

The Great Derecho of 2012 knocked out power to 4.3 million people over 10 Midwest and Middle Atlantic states. The toll in human lives and property damage has yet to be fully counted.

Hurricanes typically take days to form at sea. That gives first responders, utilities and government agencies in threatened areas time to prepare for damage control. In contrast, the Great Derecho came with hurricane-force winds virtually without warning. Recovery plans had to be made on the fly, in some cases with emergency communications networks out of service.

The longer the outage, the greater the cost incurred by utilities. The storm’s intensity is a clear warning we’ve entered a period of greater extremes, with increased stresses on basic systems, particularly electricity.

http://tinyurl.com/cr93fuy

Weather Extremes Leave Parts of U.S. Grid Buckling
Travis Long/The News & Observer, via Associated Press

By MATTHEW L. WALD and JOHN SCHWARTZ
Published: July 25, 2012

Some utilities are re-examining long-held views on the economics of protecting against the weather. Pepco, the utility serving the area around Washington, has repeatedly studied the idea of burying more power lines, and the company and its regulators have always decided that the cost outweighed the benefit. But the company has had five storms in the last two and a half years for which recovery took at least five days, and after the derecho last month, the consensus has changed. Both the District of Columbia and Montgomery County, Md., have held hearings to discuss the option — though in the District alone, the cost would be $1.1 billion to $5.8 billion, depending on how many of the power lines were put underground.

Even without storms, heat waves are changing the pattern of electricity use, raising peak demand higher than ever. That implies the need for new investment in generating stations, transmission lines and local distribution lines that will be used at full capacity for only a few hundred hours a year. “We build the system for the 10 percent of the time we need it,” said Mark Gabriel, a senior vice president of Black & Veatch, an engineering firm. And that 10 percent is “getting more extreme.”

Even as the effects of weather extremes become more evident, precisely how to react is still largely an open question, said David Behar, the climate program director for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. “We’re living in an era of assessment, not yet in an area of adaptation,” he said.

He says that violent storms and forest fires can be expected to affect water quality and water use: runoff from major storms and falling ash could temporarily shut down reservoirs. Deciding how to address such issues is the work of groups like the Water Utility Climate Alliance, of which he is a member. “In some ways, the science is still catching up with the need of water managers for high-quality projection,” he said.

Some needs are already known. San Francisco will spend as much as $40 million to modify discharge pipes for treated wastewater to prevent bay water from flowing back into the system.

http://tinyurl.com/dylfga5

Flash Flood Watch

ALBUQUERQUE NM
TAUNTON MA
ALBANY NY

Flood Advisory

JUNEAU AK

Today

Flood

Greenland

Municipality of Qeqqata, Kangerlussuaq [Watson River]

Flood in Greenland on Saturday, 28 July, 2012 at 03:16 (03:16 AM) UTC.

Description

Melting ice in Greenland has swelled the island’s rivers with water. A NASA satellite snapped a photo of meltwater overflowing the banks of the Watson River near Kangerlussuaq, a key air transportation hub, on July 12. Two weeks later, however, river levels have receded somewhat, according to a release from the NASA Earth Observatory. “Water rises every year, but I’ve never before observed it at this level of discharge,” said Richard Forster, a University of Utah researcher who has done extensive fieldwork in Greenland, in a statement. “It was also about two weeks prior to the normal seasonal peak.” The town, known as Kanger, hosts one of the island’s busiest commercial airports and is a frequent departure point for scientific research flights. It lies about 74 miles (125 kilometers) from the sea. The water most likely came from melting of the ice sheet – rather than an ice-dammed lake bursting or glacial lake drainage – as the high discharge was maintained for so long, Forster said. The flooding follows reports that 97 percent of Greenland’s ice sheets thawed on the surface, according to satellite measurements. Only four days before, just 40 percent of the surface ice layer was thawing.This year’s ice melt is well above average: About half of Greenland’s surface ice tends to melt every summer, with the meltwater at higher elevations quickly refreezing in place and the coastal meltwater either pooling on top of the ice or draining into the sea. The massive melt may have been caused by a ridge or dome of warm air hovering over Greenland. Signs of ice melt were even found around Summit Station in central Greenland, which at 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) above sea level is near to the highest point on the ice sheet. The melting characteristics of such a huge ice sheet – spanning 656,000 square miles (1.7 million square kilometers) – is important for various reasons, particularly its potential effect on sea levels. If melted completely, the Greenland ice sheet could contribute 23 feet (7 meters) to global sea-level rise, according to a 2007 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the international body charged with assessing climate change. Whether or not this recent massive melt will affect the overall ice loss this summer, and as such bump up sea level, is still an open question. In other Greenland-melting news, a massive iceberg that recently broke away from one of Greenland’s largest glaciers is making its way downstream and toward the open ocean, as shown by a new satellite photo. The drifting island of ice split from the Petermann Glacier’s ice shelf – the front end of a glacier, which hangs off the land and floats on the ocean. Thenewly birthed berg is estimated to be about 46 square miles (120 square kilometers), and finally broke away from the floating tongue of ice on Monday, July 16.

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Epidemic Hazards / Diseases

Today

Epidemic Hazard

USA

State of Florida, [Wild Africa Trek at Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom]

Epidemic Hazard in USA on Saturday, 28 July, 2012 at 03:37 (03:37 AM) UTC.

Description
Numerous people have reported contracting an unknown illness after visiting the Wild Africa Trek at Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom. According to the Orange County, FL Health Department, hundreds of people have been questioned in connection to flu-like symptoms which were first detected in June. People reported experiencing diarrhea, nausea, fatigue and abdominal pain after taking the site’s three-hour tour, which includes hikes, animal sightings and a foot bridge crossing. “The thing we’re trying to get everyone to understand is this is some kind of stomach bug,” said Health Department spokesman Dain Weister. No specific pathogen has been identified. One guest who became ill posted his experience on the DIS boards. He said he became ill within 24 hours and went to the emergency room. Inspectors were sent to Animal Kingdom to examine its food preparation areas. “Two of those inspections showed no problems, no health violations,” Weister said. “The inspection was satisfactory.” Disney officials stated that increased measures have been taken to promote hand-washing and hand sanitizer use. “We are working closely with the Orange County Health Department to review the situation,” said Disney spokeswoman Andrea Finger. No other areas of Disney World have been affected.
Biohazard name:	Unidentified illness
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:	flu-like symptoms
Status:	confirmed

Today

Epidemic Hazard

Zimbabwe

Multiple areas, [Harare (Capital City) and Chitungwiza]

Epidemic Hazard in Zimbabwe on Saturday, 28 July, 2012 at 03:34 (03:34 AM) UTC.

Description
More than 100 people in the Zimbabwean capital Harare and Chitungwiza, a dormitory town 35km southeast of the city, have contracted typhoid this month, and the dilapidated water and sanitation systems are again being blamed for another round of water-borne diseases. According to health officials cited in the local media, 83 cases of typhoid have been confirmed in Chitungwiza and a further 28 in Harare, of which 25 were linked to a supermarket in the Avenues area of the city centre. Portia Manangazira, the chief disease control officer in the Health Ministry, told IRIN that in June 22 cases of suspected cholera, 10 of which were confirmed, were reported in Chiredzi – a town in Masvingo Province close to neighbouring South Africa – and one confirmed case of cholera was reported in Manicaland Province, which borders Mozambique. “We are monitoring the situation very closely to make sure the cholera does not spread. The health sector is on high alert,” she said. A year-long outbreak of cholera in 2008 killed more than 4,000 people and infected about 100,000 others and since then there have been regular outbreaks of waterborne diseases in both urban and rural areas. In January 2012 about 900 Harare residents were diagnosed with typhoid, but no fatalities were recorded.
Biohazard name:	Cholera Outbreak
Biohazard level:	2/4 Medium
Biohazard desc.:	Bacteria and viruses that cause only mild disease to humans, or are difficult to contract via aerosol in a lab setting, such as hepatitis A, B, and C, influenza A, Lyme disease, salmonella, mumps, measles, scrapie, dengue fever, and HIV. “Routine diagnostic work with clinical specimens can be done safely at Biosafety Level 2, using Biosafety Level 2 practices and procedures. Research work (including co-cultivation, virus replication studies, or manipulations involving concentrated virus) can be done in a BSL-2 (P2) facility, using BSL-3 practices and procedures. Virus production activities, including virus concentrations, require a BSL-3 (P3) facility and use of BSL-3 practices and procedures”, see Recommended Biosafety Levels for Infectious Agents.
Symptoms:
Status:	suspected

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Climate Change

Extreme weather: Get ready to see more of it, scientists say

By Moni Basu, CNN

Fatima Domingpe applies sunscreen to her face near the Mosaic Fountain in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland, on Saturday, July 7. A record heat wave has been in the area for more than a week.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• The United States experienced its warmest 12 months on record
• A new report Tuesday says 2011 will be remembered as the year of extreme weather
• One scientist says climate change increases the chances of more such weather
• There’s debate over how climate change affects weather patterns

(CNN) — A map of significant climate events for the United States in June looks almost apocalyptic: hellish heat, ferocious fires and severe storms leaving people injured, homeless and even dead.

Why to expect more weather disasters

That followed a warm winter and early season droughts. News came Monday that the mainland United States experienced its warmest 12 months since the dawn of record-keeping in 1895.

And on Tuesday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released a report calling 2011 a year of extreme weather.

Wildfire victims face second tragedy

Remember Hurricane Irene? Or the floods in Thailand and southern China and the deadly drought in the Horn of Africa? Heavy rains in Brazil caused massive landslides and much of Europe suffered through a sweltering heatwave.

It’s tempting to simplify things and blame it all on global warming.

After all, nine of the top 10 warmest years globally have occurred since 2000, according to NOAA.

But weather can be complicated.

The real challenge is figuring out whether a particular storm or flood was due to climate change or natural variables, said Chris Field, founding director of the Carnegie Institution’s Department of Global Ecology.

The NOAA report, for instance, noted some events that were exacerbated by other factors. However, climate change increases global risks, Field said.

“As we change the climate, we’re shifting the odds for extreme weather,” he said.

Photos: Extreme heat strikes U.S.

It’s sort of like upping your chances of a car accident if you’re speeding.

The four classes of extremes — high heat, heavy precipitation and floods, duration and intensity of droughts and extremes related to higher sea levels — have changed in the last 50 years, Field said.

“Increasingly, we are loading the dice towards these very damaging kinds of extremes,” he said.

But that’s not to say every weather event is related to warming temperatures.

Southern Greenland, northern Russia, and the eastern two-thirds of North America have felt the greatest warmth in 2012, but many places — Alaska, Mongolia and most of Australia — have been cool anomalies.

Russia declares day of mourning for flood victims

The men’s final at the Wimbledon tennis tournament Sunday was stopped briefly for rain. Rain, in Britain? Although it has a reputation for sogginess, it’s been cooler and wetter than normal for the last few months in the British isles.

America’s northwest has also escaped the heat. The state of Washington just marked its seventh coolest June ever.

“When you’ve got a planet that’s nearest warmest levels on record, that doesn’t mean every part of the world is going to be the warmest ever,” said Jeff Masters, director of meteorology for Weather Underground.

“The U.S. has been unlucky enough to be in that sort of pattern,” he said.

Jake Crouch, a climate scientist at the National Climatic Data Center, said weather patterns — including the jet stream or the ocean-atmosphere systems in the Pacific known as El Niño and La Niña — have a great effect on weather.

In 2011, two back-to-back La Niñas, each characterized by cooler-than-average water temperatures in the eastern Pacific, affected significant weather events — including droughts in the southern United States and northern Mexico and in east Africa.

There is debate over how climate change affects such weather patterns but the NOAA-led “state of the climate” report said La Niña-related heat waves are now 20 times more likely to occur than 50 years ago.

Scientists also analyzed the United Kingdom’s very warm November 2011 and a very cold December 2010. They said that cold Decembers are now half as likely to occur versus 50 years ago, whereas warm Novembers are now 62 times more likely.

The report pointed out that some weather events, like the Thailand flooding, are influenced by humans in other ways.

Photos: Finding beauty in violent storms

“Although the flooding was unprecedented, the amount of rain that fell in the river ‘catchment’ area was not very unusual,” the report said. “Other factors, such as changes in reservoir policies and increased construction on the flood plain, were found most relevant in setting the scale of the disaster.”

The 2012 hurricane season has gotten off to a robust start, though meteorologist Thomas Downs of Expert Weather Investigations attributed that to a cyclical warming of Atlantic waters.

“We’ve had a tremendous start to the system. We are in the middle of a warm phase,” he said.

Hurricane Andrew in 1992 was devastating, but it was also the first named storm of that year — in August.

By contrast, this year, the United States has already lived through four named storms — two in May and two in June. The last was Tropical Storm Debby, which flooded Florida.

The warmer waters can lead to warmer temperatures on land, Downs said. So can extended drought.

“The biggest thing of this year is the cumulative effect of the last two seasons. Some parts of the United States have been under drought conditions for the past two years,” he said, and did not have much rain in April and May. Less solar energy is absorbed by hot, parched land.

“The drought amplifies temperatures — 90 becomes 100. 100 becomes 105.”

“The reality is when you do have extreme weather, it is highlighted,” Downs said. “People want to attribute it to one factor or another.”

The other reality is that Americans and others will likely be paying a lot more for cereal, sweeteners and meat as the price of corn goes up because of failed crops.

“The crops are hurting,” said Chad Hart, a grain market specialist at Iowa State University.

The eastern part of the Corn Belt is especially hard-hit. In states like Iowa, farmers are in the critical stage of corn pollination.

“We need a good inch of moisture this week,” Hart said. “And there’s no rain in the forecast.

“That means we are looking for a much lower yield for crops we produce in the Midwest.”

Read Full Article Here

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Solar Activity

3MIN News July 27, 2012

Published on Jul 27, 2012 by Suspicious0bservers

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

TODAY’S LINKS
UV Southern Hemisphere: http://phys.org/news/2012-07-ozone-hole-uv-impacting-marine.html

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

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	0 day(s)	0.1772	68.9	61 m – 140 m	7.34 km/s	26424 km/h
217013 (2001 AA50)	31st July 2012	3 day(s)	0.1355	52.7	580 m – 1.3 km	22.15 km/s	79740 km/h
(2012 DS30)	02nd August 2012	5 day(s)	0.1224	47.6	18 m – 39 m	5.39 km/s	19404 km/h
(2000 RN77)	03rd August 2012	6 day(s)	0.1955	76.1	410 m – 920 m	9.87 km/s	35532 km/h
(2004 SB56)	04th August 2012	7 day(s)	0.1393	54.2	380 m – 840 m	13.72 km/s	49392 km/h
(2000 SD8)	04th August 2012	7 day(s)	0.1675	65.2	180 m – 400 m	5.82 km/s	20952 km/h
(2006 EC)	06th August 2012	9 day(s)	0.0932	36.3	13 m – 28 m	6.13 km/s	22068 km/h
(2006 MV1)	07th August 2012	10 day(s)	0.0612	23.8	12 m – 28 m	4.79 km/s	17244 km/h
(2005 RK3)	08th August 2012	11 day(s)	0.1843	71.7	52 m – 120 m	8.27 km/s	29772 km/h
(2009 BW2)	09th August 2012	12 day(s)	0.0337	13.1	25 m – 56 m	5.27 km/s	18972 km/h
277475 (2005 WK4)	09th August 2012	12 day(s)	0.1283	49.9	260 m – 580 m	6.18 km/s	22248 km/h
(2004 SC56)	09th August 2012	12 day(s)	0.0811	31.6	74 m – 170 m	10.57 km/s	38052 km/h
(2008 AF4)	10th August 2012	13 day(s)	0.1936	75.3	310 m – 690 m	16.05 km/s	57780 km/h
37655 Illapa	12th August 2012	15 day(s)	0.0951	37.0	770 m – 1.7 km	28.73 km/s	103428 km/h
(2012 HS15)	14th August 2012	17 day(s)	0.1803	70.2	220 m – 490 m	11.54 km/s	41544 km/h
4581 Asclepius	16th August 2012	19 day(s)	0.1079	42.0	220 m – 490 m	13.48 km/s	48528 km/h
(2008 TC4)	18th August 2012	21 day(s)	0.1937	75.4	140 m – 300 m	17.34 km/s	62424 km/h
(2006 CV)	20th August 2012	23 day(s)	0.1744	67.9	290 m – 640 m	13.24 km/s	47664 km/h
(2012 EC)	20th August 2012	23 day(s)	0.0815	31.7	56 m – 130 m	5.57 km/s	20052 km/h
162421 (2000 ET70)	21st August 2012	24 day(s)	0.1503	58.5	640 m – 1.4 km	12.92 km/s	46512 km/h
(2007 WU3)	21st August 2012	24 day(s)	0.1954	76.0	56 m – 120 m	5.25 km/s	18900 km/h
(2012 BB14)	24th August 2012	27 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

USA

State of Colorado, Pueblo

Biological Hazard in USA on Saturday, 28 July, 2012 at 03:32 (03:32 AM) UTC.

Description
Public Health officials announced Friday that a rabbit tested positive for an illness that “is similar to plague” in Pueblo. The rabbit was found in Pueblo West in the 1000 Block of West Saginaw Drive, and tested positive for Tularemia. Though the bacterial illness occurs naturally in the U.S., it’s a condition that can be fatal to humans. “Tularemia is similar to plague,” Heather Maio, director of the Environmental Health Division at the Pueblo City-County Health department, said. “It can be passed to humans or animals through the bite of infected insects – most commonly ticks and deer flies – and by handling infected, sick, or dead animals.” The disease can also be passed to people or animals if they eat meat or drink water infected by the bacteria. It cannot, however, be passed from person to person. Tularemia symptoms typically occur within 3-5 days after exposure and include sudden fever, headaches, diarrhea, muscle aches, dry cough and progressive weakness. The disease is fatal, Public Health officials said, if not treated with the right antibiotics. Ticks in the area may pose the biggest threat to humans, so Public Health officials are advising locals and their pets to steer clear of heavily wooded areas where ticks thrive.
Biohazard name:	Tularemia (rabbit)
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

Today

HAZMAT

China

Province of Zhejiang Sheng, Hangzhou

HAZMAT in China on Saturday, 28 July, 2012 at 04:49 (04:49 AM) UTC.

Description

Chinese state media say a toxic gas leak caused by chemicals used nine years ago to combat the SARS epidemic has forced more than 800 workers to evacuate from a downtown office building in east China’s Hangzhou city. The gas came from a stockpile of chlorine dioxide powder. It was used as a disinfectant in 2003 during the SARS scare but was never disposed of. White smog filled the 19th floor of the building on Friday morning, causing panic.

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Articles of Interest

Today

Technological Disaster

India

State of Uttar Pradesh, Bijnor [Ramanand Public High School]

Technological Disaster in India on Saturday, 28 July, 2012 at 03:20 (03:20 AM) UTC.

Description

At least eight children were killed and 18 injured when the roof of a private school collapsed in Bijnor district of Uttar Pradesh on Friday afternoon. At least 30 children were in the classroom when the slab of the verandah on the first floor collapsed. District magistrate of Bijnor Sarika Mohan, however, said only six children have died in the accident and seven others sustained serious injuries .The injured have been admitted to the district hospital. Ramanand Public High School, a privately owned school, is located in the Zameerpur village, Chandpur town, Bijnor. The roof of the class room collapsed when about 30 students were in class. The children were all in Class V, aged between 10 and 13 years. “Prima facie it’s a case of negligence by the owner of the school. I have ordered a detailed inquiry into the incident and a FIR is being lodged against the owner of the school Rishipal Singh,” said Mohan. “Five children were declared brought dead by doctors and 18 kids have been admitted to various hospitals. Some of the injured are in serious condition. The rescue work is still in progress and we hope that there is no one left in the debris,” Mohan told media persons. The management and staff of the school fled after the incident and police teams have been deployed to search for them, she added. “I have also ordered an inquiry in to incident,” she added. Locals and villagers started the rescue operation, and by the time help reached, they had already rescued about a dozen kids. They were rushed to nearby nursing homes and primary health centres for treatment. The villagers also alleged that help reached them several hours after the incident took place and by that time they had rescued most of the children trapped inside. The parents and locals also shouted slogans and gheraoed senior officials of the district administration. They were pacified after the administration promised compensation and strict action against those found guilty of negligence. The district magistrate said a proposal for the compensation will be sent to the government.

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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.]

Earth Watch Report – Monday May 21st, 2012

Earthquakes

RSOE EDIS

Date/Time (UTC)	Magnitude	Area	Country	State/Prov./Gov.	Location	Risk			Source	Details
21.05.2012 09:30:26	2.9	Europe	Greece		Tyrgia				EMSC
21.05.2012 09:25:45	4.5	Asia	Japan	Miyagi-ken	Futawatashihama				USGS-RSOE
21.05.2012 09:30:52	4.6	Asia	Japan		Futawatashihama				EMSC
21.05.2012 08:31:33	3.4	North America	United States	California	Ribbonwood				USGS-RSOE
21.05.2012 08:25:44	3.5	North America	United States	California	Ribbonwood				USGS-RSOE
21.05.2012 09:31:13	2.3	Europe	Greece		Tyrgia				EMSC
21.05.2012 09:31:35	4.4	South-America	Argentina		La Laja				EMSC
21.05.2012 08:36:00	4.4	Atlantic Ocean	Argentina	Provincia de San Juan	La Laja				USGS-RSOE
21.05.2012 07:10:37	2.3	North America	United States	Alaska	Chelatna Lodge				USGS-RSOE
21.05.2012 07:25:29	3.0	Asia	Armenia		Saragyugh				EMSC
21.05.2012 07:25:47	3.1	Asia	Armenia		Saragyugh				EMSC
21.05.2012 06:05:31	2.8	Middle America	Mexico	Estado de Baja California	San Salvador				USGS-RSOE
21.05.2012 07:26:09	4.7	Indian Ocean	Maldives		Thinadhoo				EMSC
21.05.2012 06:30:43	4.9	Indian Ocean	Maldives	Maale	Thinadhoo				USGS-RSOE
21.05.2012 07:00:50	4.7	Pacific Ocean	Samoa		Aganoa				USGS-RSOE
21.05.2012 07:26:35	4.8	Pacific Ocean – West	Samoa		Aganoa				EMSC
21.05.2012 05:41:05	5.3	Asia	Japan	Okinawa-ken	Nishibaru				USGS-RSOE
21.05.2012 06:20:25	5.3	Asia	Japan		Nishibaru				EMSC
21.05.2012 04:57:16	2.4	North America	United States	California	Valle Vista				USGS-RSOE
21.05.2012 05:20:26	3.0	Europe	Italy		Gavello				EMSC
21.05.2012 05:20:48	2.9	Asia	Turkey		Suzbeyli				EMSC
21.05.2012 03:30:29	2.3	Middle America	Mexico	Estado de Baja California	Canon de Guadalupe				USGS-RSOE
21.05.2012 03:30:50	2.3	North America	United States	Alaska	Ninilchik				USGS-RSOE
21.05.2012 04:40:28	4.5	Asia	Japan	Iwate-ken	Aneyoshi				USGS-RSOE
21.05.2012 05:23:09	4.5	Asia	Japan		Aneyoshi				EMSC
21.05.2012 04:50:30	4.5	Asia	Japan	Iwate-ken	Aneyoshi				USGS-RSOE
21.05.2012 05:23:30	4.5	Asia	Japan		Aneyoshi				EMSC
21.05.2012 03:15:57	3.4	Europe	Italy		Gavello				EMSC
21.05.2012 03:00:37	2.4	Middle America	Mexico	Estado de Baja California	Canon de Guadalupe				USGS-RSOE
21.05.2012 03:16:18	2.7	Europe	Italy		Ravalle				EMSC
21.05.2012 03:10:26	4.8	Asia	Japan	Iwate-ken	Aneyoshi				USGS-RSOE
21.05.2012 03:16:40	4.9	Asia	Japan		Aneyoshi				EMSC
21.05.2012 06:20:44	3.0	Asia	Turkey		Kepir				EMSC
21.05.2012 02:15:35	2.7	Europe	Italy		San Martino in Spino				EMSC
21.05.2012 01:20:55	2.2	North America	United States	California	Solyo				USGS-RSOE
21.05.2012 01:20:57	2.2	North America	United States	California	Solyo				USGS-RSOE
21.05.2012 02:15:57	3.2	Asia	Armenia		Musayelyan				EMSC
21.05.2012 01:16:13	3.8	Europe	Italy		Cantaboa				EMSC
21.05.2012 01:00:36	2.5	North America	United States	California	Shamrock (historical)				USGS-RSOE
21.05.2012 01:16:41	2.8	Europe	Italy		Lillianes				EMSC
21.05.2012 01:06:21	4.4	Pacific Ocean	Fiji		Matokana				USGS-RSOE
21.05.2012 01:17:51	4.4	Pacific Ocean – East	Fiji		Matokana				EMSC
21.05.2012 01:18:14	3.6	Europe	Italy		Sant’Agostino				EMSC
21.05.2012 00:40:35	5.2	Asia	Japan	Iwate-ken	Aneyoshi				USGS-RSOE
21.05.2012 01:18:35	5.2	Asia	Japan		Aneyoshi				EMSC
21.05.2012 01:20:13	5.1	Indonesian Archipelago	Papua New Guinea		Yavik				EMSC
21.05.2012 00:35:35	5.1	Indonesian archipelago	Papua New Guinea		Yavik				USGS-RSOE
21.05.2012 00:41:00	4.6	Asia	Japan	Iwate-ken	Aneyoshi				USGS-RSOE
21.05.2012 01:20:34	4.6	Asia	Japan		Aneyoshi				EMSC
21.05.2012 00:15:23	2.8	Europe	Italy		Ghisellina				EMSC
21.05.2012 00:00:34	2.0	North America	United States	Alaska	Port Wakefield				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 23:35:32	2.3	North America	United States	Alaska	Port Graham				USGS-RSOE
21.05.2012 02:10:36	2.1	North America	Canada	British Columbia	Princeton				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 23:45:33	5.0	Pacific Ocean – West	Vanuatu	Tafea Province	Ifo				USGS-RSOE
21.05.2012 00:15:44	5.0	Pacific Ocean – West	Vanuatu		Ifo				EMSC
21.05.2012 04:15:29	3.0	Asia	Turkey		Cukurgol Yaylasi				EMSC
20.05.2012 23:00:35	4.3	South America	Chile	Region de Antofagasta	Topain				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 23:10:34	4.3	South-America	Chile		Topain				EMSC
20.05.2012 22:30:42	2.8	North America	United States	California	Centerville (historical)				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 22:10:44	2.0	North America	United States	Alaska	Anderson				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 22:05:37	3.0	Europe	Italy		Gavello				EMSC
20.05.2012 21:01:45	2.7	North America	United States	Texas	Timpson				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 21:00:47	3.5	Europe	Italy		Dosso				EMSC
20.05.2012 21:01:08	3.0	Europe	Italy		Vallacquosa				EMSC
20.05.2012 21:10:32	4.7	Europe	Italy		La Fruttarola				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 20:00:44	4.4	Europe	Italy		Villa Magri				EMSC
20.05.2012 20:01:02	3.2	Europe	Italy		Vigarano Mainarda				EMSC
20.05.2012 19:10:37	2.8	Middle America	Mexico	Estado de Baja California	Canon de Guadalupe				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 20:01:24	2.9	Europe	Italy		Ponte di San Pellegrino				EMSC
20.05.2012 18:35:39	2.0	North America	United States	California	Dunmovin				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 19:15:44	4.8	Indonesian archipelago	Indonesia		Ujungbungo				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 20:01:43	4.8	Indonesian Archipelago	Indonesia		Padangunoih				EMSC
20.05.2012 22:11:06	2.0	North America	United States	Alaska	Ferry				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 22:11:49	2.9	North America	United States	Alaska	Golden				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 17:55:30	3.0	Europe	Greece		Anthousa				EMSC
20.05.2012 22:12:10	2.2	North America	United States	Alaska	Valdez				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 17:55:56	3.4	Europe	Italy		La Fruttarola				EMSC
20.05.2012 17:41:04	4.1	Pacific Ocean – West	Wallis and Futuna	Wallis and Futuna	Mua				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 17:56:19	4.1	Pacific Ocean – West	Wallis and Futuna		Mua				EMSC
20.05.2012 15:36:34	2.1	North America	United States	California	Piru				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 15:26:40	2.1	North America	United States	Nevada	Argo				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 15:45:34	5.1	Europe	Italy		San Prospero				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 15:45:35	5.1	Europe	Italy		San Prospero				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 15:51:04	5.1	Europe	Italy		Possessionazza				EMSC
20.05.2012 15:51:23	3.4	Europe	Italy		Villa Magri				EMSC
20.05.2012 15:10:46	2.6	Middle America	Mexico	Estado de Baja California	San Salvador				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 15:20:33	4.6	Asia	Japan	Iwate-ken	Aneyoshi				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 15:51:48	4.6	Asia	Japan		Aneyoshi				EMSC
20.05.2012 15:52:11	3.8	Europe	Italy		Scortichino				EMSC
20.05.2012 15:52:30	2.6	Europe	Albania		Kosovec				EMSC
20.05.2012 15:54:51	4.8	Indonesian Archipelago	Indonesia		Cipatujah				EMSC
20.05.2012 15:11:07	4.8	Indonesian archipelago	Indonesia		Karanganyar				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 15:55:53	4.6	Pacific Ocean – West	Philippines		Camote				EMSC
20.05.2012 15:05:50	4.7	Pacific Ocean – West	Philippines	Province of Samar	Legaspi				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 15:06:12	2.9	Caribbean	Dominican Republic	Provincia de La Altagracia	Cabeza de Toro				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 14:21:27	3.2	Pacific Ocean	New Zealand		Sumner				GEONET
20.05.2012 13:51:59	2.0	North America	United States	Hawaii	‘Äpua (historical)				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 14:15:40	4.5	Pacific Ocean	Fiji		Nukunuku				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 14:50:37	4.5	Pacific Ocean – East	Fiji		Nukunuku				EMSC
20.05.2012 13:40:31	2.8	Middle America	Mexico	Estado de Baja California	Munoz				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 23:36:00	2.5	North America	United States	Alaska	Happy Valley				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 14:21:47	3.4	Pacific Ocean	New Zealand		Sumner				GEONET
20.05.2012 13:50:29	3.0	Europe	Italy		La Terzana				EMSC
20.05.2012 13:20:47	2.9	North America	United States	California	Honeydew				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 13:05:44	2.7	Middle America	Mexico	Estado de Baja California	Campo Buenos Tiempos				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 13:50:53	3.6	Europe	Italy		Le Cremosine				EMSC
20.05.2012 13:51:14	3.3	Europe	Italy		L’Orlanda				EMSC
20.05.2012 13:51:33	2.5	Europe	Romania		Poiana Trestiei				EMSC
20.05.2012 12:25:48	3.5	Middle America	Mexico	Estado de Baja California	El Misterioso				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 12:50:30	3.9	Europe	Italy		Quarantoli				EMSC
20.05.2012 13:06:04	4.5	Europe	Italy		Ponte di San Pellegrino				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 15:57:38	3.8	Europe	Italy		Stiatico				EMSC
20.05.2012 11:45:37	3.7	Europe	Greece		Polion				EMSC
20.05.2012 11:46:01	3.6	Europe	Greece		Agioi Apostoloi				EMSC
20.05.2012 11:40:28	4.7	Europe	Italy		Dogaro				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 11:46:31	4.5	Europe	Italy		San Carlo				EMSC
20.05.2012 11:05:38	2.1	North America	United States	Alaska	Valdez				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 11:00:43	3.7	North America	United States	Alaska	Akhiok				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 11:46:52	3.7	Europe	Italy		Scortichino				EMSC
20.05.2012 11:01:58	3.3	Pacific Ocean	New Zealand		Kuratau				GEONET
20.05.2012 11:20:41	5.0	Asia	Japan	Iwate-ken	Aneyoshi				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 11:47:14	5.1	Asia	Japan		Aneyoshi				EMSC
20.05.2012 11:06:04	5.1	Asia	Japan	Iwate-ken	Aneyoshi				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 10:40:33	5.5	Asia	Japan		Aneyoshi				EMSC
20.05.2012 10:45:28	5.3	Asia	Japan	Iwate-ken	Aneyoshi				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 10:40:55	3.7	Europe	Italy		Poggio Rusco				EMSC
20.05.2012 10:41:17	2.9	Europe	Italy		Casa Pezza				EMSC
20.05.2012 10:41:38	3.6	Europe	Italy		Monta				EMSC
20.05.2012 10:30:53	3.0	Caribbean	Dominican Republic	Provincia de La Altagracia	Cabo Engano				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 10:41:57	3.2	Europe	Italy		Portiolo				EMSC
20.05.2012 12:50:50	3.2	Europe	Italy		Redena				EMSC
20.05.2012 12:51:11	3.2	Europe	Italy		Possessionazza				EMSC
20.05.2012 11:47:34	2.7	Europe	Albania		Koxheraj				EMSC
20.05.2012 17:41:28	2.0	North America	United States	Missouri	Acorn Corner				USGS-RSOE

……….

Strong Italy quake kills at least six

by Staff Writers
Ferrara, Italy (AFP)

Strong Italy quake kills at least six
by Staff Writers
Ferrara, Italy (AFP) May 20, 2012

Dazed and angry residents count losses of Italy quake San Carlo, Italy (AFP) May 20, 2012 – Thousands of residents in towns around the northeast Italian city of Ferrara wandered in a daze Sunday amid the stench of gas leaks as aftershocks hit the region after a deadly quake.”I felt the house dancing around. It was chaos. We ran in all directions,” said Claudio Bignami, 68, a retired electrician in the town of San Carlo.”The furniture all fell over. There was broken glass everywhere,” said Bignami, as he stared out of his store at a collapsing restaurant in front.”We’re all trying to help each other out now,” he said.Small aftershocks continued to sow panic in the sparsely populated farmlands, industrial parks and small towns around the historic city of Ferrara even after the main 6.0-magnitude shock in the early hours of the morning that left at least six dead. Cracks were visible in the roads and chimneys and roof tiles littered the streets. At a nearby ceramic factory where two employees died, the crashing sounds of falling crates of tiles could still be heard long after the quake. Alda Bregoli, 73, was still in her nightshirt with a woollen jumper thrown on top standing under an umbrella in the rain. “I had to run out as quickly as possible. I didn’t have time to put anything on. The firemen told me I can’t go back in. I’m scared,” she said. Out of habit, many residents crowded around shuttered bars where they would usually go on a Sunday and looked for emergency workers, asking them to inspect the damage in their homes and worried about where they could stay the night. Local business owners began calculating the extent of the damage. One angry man in a baseball cap living in an isolated home in the countryside, still under shock, shouted: “Why are there no emergency workers here helping me? The roof of my house has fallen in! Why are they ignoring me?” The earthquake left many of the region’s modern two-storey homes intact but older buildings, ancient churches and belltowers which dot the flatlands were badly hit — some collapsed, others had gaping cracks. The centre of Ferrara is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site. A local chapel in San Carlo, the 16th-century Ghisilieri Oratorium, which had just been re-opened after an eight-year restoration, lay in ruins. “We’ll never be able to rebuild it,” sighed Claudio Fabbri, 37, an architect from Modena who has been working on the project and who rushed to the scene in the early hours after a local resident told him what had happened. Statues of angels in the chapel’s apse stared into the open sky after the roof and most of the walls caved in. Fabbri said his only hope was to save a precious painting above the altar now exposed to the elements. “We even had an Internet campaign to raise funds to restore the terracotta flooring. A lot of local residents contributed,” said Fabbri, shaking his head. “It was a very rich church. During the restoration we uncovered a 16th-century fresco in the ceiling. It even has the relics of a pope.”

A powerful earthquake shook Italy’s densely populated industrial northeast early Sunday, killing at least six people and reducing homes, factories and historic buildings to rubble.

Emergency services said dozens had been injured in the magnitude 6.0 quake, which struck in the middle of the night, sending thousands of people running into the streets in towns and cities across the Emilia Romagna region.

Prime Minister Mario Monti was to return early from the United States, where he was attending a NATO summit, as Italy reeled from the double shock of the quake and a deadly school attack that took place on Saturday.

Emergency workers were sifting through the rubble of collapsed buildings for victims hours after the quake and several aftershocks struck at 0200 GMT.

European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso expressed his “profound sadness” and said Brussels was “ready to provide swiftly any assistance that may be requested.”

Four of the dead were night-shift workers in factories which collapsed, including two who were crushed when the roof of a ceramics factory caved in in the town of Sant’Agostino.

A 37-year-old German woman and another woman aged over 100 reportedly died from shock.

The quake caused “significant” damage to historic buildings as it rattled the cities of Bologna, Ferrara, Verona and Mantua, Italy’s culture ministry said.

“According to first reports, damage to the cultural heritage is significant,” the ministry said, adding that it was carrying out “more detailed verifications with firemen and the civil defence service.”

Italian television showed many historic buildings, including churches, reduced to rubble. Cars were crushed under falling masonry, and the Civil Protection Agency evacuated hundreds of elderly and vulnerable people to makeshift communal shelters in Finale Emilia and towns near the epicentre.

Hospitals were evacuated as a precautionary measure and about 3,000 people have been evacuated from their homes.

Warehouses storing more than 300,000 wheels of Parmesan and Grana Padano, a similar cheese, with an estimated value of more than 250 million euros ($320 million), also collapsed, an industry official said.

The roof of a recently renovated sixth-century chapel in San Carlo, near Ferrara, caved in, exposing statues of angels to the elements.

Claudio Fabbri, a 37-year-old architect, told AFP the restoration had taken eight years. “Now there’s nothing left to do,” he said despondently.

People were out in the street, fearful of going indoors, as the odour of gas hung in the air.

Retired electrician Claudio Bignami, 68, said: “I went out because I felt the house moving. Furniture was falling over. It was chaos. Everyone was running in every direction.”

Aldra Bregoli, 73, who had pulled on a sweater over her nightgown, said: “I had to get out quickly. I can’t go back home. I’m afraid.”

Authorities said the quake’s epicentre was the commune of Finale Emilia, 36 kilometres (22 miles) north of Bologna, at a depth of only 5.1 kilometres.

One of the men killed in the ceramics factory collapse, Nicola Cavicchi, 35, “wanted to go to the seaside but because of the bad weather forecast he decided to go to work to replace a colleague who was sick,” a family member told local media.

A 29-year-old Moroccan man was killed by a falling girder when a factory building collapsed in the small town of Ponte Rodoni di Bondeno.

The body of a fourth night-shift worker was found in the early afternoon under fallen masonry at a factory in a nearby village.

In Finale Emilia, firefighters rescued a five-year-old girl who was trapped in the rubble of her house after a rapid series of phone calls between a local woman, a family friend who was in New York and emergency services.

The region shaken by the quake is Italy’s industrial heartland but also home to priceless architectural and art treasures. The historic centre of Ferrara is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

A 5.1 magnitude aftershock struck Sunday afternoon, forcing the collapse of several structures already weakened, with a firefighter left seriously injured after falling from a wall.

Yet in a show of calm nerves, officials opened polls as planned for the second round of local elections in the cities of Piacenza, Parma, Budrio and Comacchio.

“Italy is a very quake-prone country,” said seismologist Enzo Boschi.

In March 2009, a 6.3 magnitude quake devastated the central city of l’Aquila, killing some 300 people and leaving tens of thousands homeless.

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

Deadly & Destructive: More video of quake-hit Italy

Published on May 20, 2012 by RussiaToday

A strong earthquake shook northern Italy early on Sunday, killing at least four people, toppling buildings and sending residents running into the streets, emergency services and news reports said. The magnitude-6.0 temblor struck at 4:04 a.m. (2:04 GMT) on Sunday between Modena and Mantova, about 35 kilometers (22 miles) north-northwest of Bologna at a relatively shallow depth of 5 kilometers (3.2 miles), the US Geological Survey said. It was one of the strongest quakes to shake the region.

2

21.05.2012

Earthquake

Italy

[Modena and Mantova]

Earthquake in Italy on Sunday, 20 May, 2012 at 08:13 (08:13 AM) UTC.

Description

A magnitude-6.0 earthquake shook northern Italy early Sunday, killing at least three people and toppling some buildings, emergency services and news reports said.The quake struck at 4:04 a.m. Sunday between Modena and Mantova, about 22 miles north-northwest of Bologna at a relatively shallow depth of 6 miles, the U.S. Geological Survey said.It was one of the strongest quakes to shake the region, seismologists said, and initial television footage indicated that older buildings had suffered damage: roofs collapsed, church towers showed cracks and the bricks of some stone walls tumbled into the street. As dawn broke over the region, residents milled about the streets inspecting the damage.Italian news agency ANSA, citing emergency services, said two people were killed in Sant’Agostino di Ferrara when a ceramics factory collapsed. Another person was killed in Ponte Rodoni do Bondeno, ANSA said.The epicenter was between the towns of Finale Emilia, San Felice sul Panaro and Sermide but was felt as far away as Tuscany and northern Alto Adige.The initial quake was followed about an hour later by a 5.1-magnitude temblor, USGS said.IItaly’s Sky TG24 showed images of the collapsed ceramics factory where the two workers were reportedly killed; the structure, which appeared to be a hangar of sorts, had twisted metal supports jutting out at odd angles amid the mangled collapsed roof.In late January, a 5.4-magnitude quake shook northern Italy. Some office buildings in Milan were evacuated as a precaution and there were scattered reports of falling masonry and cracks in buildings.In 2009, a devastating temblor killed more than 300 people in the central city of L’Aquila.

…..

Twin quakes rock Japan

• AFP
• Tokyo

Japan was hit by two shallow earthquakes in the space of just eight minutes on Sunday, one of them measuring a strong 6.2-magnitude, but there were no reports of damage and no tsunami alert.

The 6.2-magnitude quake struck at 4:20pm (0720 GMT) off Japan’s northeast Pacific coast, the national meteorological agency said, followed by a tremor with a reading of 5.7 at 4:28pm.

The US Geological Survey estimated the magnitude of the first quake at 6.0.

The depth of both quakes was about 10 kilometres, the agency said.

“Sea levels may change slightly due to the (first) earthquake but there is no fear of damage resulting from it,” the agency said in a statement.

A 9.0-magnitude undersea earthquake off the same coast triggered a monster tsunami on March 11 last year, leaving about 19,000 people dead or missing and crippling the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

Magnitude 4.8 quake hits Christchurch

Christchurch has been rocked by a 4.8 magnitude earthquake on Sunday evening.

It follows a 4.1 magnitude quake four point one quake at 9.35am on Sunday.

The 4.8 quake was centred 20 kilometres east of Christchurch at a depth of eight kilometres and struck at 5.06pm.

The shaking lasted several seconds but so far there have been no reports of damage or injuries.

The chief executive of the electricity lines company, Orion, says there have been no reports of power outages.

Sunday morning’s quake measured 4.1 and was centred 20 kilometres west of Christchurch at a depth of 10km.

The regularity and strength of earthquakes has continued to subside since the quakes felt just before Christmas which produced power outages and fresh liquefaction.

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Volcanic Activity

Minor Glacial Burst in South Iceland Volcano Katla

A small glacial burst occurred in the volcano Katla, which lies underneath the Mýrdalsjökull icecap in south Iceland, on April 28 and lasted a few days. The activity was registered by seismic monitors and increased conduction was measured in the river Múlakvísl until May 7.

Mýrdalsjökull. Photo by Páll Stefánsson.

Last summer a large glacial burst, probably caused by a minor eruption in Katla, caused the river to swell and tear a hole in the Ring Road, right at the height of the tourism season in early July.

Oddur Sigurðsson, a geologist at the Icelandic Meteorological Office, told visir.is that the glacial burst in late April was so insignificant that it couldn’t be detected by the naked eye.

Oddur explained that it was caused by geothermal activity in one of Katla’s craters.

Volcano enthusiast and blogger Jón Frímann Jónsson reported on two events in Katla, on April 28 and May 6 or 7, and considers them to be warning signals: something is happening in the volcano, he predicts.

He also commented on the recent series of earthquakes which hit Herðubreið in the northeastern highlands early this week.

Is an eruption at Costa Rica’s Turrialba Volcano imminent?

   By Clayton R. Norman

Significant activity at the volcano east of San José has caught the attention of local volcanologists.

National Seismological Network volcanologists are keeping an eye on Turruialba Volcano, which they say could erupt soon. Courtesy of RSN

Costa Rica’s National Seismological Network has upgraded the color threat level to yellow of Turrialba Volcano, in the province of Cartago east of the capital.

A statement issued by Raúl Mora-Amador, coordinator of Seismology, Volcanology and Geophysical Exploration at the University of Costa Rica, indicates a threat level of yellow means that the National Seismological Network believes an eruption is “probable” in a matter of days, weeks or a few months.

The upgrade in the threat level is due to “important changes in seismic activity of Volcano Turrialba associated with the movement of fluids, gas and magma beneath the surface, different from that observed in past years,” Mora-Amador’s statement says.

Temperatures around some fumaroles on the volcano have risen to as much as 800° Celsius, accompanied by eruptions of ash. High-temperature emissions of volcanic gases including sulfur dioxide have increased, causing incandescence in some of the fumaroles, Mora-Amador said, adding that the internal wall of the active crater is very weak due to hydrothermal changes in the volcano. Mora-Amador indicated this could mean a major eruption could jettison material into the atmosphere.

Turrialba is the only volcano in the country currently with a yellow threat-level indicator. An upgrade to red would mean an eruptions is imminent.

Spectacular eruption of Guatemala’s Fuego volcano

Published on May 20, 2012 by itnnews

Guatemala’s Fuego volcano has begun belching lava and ash into the sky in a spectacular eruption. Report by Sam Datta-Paulin

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Extreme Temperatures/ Weather

Excessive Heat Warning

PHOENIX AZ

Heat Advisory

TUCSON AZ

Red Flag Warning

FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE

ELKO NV
TALLAHASSEE FL
FAIRBANKS AK
SALT LAKE CITY UT
RENO NV

Fire Weather Watch

CHEYENNE WY
GRAND JUNCTION CO
FLAGSTAFF AZ
EL PASO TX/SANTA TERESA NM
RENO NV

Extreme Fire Danger

RAPID CITY SD

Gale Warning

MEDFORD, OR
LOS ANGELES/OXNARD CA
PORTLAND OR

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Storms, Flooding

Name of storm system	Location	Formed	Last update	Last category	Course	Wind Speed	Gust	Wave	Source	Details
Alberto	Atlantic Ocean	20.05.2012	21.05.2012	Tropical Storm	180 °	65 km/h	78 km/h	3.66 m	NHC

 Tropical Storm data

Storm name: Alberto Area: Atlantic Ocean Start up location: N 32° 10.537, W 79° 11.367 Start up: 20th May 2012 Status: Active Track long: 374.77 km Top category.: Report by: NHC Useful links: Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale FEMA – How To Prepare for a Hurricane Effects of a Hurricane USA – National Hurricane Center
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 21st May 2012 08:05:05 N 30° 30.000, W 80° 6.000 7 65 78 Tropical Storm 180 ° 12 1007 MB NHC

Name of storm system

Location

Formed

Last update

Last category

Course

Wind Speed

Gust

Wave

Source

Details

TWO-E

Pacific Ocean – East

21.05.2012

01.01.1970

ER

°

0 km/h

0 km/h

0.00 m

Tropical Storm data

Storm name: TWO-E Area: Pacific Ocean – East Start up location: N 9° 18.000, W 99° 36.000 Start up: 21st May 2012 Status: Active Track long: 0.00 km Top category.: Report by: NHC

Useful links: Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale FEMA – How To Prepare for a Hurricane Effects of a Hurricane USA – National Hurricane Center

……….

Severe Thunderstorm Warning

ALBUQUERQUE NM

Tropical Storm Warning

CAPE FEAR TO 31N OUT TO 32N 73W TO 31N 74W
CHARLESTON SC
ATLANTIC FROM 27N TO 31N W OF 77W-

20.05.2012

Flood

Afghanistan

[Sar-e-Pul]

Flood in Afghanistan on Sunday, 20 May, 2012 at 11:20 (11:20 AM) UTC.

Description

Flood waters ravaged a provincial capital in northern Afghanistan, killing at least 19 people and destroying hundreds of homes, officials said Sunday.About 60 other people were missing and rescuers were looking for them across Sar-e-Pul, the capital of a province with the same name, said Sayed Faizullah Sadat, the national disaster director in the area.Northern Afghanistan gets hit nearly every spring by flash flooding from heavy rains and snow melting off the mountains. Sadat said 1,000 houses were destroyed and 10,000 people were forced to find shelter in mosques, schools and a teacher-training center.”Most of these families have lost their houses — all their property, their livelihoods,” he said. According to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance, the water rose to 1.5 meters on Saturday during the peak of the flooding.The office said four humanitarian assessment teams tried to get to the city on Saturday, but could not access the area.”Most of the roads are blocked by the flooding,” said Sayed Jahangir, deputy provincial police chief. “Hundreds of houses have been destroyed. We were able to move people to different places that we think will be safe.”The Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority reported that several hundred people were rescued from rooftops.Flash flooding also has been reported in northern Takhar province.Mustafa Rasouli, a spokesman for the province, said heavy rains continued Sunday in the area where flash flooding killed two people. He said 3,000 animals, including sheep and cows also were killed, and about 1,000 hectares of farm land had been destroyed in the provincial capital of Taloqan and six other districts.”Two thousand houses have been partially or completely destroyed,” he said.

Flood Warning

AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
WILMINGTON NC

Flood Advisory/Flood Watch

FAIRBANKS AK

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Radiation

Extreme Radioactive Black Substance Discovered 5 Kilometers From Tokyo

By LBG1

Black substance five times more radioactive than Chernobyl-Belarus mandatory exculsion zone

[Photo-Image: Radioactive mystery black substance discovered in different locations in Tokyo, photo source, Fukushima Diary]

A mysterious black substance five times more radioactive than the Chernobyl-Belarus mandatory evacuation zone was discovered 4 kilometers from the center of Tokyo, the Hirai Station. The mystery radioactive black substance discovered close to Tokyo on the heels of the discovery of Cesium in Fukushima Prefecture 122 times higher than in Belarus evacuation zone.
[Image: Google Earth map location of Japan’s Hirai Station]

The Belarus exclusion zone, a 30-mile now wilderness area around the Chernobyl plant. Tokyo is located more than 241 kilometers from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant with four nuclear reactors in “dire” condition according to physicist Dr. Michio Kaku.

Flashpoint interview with Dr. Kaku:

………“People don’t realize that the Fukushima reactor is on a knife’s edge; it’s near the tipping point. A small earthquake, another pipe break, another explosion could tip it over and we could have a disaster much worse, many times worse than Chernobyl. It’s like a sleeping dragon………

Read Full Article  And Listen to Interview  Here

Fukushima Radioactive Contamination Will Spread to Kamchatka, Hawaii, U.S. Soon

By LBG1

[Photo-Image: Kid’s radiation protective suits ad in Fukushima newspaper, Photo source, Fukushima-Diary.com]

Now that we know plutonium has been detected in the mysterious black dust discovered in different locations in Japan and the mists seen swirling around the damaged nuclear reactors is radioactive water vapor, the news TEPCO may be covering up the true amount of highly radioactive contamination leaking into the sea.

According to a new article posted by the Asia-Pacific Journal, Japan Focus, After The Media Has Gone: Fukushima, Suicide and the Legacy of 3.11, there has been a continuous leakage of radioactive waste water into the Pacific Ocean, radioactive waste water that includes strontium-90, and, the dire claim Fukushima’s radioactive waste water “contamination will spread all over the world, reaching to Kamchatka, Hawaii and the U.S. soon”.

Possibly angry at this situation, on April 21st a 62-year-old nuclear worker broke the silence on the continued leakage of contaminated water from Fukushima Daiichi. Speaking to me, he requested anonymity for fear of losing his job. He supervises a construction site aimed at building a new facility to extract radioactive materials such as cesium and strontium from the contaminated water used to cool the plant’s crippled reactors. He revealed that the current facility removes only cesium and that other radioactive materials such as strontium cannot be cleaned up.

He expressed astonishment at the scale of the cleanup operation. “You know how much contaminated water is stored at the Fukushima Daiichi site? It is 200,000 tons. It is an enormous amount!” “In reality,” he said, raising his voice, “it is impossible to store that much water on site. So, it is obvious that some of the contaminated water has been leaked into the ocean.”

TEPCO announced on March 26th, 2012 that approximately 120 tons of water had leaked from a treatment pipe, forcing them to halt operating the treatment facility. Thi was the second time in two weeks that contaminated water leaked from the nuclear power plant.3

Read Full Article Here

Radioactive Water Vapor at Fukushima Nuke Plant Video, Mysterious Black Dust Contains Plutonium

By LBG1

Concern mounts over Fukushima nuclear reactor number four

[Photo-Image: Water vapor containing radiation swirls around damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactors, May 2, 2012. Photo image source: Fukushima live stream web cam video]

“Nearly all of the 10,893 spent fuel assemblies at the Fukushima Daiichi plant sit in pools vulnerable to future earthquakes, with roughly 85 times more long-lived radioactivity than released at Chernobyl.”
-April 30, 2012, Urgent letter to UN General Secretary

In post-March 11, 2011 (311) Japan a small, makeshift wall constructed of ‘bags of rock’ is the sole protection from a future tsunami at the Fuksuhima Nuclear Power Plant Number One; bags of rock to protect four severely damaged nuclear reactors including reactor number four still in disrepair after the 311 magnitude 9.0 earthquake and devastating tsunami. Located in nuclear reactor number four, spent nuclear fuel–Cesium-137 (Cs-137)–equivalent to 10 times the amount that was released at the time of the Chernobyl nuclear accident.

Post 311, a surreal world of mysterious black ‘dust’ discovered in different locations in Japan and fog-like clouds swirling around the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant Number One. Detected in the mysterious black dust, plutonium. The fog-like clouds, radioactive water vapor. Hidden from eyesight in the radioactive water vapor fog, mixed Plutonium Uranium fuel scattered around Fukushima nuclear reactor number three.

The report on the radioactive water vapor from the Japan website Fukushima Diary:

Oshidori Mako talked at Osaka Bar Association when she asked Tepco , “We see gas coming out from Fukushima plants at night. It looks like smoke. What is that ? ” Tepco replied it’s water vapor. She asked them again, if it’s radioactive. They answered it is radioactive, and it comes out in day time and night time.

2012.05.02 01:00-02:00 (Live Fukushima Nuclear Plant Cam) Video

Read Full Article Here

The Pacific Ocean Is Dying

  by cosmicconvergence2012

A Special Report On the Fukushima Nuclear Catastrophe

Radioactive Seawater Impact Map (March 2012), US Dept of State Geographer Image

The upshot of each of the preceding articles is that the Pacific Ocean is extremely vulnerable to the radioactive waste being dumped into her waters at Fukushima. Should another catastrophic earthquake occur, it could create a new and more complicated nuclear disaster scenario that is truly irreparable. Even without any seismic activity affecting the nuclear sites, the current state of affairs has taken for granted that the Pacific Ocean will become a nuclear dumping ground for decades to come. It has not been lost on us that such an inevitability appears to be the only practical expedient available.

We are truly saddened by the great loss of marine life and harm to myriad aquatic and shoreline ecosystems. As the nuclear radiation is exported around the Asian Ring of Fire, genetic mutation will begin to affect every form of life — from phytoplankton to whales, from seabirds to mangroves, from dolphins to krill. Everything that lives near the Pacific will be at risk to some degree. Anyone who lives, works or plays in or around the Pacific will be compelled to evaluate their relationship to this great ocean.

What have we done to Mother Earth by siting nuclear power plants in the most seismically active region of the world?!

What in God’s Creation can possibly be done to fix it?

Never in the history of humankind has the planet been confronted with such a grave set of circumstances. Fukushima represents all that can go wrong when scientific applications and technological advancement within a crude industrial context have gone awry. Unfortunately, given the many trajectories that numerous fields of technological innovation are currently on, Fukushima and the BP Gulf oil spill of 2012 may only be the beginning of a period of  accelerating technospheric breakdown which will sweep across the planet.
  Read Full Article Here

Related Article Here

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Solar Activity

2MIN News May20: ECLIPSE, NASA Spaceweather, Planetary Positions & News

Published on May 20, 2012 by Suspicious0bservers

http://www.rt.com/news/big-brother-street-lamps-286/
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/19/us-g8-summit-obama-iran-idUSBRE84I0…
http://www.thelocal.de/society/20120519-42629.html
http://www.astrobio.net/pressrelease/4767/jpl-wants-to-finesse-info-from-exop…
http://www.astrobio.net/pressrelease/4766/how-life-recovers-from-devastation
http://www.space.com/15614-sun-observing-safety-tips-infographic.html
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/20/us-quake-italy-idUSBRE84J01K20120520

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]

SOHO: http://sohodata.nascom.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/soho_movie_theater [SOHO; Lasco and EIT]

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

NOAA: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/wsa-enlil/cme-based/ [For more advanced solar watchers]

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

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

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]

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Space

New Planet Found in Our Solar System?

Odd orbits of remote objects hint at unseen world, new calculations suggest.

Artist’s conception of a small icy object beyond Pluto (file picture).

Illustration courtesy G. Bacon, STScI/NASA

Richard A. Lovett in Timberline Lodge, Oregon

for National Geographic News

Published May 11, 2012

An as yet undiscovered planet might be orbiting at the dark fringes of the solar system, according to new research.

Too far out to be easily spotted by telescopes, the potential unseen planet appears to be making its presence felt by disturbing the orbits of so-called Kuiper belt objects, said Rodney Gomes, an astronomer at the National Observatory of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro.

Kuiper belt objects are small icy bodies—including some dwarf planets—that lie beyond the orbit of Neptune.

Once considered the ninth planet in our system, the dwarf planet Pluto, for example, is one of the largest Kuiper belt objects, at about 1,400 miles (2,300 kilometers) wide. Dozens of the other objects are hundreds of miles across, and more are being discovered every year.

(See “Three New ‘Plutos’? Possible Dwarf Planets Found.”)

What’s intriguing, Gomes said, is that, according to his new calculations, about a half dozen Kuiper belt objects—including the remote body known as Sedna—are in strange orbits compared to where they should be, based on existing solar system models. (Related: “Pluto Neighbor Gets Downsized.”)

The objects’ unexpected orbits have a few possible explanations, said Gomes, who presented his findings Tuesday at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Timberline Lodge, Oregon.

“But I think the easiest one is a planetary-mass solar companion”—a planet that orbits very far out from the sun but that’s massive enough to be having gravitational effects on Kuiper belt objects.

Read Full Article Here

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
(2006 KY67)	23rd May 2012	2 day(s)	0.1499	58.3	68 m – 150 m	13.88 km/s	49968 km/h
(2011 KG4)	24th May 2012	3 day(s)	0.1216	47.3	67 m – 150 m	11.50 km/s	41400 km/h
1 AU = ~150 million kilometers,1 LD = Lunar Distance = ~384,000 kilometers Source: NASA-NEO

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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.]

Earth Watch Report – Sunday May 20th, 2012

Earthquakes

RSOE EDIS

 

Date/Time (UTC)	Magnitude	Area	Country	State/Prov./Gov.	Location	Risk			Source	Details
20.05.2012 05:17:31	2.1	North America	United States	Alaska	Willow				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 05:26:43	5.1	Europe	Italy		Case Oratorio				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 05:22:25	5.0	Europe	Italy		Le Cremosine				EMSC
20.05.2012 05:22:50	4.0	Europe	Italy		Cortile				EMSC
20.05.2012 05:23:30	3.8	Europe	Italy		Pieve di Cento				EMSC
20.05.2012 05:24:04	3.7	Europe	Italy		Stuffione				EMSC
20.05.2012 05:24:53	4.4	Europe	Italy		Dosso				EMSC
20.05.2012 05:25:59	4.1	Europe	Italy		Palazzo Vana				EMSC
20.05.2012 05:26:42	4.5	Europe	Italy		Villa Magri				EMSC
20.05.2012 04:25:44	5.9	Europe	Italy		Dogaro				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 04:18:17	5.9	Europe	Italy		Vallacquosa				EMSC
20.05.2012 05:27:13	2.7	Asia	Turkey		Sarnickoy				EMSC
20.05.2012 04:18:38	5.3	Pacific Ocean – East	Northern Mariana Islands		Shomushon				EMSC
20.05.2012 04:15:24	5.1	Pacific Ocean	Northern Mariana Islands		Shomushon				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 03:05:53	2.6	North America	United States	Washington	Desert Aire				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 02:30:33	2.0	North America	United States	Alaska	Susitna				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 05:28:52	2.4	Asia	Turkey		Bekirler				EMSC
20.05.2012 01:30:47	4.2	Europe	Italy		Corte Motta				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 02:00:30	4.0	Europe	Italy		Redena				EMSC
20.05.2012 01:00:32	2.1	North America	United States	Alaska	Susitna				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 00:55:29	2.6	Europe	Greece		Flokas				EMSC
20.05.2012 00:45:41	2.1	Middle America	Mexico	Estado de Baja California	El Puerto				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 00:46:02	2.6	North America	United States	Alaska	Iniskin				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 00:55:48	5.1	North-America	United States		Atka				EMSC
20.05.2012 00:30:37	5.1	North America	United States	Alaska	Atka				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 00:46:25	5.0	North America	United States	Alaska	Atka				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 01:15:56	4.5	Asia	Japan	Iwate-ken	Aneyoshi				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 02:00:51	4.5	Asia	Japan		Aneyoshi				EMSC
20.05.2012 00:56:45	4.8	Pacific Ocean	Northern Mariana Islands		Shomushon				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 00:56:15	5.0	Pacific Ocean – East	Northern Mariana Islands		Shomushon				EMSC
20.05.2012 00:35:36	2.1	Caribbean	Puerto Rico		Campamento Susua				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 00:25:25	2.5	Caribbean	Puerto Rico		Campamento Susua				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 00:00:57	4.1	Pacific Ocean	New Zealand	Woodville County	Weedons				GEONET
19.05.2012 23:55:24	4.5	Indonesian Archipelago	Indonesia		Dabra				EMSC
19.05.2012 23:56:17	4.5	Indonesian archipelago	Indonesia		Dabra				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 01:55:42	2.3	North America	Canada	British Columbia	Princeton				USGS-RSOE
20.05.2012 04:15:45	3.8	North America	United States	Alaska	Amchitka				USGS-RSOE
19.05.2012 22:26:24	4.4	Atlantic Ocean	Argentina	Provincia de Salta	Agua Blanca				USGS-RSOE
19.05.2012 22:50:33	4.4	South-America	Argentina		Agua Blanca				EMSC
19.05.2012 22:20:40	2.4	Middle America	Mexico	Estado de Baja California	San Antonio				USGS-RSOE
19.05.2012 23:55:49	5.0	Indonesian Archipelago	Indonesia		Padangi				EMSC
19.05.2012 23:10:40	5.0	Indonesian archipelago	Indonesia		Padangi				USGS-RSOE
19.05.2012 22:50:52	3.1	Europe	Greece		Lioprason				EMSC
19.05.2012 22:26:46	4.1	South America	Chile	Region de Coquimbo	Lengua de Vaca				USGS-RSOE
19.05.2012 22:51:14	4.1	South-America	Chile		Lengua de Vaca				EMSC
19.05.2012 21:30:40	2.9	Middle America	Mexico	Estado de Baja California	El Puerto				USGS-RSOE
19.05.2012 21:30:59	2.9	Middle America	Mexico	Estado de Baja California	El Puerto				USGS-RSOE
19.05.2012 22:51:35	5.1	Asia	Japan		Aneyoshi				EMSC
19.05.2012 22:55:34	4.7	Asia	Japan	Iwate-ken	Aneyoshi				USGS-RSOE
19.05.2012 21:50:33	5.2	Asia	Japan		Aneyoshi				EMSC
19.05.2012 21:22:46	5.8	Asia	Japan	Iwate-ken	Aneyoshi				USGS-RSOE
19.05.2012 21:50:54	5.6	Asia	Japan		Tadakoshi				EMSC
19.05.2012 20:55:42	2.0	North America	United States	Hawaii	Komakawai				USGS-RSOE
19.05.2012 20:35:38	2.0	North America	United States	Alaska	Sunrise				USGS-RSOE
19.05.2012 22:40:38	4.5	Middle East	Iraq	Muhafazat Maysan	Manziliyah				USGS-RSOE
19.05.2012 22:51:56	4.5	Middle-East	Iraq		Qal`at Nahr Shumaysh				EMSC
19.05.2012 20:25:40	2.0	Middle America	Mexico	Estado de Baja California	El Puerto				USGS-RSOE
19.05.2012 22:35:36	4.8	Pacific Ocean – West	Vanuatu	(( Malakula ))	Hounnbank				USGS-RSOE
19.05.2012 22:52:18	4.8	Pacific Ocean – West	Vanuatu		Hounnbank				EMSC
19.05.2012 19:20:35	2.1	North America	United States	Alaska	Iniskin				USGS-RSOE
19.05.2012 19:45:34	4.8	Pacific Ocean – East	Tonga		Ha`atafu				EMSC
19.05.2012 17:40:28	2.7	Europe	Greece		Galini				EMSC
19.05.2012 17:40:52	2.8	Europe	Greece		(( Galpaki ))				EMSC
19.05.2012 16:25:36	2.1	North America	United States	Alaska	Rampart				USGS-RSOE
19.05.2012 16:20:47	3.8	North America	United States	Alaska	Rampart				USGS-RSOE
19.05.2012 16:15:36	2.5	North America	United States	Alaska	Eureka				USGS-RSOE
19.05.2012 16:40:35	3.0	Europe	Greece		Metokhion Zografou				EMSC
19.05.2012 16:40:53	4.9	Asia	China		Co Nyi				EMSC
19.05.2012 16:41:13	2.2	Asia	Turkey		Ismetpasa				EMSC
19.05.2012 15:45:48	2.0	North America	United States	California	Watermans Corner				USGS-RSOE
19.05.2012 14:55:33	2.2	North America	United States	Hawaii	Volcano				USGS-RSOE
19.05.2012 14:40:33	2.2	North America	United States	Alaska	Valdez				USGS-RSOE
19.05.2012 15:41:04	3.2	Caribbean	British Virgin Islands		The Settlement				USGS-RSOE
19.05.2012 14:50:39	4.8	Pacific Ocean	Tonga		Haatua				USGS-RSOE
19.05.2012 15:40:30	4.8	Pacific Ocean – East	Tonga		Haatua				EMSC
19.05.2012 14:35:36	4.8	Asia	Turkey		Cukurgol Yaylasi				EMSC
19.05.2012 14:40:56	4.2	Asia	Turkey	Mugla Ili	Cukurgol Yaylasi				USGS-RSOE
19.05.2012 13:30:34	2.7	Europe	Greece		Sarti				EMSC
19.05.2012 13:20:44	2.0	North America	United States	California	South Landing				USGS-RSOE
19.05.2012 13:47:04	3.6	Caribbean	British Virgin Islands		The Settlement				USGS-RSOE
19.05.2012 13:50:45	3.7	Caribbean	British Virgin Islands		The Settlement				USGS-RSOE
19.05.2012 12:26:08	2.4	North America	United States	Hawaii	Hanaipoe				USGS-RSOE
19.05.2012 12:20:48	4.0	Asia	China	Tibet Autonomous Region	Co Nyi				USGS-RSOE
19.05.2012 12:25:29	4.0	Asia	China		Co Nyi				EMSC
19.05.2012 11:25:39	2.7	Asia	Turkey		Lutfiye				EMSC
19.05.2012 11:41:07	3.3	Caribbean	Dominican Republic	Provincia de La Altagracia	Cabo Engano				USGS-RSOE
19.05.2012 10:46:28	2.2	Middle America	Mexico	Estado de Baja California	Dos A				USGS-RSOE
19.05.2012 10:55:48	6.2	South America	Chile	Region de Antofagasta	Cifuncho				USGS-RSOE
19.05.2012 11:26:00	5.8	South-America	Chile		Posada de los Hidalgos				EMSC
19.05.2012 11:26:22	2.6	Europe	Greece		Metokhion Zografou				EMSC
19.05.2012 11:26:42	2.6	Europe	Greece		Thivais				EMSC
19.05.2012 09:40:48	2.3	North America	United States	California	Junction Ranch				USGS-RSOE
19.05.2012 10:20:28	3.1	Asia	Turkey		Alakilise				EMSC
19.05.2012 09:15:39	2.5	Europe	Greece		Tzamalaiika				EMSC
19.05.2012 08:50:39	2.3	North America	United States	Hawaii	Papaloa				USGS-RSOE
19.05.2012 07:45:36	2.2	North America	United States	California	Watermans Corner				USGS-RSOE
19.05.2012 08:16:04	3.2	Asia	Turkey		Isikli				EMSC
19.05.2012 08:12:53	4.3	Asia	Russia	Kamchatskaya Oblast'	Nikol’skoye				USGS-RSOE
19.05.2012 08:16:30	4.3	Europe	Russia		Nikol’skoye				EMSC
19.05.2012 08:16:51	4.9	Indonesian Archipelago	Indonesia		Uyuod				EMSC
19.05.2012 07:35:34	4.9	Indonesian archipelago	Indonesia	North Sulawesi	Uyuod				USGS-RSOE
19.05.2012 06:45:39	2.1	North America	United States	Hawaii	Volcano				USGS-RSOE
19.05.2012 18:45:33	2.5	Europe	Greece		Lakhania				EMSC
19.05.2012 06:20:37	3.4	Caribbean	Dominican Republic	Provincia de La Altagracia	El Coco				USGS-RSOE
19.05.2012 08:17:13	3.1	Asia	Azerbaijan		Qimir				EMSC
19.05.2012 06:05:25	4.1	Pacific Ocean – East	Fiji		Vuluna				EMSC
19.05.2012 18:31:10	3.0	North America	United States	Alaska	Atka				USGS-RSOE
19.05.2012 06:05:46	3.7	Asia	Azerbaijan		Azgilli				EMSC
19.05.2012 07:10:35	2.3	Asia	Turkey		Bakir				EMSC
19.05.2012 13:30:54	2.9	Europe	Albania		Vajkal-Bulqize				EMSC

 

 

……….

 

Moderate 5.9 strikes coastal region of Chile: tension is rising along the Nazca tectonic plate

 ” data-mce-href=”http://theextinctionprotocol.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/01.png?w=640″>May 19, 2012 – CHILE – A 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Antofagasta, Chile. The depth of the earthquake was 25 km (15.5 m) and was downgraded from a 6.2 magnitude quake by the USGS. The epicenter of the earthquake was 54 km (33 miles) SW of Taltal, Antofagasta, Chile and 849 km (527 miles) N of Santiago, Chile. This is the third moderate earthquake to strike along the Chilean coastline in five days. A 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck off the southern coastal region of Aisen, Chile on May 18. A 6.2 earthquake also struck near Tarapaca on May 14. Tension continues to mount on the very dangerous Nazca plate which is violently diving or undergoing subduction under the South American plate. The absolute motion of the Nazca Plate has been calibrated at 3.7 cm/yr east motion (88°), some of the fastest absolute motion of any tectonic plate. The subducting Nazca Plate, which exhibits unusual flat-slab subduction, is tearing as well as deforming as it is subducted under the land mass. No tsunami warnings were issued with today’s 5.9 earthquake and there have been no reports of damage or injuries. Today’s earthquake, however, is one more indication tension along the Nazca tectonic plate is building. This region should remain alert for the potential occurrence of a stress-break or sizable release of seismic tension that could be manifested in a major earthquake. –The Extinction Protocol

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Volcanic Activity

 

 

Mount Marapi Volcano Erupts Again

Submitted by Pierrot Durand

A report, published in the Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, has unveiled recently that a volcano, namely Indonesia’s Mount Marapi, erupted early Friday at 7:15 a. m. local time, lasting for nearly ten minutes.

It has been found that the volcano has had several such eruptions since when its alert status was updated last August. Also, the same has erupted for a total of around 454 times since the late eighteenth century till 2008.

While a majority of these were minor eruptions, fifty of them were significant, last in the year 2005, found the team of researchers from Oregon State University.

The erupted volcano is located in the province of West Sumatra, near the cities and town of Bukittinggi, Padang Panjang and Batusangkar in West Sumatra. As per the findings, the volcano is the most active one.

It is being said that its eruptions had killed 300 people between October and November and had caused around 300,000 people to relocate as well. “Our study found some of the first evidence that the region has a much more explosive history than perhaps has been appreciated”, said Morgan Salisbury, lead author.

 

 

 

Guatemala volcano spits lava and ash

GUATEMALA CITY | Sat May 19, 2012 1:16pm EDT

May 19 (Reuters) – Guatemala’s Fuego volcano belched burning lava and black ash into the sky early Saturday, leading the government to issue an airplane advisory and close sections of highway.

The volcano, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) southwest of the capital, erupted about 2:45 a.m. (0745 GMT), spewing a column of ash up to 16,400 feet (5,000 meters) above the crater and launching burning red lava nearly 1,300 feet (400 meters) high.

The national emergency commission issued an advisory, warning planes not to fly within a 25-mile (40 kilometer) radius of the volcano. The La Aurora international airport in Guatemala City remained open.

The commission also closed two stretches of highway threatened by lava flows that reached the base of the mountain.

Guatemala’s four active volcanoes have a history of causing shut downs. In 2010, an explosion at the Pacaya volcano about 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of Guatemala City coated the city in a thick layer of black ash and rock, forcing hundreds of families to evacuate and closing the international airport. (Reporting By Mike McDonald; Editing by Bill Trott)

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Extreme Temperatures/ Weather

 

 

Gale Warning

 

ANCHORAGE ALASKA

Red Flag Warning

FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE

 

TALLAHASSEE FL
FAIRBANKS AK

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Storms, Flooding

 

 

Forecasters eye low pressure off Carolinas’ coast

The Associated Press

MIAMI — The National Hurricane Center is keeping an eye on a low pressure system off the South Carolina coast to see if it will develop into a tropical depression or storm.

An advisory issued Saturday said satellite and radar images shows the system about 120 miles southeast of Myrtle Beach, S.C., has begun to acquire more tropical characteristics as showers and thunderstorms increased near the circulation center.

Forecasters say additional development of the system is possible, meaning it could become a tropical depression or a tropical storm over the next day or so. The hurricane center says the system has a 50 percent chance of becoming a tropical cyclone, and could move either to the south or west during the next 48 hours.

 

Tropical Storm Warning

 

CAPE FEAR TO 31N OUT TO 32N 73W TO 31N 74W
ATLANTIC FROM 27N TO 31N W OF 77W-

 

 

 

Tropical Storm Watch

 

CHARLESTON SC

 

Active tropical storm system(s)
Name of storm system	Location	Formed	Last update	Last category	Course	Wind Speed	Gust	Wave	Source	Details
Aletta	Pacific Ocean – East	14.05.2012	19.05.2012	Tropical Depression	90 °	46 km/h	65 km/h	3.66 m	NHC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tropical Storm data

Storm name: Aletta Area: Pacific Ocean – East Start up location: N 9° 48.000, W 105° 54.000 Start up: 14th May 2012 Status: 01st January 1970 Track long: 405.18 km Top category.: Report by: TSRC Useful links: Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale FEMA – How To Prepare for a Hurricane Effects of a Hurricane USA – National Hurricane Center
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 19th May 2012 11:05:35 N 14° 36.000, W 112° 48.000 4 46 65 Tropical Depression 90 ° 12 1006

 

Severe Thunderstorm Warning

 

NORMAN OK

Severe Thunderstorm Watch

 

WICHITA KS
NORMAN OK
DES MOINES IA

Flash Flood Warning

 

SIOUX FALLS SD

Flood Warning.

 

AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
CORPUS CHRISTI TX
WILMINGTON NC

Flood Watch

 

FAIRBANKS AK

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Climate Change

 

 

“Warming Hole” In The Sky Appears Over US 

MessageToEagle.com – Scientists are still unable to determine what is causing the “warming hole” over United States.

Some have suggested natural variations in sea surface temperatures could be responsible, but recent studies indicate the hole has been created due to air pollution.

Temperatures are increasing on global scale, but in the central and eastern United States warming has not kept pace with other parts of the world over much of the last century.

As shown in the lower map, which is based on data from NASA’s Surface Temperature Analysis (GISTEMP), parts of the United States even cooled between 1930 and 1990. Areas of the greatest cooling are blue; those that warmed are red.

Climate scientists have taken to calling the large area of cooling a “warming hole” because the areas surrounding it have warmed at a faster rate.

While working at Harvard University, Eric Leibensperger used global climate models to estimate the cooling effect sulfates have had on the climate of the United States since 1950.As seen in the top map, they found that between 1970 and 1990-the period when sulfates were at their highest levels-average temperatures were nearly 1°Celsius (1.8°Fahrenheit) cooler in a core area centered on Arkansas and Missouri and about 0.7°Celsius cooler in a larger tear-drop region throughout the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. The cooling effect extended into the North Atlantic Ocean as well; sulfate pollution lowered sea surface temperatures there by 0.3°Celsius.

Image credit: NASA

Leibensperger’s research also shows that the cooling effect from sulfates is diminishing.

The amount of the pollutant in the atmosphere has declined significantly in the last few decades due to the Clean Air Act.

According to Environmental Protection Agency estimates, the amount of sulfur dioxide (a precursor to sulfates) released into the atmosphere fell by 58 percent between 1980 and 2010. Satellites have confirmed the decrease; the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on the Aura satellite observed a sharp decline in sulfates over the eastern United States between 2005 and 2010.

As a response to the declining sulfate levels, Leibensperger’s modeling shows temperatures over the central and eastern United States have increased by 0.3°Celsius between 1980 and 2010. How much more warming can we expect as sulfate concentrations continue to decline? Not much, according to Leibensperger.

Sulfate concentrations have declined so much already that the impact of future decreases won’t be nearly as substantial.

MessageToEagle.com based on material provided by NASA.

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Solar Activity

2MIN News May19: Extinctions, Preppers, Supervolcano, Solar/Planetary Update

Published on May 19, 2012 by Suspicious0bservers

http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2012/05/16/can-we-retain-privacy-in-the…
http://www.astrobio.net/pressrelease/4764/collecting-solar-power-in-space
http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2012/05/supervolcano-drilling-plan-…
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120518132706.htm
http://www.weather.com/news/doomsday-preppers-20120517

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]

SOHO: http://sohodata.nascom.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/soho_movie_theater [SOHO; Lasco and EIT]

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

NOAA: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/wsa-enlil/cme-based/ [For more advanced solar watchers]

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

Gamma Ray Bursts: http://grb.sonoma.edu/

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

 

 

SOLAR ECLIPSE THIS WEEKEND:

SpaceWeather.com

On Sunday, May 20th, the Moon will pass in front of the Sun, producing an annular solar eclipse visible across the Pacific side of Earth. The path of annularity, where the sun will appear to be a “ring of fire,” stretches from China and Japan to the middle of North America:

Image credits (left to right): Hans Coeckelberghs, Fred Espenak, Dennis Mammana

An animated eclipse map prepared by Larry Koehn of ShadowandSubstance.com shows the best times to look. In the United States, the eclipse begins at 5:30 pm PDT and lasts for two hours. Around 6:30 pm PDT, the afternoon sun will become a luminous ring in places such as Medford, Oregon; Chico, California; Reno, Nevada; St. George, Utah; Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Lubbock, Texas. Outside the narrow center line, the eclipse will be partial. Observers almost everywhere west of the Mississippi will see a crescent-shaped sun as the Moon passes by off-center.

Because this is not a total eclipse, some portion of the sun will always be exposed. To prevent eye damage, use eclipse glasses, a safely-filtered telescope, or a solar projector to observe the eclipse. You can make a handy solar projector by criss-crossing your fingers waffle-style. Rays of light beaming through the gaps will have the same shape as the eclipsed sun. Or look on the ground beneath leafy trees for crescent-shaped sunbeams and rings of light.

Solar eclipse resources:

• Annular eclipse photo gallery — from spaceweather.com
• NASA feature story and video
• Live webcasts: #1, #2 (submit more links here)
• Animated Eclipse Map — from shadowandsubstance.com

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Space

 

 

VENUS TRANSFORMED:

SpaceWeather.com

Something special is happening to Venus in the evening sky. The second planet is diving toward the sun for a much-anticipated transit on June 5-6. As Venus turns its night side toward Earth, the planet is transforming into a beautifully slender and colorful crescent:

John Chumack of Dayton, Ohio, took the picture on May 14th using a 10-inch telescope. “I was blown away by the sight of Venus,” he says. “The planet was 14% illuminated, 47 arcseconds in diameter, and blazing at -4.43 magnitude.”

The crescent shape of Venus is easy to see in good binoculars or small telescopes. No special observing experience is required. Just find Venus in the western sky after sunset (you can’t miss it), point and look. A good tripod to hold the optics steady is recommended.

As the evening wears on and Venus sinks toward the horizon, the refractive effect of Earth’s atmosphere splits the crescent into the colors of the rainbow. Kevin R. Witman of Cochranville, Pennsylvania, observed the phenomenon on May 11th: “Earth’s atmospheric refraction of Venus’s ample light made a beautiful image through my 10-inch telescope.”

more images: from Mark Marquette of Boones Creek, Tennessee; from Philippe Vanden Doorn of Rixensart, Belgium; from Luis Argerich of Buenos Aires, Argentina; from Tomasz Gołombek of Tczew, Poland; from Francesc Pruneda of Palamós, Catalonia (Spain); from Sadegh Ghomizadeh of Tehran, Iran;

Power Of Three Telescopes Revealed
How Black Holes Are Fueled 

MessageToEagle.com – A fascinating accretion phase of a supermassive black hole in the centre of a galaxy tens of millions of light years away, was observed by researchers using the light of three powerful infrared telescopes.

The resolution at which they were able to observe this highly luminescent active galactic nucleus (AGN) has given them direct confirmation of how mass accretes onto black holes in centres of galaxies.

The observation was led by Gerd Weigelt, a director of the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Bonn, Germany.

“This three-telescope interferometry is a major milestone toward directly imaging the growth phase of supermassive black holes,” said Sebastian Hoenig, a postdoctoral researcher at the UC Santa Barbara Department of Physics, and one of the astrophysicists who utilized this technique to observe the AGN at the centre of galaxy NGC 3783. Hoenig described their findings as a ring of hot dust that marks the transition from a more-distant mixture of gas and dust in a toroidal (doughnut-shaped) structure, to a gaseous disk closer to the black hole. The dusty part, he said, is interesting because it dominates the infrared emission of active galactic nuclei and can be easily observed.

However, observing the ring of hot dust in NGC 3783 was a challenge for the astrophysicists.

Not only is the ring distant and faint, but the ability of individual infrared telescopes to resolve distances between actively accreting objects is also highly limited.

Artist’s view of a dust torus surrounding the accretion disk and the central black hole in active galactic nuclei. Credit: NASA E/PO – Sonoma State University, Aurore Simonnet

Even the largest optical/infrared telescopes in the world, the Keck telescopes, were not powerful enough, though they can show objects in the infrared comparable to about the size of a football field at the distance of the moon.

To achieve that angular resolution in a single telescope, it would have to be 130 meters in diameter.

“In order to spatially resolve the accretion process onto supermassive black holes in nearby galaxies, we have to be at least a factor of ten better,” said Hoenig.

However, by using the AMBER interferometry instrument to simultaneously combine the light from three 8-meter telescopes at the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) at the Paranal Observatory in Chile, the research team was able to achieve the angular resolution needed to observe the hot dust ring.

The combination of the light from the three telescopes was no small feat, as the tiny differences in the arrival of light in the individual telescopes have to undergo constant correction with an accuracy of a few micrometers ?” roughly ten times smaller than the thickness of a hair, according to Hoenig.

Very Large Telescope Interferometer at the ESO/Paranal Observatory in Chile. Credit: Sebastian Hoenig

“The ESO VLTI provides us with a unique opportunity to improve our understanding of active galactic nuclei,” said lead researcher Weigelt.

“It allows us to study fascinating physical processes with unprecedented resolution over a wide range of infrared wavelengths. This is needed to derive physical properties of these sources.”

“Our main interest is to learn how supermassive black holes in the centers of galaxies are fueled, so that they grow to the enormous million to billion solar mass objects we see today,” added Sebastian Hoenig.
@ MessageToEagle.com via

See also:
New Discovery Could Reveal The Secrets Of Solar Flares

 

 

 

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
4183 Cuno	20th May 2012	0 day(s)	0.1218	47.4	3.5 km – 7.8 km	14.40 km/s	51840 km/h
(2006 KY67)	23rd May 2012	3 day(s)	0.1499	58.3	68 m – 150 m	13.88 km/s	49968 km/h
(2011 KG4)	24th May 2012	4 day(s)	0.1216	47.3	67 m – 150 m	11.50 km/s	41400 km/h
1 AU = ~150 million kilometers,1 LD = Lunar Distance = ~384,000 kilometers Source: NASA-NEO

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Sinkholes

Huge Mystery Hole Appears In Newcastle, UK – May 17, 2012

Published on May 18, 2012 by Sheilaaliens

http://sheilaaliens.net/?p=710 “A huge hole in the road has appeared just yards from people’s homes in Newburn, near Newcastle. The 10ft deep crater appeared suddenly on the afternoon of Thursday, May 17, taking an 8ft section of brick wall with it.

Police closed off the road for a while as experts from Newcastle City Council and Northumbria Water were called in to find the cause. Workmen were later called in to fill in the hole.

A police spokesman said: “There are a lot of mine workings around here. Possibly it is a coal working. We are still trying to work out what’s happened. ”

Lynsey McMeekin, 28, of Spencer Court, whose flat looks onto the hole, said: “It is just crazy.
“When I saw all the police cordons I thought there must have been an accident. ”

The crater expanded from Millfield Lane into land belonging to Just Brickwork Ltd after a dividing wall dramatically collapsed into the hole. Newburn Dene and a water culvert run underneath Millfield Lane and the Spencer Court flats, which were built in 2006.

The lane is one of the main access routes to the nearby Newburn Manor Primary School and is regularly used by parents dropping off their children at school.

Robert Lowes, 41, who lives on the nearby Manor Grove estate said the area had been blighted by sink holes for years. Just a few months ago a post box collapsed into a hole that appeared overnight.

He said: “There is subsidence all around here. “We have had other big dips in the tarmac all over the place.

“I know someone who has had a huge crack in their house.” ”
http://tyneandwear.sky.com/news/article/20860

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Articles of Interest

 

 

Growing Stones
An Incredible Geological Phenomena 

MessageToEagle.com – Earth is an amazing planet and our nature is full of wonders. We have previously written about incredible singing plants.

This time we would like to focus our readers’ attention on another amazing geological phenomena, namely so-called growing stones.

It is difficult to image that stones can really grow, but these stones seem to be alive!

The Romanian Trovants Museum Natural Reserve is located in Valcea County, close to the road connecting Ramnicu Valcea and Targu Jiu, 8 km far from Horezu.

Here in a small village named Costesti, there are some fascinating and mysterious stones, called trovants, which are believed to have a life in them. Trovant is a geological term used often in Romania. It means cemented sand.

Trovants are geological phenomena which consist in spherical shapes of cemented sand, appeared due to some powerful seismic activity.The earthquakes that led to the creation of the first trovants are supposed to have taken place 6 million years ago. What makes these trovants unique and mysterious is that are reproducing after coming in contact with water. After heavy raining the stones grow starting with 6-8 millimetres and ending with 6-10 meters. It’s really remarkable!

Trovants in Romania are stones that grow.

One of the strangest aspects about these stones is that although they vary in size, from a couple of millimeters to even 10 m, they are very similar, taking into account a natural law that states there are no such things as identical stones.

In addition, just like the famous rocks in Death Valley, California, the trovants often move from one place to another place.

Scientists believe that the stones increase in size due to high content of various mineral salts, which are under their shell. When the surface becomes wet, these chemicals start spreading and put pressure on the sand, making the stone “grow”.

A “living” stone.

A trovant having a strange shape.Today trovants are protected.

However, despite their best efforts, scientists have failed to come up with a logical explanation why the stones have extensions that remind of roots. If they are cut, their sections have colored rings, just like trees.

These stones behave almost like some kind of unknown inorganic life-form! We cannot deny that our planet is truly amazing!

Local residents have been aware of the stones unusual properties for more than 100 years, but they have never paid the trovants any special attention. The stones were often used as building materials and tombstones.

Today, the Trovants Museum in Romania is protected by UNESCO.

@ MessageToEagle.com

See also:
Amazing Phenomenon Of Singing Plants

 

 

19.05.2012

Explosion

Italy

Brindisi

 

 

 

Explosion in Italy on Saturday, 19 May, 2012 at 09:19 (09:19 AM) UTC.

Description

An explosion at a school in Italy Saturday injured killed one person and six students, two seriously, according to reports and officials.The blast happened at 7:45 a.m. at a school in Brindisi as students were waiting to go inside, NBC News reported.The school is opposite a court in the city.A Civil Protection Authority official told Reuters that one person had been killed and six injured.There were unconfirmed reports that the dead person was a student.

 

 

19.05.2012

Chemical Accident

USA

State of California, Los Angeles [Los Angeles harbor]

 

 

Chemical Accident in USA on Saturday, 19 May, 2012 at 05:40 (05:40 AM) UTC.

Description

Fire officials say a large cargo ship has been evacuated in Los Angeles harbor as firefighters work to find the source of a gas leak.The incident began early Friday afternoon. Fire spokesman Matt Spence says the type of gas is unknown and may be coming from a container at the bottom of a deep stack of containers.About 25 firefighters, wearing gas masks, are working to find the source of the gas by removing the containers piece by piece.Spence says the ship was outbound from the Port of Los Angeles, and it’s unclear what its haul is.Spence says there’s no immediate cause for alarm or immediate indication of terror threat as firefighters investigate the situation.

 

 

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