Earthquakes
USGS
| MAG | UTC DATE-TIME y/m/d h:m:s |
LAT deg |
LON deg |
DEPTH km |
Region | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MAP | 3.3 | 2012/09/12 23:24:02 | 19.578 | -64.125 | 59.0 | VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION |
| MAP | 5.4 | 2012/09/12 21:52:17 | -23.915 | 82.951 | 10.0 | SOUTH INDIAN OCEAN |
| MAP | 2.6 | 2012/09/12 20:42:00 | 33.932 | -116.730 | 12.6 | SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA |
| MAP | 3.1 | 2012/09/12 20:10:27 | 18.872 | -64.470 | 40.0 | VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION |
| MAP | 2.6 | 2012/09/12 19:45:04 | 59.083 | -153.142 | 85.7 | SOUTHERN ALASKA |
| MAP | 5.1 | 2012/09/12 19:29:56 | 36.687 | 71.367 | 188.6 | HINDU KUSH REGION, AFGHANISTAN |
| MAP | 2.8 | 2012/09/12 17:30:36 | 52.026 | -169.391 | 56.0 | FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA |
| MAP | 3.3 | 2012/09/12 15:26:46 | 51.858 | -169.319 | 27.4 | FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA |
| MAP | 3.3 | 2012/09/12 14:48:16 | 19.331 | -64.724 | 13.0 | VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION |
| MAP | 4.9 | 2012/09/12 14:23:05 | 10.391 | 126.716 | 4.1 | PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION |
| MAP | 4.6 | 2012/09/12 13:46:08 | 51.193 | 178.670 | 52.4 | RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA |
| MAP | 3.1 | 2012/09/12 12:10:46 | 19.534 | -64.168 | 70.0 | VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION |
| MAP | 3.1 | 2012/09/12 11:33:18 | 18.428 | -66.669 | 128.0 | PUERTO RICO |
| MAP | 5.2 | 2012/09/12 11:27:51 | -10.111 | 161.071 | 87.4 | SOLOMON ISLANDS |
| MAP | 3.1 | 2012/09/12 10:26:26 | 19.332 | -63.854 | 47.0 | VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION |
| MAP | 3.4 | 2012/09/12 10:25:07 | 19.557 | -64.386 | 50.0 | VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION |
| MAP | 4.8 | 2012/09/12 09:37:29 | 24.990 | 123.192 | 15.4 | SOUTHWESTERN RYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN |
| MAP | 4.7 | 2012/09/12 09:20:54 | -32.484 | -68.523 | 101.8 | MENDOZA, ARGENTINA |
| MAP | 4.6 | 2012/09/12 07:18:43 | 24.984 | 123.135 | 10.2 | SOUTHWESTERN RYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN |
| MAP | 3.0 | 2012/09/12 07:08:08 | 19.419 | -155.289 | 33.1 | ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII |
| MAP | 3.8 | 2012/09/12 06:42:14 | 60.245 | -151.965 | 68.1 | KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA |
| MAP | 4.8 | 2012/09/12 06:29:35 | 9.527 | -85.190 | 35.0 | OFF THE COAST OF COSTA RICA |
| MAP | 2.7 | 2012/09/12 05:51:11 | 41.225 | -117.486 | 0.0 | NEVADA |
| MAP | 4.6 | 2012/09/12 05:50:54 | 41.774 | 71.954 | 28.4 | KYRGYZSTAN |
| MAP | 4.5 | 2012/09/12 05:23:18 | 9.215 | -77.788 | 46.0 | NEAR THE NORTH COAST OF COLOMBIA |
| MAP | 4.2 | 2012/09/12 05:00:25 | 36.755 | 24.190 | 10.1 | SOUTHERN GREECE |
| MAP | 3.0 | 2012/09/12 04:50:39 | 19.757 | -64.314 | 25.0 | NORTH OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS |
| MAP | 5.6 | 2012/09/12 04:28:15 | -5.067 | 152.131 | 65.7 | NEW BRITAIN REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA |
| MAP | 4.4 | 2012/09/12 04:10:52 | 9.635 | -85.122 | 34.9 | OFF THE COAST OF COSTA RICA |
| MAP | 2.6 | 2012/09/12 04:04:37 | 19.609 | -64.379 | 25.0 | VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION |
| MAP | 3.6 | 2012/09/12 04:02:56 | 19.648 | -64.275 | 38.0 | VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION |
| MAP | 5.5 | 2012/09/12 03:27:45 | 34.811 | 24.064 | 27.4 | CRETE, GREECE |
| MAP | 2.7 | 2012/09/12 03:11:20 | 18.046 | -65.498 | 18.0 | PUERTO RICO REGION |
| MAP | 5.0 | 2012/09/12 02:57:26 | -40.013 | 46.035 | 10.0 | SOUTHWEST INDIAN RIDGE |
| MAP | 4.6 | 2012/09/12 02:13:04 | 10.197 | -85.440 | 37.3 | COSTA RICA |
| MAP | 4.6 | 2012/09/12 01:13:26 | 11.955 | -88.839 | 35.0 | OFF THE COAST OF CENTRAL AMERICA |
Magnitude 5.5 earthquake jolts Islamabad, KPK, Punjab
Islamabad: A tremor of moderate earthquake was felt in Islamabad, Peshawar and other parts of Pakistan, however no causalities were reported.
According to the Pakistan Metrological Department (PMD), the intensity of the earthquake was magnitude 5.5 on Richter scale. The earthquake was felt in Islamabad, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Swat, Malakand, Dir, North Punjab and other parts of Pakistan.
The focal point of the quake was near the Afghan-Tajik border. The tremors created panic among the residents.
LISS – Live Internet Seismic Server
GSN Stations
These data update automatically every 30 minutes. Last update: September 13, 2012 09:19:00 UTC
Seismograms may take several moments to load. Click on a plot to see larger image.
CU/ANWB, Willy Bob, Antigua and Barbuda
CU/BBGH, Gun Hill, Barbados
CU/BCIP, Isla Barro Colorado, Panama
CU/GRGR, Grenville, Grenada
CU/GRTK, Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos Islands
CU/GTBY, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
CU/MTDJ, Mount Denham, Jamaica
CU/SDDR, Presa de Sabaneta, Dominican Republic
CU/TGUH, Tegucigalpa, Honduras
IC/BJT, Baijiatuan, Beijing, China
IC/ENH, Enshi, China
IC/HIA, Hailar, Neimenggu Province, China
IC/LSA, Lhasa, China
IC/MDJ, Mudanjiang, China
IC/QIZ, Qiongzhong, Guangduong Province, China
IU/ADK, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, USA
IU/AFI, Afiamalu, Samoa
IU/ANMO, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
IU/ANTO, Ankara, Turkey
IU/BBSR, Bermuda
IU/BILL, Bilibino, Russia
IU/CASY, Casey, Antarctica
IU/CCM, Cathedral Cave, Missouri, USA
IU/CHTO, Chiang Mai, Thailand
IU/COLA, College Outpost, Alaska, USA
IU/COR, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
IU/CTAO, Charters Towers, Australia
IU/DAV,Davao, Philippines
IU/DWPF,Disney Wilderness Preserve, Florida, USA
IU/FUNA,Funafuti, Tuvalu
IU/FURI, Mt. Furi, Ethiopia
IU/GNI, Garni, Armenia
IU/GRFO, Grafenberg, Germany
IU/GUMO, Guam, Mariana Islands
IU/HKT, Hockley, Texas, USA
IU/HNR, Honiara, Solomon Islands
IU/HRV, Adam Dziewonski Observatory (Oak Ridge), Massachusetts, USA
IU/INCN, Inchon, Republic of Korea
IU/JOHN, Johnston Island, Pacific Ocean
IU/KBS, Ny-Alesund, Spitzbergen, Norway
IU/KEV, Kevo, Finland
IU/KIEV, Kiev, Ukraine
IU/KIP, Kipapa, Hawaii, USA
IU/KMBO, Kilima Mbogo, Kenya
IU/KNTN, Kanton Island, Kiribati
IU/KONO, Kongsberg, Norway
IU/KOWA, Kowa, Mali
IU/LCO, Las Campanas Astronomical Observatory, Chile
IU/LSZ, Lusaka, Zambia
IU/LVC, Limon Verde, Chile
IU/MA2, Magadan, Russia
IU/MAJO, Matsushiro, Japan
IU/MAKZ,Makanchi, Kazakhstan
IU/MBWA, Marble Bar, Western Australia
IU/MIDW, Midway Island, Pacific Ocean, USA
IU/MSKU, Masuku, Gabon
IU/NWAO, Narrogin, Australia
IU/OTAV, Otavalo, Equador
IU/PAB, San Pablo, Spain
IU/PAYG Puerto Ayora, Galapagos Islands
IU/PET, Petropavlovsk, Russia
IU/PMG, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
IU/PMSA, Palmer Station, Antarctica
IU/POHA, Pohakaloa, Hawaii
IU/PTCN, Pitcairn Island, South Pacific
IU/PTGA, Pitinga, Brazil
IU/QSPA, South Pole, Antarctica
IU/RAO, Raoul, Kermandec Islands
IU/RAR, Rarotonga, Cook Islands
IU/RCBR, Riachuelo, Brazil
IU/RSSD, Black Hills, South Dakota, USA
IU/SAML, Samuel, Brazil
IU/SBA, Scott Base, Antarctica
IU/SDV, Santo Domingo, Venezuela
IU/SFJD, Sondre Stromfjord, Greenland
IU/SJG, San Juan, Puerto Rico
IU/SLBS, Sierra la Laguna Baja California Sur, Mexico
IU/SNZO, South Karori, New Zealand
IU/SSPA, Standing Stone, Pennsylvania USA
IU/TARA, Tarawa Island, Republic of Kiribati
IU/TATO, Taipei, Taiwan
IU/TEIG, Tepich, Yucatan, Mexico
IU/TIXI, Tiksi, Russia
IU/TRIS, Tristan da Cunha, Atlantic Ocean
IU/TRQA, Tornquist, Argentina
IU/TSUM, Tsumeb, Namibia
IU/TUC, Tucson, Arizona
IU/ULN, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
IU/WAKE, Wake Island, Pacific Ocean
IU/WCI, Wyandotte Cave, Indiana, USA
IU/WVT, Waverly, Tennessee, USA
IU/XMAS, Kiritimati Island, Republic of Kiribati
IU/YAK, Yakutsk, Russia
IU/YSS, Yuzhno Sakhalinsk, Russia
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Volcanic Activity
| 12.09.2012 | Volcano Eruption | Japan | Kagoshima Prefecture, [Sakura-jima Volcano, Island of Kyushu] |  |
 |
Volcano Eruption in Japan on Wednesday, 12 September, 2012 at 11:52 (11:52 AM) UTC.
| Description | |
| Described as “a stronger than usual explosion” by volcanic activity specialists, the Sakurajima eruption was captured by four live cameras set up by the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. The volcano, located in Japan’s southern Kagoshima region, erupted at 20:42 local time (11:42GMT) on Tuesday and sent a plume of ash 15,000ft in the air, according to Japanese authorities. |
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Extreme Temperatures/ Weather
CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — Firefighters are taking advantage of cooler, more humid weather to dig in around a wildfire burning on Casper Mountain.
Crews were focusing Wednesday on building containment lines around the northwest corner of the Sheep Herder Hill Fire, the portion closest to most of the 750 homes threatened by the blaze. The fire has destroyed seven homes on the mountain overlooking Casper since breaking out Sunday.
It hasn’t spread much in the last 24 hours and is listed at nearly 25 square miles and 10 percent contained.
Investigators will also be in the fire zone looking into how the fire started. Fire spokeswoman Susan Ford said that’s a standard procedure when there aren’t any obvious signs of how a fire started, such as a lightning strike.
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Storms / Flooding
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| Name of storm system | Location | Formed | Last update | Last category | Course | Wind Speed | Gust | Wave | Source | Details |
| Sanba (17W) | Pacific Ocean | 11.09.2012 | 13.09.2012 | SuperTyphoon | 340 ° | 213 km/h | 259 km/h | 5.79 m | JTWC | |
Tropical Storm data
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| Nadine (AL14) | Atlantic Ocean | 11.09.2012 | 13.09.2012 | Hurricane I | 305 ° | 111 km/h | 139 km/h | 5.18 m | NOAA NHC | |
Tropical Storm data
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| Kristy (EP11) | Pacific Ocean – East | 12.09.2012 | 13.09.2012 | Tropical Depression | 295 ° | 83 km/h | 102 km/h | 4.57 m | NOAA NHC | |
Tropical Storm data
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USGS Flyover Shows Storm Damage and Marsh Dieback |
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USGS Flyover Shows Storm Damage and Marsh Dieback
Posted: 11 Sep 2012 06:00 AM PDT
A flyover of southeast Louisiana revealed storm damage from Hurricane Isaac and marsh dieback, some of which was occurring before Hurricane Isaac. The flyover was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey National Wetlands Research Center (NWRC), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service.
The flight examined areas from Wax Lake Delta, La., to Ship Island, Miss., and preliminary assessments suggest that Hurricane Isaac damaged coastal wetlands in a manner that is substantial, but not unprecedented. Damage to coastal wetland areas was evident throughout much of southeast Louisiana. The intensity of hurricane effects was most abundant in areas of upper Breton Sound, an area just to the south of the community of Braithwaite, which experienced devastating flooding. Breton Sound had been experiencing some slight recovery from the extensive damage inflicted by Hurricanes Katrina and Gustav; however, scientists observed many of the initial effects of Hurricane Isaac to be reactivations of previous damages in these newly recovering areas. Photos from the flyover are available online.
“The before and after images from coastal flyovers reveal the disappearance of some of the Gulf’s most biologically and economically significant landscape disappearing before our very eyes, on human time scales,” said USGS Director Marcia McNutt. “There are many compounding factors that lead to enhanced coastal vulnerability, with hurricanes sweeping in to deliver the coup de grace.”
Other areas in which physical damage to coastal wetlands was observed include the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain near Slidell, areas surrounding the Rigolets to include the mouth of the Pearl River, and the Chandeleur Islands. The majority of structural changes in these areas appear to be reactivations or intensifications of effects of previous storms. Previous storms such as hurricanes Audrey, Hilda, Betsy, Andrew, Katrina, Rita, Gustav, and Ike are known to have damaged coastal wetlands and contributed to wetland loss, and Isaac appears to have been yet another blow to Louisiana’s fragile but vital coastal wetlands.
“Louisiana’s coastal land loss is the greatest environmental, economic and cultural tragedy on the North American Continent, and marsh dieback exacerbates this ongoing disaster,” said USGS NWRC Director Phil Turnipseed. “The NWRC is dedicated to continuing to investigate the causes of land loss in order to provide decision makers with information that can help reduce land loss in the future.”
The most prevalent effects of Hurricane Isaac observed were expansive wrack fields. Wrack is accumulated organic debris and trash that are transported and deposited by a hurricane’s surge. Wrack deposits from Hurricane Isaac were observed throughout southeast Louisiana, burying existing marsh areas and obstructing infrastructure, such as canals and railroads. Generally wrack deposits eventually decompose and the areas are re-vegetated, but in the short-term wrack can kill the existing wetland vegetation.
Very few downed trees were observed in forested wetlands from Hurricane Isaac, especially compared to that of Hurricane Katrina, which is likely indicative of the lesser intensity of this storm. Even in areas where no physical removal of wetlands or vegetation was evident, the vegetation which did survive was observed to have sustained substantial damage.
Large areas of marsh dieback, termed “brown marsh” or “sudden marsh dieback,” were observed in the Terrebonne and Barataria basins in Louisiana. Previous reports of sudden marsh dieback in the spring and summer of 2012, before Hurricane Isaac, indicate that the dieback in this area has been increasing over time and may be the result of a combination of other stressors. Evidence of vegetation stress, such as widespread discoloration, was also observed in areas that were directly impacted further to the east by hurricane storm surge. The browning and destruction in the marshes east of the Mississippi River in coastal Louisiana appear to be recent, indicating a more direct link to salinity and flooding stress associated with the Hurricane Isaac’s storm surge. The USGS will further investigate the recent history of sudden marsh dieback events in coastal Louisiana. Subsequent aerial surveys will be conducted to quantify the extent of brown marsh and to potentially separate the phenomenon of sudden dieback and the storm surge impacts.
Sudden marsh dieback events have occurred over the last decade in coastal marshes from the Northern Gulf of Mexico to Maine. One of the most severe events occurred in 2000, where almost 25,000 acres (about 400 square miles) of salt marsh were impacted throughout Louisiana’s Mississippi River Delta Plain. The cause of sudden marsh dieback is still under debate, but may be cyclical depending on interactive climate conditions, sea level changes, and other environmental factors.
Marsh dieback can lead to land loss since the roots of the plants help hold the marsh together and, in some cases, increase the elevation of the marsh. As the plants die, the elevation of the marsh sinks when the roots deteriorate, turning marsh to shallow open water.
Louisiana currently experiences more wetland loss then all other states in the U.S. combined. Coastal Louisiana has lost a wetland area the size of Delaware, equaling 1,883 square miles, over the past 78 years, according to a 2011 USGS National Wetlands Research Center study.
Visit NWRC’s hurricane research for more information. To view images collected during post-Hurricane Isaac reconnaissance flights, click on the Hurricane Isaac link. To learn more about brown marsh, visit the Coastal Marsh Dieback (Brown Marsh) website.
| 12.09.2012 | Flash Flood | USA | State of Utah, [Santa Clara area of Washington County] | |
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Flash Flood in USA on Wednesday, 12 September, 2012 at 03:22 (03:22 AM) UTC.
| Description | |
| Stacie Rogers was happy to hear that an employee got the seven preschoolers out of her performing art school and safely home – a flood was coming. Rogers, owner of Talent Sprouts, got word from the city early Tuesday afternoon that her business and others needed to evacuate. Heavy rain in southern Utah Tuesday afternoon caused flooding in the Santa Clara area of Washington County, which was declared a disaster area after an earthen dike broke. Extremely heavy rain fell into a small canyon above Santa Clara, which drained into what used to be a dry wash but has since been developed with homes and businesses, said Pete Wilensky, lead forecaster for the NWS in Salt Lake City. Between Monday evening and Tuesday at 2:44 p.m., 3.41 inches of rain fell in nearby Ivins, according to the NWS website. A retention pond swollen by the torrential rain broke through a canal dike near Sunset Boulevard and North Canyon View Drive, unleashing a flood of muddy red water. Shortly after noon, the city had evacuated 60 homes and 15 businesses threatened by water pouring toward the Santa Clara River. Water flooded at least several homes and businesses near the intersection of Santa Clara Drive and Canyon View Drive, said Chad Hays, director of parks and trails for Santa Clara. The waters flooded at least 10 to 15 homes, though officials were still trying to assess the extent of the damage Tuesday evening. The Red Cross of Utah provided snacks, water and dry ground for evacuees in the first floor of the Santa Clara City Building. Most of the water from the retention pond had stopped flowing by late Tuesday afternoon, and the city allowed people to return to their homes and businesses, some to see the damage for themselves. That included Randy Snow, owner of the Domino’s Pizza at 2311 Santa Clara Drive. |
| 12.09.2012 | Flash Flood | USA | State of Nevada, [Las Vegas area] | |
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Flash Flood in USA on Wednesday, 12 September, 2012 at 03:15 (03:15 AM) UTC.
| Description | |
| An intense thunderstorm is flooding streets and washes and prompting 911 calls for swift-water rescues in the Las Vegas area. Clark County spokesman Dan Kulin says rescuers are trying to confirm a report of a person in the water in a wash near Viking Road. That’s northeast of Maryland Parkway and Flamingo Road. But Las Vegas officials say firefighters haven’t confirmed any reports of people being swept away by water. The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood warning until 4 p.m. Tuesday in the central Las Vegas area. Almost an inch of rain was reported at McCarran International Airport just before 2 p.m. Officials say some motorists are reporting high water in intersections around the Las Vegas area. |
| 13.09.2012 | Flash Flood | Pakistan | State of Balochistan, [Balochistan-wide] |  |
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Flash Flood in Pakistan on Wednesday, 12 September, 2012 at 03:09 (03:09 AM) UTC.
| Description | |
| Torrential rains continued lashing northern and eastern Balochistan, rendering hundreds of families homeless, inundating vast area of agriculture land and cutting off Balochistan from rest of the country. Two dead bodies have also recovered from the rainwater in Dera Murad Jamali and Bolan district while eight people, among them three women were also missing. Provincial government, Pak Army and Frontier Corps have started rescue operation in the rain battered areas of the province. The prevailing spate of intermittent rains which started five days back has badly affected Naseerabad, Jaffarabad, Kohlu, Barkhan, Rakhni, Sibi, Qila Saifullah, Zhob, Harnai, Loralai and Musa Khail districts of Balochistan rendering hundreds of families homeless and suspending train and road network with Punjab, Sindh and Khaibar Pakhtunkhwa. The torrential rains continued lashing parts of Balochistan for fifth consecutive day inundating hundreds of houses, destroying standing crops on millions of acre, injuring hundreds of people.Road network linking Balochistan to rest of the country has suspended as rain has pounded portion of roads in Qila Saifullah, Loralai, Harnai, Naseerabad, Jaffarabad, Zhob, Dera Ghazi Khan, Bolan and Sibi districts. Police official told that flash floods swept away three women namely Rahima, Saeeda and Saeeda in QIla Saifullah. Torrential rains has submerged the portion of railway track at Jacobabad-Sibi Junction, suspending train services in Balochistan. Balochistan is cut- off from rest of the country as road network is already disrupted due to the heavy rains in northern and eastern Balochistan. According to reports pouring in from different areas of the province, rain-battered people are fleeing to safer places. However, the provincial government has declared emergency and dispatched rescue teams to the rain-battered areas. On account of reports of possible breach in the Pat Feeder Canal, the leaves of the Irrigation department staff has been cancelled. PPP Balochistan president while addressing a press conference at his residence said that recent rains have played havoc in Naseerabad district. “Rains have so far claimed 12 lives while 4 lakh people are trapped in Naseerabad he said adding rains left hundreds of families homeless, destroyed 7 lakh acre rice crops. He maintained that rainwater has gushed into the houses in the district and people awaiting response from government and international humanitarian organizations. Meanwhile, under the supervision of Secretary Information Technology Captain retired Mohammad Akbar Durrani, Balochistan government has established relief cell for the masses of the rain battered areas. Relief goods comprising tents, ration, medicine and other stuff has been dispatched to the affected population. |
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Radiation / Nuclear
Radioactive fallout detected far from Fukushima
By NOBUTARO KAJI/ Staff Writer
A significant quantity of radioactive cesium, likely from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, has turned up in subsea mud about 200 kilometers away, near the mouth of the Shinanogawa River on Japan’s northwestern coast.
Scientists said samples taken in 2011 at Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture, contained concentrations of up to 460 becquerels per kilogram of dry mud, a level comparable to that detected at a river mouth in Tokyo Bay last year.
Some isotopes of cesium are heavily radioactive. They are produced in uranium fission and deposits are often closely associated with nuclear accidents and atomic weapons tests.
A team sampled coastal seabed mud last August around the mouth of the river’s Okozu diversion canal, which discharges into the Sea of Japan. The team was led by Hideo Yamazaki, a professor of environmental analysis at Kinki University.
The sample sites lay beneath 15, 20 and 30 meters of water. Scientists took mud from those depths, and analyzed cesium concentrations at intervals of 1 centimeter.
The highest concentration was 2-3 cm below the mud surface at a water depth of 30 m. That reading of 460 becquerels per kg compares to samples of over 400 becquerels around the mouth of the Arakawa river in Tokyo Bay in August 2011.
Both readings are dozens of times higher than contamination detected after past atmospheric nuclear tests.
At a depth of 20 m the maximum concentration was 318 becquerels per kg, while at 15 m it was 255 becquerels.
The research results will be published at the fall meeting of the Oceanographic Society of Japan, which opens in Shizuoka on Sept. 13.
***
To read The Asahi Shimbun stories on the survey on seabed mud in Tokyo Bay, visit:
(ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201202080058)
(ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201205100076).
相馬看花：消失的福島 Fukushima:memories of the lost landscape
| 12.09.2012 | Explosion | Netherlands | North Holland, Velsen-Noord [Nuon Power Plant] |  |
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Explosion in Netherlands on Wednesday, 12 September, 2012 at 12:14 (12:14 PM) UTC.
| Description | |
| Eight people have been injured in an explosion at a Nuon power plant in Velsen Noord, west of Amsterdam. Three people have been rushed to hospital and one may be seriously injured, news agencies reported. One eyewitness said: ‘There was a big explosion followed by several little ones. There were flames but not a real fire.’ Others told the Telegraaf the incident may have been caused by workers making changes in the high-voltage sub-station. Once the area has been declared safe, fire officers will enter the building and try to establish more. |
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Climate Change
Climate change- algal blooms and ‘dead zones’ in the Great Lakes
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Solar Activity
2MIN News Sept 12. 2012
Published on Sep 12, 2012 by Suspicious0bservers
TODAY’S LINKS
Jupiter Impact: http://www.flickr.com/photos/19299984@N08/7976507568
Pakistan Flooding: http://www.thefrontierpost.com/article/180827/
Leslie on Sat: http://vortex.accuweather.com/adc2004/pub/includes/columns/andrews/2012/400×2…
More Leslie: http://www.torontosun.com/2012/09/11/tropical-storm-leslie-slams-into-newfoun…
Herd Losses: http://www.weather.com/news/isaac-ranch-herd-losses-20120911
Planets Form in Center of Galaxy: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/09/120911151936.htm
REPEAT LINKS
Spaceweather: http://spaceweather.com/ [Look on the left at the X-ray Flux and Solar Wind Speed/Density]
HAARP: http://www.haarp.alaska.edu/haarp/data.html [Click online data, and have a little fun]
SDO: http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/data/ [Place to find Solar Images and Videos – as seen from earth]
SOHO: http://sohodata.nascom.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/soho_movie_theater [SOHO; Lasco and EIT – as seen from earth]
Stereo: http://stereo.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/images [Stereo; Cor, EUVI, HI – as seen from the side]
SunAEON:http://www.sunaeon.com/#/solarsystem/ [Just click it… trust me]
SOLARIMG: http://solarimg.org/artis/ [All purpose data viewing site]
iSWA: http://iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov/iswa/iSWA.html [Free Application; for advanced sun watchers]
NASA ENLIL SPIRAL: http://iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov:8080/IswaSystemWebApp/iSWACygnetStreamer?timestamp=…
NOAA ENLIL SPIRAL: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/wsa-enlil/
US Wind Map: http://hint.fm/wind/
NOAA Bouys: http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/
NOAA Environmental Visualization Laboratory: http://www.nnvl.noaa.gov/Default.php
RSOE: http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/index2.php [That cool alert map I use]
GOES Xray: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/sxi/goes15/index.html
JAPAN Radiation Map: http://jciv.iidj.net/map/
LISS: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/monitoring/operations/heliplots_gsn.php
Gamma Ray Bursts: http://grb.sonoma.edu/ [Really? You can’t figure out what this one is for?]
BARTOL Cosmic Rays: http://neutronm.bartol.udel.edu//spaceweather/welcome.html [Top left box, look for BIG blue circles]
TORCON: http://www.weather.com/news/tornado-torcon-index [Tornado Forecast for the day]
GOES Weather: http://rsd.gsfc.nasa.gov/goes/ [Clouds over America]
RAIN RECORDS: http://www.cocorahs.org/ViewData/ListIntensePrecipReports.aspx
EL DORADO WORLD WEATHER MAP: http://www.eldoradocountyweather.com/satellite/ssec/world/world-composite-ir-…
PRESSURE MAP: http://www.woweather.com/cgi-bin/expertcharts?LANG=us&MENU=0000000000&…
HURRICANE TRACKER: http://www.weather.com/weather/hurricanecentral/tracker
INTELLICAST: http://www.intellicast.com/ [Weather site used by many youtubers]
NASA News: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/
PHYSORG: http://phys.org/ [GREAT News Site!]
QUAKES LIST FULL: http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/seismologist.php
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Space
Earth approaching objects (objects that are known in the next 30 days) |
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| Object Name | Apporach Date | Left | AU Distance | LD Distance | Estimated Diameter* | Relative Velocity | |||
| (2007 PB8) | 14th September 2012 | 1 day(s) | 0.1682 | 65.5 | 150 m – 340 m | 14.51 km/s | 52236 km/h | ||
| 226514 (2003 UX34) | 14th September 2012 | 1 day(s) | 0.1882 | 73.2 | 260 m – 590 m | 25.74 km/s | 92664 km/h | ||
| (1998 QC1) | 14th September 2012 | 1 day(s) | 0.1642 | 63.9 | 310 m – 700 m | 17.11 km/s | 61596 km/h | ||
| (2002 EM6) | 15th September 2012 | 2 day(s) | 0.1833 | 71.3 | 270 m – 590 m | 18.56 km/s | 66816 km/h | ||
| (2002 RP137) | 16th September 2012 | 3 day(s) | 0.1624 | 63.2 | 67 m – 150 m | 7.31 km/s | 26316 km/h | ||
| (2009 RX4) | 16th September 2012 | 3 day(s) | 0.1701 | 66.2 | 15 m – 35 m | 8.35 km/s | 30060 km/h | ||
| (2005 UC) | 17th September 2012 | 4 day(s) | 0.1992 | 77.5 | 280 m – 640 m | 7.55 km/s | 27180 km/h | ||
| (2012 FC71) | 18th September 2012 | 5 day(s) | 0.1074 | 41.8 | 24 m – 53 m | 3.51 km/s | 12636 km/h | ||
| (1998 FF14) | 19th September 2012 | 6 day(s) | 0.0928 | 36.1 | 210 m – 480 m | 21.40 km/s | 77040 km/h | ||
| 331990 (2005 FD) | 19th September 2012 | 6 day(s) | 0.1914 | 74.5 | 320 m – 710 m | 15.92 km/s | 57312 km/h | ||
| (2009 SH2) | 24th September 2012 | 11 day(s) | 0.1462 | 56.9 | 28 m – 62 m | 7.52 km/s | 27072 km/h | ||
| 333578 (2006 KM103) | 25th September 2012 | 12 day(s) | 0.0626 | 24.4 | 250 m – 560 m | 8.54 km/s | 30744 km/h | ||
| (2002 EZ2) | 26th September 2012 | 13 day(s) | 0.1922 | 74.8 | 270 m – 610 m | 6.76 km/s | 24336 km/h | ||
| (2009 SB170) | 29th September 2012 | 16 day(s) | 0.1789 | 69.6 | 200 m – 440 m | 32.39 km/s | 116604 km/h | ||
| (2011 OJ45) | 29th September 2012 | 16 day(s) | 0.1339 | 52.1 | 18 m – 39 m | 4.24 km/s | 15264 km/h | ||
| (2012 JS11) | 30th September 2012 | 17 day(s) | 0.0712 | 27.7 | 270 m – 600 m | 12.60 km/s | 45360 km/h | ||
| 137032 (1998 UO1) | 04th October 2012 | 21 day(s) | 0.1545 | 60.1 | 1.3 km – 2.9 km | 32.90 km/s | 118440 km/h | ||
| (2012 GV11) | 05th October 2012 | 22 day(s) | 0.1830 | 71.2 | 100 m – 230 m | 6.96 km/s | 25056 km/h | ||
| (2009 XZ1) | 05th October 2012 | 22 day(s) | 0.1382 | 53.8 | 120 m – 280 m | 16.87 km/s | 60732 km/h | ||
| (2006 TD) | 06th October 2012 | 23 day(s) | 0.1746 | 68.0 | 88 m – 200 m | 13.03 km/s | 46908 km/h | ||
| (2009 TK) | 06th October 2012 | 23 day(s) | 0.0450 | 17.5 | 100 m – 230 m | 11.10 km/s | 39960 km/h | ||
| (2004 UB) | 08th October 2012 | 25 day(s) | 0.1995 | 77.6 | 240 m – 530 m | 14.65 km/s | 52740 km/h | ||
| 277830 (2006 HR29) | 11th October 2012 | 28 day(s) | 0.1917 | 74.6 | 190 m – 440 m | 7.88 km/s | 28368 km/h | ||
| (2008 BW2) | 11th October 2012 | 28 day(s) | 0.1678 | 65.3 | 3.1 m – 6.8 m | 11.10 km/s | 39960 km/h | ||
| (2005 GQ21) | 12th October 2012 | 29 day(s) | 0.1980 | 77.0 | 620 m – 1.4 km | 23.86 km/s | 85896 km/h | ||
| (2012 GV17) | 12th October 2012 | 29 day(s) | 0.1500 | 58.4 | 160 m – 370 m | 16.11 km/s | 57996 km/h | ||
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JUPITER SWALLOWS AN ASTEROID
Around the world, amateur astronomers have been scanning the cloudtops of Jupiter for signs of debris from an explosion witnessed by Dan Peterson and George Hall on Sept. 10th. So far the cloud layer is blank. “Several observers have now obtained excellent images on the second and third rotations after the fireball, and there is nothing new nor distinctive at the impact site,” reports John H. Rogers, director of the Jupiter Section of the British Astronomical Association:
The fireball was probably caused by a small asteroid or comet hitting Jupiter. Apparently, the giant planet swallowed the impactor whole.
When fragments of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 hit Jupiter in 1994, each major flash observed by NASA’s Galileo spacecraft produced a “bruise,” a murky mixture of incinerated comet dust and chemically altered Jovian gas twisting and swirling among the clouds. In July 2009, amateur astromer Anthony Wesley discovered a similar mark thought to be debris from a rogue asteroid crashing into the planet.
So where is the debris this time? Perhaps the impactor was small, packing just enough punch to make a flash, but without leaving much debris. Indeed, studies suggest that Jupiter is frequently struck by relatively small 10-meter-class asteroids. In such cases, minimal debris is to be expected.
POLAR LIGHTS:
In the Arctic, springtime ended months ago. Nevertheless, butterflies have been sighted. This one appeared last night over Grøtfjord, Norway:
Helge Mortensen took the picture on Sept. 12th. “The auroras were not a strong as some I’ve seen, but it was still nice to be outside and watch such a beautiful apparition,” he says.
This Northern Lepidoptera appeared when a “kink” in the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) drifted past Earth, briefly opening a crack in our planet’s magnetosphere. Solar wind poured in to fuel the display. At the peak of the storm, the Arctic Circle was glowing from Scandinavia to Iceland to Canada.
Earth’s polar magnetic field is settling down again, but more Arctic auroras are in the offing, especially on Sept 14-15 when a solar wind stream is expected to reach our planet
 |
| The galaxy cluster Abell 1689 is famous for the way it bends light in a phenomenon called gravitational lensing. A new study of the cluster is revealing secrets about how dark energy shapes the universe. Full story. CREDIT: NASA, ESA, E. Jullo (JPL/LAM), P. Natarajan (Yale) and J-P. Kneib (LAM) |
Dark energy, the mysterious substance thought to be accelerating the expansion of the universe, almost certainly exists despite some astronomers’ doubts, a new study says.
After a two-year study, an international team of researchers concludes that the probability of dark energy being real stands at 99.996 percent. But the scientists still don’t know what the stuff is.
“Dark energy is one of the great scientific mysteries of our time, so it isn’t surprising that so many researchers question its existence,” co-author Bob Nichol, of the University of Portsmouth in Engalnd, said in a statement. “But with our new work we’re more confident than ever that this exotic component of the universe is real — even if we still have no idea what it consists of.”
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Biological Hazards / Wildlife
| 12.09.2012 | Biological Hazard | USA | State of California, [Along the Klamath River and its reservoirs] | |
|
Biological Hazard in USA on Wednesday, 12 September, 2012 at 10:49 (10:49 AM) UTC.
| Description | |
| Water quality officials are posting blue-green algae warnings along the Klamath River and its reservoirs, encouraging people to stay out of the water. ”It’s a human health issue,” said Craig Tucker, a Klamath campaign coordinator for the Karuk tribe. “The hotter and drier it is, the worse the algae blooms.” Users are warned to avoid contact with the blue-green algae, which contains the microcystis toxin. Microcystin is a known tumor promoter and liver toxin, according to a press release from the Karuk Tribe Department of Natural Resources. Craig said that the blooms affect reservoirs along the Klamath every year, but do not always contaminate the river downstream. This year, however, posted warning areas include Copco Reservoir, Iron Gate Reservoir and the river itself downstream to Turwar on the Yurok Reservation. The algal blooms usually occur between June and October because shallow, nutrient-rich water trapped behind the Klamath dams heats up. This provides an optimal environment for algae to bloom. ”We think the only way to deal with it is dam removal,” Tucker said. Blooms normally occur while downstream tribes are holding annual World Renewal ceremonies. According to the release, the ceremonies require spiritual leaders to bathe in the river, which puts them at risk of exposure. Tucker said, the Karuk medicine men who do the rituals are at an elevated risk. | |
| Biohazard name: | Blue-Green Algae bloom (cyanobacteria) |
| Biohazard level: | 0/4 — |
| Biohazard desc.: | This does not included biological hazard category. |
| Symptoms: | |
| Status: | |
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Articles of Interest
| 12.09.2012 | Technological Disaster | Egypt | Capital City, Cairo [District of Shubra] |  |
|
Technological Disaster in Egypt on Wednesday, 12 September, 2012 at 19:37 (07:37 PM) UTC.
| Description | |
| At least seven people were killed, eight injured and five remain missing after a five-story building collapsed today in the district of Shubra in the Egyptian capital Cairo. Several such incidents in Egypt have been caused by building violations and bad maintenance. |
| 12.09.2012 | Power Outage | Canada | Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, [Avalon Peninsula] | |
|
Power Outage in Canada on Wednesday, 12 September, 2012 at 18:46 (06:46 PM) UTC.
| Description | |
| Approximately 9,000 Newfoundland Power customers on the Avalon Peninsula are still without power as of midday Wednesday, one day after tropical storm Leslie hit the island. According to Newfoundland Power spokeswoman Michele Coughlan, 6,000 of those customers are in the St. John’s area, with five main feeders in need of repairs. The remaining 3,000 customers are spread throughout the Avalon Peninsula. Over 60 poles needed replacing as of this morning, according to Coughlan. Trees tangled with power lines and lines downed by fallen trees were continuing to pose problems for the electric utility, she said. Siding detached from various buildings had also caused problems for power lines. Coughlan said the company intends to have all main feeders repaired by Wednesday’s supper hour, adding that isolated outages for some customers may run into Thursday. |
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Istanbul and the earthquake risk of a mega-city
by Staff Writers
Munich, Germany (SPX)
 Illustration only. |
Today the drilling starts for a seismic monitoring network on the Marmara Sea near Istanbul. Specially designed seismic sensors in eight boreholes on the outskirts of Istanbul and around the eastern Marmara Sea will monitor the seismic activity of the region with high precision.
In each of the respective 300 meter deep holes several borehole seismometers will be permanently installed at various depths. These detect even barely perceptible earthquakes with very small magnitudes at a high resolution and can thus provide information about the earthquake rupture processes associated with these.
To determine and monitor the seismic hazard of the region and the processes occurring in the fault zone beneath the Marmara Sea off Istanbul with the latest earthquake monitoring technology, the GONAF plate boundary observatory (Geophysical Observatory at the North Anatolian Fault) was set up under the auspices of the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences.
“Istanbul with its more than 13 million inhabitants is located in a region that is extremely vulnerable to earthquakes. A high probability of a strong earthquake of magnitude up to 7.4 is assumed for the region,”explains Professor Georg Dresen from the GFZ, one of the organizers of the project GONAF. “The data of small earthquakes in the region that are measured in the borehole can provide important information about the processes before a major earthquake.”
The data is continuously transmitted in real time to Potsdam and Ankara and evaluated there. A particular difficulty is that the earthquake zone to be monitored lies under the seabed of the Marmara Sea, about 20 kilometers off Istanbul. Only monitoring below ground in bore holes ensures the required precision of the measurementsdue to the much lower noise level.
“This means we have to get as close as possible to the quake source region,” explains GFZ researcher Professor Marco Bohnhoff, director of the project. “With our new, specially developed borehole seismometers the ratio of signal to background noise can be improved by at least a factor of 10, and therefore achieve a much higher resolution.”
The project involves close cooperation with the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency of Turkey (AFAD). The drilling is implemented as part of the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program ICDP. Engineers and scientists at the GFZ supervise the construction and installation activities.
Upon successful completion and handover of the fully equipped pilot bore hole on the peninsula Tuzla just off Istanbul a first test phase will commence before the remaining seven wells will be drilled. “An earthquake prediction is not the goal of the project,” clarifies Marco Bohnhoff.
“Earthquake prediction is still not possible. But the data gathered in our project of the seismic activity before, during and after the expected strong quake will mean a great advance in the study of earthquakes.”
Related Links
Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres
Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters
When the Earth Quakes
A world of storm and tempest
NASA’s Global Hawk Hurricane Mission Kicks Off
by Staff Writers
Pasadena CA (JPL)
 The flight path of the first HS3 Global Hawk unmanned aircraft from NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. to NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Va., on Sept. 5-6 included investigations of a tropical disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico and Hurricane Leslie in the Atlantic. Image credit: NASA. For a larger version of this image please go here. |
NASA has begun its latest hurricane science field campaign by flying an unmanned Global Hawk aircraft over Hurricane Leslie in the Atlantic Ocean during a day-long flight that began in California and ended in Virginia. With the Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel (HS3) mission, NASA for the first time will be flying Global Hawks from the U.S. East Coast.
The Global Hawk took off from NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., Thursday and landed at the agency’s Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Va., Monday at 8:37 a.m. PDT (11:37 a.m. EDT) after spending 10 hours collecting data on Hurricane Leslie. The month-long HS3 mission will help researchers and forecasters uncover information about how hurricanes and tropical storms form and intensify.
NASA will fly two Global Hawks from Wallops during the HS3 mission. The planes, which can stay in the air for as long as 28 hours and fly over hurricanes at altitudes greater than 60,000 feet (18,288 meters), will be operated by pilots in ground control stations at Wallops and Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.
The mission targets the processes that underlie hurricane formation and intensity change. The aircraft help scientists decipher the relative roles of the large-scale environment and internal storm processes that shape these systems.
Studying hurricanes is a challenge for a field campaign like HS3 because of the small sample of storms available for study and the great variety of scenarios under which they form and evolve. HS3 flights will continue into early October of this year and be repeated from Wallops during the 2013 and 2014 hurricane seasons.
The first Global Hawk arrived Sept. 7 at Wallops carrying a payload of three instruments that will sample the environment around hurricanes. A second Global Hawk, scheduled to arrive in two weeks, will look inside hurricanes and developing storms with a different set of instruments. The pair will measure winds, temperature, water vapor, precipitation and aerosols from the surface to the lower stratosphere.
“The primary objective of the environmental Global Hawk is to describe the interaction of tropical disturbances and cyclones with the hot, dry and dusty air that moves westward off the Saharan desert and appears to affect the ability of storms to form and intensify,” said Scott Braun, HS3 mission principal investigator and research meteorologist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
This Global Hawk will carry a laser system called the Cloud Physics Lidar (CPL), the Scanning High-resolution Interferometer Sounder (S-HIS), and the Advanced Vertical Atmospheric Profiling System (AVAPS).
The CPL will measure cloud structure and aerosols such as dust, sea salt and smoke particles. The S-HIS can remotely sense the temperature and water vapor vertical profile along with the sea surface temperature and cloud properties. The AVAPS dropsonde system will eject small sensors tied to parachutes that drift down through the storm, measuring winds, temperature and humidity.
“Instruments on the ‘over-storm’ Global Hawk will examine the role of deep thunderstorm systems in hurricane intensity change, particularly to detect changes in low-level wind fields in the vicinity of these thunderstorms,” said Braun.
These instruments will measure eyewall and rainband winds and precipitation using a Doppler radar and other microwave sensors called the High-altitude Imaging Wind and Rain Airborne Profiler (HIWRAP); the High-Altitude MMIC Sounding Radiometer (HAMSR), developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.; and the Hurricane Imaging Radiometer (HIRAD).
HIWRAP measures cloud structure and winds, providing a three-dimensional view of these conditions. HAMSR uses microwave wavelengths to measure temperature, water vapor and precipitation from the top of the storm to the surface. HIRAD measures surface wind speeds and rain rates.
“HAMSR was the first complete scientific instrument to come out of NASA’s Instrument Incubator Program,” said Bjorn Lambrigtsen, HAMSR principal investigator at JPL. “An advanced version of instruments currently flying on satellites such as NASA’s Suomi NPP, HAMSR provides a much more detailed view of the atmospheric conditions in a hurricane than is possible from satellites. HAMSR is one of a number of airborne instruments developed by JPL that are being used to carry out research in a variety of areas.”
The HS3 mission is supported by several NASA centers, including Wallops; Goddard; Dryden; Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.; Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.; and JPL. HS3 also has collaborations with partners from government agencies and academia.
Related Links
NASA’s Airborne Science Program
HAMSR
HS3
Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters
When the Earth Quakes
A world of storm and tempest
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Family Survival Protocol - Microcosm News 
