Earth Watch Report – Wednesday August 15th, 2012

Earthquakes

RSOE EDIS

Date/Time (UTC)	Magnitude	Area	Country	State/Prov./Gov.	Location	Risk			Source	Details
15.08.2012 11:25:45	3.3	North America	United States	Alaska	Ninilchik				USGS-RSOE
15.08.2012 11:00:28	2.5	Europe	Switzerland	Valais	Champery				EMSC
15.08.2012 10:45:25	2.9	North America	United States	Alaska	Pedro Bay				USGS-RSOE
15.08.2012 11:02:05	2.9	Caribbean	Dominican Republic	La Altagracia	Boca de Yuma				USGS-RSOE
15.08.2012 10:20:33	2.1	North America	United States	Hawaii	Na’alehu				USGS-RSOE
15.08.2012 11:01:08	2.4	Europe	Italy	Sicily	Panarea				EMSC
15.08.2012 10:05:55	2.1	North America	United States	California	Brawley				USGS-RSOE
15.08.2012 11:01:31	4.8	Pacific Ocean – East	Tonga	Vava`u	Hihifo				EMSC
15.08.2012 10:15:30	4.7	Pacific Ocean	Tonga	Vava`u	Hihifo				USGS-RSOE
15.08.2012 11:30:37	2.9	Caribbean	Puerto Rico	Rincon	Stella				USGS-RSOE
15.08.2012 09:55:24	2.6	Europe	Greece	Central Greece	Lidorikion				EMSC
15.08.2012 09:55:46	2.2	Asia	Turkey	Diyarbak?r	Hazro				EMSC
15.08.2012 09:52:01	3.5	Pacific Ocean	New Zealand	Marlborough	Seddon				GEONET
15.08.2012 09:56:05	3.5	Middle-East	Iran	East Azarbaijan	Ahar				EMSC
15.08.2012 09:56:27	2.5	Europe	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Republika Srpska	Sipovo				EMSC
15.08.2012 08:05:32	2.0	North America	United States	Hawaii	Pahala				USGS-RSOE
15.08.2012 10:15:55	2.9	North America	United States	Alaska	Adak				USGS-RSOE
15.08.2012 06:54:44	2.2	North America	United States	Nevada	Beatty				USGS-RSOE
15.08.2012 06:50:20	3.6	Asia	Taiwan	Taiwan	Daxi				EMSC
15.08.2012 06:50:43	2.1	Europe	Portugal	Faro	Sagres				EMSC
15.08.2012 06:51:05	4.6	Asia	Japan	Aomori	Kizukuri				EMSC
15.08.2012 07:00:29	4.5	Asia	Japan	Aomori	Kizukuri				USGS-RSOE
15.08.2012 06:51:27	3.5	Asia	Taiwan		Taitung City				EMSC
15.08.2012 06:51:53	3.1	Europe	Albania	Elbasan	Librazhd-Qender				EMSC
15.08.2012 04:45:20	2.1	Europe	Italy	Calabria	Nicastro				EMSC
15.08.2012 05:45:28	3.0	Asia	Turkey	Amasya	Dedekoy				EMSC
15.08.2012 03:25:27	2.6	North America	United States	Nevada	Schurz				USGS-RSOE
15.08.2012 05:55:28	2.0	North America	United States	Alaska	Adak				USGS-RSOE
15.08.2012 05:45:52	2.1	Europe	Greece	North Aegean	Agios Dimitrios				EMSC
15.08.2012 02:40:29	2.4	North America	United States	Nevada	Schurz				USGS-RSOE
15.08.2012 02:30:29	2.4	North America	United States	California	Soledad				USGS-RSOE
15.08.2012 02:45:25	4.1	Asia	Taiwan	Taiwan	Buli				EMSC
15.08.2012 05:46:21	2.0	Europe	Greece	North Aegean	Livadaki				EMSC
15.08.2012 08:50:26	4.2	Atlantic Ocean – North	Greenland	Kujalleq	Prins Christians Sund				EMSC
15.08.2012 05:55:53	2.0	North America	United States	Alaska	Chignik Lake				USGS-RSOE
15.08.2012 03:50:26	4.6	Asia	Japan	Miyagi	Ishinomaki				USGS-RSOE
15.08.2012 04:45:47	4.6	Asia	Japan	Miyagi	Ishinomaki				EMSC
15.08.2012 01:30:26	2.1	North America	United States	Alaska	Chenega				USGS-RSOE
15.08.2012 01:45:19	2.1	Europe	Italy	Abruzzo	Fagnano Alto				EMSC
15.08.2012 01:45:48	2.5	Asia	Turkey	Bal?kesir	Marmara				EMSC
15.08.2012 00:25:24	3.6	North America	United States	Nevada	Sutcliffe				USGS-RSOE
15.08.2012 06:52:15	2.0	Asia	Turkey	Ayd?n	Kuyucak				EMSC
15.08.2012 00:40:26	2.9	Europe	Greece	South Aegean	Apollonia				EMSC
15.08.2012 06:52:35	2.4	Europe	Greece	North Aegean	Agios Ilias				EMSC
14.08.2012 23:40:54	2.4	North America	United States	Alaska	Nanwalek				USGS-RSOE
15.08.2012 06:52:56	2.8	Asia	Turkey	Van	Yuvacik				EMSC
14.08.2012 23:55:24	2.3	North America	Canada	British Columbia	Princeton				USGS-RSOE
15.08.2012 06:53:17	2.4	Asia	Turkey	Kütahya	Pazarlar				EMSC
15.08.2012 03:45:20	3.2	Asia	Kyrgyzstan	Ysyk-Köl	Balykchy				EMSC
14.08.2012 23:40:26	4.4	Asia	China	Xinjiang Uygur Zizhiqu	Hotan				EMSC

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Nearly 1,000 earthquakes recorded in Arizona over 3 years

  Nearly 1,000 earthquakes recorded in Arizona over 3 years Enlarge Nearly 60 USArray stations were installed in Arizona from 2006 to 2009 as part of the EarthScope project. Station 118A, seen in this photo, recorded ground motion north of Wilcox in southeastern Arizona from April 6, 2007 to Jan. 21, 2009. Credit: Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (funded by NSF EarthScope) Arizona State University researchers use EarthScope data to build the first comprehensive earthquake catalog for Arizona. Ads by Google Emergency Mgmt. Degree – Earn an emergency management degree online at AMU. Enroll now. – http://www.AMU.APUS.edu/EmergencyMgmt Earthquakes are among the most destructive and common of geologic phenomena. Several million earthquakes are estimated to occur worldwide each year (the vast majority are too small to feel, but their motions can be measured by arrays of seismometers). Historically, most of Arizona has experienced low levels of recorded seismicity, with infrequent moderate and large earthquakes in the state. Comprehensive analyses of seismicity within Arizona have not been previously possible due to a lack of seismic stations in most regions, contributing to the perception that widespread earthquakes in Arizona are rare. Debunking that myth, a new study published by Arizona State University researchers found nearly 1,000 earthquakes rattling the state over a three-year period. Jeffrey Lockridge, a graduate student in ASU’s School of Earth and Space Exploration and the project’s lead researcher, used new seismic data collected as part of the EarthScope project to develop methods to detect and locate small-magnitude earthquakes across the entire state of Arizona. EarthScope’s USArray Transportable Array was deployed within Arizona from April 2006 to March 2009 and provided the first opportunity to examine seismicity on a statewide scale. Its increased sensitivity allowed Lockridge to find almost 1,000 earthquakes during the three-year period, including many in regions of Arizona that were previously thought to be seismically inactive. “It is significant that we found events in areas where none had been detected before, but not necessarily surprising given the fact that many parts of the state had never been sampled by seismometers prior to the deployment of the EarthScope USArray,” says Lockridge. “I expected to find some earthquakes outside of north-central Arizona, where the most and largest events had previously been recorded, just not quite so many in other areas of the state.” Ads by Google ITT Tech – Official Site – Convenient Schedules, Over 130 Locations. Browse New Programs. – http://www.ITT-Tech.edu One-thousand earthquakes over three years may sound alarmingly high, but the large number of earthquakes detected in the study is a direct result of the improved volume and quality of seismic data provided by EarthScope. Ninety-one percent of the earthquakes Lockridge detected in Arizona were “microquakes” with a magnitude of 2.0 or smaller, which are not usually felt by humans. Detecting small-magnitude earthquakes is not only important because some regions experiencing small earthquakes may produce larger earthquakes, but also because geologists use small magnitude earthquakes to map otherwise hidden faults beneath the surface. Historically, the largest earthquakes and the majority of seismicity recorded within Arizona have been located in an area of north–central Arizona. More recently, a pair of magnitude 4.9 and 5.3 earthquakes occurred in the Cataract Creek area outside of Flagstaff. Earthquakes of magnitude 4.0 or larger also have occurred in other areas of the state, including a magnitude 4.2 earthquake in December 2003 in eastern Arizona and a magnitude 4.9 earthquake near Chino Valley in 1976. “The wealth of data provided by the EarthScope project is an unprecedented opportunity to detect and locate small-magnitude earthquakes in regions where seismic monitoring (i.e. seismic stations) has historically been sparse,” explains Lockridge. “Our study is the first to use EarthScope data to build a regional catalog that detects all earthquakes magnitude 1.2 or larger.” His results appear in a paper titled, “Seismicity within Arizona during the Deployment of the EarthScope USArray Transportable Array,” published in the August 2012 issue of the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America. Ramon Arrowsmith and Matt Fouch, professors in ASU’s School of Earth and Space Exploration, are Lockridge’s dissertation advisors and coauthors on the paper. Fouch is also a geophysicist at the Carnegie Institution’s Department of Terrestrial Magnetism in Washington, DC. “The most surprising result was the degree to which the EarthScope data were able to improve upon existing catalogs generated by regional and national networks. From April 2007 through November 2008, other networks detected only 80 earthquakes within the state, yet over that same time we found 884 earthquakes, or 11 times as many, which is really quite staggering,” says Lockridge. “It’s one of countless examples of how powerful the EarthScope project is and how much it is improving our ability to study Earth.” Lockridge is also lead author on a study that focuses on a cluster of earthquakes located east of Phoenix, near Theodore Roosevelt Lake. The results from this study will be published in Seismological Research Letters later this year. In his current studies as doctoral student, Lockridge is using the same methods used for Arizona to develop a comprehensive earthquake catalog for the Great Basin region in Nevada and western Utah. Provided by Arizona State University search and more info website

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Volcanic Activity

Volcanic activity world-wide 13 Aug 2012: new activity at Tofua (Tonga Islands), Popocatépetl, Fuego, Santiaguito, Costa Rica, Nevado del Ruiz, Reventador, Tungurahua, Sakurajima, Tongariro, White Island

BY: T

Volcano Discovery

Possibly volcanic SO2 plumes over Costa Rica on 11 Aug (NOAA)

Activity has decreased at White Island. Ash emissions have been lower than in the previous days. Gas measurements showed that all volcanic gases were at levels lower than the previous measurement on August 1.

Tongariro volcano has stayed calm with and GNS scientists think that the most likely scenario is that the 6 Aug eruption was a single event and will not be followed by new eruptions in the near to medium future.

A “new” volcano just entered the watch list:
Out in the Pacific, a pilot observed an ash cloud rising from Tofua volcano to 3,000 ft (ca. 1 km) in the Tonga Islands at 04:42 GMT, VAAC Wellington reports.

El Hierro volcano: A total of 5 earthquakes (between M1.3-2.4) at 10-19 km depth has occurred today so far. This is the highest number in many days.

Activity remains weak at Popocatépetl in Mexico. About 1 weak eruption per hour has been observed during the past day by CENAPRED. SO2 emissions remain high (which is typical for Popo during phases of activity).

An elevated SO2 plume was visible above Costa Rica’s Central valley on NOAA’s SO2 monitoring images. It could have been caused by stronger degassing activity of the volcanoes Poas or Turrialba, both of which have been showing increased activity in 2011-12, but seem to have calmed down in the past months. Another SO2 signal is visible about 100 km east of Rincon de la Vieja and could have originated there. The Costa Rican volcano observatory doesn’t mention any unusual activity.

Santiaguito / Santa Maria (Guatemala): An explosion at 05:49 local tie ejected an 800 m high ash plume and caused ash fall at Finca la Florida and around San Marcos Palajunoj. Only few and weak rock avalanches were reported since yesterday.

For Fuego volcano, INSIVUMEH reports 8 weak explosions during the past day, generating ash columns of 200-500 m height.
The lava flow in direction of Taniluya canyon has further advances and is now 300 m long and generates constant rock avalanches. Avalanches, too, have been observed towards the “Ash” (Ceniza) canyon.

In Colombia, sporadic gas and ash emissions continue to occur at Galeras and tremor signals are sometimes visible on the seismograms.
Nevado del Ruiz (Colombia): Steam and ash emissions continue at Nevado del Ruiz at fluctuating intensity. This morning a fresh ash deposit was found at the volcano observatory.
The seimic recordings show tremor and a seismic swarm with 30 quakes since 22:27 local time last night, located NE of the Arenas crater between 3-5 km, in the same area as the previous swarm on 12 August.

Reventador volcano in Ecuador ejects a 1.5 km high steam plume, but IG mentions no explosions or ash.
Tungurahua volcano continues to emit a steam plume with small amounts of ash, and has occasional small to moderate explosions accompanied by gunshot sounds heard around the volcano.

Jumping to the far north, there is little new activity to be reported from volcanoes in Kamchatka, the Kuriles, Aleutians and in Alaska. It is rather surprising that this normally very area has stayed quite calm over the past week.

Satellite observations show again plumes at 7,000 ft (2.1 km) originating from Batu Tara (Sunda Islands, Indonesia).

Sakurajima volcano has had 2 weak – moderate explosions during the past 30 hours.

 

 

 

NASA Satellites Pinpoint Volcanic Eruption In New Zealand

acquired July 19, 2012 download large image (1 MB, JPEG, 2048×1592)

acquired July 19, 2012 download large image (2 MB, JPEG, 2048×1592)

acquired July 19, 2012 download Google Earth file (KMZ)

View Image Comparison

Midway on its 800-kilometer (500-mile) voyage from Auckland to Raoul Island, New Zealand, the HMNZS Canterbury received an intriguing report: a maritime patrol aircraft had spotted a vast area of open ocean covered with floating pumice. Soon after, the ship was sailing through a mass of buoyant volcanic rocks. Up to two feet thick, the pumice raft was about half a nautical mile (1 kilometer) wide, and “extended sideways as far as the eye could see,” wrote Rebecca Priestley, a science writer aboard the ship. Although the lightweight, gas-filled pumice posed no threat to the Canterbury, enough got stuck in the water filters to provide samples for analysis.

Though the pumice was spread over a vast area of the South Pacific, the origin was a mystery to the crew of the ship. An undersea volcano several hundred kilometers to the north of the pumice—Monowai—had erupted on August 3, but an airline pilot reported seeing pumice as early as August 1. Two data sources provided clues to pinpoint the volcano: earthquake records and satellite imagery. After reports of the pumice rafts surfaced, scientists from Tahiti and New Zealand’s GNS Science connected the eruption with a cluster of earthquakes in the Kermadec Islands on July 17 and 18.

Working independently of GNS, volcanologist Erik Klemetti and NASA visualizer Robert Simmon examined a month’s worth of satellite imagery from NASA’s Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). They discovered the first signs of the eruption—ash-stained water, gray pumice, and a volcanic plume—in imagery from 9:50 a.m. and 2:10 p.m. (local time) on July 19, 2012. (Although the Kermadec Islands are east of the International Date Line, they follow New Zealand time.)

Hidden by clouds in the morning image (above, top), the site of the eruption is clearly visible in the afternoon image (lower). Klemetti matched the satellite imagery with ocean floor bathymetry to identify Havre Seamount as the likely source. The eruption was strong enough to breach the ocean surface from a depth of 1,100 meters (3,600 feet).

Alain Bernard of the Laboratoire de Volcanologie, Université Libre de Bruxelles analyzed nighttime imagery from MODIS and found heat from the eruption at 10:50 p.m. on July 18, 2012, the earliest evidence of the Havre Seamount eruption reaching the ocean surface.

By July 21, the eruption appeared to have waned, leaving behind the dense rafts of pumice. Winds and currents spread the pumice into a series of twisted filaments, spread over an area about 450 by 250 kilometers (280 by 160 miles) as of August 13.

1. References

2. Bernard, Alain. (2012, August). Hot Spots from the July 18 Eruption in Kermadec volcanic arc. Accessed August 13, 2012.
3. Klemetti, Erik. (2012, August 13). Havre Seamount: The Source of Kermadec Island Pumice Raft? Accessed August 13, 2012.
4. New Zealand Defence Force (2012, August 10). Defence Force Locates 7500Sq Miles of Pumice From Underwater Volcano Accessed August 13, 2012.
5. Priestley, Rebecca. (2012, August 8–11). Kermadecs voyage #2: The Mystery of the Floating Pumice. Accessed August 13, 2012.
6. Radio New Zealand. (2012, August 13). Origin of Pumice Raft Found. Accessed August 13, 2012.
7. Université Libre de Bruxelles. (2012, August). Hot Spots from the July 18 Eruption in Kermadec Volcanic Arc. Accessed August 13, 2012.

NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. Caption by Robert Simmon. Detective work by Erik Klemetti.

Instrument: 

Terra – MODIS

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Extreme Temperatures/ Weather

Excessive Heat Watch

SEATTLE WA
PORTLAND OR

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Today

Extreme Weather

Canada

Province of Alberta, Calgary

Extreme Weather in Canada on Wednesday, 15 August, 2012 at 05:58 (05:58 AM) UTC.

Description

A severe storm swept through Calgary and area this afternoon, bringing hail, torrential downpours and wind gusts reaching more than 100 kilometres per hour that left broken windows and fallen trees in its wake. The worst of the storm has passed Calgary, says CBC meteorologist Danielle Savoni. “At this point it’s starting to change over into just the rain and some embedded thunderstorms, but those embedded thunderstorms are nowhere near as severe as what we’ve seen.” Some window washers got caught on a platform on the 22nd floor on an office building on 5th Avenue S.W. Tara Sukut was in her office a floor below. “You could hear the window washers outside yelling, get us off here, get us out of here,” says Sukut. “And a couple minutes later we just heard glass smashing. And you could see it was banging on the window down on our floor. They broke the windows to get inside the building.” The Calgary Fire Department’s high-angle rescue unit was called in to help the three window washers. Sukut’s interview with the CBC’s Elizabeth Snaddon can be heard in the player below.

Red Flag Warning

FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE

GOODLAND KS
CORPUS CHRISTI TX
NORTH PLATTE NE
CHEYENNE WY
DENVER CO
POCATELLO ID
RIVERTON WY
PORTLAND OR

Extreme Fire Danger

HASTINGS NE
RAPID CITY SD
ABERDEEN SD

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Wildfires blaze through Western states

By the CNN Wire Staff

California flames scorch dry earth

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: Washington blaze has grown to 28,000 acres
• NEW: National Guard activated in Washington, will provide air support
• An Idaho firefighter is killed battling a blaze; two others are hurt in Oregon and California
• In all, 62 fires are burning

Are wildfires blazing near you? Send in your photos and videos to CNN iReport, but please stay safe.

(CNN) — Whipped by high winds, wildfires in central Washington state have scorched 28,000 acres and destroyed at least 60 buildings, officials said Tuesday.

Gov. Chris Gregoire declared Kittitas and Yakima counties to be in states of emergency, according to a written statement from her office. The Washington National Guard will provide air support to the Department of Natural Resources, which is in charge of statewide firefighting efforts.

The fire raging near Cle Elum is one of several Western fires burning this week.

Colorado paid the price earlier this summer. Now, new wildfires are burning through sagebrush, grass and beetle-killed lodgepole pines in California, Oregon, Nevada, Washington and Idaho.

In all, 62 fires, including 16 new large fires, were burning as of Tuesday, the U.S. Forest Service reported. They have destroyed dozens of homes and are threatening many more.

Tearful wildfire victim: ‘Nothing left’

Wildfires destroy homes in Oklahoma

Washington’s Taylor Bridge Fire began as a brush fire Monday afternoon. By Tuesday afternoon more than 20,000 acres, or 31 square miles, were burned.

Authorities have already evacuated between 900 people near the Taylor Bridge Fire, the governor’s office said. There was no report of any injuries.

“The fire behavior I would classify as extreme,” Rex Reed, the incident commander, earlier Tuesday. “Extreme fire conditions. We expect a very busy day. Very rapid rates of spread. There are multiple heads on this fire.”

He said authorities were working to activate National Guard troops to assist in the operation in Kittitas County.

In Idaho, a blaze has killed a 20-year-old firefighter. Two other firefighters have been injured in Oregon and California.

Anne Veseth died Sunday while fighting the Steep Canyon Fire near Orofino, said Phil Sammon of the Forest Service. He said the death was accidental but could not confirm how it happened.

However, CNN affiliate KTVB said Veseth was killed by a falling tree.

Residents of Veseth’s hometown, Moscow, remembered the young college student as someone who always gave back to community.

“This is a stark reminder of how dangerous the business is that we are in,” Sammon said. “We are extremely saddened by this loss.”

Residents evacuate as hundreds of firefighters battle California wildfires

On Tuesday, the fire danger spiked with searing temperatures and single-digit humidity across Western states. In some places, winds were gusting up to 40 miles per hour.

More than 750 firefighters and support personnel were working in Oregon and Nevada to corral the 418,235-acre Holloway Fire, the largest of the Western wildfires ignited by a lightning strike on August 5.

“We saw huge fire whorls all night,” said Fred Kaninski, fire behavior analyst for the Holloway Fire. “It was burning like daytime.”

On Monday, firefighters battled flames that measured 2 to 8 feet high. On occasion, they reported seeing 15-foot flames.

The northeast flank of the fire burned into Oregon Canyon, where a firefighter suffered burns to the leg and forearm and minor smoke inhalation, the Bureau of Land Management said.

The injured firefighter was rushed by helicopter to a hospital in Winnemucca, Nevada, and was released Sunday night. She is being sent to a burn center in Salt Lake City for further evaluation, the bureau said.

In California, a pair of fires north of San Francisco in Lake County burned 7,000 acres and were 30% contained Tuesday, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Two buildings were destroyed and one was damaged, CNN affiliate KGO reported. An additional 480 homes are threatened, and a firefighter was injured while battling the flames, said Julie Hutchinson of the state’s forestry and fire department. She did not have information on the status of the injured firefighter.

Meteorologists predict the dry heat will last into next week — not good news for firefighters. Any thunderstorms that pop up could present more bad news than good, since lightning strikes could spark more flames.

However, rain doused the killer Waldo Canyon Fire that blazed out of control through parts of Colorado for many weeks this summer. On Tuesday, Colorado was not on the national map for large fires.

Neighbors vs. nature as wildfires rage in Oklahoma

CNN’s Moni Basu and John Fricke contributed to this report.

 

 

Western Wildfires

acquired August 13, 2012 download large image (3 MB, JPEG, 4800×3800)

acquired August 13, 2012 download large image (3 MB, JPEG, 4800×3800)

acquired August 13, 2012 download GeoTIFF file (33 MB, TIFF)

acquired August 13, 2012 download Google Earth file (KMZ)

Wildfires raged across Colorado earlier this summer. Now California, Idaho, Nevada, and Oregon are feeling the heat. On August 14, 2012, numerous fires blazed across the four western states, burning through everything from sagebrush to grass to beetle-killed lodgepole pine forests.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this image of the fires on Aug 11, 2012. Red outlines indicate hot spots where MODIS detected unusually warm surface temperatures associated with fires.

Three large fires burned through coniferous forests in northern California: the Reading fire in Lassen Volcanic National Park, the Chips fire in Plumas National Forest, and the Fort Complex fire in Klamath National Forest. The largest of the three (Chips) had consumed 57 square miles (148 square kilometers) and was 12 percent contained by August 14. The Reading fire had consumed 37 square miles and was 15 percent contained, whereas the Fort Complex Fire had burned 3 square miles and was 10 percent contained. All three were ignited by lightning. In Oregon, lightning also sparked the Barry Point fire, which had burned 68 square miles.

In northern Nevada, the Holloway, Hansen, and Willow fires burned through grass, brush, and sagebrush. The Holloway fire was the largest and had burned 676 square miles by August 14. The Willow and Hanson fires had burned 67 square miles and 20 square miles respectively. All three were ignited by lightning on August 5.

In Idaho, the Halstead fire burned through stands of beetle-killed lodgepole pines in Salmon-Challis National Forest. It had consumed 81 square miles. To the south, the Trinity Ridge fire had burned about 58 square miles. Lightning ignited the Halstead fire on July 27, whereas human activity started the Trinity Ridge fire.

According to statistics compiled by the National Interagency Fire Center, a total of 9,400 square miles had burned in the United States through August 14. That was above the ten-year average for that date, which was 7,750 square miles.

• References

• Inciweb. (2012, August 14). Barry Point Fire. Accessed August 14, 2012.
• Inciweb. (2012, August 14). Chips Fire. Accessed August 14, 2012.
• Inciweb. (2012, August 14). Fort Complex. Accessed August 14, 2012.
• Inciweb. (2012, August 14). Halstead Fire. Accessed August 13, 2014.
• Inciweb. (2012, August 14). Hanson Fire. Accessed August 14, 2012.
• Inciweb. (2012, August 14). Holloway Fire. Accessed August 14, 2012.
• Inciweb. (2012, August 14). Trinity Ridge Fire. Accessed August 13, 2012.
• Inciweb. (2012, August 14). Reading Fire. Accessed August 13, 2012.
• Inciweb. (2012, August 14). Willow Fire. Accessed August 14, 2012.
• NIFC. (2012, August 14). Wildfire Statistics. Accessed August 14, 2012.

NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE MODIS Rapid Response. Caption by Adam Voiland.

Instrument: 

Aqua – MODIS

Today

Forest / Wild Fire

USA

State of California, Aguanga [Riverside County (San Jacinto foothills)]

Forest / Wild Fire in USA on Wednesday, 15 August, 2012 at 07:24 (07:24 AM) UTC.

Description

A fast-moving wildfire stoked by triple-digit temperatures burned 3,000 acres Tuesday in the foothills of the San Jacinto Mountains, creeping perilously close to tinder-dry areas of the San Bernardino National Forest, officials said. At least four structures, including one home, were destroyed by the blaze, which spread rapidly through dry brush and grasslands in a sparsely populated area south of Hemet and east of Temecula. The fire, just 5% contained as of Tuesday evening, was spreading rapidly through the rocky hills and desert scrub, and was within a mile of forest lands west of Anza, where drought has heightened fire danger all summer. “Of course we’re concerned,” said John Miller, spokesman for the San Bernardino National Forest. “This year our big concern is the fact that rainfall and that includes snow for our forest was somewhere between 50% to 70% of normal.” Mandatory evacuations were ordered in the sparsely populated area near Aguanga, and more than 30 homes have been evacuated, according to Jody Hagemann of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Two firefighters suffered minor injuries and were taken to a hospital, according to radio dispatch reports. One man who lived in a trailer was seriously burned and taken by helicopter to a local hospital. Authorities said the man, whose home was in a remote area, apparently had not received a notice to evacuate.South of the Riverside County fire, fast-moving blazes, some started by lightning strikes from heat-born thunderstorms, have burned more than 2,300 acres in northeast San Diego County, leading to evacuations in the rural communities of Ranchita and the San Felipe area off California 78. The four San Diego County fires are being fought by more than 500 firefighters, along with air tankers and water-dropping helicopters. No structures have yet been reported damaged. “We have very dry vegetation, brush and grass and things like that. Now we have multiple days of very high temperatures,” said Chief Julie Hutchinson, spokeswoman for the state fire agency. “It’s like lighting your fireplace with a blowtorch.” The fire in Riverside County was reported just before 1 p.m. in the community of Aguanga. More than 210 firefighters were working to extinguish the blaze, and six water-carrying helicopters and six water-tender aircraft as well as a DC-10 were assisting, state fire officials said. Crews from the Sierra Nevada mountains areas are being dispatched to assist firefighters. “That’s one thing that’s unique about California. We have a state fire agency, and we’re able to move resources up and down the state,” said Hutchinson, adding that crews from the U.S. Forest Service, local departments and the California National Guard are playing a role in the statewide firefighting efforts. Although flames are more than 14 miles away from Idyllwild, residents and fire officials in the artsy mountain community have been nervously watching television news reports.

Today

Forest / Wild Fire

USA

State of Arizona, [Tonto National Forest]

Forest / Wild Fire in USA on Wednesday, 15 August, 2012 at 03:34 (03:34 AM) UTC.

Description

Crews are monitoring a fire in Arizona’s Tonto National Forest that has charred an estimated 1,200 acres. The so-called Queen Fire was reported Monday night and forest officials say its cause is under investigation. The blaze is burning about 2 miles northeast of Superior in rocky, inaccessible terrain and crews are attacking the flames by air. Officials say the fire is burning grass and brush. There was immediate timetable Tuesday for containment of the blaze. Meanwhile, the forest is temporarily closing several areas because of the Mistake Peak fire 11 miles east of Basin. That fire began Aug. 8 and is 10% contained after burning about 3,400 acres by Tuesday. Tonto officials chose to temporarily close areas of the forest to protect the public and crews fighting the fire.

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Storms / Tornado / Flooding / Sinkholes

 

 

Active tropical storm system(s)
Name of storm system	Location	Formed	Last update	Last category	Course	Wind Speed	Gust	Wave	Source	Details
Hector (EP08)	Pacific Ocean – East	11.08.2012	15.08.2012	Tropical Depression	20 °	65 km/h	83 km/h	2.74 m	NOAA NHC

  Tropical Storm data

Share: Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on email Share on print More Sharing Services 0 Storm name: Hector (EP08) Area: Pacific Ocean – East Start up location: N 17° 30.000, W 106° 0.000 Start up: 11th August 2012 Status: 12th August 2012 Track long: 606.97 km Top category.: Report by: NOAA 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 12th Aug 2012 05:40:34 N 18° 30.000, W 108° 6.000 20 65 83 Tropical Storm 290 11 999 MB NOAA NHC 13th Aug 2012 04:46:16 N 18° 6.000, W 110° 42.000 9 74 93 Tropical Storm 270 10 993 MB NOAA NHC 13th Aug 2012 10:38:02 N 18° 6.000, W 111° 24.000 11 65 83 Tropical Storm 270 16 994 MB NOAA NHC 14th Aug 2012 04:58:09 N 18° 0.000, W 113° 12.000 9 74 93 Tropical Storm 270 10 993 MB NOAA NHC 14th Aug 2012 10:50:22 N 17° 54.000, W 114° 0.000 9 74 93 Tropical Storm 265 10 997 MB NOAA NHC Current position Date Time Position Speed km/h Wind km/h Gust km/h Category Course Wave feet Pressure Source 15th Aug 2012 11:18:06 N 17° 12.000, W 115° 12.000 4 65 83 Tropical Depression 20 ° 9 1002 MB NOAA NHC Forecast track Date Time Position Category Wind km/h Gust km/h Source 16th Aug 2012 18:00:00 N 19° 36.000, W 116° 30.000 Tropical Depression 56 74 NOAA NHC 16th Aug 2012 06:00:00 N 18° 42.000, W 116° 0.000 Tropical Depression 56 74 NOAA NHC 17th Aug 2012 06:00:00 N 20° 36.000, W 117° 0.000 Tropical Depression 46 65 NOAA NHC 18th Aug 2012 06:00:00 N 22° 30.000, W 118° 30.000 Tropical Depression 37 56 NOAA NHC 19th Aug 2012 06:00:00 N 23° 0.000, W 120° 0.000 Tropical Depression 28 37 NOAA NHC

Kai-tak (14W)

Pacific Ocean

12.08.2012

15.08.2012

Typhoon I

305 °

102 km/h

130 km/h

5.18 m

JTWC

 Tropical Storm data

Share: Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on email Share on print More Sharing Services 2 Storm name: Kai-tak (14W) Area: Pacific Ocean Start up location: N 16° 36.000, E 128° 30.000 Start up: 12th August 2012 Status: Active Track long: 440.90 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 13th Aug 2012 04:30:32 N 16° 30.000, E 127° 48.000 19 56 74 Tropical Depression 265 15 JTWC 13th Aug 2012 10:04:19 N 16° 36.000, E 126° 36.000 24 65 83 Tropical Storm 275 17 JTWC 14th Aug 2012 04:58:47 N 17° 30.000, E 125° 36.000 20 83 102 Tropical Storm 275 11 JTWC 14th Aug 2012 10:49:50 N 18° 0.000, E 124° 18.000 22 83 102 Tropical Storm 265 15 JTWC Current position Date Time Position Speed km/h Wind km/h Gust km/h Category Course Wave feet Pressure Source 15th Aug 2012 11:18:34 N 18° 54.000, E 120° 42.000 28 102 130 Typhoon I 305 ° 17 JTWC Forecast track Date Time Position Category Wind km/h Gust km/h Source 16th Aug 2012 12:00:00 N 21° 42.000, E 116° 24.000 Typhoon II 139 167 JTWC 16th Aug 2012 00:00:00 N 20° 24.000, E 118° 36.000 Typhoon II 130 157 JTWC 17th Aug 2012 00:00:00 N 22° 54.000, E 114° 18.000 Typhoon I 111 139 JTWC 18th Aug 2012 00:00:00 N 24° 12.000, E 111° 18.000 Tropical Depression 74 93 JTWC 19th Aug 2012 00:00:00 N 24° 30.000, E 108° 6.000 Tropical Depression 37 56 JTWC

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Today

Tropical Storm

Philippines

Multiple areas, [Northern Philippines]

Tropical Storm in Philippines on Wednesday, 15 August, 2012 at 03:25 (03:25 AM) UTC.

Description

A second tropical storm in as many weeks battered the northern Philippines after making landfall Wednesday, killing at least two people, as forecasters warned that the still-reeling capital could see more flooding. Meanwhile, President Benigno Aquino III scrambled to avert another crisis when hundreds of state weather agency employees protested over their pay and warned that forecasting services could deteriorate. Tropical Storm Kai-Tak slammed ashore in northeastern Isabela province with maximum winds of 100 kilometers (60 miles) per hour and higher gusts. It is expected to traverse northern farming provinces and exit along Luzon Island’s western seaboard possibly as a powerful typhoon heading toward southern China in the direction of Hong Kong. The head of the disaster-relief agency, Benito Ramos, reported two deaths, including a man who drowned while swimming in Ilocos Norte province. He said some roads were flooded knee-deep, and government forecasters warned of intense rains that may drench the sprawling capital, Manila, which is still reeling from last week’s monsoon deluge. On Tuesday, an alarmed Aquino rushed to assure the protesting weather agency employees that steps were being taken to resume payment of the cash benefits that had been suspended in March. “I just reminded that since the weather is bad and we have a weather disturbance, we should not add to the worries of those who were hit by the floods,” Aquino told reporters after a hasty meeting with the restive employees.Forecasters and other employees of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration wore black arm bands and hoisted streamers urging the government to resume hazard pay and other allowances. While the workers did not plan any work stoppage, protest leader Ramon Agustin said some hard-up employees had failed to report for work due to lack of money. “The only reason why we remain strong in performing our tasks is our pure love for the country, but this will eventually weaken,” Agustin said in a news conference at the weather agency, which buzzed with activity as forecasters tracked the second storm. The archipelago located in the tropical far western Pacific serves like a welcome mat for about 20 tropical storms and typhoons that develop in the open ocean and blow toward Asia every year. Heavy rain from those storms and the annual monsoon often cause flooding and landslides and leave a trail of death and destruction. Relentless rains for nearly two weeks culminated in last week’s two-day deluge that submerged Manila and outlying farming provinces, killing nearly 100 people and displacing more than 400,000. Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said payment of the hazard pay and other cash benefits had been suspended to correct past irregularities, but added the workers would get back the benefits soon. Agustin said the employees have lost an average of 10,000 pesos ($238) monthly since the benefits were suspended by officials in March.

……………………………….

Waterspout reaches land to become Duluth, Minn.’s first tornado on record

• Duluth tornado
• By: Johnny Kelly

6 photosView the full slideshow »

The National Weather Service confirms what is said to be the first tornado to touchdown in Duluth, Minn. on record.

The NWS says a waterspout developed at approximately 11 a.m. CDT Thursday, two miles offshore from Duluth’s Sky Harbor Airport over Superior Bay.

The waterspout then turned into a tornado as it tracked briefly onshore at Minnesota Point across from Sky Harbor Airport.

View slideshow: Waterspout reaches land to become Duluth, Minn.’s first tornado on record (August 9, 2012)

The tornado then went back into the bay as a waterspout before briefly turning into a tornado for a second time as it came onshore at Barker’s Island, where it finally dissipated around 11:20 a.m. CDT.

The tornado was rated an EF-0 on the enhanced fujita scale, with winds from 65 to 85 mph. No damage was reported.

Nonetheless, the tornado is the first confirmed on record to touchdown in Duluth.

Thursday’s waterspout in Duluth, Minnesota is the city’s first tornado on record. (August 9, 2012)

Photo credit:

(NWS)

According to Carol Christenson, Warning Coordination Meteorologist at the NWS, there hasn’t been a tornado in our city limits in recorded history, Northland NewsCenter reports.

“There was one outside of city limits back in 1986,” Christenson said.

The NWS says it appears the waterspout turned tornado developed near an inflection point along the leading edge of a strong surge of northeast winds and or small scale frontal boundary, which were enhanced by the very warm Lake Superior water temperatures.

 

 

Flash Flood Warning

NEW ORLEANS LA
FORT WORTH TX

Flood Warning

FORT WORTH TX
TALLAHASSEE FL
TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX

Flood Advisory

FORT WORTH TX
TAUNTON MA
NEW YORK NY
TALLAHASSEE FL
ALBANY NY

Flood Watch

FAIRBANKS AK

Today

Flood

Canada

Province of Saskatchewan, [James Smith First Nation]

Flood in Canada on Wednesday, 15 August, 2012 at 07:22 (07:22 AM) UTC.

Description

A state of emergency has been declared by the James Smith Cree Nation following continued high rainfall and flooding. Local officials are calling for increased assistance from the federal and provincial governments. The drinking water of nine homes has been contaminated due to the high water levels and some roads have flooded over, says a news release issued Tuesday by James Smith. The continued rainfall is adding to the problems caused by last year’s flooding, said the release. “The high rains are destroying what’s left of our roads and water systems, and this is creating dangerous health conditions for our people, especially very young children and our elders,” said James Smith Chief Wally Burns. “We’ve been trying to get assistance since the 2011 flood, but have so far received minimal support.” Last month officials with the provincial disaster assistance program met with band leadership. The program provided $110,000 to repair damage from previous years of flooding, but the band estimates $3.2 million is needed. James Smith is located about 180 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon.

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Mysterious Louisiana Sinkhole Raises Concerns of Explosions and Radiation

By CHRISTINA NG | ABC News  

• View GalleryMysterious Louisiana Sinkhole Raises Concerns of Explosions and Radiation (ABC News)

A nearly 400-foot deep sinkhole in Louisiana has swallowed all of the trees in its area and enacted a mandatory evacuation order for about 150 residences for fear of potential radiation and explosions.

The 400-square-foot gaping hole is in Assumption Parish, La., about 50 miles south of Baton Rouge.

The sinkhole sits in the middle of a heavily wooded space where it has consumed all of the soaring cypress trees that had been there. Flyover photos show some of the treetops still visible through the mud.

Authorities enacted a mandatory evacuation for between 100 and150 homes in the area, but most people have chosen to stay, according to the Mayor’s Office of Emergency Preparedness. If any of the dangers seem to become more imminent, the order will be escalated to a forced evacuation.

While officials are not certain what caused the massive sinkhole, they believe it may be have ben caused by a nearby salt cavern owned by the Texas Brine Company.

After being used for nearly 30 years, the cavern was plugged in 2011 and officials believe the integrity of the cavern may have somehow been compromised, leading to the sinkhole.

[Slideshow: Massive sinkholes wreak havoc around the world]

On Thursday, Louisiana’s Department of Natural Resources required that Texas Brine drill a well to investigate the salt cavern as soon as possible, obtain samples from the cavern and provide daily reports on their findings. It could take up to 10 days to set up the drilling process, even with an expedited process.

“We have to arrange for the driller. We have to pick a location. We have to be very careful to not be in a point that’s too close to the sinkhole because of the weight of the rig,” Texas Brine Company spokesman Sonny Cranch told ABCNews.com today. “We don’t want to aggravate the situation.”

The sinkhole is on the outside edge of the salt dome where this particular brine well is located.

“There are some indications that it very well may have been connected, but there’s just indications,” Cranch said. “There’s nothing concrete that has connected the sinkhole to the cavern.”

There was bubbling in the water and the sinkhole is near areas where there has been exploration for oil and gas in the past, which would make the presence of low levels of naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) possible.

The state’s Department of Environmental Quality said water samples from the sinkhole showed oil and diesel on its surface, but initial readings did not detect radiation.

In the days after the sinkhole opened up on Aug. 3, nearby Highway 70 was closed down because officials discovered that the sinkhole caused a 36-inch natural gas pipeline to bend and feared the possibility of an explosion, according to ABC News’ Baton Rouge affiliate WBRZ.

“That’s why the mandatory evacuation is going to stay on, because there is a risk for explosion,” John Boudreaux of from Assumption Parish Emergency Preparedness said at a meeting with residents on Tuesday, WBRZ reported.

“We are determined to do everything we can to find the answer,” president of Texas Brine Mark Cartwright told the residents.

Some community members were visibly frustrated with the situation and lack of answers.

“You can give us a straight answer because that’s all we want,” one woman said at the meeting. “We want to know when we can come home and be safe. Because you all go home after a days work. You’re safe, but we’re not.”

Gov. Bobby Jindal issued a declaration of emergency allowing the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security to assist in the efforts if necessary.

“This is extremely serious and it’s been going on for too long to still be at this point,” Kim Torres, spokeswoman for the Office of Emergency Preparedness, told ABCNews.com today. “The people are very aware of how serious this is.”

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Radiation / Nuclear

Today

Nuclear Event

USA

State of Minnesota, Red Wing [Prairie Island Nuclear Power Plant]

Nuclear Event in USA on Wednesday, 15 August, 2012 at 03:28 (03:28 AM) UTC.

Description

Prairie Island nuclear plant shut down Unit 1 after operators declared its two backup diesel generators inoperable Tuesday. Staff determined during routine testing that both generators had exhaust leaks, Xcel Energy media relations spokeswoman Mary Sandok confirmed. That deemed them inoperable, and the plant filed an incident report of the safe shutdown with the Nuclear Regulatory Plant. Prairie Island has other backup protection, including diesel generators and turbine-driven and portable pumps, the company said in the statement issued at 2:30 p.m. There was no radiation leak or danger to the public. Prairie Island Tribal Council President Johnny Johnson called the loss of both generators “not acceptable.” “A failure of the back-up diesel generators can affect all other safety features that rely on the electricity that they generate,” he said. The plant has had more than 30 reported incidents of failing equipment, security breaches, human performance problems and operating errors in recent years, he said. The emergency diesel generators did not fail, Sandok said. Plant workers test equipment regularly, and during this week’s test they determined both generators had defects. “When it comes to important equipment, the nuclear industry has no tolerance for any imperfections, so operators shut the unit down to repair the generators,” she said. As of 7 p.m. Tuesday, one diesel was operable and the other one was repaired and awaiting testing. “Despite these assurances, today’s unplanned shutdown – and the unusual white steam clouds released throughout the day during the reactor shutdown – are ominous reminders of the fact that the 40-year-old Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant operating a half-mile from our homes relies on aging technology,” Johnson said. An unrelated outage also occurred Tuesday at the Monticello plant to repair a gasket on a pipe flange. The plant had been operating at 10 percent power since the weekend as workers investigated leakage to a collection point inside the plant’s containment structure.

 

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Solar Activity

3MIN News August 14, 2012: 7.7 Earthquake

Published on Aug 14, 2012 by Suspicious0bservers

Earthquake/Solar Flare Watch: http://youtu.be/zd7Z6dmABf8 [August 12-18, 2012]
[EXPLANATION Video For Earthquake Watches] Last Quake Watch: http://youtu.be/SMiHsOYwdCs

TODAY’S LINKS
Pumice in Pacific: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=78849
East Severe Weather: http://www.weather.com/news/weather-severe/severe-weather-tracker
MrMBB333 Cosmic Ray Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EemuRabDxGQ

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]

ENLIL SPIRAL: http://iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov:8080/IswaSystemWebApp/iSWACygnetStreamer?timestamp=…

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]

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!]

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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
4581 Asclepius	16th August 2012	1 day(s)	0.1079	42.0	220 m – 490 m	13.48 km/s	48528 km/h
(2008 TC4)	18th August 2012	3 day(s)	0.1937	75.4	140 m – 300 m	17.34 km/s	62424 km/h
(2012 OP4)	18th August 2012	3 day(s)	0.1039	40.4	300 m – 670 m	22.54 km/s	81144 km/h
(2012 EC)	20th August 2012	5 day(s)	0.0815	31.7	56 m – 130 m	5.57 km/s	20052 km/h
(2006 CV)	20th August 2012	5 day(s)	0.1744	67.9	290 m – 640 m	13.24 km/s	47664 km/h
162421 (2000 ET70)	21st August 2012	6 day(s)	0.1503	58.5	670 m – 1.5 km	12.92 km/s	46512 km/h
(2007 WU3)	21st August 2012	6 day(s)	0.1954	76.0	56 m – 120 m	5.25 km/s	18900 km/h
(2012 BB14)	24th August 2012	9 day(s)	0.1234	48.0	27 m – 60 m	2.58 km/s	9288 km/h
(2012 FM52)	25th August 2012	10 day(s)	0.0599	23.3	510 m – 1.1 km	17.17 km/s	61812 km/h
66146 (1998 TU3)	25th August 2012	10 day(s)	0.1265	49.2	3.0 km – 6.8 km	16.03 km/s	57708 km/h
(2009 AV)	26th August 2012	11 day(s)	0.1615	62.8	670 m – 1.5 km	22.51 km/s	81036 km/h
331769 (2003 BQ35)	28th August 2012	13 day(s)	0.1585	61.7	240 m – 530 m	4.64 km/s	16704 km/h
(2010 SC)	28th August 2012	13 day(s)	0.1679	65.3	16 m – 36 m	9.56 km/s	34416 km/h
4769 Castalia	28th August 2012	13 day(s)	0.1135	44.2	1.4 km	12.06 km/s	43416 km/h
(2012 LU7)	02nd September 2012	18 day(s)	0.1200	46.7	440 m – 990 m	8.16 km/s	29376 km/h
(2012 FS35)	02nd September 2012	18 day(s)	0.1545	60.1	2.3 m – 5.2 m	2.87 km/s	10332 km/h
(2012 HG31)	03rd September 2012	19 day(s)	0.0716	27.9	440 m – 990 m	10.33 km/s	37188 km/h
(2012 PX)	04th September 2012	20 day(s)	0.0452	17.6	61 m – 140 m	9.94 km/s	35784 km/h
(2012 EH5)	05th September 2012	21 day(s)	0.1613	62.8	38 m – 84 m	9.75 km/s	35100 km/h
(2011 EO11)	05th September 2012	21 day(s)	0.1034	40.2	9.0 m – 20 m	8.81 km/s	31716 km/h
(2007 PS25)	06th September 2012	22 day(s)	0.0497	19.3	23 m – 52 m	8.50 km/s	30600 km/h
329520 (2002 SV)	08th September 2012	24 day(s)	0.1076	41.9	300 m – 670 m	9.17 km/s	33012 km/h
(2011 ES4)	10th September 2012	26 day(s)	0.1792	69.8	20 m – 44 m	12.96 km/s	46656 km/h
(2008 CO)	11th September 2012	27 day(s)	0.1847	71.9	74 m – 160 m	4.10 km/s	14760 km/h
1 AU = ~150 million kilometers,1 LD = Lunar Distance = ~384,000 kilometers Source: NASA-NEO

…………………………………

Gamma-Ray Photons Seen Emanating From The Center Of The Milky Way
Could Be Evidence of Dark Matter 

 

MessageToEagle.com – Gamma-ray photons seen emanating from the center of the Milky Way galaxy could be evidence of dark matter.

Dark-matter particles are annihilating each other in space, according to UC Irvine astrophysicists, who found more gamma-ray photons coming from the Milky Way galactic center than they had expected, based on previous scientific models.

Kevork Abazajian, assistant professor, and Manoj Kaplinghat, associate professor, of the Department of Physics & Astronomy analyzed data collected between August 2008 and June 2012 from NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope orbiting Earth.

The gamma-rays Fermi detectsare billions of times more energetic, from 20 million to more than 300 billion electron volts.These gamma-ray photons are so energetic, they cannot be guided by the mirrors and lenses found in ordinary telescopes. Instead Fermi uses a sensor that is more like a Geiger counter than a telescope. If we could wear Fermi’s gamma ray “glasses,” we’d witness powerful bullets of energy – individual gamma rays – from cosmic phenomena such as supermassive black holes and hypernova explosions.

According to Abazajian, “this is the first time this new source has been observed with such high statistical significance, and the most striking part is how the shape, spectrum and rate of the observed gamma rays are very consistent with the leading theories for dark matter.”

In this illustration, one photon (purple) carries a million times the energy of another (yellow). Some theorists predict travel delays for higher-energy photons, which interact more strongly with the proposed frothy nature of space-time. Yet Fermi data on two photons from a gamma-ray burst fail to show this effect, eliminating some approaches to a new theory of gravity. The animation link below shows the delay scientists had expected to observe. Credit: NASA/Sonoma State University/Aurore Simonnet
“Future observations of regions with less astrophysical emission, such as dwarf galaxies, will be able to conclusively determine if this is actually from the dark matter.”

Nonluminous and not directly detectable, dark matter is thought to account for 85 percent of the universe’s mass. Its existence can only be inferred from its gravitational effects on other, visible matter. The UCI researchers’ findings could support its presumed presence at the center of galaxies.

The prevailing hypothesis is that dark matter is composed of weakly interacting massive particles, or WIMPs. When two WIMPs meet, they annihilate each other to produce more familiar particles – including gamma rays.

Although the data interpretation seems to be consistent with dark-matter theory, the gamma rays could be coming from a source other than WIMP destruction, Kaplinghat noted.

“The signal we see is also consistent with photons emitted by pulsars,” he said, “or from high-energy particles interacting with gas in the galactic center.”

UC Irvine astrophysicists submitted their research to the American Physical Society journal Physical Review D.

MessageToEagle.com

See also:
Venus And Jupiter Show With Special Guests Aurora Borealis And The Moon

 

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Biological Hazards / Wildlife

Today

Biological Hazard

Australia

State of Victoria, Tooradin

Biological Hazard in Australia on Wednesday, 15 August, 2012 at 05:00 (05:00 AM) UTC.

Description
Casey Council will not install warning signs after a man reported being stung by a box jellyfish at Tooradin. Devon Meadows’ Tony Jenner said he was swimming when stung by a jellyfish with “six-foot long” tentacles. “It felt like I got bitten by two or three bees,” Mr Jenner said. “I came home and put vinegar on it and I didn’t feel too bad then but through the night I could feel my throat getting tight and it was hard to breathe.” In April, Cr Geoff Ablett called for an investigation into the “life-threatening situation” and whether warning signs should be posted to notify swimmers of the risks. However, in her report to councillors last week, community safety manager Caroline Bell said the incident was isolated and signs were not required. Joanna Browne, of Museums Victoria, said there was a species of box jellyfish in Victoria, but it was smaller and less harmful than those in the tropics.
Biohazard name:	Jellyfish Invasion (Box)
Biohazard level:	0/4 —
Biohazard desc.:	This does not included biological hazard category.
Symptoms:
Status:	confirmed

Today

Biological Hazard

USA

State of Texas, [Dallas County]

Biological Hazard in USA on Wednesday, 15 August, 2012 at 03:14 (03:14 AM) UTC.

Description
Nine people have died from a West Nile virus outbreak that infected 175 people in Dallas County, Texas, prompting officials to declare a state of emergency. The emergency was declared on Friday by Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, the county’s director of homeland security and emergency management. “This declaration will expand our avenues DisasterNew assistance in our ongoing battle with West Nile virus,” Jenkins said. “While we are busy doing everything we can to keep residents well informed and as protected as possible, we need your help.” Jenkins also said that planes would be spraying insecticide over areas most effected by the virus, which is spread by mosquitoes. He assured citizens that the insecticide is safe and that the planes will be precise in their spraying. Tarrant County has also received 146 reported cases of West Nile in the last few weeks. The county has not declared a state of emergency, though. Houston officials are warning residents of an increased threat of the virus. “Houston can definitely expect an increase in West Nile disease,” said Kristy Murray, an infectious disease specialist at the Baylor College of Medicine’s National School of Tropical Medicine, DisasterNews reports. “From mid-August through September is the big season here.”
Biohazard name:	West Nile virus outbreak
Biohazard level:	2/4 Medium
Biohazard desc.:	Bacteria and viruses that cause only mild disease to humans, or are difficult to contract via aerosol in a lab setting, such as hepatitis A, B, and C, influenza A, Lyme disease, salmonella, mumps, measles, scrapie, dengue fever, and HIV. “Routine diagnostic work with clinical specimens can be done safely at Biosafety Level 2, using Biosafety Level 2 practices and procedures. Research work (including co-cultivation, virus replication studies, or manipulations involving concentrated virus) can be done in a BSL-2 (P2) facility, using BSL-3 practices and procedures. Virus production activities, including virus concentrations, require a BSL-3 (P3) facility and use of BSL-3 practices and procedures”, see Recommended Biosafety Levels for Infectious Agents.
Symptoms:
Status:	confirmed

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Articles of Interest

Today

Explosion

USA

State of New York, Brentwood [Long Island]

Explosion in USA on Wednesday, 15 August, 2012 at 03:11 (03:11 AM) UTC.

Description

A baby was killed and 14 other people were injured when a Long Island house was reduced to rubble in an explosion Tuesday morning. Six people, including the 18-month-old boy, were inside the Brentwood home when it exploded shortly before noon, said John Meehan, deputy chief of the Suffolk County Police. The five surviving adults were transported to local hospitals, three with serious injuries, he said. Five police officers responding to the scene suffered respiratory problems, one firefighter suffered chest pains and another firefighter suffered a sprained ankle, Meehan said, while a neighbor and a pedestrian were also injured. Authorities have declined to identify any victims and are not saying how many were residents of the home. Investigators are trying to determine if gas caused the explosion, said Robert Kuehn, an inspector for the Brentwood Fire Department. The house was not heated by natural gas, but there were two, 200-pound propane tanks on the property, Meehan said. The explosion leveled the home on Prospect Avenue, leaving no walls standing and covering the small yard in debris. On Tuesday afternoon, firefighters were digging through piles of lumber and sheetrock where the house stood on the wooded suburban street. Clothing was strewn in nearby trees, and adjacent houses sustained broken windows and other damage, authorities said. Neighbors described hearing a loud noise and then walking outside to see only clouds of dust and piles of debris where the house stood moments earlier. “The mother of the baby that came out, she was bloody, crying,” said Anthony Acevedo, 16 year old, who lives across the street. “She kept screaming, ‘My baby’s in there, my baby’s in there.’ They finally got the baby out, but the baby wasn’t moving.”

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Saharan Dust Reaches the Americas

acquired July 15, 2012 download large image (400 KB, JPEG, 1440×960)

acquired July 7, 1994 download large image (688 KB, JPEG, 1000×1016)

Weather satellites frequently document dust palls blowing westward from Africa’s Sahara Desert across the tropical Atlantic Ocean. Astronauts see these Saharan dust masses as widespread atmospheric haze. The dust can be transported right across the Atlantic Ocean, taking about a week to reach North America (in northern hemisphere summer) or South America (in northern hemisphere winter). This puts the Caribbean Sea on the receiving end of many of these events.

In the top image, the margin of hazy air reaches the island of Hispaniola (Haiti and Dominican Republic) and the Turks and Caicos Islands, though the eastern tip of Cuba (foreground) remains clear. This image—taken by astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) in July 2012—attracted the interest of scientists at NASA’s Johnson Space Center because the margin between dust haze and clear atmosphere lies in almost the same location as it appeared in another astronaut image in July 1994. When astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia captured the lower image (rotated from the 2012 view), few scientists had considered the possibility of trans-Atlantic dust transport.

The Columbia image also shows the brilliant blues of the shallow banks surrounding the Caicos Island in the Bahamas. The mountainous spine of Haiti lies further away, partly obscured by dust. Closer to the foreground—about 26 degrees north latitude—the skies are clear.

The dust in the images is almost 8,000 kilometers from its likely source in northern Mali, although data from sensors such as the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer and Ozone Monitoring Instrument have suggested that some dust traveling across the Atlantic may originate even further east in Chad or Sudan. Once airborne, Saharan dust has been known to travel west all the way into the Pacific Ocean, crossing Mexico at the narrow Isthmus of Tehuantepec.

We now know that African dust reaches the western hemisphere every month of the year, though not necessarily in as visible a form as in these images. Researchers have linked Saharan dust to coral disease, allergies in humans, and harmful algal blooms (“red tides”). There is also evidence that some of this African dust serves as a source of airborne nutrients for Amazon rainforest vegetation.

Astronaut photograph ISS032-E-8976 was acquired on July 15, 2012, with a Nikon D3S digital camera using a 28 mm lens, and is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment and Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, Johnson Space Center. The image was taken by the Expedition 32 crew. Astronaut photograph STS065-75-47 was acquired on July 7, 1994, with a Hasselblad Camera using a 100 mm lens and Kodak Lumiere film. Both images have been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast, and lens artifacts have been removed. The International Space Station Program supports the laboratory as part of the ISS National Lab to help astronauts take pictures of Earth that will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public, and to make those images freely available on the Internet. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth. Caption by M. Justin Wilkinson, Jacobs/ESCG at NASA-JSC.

Instrument: 

ISS – Digital Camera

Sea Ice Retreats in the Northwest Passage

acquired July 17, 2012 download large image (5 MB, JPEG, 6000×4000)

acquired August 3, 2012 download large image (5 MB, JPEG, 6000×4000)

View Image Comparison

Ice retreated rapidly in the Parry Channel—part of the famous and elusive Northwest Passage—between mid-July and early August 2012.

These images, acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite, show significant changes over two weeks. The top image shows Parry Channel on July 17, 2012, when ice filled the channel. The bottom image shows the same region on August 3, when some ice was still clinging to the shores of Victoria and Melville Islands but open water otherwise dominated the region.

The Canadian Ice Service reported that ice cover in Parry Channel began to fall below the 1981–2010 median after July 16, 2012, and the loss accelerated over the following two weeks. On July 23, the percentage of ice cover in the channel was roughly 67 percent, compared to the median of 80 percent. On July 30, ice cover was roughly 33 percent, compared a median of 79 percent.

These photo-like images show widespread open water in early August, though patches of ice linger south of Melville Island. Walt Meier of the National Snow and Ice Data Center cautioned, however, that while the Parry Channel appeared almost entirely free of ice, it was not necessarily open for navigational purposes. Sea ice can be thin enough to avoid detection by satellite sensors such as MODIS yet still thick enough to impede ships.

Whether or not ships can easily pass, recent studies have suggested that certain organisms have begun to take advantage of the open water. The Northwest Passage opened in 2007, a year when there was record-low sea ice in the Arctic. A 2007 study on Neodenticula seminae—a type of plankton historically found in the Pacific Ocean—concluded that the species had turned up in the North Atlantic. The research suggested that the plankton’s route included the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. A 2012 study on bowhead whales, which tracked individuals with satellite transmitters, indicated that Pacific and Atlantic populations had begun to overlap in the Northwest Passage in August 2010.

Attempts to identify a shortcut between Europe and Asia across the Arctic date back to the late fifteenth century, just several years after Columbus journeyed to the Americas. For centuries, attempts to find the route were stymied by unfamiliar geography and unforgiving ice. The Northwest Passage was first successfully navigated by the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen between 1903 and 1906. He used the southern route through the Northwest Passage; Parry Channel is part of the northern or “preferred” route.

Wider views of the Northwest Passage, acquired on August 2, 2012, are available from the NASA Ocean Color Web and the Earth Observatory.

1. References

2. Canadian Ice Service. (2012, August 6) Animated map of the last 10 days and Weekly ice coverage for the season 2012: Northwest Passage, Parry Channel. Accessed August 6, 2012.
3. Heide-Jørgensen, M.P., Laidre, K.L., Quakenbush, L.T., Citta, J.J. (2012) The Northwest Passage opens for bowhead whales. Biology Letters, 8(2), 270–273.
4. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Ocean Color Web. Accessed August 7, 2012.
5. Princeton University Library. Of Maps and Men: In Pursuit of a Northwest Passage. Accessed August 6, 2012.
6. Reid, P.C., Johns, D.G., Edwards, M., Starr, M., Poulin, M., Snoeijs, P. (2007) A biological consequence of reducing Arctic ice cover: arrival of the Pacific diatom Neodenticula seminae in the North Atlantic for the first time in 800 000 years. Global Change Biology, 13(9), 1910–1921.
7. Roach, J. (2007, September 17) Arctic melt opens Northwest Passage. Accessed August 6, 2012.

NASA Earth Observatory images by Jesse Allen, using data from the Land Atmosphere Near real-time Capability for EOS (LANCE). Caption by Michon Scott, with information from Walt Meier, National Snow and Ice Data Center.

Instrument: 

Terra – MODIS

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