Earth ChangesS


Alarm Clock

Thanks BigAg: Bumblees have been proposed for U.S. endangered species status

Matt Agorist
The Free Thought Project
Thu, 22 Sep 2016 00:00 UTC
bumblebee
Earlier this month, mosquito eradication efforts in South Carolina, gone horribly wrong, resulted in almost total devastation to the indigenous bee populations. The pesticide used to target the Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti species of mosquito, which can carry and transmit the Zika virus, killed off millions of bees. This single incident is one of many that have been laying waste to beneficial pollinators which has now led to the bumblebee's proposed listing as an endangered species.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Wednesday proposed listing the rusty patched bumblebee, a prized but vanishing pollinator once widely found in the upper Midwest and Northeastern United States, for federal protection as an endangered species, according to Reuters.

The Bumblebee is one of several wild bee species seen declining in the last couple of decades. It has now become the first ever bee in the continental United States formally proposed for listing under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
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Snowflake

Heavy, late summer snowfall for Alberta mountains and foothills; a foot of snow

Margeaux Morin
Global News
Tue, 20 Sep 2016 12:07 UTC
Snow at Lake Louise posted by Instagram user @rowanskeencotton on Sept. 20, 2016
Snow at Lake Louise posted by Instagram user @rowanskeencotton on Sept. 20, 2016
We're still a day-and-a-half away from the start of the fall season, but it sure doesn't look that way in Alberta's mountains and foothills.

According to the Prairie and Arctic Storm Prediction Centre of Environment Canada, wet snow started falling near Banff and Highway 93 early Tuesday morning.

As of 4:30 p.m., Environment Canada confirmed to Global News that areas in Banff received 32 centimetres of snow, while areas near Sundre received at least 30 centimetres.

Albertans have taken to social media with their updates on the wintry weather.

Tom Graham shared his snow photos early Tuesday morning in the Kananaskis Valley.
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Attention

Young sperm whale euthanized after washing up at Sandbridge, Virginia


13newsnow.com
Wed, 21 Sep 2016 11:53 UTC
baby sperm whale
Members of the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center's Stranding Response Team were on Sandbridge Wednesday afternoon after a sperm whale beached there.

Matt Klepeisz, Public Relations Manager for VAMSC, told 13News Now the whale appeared to be young and was very weak.

After assessing the whale's condition, team members determined that the whale should be euthanized.

A necropsy may help determine what caused the whale to come ashore.

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Seismograph

5.5 magnitude earthquake hits Mozambique, strongest in 11 years


Strange Sounds
Thu, 22 Sep 2016 06:25 UTC
Mozambique earthquake map
© USGSEpicenter of the rare Mozambique earthquake of September 22, 2016.
A 5.5-magnitude earthquake hit on September 22, 2016 at 8:06pm (UTC) Mozambique, Africa. The moderately-strong earthquake, which epicenter was situated at a depth of 10km, struck 483 km SE of Harare, Zimbabwe (pop: 1,543,000), and 245 km SW of Beira, Mozambique (pop: 531,000).

A rare earthquake struck Mozambique, Southeast Africa, on September 22, 2016.

This is the strongest tremor in the last 11 years, when at least two Mozambicans died and 13 injured as an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 shook southern Africa.
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Bizarro Earth

Magnitude 6.3 earthquake hits southeast of Tokyo


RT
Fri, 23 Sep 2016 01:20 UTC
Japan Earthquake
© USGS
A powerful 6.3-magnitude earthquake rocked Japan some 230km southeast of the country's capital, Tokyo, at a depth of 10km on Thursday night, the US Geological Survey (USGS) reported on its website.

Japan's Meteorological Agency reported that the earthquake "has caused no damage to Japan," while adding that "slight sea-level changes in coastal regions" may be observed.

No immediate tsunami warning has been issued.

Small tremors were reportedly felt in nine Japanese prefectures, including in Fukushima and Tokyo.
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Arrow Down

Berea, South Africa residents shocked to discover large sinkhole developed overnight

Lorna Charles
Berea Mail
Wed, 21 Sep 2016 21:14 UTC
Glenwood, SA sinkhole
© Berea Mail
Glenwood residents and motorists driving along Che Guevara (Moore) Road on Tuesday morning were in for lengthy traffic delays on the busy road where a sinkhole developed overnight.

According to a resident at the Newton Place cul-de-sac, Dalone Jansen, he went across the road to buy pizza between 9 and 10pm and there was no sign of the sinkhole. "It was fine when I came home last night so it must have happened in the middle of the night. There was complete chaos this morning when people were trying to get out of our road to get to work. I'm lucky, I'm waiting for a ride to work so wasn't affected," he said.

About 7.30am all the cars on the tiny one-way-road were backed up. "Drivers were very scared, stressed and afraid their cars would fall in. We are lucky it stopped there and didn't continue. It makes us question the foundation of the road, it's so weak, a car could have fallen in if it was passing when the sinkhole began," Jansen added.
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Tornado2

Large waterspout filmed close to Corniglia, Italy

Dani & Suraj
You Tube
Sat, 17 Sep 2016 20:44 UTC
waterspout
Noticed this large waterspout forming during the sunset at Cinque Terre, Italy.

Video was taken from Manarola overlooking Corniglia, 17th Sept 2016.

The funnel formed over water and broke off closer to landfall.

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Fish

Thousands of dead fish wash ashore at Hingham, Massachusetts

Kathryn Sotnik
NECN
Thu, 22 Sep 2016 20:22 UTC
Dead fish
Dead fish
Hingham residents are reacting after a large amount of bait fish, commonly known as pogies, have been washing ashore along the Hingham Yacht Club and surrounding beach areas.

"It's thousands and thousands," said one resident Wednesday night.

"Well, we first noticed the smell when we got out of the car, and it was different — much stronger than usual," said Hingham resident Libby Lewiecki.

Chuck Azonderman is a former lobsterman who's spent time in and around the Hingham harbor for decades.

He says around 11 a.m. he found the fish "all over the place."

"I'm surprised to see it like this," Azonderman said. "I haven't seen it like this since the 80's."

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Fish

Thousands of dead fish wash up on Longboat Key, Florida

Rick Adams
My Suncoast
Thu, 22 Sep 2016 20:01 UTC
Dead fish
Dead fish
Dead fish are popping up all over Longboat Key, causing a lot of concern among residents and visitors.

"It's makes me very sad," said Claude Lewkowiez, a Tampa resident visiting Longboat Key.

Lewkowiez and her husband Emile are vacationing on Longboat Key this week.

"It's not pleasant to the eye and it's even less pleasant to the smell," said Emile.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission has confirmed the fish died from a high concentration of red tide. State wildlife officials say the red tide is most likely a little further offshore, and there are patchy spots of it.

"There was fish on the north end and the central part," said Dave Bullock, Longboat Key town manager. "(Tuesday night) when our police boat was out, he did a little survey and he suggested the presence of fish is moving south."

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Cloud Precipitation

Deadly flash floods and landslide hit West Java, Indonesia

Richard Davies
Floodlist
Thu, 22 Sep 2016 19:05 UTC
Landslide in Sumedang
© BNPDLandslide in Sumedang
Indonesia's National Disaster Management Authority (BNPB) have reported that the death toll from devastating floods and landslides in West Java province, Indonesia has now risen to 26. At least 19 people are still missing.

The flood water in Garut has receded revealing the extent of the destruction. Photos showed houses reduced to rubble and upturned cars strewn across streets covered in mud and flood debris. At least 23 people have died in the Garut floods, with 18 still missing. The search continues for the missing.

Over 400 people remain homeless in Garut as a result of the floods and temporary shelter has been provided by BNPD.

Three people died and one is missing after the landslide in Sumedang regency.



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