Earth ChangesS

Rainbow

Colorful 'mother of pearl' cloud appears in Swedish skies

Nacreou cloud
This fantastic colorful nacreous cloud appeared in the sky of Abisco, Sweden on December 14, 2015.

Mother of pearl clouds are a kind of polar stratospheric clouds that float through the stratosphere (25 km above Earth surface) and they are fantastically colorful.

Mother of Pearl cloud
These rare colorful clouds form in the lower stratosphere when temperatures drop to around minus 85ยบC. The iridescent colors appearing in the clouds are the result of diffraction and interference of sunlight shining through tiny ice particles ~10ยตm across.

Attention

Over 100 earthquakes at Copahue volcano in one day, Chile

Copahue volcano
© AFP PHOTO / Antonio HuglichCopahue volcano
Is the Copahue volcano entering a new eruptive phase?

The volcano was hit by 103 earthquakes between December 12 at 10:17 local time (13.17 GMT) and December 13 at 1:09 local time (4.09 GMT), so less than 1 day. Insane.

103 seismic events rattled the Copahue volcano during last week-end as reported by the Service National of Geology and Mining of Chile (Sernageomin).

The earthquakes occurred 12 kilometers from the main crater at depths close to six kilometers underground.

The most powerful tremor was a M3.1 and happened at 12:57 local time (15.00 GMT) on Saturday.

Attention

Dead humpback whale washes up Hatteras Island beach, North Carolina

 Dead humpback whale
© National Parks ServiceA dead humpback whale washed ashore on Cape Hatteras.
A humpback whale has been found dead on a beach near the end of Hatteras Island.

National Park Service spokeswoman Cyndy Holda tells the Virginian-Pilot that the juvenile male was found Monday and is 33 feet long.

Holda says staffers from the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, the Marine Mammal Stranding Network and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission are conducting a necropsy on the carcass to determine cause of death. The whale will be buried in parts on the beach.

The animal showed no outward signs of trauma. Holda says the biologists took samples to test for toxins.

Marine biologist Karen Clark says humpback whales migrate south from New England to the south Atlantic this time of year. Juveniles often linger off the Outer Banks coast to eat.

Attention

Dead killer whale washes up on beach in South Africa

Dead killer whale
Dead killer whale
A dead killer whale has washed up on the shore in Plettenberg Bay, Western Cape.

"It washed up on the beach dead and then was removed by the [municipal] cleansing department," National Sea Rescue Institute spokesperson Craig Lambinon said.

"Samples of it have been taken away by the department of environmental affairs."

The animals commonly known as killer whales are also called orcas.

Lambinon said the whale was found on Sunday.

Cloud Precipitation

Dozens killed as more floods hit the Democratic Republic of Congo

Rain in Congo
© EPARain in Congo
Torrential rain between 11 and 12 December 2015 has caused deadly floods and landslides in eastern and western parts of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Local news reports claim that 18 people have died in eastern South Kivu and 9 in western Bas Congo provinces.

Floods have already resulted in over 30 deaths in Kinshasa and other areas of the country since late November.

South Kivu Province

On 12 December 2015, AFP reported that at least 18 people during torrential rains and floods on Friday 11 December to Saturday 12 December 2015 in Bukavu in South Kivu province in the east of the country.

WMO reported that, during a 24 hour period between 06 and 07 December 2015, 136.9 mm of rain fell in Bukavu. No records are available for more recent rainfall in the country.

At least 6 houses collapsed after torrential rain triggered floods and landslides. There are fears that some are still trapped under the rubble and that the death toll could rise further. One death has been reported as a result of electrocution. Radio Okapi, the UN backed news outlet in DRC say that around 50 houses have been damaged which could leave hundreds homeless. Ibanda and Panzi districts in Bukavu are thought to be the worst affected.


Comment: See also: Flooding in Congo capital kill at least 31 in three weeks


Red Flag

Shanghai's worst smog in two years prompts introduction of emergency measures

Shanghai smog
© Zhong Yang/Imaginechina via AP ImagesTourists walk on the Bund in Shanghai during heavy smog on Dec. 14
Shanghai ordered schools to keep children indoors and factories to limit production as a hazy smog enveloped the metropolis and the most dangerous air contaminants reached the highest levels in two years.

The city's air quality index hit 217 at 4 p.m., or "heavily polluted," the second worst in a 6-grade scale, the Shanghai Environmental Monitoring Center said. It had improved from "severe" earlier, when PM2.5 levels -- particulates considered the must dangerous to health -- rose to as high as 281 micrograms per cubic meter, the most since Dec. 26, 2013, according to U.S. State Department data tracked by Bloomberg. The World Health Organization recommends no more than daily average exposures of 25 micrograms.

Shanghai's pollution hasn't been a major concern since 2013, when the city was shrouded in smog for weeks and prompted the American Chamber of Commerce to say it was hurting the city's image as it sought to attract foreign businesses. Tuesday's warning followed a red pollution alert by Beijing last week for the first time, that triggered limits on industrial production, bans on outdoor construction and primary school and kindergartens suspensions.

Comment: Last week, the Chinese capital Beijing, issued it's highest possible smog warning for the very first time.


Windsock

Typhoon Melor: Three people dead as storm slams into the Philippines

typhoon Melor
© Charism Sayat/AFP/Getty ImagesWaves spill over a wall in the city of Legaspi in Albay province, south of Manila, as typhoon Melor approached the city.

Millions left without power as typhoon's heavy rain and strong winds pound the Bicol peninsula and Romblon islands

Typhoon Melor carved through the central Philippines on Tuesday, bringing heavy rain and strong winds that left millions without power and at least three people dead, officials said.

One person died of hypothermia while two others drowned in floods in the fishing town of Catarman in Northern Samar province in the Visayas region south of Manila, municipal disaster officer Jonathan Baldo told DZMM radio.

The storm toppled trees and cut electricity to at least seven provinces, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said.

Christmas lanterns and lights, tin roofs and branches littered the streets of the city of Legazpi, which was battered by strong winds.

People who fled from their coastal homes spent a sleepless night in evacuation centres, sprawled on classroom tables and chairs as flying debris swirled around outside.

Boat

Heavy flooding still affecting Ireland as Shannon River levels rise

Ireland flooding
© Irish Times/Brenda FitzsimonsFlooding Carrick on Shannon.
Parts of Ireland experienced more heavy flooding on December 12, 2015 after more heavy rain battered the country. At the same time, water levels of the Shannon river system are still rising and are expected to peak over the next few days, the National Emergency Coordination Group reported.

Abundant amount of precipitation over the weekend of December 12, triggered floods in the counties of Sligo, Leitrim and Dublin area, while parts of western Ireland, in the Shannon river basin suffered the worst hit. Local media reported heavy flooding in the Corbally area of the Limerick city and parts of Athlone on the night of December 12 (local time).

The level of water flow from the Shannon river is expected to increase to 440 cubic meters per second (15 538 cubic feet per second) over the coming days, and lead to increased risk of flooding the roads and grounds of Springfield, Montpelier, Castleconnel, Mountshannon, Lisnagry and the University of Limerick.
Ireland flooding
© Irish Times/Brenda FitzsimonsFlooding along the banks of the River Shannon Athlone Town with the N6 motorway.
14 homes, a secondary school and numerous cars have been overflown in the Corbally area, and the main road passage from Co. Clare into Limerick was left under water. The road has been opened to traffic, following the initial flooding, however, numerous roads in the Castleconnel area have remained closed. Homes in the Richmond Park and the area of Ardscoil Mhuire secondary school reported flooding, as well.

Over 400 homes have been cutoff the power supplies, according to the local media. Residents between Chapelizod and Islandbridge in Dublin area were urged to remove their vehicles from underground parking spots and other low-lying areas last night.

Comment: Communities on high flood alert along River Shannon, Ireland


Snowflake

NOAA: Winter storm warnings-watches issued for 15 U.S. states

NOAA map snow
© NOAA
Heavy snow warnings for parts of Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, South Dakota, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Arizona, Michigan and Maine.

Arrow Down

Large sinkhole opens up on beach in Queensland, Australia

A large sinkhole has opened up at the northern end of The Spit.
A large sinkhole has opened up at the northern end of The Spit.
A large sinkhole has opened up at the northern end of The Spit about 5.30pm this afternoon.

The hole, about 5m by 7m in size, is surrounded by orange cones to warn beachgoers of a possible danger.

No one has been injured.

It is possible to get close to it but caution is advised.