Earth ChangesS


Igloo

Ultra-warmist German solar physicists now warning of a 'mini-ice age'

The daily Berliner Kurier here writes today that solar physicists at the ultra-warmist Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) are warning that Europe may be facing "a mini ice age" due to a possible protracted solar minimum.
Solar Activity
© D. Hathaway/NASA/MSFCSolar activity has been much lower than predicted earlier.
The Berliner Kurier writes:
That's the conclusion that solar physicists of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research reached when looking at solar activity."
For an institute that over the past 20 years has steadfastly insisted that man has been almost the sole factor in climate change over the past century and that the sun no longer plays a role, this is quite remarkable.

The Berliner Kurier reports that the PIK scientists foresee a weakening of the sun's activity over the coming years.
"That means that conversely it is going to get colder. The scientists are speaking of a little ice age."
According to the PIK scientists, the reduced solar activity will, however, not be able to stop the global warming and only brake the warming up to 2100 by 0.3°C.

Attention

Dead humpback whale found near Hope, Alaska; third for the state in June

A humpback whale spotted near Hope.
© Liam Bureau. A humpback whale spotted near Hope.
A dead humpback whale originally discovered Tuesday morning along Turnagain Arm, near Hope, has reappeared with the tides.

The 42-foot body resurfaced in an area between miles 13 and 15 of Hope Highway. NOAA officials say the location of the whale is making access challenging, as it's only accessible for a few hours during low tide.

As of noon Wednesday, a combined team from Alaska SeaLife Center and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are at the site collecting samples from the whale. NOAA officials say the team was on scene last night between 9 p.m. and midnight collecting samples before the tide came back up.

"The samples they collect are skin samples, blubber samples, aqueous liquid from the eyes, and then if they're able to perform a full necropsy then they definitely do the internal examination of the whale," said Julie Speegle, NOAA.

Attention

Grizzly bear kills biker in Flathead County, Montana; seventh fatal attack since 2010 in the Northern Rockies

Grizzly bear
Grizzly bear
Twenty years ago, Brad Treat was one of Montana's best high school distance runners, but his coach, Paul Jorgensen, remembers him for his humility and kindness. Once, Jorgensen recounted to the Flathead Beacon, after Treat finished first during a cross country race at the Missoula Invitational, he turned around and congratulated everyone else as they finished.

"I told my kids that story off and on over the years and then my kids started doing that, too," he said. "Brad's the one who started that."

And so, it was with great sadness that the Flathead community mourned the loss of this local icon of sportsmanship, who died Wednesday afternoon after being attacked by a grizzly bear just south of Glacier National Park. Though he had maintained his athleticism — he was riding his mountain bike, after all — Treat, who was just 38 years old and a law enforcement officer with the U.S. Forest Service, couldn't escape his fate.

But his companion did. Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry told the Associated Press that Treat and another man had been biking near Halfmoon Lake when they came across the bear, surprising it. The other man escaped unscathed and sought help while the bear knocked Treat off his bike.


Arrow Down

Sound 'like thunder' before huge sinkhole devours land just metres from homes near Carmarthen, Wales

The 30 foot wide hole has left a storage shed dangling over the edge
The 30 foot wide hole has left a storage shed dangling over the edge
A Carmarthenshire couple's home has been left in a dangerous position after the ground collapsed just meters away from it.

Nearby residents of Towy View Park, off Capel Dewi Road, just outside Carmarthen, said they were woken by a sound like thunder before 7am today.

The sinkhole, approximately 30 foot wide and deep, took away part of the ground underneath an empty storage shed.


Towy View Park is built on the site of a former lead mine.

"It sounded like thunder," said a park resident this morning.

"I couldn't believe someone was doing DIY that early in the morning. But when I went out to walk my dog, I could see it. It's a real worry for us."

Bizarro Earth

Florida declares state of emergency over algae blooms in Martin, St. Lucie counties

Florida algal blooms
© Associated Press
A state of emergency has been declared in Martin and St. Lucie counties following the unusually high presence of algae in local waterways.

Gov. Rick Scott signed the executive order Wednesday. It allows state and local agencies to take swift action to mitigate the spread of algal blooms in the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries by redirecting the flow of water in and out of Lake Okeechobee.

Scott is also directing the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to address the issues caused by blooms.

In a prepared statement, Scott also called on the federal government to approve permits for Florida's dispersed water management programs.

Fire

House leveled after massive explosion in Ontario, Canada; woman killed, 25 homes damaged

House explosion in Mississauga, Canada
© Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press
About 25 homes were damaged by a house explosion on Hickory Dr. Residents described the scene as looking like "the aftermath of a hurricane."

Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie said the person who died in Mississauga's home explosion on Tuesday was a female.

Close to 58 homes were evacuated as a safety precaution after one home on Hickory Dr. in Mississauga exploded. Residents have been asked to stay out of their homes as police continue their investigation in the area, she told CP24 Wednesday morning.

Nine people were assessed for minor injuries. About 50 to 100 people had been taken to a nearby reception centre.

Animal services were on hand and had already rescued a few pets.

Crombie praised the support of local community members and efforts of emergency services responding to a shocking house explosion in the city Tuesday afternoon, leaving one woman dead.


Comment: A few other examples of huge gas explosions leveling buildings or houses from this year include:

June 2016: Powerful gas explosions rip through street in Urk, the Netherlands: Six houses destroyed
April 2016: Home reduced to rubble after gas explosion in Birmingham, UK
March 2016: Huge gas explosion in Seattle levels two buildings and blows out windows half a block away
Feb 2016: Powerful gas explosion partly destroys residential building in Russia; 7 dead, many feared trapped

Could a 'cosmic' source of ignition be responsible for some of these incidents?


Blue Planet

Water windfall: Scientists discover deep sources of groundwater in California's Central Valley, but oil activities pose threats

California aqueduct
© Rob Jackson, Stanford UniversityThe California Aqueduct, with the Lost Hills Oil Field in the background
California's drought-stricken Central Valley harbors three times more groundwater than previously estimated, Stanford scientists have found. Accessing this water in an economically feasible way and safeguarding it from possible contamination from oil and gas activities, however, will be challenging.

"It's not often that you find a 'water windfall,' but we just did," said study co-author Robert Jackson, the Michelle and Kevin Douglas Provostial Professor at Stanford. "There's far more fresh water and usable water than we expected."

The research, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences the week of June 27, highlights the need to better characterize and protect deep groundwater aquifers not only in California but in other parched regions as well.

"Our findings are relevant to a lot of other places where there are water shortages, including Texas, China and Australia," said study co-author Mary Kang, a postdoctoral associate at Stanford School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences.

Roses

3-day-old baby girl killed by family dog in Fresno, California

A 3-day-old infant is dead after reportedly being attacked by dogs.
© KMPHA 3-day-old infant is dead after reportedly being attacked by dogs.
A 3-day-old baby girl was killed by family dogs in Fresno early Monday, police say.

The girl's mother thought the dogs were chained up in the back yard when the attack occurred, police said.

The baby was attacked at a home on the 3700 block of North Glenn Avenue about 12:30 a.m. Monday and died a short time later at Community Regional Medical Center, Sgt. Dan Macias said.

The 33-year old mother, who was not identified, said she left the child on the couch and "walked away for a few seconds," Macias said.

"She left the door open because it was hot and she thought the dogs were tied up," he said.


Cloud Lightning

Lightning strikes kill 4 and injure 3 in Chachro, Pakistan

Lightning
At least four people were killed and three other were wounded as lightning struck different area in Chachro on Tuesday, Dunya News reported.

According to details, lightning killed a 30-year-old woman in village Chopar near Chachro while a 16-year-old girl was killed by lightning in Bhoro Bheel village.

Lighting also killed two persons, and injured three other in village Bhagiseel. Hospital sources in Chachro have confirmed four deaths.

Cloud Lightning

Lightning strike kills man in Lumberton, Mississippi

Lightning
A Lamar County man is dead after being struck by lightning Monday night, becoming Mississippi's second lightning fatality of the year and the ninth in the nation.

Forrest County Deputy Coroner Lisa Klem said Charles Whorton III of Lumberton died of the consequences of a lightning strike. He was pronounced dead at Forrest General Hospital in Hattiesburg at 6:06 p.m.

Klem said Whorton was struck on Pine Burr Road in Lumberton.

Lamar County Emergency Management Director James Smith said Whorton and another man were outside and the other man was walking around the back of a pickup when he heard a loud pop near the front of the truck and saw Whorton fall to the ground. The other man called 911 and administered CPR until responders arrived on scene, Smith said.