Earth ChangesS


Attention

For second day running, Bogoslof volcano eruption sparks aviation alert in Alaska


Juneau Empire
Fri, 23 Dec 2016 14:10 UTC
A plume rises from Bogoslof volcano, partially obscured by a mountain on Unalaska Island, in this view from Unalaska, about 60 miles east of the volcano, on Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2016.
© Lynda Lybeck-RobinsonA plume rises from Bogoslof volcano, partially obscured by a mountain on Unalaska Island, in this view from Unalaska, about 60 miles east of the volcano, on Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2016.
For the second straight day, the Alaska Volcano Observatory issued its highest alert level for aviation when a volcano erupted with a towering ash cloud in the Aleutian Islands.

Observatory volcanologist Robert McGimsey says Wednesday afternoon's eruption of the Bogoslof volcano was "almost a carbon copy" of an eruption 24 hours earlier.

He tells The Associated Press that both eruptions prompted the highest alert level and both were downgraded hours after the events.

Tuesday's eruption sent ash and steam 34,000 feet into the air, while Wednesday burst went 1,000 feet higher. Officials say both volcanic explosions were also short-lived.

The observatory said early Thursday that it was reducing the alert level because there had been no recent volcano activity.

The volcano is located on an island of the same name in the Bering Sea about 850 miles southwest of Anchorage.

Source: AP
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Ice Cube

Wall of 'icy fog' appears at Lake Superior in Duluth, Minnesota


RT
Sat, 24 Dec 2016 15:45 UTC
Wall of 'sea smoke' at Lake Superior
Wall of 'sea smoke' at Lake Superior.
In a rare atmospheric phenomenon, an enormous wall of icy fog has been filmed billowing over Lake Superior in Minnesota.

The fog was filmed by local photographer Levi Drevlow on December 18, and it looks like something out of a disaster movie, dwarfing a freighter in the port of Duluth as it fearlessly steers straight towards the snowy fog bank.

While scary-looking, the cloud is actually quite natural, the result of a quick temperature drop to -18 Celsius (about -0.4 Fahrenheit). The difference between cold air and warm water is what sent the dense vapor hundreds of feet upwards above the largest of North America's Great Lakes.

Comment: This is actually the second time it has happened there this year. (No, it doesn't normally happen there.)

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Attention

Pilot whale washes ashore at French River, Canada

Terrence McEachern
cbc.ca
Thu, 22 Dec 2016 13:01 UTC
A wildlife officer says it isn't uncommon for whales to wash up on shore on P.E.I.
© Esther-Rose PowleyA wildlife officer says it isn't uncommon for whales to wash up on shore on P.E.I.
The carcass of a pilot whale was discovered Wednesday on a beach in French River, P.E.I., but given the degree of decomposition, a wildlife officer says there likely isn't a lot of scientific information that can be learned.

"I doubt there is much more [that is] going to be accomplished, other than just burying it," said Chuck Gallison with Forest, Fish and Wildlife.

Found near New London lighthouse

Gallison said the whale, approximately seven metres long, was probably floating in the water for a while before it washed on shore near the New London lighthouse, likely during a recent storm.
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Attention

Dolphin's cause of death uncertain off Longboat Key, Florida

Hannah Morse
Bradenton Herald
Wed, 21 Dec 2016 12:54 UTC
Marine Marine Laboratory staff and interns conduct a necropsy on a dolphin found on the shore of Longboat Key on Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2016
© Haley Preininger/Mote Marine LaboratoryMarine Marine Laboratory staff and interns conduct a necropsy on a dolphin found on the shore of Longboat Key on Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2016.

A local fisherman found a young, lifeless dolphin a half mile off of the coast of Longboat Key Monday morning.

The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office Marine Unit was called out around 10:37 a.m., where deputy John Fandozzi recovered the dolphin and took it to Ken Thompson Park, where Mote Marine Laboratory transported it to determine a cause of death.

On Tuesday, Mote's Stranding Investigations program did a necropsy on the animal and discovered it was CLA2, a dolphin who was being studied by the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program that uses the "natural laboratory" of Sarasota Bay to keep track of local populations. The animal was believed to be born sometime before 2010 and had been seen 16 times in the Gulf of Mexico — most recently on Aug. 1.
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Windsock

Giant dust cloud hits Western Australia as cyclone Yvette looms


BBC
Thu, 22 Dec 2016 07:49 UTC
Australia dust cloud
© Dan CareyA storm creates a wall of dust above Port Hedland in Western Australia
A giant dust cloud has hit Western Australia ahead of the nation's first cyclone of the season.

Cyclone Yvette is expected to make landfall in Australia's northwest over the Christmas weekend.

Meteorologists have issued a severe weather warning, predicting wind gusts of 160km/h (100mph), heavy rain and possible flash flooding.

The cyclone has been preceded by a dust storm in the region, a major mining centre.

Refrigeration mechanic Dan Carey said clouds the colour of "iron ore" rolled over his town of Port Hedland.

"It feels like the calm before the storm at the moment," he told the BBC.

"I've tidied up and got everything under cover."


Comment: Four separate Christmas cyclones bear down on Australia

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Igloo

Extreme cold breaking records in northern Siberia; 10 degrees or lower below normal

Robert
Ice Age Now
Wed, 21 Dec 2016 18:50 UTC
The average temperature in European Russia, the Ural Mountains and Siberia is 10 degrees, or lower, below normal

During all days of December, the average temperature has not come close to normal. The temperature in the Khanty-Mansiysk dropped to -43ºC, setting a new daily record. The previous record was -39.6 degrees in 1937. In Salekhard, it fell to -41.5 degrees, also a new record.

And last night in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District, the temperature dropped to -43ºC, -46ºC.

Temperature map:
Siberia temperature map
© gismetro.ru

Comment: Siberia already being clobbered with snow - portends harsh U.S. winter ahead

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Snowflake

Anomalous snow storm blankets desert in Saudi Arabia


Strange Sounds
Wed, 21 Dec 2016 15:59 UTC
Snow camels
Snow fell over the northern part of Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, December 20, 2016.

You don't believe me? Look at these pictures and videos captured by residents of different towns in Northern Borders Region, close to Jordan.

After Algeria and the Sahara Desert, it is now the northern part of Saudi Arabia that is covered by snow... Another weather anomaly!

Heavy snow fall suspended daily life in northern areas as temperature fell below freezing point on December 20, 2016 afternoon.



Snow in Saudi Arabia
© VK.comSnow in Saudi Arabia
Snow
© VK.com

Comment: See also: Algerian villagers stunned as snow falls in Sahara for first time in over 30 years

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Attention

Baby girl killed at home by rats in South Africa

macprince
Time of Gist
Mon, 19 Dec 2016 15:32 UTC
Rats
A 28-year-old South African man has revealed that his baby girl has been killed by the most unlikely things - rats.

According to him, his ex-girlfriend is to blame for the horrible incidence.

Speaking with Daily Sun SA, the man said he will never forgive his ex-girlfriend for what happened to his four-month-old baby girl.

The man from Mavimbela section in Katlehong, Ekurhuleni, South Africa, claims his child was bitten to death by rats while the ex-girlfriend was out drinking on Friday.

She allegedly left the baby locked in the shack until she came back the next morning.
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Snowflake

Potent storm to bring blizzard conditions to central U.S. Christmas weekend

Alex Sosnowski
AccuWeather
Wed, 21 Dec 2016 15:12 UTC
Central US snowstorm
A potent storm will cause dangerous blizzard conditions, resulting in major travel disruptions, over the central United States during Christmas weekend.

A storm more similar to November or March will swing northeastward over the northern Plains during Christmas Day. The storm will deliver everything from a wintry mix and a blizzard to drenching rain and severe thunderstorms to portions of the central United States.
US forecast
Snow to spread southward along Interstate 25 Saturday

After departing the Intermountain West with moderate snow and slippery travel conditions, the storm will emerge over the High Plains and begin to strengthen.

Travel conditions will deteriorate from north to south over the Interstate 25 corridor during Saturday around Billings, Montana, to Casper, Wyoming, during Saturday evening and then the Denver area beginning late Saturday night.

Snow will also develop and spread eastward over the northern Plains. The snow will spread into Bismarck, North Dakota, on Saturday, then to Rapid City, South Dakota, and Fargo, North Dakota, during Saturday night.
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Attention

Dead orca found off Sunshine Coast, British Columbia

Justin McElroy
cbc.ca
Wed, 21 Dec 2016 11:07 UTC
Officials with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans inspect a dead orca near Sechelt, B.C., on Dec. 21, 2016.
© Graham MooreOfficials with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans inspect a dead orca near Sechelt, B.C., on Dec. 21, 2016.
A deceased adult Orca was found floating off the shore of Sechelt, B.C., on Wednesday.

The Vancouver Aquarium confirmed that members with its Marine Mammal Research Program are en route to Sechelt to work with the DFO in performing a necropsy.

"We've got the whale now on the beach, and we're actually in the middle of the necropsy," said Paul Cottrell, the DFO's marine mammal coordinator.

The whale was originally spotted on Tuesday night, said Cottrell, but it wasn't until this afternoon that it could be safely secured and brought to shore.

He credited the Coast Guard and Sechelt First Nation for being quickly available to assist with the recovery.

"The people we were able to get here quickly is amazing, and a testament to how dedicated they are," he said.

"Every day that goes by you lose information in terms of tissues and pathologies. So it's good that we acted fast in determining the cause of death for this animal."
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