Earth ChangesS


Fish

Thousands of dead fish found along rivers in Costa Rica

L. Arias
The Tico Times
Wed, 12 Apr 2017 11:04 UTC
Coast Guard officers and staff from the National System of Conservation Areas collected samples from the river and submitted them for lab analyses.
© FECONCoast Guard officers and staff from the National System of Conservation Areas collected samples from the river and submitted them for lab analyses.

Residents of Costa Rica's northern Caribbean reported a massive number of fish deaths on the Pacuare and other nearby rivers between Sunday and Monday.

Mauricio Álvarez, president of the Costa Rican Conservation Federation (FECON), told The Tico Times that his organization received reports that the dead creatures included various species of fish, including rainbow bass, sea bass, jurels and sardines, as well as crustaceans. Many of the dead fish appeared floating on the Goshen river.

Most of these fish are part of the diet of various species of birds. Therefore, environmentalists and local residents say they fear that the damage will expand to other animals.

Álvarez said he believes that incident could be linked to the use of agrochemicals at farms in the area. Matina and other northern Caribbean regions are home to extensive plantations of bananas, pineapples and rice, among others.

Coast Guard officers and staff of the National System of Conservation Areas collected water and fish samples from the river and sent them for laboratory analysis.
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Attention

Very shallow 5.6 magnitude earthquake rocks Philippines, the fourth in less than a week


South China Morning Post
Wed, 12 Apr 2017 00:18 UTC
Philippines earthquake map
© Phivolcs
A 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck the centre of Mindanao island in the Philippines on Wednesday, the fourth tremor to hit the archipelago in less than a week, US Geological Survey said.

The quake, initially reported as a magnitude 6.0, struck at 5:21 am HKT on Wednesday (2121 GMT on Tuesday). It was very shallow, at a depth of 4 miles (6 km), which would have amplified its effect. Its epicentre was 47 miles (75.5 km) northeast of Cotabato on the large southern island of Mindanao.

A magnitude 5.6 quake is considered moderate and is capable of causing considerable damage.

Last Saturday, hundreds of residents of coastal areas in a province south of the Philippine capital of Manila fled to higher ground fearing a tsunami on Saturday after a series of earthquakes on the main island of Luzon.

Three quakes ranging in magnitude from 5.0 to 5.9 struck Batangas province, about 90 kms (55 miles) south of Manila, the USGS said.

"Residents in the coastal villages in two towns have evacuated to safer ground after the earthquakes," Lito Castro, head of the provincial disaster council, told local radio. "The people were afraid the earthquakes would generate a tsunami."
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Moon

'Stunning' moon halo photographed by awe-struck viewers in Bristol, UK

Helena Horton
The Telegraph, UK
Tue, 11 Apr 2017 10:53 UTC
Moon halo over Bristol
© Via Twitter/William Belcher
A stunning moon halo was seen on Monday night and photographed by awe-struck viewers.

The phenomenon is called a 22-degree halo, and is more commonly seen around the sun.

Leighton James, a photographer in Bristol, told the BBC: "It's something I have never seen before and thought it looked quite amazing."

A 22-degree halo forms when there are high cirrus clouds passing slowly across the sky. The light from the sun or moon hit the ice crystals, and the refraction caused by that shows a halo. These halos in general are relatively common, but it's less common to see them form around the moon.

This is because the moon has to be in the new moon phase and the visibility has to be good in order for the halo to be seen.
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Question

Mystery boom befuddles authorities in Kennebec County, Maine

Beth Brogan
Bangor Daily News
Mon, 10 Apr 2017 17:07 UTC
boom!
State police and other public safety officials say they have no explanation for a loud "boom" reported by residents of Kennebec and surrounding counties at about 9 p.m. Sunday.

The sound, described by various people as similar to an earthquake, a plane breaking the sound barrier and an explosion, prompted dozens of calls to Kennebec County dispatchers and Maine State Police, according to Steve McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety.

McCausland said state police dispatchers checked with the Federal Aviation Administration about whether there were any planes down, and with the National Weather Service on an earthquake. They also monitored various fire frequencies, but as of Monday morning, he said, "There's no explanation as to what residents were calling about."
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Fire

Over 100 wildfires scorch Florida

Craig Pittman
Tampa Bay Times
Mon, 10 Apr 2017 16:49 UTC
fire
More than 100 active wildfires are burning across the state right now, according to the Florida Forest Service. Twenty-seven of them are scorching more than 100 acres each.

"We're usually not this active this early in the season," the service's assistant fire chief, Ralph Crawford, said Monday.

So it has gone in Tampa Bay, where firefighters spent Monday battling brush fires that flared up in Hernando and Pasco counties. A fast-moving grass fire Friday in St. Petersburg shut down the Interstate 275 interchange at Gandy Boulevard just as rush hour started, tying up traffic for hours.

Since February, wildfires have swept across 68,000 acres of the state, already more than the average acreage burned over the past five years, Crawford said.

"And we're just barely into April," he added. "Usually May is our busiest month."


Comment:

Update: On April 11, 2017, Governor Scott called a state of emergency due to the fires:



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Cloud Precipitation

Huge hailstones pound San Antonio, Texas


wkyc.com
Tue, 11 Apr 2017 12:54 UTC
hail damage
A severe thunderstorm blasted the north side of San Antonio and northern Bexar County on Tuesday night, bringing with it high winds and large hail.

Numerous homes and cars were damaged by the hail, which was reported as being between the size of golf balls and baseballs.

The hail affected large portions of northern San Antonio starting around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday as a large thunderstorm cell moved across the area.

Homeowners in northwest San Antonio reported getting hit by hail for more than 10 minutes.
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Wolf

Woman attacked by family dogs in Quebec, Canada


CBC News
Mon, 10 Apr 2017 12:41 UTC
Dog attack
A 64-year-old woman in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, southeast of Montreal, suffered serious bites to her arms, face and head Monday when she was attacked by two dogs that lived with her.

One of the dogs, which police described as a pit bull-type dog, was shot and killed when officers responded to the scene and found it acting aggressively.

The second dog, described as a Boston terrier, was handed over to a local rescue.

The woman was found bleeding from bites to her arms, face and ears in an alley behind the apartment building where she lived.

"There will be serious, permanent damage," said Luc Tougas, a local police force spokesman.
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Attention

At least 11 hippos found dead along the Zambezi river in Zimbabwe


News 24
Sun, 09 Apr 2017 12:34 UTC
11 hippos have died in the past two weeks at Mlibizi River in Binga near the Zambezi River
11 hippos have died in the past two weeks at Mlibizi River in Binga near the Zambezi River
At least 11 hippos have reportedly been found dead in Zimbabwe's Mlibizi district in Binga.

According to New Zimbabwe.com, the carcasses were "recovered at different points in the Kavira forest and along Mlibizi River, near the Mighty Zambezi River".

The cause of the animals' death was not yet established and investigations continued.

Meanwhile, villagers were said to be feasting on the carcasses, obviously unware of possible health hazards.
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Arrow Up

Severe weather reports in U.S. tally 5,000+ so far this year; more than double the average

Chris Dolce
The Weather Channel
Mon, 10 Apr 2017 12:00 UTC
Cost of severe US weather events 2017
© YouTube/the Weather Channel (screen capture)Weather Disasters Costing U.S. Billions. The first three months of 2017 have proven to be very costly, after a series of weather disasters ranging from tornadoes to floods to crop-killing freezes.
The U.S. has endured a destructive start to 2017 from the multiple severe weather outbreaks since January.

There have been 5,372 preliminary reports of severe weather across the United States in 2017 through April 8, according to NOAA's Storm Prediction Center (SPC). That figure includes reports of tornadoes, large hail and wind damage.

This is more than than double the average of 2,274 for the same period of time during the past 10 years (2007-2016). In that decade, only 2008 had about the same number of severe weather reports by this point in the year with 5,242.

The animation below shows how the occurrences of wind damage, large hail and tornadoes have piled up month-by-month this year. Portions of the South have been hit the hardest, but the Midwest has also seen a high concentration of severe weather reports.

Comment: For more coverage on the extreme weather affecting the entire planet, check out our monthly SOTT Earth Changes Summaries. Last month:

SOTT Earth Changes Summary - March 2017: Extreme Weather, Planetary Upheaval, Meteor Fireballs

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Attention

Girl attacked in her house by wild boar in Maharashtra, India


The Hitavada
Mon, 10 Apr 2017 19:23 UTC
Wild boar
Sensation prevailed in Kalidaulat Khan village of Pusad tehsil in the district on Sunday when a wild boar attacked a two-and- half-year-old girl while she was playing in her house.

The wild boar further dragged the girl Sharvari Sharad Darode for some distance. However, hearing her screaming, her mother and villagers rushed to rescue the girl. As the mob ran towards wild boar, it left the girl and fled in the forest.

Sharvari was badly injured in the incident and wash rushed to Government Hospital at Pusad. It is gathered that the village is adjacent to forest area and many wild animals stray in to human localities in search of water. Some days ago, a leopard had also entered the village.

boar attack
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