Earth ChangesS


Ice Cube

Deadly ice storm threatens 44 million people as US Midwest freezes

US ice storm
© NBC NewsIn Oklahoma, a truck driver was killed in a crash on an ice-covered highway just before a 3.30am Saturday. The stretch of road was the scene of nearly a dozen other crashes.
A third wave of sleet and drizzle could hit parts of the central U.S. on the eve of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, with temperatures threatening to stay near or below freezing and add to the treacherous mix.

Ice buildups of one-quarter to slightly less than a half inch were expected from southeastern Kansas to central Missouri.

Becky Allmeroth, a state maintenance engineer for the Missouri Department of Transportation, said ice is 'the most difficult storm to fight'.

'We are keeping up with the changing conditions, but it is a continual battle,' she said of the department's around-the-clock scrambling to treat the glazed roads. 'The precipitation is coming in waves, and we have to apply more salt.'

Icy roads created dangerous conditions and travel headaches for many people who avoided authorities' pleas to stay indoors except for necessary outings.


Ice Cube

Nature is harsh: Perfectly frozen fox is eerie reminder of that

frozen fox climate change ice age
© Johannes Stehle/picture-alliance/dpa/Associated Press
This poor fox is one of the victims of extreme weather conditions that are gripping vast parts of Germany and Europe.

A hunter in the southern city of Fridingen told the news agency dpa that the fox fell through the thin ice of the Danube river and drowned.

Franz Stehle, who cut the ice block and later put it on display outside his family hotel, said it's not unusual for animals to break through the frozen surface of the river in winter.

He says he's seen a frozen deer and wild boar before.

Icy temperatures have paralysed much of the continent, with more than 20 people killed across Europe.

Via Mashable

Attention

Massive earth crack opens up in Northern Cape, South Africa

south african sinkhole
© Facebook.com/HendrikvanHunks PhotographyA massive sinkhole has been spotted in the Northern Cape along the R31 between Daniëlskuil and Kuruman.
A massive sinkhole has been spotted in the Northern Cape along the R31 between Daniëlskuil and Kuruman.

The sinkhole is on what appears to be a farm and near the road.

The road between Kuruman and Danielskuil has been closed due to the sinkhole.

Comment: Some other signs of earth 'opening up' in recent times include:


Attention

50-feet wide, 80-foot deep sinkhole closes car dealership in northeast California

Grass Valley, California sinkhole
© Laura Elliot/The Union
Recent storms have challenged Northern California's five-year drought, but Mother Nature has wreaked havoc on roads and property.

The doors were shuttered on Wednesday and Thursday at Liberty Motors, where a huge sinkhole opened near the parking lot behind the dealership and its former building next door, which was recently sold to Tripp's Auto Body. Liberty Motors and Tripp's resides on top of a culvert that failed. The culvert is a tributary to Little Wolf Creek.

While it hasn't been established for certain that weather is to blame, it also isn't the first to open this week. A sinkhole about 15 feet in diameter opened underneath The Stonehouse in Nevada City on Tuesday.

"The exact cause is something we're still trying to determine, but due to it failing, it's created a sinkhole about 80 to 100 feet deep, probably 60-by-50 at the top, so it's a fairly big hole at this point in time," said Tim Kiser, the public works director for the City of Grass Valley.

"At this time, we're trying to secure the site and remove a couple of trees that are in the hole, and then formulate a plan on what we'll do from there. Right now safety is No. 1; keeping this area safe and preventing any further damage."

Arrow Down

Massive sinkhole closes road in San Francisco Bay Area

Alhambra Valley Road sinkhole
© NBC
A massive sinkhole caused the collapse and closure of Alhambra Valley Road, near Pinole and Richmond, on Wednesday, according to the Contra Costa County Department of Public Works.

The road was closed indefinitely after the pavement and earth below it crumbled and washed away, leaving a large gap on a popular roadway in the East Bay.

"This route to DVC, for me, cuts a 22-mile commute to 13 miles, so that's crazy," said Andony Husary of Pinole.

Drivers were forced onto alternate routes as crews scrambled to repair the road.

"The Pinole Creek, it runs right through there," Pinole resident Jeremy Gomez said. "There's probably a 6 to 8-foot drainage pipe under there. Obviously it went out. It's crazy, real deep. I don't know how they're going to fix it."

County officials also closed several other roads Wednesday because of mudslides and flooding. Another sinkhole opened in Orinda after heavy rains washed away part of a culvert near Miner and Camino Pablo roads.


Cloud Lightning

Passenger plane struck in mid-air by lightning bolt over Moscow in the middle of winter

Storm chaser Julia Musina said her friend recorded the terrifying moment on January 2
Storm chaser Julia Musina said her friend recorded the terrifying moment on January 2
This is the terrifying moment a packed passenger plane is struck in mid-air by a bolt of lightning.

The Boeing 747 had left Moscow's Vnukovo International Airport as rain lashed down from ominous grey skies just before nightfall on January 2.

Moments into the ascent for the two hour 20 minutes flight to Sochi, a powerful bolt of lightning ripped down from the sky - striking the plane's carriage.

Storm chaser Julia Musina said: 'It's pretty scary to see this from the ground. The people on the plane must have been really nervous if they noticed what had happened.

'The plane just carried on like nothing had affected it. It's not nice for nervous flyers, though. Take off is the scariest time.


Comment: See also: Lightning hits airplane in rare strike over Iceland


Binoculars

Dovekie seabird from the Arctic turns up in Bermuda

 Dovekie (Little auk)
Dovekie (Little auk)
You thought the recent weather was cold by Bermuda's standards? This little auk probably thought so too.

The dovekie, right, which is related to puffins and breeds in Iceland and Greenland, was found at Ferry Point Park by a group of American students on a field trip.

According to birder Andrew Dobson, it is the first dovekie found on the island in almost 50 years, and was brought here by strong winds.

Temperatures on Monday had fallen to a near-record low of 53F (12C), with winds gusting at 37 knots.

Dovekie
© Annie LeeDovekie (Little auk)
The dovekie is the smallest member of the auk family in the North Atlantic.

A seabird, it breeds predominantly in high-arctic regions and it winters in massive numbers in the low-arctic and boreal waters of northeastern North America.

Attention

Dead whale found on East Lombok Beach, Indonesia

Photo document of whale stranded in Batu Tumpeng, Klungkung, Bali, on Monday (Jan. 14th, 2016).
© ANTARA/Nyoman BudhianaPhoto document of whale stranded in Batu Tumpeng, Klungkung, Bali, on Monday (Jan. 14th, 2016).
A dead whale was found stranded on Seriwe Beach in Jerowaru Sub-district, East Lombok District, West Nusa Tenggara Province.

"The dead whale was found by the local fishermen on Thursday," Senior Adjunct Commissioner, Dewa Wijaya of the West Nusa Tenggara Police stated here, Friday.

The whale, weighing four tons, was 10 meters long, and its diameter was one meter.

He believed that the whale was rather old, so it was easily washed ashore by the waves.

Attention

Killer whale found dead on island in Shetland, Scotland

Dead orca: Marine experts hope to study corpse.
© SNH Shetland/Smass Dead orca: Marine experts hope to study corpse.
A killer whale has washed up dead on a small island off mainland Shetland.

The orca was discovered on the shoreline of the uninhabited island of Linga on Thursday.

Scientists hope to study the corpse to learn more about orcas living in Scottish waters.

The Scottish Marine Animal Strandings Scheme (Smass) said the island's remoteness could make that difficult.

A spokesman said: "The whale is in a fresh condition and Smass is going to attempt to get to the island to do a necropsy and hopefully establish the cause of death.

Arrow Up

Increased volcanic activity for Bogoslof (USA), Bezymianny (Russia), Reventador (Ecuador), Lopevi (Vanuatu) and Nyamuragira (Congo)

Reventador volcano in Ecuador
© Hosteria ReventadorHigh numbers of explosions (29) at Reventador volcano in Ecuador.
This time, strong eruptions and changing alert levels for Bogoslof (USA), Bezymianny (Russia), Reventador (Ecuador) and Nyamuragira (Congo).

BOGOSLOF, ALEUTIANS ISLANDS, ALASKA

The level of seismic activity at Bogoslof volcano increased abruptly at about 20:23 (11:23 AKST) and persisted at a high level until about 20:29 UTC (11:29 AKST). Another strong abrupt increase in seismicity began at about 21:35 UTC (12:35 AKST).

Both events have been observed by pilots. The first event at 20:23 UTC produced an eruption cloud to 18,000 ft asl. The estimated height of the second event from 21:35 UTC was 14,500 ft asl.

Neither eruption cloud has been visible yet in subsequent satellite data. The altitude of the meteorological cloud deck is variable from about 10,000 ft to 12,000 ft.

It remains possible for additional ash-producing eruptions to occur at any time with limited precursory unrest and little warning. AVO is monitoring the volcano closely and will provide additional information if and when it becomes available.