Earth ChangesS


Attention

15-meter dead whale found beached on Saudi coast

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he image of this whale was captured by a Saudi man who took video of the beached animal.

A 15-meter whale was found beached off the southwest corner of Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.

Residents and fishermen found the dead whale washed ashore in the southern province of Jazan.

A video of the dead beached whale shows signs of decomposition and markings from other sea animals eating away at the whale.

A similar incident occurred in 2012 when a 12-meter whale, which reportedly travelled from the Indian Ocean, was found dead in the same area.

Comment: More photos available here at the original source of this story.


Ice Cube

CryoSat shows Arctic sea ice volume up 50% from last year

Measurements from ESA's CryoSat satellite show that the volume of Arctic sea ice has significantly increased this past autumn.

The volume of ice measured this autumn is about 50% higher compared to last year. In October 2013, CryoSat measured about 9000 cubic km of sea ice - a notable increase compared to 6000 cubic km in October 2012.

See evolution:
ice thickness
ice thickness
ice thickness
ice thickness
Over the last few decades, satellites have shown a downward trend in the area of Arctic Ocean covered by ice. However, the actual volume of sea ice has proven difficult to determine because it moves around and so its thickness can change.

Alarm Clock

USGS: Magnitude 6.5 - 31km E of Port-Olry, Vanuatu

Earthquake Vanuatu
© US Geological Survey
Event Time
2014-02-07 08:40:13 UTC
2014-02-07 19:40:13 UTC+11:00 at epicenter
2014-02-07 09:40:13 UTC+01:00 system time

Location

15.060°S 167.339°E depth=117.7km (73.2mi)

Nearby Cities
31km (19mi) E of Port-Olry, Vanuatu
55km (34mi) NNE of Luganville, Vanuatu
314km (195mi) NNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu
648km (403mi) N of We, New Caledonia
789km (490mi) N of Paita, New Caledonia
Technical data

Attention

Eight miners killed in underground fire after earthquake in South Africa

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© AP / Themba Hadebe
Eight gold miners in South Africa died after a magnitude-2.4 earthquake triggered an underground fire, and rescue teams operating deep below the surface were searching for a ninth missing miner, a mining company said Thursday.

Smoke and a rockfall had hampered searchers struggling to find any survivors after fire broke out 1.7 kilometres underground at the Doornkop mine around 6 p.m. Tuesday, the Harmony company said in a statement. The mine is 30 kilometres west of Johannesburg.

On Wednesday morning, rescue teams located eight other miners who had sought refuge from the fire and brought all of them to the surface within several hours. On Thursday morning, Harmony announced the discovery of eight bodies.

Galaxy

Best of the Web: Signs of Change in January 2014

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Dazzling green fireball filmed above Belgium, January 2014
Mysterious booms across the US, often occuring in and around earthquakes - A series of unusual earthquakes in Australia - More 'strange sky sounds' - More meteor fireballs raining down - Massive sinkholes swallowing houses, cars and people - Storm after storm battering the UK and Western Europe, bringing massive waves, widespread flooding and landslides - Mass whale stranding in New Zealand - Polar Vortex (twice!) freezing most of the US in ice age conditions and making it colder than Mars - Major flooding in Florida, while hurricane-force winds smash into Oregon and the Carolinas - Tonga flattened by most powerful cyclone to hit the region half a century - A strong earthquake hit Puerto Rico - 100,000 people affected by major flooding in the Philippines, while another 40,000 were displaced by heavy rainfall in Indonesia - Bats falling out of the sky as wildfires rage in Australia's record heatwave - 'Winter wildfires' raging across snow-covered US - An eerily quiet Sun that hasn't been seen since the 17th Century - Several volcanic eruptions in Indonesia causing multiple deaths and the evacuation of thousands - Another strong earthquake in New Zealand - More mass animal deaths, including a whole pod of pilot whales off the coast of Florida - Record-breaking snowfall across the US...

2014 has stated with a bang, literally, with a surge of loud booms being heard and felt throughout much of North America. But then again, didn't the last few years start this way? This video includes strange and extreme weather, geological and cosmic events, covering most of the month of January. Things aren't looking good for certain few heavily populated areas...


Bizarro Earth

Plant leaks over 50,000 tons of coal ash into North Carolina river

Dan River
© The Verge
A large reservoir of coal ash is leaking into a river that flows through southern Virginia and North Carolina. The reservoir began leaking on Sunday after a pipe burst, and by Monday had released 50,000 to 82,000 tons of coal ash and 24 to 27 million gallons of contaminated water into the bordering Dan River - in total, enough ash to fill between 20 and 32 Olympic-size swimming pools. Leakage has slowed since, but work is still ongoing to fully seal the pipe.

The river and reservoir sit beside Duke Energy's Dan River Steam Station, a coal-fired power plant in Eden, North Carolina. The station was decommissioned in 2012, but Duke Energy has not finished closing its ash basin, which is around 27 acres in size (pictured above).

"We're working closely with local, state and federal authorities," Keith Trent, Duke Energy's executive vice president, said in a statement on Tuesday. "Company leaders, engineers, scientists, environmental specialists, industry experts and plant personnel assembled at the site have been working around the clock to safely devise both short- and long-term solutions, as well as to continually monitor the effects of the release."

Ice Cube

Slovenia looks eerily similar to the "frozen" kingdom of Arendelle

The European country has been paralyzed by severe ice storms. Thousands were left without electricity, 40% of schools were shut, and residents were advised not to drink tap water, the BBC reported.

slowenien, eis
© Srdjan Zivulovic / ReutersIce covers a World War II monument in Pivka.
slowenien, eis
© Srdjan Zivulovic / ReutersIce-covered road signs in Postojna.

Eye 2

Snake found in Glasgow's Botanic Gardens

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© Scottish SPCADermot the Californian king snake after being rescued from the Botanic Gardens in Glasgow.
A two foot long Californian king snake has been discovered escaping the icy blasts of a Scottish winter by sheltering in the cosy warmth of Glasgow's Botanic Gardens.

The Scottish SPCA was called in to rescue the reptile on Friday after he was discovered in the palm house at the popular gardens.

Now named Dermot, the two foot long snake is being cared for at the charity's Glasgow Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre in Cardonald.

Assistant manager Katrina Cavanagh said: "Snakes need heat to survive so it's not surprising Dermot was keeping warm inside the palm house. We can't be sure how he got there but it's possible someone abandoned him, thinking it was a suitable environment. If this was the case it was very irresponsible as well as an offence."

She continued: "Snakes are really good escape artists though so there's also a chance Dermot has gone missing from his home nearby and was drawn towards the heat.

"We're asking anyone who recognises Dermot and knows who might have owned him to contact us so we can try to establish how he came to be there."

Ms Cavanagh added: "If no-one comes forward for Dermot we'll find him a knowledgeable new home where his needs will be met for the rest of his life."

Anyone who recognises Dermot is being asked to call the Scottish SPCA Animal Helpline on 03000 999 999.

Eye 2

Deadly python found dead under fallen tree in Northfleet, UK

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© Rspca/PAThe dead Burmese python that was found under a tree in Northfleet.
A three-metre-long (10ft) Burmese python has been found dead beneath a fallen tree on a suburban street.

The giant reptile was found by a member of the public trapped under the tree in Wallis Park in Northfleet, Kent, on Wednesday morning.

RSPCA investigators are trying to locate its owner and find out how it came to rest there. They believe it died at least 24 hours before it was found.

An RSPCA spokeswoman said: "It's a bit of a strange one. Our first assumption was that it became trapped under the tree after being released.

"But it then became apparent that it had been dead for some time, at least 24 hours before it was found. The injury to its skull was caused by blunt trauma.

Arrow Down

Georgia man rushes to save wife from 8-foot sinkhole

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A Georgia man ran to the rescue after his wife fell into a sinkhole that opened up near the front door of their home.

Aaron Kent, of Atlanta, said his wife, who is 74, was leaving for work Wednesday morning when she stepped outside and plunged into the sinkhole, which he estimated to be 8 feet deep and 12 feet wide.

By himself, Kent managed to pull her out. She only suffered minor injuries, according to MyFoxAtlanta.com.

"I think it scared her more than... anything else" he told the station.

Watershed management officials said the sinkhole opened up overnight because of a faulty storm water line installed underneath the house, perhaps decades ago, that washed away the soil.

Source: myfoxatlanta.com