Earth ChangesS


Bizarro Earth

SOTT Focus: Mother of all gushers - BP Oil Disaster in Gulf of Mexico - A Timeline

Niall Bradley and Richard Sawyer
Sott.net
Mon, 31 May 2010 11:03 UTC
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© Gerald Herbert/APWe are in deep water
"This is the Seventh Sign: You will hear of the sea turning black, and many living things dying because of it."

White Feather, a Hopi of the ancient Bear Clan.
On Wednesday 21st April an explosion rocked an offshore oil drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico, sending a column of fire into the sky and claiming the lives of 11 oil workers. 52 miles southeast of Venice, Louisiana, Deepwater Horizon was built in 2001 by Hyundai Heavy Industries Shipyard in South Korea. It was owned by Houston based Transocean Ltd, under contract to British Petroleum Plc. Almost immediately a federal lawsuit was filed on behalf of one of the victims in New Orleans, Louisiana, alleging the companies connected to the oil rig explosion were negligent.

The mainstream media has been performing consistently in downplaying just how catastrophic this disaster is, for marine life in the Gulf of Mexico, for inhabitants along the coast and, depending on how this plays out, possibly for the entire planet. Never before has the blind greed of so few been so immediately damaging and obvious to so many. Let us hope that the shock, revulsion and anger generated by this truly catastrophic event inspires masses of people to see how the psychopaths that rule our world guide humanity's destructive trajectory towards oblivion for all life on Planet Earth.
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Binoculars

Squirrels Show Softer Side by Adopting Orphans, Study Finds


ScienceDaily
Wed, 02 Jun 2010 00:00 UTC
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© Ryan W. TaylorA female North American red squirrel moves a newborn pup to a new nest.
Those neighbourhood squirrels you often see fighting over food may not seem altruistic, but new University of Guelph research has found that the critters will actually take in orphaned relatives.

The study by Guelph Prof. Andrew McAdam, along with researchers from the University of Alberta and McGill University, revealed that red squirrels will adopt pups that have lost their mother.

It's a significant finding because while such adoptions are typical among species that live in extended family groups, it's much less common among asocial animals, such as squirrels.
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Sherlock

Diver Reveals Eerie Underwater World of Ice-Filled Alpine Lake


The Daily Mail
Mon, 31 May 2010 08:53 UTC
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© Franco Banfi/Barcroft MediaA scuba diver explores the eerie underwater world of an ice cave in Lake Sassolo, Switzerland
These stunning shots show the beautiful and eerie underwater world of a Swiss ice-filled Alpine lake.

Taken in Lake Sassolo, close to the southern border with Italy, these were taken by diving photographer Franco Banfi.

Although the high altitude region is known for its sunny weather, the lake was formed by the run-off of the Alps surrounding it.

The giant ice structures dwarf the tiny divers as they explore the nooks and crannies of the icebergs.

The pictures show the lake's massive ice formations, smoothed by the flow of the water into unusual formations.

In one shot there even seems to be a face peeking out of the ice to greet the divers.
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Bizarro Earth

Vanuatu's Volcano Causing Havoc


TVNZ
Tue, 01 Jun 2010 11:23 UTC
Mt Yasur
© NZPATourists climb Mt Yasur while a dense cloud of ash and smoke spews from the crater during volcanic activity on Tanna Island, Vanuatu.
Ash belching from a Vanuatu volcano is an increasing health threat to islanders and their water supplies.

The cloud from erupting Mount Yasur has billowed some 1,800 metres high and affected flights in neighbouring New Caledonia.

Tourists have been banned from the scenic spot under persistent bombardment from lava and burning rocks.

Government officials have visited the island of Tanna to assess the overall impact of the eruption.

"They have come across some experiences where young children have gone through like headache, stomach ache," Donald Manses, operations officer for the Vanuatu Disaster Management Office, told Radio New Zealand.

"They have found out also that the water is contaminated."
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Frog

World's 'number one frog' faces extinction from New Zealand government

Jeremy Hance
MongaBay.com
Tue, 01 Jun 2010 12:36 UTC
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© UnknownArchey's frog
Archey's frog is a survivor: virtually unchanged evolutionarily for 150 million years, the species has survived the comet that decimated the dinosaurs, the Ice Age, and the splitting of continents. Seventy million years ago New Zealand broke away from Australia, essentially isolating Archey's frog and its relatives from all predatory mammals. Yet, if the New Zealand government has its way this species may not survive the century, let alone the next few decades.

The New Zealand government has put forward a controversial proposal to begin opening three of the nation's protected areas to mining: Great Barrier Island, Paparoa National Park, and Coromandel Peninsula where the last populations of Archey's frogs live. According to critics, the government's proposal could push Archey's frog toward extinction, while negatively impacting a number of other endangered species, beloved wild lands, and a nation driven by tourism.
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Light Saber

Ryanair's Michael O'Leary says ash cloud 'was mythical'


Irish Independent
Tue, 01 Jun 2010 12:46 UTC
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© Getty ImagesMichael O' Leary said the volcanic ash cloud was 'mythical.'
Michael O'Leary has refused to soften his stance on compensation as he admitted the volcanic ash cloud cost the airline around €50m.

Ryanair's chief executive said his airline was gearing up for a legal challenge against "unfair" EU regulations, which forced carriers to cover the costs of refreshments and accommodation for passengers who could not get home.

Mr O'Leary said the firm planned to use the top 20 "most ludicrous" claims as part of a test case in the courts. He said one customer stranded in the Canary Isles, hoping to return to Dublin, put in a claim for €3,000 for a luxury apartment.

The outspoken boss said the "mythical" cloud had left his business with a bill of around €50m so far.

"There was no ash cloud," he told a press conference on Tuesday. "It was mythical. We've not been able to find it." He went on: "It's become evident the airspace closure was completely unnecessary."

Mr O'Leary blamed the "incompetence" of the Met Office for identifying an ash cloud "that just wasn't there".
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Bizarro Earth

Quebec forest fires black out skies


Terra Daily / Agence-France Presse
Tue, 01 Jun 2010 10:12 UTC
Image
© Unknown
Thick smoke billowed from forest fires in Quebec's backcountry on Monday, sparking smog alerts in Montreal and the US city of Boston, and putting city firefighters in Ottawa on alert, officials said.

Fifty-two blazes burned north of Montreal, eight of them out of control, blackening thousands of hectares of forests in Quebec, the Quebec forest fire protection unit (Sopfeu) said.

In Ottawa, residents awoke to a strong smell of smoke, and fire crews were dispatched to all corners of the capital city to monitor approaching fires.

In Montreal, a smog alert was announced for much of the southern part of the province, along the Saint Lawrence seaway.

South of the border, the US National Weather Service issued air quality alerts for the border states of Maine and New Hampshire, as well as Massachusetts, with the thickest smoke reaching Cape Cod and Nantucket.

"Smoke from a number of large fires in southern Quebec has begun to move over portions of southwest New Hampshire... as well as eastern Massachusetts," the US National Weather Service said.
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Bad Guys

Gulf oil spill: White House orders BP to cut use of dispersant by half

Suzanne Goldenberg
Guardian UK
Tue, 25 May 2010 08:35 UTC
Worries escalate over effect of Corexit on marine wildlife

Guardian disperant2
© Stephane Jourdain/AFP/Getty ImagesBP faces criticism over the chemicals it is using to disperse the oil slick.
The White House directed BP to cut its use of chemical dispersants to break up the Louisiana oil slick by as much as 50% yesterday, reflecting concerns that the clean-up of the spill could be worsening the economic disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.

Lisa Jackson, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, said the Obama administration wanted the oil company to scale back its use of chemicals on the water surface. The order came amid increasing tension between the administration and the oil company about how to manage the oil on the ocean floor, more than a month after the sinking of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig.

"I am recommending as strongly as we can that we absolutely minimise the use of dispersants and that we monitor as rigorously as we can," she told a conference call with reporters touring Louisiana marshes contaminated by the oil. She said she thought BP would be able to cut its use of chemicals to break up the spill by half or even 75% by injecting smaller quantities underwater.

The directive is in line with a hardening of administration's rhetoric against BP. With thick brown sheets of crude oil now washing up on shore, the White House - as well as the oil company - is feeling the pressure of not stopping the leak.
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Bizarro Earth

Volcano Erupts Near Sarigan Island in Pacific Ocean


World of 22 News
Mon, 31 May 2010 00:44 UTC
Sarigan Volcano
© Worldof22.comSarigan Volcano in Mariana Islands
A submarine volcanic eruption is underway near the uninhabited Sarigan Island in the Northern Mariana Islands 3,800 miles southwest of Hawaii, in the Pacific Ocean. Volcanic activity was first detected on Thursday. The Guam Weather Forecast Office reported that recent satellite images indicate that the affected area is about twice the size of Sarigan Island. Successive satellite images indicate that this is a point-source that has dramatically expanded in breadth. The activity appears to be centered about 6-7 miles south of Sarigan, probably on the southern extension of the submarine ridge upon which Sarigan is constructed.
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Bizarro Earth

Ireland: Satellite Images Reveal Huge Blooms in Sea Off West Coast

Lorna Siggins
IrishTimes
Tue, 01 Jun 2010 00:33 UTC
Phytoplankton Blooms
© European Space AgencyA satellite image from the European Space Agency showing the swirls of phytoplankton blooms south of a cloud bank off the coast of Ireland.
A giant bloom photographed by satellite off the west coast of Ireland is "harmless", according to the Marine Institute.

Images of the phytoplankton bloom were captured last week by the European Space Agency and US space agency NASA.

It has caused the sea to turn a milk-white colour, due to the dense accumulation of phytoplankton known as Emiliania huxleyi in response to warm surface water and sunlight.

Billions of microscopic cells have formed the bloom, which tends to occur in summer months.

Marine Institute scientist Joe Silke explained that they "form the base of the marine food chain and are important contributors of atmospheric oxygen and essential components of a healthy oceanic biodiversity".

Mr Silke added: "The presence of this bloom is a good sign that the waters to the west of Ireland are currently in a healthy state."
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