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

Jacob Kastrenakes
The Verge
Thu, 06 Feb 2014 17:16 UTC
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."
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Ice Cube

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

Tasneem Nashrulla
BuzzFeed
Thu, 06 Feb 2014 17:06 UTC
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 / Reuters
Ice covers a World War II monument in Pivka.
slowenien, eis
© Srdjan Zivulovic / Reuters
Ice-covered road signs in Postojna.
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Eye 2

Snake found in Glasgow's Botanic Gardens


The Scotsman
Thu, 06 Feb 2014 15:21 UTC
Image
© Scottish SPCA
Dermot 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.
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Eye 2

Deadly python found dead under fallen tree in Northfleet, UK


The Guardian
Thu, 06 Feb 2014 15:10 UTC
Image
© Rspca/PA
The 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.
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Arrow Down

Georgia man rushes to save wife from 8-foot sinkhole


foxnews.com
Thu, 06 Feb 2014 14:42 UTC
Image
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
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Windsock

America's changing tornado patterns‏

Dylan Goforth
Tulsa World
Thu, 06 Feb 2014 12:00 UTC
Image
© NOAA
Oklahoma's tornado count well above average in 2013, NOAA says.

Oklahoma's 79 tornadoes in 2013 was the second-greatest total in the nation, according to preliminary data released Wednesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The total topped the state's average of 57 tornadoes per year between 1981 and 2010, according to NOAA data. But the number didn't eclipse the 145 reported in 1999, the most since officials began recording tornado data in 1950.

Kansas, Texas and Florida annually average more. Only Texas, with 81 tornadoes in 2013, had more than Oklahoma last year.
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Bacon n Eggs

Climate change will drive up global food prices by at least another 25%

Benji Jerew
The Green Optimist
Tue, 28 Jan 2014 00:00 UTC
Image
© Mountain Republic
The agricultural industry is notoriously slow to react to changing conditions, which leads some researchers to believe that climate change will inevitably lead to higher food prices in the future.

According to research done by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, climate change will likely contribute to increasing prices for basic foodstuffs in the coming decades. The study suggests that, as in the past, the agricultural industry cannot adapt to the changing climate, and everything it entails, leading to a drop in food production.

Of course, the result is not the same everywhere, as shortened growing seasons in one area may reduce food production, lengthened growing seasons in other areas may increase food production. At the same time, climate change may increase the incidence of agricultural pests and diseases in certain areas, reducing food production. Climate-change-driven rainfall, sunlight, and temperature variations also account for drastic changes in food production.

Comment: The global food crisis is not going to get any better:

Climate change could lead to global food crisis, scientists warn
Food prices to rise 40%, study says
Global food system vulnerable due to growing population and climate change
Climate Change to Cut Crop Yields, Boost Prices, Study Shows
Billions face climate change risk
Recipe for Catastrophe: Climate, Fuel, and Food

Start canning and preserving your own healthful foods. Visit our forum here and here to learn more about preparing for what's coming next.

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Fish

No end in sight: Fierce winter storms bring severe flooding in UK & Ireland


Source
Thu, 06 Feb 2014 10:59 UTC
uk flood
© BBC News

Dramatic footage shows how unusually fierce winter storms have brought severe flooding to several coastal areas in Southern England. Ireland is also suffering severe flooding.

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Info

Hundreds of whale sharks killed annually in illegal trade in China


abc.net.au
Wed, 05 Feb 2014 09:23 UTC
Image
© Hilton/Hofford for WildLifeRisk
An undercover operation has revealed that sharks are killed for food and cosmetic products each year in China.
As many as 600 whale sharks a year are killed to supply one factory alone in China, a three-year undercover operation has revealed.

Paul Hilton, a conservation photo journalist and co-director of Hong Kong based NGO, WildLife Risk made three trips between 2010 and 2013 to the town of Puqi in China's south east following a tip-off.

"We decided to set up a small seafood trading company and we organised a business trip," he told Radio Australia's Asia Pacific program.

"We met with a gentleman called Mr Li who runs the China Wenzhou Yueqing Marine Organisms Health Protection Foods Co Ltd and there (to) the processing plant and the courtyard was just full of giant whale shark fins."

Whale shark hunting as well as the sale and export of products are banned in China which has signed the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

Despite that, the Fisheries authorities say they lack the resources to stop the trade.

"Recently this week there was a spokesperson who wanted to remain anonymous from the Chinese Fisheries side saying they are just totally understaffed and they don't have the resources to do more for endangered species," Mr Hilton said.

"So there's loopholes all through the system, people are taking backhanders."
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Cloud Precipitation

Floods sweep Cork and Tipperary, Ireland

Claire Simpson
The Irish News
Wed, 05 Feb 2014 08:57 UTC
Image
Around 19,000 people in the republic were without power last night as floods swept through counties Cork and Tipperary.

Several streets in Cork city were under water after the river Lee overflowed its banks - the fourth time in just four weeks that parts of the city were flooded.

Some shops that had been flooded just 24 hours earlier, were hit by rising water again.

At the height of the flooding, one of the city's main streets, Oliver Plunkett Street, was under several feet of water.

Cobh and Kinsale in Co Cork, and Clonmel in Co Tipperary were also badly flooded.

Towns in eastern and southern counties, particularly Waterford and Wexford, were battered by hurricane-force winds and high waves last night.

Heavy rain and strong gusts of rain also hit the north, with eastern counties particularly badly hit.
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