Earth ChangesS


Attention

Giant Ocean Whirlpools Puzzle Scientists

whirlpool
© n/a
US scientists discovered two giant whirlpools in the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Guyana and Suriname. It became a sensational discovery because this part of the ocean has been studied thoroughly, and no one expected anything like that to appear in the area. More importantly, no one can understand where the whirlpools came from and what surprises they may bring to people.

According to Brazilian scientist Guilherme Castellane, the two funnels are approximately 400 kilometers in diameter. Until now, these were not known on Earth. The funnels reportedly exert a strong influence on climate changes that have been registered during the recent years.

"Funnels rotate clockwise. They are moving in the ocean like giant frisbees, two discs thrown into the air. Rotation occurs at a rate of one meter per second, the speed is sufficiently large compared to the speed of oceanic currents, on the border hoppers is a wave-step height of 40 cm," Castellane said.

Even during the dry months, when the movement of oceanic currents and the flow of the Amazon River practically comes to a standstill, the funnels do not disappear. Therefore, the nature of the funnels does not depend on the flow of water, which one of the world's biggest rivers brings into the ocean. The natural phenomenon, which creates the whirlpools, is unknown to modern science.

Bizarro Earth

Taal Volcano quakes increase in number in 24 hours

According to the most recent bulletin of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), there were 11 earthquakes produced by the activity of the Taal Volcano today, April 12, 2011. This is 4 quakes more than yesterday's recorded volcanic quakes.

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© adcorner.ph/danielgTaal Volcano
The bulletin added that the carbon dioxide emissions of the Volcano is still in high levels which suggest anomalous gas release from the magma at depth. The Alert Level II hoisted last Saturday has not been lifted due to the increased activity of Taal Volcano.

The Institute had advised the public that the Main Crater, Daang Kastila Trail and Mt. Tabaro (1965 -1977 Eruption Site) are strictly off-limits because sudden hazardous steam-driven explosions may occur and high concentrations of toxic gases may accumulate.

In today's episode of TV Patrol, it was reported that there were cracks noted on the walls and floors of the houses and on the roads in Talisay, Batangas which is 10 km away from Taal Volcano. The Phivolcs is still to investigate what caused the cracks.

Question

US: Weird Noise Phenomena in Florida (Video)

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Two very weird phenomena stories out of the Florida beginning on March 9 when residents in Flagler County located on the east coast of Florida reported a loud noise - 'very strange sounds' that lasted 'up to 20 minutes'. [Video, which is pretty amazing, below] Nine days later, one day before the Super Moon, scared Floridians near Tallahassee, located over 200 hundred miles to the northwest of Flagler County, reported the ground and buildings shaking.

The explanation for the extremely loud noise in Flagler County from the National Weather Service:
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service, Tallahassee Florida
7.18 pm EST Wed Mar 9 2011

...Strange sounds being reported across the Florida Big Bend

There have been several reports of very strange sounds coming from the Woodville area since about 6.45pm EST. The National Weather Service believes this phenomenon is being caused by thunder from distant lightning strikes... bouncing off a very stable layer above the ground. This is called ducting... and can allow sound to travel unusually long distances. This sound has been mistakenly attributed to possible tornadoes... But we at the National Weather Service want to be very clear that there are no tornadoes... and none are expected.

Bizarro Earth

India: 16 dolphins washed ashore dead in Pondy

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Puducherry: Sixteen long-nosed dolphins were washed ashore dead at three places along the Puducherry coast on Monday. It has raised concern among environmentalists as it is the 20th instance in 16 months of protected marine mammals being washed ashore dead or alive.

On an average, about 250 dolphins are washed shore dead or alive every year, said Dr R S Lal Mohan, retired principal scientist of the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI).

A group of fishermen in Pudukuppam in the Union territory spotted five dead dolphins on the shore on Monday morning and alerted the forest and fisheries department officials. A few hours later, fishermen from neighbouring hamlets also informed them about 11 more dead dolphins found at two other places.

Nuke

Japan's Nuclear Volcano Erupts

Fukushima plant
© NHK
Shares plunged across Europe and Asia on Tuesday as the crisis at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant deepened and Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency raised the atomic alert level to its highest rating. Conditions at the stricken facility have steadily deteriorated and now the station is intermittently spewing lethal amounts of radiation into the atmosphere and around the world. A French nuclear group has warned that children and pregnant mothers should protect themselves from the fallout. According to Euractiv:
"The risks associated with iodine-131 contamination in Europe are no longer "negligible," according to CRIIRAD, a French research body on radioactivity. The NGO is advising pregnant women and infants against "risky behaviour," such as consuming fresh milk or vegetables with large leaves."

Radar

Scientists warn of years of aftershocks in Japan, and risks on other faults

Japan won't stop shaking. One month after the horrific March 11 earthquake and tsunami, the island was rattled anew by aftershocks: A magnitude-6.6 quake on Monday was followed by a 6.3 quake on Tuesday.

Monday's quake was strong enough to knock out electricity briefly at the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant.

Four days earlier, a magnitude-7.1 quake led to four deaths and widespread power outages. With soldiers still looking for the bodies of thousands of people who vanished a month ago, Japan is coping with the painful reality that it sits in a seismic bull's eye.

Now scientists are warning that the March 11 event not only will lead to years of aftershocks but also might have increased the risk of a major quake on an adjacent fault. A new calculation by American and Japanese scientists concluded that the March 11 event heightened the strain on a number of faults bracketing the ruptured segment of the Japan Trench.

Bizarro Earth

US: Yellowstone volcanic plume much larger than expected

Yellowstone National Park hosts a variety of hot springs and geysers, all powered by a plume of molten rock under its surface. At times in the past, that plume has powered activity that was quite a bit less scenic: massive eruptions that have been capable of covering roughly half of North America with ash. Thus, understanding the structure and evolution of this hotspot has an immense practical value. Now, thanks to an array of sensors funded by the National Science Foundation and some new computing techniques, some researchers have produced a new image of the plume, one that suggests the area of elevated temperatures is much larger than previously suspected.

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© AGUThe MT data (left) shows a larger mantle plume than that visible in seismic data.
Yellowstone sits on the same sort of mantle plume that powers the Hawaiian volcanoes. Since it's located in the middle of a continental plate, however, the behavior is quite different. Instead of relatively steady flows of molten rock, mid-continent hotspots tend to produce rare, explosive eruptions. Yellowstone's major eruptions have been separated by hundreds of thousands of years, and have packed an astonishing punch, with each eruption being thousands of times more potent than Mt. St. Helens.

Past imaging efforts have used seismic waves to detect the border between molten and solid rock. These have indicated that the mantle plume originates somewhere deep under Idaho and slopes eastward as it rises to meet the surface under Wyoming.

Bizarro Earth

US: Possible Seven Wisconsin Tornadoes May Be Record

Milwaukee, Wisconsin - A powerful storm system that moved through the nation's midsection over the weekend caused what may be a record-breaking seven tornadoes in Wisconsin, officials said Monday.

"It's one of the most significant tornado outbreaks in April," said Rich Mamrosh, meteorologist for the National Weather Service. He said if confirmed, the number of Sunday night storms may have broken a record for a single day in April in the state -- the previous record was six.

Mamrosh said a strong low pressure system moved from South Dakota to northern Wisconsin Sunday, moving warm, moist air into the state, which was followed by a cold front, producing the storms.

A tornado in Merrill in the north-central portion of the state causing widespread damage to homes and businesses, said Captain Scott Krause of the Merrill Fire Department. Three people were taken to area hospitals.

Storms caused damage in other portions of the Midwest and south over the weekend. Iowa governor Terry Branstad declared a state of emergency after a storm Saturday that destroyed over half the town of Mapleton, but left no one seriously injured among its 1,200 residents, according to local law enforcement.

The peak U.S. tornado season lasts from March until early July, the period when warm, humid air often has to thrust upward against cool, dry air.

Nuke

Japan Raises Nuke Crisis Severity to Match Chernobyl

Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant.
© Air Photo Service Co. Ltd., JapanMarch 20, 2011 aerial photo taken by a small unmanned drone of damaged Unit 4, left, and Unit 3 of the crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant.
Japan's nuclear regulators raised the severity level of the crisis at a stricken nuclear plant Tuesday to rank it on par with the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, citing the amount of radiation released in the accident.

The regulators said the rating was being raised from 5 to 7 - the highest level on an international scale overseen by the International Atomic Energy Agency. However, there was no sign of any significant change at the tsunami-stricken Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant.

The new ranking signifies a "major accident" with "wider consequences" than the previous level, according to the Vienna-based IAEA.

"We have upgraded the severity level to 7 as the impact of radiation leaks has been widespread from the air, vegetables, tap water and the ocean," said Minoru Oogoda of Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency.

Cloud Lightning

I-29 closed indefinitely north of Fargo because of flooding

fargo,flood
© MPR Photo/Ann Arbor Miller
A stretch of Interstate Hwy. 29 will remain closed indefinitely north of Fargo, where overland floodwaters are running 8 inches deep across its driving lanes.

North Dakota Gov. John Dalrymple, in Fargo during the continuing flood emergency, said it would remain closed indefinitely. The highway is closed between Fargo and Hillsboro, nearly 40 miles to the north.

Dalrymple and other officials indicated that the flood crisis had moved from Fargo and Moorhead, where the Red River crested Saturday, to outlying areas to the north, downstream. Several people were evacuated from rural homes over the weekend and emergency agencies remained on alert for more Monday.