Earth Changes

Serious decline for the beluga population of the St Lawrence estuary

Marc Montgomery
RCI
Fri, 09 Sep 2016 20:53 UTC

© J. Klenner, DFO
Beluga mother and calf. The Beluga of the St Lawrence as of this week are listed as endangered as their numbers continue to decline.

This week the federal government officially recognized the continuing decline in numbers of the white whales of the St Lawrence estuary by changing their status.

Previously labelled as "threatened" the beluga are now listed in the more worrisome category of "endangered".

While the whales were already protected under the threatened listing, the new category means a recovery plan will have to be developed among the federal and Quebec governments, scientists, industry, fisherman, aboriginal groups and other affected groups.

Over 100 years ago there were an estimated 10,000 beluga in the St Lawrence estuary, in 2012, there were only about 900.

Comment: See also: Beluga whale population in St. Lawrence estuary on 'catastrophic' path, Canada

Dead minke whale washes ashore on beach in Kennebunkport, Maine

Matt Byrne
Portland Press Herald
Fri, 09 Sep 2016 20:42 UTC

A dead minke whale on Goose Rocks Beach.

A decomposing minke whale has washed up on a Kennebunkport beach.

The dead whale washed ashore some time before dawn Friday on Goose Rocks Beach, according to police.

Minke whales are common in the Gulf of Maine and are among the smaller whale species. They grow to be less than 30 feet long when fully mature and weigh about four to five tons. They can live for 50 years or more.

Messages for Kennebunkport police and public works officials were not immediately returned, but a report from WMTW-TV showed a front-end loader attempting to remove the carcass Friday.

Man dies following lightning strike in Minocqua, Wisconsin

wsau.com
Fri, 09 Sep 2016 19:54 UTC

A 66-year-old Minocqua man struck by lightning while walking his dog during a violent thunderstorm died Thursday afternoon at a burn center in Madison.

Bryan Jennings, a supervisor with the Town of Minocqua Board. was hit by lightning about 6:30 a.m. Tuesday outside his home at Tanglewood Court as a thunderstorm with heavy lightning and rain rumbled through the area. The Onieda County medical examiner's office confirmed Jenning's death on Friday morning.

The man's five-month-old dog was not hurt, police said.

Jennings was unresponsive when medical help arrived and he was taken to a hospital in Minocqua before being transferred to the University of Wisconsin Hospital burn center in Madison, police said.

U.S. Lightning deaths climb to 35, deadliest year since 2007

Jason Meyers
wcpo.com
Fri, 09 Sep 2016 19:31 UTC

A Wisconsin man died from a lightning strike this week, the 35th person to get struck and killed this year.

The total number of lightning deaths continues to climb higher, and now 2016 has the most lightning fatalities since 2007.

Lightning deaths were slow to start in the spring with a relatively quiet March, April, May and June when only nine people total were killed by lightning.

That changed in July and August as a total of 24 people died from lightning — 12 each month. August was the deadliest August for lightning strikes in the last 10 years.

This most recent lightning death is the second in September.

Waterspout filmed off Zakynthos Island, Greece

Dreamers
You Tube
Thu, 08 Sep 2016 15:47 UTC

Waterspout spotted off Grecian Island

Alex Reh was visiting Zakynthos Island in Greece when he shot this video of a waterspout.

12-year-old girl bitten by shark off Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

wyff4.com
Thu, 08 Sep 2016 15:17 UTC

A North Carolina mother says her daughter was bitten by a shark in Myrtle Beach while vacationing over the Labor Day weekend.

Heather Williams, of Autryville, North Carolina, told WRAL in Raleigh that her daughter was bitten while the family was staying at the Kingston Plantation in Horry County.

Williams said her four children were riding boogie boards in the ocean for several hours when her 12-year-old daughter, Rylie, said something bit her.

According to Williams, lifeguards on shore treated the girl before she was taken to the hospital.

Woman seriously injured following shark attack in waters off Hawaii beach

Fox News
Thu, 08 Sep 2016 15:03 UTC

A 51-year-old woman was in serious condition Wednesday after an apparent shark attack at a popular Hawaii surfing beach.

Lifeguards pulled the woman out of the water. She appeared to be bitten in her arm and shoulder. An expert is expected to examine her wounds to confirm that it was in fact a shark bite.

The Honolulu Emergency Services Department said lifeguards paddled out on rescue boards and brought the woman to shore. Surfers in the water helped. According to the Honolulu Star Advertiser, the woman was about 300 yards from shore at Makaha Beach.

Officials said she frequently visits the Oahu beach regularly. No information was available on the type of shark.

Lifeguards have posted shark warning signs and cleared the water. Officials will reassess Thursday morning whether to reopen the beach.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

2,297 killed by lightning over the last 7 years in the Indian state of Odisha

Chinmaya Dehury
Business Standard
Fri, 09 Sep 2016 13:47 UTC

In Odisha people are getting killed in large numbers by what is perhaps the most unpredictable natural phenomenon -- lightning. In the last seven years lightning has killed 2,297 persons in the state, a figure which is much higher than the deaths caused by other natural calamities.

On average, in these past seven years, 327 persons died of lightning strikes in Odisha every year, according to a report by the Special Relief Commissioner.

This year alone, 284 persons have so far been killed by lightning, the report said. Of them, 56 persons died in lightning strikes in four days in the first week of August.

Most of the victims are farmers in rural areas.

"The problem with lightning is that it cannot be predicted, which makes it all the more challenging to issue timely warnings. We have decided to issue an advisory to districts about what to do and not to do during lightning strikes," said Pradipta Kumar Mohapatra, the Special Relief Commissioner.

Severe 6.7 earthquake hits Australia's Macquarie Islands

New Zealand Herald
Thu, 08 Sep 2016 23:14 UTC

A severe quake initially believed to have hit Central Otago this morning actually struck south of New Zealand.

GeoNet initially reported a magnitude 5.3 quake had struck 30km southeast of Roxburgh, at a depth of 12km, at 9.48am.

GeoNet classified the quake as severe.

However, GeoNet later revised the strength and location of the quake.

It said the magnitude 6.7 quake actually struck west of the Macquarie Islands at a depth of 10km.

Dozens of birds fell to the ground in Boston

Michael Rosenfield and Marc Fortier
NECN
Fri, 09 Sep 2016 02:04 UTC

Health officials are investigating after 47 birds fell from the sky in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood on Thursday.

Rescuers were able to save 15 of the birds, but 32 have died. Investigators are working to determine the cause, and whether the deaths of two cats in the neighborhood could be related.

"When I arrived, birds would fly, like from a house to a tree, they would flop in the tree and they would fall to the ground," said Alan Borgal of the Animal Rescue League of Boston. "The weaker ones were just falling right out the sky."

All the birds were grackles, black songbirds that typically travel in large flocks. They were found thrashing around on Bakersfield Street and the sidewalks nearby around 2 p.m.

"They couldn't get up," said resident Linda Veale.

"We don't know what is going on," said John Meaney of the city of Boston's Inspectional Services. "So we are investigating all avenues."

City officials are looking at everything from a virus, to environmental poisoning, to something intentional. They're also studying the many feeders neighborhood residents have outside.

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Earth Changes

Serious decline for the beluga population of the St Lawrence estuary

Dead minke whale washes ashore on beach in Kennebunkport, Maine

Man dies following lightning strike in Minocqua, Wisconsin

U.S. Lightning deaths climb to 35, deadliest year since 2007

Waterspout filmed off Zakynthos Island, Greece

12-year-old girl bitten by shark off Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Woman seriously injured following shark attack in waters off Hawaii beach

2,297 killed by lightning over the last 7 years in the Indian state of Odisha

Severe 6.7 earthquake hits Australia's Macquarie Islands

Dozens of birds fell to the ground in Boston

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