Earth ChangesS


Cloud Lightning

'Life threatening' historic 'Super Typhoon' Bopha smashes into Philippines


Common Dreams
Mon, 03 Dec 2012 16:24 UTC
Bopha
© Weather Underground
'Most southerly typhoon ever recorded in the Western Pacific' expected to bring 'life-threatening impacts'

Historic and potentially catastrophic Super Typhoon Bopha has made a direct hit on the southern Philippines on Tuesday morning, raising fears the impacts of the storm may be far worse than a much weaker 2011 storm that killed over 1200 people.

The powerful storm made landfall at 3:45 PM EST on Monday, 4:45 AM Tuesday local time.

The Category 5 Super Typhoon has sustained winds of over 161 mph - gusting to 195 mph - and is the most southerly typhoon ever recorded in the Western Pacific. AccuWeather reports it "is expected to bring life-threatening impacts."
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Bizarro Earth

Russian Far East holds seismic hazards threatening Pacific Rim

Vince Stricherz
Washington.edu
Mon, 03 Dec 2012 12:43 UTC
Image
© NASAThe 2009 eruption of Sarychev Peak volcano in the Kuril Islands was captured in this photograph from the International Space Station.
For decades, a source of powerful earthquakes and volcanic activity on the Pacific Rim was shrouded in secrecy, as the Soviet government kept outsiders away from what is now referred to as the Russian Far East. But research in the last 20 years has shown that the Kamchatka Peninsula and Kuril Islands are a seismic and volcanic hotbed, with a potential to trigger tsunamis that pose a risk to the rest of the Pacific Basin.

The 2009 eruption of Sarychev Peak volcano in the Kuril Islands was captured in this photograph from the International Space Station.

A magnitude 9 earthquake in that region in 1952 caused significant damage elsewhere on the Pacific Rim, and even less-powerful quakes have had effects throughout the Pacific Basin.

"There's not a large population in the Russian Far East, but it's obviously important to the people who live there. Thousands of people were killed in tsunamis because of the earthquake in 1952. And tsunamis don't stay home," said Jody Bourgeois, a University of Washington professor of Earth and space sciences.
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Sun

Erratic swings of jet stream leaves southern U.S. baking in record December heat, November brings record highs without rainfall

Allie Kolechta
The Daily Texan
Mon, 03 Dec 2012 12:38 UTC
High temperatures in the Austin area have already broken records during December, after November also brought record high temperatures and, for the first time in decades, no rain in Austin for the entire month. Austin saw no measurable rainfall in November, according to reports compiled on the Austin-Bergstrom Airport Area by the National Weather Service Southern Region Headquarters. According to the report, this is the first year Austin has had only trace amounts of rainfall in the month of November since 1970, more than four decades ago.
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Record highs were set on Nov. 1 at 88 degrees and Nov. 3 at 87 degrees. High temperatures reached into the 80s on 15 days in November, and lows never reached freezing. The most days it has reached 80 degrees in the area in November was in 1931, with 17 days in the 80s.
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Bizarro Earth

Massive volcanic eruption on the cards for Japan

Tairiku Kurosawa
The Asahi Shimbun
Mon, 03 Dec 2012 11:55 UTC
Mt. Fuji
© Asahi Shimbun file photoMount Fuji, Japan's most famous volcano.
Japan should brace for a catastrophic volcanic eruption at some point, say experts, citing a massive buildup of magma at many of the nation's 110 active volcanoes. The last particularly serious eruption in Japan occurred in 1914, when Mount Sakurajima in southern Kagoshima Prefecture blew its top. According to study by volcanologists, Japan, which lies on the Pacific Rim of Fire, has been shaken by more than 1,000 volcanic eruptions over the past 2,000 years.

"The possibility of a major eruption in the future is real," said Yoichi Nakamura, a professor of volcanology at Utsunomiya University who has been analyzing volcanic eruptions with a team of researchers.

To be classified as active, a volcano must have erupted within the past 10,000 years or still be spewing gases, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

The active volcanoes include sites in the disputed Northern Territories off northeastern Hokkaido as well as undersea volcanoes.

Of the 110 active volcanoes, the agency monitors activity of the 47 around the clock to detect signs of an imminent eruption.
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Bad Guys

UN's global warming agenda "scientifically unsubstantiated" say 125-plus scientists


Financial Post
Thu, 29 Nov 2012 10:01 UTC
Open Letter to the Secretary-General of the United Nations

Image
© GettyUN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon
H.E. Ban Ki-Moon
Secretary-General
United NationsFirst Avenue and East 44th Street
New York, New York, U.S.A.

Policy actions that aim to reduce CO2 emissions are unlikely to influence future climate. Policies need to focus on preparation for, and adaptation to, all dangerous climatic events, however caused

On November 9 this year you told the General Assembly: "Extreme weather due to climate change is the new normal ... Our challenge remains, clear and urgent: to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to strengthen adaptation to ... even larger climate shocks ... and to reach a legally binding climate agreement by 2015 ... This should be one of the main lessons of Hurricane Sandy."

On November 13 you said at Yale: "The science is clear; we should waste no more time on that debate."

The following day, in Al Gore's "Dirty Weather" Webcast, you spoke of "more severe storms, harsher droughts, greater floods", concluding: "Two weeks ago, Hurricane Sandy struck the eastern seaboard of the United States. A nation saw the reality of climate change. The recovery will cost tens of billions of dollars. The cost of inaction will be even higher. We must reduce our dependence on carbon emissions."

We the undersigned, qualified in climate-related matters, wish to state that current scientific knowledge does not substantiate your assertions.
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Cloud Lightning

Crashes, flooding, and power outages as a 3rd nasty storm rolls into San Francisco Bay Area

Joshua Melvin and Kristin J. Bender
Mercury News
Mon, 03 Dec 2012 08:41 UTC
Blasting out of the Pacific, the third and most powerful "Pineapple Express" storm of the week swept over the Bay Area Sunday morning, dumping heavy rain on a region already soaked to the roots and reeling from power outages and flooding. "It's a mess," said CHP Officer James Evans. "We've got flooding everywhere."

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Cow Skull

Yet another species going extinct: Wombats in Australia starving to death

Kathy Marks
The Independent, UK
Sun, 02 Dec 2012 16:39 UTC
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Animals, so sensitive they suck their thumbs if upset, suffer population crash

While Australia's northern hairy-nosed wombat may be one of the world's most endangered mammals, its southern cousin has, by comparison, thrived. But now a food shortage - and an invasion of toxic plants - has killed thousands of southern wombats, prompting fears of a local extinction.

Nicknamed the "bulldozer of the bush" because of its stocky build and ability to survive in an arid landscape, the southern hairy-nosed wombat is in a parlous state in the Murrayland region of South Australia, one of its main population areas. Many animals are emaciated, and have also lost their coats, making them susceptible to skin diseases and sunburn. Brigitte Stevens, who runs the Wombat Awareness Organisation, has been conducting food drops in the area. "We're up there four or five times a week, and we see hundreds of dead wombats every time," she said. "There's just nothing for them to eat. They're literally starving to death."
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Road Cone

Japan's Sasago tunnel collapses outside Tokyo causing at least five deaths


Huffington Post UK
Sun, 02 Dec 2012 00:00 UTC
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© The Associated Press/Kyodo NewsPolice officers and firefighters gather at the exit of the Sasago Tunnel on the Chuo Expressway in Otsuki, Yamanashi Prefecture, central Japan, Sunday morning, Dec. 2, 2012.
One of Japan's longest tunnels has collapsed, trapping vehicles amid reports that at least five people have died.

Sections of concrete fell from the ceiling of the Sasago tunnel, 50 miles west of Tokyo, crushing cars and blocking the road with debris, report Sky News.

The tunnel began to cave at 08:00 local time (23:00 GMT Saturday), report the BBC. A fire is believed to have broken out and charred bodies have been pulled from the mouth of the tunnel by rescue workers.
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Bizarro Earth

USGS: Earthquake Magnitude 6.4 - SSE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu


US Geological Survey
Sat, 01 Dec 2012 22:24 UTC
Vanuatu Quake_021212
© USGS
Event Time
2012-12-02 00:54:23 UTC
2012-12-02 11:54:23 UTC+11:00 at epicenter

Location
17.012°S 167.626°E depth=34.1km (21.2mi)

Nearby Cities
101km (63mi) SSE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu
108km (67mi) NW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu
170km (106mi) SSE of Luganville, Vanuatu
433km (269mi) N of We, New Caledonia
581km (361mi) NNE of Dumbea, New Caledonia

Technical Details
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Cloud Lightning

Storm waves slam Northern California causing power outages and mudslides

Terry Collins
Associated Press
Fri, 30 Nov 2012 22:22 UTC
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© Jeff Chiu / AP Dark clouds move over the Golden Gate Bridge in Marin County, Calif., Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012. The National Weather Service says that by late morning Thursday 1 inch of rain had fallen in several hours across the western side of the county. Much of Northern California is under a variety of warnings and advisories for rain, snow and high winds.
The second in a series of storms slammed Northern California on Friday as heavy rain and strong winds knocked out power, tied up traffic and caused flooding along some stretches.

The weather also may be behind the death of a Pacific Gas & Electric worker in West Sacramento who was killed after his truck crashed into a traffic signal pole during the stormy weather.

Flights were delayed at San Francisco's airport, and in the city's affluent Pacific Heights neighborhood, traffic was blocked for hours after a large tree crashed down, smashing a car and obstructing a busy street.

A flash flood watch will remain in effect for most of the San Francisco Bay Area extending to the Santa Cruz Mountains throughout the weekend. A constant barrage of downpours could lead to standing water and overflowing drains, said Diana Henderson, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Monterey.
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