Earth ChangesS


Sun

Record high temperatures return to Russia

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© RIA Novosti. Mikhail FomichevRecord high temperatures return to Russia
Not for the first time this year, a number of Russian regions are experiencing record high temperatures, with the mercury rising to up to 14.5 degrees Celsius (58.1 degrees Fahrenheit) in Moscow on Thursday, the Meteonovosti weather portal said.

The first weather records since the start of this fall were registered on Tuesday and Wednesday, when temperatures in the capital rose to 11.9 degrees Celsius (53.4 degrees Fahrenheit) and 13 degrees Celsius (55.4 degrees Fahrenheit) respectively.

"A third temperature record was recorded on Thursday. At night, the temperature [in Moscow] was almost two degrees higher that the previous absolute maximum of 12.6 degrees Celsius (54.7 degrees Fahrenheit) registered in 1927," the statement said.

Bad Guys

Kiwifruit Virus Could Affect 18 New Zealand Orchards

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© unknown
A vine disease threatening New Zealand's NZ$1.4 billion ($1.1 billion) kiwifruit industry may have affected as many as 18 orchards, the government said, confirming that a second North Island orchard has the infection.

The government has placed entry restrictions on four orchards in the Bay of Plenty area, two of which have been infected with Pseudomonas syringae pv actinidiae, said Annie Wright, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, in an interview. The region produces 77 percent of New Zealand's kiwifruit crop, according to Zespri Group Ltd., the world's largest marketer of the fruit.

The ministry is studying images from 18 New Zealand kiwifruit orchards suspected to be showing symptoms, Wright said. The ministry put a "restricted place notice" on another orchard today, placing precautions on entering and leaving the property, she said.

"We have four restricted places notices and two confirmed as having PSA," said Wright.

Bizarro Earth

Southeast Indian Ridge - Earthquake Magnitude 6.3

Indian Ridge Quake_101110
© USGSEarthquake Location
Date-Time:
Wednesday, November 10, 2010 at 04:05:24 UTC

Wednesday, November 10, 2010 at 10:05:24 AM at epicenter

Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones

Location:
45.538°S, 96.394°E

Depth:
10.7 km (6.6 miles)

Region:
SOUTHEAST INDIAN RIDGE

Distances:
2250 km (1400 miles) SW of PERTH, Western Australia, Australia

Alarm Clock

Montana, US: Efforts Fail to Halt Pneumonia Outbreak in Bighorn Sheep

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© Frantisek Staud
Helena - Wildlife officials will let a pneumonia outbreak run its course through a herd of bighorn sheep west of Anaconda after killing dozens of sick animals failed to keep the disease in check.

There are no known vaccines to prevent pneumonia in bighorn sheep, which is usually fatal for the animals, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials said Tuesday. Instead, wildlife officials kill sick sheep to prevent other animals from being exposed.

The agency has killed 44 bighorn sheep in the herd of about 300 animals west of Anaconda since confirming the pneumonia outbreak in August. But FWP officials say the outbreak has now spread beyond management control.

The whole population appears to be exposed and there is nothing to gain by killing more sheep, FWP Regional Wildlife Manager Mike Thompson said in a statement. Instead, the focus is now on trying to keep alive every animal that has a chance of surviving the outbreak.

Bizarro Earth

Anak Krakatau's Latest Rumbling Growing Pains

Jakarta - The crater of Anak Krakatau in the Sunda Strait has expanded to a diameter of 25-26 meters, an Indonesian volcanologist says.

The news comes as the frequency of eruptions of the volcano increases.

On Friday there were 615 eruptions, on Saturday there were 623 and on Sunday 668.

Anton S. Pambudi, a Banten province official who monitors the volcano, said the latest eruptions had changed the shape of the crater and his team would continue to monitor it.

Banten Governor Ratu Atut Chosiyah said Anak Krakatau (Child of Krakatau) did not pose a threat and the eruptions, which can be seen from the western tip of Java, were spectacular to watch.

Krakatoa exploded in 1883, with the resulting tsunamis killing an estimated 40,000 people, though some estimates put the death toll much higher.

The explosion is still considered to be the loudest sound ever heard in modern history, with reports of it being heard nearly 4,800 kilometers away.

Cloud Lightning

Severe Weather Alert as Britain Battered by 70mph Winds, Snow in the North and Up to Three Inches of Rain Across the South

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© Press AssociationIcy blasts: A walker wraps up warm as he braves the snow near Glenshee, Scotland
  • Up to three inches of rain expected in the South East
  • Four flood warnings, 37 flood watches in place across UK
  • Motorists rescued by police as six cars are trapped in snow in Cumbria
  • Snow falls on high ground from the midlands to Scotland
Britain has been placed on flood alert after torrential rain and high winds battered the country.

Following a day of snowfall, gales and downpours that brought disruption to the roads, the Environment Agency issued flood warnings across the Midlands, the North East and Wales.

With thunderstorms and flash floods forecast for last night, a weather warning was also issued for the South East.

Gale-force winds and snow disrupted road, train and ferry services - but the worst of the wintry blast is yet to come.

Snow fell across high ground from the north Midlands towards Scotland, with the Highlands particularly affected.

Elsewhere, winds of up to 70mph and torrential downpours were in force.

Cloud Lightning

Flash flooding in Vicenza, northern Italy (VIDEO)

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© 81oettamThe flooding did bring some relief to locals: it forced the closure of the enormous US military base there for two days.
Spectacular flash flooding swept away cars and forced the closure of the nearby US military base in Vicenza, northern Italy on November 1st. A low-pressure system over the western Mediterranean Sea dumped almost 10 inches of rain on the region since Halloween (October 31st).


Bizarro Earth

Birds with Deformed Beaks Appearing in Alaska, Northwest, and Canada at Record-Breaking Rate

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© U.S. Geological Survey and British Columbia Health MinistryU.S. officials believe an increasing number birds, including the ones in these photos are deformed, but don't know what's causing the problem
With the federal government about to make a decision on whether to permit oil drilling in the fragile Beaufort Sea, it seems a good time to ask if Alaska can take any more. Since the 1890s, the vast hinterland has been a haven for gold rushers, fishermen, whalers, and oil and natural gas barons.

As for the birds, they were observers in the background. Now they may be paying a price for all that human activity in Alaska and along the Pacific Northwest.

A study released by the U.S. Geological Survey on Monday documents that scientists have discovered an unusually high rate of bird beak abnormalities. Actually, the highest rate ever. And while researchers have no idea why, some are already pointing the finger at the activities of mankind.

"The prevalence of these strange deformities is more than ten times what is normally expected in a wild bird population," said Colleen Handel of the USGS in an article published in The Auk, a quarterly journal of ornithology.

Bizarro Earth

Indonesia's Mount Dempo volcanic activity intensifies: official

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© sugengpribadi.com
The volcanic activity of Mount Dempo in Pagaralam of South Sumatra province, has been increasing recently, with at least 79 tremors recorded last week, the Jakarta Post quoted an official as saying on Monday.

"Eight deep volcanic quakes and one surface quake were recorded between Oct. 25 and 31," Mt. Dempo observation post chief Slamet said.

He said Mt. Dempo was different to other volcanoes in Indonesia, particularly because of its wide and vast crater.

"This means there can be changes in its volcanic activity at any time," Slamet said.

Dempo erupted in 1838, creating a lava lake covering an area of around 3,000 square meters.

Despite that only volcanic tremors had been recorded, Slamet said, residents living on Dempo's slopes needed to be on the alert because of its unpredictable nature.

Bizarro Earth

Troubling Global Volcanic Activity on the Rise

volcano
© NA

The news is all about the Tuesday's U.S. elections, but some of us are concerned about the news on Monday regarding a possible eruption of the Grimsvotn volcano in Iceland. Never heard of it? You will.

Grimsvotn is the most active volcano in Iceland. The one that made a lot of news earlier in 2010 was Eyjafjallajokull that, while relatively small, generated such a huge cloud of ash that it disrupted air travel across western and northern Europe for six days in April.

Here's why volcano watchers around the world are on high alert.

This past week, in Indonesia, after a tsunami killed several hundred people, Mount Merapi rumbled to life forcing thousands to flee back to evacuation centers as 38 lava avalanches occurred with pyroclastic flows down the south and west slopes running outward for seven kilometers. They incinerate everything in their path.

In August, a volcano on Sumatra erupted for the first time in 400 years.

There is a "Ring of Fire" that stretches approximately 25,000 miles in a horseshoe from eastern Asia to the western shores of North and South America. It has 452 volcanoes of which 75% are the world's most active or dormant.

Comment: For more information please see Signs Supplement - Super Volcanoes.