Earth ChangesS


Fish

Bizarre fish behavior baffles experts in Lower Florida Keys

Paddle boarder Joyce Milelli came across this sick sawfish .
© Joyce MilelliPaddle boarder Joyce Milelli came across this sick sawfish in late January while leading a tour near Geiger Key. Five days later it was found dead amid an outbreak of deaths among endangered sawfish.
A marine mystery has researchers searching for answers in the Lower Florida Keys.

Since December, 20 critically endangered smalltooth sawfish have been reported dead, according to the latest numbers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

"This is a very large species and the size of the sawfish we're seeing coming inshore and eventually dying," said Gil McRae, director of FWC's Fish and Wildlife Research Institute.

And while smalltooth sawfish are the only species reported dead, they are not the only ones seeing an impact.

"That's not something I've ever seen fish do...ever," said Gregg Furstenwerth, a resident of Little Torch Key.


Comment: An earlier report from February: Endangered sawfish have been found dead in Lower Keys, Florida - other fish also dying


Seismograph

Strong mag. 6.0 earthquake - Philippine Sea

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A very strong magnitude 6.0 earthquake occurred under the sea 91 km (57 mi) from North Sulawesi, Philippines, in the afternoon of Friday, Mar 8, 2024 at 5.11 pm local time (GMT +8).

The quake had a moderate depth of 125 km (78 mi) and was felt widely in the area.

No significant damage or impact is expected from this quake and no particular alert was issued.

Attention

Tourist mauled by bear while skiing in North Macedonia

A brown bear is photographed in a forest near the Russian border in eastern Finland
© Getty ImagesA brown bear is photographed in a forest near the Russian border in eastern Finland
A tourist on a skiing holiday in Europe has been attacked by a bear.

The Danish skier was injured in a bear attack at a nature park in North Macedonia, in an area where authorities say mild winters have led to a surge in the brown bear population.

The skier was taken to a hospital in the western city of Tetovo, said Stojance Angelov, head of the country's state-run Crisis Management Centre.

He suffered injuries to his left leg in the attack that took place in the Shar Mountain area.

Mild winters in recent years have caused bears to cut short or skip hibernation, leading to a surge in their population and increased sightings in urban areas.

Boat

Over 12,000 people displaced in flood-hit Brazilian state

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In Brazil, heavy floods have affected over 100 thousand people in the northwestern state of Acre. Over 12,000 people have been displaced in Acre state after heavy flooding hit the region following several days of torrential rain.


Seismograph

Shallow 6.1 magnitude earthquake in Macquarie Island region

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6.1 magnitude earthquake

UTC time: Tuesday, March 05, 2024 19:52 PM
Your time: Tuesday, March 5, 2024 at 7:52 PM GMT
Magnitude Type: mww
USGS page: M 6.1 - Macquarie Island region
USGS status: Reviewed by a seismologist
Reports from the public: 0 people

10 km depth

Attention

2 dead whales spotted in Virginia Beach in 1 day

A juvenile humpback whale washed up dead in Virginia Beach, marking the first of two deceased whales to make landfall
A juvenile humpback whale washed up dead in Virginia Beach, marking the first of two deceased whales to make landfall on the Virginia coast in two days.
Two dead whales were spotted in Virginia Beach on the same day.

The Virginia Aquarium confirmed a dead whale was spotted drifting in Virginia Beach waters on Sunday. Monday evening, the whale landed on the coast of False Cape State Park, according to the aquarium.

The aquarium's Stranding response team will examine the whale.

That same day, another dead whale was seen in the city. It had washed ashore on the Oceanfront near 25th Street.

A recovery team from the aquarium worked to bring the whale away from the water.

The aquarium tells us they're going to perform a necropsy to learn how the beached whale died.


Arrow Down

Massive snowstorm leaves high avalanche danger in the Alps after 2 meters of snow fell

Erezberg avalanche.
Erezberg avalanche.
Huge amounts of snow have fallen in parts of the south west Alps. An avalanche struck an open piste in Saas-Grund in Switzerland killing a skier.

A 16-year old boy died in Italy. Some resorts remain closed with disruption to transport. UPDATED

A skier was buried by an avalanche on the pistes in the Kreuzboden-Hohsaas area of Saas-Grund in Switzerland on Saturday.

The avalanche risk was at Level 3 - considerable.

According to the cantonal police an avalanche occurred at around 11:40 a.m. and hit the slope above the mountain restaurant in Hohsaas.

The avalanche caught a skier traveling on the 1a "Gletscher Hohkraut" run and buried him under a meter of snow.


Comment: The same source reports on March 4:
The storm that hit the south-western Alps over the weekend has delivered some truly staggering snowfall totals in places.

Much more than originally predicted.

"Some areas have seen between 1- 2m of new snow in the last three days, and in some cases 1m or more in just 24 hours alone," said Fraser Wilkin from weathertoski.co.uk




Solar Flares

Northern lights deliver spectacular show over Russia (PHOTOS)

Northern lights in St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region.
© RIA Novosti via TelegramNorthern lights in St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region.

The incredible display was seen in regions as far south as Moscow

Stunning images of the aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, were captured in the skies above multiple Russian cities on Sunday.

People from the northern regions of Leningrad, Tver, Pskov, and Novgorod, as well as the cities of Volokolamsk and Murmansk, shared breathtaking photographs of the natural phenomenon. The impressive light show, which is caused by solar storms, began at around 8pm and lasted until midnight.


Comment:
In the last few days, many other locations have witnessed northern lights. On the same evening as the photos from Russia, there were other areas, that witnessed spectacular shows:




Snowflake

Here's how much snow fell during the Sierra blizzard in California - up to 10.5 feet

California blizzard hits Sierra Nevada mountains and closes key highway
California blizzard hits Sierra Nevada mountains and closes key highway
A powerful blizzard that pounded the Sierra Nevada over the past several days dumped well over 100 inches of snow in some locations, according to the National Weather Service.

Here's a breakdown of how much snow piled up between 4 a.m. Thursday and 4 a.m. Monday in the following locations, per the weather service.

Sugar Bowl: 126 inches
Soda Springs Caltrans: 116 inches
Kingvale Caltrans: 106 inches
Palisades Tahoe: 93 inches
Dodge Ridge: 89 inches
Sierra Snow Lab: 75.2 inches
Boreal: 74 inches


Snowflake

Metre of snow in Pyrénées and floods hit south-east France

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Severe weather struck several parts of France at the weekend causing dramatic scenes, particularly in the south-east.

Heavy rain caused flooding in a number of towns and coastal gales brought down trees. Snow covered the lowest altitudes of the Alps and more than a metre fell in the Pyrénées.

A roadside assistance worker was killed near La Turbie, close to the French border with Monaco, after consecutive accidents on the A8.

The man was responding to an initial accident between two cars, caused by the rainfall, and was subsequently hit by a third vehicle driving too quickly in the heavy rain.

Four other people were injured, two severely, including another roadside assistance worker and two gendarmes.