Earth ChangesS


Cloud Lightning

Heavy Rains May Affect South Africa Crops

Image
© ReutersZimbabwean Agnes Brovera holds an open ear of ripe maize, which is the country's staple food, on the outskirts of the capital Harare February 21,2006.
Johannesburg - South Africa's 2009/10 maize surplus is likely to prevent any supply shortage of the grain this year after heavy December and January rains have affected planting, an industry official said on Tuesday.

But the extremely wet conditions may have a significant impact on the soy bean and sunflower harvest, Kobus Laubscher, chief executive of farmers' group Grain SA, told Reuters in an interview.

"Some of the late plantings are suffering because of the heavy rains. But as far as maize is concerned, there is no reason to suspect that we will run into a shortage. We have huge carryovers from last year," he said.

South Africa, the continent's largest maize producer, harvested 12.815 million tonnes of the grain in the 2009/10 season, the biggest crop in three decades.

The country's annual maize consumption is between 8-9 million tonnes, leaving it with a surplus of about 4 million.

Black Cat

Alabama: Hundreds of Dead Blackbirds Found Along I-65 In Athens

dead birds, alabama
© Carson Clark, WHNT NEWS 19About 300 dead blackbirds were found along I-65 in Athens on Wednesday morning.

Wednesday morning, we got a handful of emails and phone calls from viewers who said there appeared to be a massive bird kill on the side of Interstate 65 in Limestone County. That's exactly what we found when we got there.

Just south of Athens, near mile marker 347, there were around 300 dead blackbirds just off the side of the northbound lanes.

The viewers who called us said the birds seemed to just fall from the sky, but we spoke to a wildlife biologist at the scene who says there is an explanation for what happened.

"What it appears to us right now is that the birds were feeding alongside the road," said Mitchell Marks. "The flock flushed, flew out into a vehicle and we've got this kill here along the road."

All of the dead birds had clear signs of trauma, but Marks collected a few to examine them.

Cloud Precipitation

Torrential rain, mudslides in Brazil kill 140

Image
© Paulo Cezar / AP People stand by the bodies of mudslide victims after heavy rain in the neighborhood of Caleme in Teresopolis, Brazil on Wednesday
Torrential summer rains tore through Rio de Janeiro state's mountains, killing at least 140 people in 24 hours, Brazilian officials said Wednesday. Rescuers using heavy machinery, shovels and bare hands struggled to dig through tons of mud and debris in a search for survivors.

In Teresopolis, a town 40 miles (65 kilometers) north of Rio, flash floods tossed cars into trees and mudslides poured tons of red earth over houses below. At least 114 died, according to a local Civil Defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to release the information. She added that 10 inches (26 centimeters) of rain fell on the town during 24 hours.

Survivors waded through waist-high water, carrying what belongings they could, trying to reach higher ground. Flood water continued to flow down the mountains, though rains had stopped.

"I've lived here 25 years and I've never seen anything like it," Teresopolis citizen Manoel Rocha Sobrinho told the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper. "I live on high ground and when I looked below, I only saw a sea of mud. Most people saved themselves by climbing trees."

Document

New Clues to Prehistoric Extinction

trilobite
© Wikipedia / CBSA trilobite found in the Burgess Shale region of the Canadian Rockies
Scientists Say Cambrian Extinction Resulted from Too Much Sulfur, Too Little Oxygen

About 540 million years ago, things were looking pretty rosy for complex life on Earth. Conditions were favorable, and the diversity of multicellular organisms took off during the so-called Cambrian Explosion. Trilobites frolicked. Brachiopods abounded. And then, things went south.

Between 490 million and 520 million years ago, a swift extinction event wiped out many of the Cambrian lifeforms. Geologists Benjamin Gill and Graham Shields-Zhou thinks they have found the trigger right in the midst of that era. According to their study in this week's Nature, the ocean's oxygen level plunged and the sulfur levels rose sharply 499 million years ago, killing off species that could not quickly adapt. That included some, but not all, of the trilobites that ruled the seas of the time.

According to Science News, Gill's team decided to look at a specific subset of Cambrian extinctions that began 499 million years ago and lasted for 2 million to 4 million years. Other researchers had proposed that low oxygen levels - a condition known as anoxia - could be involved. But no one had marshaled enough evidence to prove that.

Blackbox

UK: Beach closed after discovery of strange substance

A beach has been closed after the discovery of a mysterious substance.

An "unidentified foam-like substance" has been found along part of the southern coastline, causing Chichester District Council to close East Wittering beach until further notice.

Beaches controlled by West Wittering Estate and Cakeham Manor have also been closed.

A council spokesperson said: "We are closing the beach as a precaution. The unidentified foam-like substance was discovered earlier today. The Environment Agency has taken samples to test. We should know the outcome of these tests within the next 48 hours.

"Following this time, we will decide on what action to take."

Cloud Precipitation

Non-Stop Rains Damage 2,929 Hectares of Rice Fields in Albay

Image
© AllVocies
Manila, Philippines - Some 2,929 hectares of rice farmlands were damaged by the continuous rains in Albay, the Department of Agriculture said in a report on Tuesday.

The damaged rice areas are 12 municipalities in the province of Albay that have been flooded due to the heavy rains that have been battering the region, according to Marilyn V. Sta Calataina, the DA Bicol regional technical director who has placed production loss at about P13.37 million.

Majority of the affected rice crops were either newly planted or in their vegetative stage as the cropping season has just started, Catalina said.

Of the 2,929 affected areas, 85.8 percent or 2,516 hectares were considered to "have a chance of recovery" and only 413 hectares were destroyed, with no chance of recovery.

The areas greatly affected by the flooding are: Tabaco City with over 932 hectares; Legaspi City with over 592 hectares and Malinao with over 420 hectares.

Cloud Lightning

Flash Floods Alert - Tasmania

flipped care
© Ross MarsdenA car flipped on the Midland Hwy at Perth in slippery conditions.
The weather bureau yesterday renewed warnings about heavy rain and flash flooding in the north and northeast today and tomorrow.

Bureau of Meteorology Media and Community Relations manager Malcolm Riley said computer models were suggesting that several hundred millimetres of rain could fall between Tuesday midnight and Friday midnight.

"Heavy falls are expected about the north and northeast where there is the possibility of flash flooding ," Mr Riley said.

"Northern rivers could reach at least moderate flood level.

The warnings come as police warned motorists to drive with caution in the extreme weather.

A car flipped on its roof in slippery conditions on the Midland Hwy near Perth yesterday and the driver was lucky to escape without serious injuries.

Cloud Lightning

US: Heavy Rains, Strong Winds Could Hit Kauai and Oahu Wednesday

Honolulu -- The National Weather Service placed Kauai and Oahu under a flash flood warning Wednesday morning as an anticipated storm system arrived.

The storm is also forecast to bring strong southwest winds. A wind advisory for much of the state begins at noon Wednesday.

Kauai and Oahu could see the worst of the storm on Wednesday, forecasters said.

Forecasters said conditions could bring heavy showers or thunderstorms and stall over the central islands on Thursday.

Forecasters say the heaviest rainfall amounts will most likely affect the western half of the state, but that there could be a threat of flash flooding on all islands. There is also a chance of thunderstorms that may cause rainfall totals to increase even more.

Monitor the latest forecasts and stay with KITV.com and KITV4 News.

Cloud Lightning

Heavy Sri Lankan Floods Kill Over A Dozen

flood,sri lankan
© UnknownFloods have inundated the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo
Sri Lankan government officials have confirmed that flooding caused by heavy rains has taken 18 lives and forced 200,000 people to evacuate their homes.

Monsoon rains in the east and north-eastern parts have caused flooding which has affected an estimated one million people according to the State Disaster Management Centre.

Flood waters are reported to be up to one metre in some areas and warnings of mudslides have been issued. The flooding comes as Australia and the Philippines battle devastating floods of their own. Europe is also just recovering from a severe winter snap that caused massive public and transportation delays.

The Sri Lankan government has sent in its army, navy and air force to help in the relief effort. It is estimated that around 160,000 of rice paddy fields have been flooded causing worries about the years rice harvest.

Cloud Precipitation

Australian Floods Damage Crops; More Rains Forecast

australia,floods
© AP Photo/NASAIn this image provided by NASA taken on Jan. 7, 2010, the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer instrument on NASA's Terra spacecraft captured this image of the inundated city of Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia. For Australia, La Ni?a typically means above-average rains, and the current La Ni?a is no exception. Heavy rains that began in late December led to the continent's worst flooding in nearly a half century, at its peak inundating an area the size of Germany and France combined. Rockhampton is the largest city affected by the current flooding. Torrential rains in northeastern Australia caused the Fitzroy River to overflow its banks and flood much of the city and surrounding agricultural lands. Both the airport and major highways are underwater, isolating the city. In this natural color rendition, muddy water is brown, and shallow, clearer water is gray. Vegetation is depicted in various shades of green, and buildings and streets are white.
Heavy rainfall and flooding that prompted widespread production downgrades and caused considerable damage to crops in Australia's eastern states look set to continue, with the government's Bureau of Meteorology Tuesday posting severe weather warnings for many areas.

Rabobank Australia downgraded its production forecast for Australian cotton, sugar and sorghum crops in 2011, and said there are further downside risks, potentially reducing availability for exports.

Premier Anna Bligh declared the entire northeast state of Queensland a disaster zone after massive rains and flash floods to the west of Brisbane city killed nine people Monday. Bligh said the death toll could double, with scores still missing.