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UK National Farmers' Union president: Extreme weather threatens to wipe out British farming - how is UK to feed itself?

Damian Carrington
The Guardian
Mon, 29 Jul 2013 08:25 UTC
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From this...
Extreme weather being driven by climate change is the biggest threat to British farming and its ability to feed the nation's growing population, according to Peter Kendall, president of the National Farmers' Union.

His comments, in an interview with the Guardian, come after a week of intense weather extremes. Last Monday, west London experienced the hottest day for seven years, while on Tuesday the drought in many parts of the country came to an end with intense thunderstorms that brought almost a month of rain in a day to parts of Worcestershire. Torrential downpours also put a dampener on the first weekend of the school summer holidays, with flash-flooding in parts of the south-east and the Midlands.

"The biggest uncertainty for UK agriculture is extreme weather events," said Kendall, who grows wheat and barley on the 250-hectare (620 acre) farm in Bedfordshire he runs with his brother. "I sometimes have a pop at those who say climate change is going to help farming in northern Europe.

Comment: See also: Rising food prices, climate change and global 'unrest'

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Bug

Horror as couple are attacked by swarm of around 30,000 bees who kill their two horses

Rob Williams
The Independent, UK
Sun, 28 Jul 2013 13:02 UTC
Kristen Beauregard, 44, was stung about 200 times and her boyfriend around 50 times as the insects chased and followed them in Pantego, north Texas

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A swarm of around 30,000 bees attacked a couple in Texas as they exercised their miniature horses, stinging the animals so many times they died.

Kristen Beauregard, 44, was stung about 200 times and her boyfriend around 50 times as the insects chased and followed them in Pantego, north Texas.

According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram Kristen Beauregard had noticed bees near her home and had tried in vain to get rid of them.

On Wednesday evening, as she was exercising one of her two miniature horses, thousands of bees attacked her and her boyfriend. According to reports the horses, Chip and Trump, were so covered in bees they shimmered. Neither could be saved.
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Sun

Siberian city hits record-breaking highs

James Rush
The Daily Mail, UK
Sat, 27 Jul 2013 07:30 UTC
Siberian city which sees snow and ice for most of the year hits record-breaking highs as mercury rises to 32C

Temperatures in Norilsk have hit a record-breaking high of 32C

Previous record in the city was 31.9C in 1979, according to reports

Average July temperature in Norilsk is 13.6C and lowest ever is -61C

Others however have suggested record high still stands at 32.2C

One of the coldest and most northern cities in the world has witnessed record-breaking temperatures, reaching heights more usually associated with the Mediterranean.

The Siberian nickel capital of Norilsk recently saw temperatures hit 32C, beating the record from 1979.

According to reports, the previous hottest temperature in the industrial city in the Kransnoyarsk region, which lies above the Arctic Circle, was 31.9C.
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Health

Girl, 13, attacked by otter in Kalama River, Washington

Erica Nochlin
katu.com
Sun, 28 Jul 2013 03:37 UTC
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River otters may be cute to some, but they are more than ready to get mean, especially if they think someone is threatening their young.

Kierra Clark, 13, may have accidentally gotten between a mother otter and her babies while playing in the Kalama River on Wednesday. The river otter attacked and began biting her leg.
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Sherlock

Six dolphin deaths under investigation in New Jersey

Sean Carlin
The Inquirer
Fri, 26 Jul 2013 16:54 UTC
Why did six dolphins die and wash up along the Jersey Shore over the past week? Officials are using science to unravel the mystery.

The first dolphin was found July 18 at Long Beach Township and two more were discovered Monday in Holgate and Barnegat Light.

Another two turned up Wednesday in Holgate and Ocean City, and the last washed up Thursday at Ship Bottom.

The causes of the deaths will not be known until officials have the results of necropsies, said Bob Schoelkopf, founding director of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine. That information is expected to begin coming in Monday.

"Every year we have dolphin deaths," Schoelkopf said. "We won't speculate on a cause until the lab results come back."
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Cloud Lightning

Most extreme weather 2013: Infographic shows major events throughout the year


Huffington Post
Fri, 26 Jul 2013 16:09 UTC
From a frigid winter to an oppressively hot summer, 2013 has had its share of extreme weather. The widest tornado ever recorded in the United States wreaked havoc on Oklahoma. Wildfires ran rampant in the West, claiming the lives of 19 young firefighters in Ariz. The world as a whole experienced one of the hottest Junes ever recorded.

This infographic from the World Resources Institute plots the most extreme weather events from January until now. WRI created a similar infographic last year, focusing on weather events from January 2012 through September 2012. According to their site, the group focuses on the intersection between environment and socio-economic development, topics that come to the forefront in the aftermath of weather-related disasters.

"All weather events are affected by a warming planet," President Obama said in his climate change speech on June 25th. "The question now is whether we will have the courage to act before it's too late."
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Bizarro Earth

Comet-dust loading of Earth's atmosphere? Nacreous clouds appear over Tierra Del Fuego


SpaceWeather
Sat, 27 Jul 2013 13:12 UTC
On July 24th, about an hour after sunset, Gerardo Connon of Rio Grande city in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, walked outside and witnessed a rare display of nacreous clouds. The colorful apparition was as bright as the street lights in the city below:
Nacreous Clouds
© Gerardo Connon
These clouds, also known as "mother of pearl clouds," form in the stratosphere far above the usual realm of weather. They are seldom seen, but when they are, the reports usually come from high-northern parts of our planet. This apparition over Tierra del Fuego was unusual indeed.
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Arrow Down

30,000 tons of cliff face rolls onto a french beach


strangesounds.org
Fri, 26 Jul 2013 10:33 UTC
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The Seine-Maritime is known to be frequently affected by erosion. But what happened last monday, July 18, 2013, is almost unbelievable! As shown in this incredible video, a huge cliff just 100 meters from the beach detached and nearly 30,000 tons of rock spread suddenly onto the beach in the municipality of Saint-Jouin-Bruneval. This impressive (it is the least we can say) landslide was caught by a BFM TV witness (76news). You said quiet vacation?

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Umbrella

Sheets of rain bring flash-flooding to many parts of Ireland


RTE
Sat, 27 Jul 2013 06:32 UTC
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The emergency unit at Letterkenny General Hospital was opened just this year
An emergency situation has been declared at Letterkenny General Hospital following flooding in a significant section of the hospital.

The facility's emergency department; radiology department; outpatient department; pathology and medical records departments; and several wards and kitchens have all been evacuated.

A nearby tributary of the River Swilley overflowed and caused the flooding between 5pm and 5.30pm.

In a statement, the HSE confirmed 11 patients have been moved to the day surgery area, which is not in use over the weekend.

The executive has said there is no risk to patients currently in the hospital and the emergency service continues to function.
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Fish

Mystery surrounds death of 25,000 fish in ornamental lake

Daniel Johnson
The Telegraph
Fri, 26 Jul 2013 17:38 UTC
Mystery surrounds the death of 25,000 fish in a showpiece ornamental lake, which are thought to have died of mass suffocation.

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© Alamy
Pittville Park opened in 1825 and is the largest ornamental park in Cheltenham
Theories for the deaths include thunderstorms and a deadly form of algae, after environment officials found oxygen levels in the lake at Pittville Park, Cheltenham, were unusually low.

It thought that thunderstorms in the early hours of Tuesday morning could have stirred up silt, making the lake thick with muck.

While it is not thought that the water had been deliberately tampered with, a bloom of blue green algae could also have had a dramatic impact on water oxygen levels.

Dog walkers have been warned to keep their pets out of the toxic water while experts carry out tests into why the fish - mainly young roach with a handful of pike - were killed.

Janice Peacey, a community ranger, said: "We know that oxygen levels are low but at this stage we don't know more than that.
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