Earth ChangesS


Attention

'Abnormal' spike in fin whales washed up on French shores - 6 in as many weeks


Al Jazeera
Tue, 17 Nov 2020 10:34 UTC
The carcass of a fin whale
© Stephane Mahe/ReutersThe carcass of a fin whale which was found stranded on a beach last Saturday in Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez, France, November 16, 2020
Experts are investigating the cetaceans' cause of death after no apparent sign of having been hit by a ship or caught in a trawler's net.

An abnormal number of fin whales has been found washed up on France's western shores with no apparent sign of external collision, raising concerns among experts of a potential viral pathogen.

Marine biologists on Monday used a mechanical digger and long knives to dissect one of the cetaceans taking samples to find evidence of the cause of the deaths.

Just in the past month and a half, at least six fin whales - the second largest species of whale after the blue ones - were found dead. All have been malnourished and shown evidence of haemorrhaging in the cardiac and respiratory systems.

The latest was discovered on Friday near Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez. It measured nearly 16 metres (52 feet) and weighed an estimated 10 tonnes.

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Bizarro Earth

Huge landslide at peat bog in Donegal, Ireland

Seamus McKinney
The Irish Times
Tue, 17 Nov 2020 01:59 UTC
Peat slippage in Donegal, Ireland.
Thousands of tonnes of bog land were swept away in Donegal, Ireland
THE Ulster Angling Federation (UAF) has called for the development of a Co Donegal windfarm be suspended pending an investigation into a huge landslide close to the facility.

Dramatic footage of trees, peat and other bog material being swept away near Meenbog Windfarm close to Ballybofey in Donegal and east Tyrone appeared on social media over the weekend.

Nearby Corgary Road was closed on the Donegal side of the border last night at the Meenablagh Road junction over "concerns about a potential landslide", with motorists asked to seek an alternative route.

Thousands of tonnes of material was swept away on Friday close to the windfarm which is owned by Invis Energy.

The landslide has had a major impact on rivers on both sides of the border. UAF chairman, Gary Houston said large amounts of peat, Sitka Spruce and other material had been swept into the Mourne Beg River which is a tributary of the River Derg and part of the Foyle system.

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Seismograph

Magnitude 6.3 earthquake jolts Indonesia

Mahmut Atanur
Anadolu Agency
Tue, 17 Nov 2020 06:30 UTC
earthquake reading
A 6.3-magnitude earthquake rattled Indonesia's West Sumatra province Tuesday, according to the country's Meteorological, Climatological and Geophysical Agency (BMKG).

The agency said the earthquake's epicenter was 109 kilometers (67 miles) southwest of the town of Tuapejat in the Mentawai Islands off the province's coast.

The natural disaster occurred 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) below the surface.

Although no initial deaths were reported, a tsunami alert was issued.

*Writing by Ali Murat
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Tornado1

Hurricane Iota strengthens into first Category 5 of 2020 Atlantic hurricane season


The Weather Channel
Mon, 16 Nov 2020 15:51 UTC
Hurricane Iota
© The Weather Channel
Hurricane Iota has rapidly intensified into a rare Category 5, the first of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, as it heads for landfall in Central America, where it will bring potentially catastrophic rainfall flooding, mudslides, storm surge and damaging winds for the second time in two weeks.

Late Monday morning, Iota became only the second Category 5 hurricane on record in November and the record latest-in-season hurricane ever to reach that intensity in the Atlantic Basin. The 1932 Cuba hurricane reached Category 5 intensity from November 5-8.

The upgrade to Category 5 intensity was based on both satellite intensity estimates and a Hurricane Hunter mission, which measured flight level and surface winds sufficiently strong enough.

Hurricane warnings have been issued for portions of Nicaragua and Honduras, where hurricane conditions are expected by later Monday. Tropical storm warnings extend to the west and south of the hurricane warnings in both of those countries.

A tropical storm warning and a hurricane watch are also in effect for Columbia's San Andrés Island.

Comment: See also:

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Sun

Sun halo, tangental arcs spotted in the skies of central Alabama

Christina Edwards
WHNT
Thu, 05 Nov 2020 17:40 UTC
Sun halo Alabama
© Michelle MiklikSun dog with upper and lower tangental arcs above and below the sun.
Michelle Miklik spotted this in the sky over Weaver, Alabama Wednesday afternoon. Did you see something similar?

Sun dog with upper and lower tangental arcs above and below the sun. Photo: Michelle Miklik

If you did, you spotted an atmospheric optical phenomenon known as a 22-degree halo.

What are sun halos?

Earthsky.org explains it very simply: "Halos are a sign of high thin cirrus clouds drifting 20,000 feet or more above our heads."
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Attention

Spectacular stronger-than-usual explosion at Stromboli volcano, Italy


Volcano Discovery
Mon, 16 Nov 2020 10:42 UTC
Eruption of Stromboli volcano
© Nora CincottaEruption of Stromboli volcano this morning
Another stronger-than-usual explosion occurred at the volcano minutes ago at 10:17 local time our correspondents on the island informed us.
From the village, a spectacular ash plume rising several 100 m above the summit could be seen. Soon after the eruption, moderately strong ash rain of small lapilli set in, covering all surfaces.

The color of most particles, up to a few mm in size, was mostly brown to reddish brown, described as "earthy". This could mean that most of the ejected material might be from older lava rocks in the summit craters or inside the vent, from collapsed parts of the craters or conduits. However, a small amount of lighter pumice was also present in the ash, probably representing a batch of fresh magma that had driven the explosion.

Last Tuesday (10 Nov), Stromboli also produced a significant above-average eruption. Such events are nothing unusual on the volcano and occur from time to time, but rarely more frequently than every few months or so. Whether this recent increase is a coincidence or hinting at a more pronounced change in activity level or type is currently unknown.


Comment: Strong explosions at Stromboli volcano, Italy

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Snowflake

Let it snow! Hawaii summits get an early dusting

Ben Gutierrez
Hawaii News Now
Sun, 15 Nov 2020 14:38 UTC
A webcam at the summit of Mauna Loa shows a dusting of snow at at Mokuʻāweoweo caldera.
© USGS Hawaiian Volcano ObservatoryA webcam at the summit of Mauna Loa shows a dusting of snow at at Mokuʻāweoweo caldera.
The summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa got a light snowcap Sunday morning.

Cold temperatures aloft combined with some moisture to give the state's two tallest mountains a dusting of snow overnight.

Web cams near the summits of both mountains on the Big Island showed a thin coat of snow on the ground.

The National Weather Service said temperatures were cold enough Sunday morning to support more snow showers, but no significant accumulations were expected.

Comment: It's only October, but the snow is already falling atop Mauna Kea, Hawaii

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Windsock

Record-breaking winds shake ground, send debris flying in Ontario


The Weather Network
Mon, 16 Nov 2020 13:41 UTC
winds
Widespread damaging winds swept through Ontario Sunday, with hurricane force gusts strong enough to cause ground shaking in Toronto.

Heavy rain and fierce winds whipped through much of southern Ontario Sunday, courtesy of a potent Colorado low with widespread impact across the province.

Record-breaking winds were reported throughout the day, including a gust of 118 km/h at Toronto Island and an impressive 141 km/h gust in St. Catharines. Those were both strong enough to set new all-time records for the month of November.

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Seismograph

Magnitude 6.1 earthquake hits Mindanao, Philippines


The Straits Times
Mon, 16 Nov 2020 02:59 UTC
Philippines quake map
© USGSThe offshore quake hit at a depth of 33km south-east of the town of San Agustin, Surigao Del Sur.
An earthquake of magnitude 6.1 struck Mindanao in the Philippines, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said on Monday (Nov 16).

The quake was at a depth of 15km, it added.

The earthquake, which is tectonic in origin, will trigger aftershocks, the Philippine Institute of Seismology and Volcanology (Phivolcs) said. Damage is expected.
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Snowflake

Record November snowfall of 3 feet hits northern Pakistan, blocking roads

Ahtesham Khan and Ali Murad
The Express Tribune
Sun, 15 Nov 2020 14:09 UTC
A car covered in snow appear stuck in what seems to be at least two feet of snow on a street in Lower Dir
A car covered in snow appear stuck in what seems to be at least two feet of snow on a street in Lower Dir
Up until Saturday, three feet of snow was recorded in Mahodand and two each in Kalam, Malam Jabba and adjoining areas.

Lower Dir was in the grips of an extreme cold weather on Sunday after experiencing what was said to be record rain and snowfall that continued for a second day.


Comment: Samaa.tv also reports:
Winter is coming: Snow, rain send temperatures plunging across Pakistan

Snowfall in Gilgit, Chitral

The first snow, and rainfall in multiple parts of Pakistan have signaled the arrival of winter in the country.

Northern areas such as Chitral, Abbottabad, parts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Nathiagali experienced the season's first snowfall along with cool winds.

Following this, the temperatures dropped, forcing residents to take out their jackets, sweaters and blankets.

In Chitral, over three feet of snow was recorded in the last two days. Due to this, multiple roads to and from the city were blocked. Ghizar experienced a similar situation.


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