Earth ChangesS


Attention

Adapt 2030 Ice Age Report: Grain shortages come next in lockdown 2.0

US food shortages
© YouTube/Adapt 2030 (screen capture)
Asia buying grain at an unprecedented pace as if governments there know the supply will be cut off shortly, sparking a floating grain superhighway from S. America to Asia. Brazil and Argentina will eventually stop selling as food costs cause calls for government change. Grain handling facilities will be the next closures across the USA further constricting the food supply chain.


Comment: The coronavirus crisis, in addition to earth changes affecting crop growth, and the losing value of currency which is set to get much worse in Western nations in particular, have made the production, availability, purchasing and distribution of food - a MAJOR global issue the likes of which we haven't seen in generations.

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Attention

Iceland's Grímsvötn volcano showing signs of increased activity, eruption possible

Grímsvötn volcano, Iceland
Grímsvötn, a volcano located in southeast Iceland, is giving strong indications that an eruption may be coming in "the next weeks or months", a summary from the Icelandic Met Office reports. An atmospheric volcanologist The Grapevine spoke with says that if it does, it will probably be smaller than the eruption of 2011.

Dr. Melissa Anne Pfeffer, the atmospheric volcanologist in question, is part of a team of scientists who regularly study the activity of Iceland's volcanoes, Grímsvötn amongst them. She told The Grapevine that she had detected high levels of magmatic gasses which are usually not present when there is not an eruption happening. Furthermore, Grímsvötn is experiencing inflation, indicating an increase in magma.

As Grímsvötn's lake drains during the summer, this means less pressure on the volcano. Given the current conditions, when the flooding starts this summer, preparations for an eruption will begin. This may happen in the weeks or months to come.

Question

India's Lake Lonar turns pink baffling scientists and locals

Maharashtra's Lonar Lake has turned pink overnight, leaving scientists and locals baffled about the reasons behind this change. Located in the Buldana district about 500 km from Mumbai, the Lonar crater had formed due to a meteorite, which hit the earth about 50,000 years ago.
Lonar Lake, India
© Outlook IndiaWater in the Lonar Lake, which has now turned Pink
This is the world's third-largest crater formed due to a meteorite strike. People in the area were considerably surprised when the lake's normal bluish-green water turned a pinkish red.

Arrow Down

Mysterious deaths of elephants in Botswana being investigated

Elephants in the Savuti region of Botswana
© Diego Cue/Wikimedia CommonsElephants in the Savuti region of Botswana.
Gaborone - Botswana is investigating the mysterious deaths of at least 154 elephants over two months in the northwest of the country, a wildlife official said on Monday, although poaching or poisoning have been ruled out.

"We are still awaiting results on the exact cause of death," Regional Wildlife Coordinator Dimakatso Ntshebe told Reuters.

The carcasses were found intact, suggesting they were not poached. Further investigations have also ruled out poisoning by humans and anthrax, which sometimes hits wildlife in this part of Botswana.

Africa's overall elephant population is declining due to poaching, but Botswana, home to almost a third of the continent's elephants, has seen numbers grow to 130,000 from 80,000 in the late 1990s, owing to well managed reserves.

However, they are seen as a growing nuisance by farmers, whose crops have been destroyed by elephants roaming the southern African country.

Snowflake

Massive amounts of remaining winter snow still being plowed in mid-June in Glacier National Park, Montana - up 80 feet deep

Crews are making good progress in plowing open the Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park.
© Glacier National Park FacebookCrews are making good progress in plowing open the Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park.
Glacier National Park plow crews reached Logan Pass on Friday and have started clearing the Big Drift, an area in northern Montana where massive amounts of winter snow blanket a scenic highway, officials said.

The seasonal drift is one of the biggest plowing challenges for crews as it buries a stretch of Going-to-the-Sun Road under up to 80 feet (25 meters) of snow blocking access, the Daily Inter Lake reported.

Plow crews reached Logan Pass on May 25 last year, park spokesperson Gina Kerzman said.

Going-to-the-Sun Road is currently open to vehicles on the west side to Lake McDonald Lodge for day-use until 4:30 p.m. each day, she said.

Arrow Down

Deadly floods and landslides triggered by heavy rain hit South Sulawesi, Indonesia

flooods
Flooding and landslides triggered by heavy rain have caused widespread damage in Indonesia's South Sulawesi Province.

Disaster authorities report at least 1 person has died and 3 are missing after a landslide struck in Jeneponto Regency late on 12 June. Three houses were buried in the landslide and 6 others severely damaged. Search and rescue teams, assisted by local volunteers, are still looking for 3 missing.

Meanwhile in the neighbouring Bantaeng Regency, floods have affected almost 12,000 people and displaced around 200 in the districts of Bantaeng and Sinoa. A young person was reportedly swept away in the flooding and is still missing.

Flooding struck on 12 June after heavy rain caused the Calendu river to break its banks. Flood water was up to 1.5 metres deep in some areas, causing damage to 2,339 houses and destroying a bridge which has left some areas isolated.


Arrow Down

Landslide after heavy rain leaves 8 dead in Parbat, Nepal

landslide
At least 8 people have died in a landslide in Parbat District, central Nepal.

The landslide struck on 13 June after a period of heavy rain. Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and Nepal Army have been conducting search and rescue operations, which recovered 3 bodies on 13 June and 5 more the next day. According to district police, the search continues for at least one missing person.

The landslide occurred after a period of heavy rain, destroying a road and two houses in a small community in Kushma Municipality.


Rainbow

Rare fire rainbow appears in northeast Taiwan

Circumhorizontal arc in Taiwan
© Chen Bi-ling
A circumhorizontal arc, also known as a fire rainbow, appeared in the sky over Yilan County on Sunday (June 14).

The curator of the Lanyang Museum, Chen Bi-ling (陳碧琳), captured the natural phenomenon at 5 p.m. near Yilan Interchange and Toucheng Interchange, reported CNA.

According to Chen's Facebook page, three of the fire rainbow pictures were taken by her mobile phone and a drone. The rainbow can be seen clearly in the photos, which quickly drew the public's attention.


Some netizens connected the optical phenomenon with the earthquake that rocked northeastern Taiwan early Sunday morning. However, the director of the Central Weather Bureau in Hsinchu, Tang Shuen-Ran (湯舜然), said the forming of fire rainbows have nothing to do with earthquakes.

Tang told CNA a fire rainbow is the refraction of sunlight or moonlight and only can be formed in the sky up to 6000 meters high, which makes it a very rare occurrence — mostly happening during summer.

Cloud Lightning

Talk about fire in the sky! Monster thunderstorm sparks unusually massive red sprite burst over Slovakia

My first reaction was Oh My God...My second, how amazing... My Third, let's talk about fire in the sky!
Red sprites storm
© Martin PopekRed sprites storm the sky over Slovakia on June 13, 2020.
My first reaction, oh my God...
red sprites over Slovakia
© Daniel ŠčerbaBurst of red sprites in the sky over Slovakia. Picture taken from Czech Republic

Cow

Signs and Portents: Two-headed calf born in Winnindoo, Australia

2 HEADS
A MAFFRA veterinarian has delivered a two-headed calf.

Dr Chris DaSilva from Animal Clinic Maffra was recently called to help with a difficult calving in a healthy cow in the Winnindoo area.

The cow hadn't been due to calve for another two months, and when he examined her he discovered the abnormality.

Sadly, the calf was deceased.

Fellow Animal Clinic Maffra vet Dr Mark Neilan said although the condition was not common, vets usually delivered at least one two-headed calf annually.