Earth ChangesS


Binoculars

Sub-Antarctic-dwelling king penguin spotted unusually far north at Port Davey, Tasmania - 2nd in 2 months

Georgie Burgess
abc.net.au
Wed, 19 Feb 2020 11:34 UTC
The king penguin spotted at Port Davey
© Roaring 40s KayakingThe king penguin spotted at Port Davey stocked up on fish before moulting.
A second king penguin has been spotted on mainland Tasmania, with one wildlife officer calling the sighting especially rare "unless you're on a tourist ship going to Antarctica".

The penguin was spotted by kayakers at Port Davey in Tasmania's far south-west.

Wildlife officer Julie McInnes said it was a different penguin to the bird spotted at Seven Mile Beach near Hobart last month.

Comment: King penguin turns up on beach in Tasmania, Australia 1,500 kilometres from home

Dr McInnes said it was unusual to have two king penguins sighted in one year.

"This is a really rare thing for people to see, unless you're on a tourist ship going to Antarctica," Dr McInnes told ABC Radio Hobart.
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Attention

150 cetaceans and 269 sea turtles washed up last year in Taiwan

Lin Chia-nan
Taipei Times
Wed, 19 Feb 2020 10:58 UTC
A Cuvier's beaked whale found on a beach in Hualien, eastern Taiwan
© Ocean Conversation AdministrationA Cuvier's beaked whale found on a beach in Hualien, eastern Taiwan in March, 2019.
Last year, 150 cetaceans and 269 sea turtles washed up on the nation's shores, the Ocean Conservation Administration (OCA) said yesterday, blaming improper fishing activities for many of the injuries.

Most of the animals were dead when they washed up, the agency said.

Of the beached whales and dolphins, the bodies of 77 were severely rotted, making it difficult to determine why they became stranded, while 33 were bycatch, it said.

Of the beached cetaceans whose species were identified, 43 were finless porpoises, followed by 30 bottlenose dolphins, 13 pygmy killer whales, 10 Fraser's dolphins, six pygmy sperm whales, six dwarf sperm whales and six Taiwanese humpback dolphins, it added.

Of the beached turtles, 240 were green sea turtles, 13 were hawksbill sea turtles, eight were loggerhead sea turtles and eight were olive ridley sea turtles, the agency said.
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Cloud Precipitation

Deadly floods and landslides in 2 departments of Peru


Floodlist
Tue, 18 Feb 2020 21:42 UTC
Aftermath of the mudslide and floods in Vilcanchos district, Ayacucho Region.
© Policía Nacional del PerúAftermath of the mudslide and floods in Vilcanchos district, Ayacucho Region.
Landslides and flooding in the department of Puno in southern Peru have damaged homes leaving dozens of families displaced and at least 2 people dead.

Meanwhile at least 1 person is missing and over 200 families have been displaced after heavy rain triggered a landslide in Ayacucho Region in south-central Peru.

Puno Department

According to Peru's emergency agency, Centro de Operaciones de Emergencia Nacional (COEN), rivers broke their banks in Azangaro Province on 09 February, 2020, damaging at least 150 homes in Asillo District. Three bridges and areas of agricultural land were also damaged.

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Boat

Mississippi declares Flood Emergency - February rainfall already over 400% more than normal


Floodlist
Tue, 18 Feb 2020 21:22 UTC
Hundreds in Mississippi evacuated amid flooding as governor declares state of emergency
Hundreds in Mississippi evacuated amid flooding as governor declares state of emergency
Days of heavy rain caused rivers and dams in Mississippi and Tennessee to rise, prompting evacuations and some flood rescues.

Among the worst hit areas is Jackson, Mississippi, where the Pearl River exceeded Major Flood stage and reached 36.67 feet on 17 February, 2020, it's third highest level on record.

The state government of Mississippi moved quickly in anticipation of the flooding and declared a state of emergency on 15 February. Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves said:

"This is a historic, unprecedented flood. With projections showing the potential of this being the 3rd worst flood in our state's history, I've declared a state of emergency to deploy the necessary resources to take care of all Mississippians impacted...Protect yourself and your family — have a plan in place and evacuate if and when you are asked."

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Snowflake

Record breaking snow hits Seoul and parts of South Korea


Skymet Weather
Tue, 18 Feb 2020 07:32 UTC
South Korea snow
© Korea Times
Many parts of South Korea see snowfall during the months of December, January and February. However, this season, snow remained almost absent and very heavy snow was not seen.

However, this Monday was a different one as snowfall pounded many parts of South Korea including the national capital Seoul. This was the heaviest snowfall of this winter season which caused flight cancellations as well as traffic disruptions.

Heavy snow warning was issued for parts of Jeju Island, Gyeonggi Province, Jeolla, Chungcheong. This winter did not see much snow, however record snowfall yesterday was seen in parts including Ulleungdo and Dokdo where snowfall was recorded at 34.8 cm.

Meanwhile, Jeolla provinces and Gangwon Province saw 20 cm of snow with Seoul witnessing 4.1 cm which was a record.

If past statistics are to be seen between December and February 10, only 1.1 cm of snow was seen in Seoul which happened to be the lowest on record. Temperature in Seoul dropped down to -6 degrees Celsius after the snow.
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Question

Mystery in Spain's Catalonia as hundreds of dead birds appear on highway

Isha Sesay
Euro Weekly
Tue, 18 Feb 2020 15:28 UTC
dead birds
Mystery has shrouded Spain's Catalonia as hundreds of dead birds have been found on a highway.

A local resident recorded footage whilst driving down the C-31b highway which connects Tarragona to Salou, sharing the video on social media to alert the police and environmental groups of their strange discovery.

This caught the attention of the Grup d'Estudi i Protecció dels Ecosistemes Catalans-Ecologistes de Catalunya (GEPEC) who believe that the deaths of the starlings may have been caused by a chemical leak in the atmosphere or mass poisoning. They also detail that from speaking to residents in the area that they reported "strong chemical smells in the air."

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Tornado2

Waterspout filmed swirling on the edge of Welsh coastline during Storm Dennis

Owen Evans
Wales on Line
Tue, 18 Feb 2020 12:26 UTC
waterspout
This is the dramatic moment a "tornado" was captured swirling on the edge of a Welsh coastline during Storm Dennis.

The footage shows the moment a rare phenomenon formed over the Menai Strait between Anglesey and Gwynedd in north Wales on Sunday as stormy weather brought strong winds.

The waterspout - the name given to tornadoes when they form over water - was formed at around 12pm on Sunday, reports NorthWalesLive.

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Cloud Lightning

Lightning bolt kills 5 family members in Zimbabwe

Walter Nyamukondiwa
PaZimbabwe.
Tue, 18 Feb 2020 11:48 UTC
lightning
Five family members were struck to death by lightning in the Muzvezve area of Sanyati district.

Tragedy struck when the family, which was tending their maize field, sought refuge under a tree when it started raining yesterday afternoon in Village 6, Muzvezve 1. A lightning bolt hit the tree. The five who died went under one tree while three other family members who survived went under another nearby tree.

Sanyati district civil protection unit Mr Amigo Mhlanga confirmed the development saying the unit has since been activated to offer assistance.

"Five members of the same family have died after being struck by lightning while being sheltered under a tree. The district CPU has been activated and we are going to the area to assess the situation while also looking at how the family can be assisted because of the magnitude of the tragedy," said Mr Mhlanga.
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Bizarro Earth

Adapt 2030 Ice Age Report: Antarctica increasing heat, Arctic increasing ice - Earth's poles behaving strangely


Adapt 2030
Sun, 16 Feb 2020 22:48 UTC
Antarctic ice sheets melting
© YouTube/Adapt 2030 (screen capture)
Record heat in Antarctica brought on by volcanic activity in the peninsula, and Arctic Sea Ice increases the most in 11 years eclipsing the 2001-2010 average. Sea turns red in Kazakhstan and more snowy peaks in Taiwan.

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Cloud Precipitation

Storm Dennis, 2nd-strongest bomb cyclone on record in North Atlantic, causes severe flooding in UK

Andrew Freedman
Washington Post
Sun, 16 Feb 2020 21:33 UTC
Submerged cars are swept away by flooding in the town of Hay-on-Wye as Storm Dennis brought heavy rain and winds to the UK
© Sky NewsSubmerged cars are swept away by flooding in the town of Hay-on-Wye as Storm Dennis brought heavy rain and winds to the UK.
Storm Dennis, the second-strongest nontropical storm on record in the North Atlantic Ocean, caused widespread flooding across parts of the United Kingdom on Sunday, along with winds exceeding hurricane force.

The storm, which is producing waves up to 80 feet tall west of the United Kingdom, dumped more than five inches of rain in South Wales, almost an inch more than the area typically receives for the entire month of February. The resulting flooding has prompted numerous evacuations and even cut off some communities.

The U.K. Met Office, which named the storm, issued its first "red" warning for heavy rainfall since 2015, its highest warning category. The country's Environment Agency issued a record number of flood warnings, 594, for a single day, according to John Curtin, executive director of flood and coastal risk management at the Environment Agency.


Comment: UK braced for record flooding as Storm Dennis dumps month's worth of rain in 24 hours

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