Earth ChangesS


Attention

Yet another dead bottlenose whale found beached in Skagafjörður fjord, Iceland - 10th dead cetacean for the country this year


Iceland Magazine
Fri, 28 Sep 2018 11:57 UTC
Among the deepest diving whales in the world's
© Bjarni JónssonAmong the deepest diving whales in the world's oceans. Bottlenose whales dive up to 1 km.
We have seen a unusually large number of reports of beached bottlenose whales and other deep ocean whales this summer. Scientists have been unable to determine the cause of these deaths. Marine biologists in Norway have also noticed an unusually high number of beached deep ocean whales this summer.

On September 21 the North-West Iceland Natural History Museum NNV received the fifth report of a beached bottlenose whale in Skagafjörður fjord this summer.

The whale was found dead on Borgarsandur beach near the town of Sauðarkrókur.

The 3.8 m long animal was removed from the beach before it started to rot, as the beach is a popular recreational area for locals.

Comment: The same website also reported on August 30:
Earlier this week biologists with the North-West Iceland Natural History Museum NNV investigated a bottlenose whale, a 9 m (30 ft) long male, which was found beached near Ytri-Ingveldarstaðir farm in Skagafjörður fjord in N. Iceland. The whale appears to have died relatively recently and washed ashore. Bjarni Jónsson, the director of NNV, told the National Broadcasting Service RÚV that it appears whale beachings are more common this year than in recent years.

Three seperate beachings were reported in the Eastfjords last week, bringing the total number of reported beachings in the region to nine. In many cases the animals in question have been bottlenose whales. Two bottlenose dolphins beached themselves on Engey island outside the Old Harbor in downtown Reykjavík earlier this month. One of those whales was rescued, the other died.


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Attention

Dead whale on Haxstead's Beach near Mystery Bay, Australia

Jeanne Medlicott
Bega District News
Fri, 28 Sep 2018 11:50 UTC
Dead whale washed up at Haxstead's Beach south of Mystery Bay on Friday
Dead whale washed up at Haxstead's Beach south of Mystery Bay on Friday
A dead whale has washed up on Haxstead's Beach south of Mystery Bay today (Friday, September 28).

As a precaution people are advised not to enter the water in the area of Mystery Bay and Tilba as the whale carcass may have attracted sharks to the area.

The whale looks to be white on the underside and is not fully grown.

This is the second juvenile humpback whale to wash up on the South Coast in the last fortnight.
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Seismograph

Indonesia earthquake: Powerful shallow 7.5-magnitude quake strikes east of Borneo - one of 6.1 hit 3 hours earlier

Tom Barnes
The Independent (UK)
Fri, 28 Sep 2018 11:15 UTC
EARTHQUAKE
Earlier tremors destroyed houses, killing one person and injuring at least 10

A powerful earthquake has struck off the coast of Indonesia, triggering a tsunami warning.

The huge 7.5 magnitude quake was recorded near the island of Sulawesi, east of Borneo, the US Geological Survey said.

Authorities lifted an early tsunami warning within an hour, although officials warned those in the area to remain vigilant as a number of aftershocks hit.

Comment: Earthquake Track reports the depth as being just 10 kms and the event having 5 strong aftershocks in the subsequent hour.

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Fish

Endangered whale not seen in years spotted off Canada west coast

Mia Rabson
CTV News
Fri, 28 Sep 2018 00:52 UTC
sei whale
Sei Whale (Balaenoptera Borealis)
For a handful of researchers surveying marine life off British Columbia's coast -- it was a whale of a tale.

This summer, a group of biologists and Canadian Coast Guard members became the first people to report seeing endangered sei whales in Canadian waters in more than half a century.

"This was very exciting because we didn't expect it," said Thomas Doniol-Valcroze, a research biologist with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

"People on my team had never seen them."

The sei whale, one of the fastest marine mammals in the world, is part of the same family as blue and fin whales.
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Butterfly

Floods in Kerala, India take toll on migration of butterflies?

Jose K Joseph
New Indian Express
Thu, 27 Sep 2018 20:55 UTC
Blue Mormon
Blue mormon butterfly
With butterfly migration yet to start in the Pachaimalai and Puliyancholai hills, researchers are citing multiple factors, including the recent floods in Kerala, for this delay in micro fauna movement in the ecologically-sensitive Western and Eastern Ghats.

"In the past five years, I had observed butterfly migration in Pachaimalai and Puliyancholai hills from July onwards. But, this year, even near the end of September, there is no sign of butterflies congregating in both habitats," said Q Ashoka Chakkaravarthy, wildlife conservationist and scholar of environmental science, Tiruchy.

Though Kerala faced nature's fury in August, ecologists are suggesting the floods are among the major factors that have affected the ecology of the Ghats. "Deforestation is going in many places in the State due to widening of roads and other infrastructure projects. In fact, large-scale tree cutting is going between the Thuraiyur and Perambalur areas. This will affect the survival of several organisms."
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Butterfly

Butterfly numbers in the UK are down despite the summer heatwave

Roshina Jowaheer
Country Living
Mon, 24 Sep 2018 20:39 UTC
small tortoiseshell
Small tortoiseshell
The number of the UK's small tortoiseshell butterflies has plummeted this summer despite the record-breaking heatwave.

One of Britain's best-known garden butterflies, the small tortoiseshell, was once common and widespread, but only 23,000 of the insects were counted during this year's three-week Big Butterfly Count, which coincided with the hottest summer on record.

Charity Butterfly Conservation says sightings fell by 32% compared with last year and the population has collapsed by 75% since the 1970s, with growing concerns among scientists for the species' long-term future.

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Butterfly

There were 1 billion Monarch butterflies - Now there are 93 million

Charles P. Pierce
Esquire
Wed, 26 Sep 2018 20:12 UTC
monarch butterflies
Monarch butterflies
On Tuesday evening, outside of what we veteran Beltway newshounds call the Gohmert Side of the Capitol, the Congressional Pollinator Protection Caucus, which is an actual thing, held a bipartisan twilight event that involved the release of 50 monarch butterflies into the darkening sky. One of them alighted on a little boy's shoulder and stayed there for quite a long time. The little boy got his picture taken by everyone. This was a nice moment. As Rep. Marcy Kaptur, Democrat of Ohio, said, "We should all be able to agree on butterflies."

The CPPC is serious business. Between the destruction of monarch habitats through pesticides, most notably milkweed, and the ongoing mystery of colony collapse among the bees, American agriculture is endangered. At Tuesday night's event, it was made plain that without agriculture, there is no food, and with pollinators, there is no agriculture. In 2017, according to the Center For Biological Diversity, the overwintering population of monarchs dropped by a third.

Comment: See also: Report shows a sharp drop in monarch butterflies wintering in California

Habitat loss results in a 90% population reduction of monarch butterflies in 25 years

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Arrow Down

Avalanche sweeps away climbers on Mount Athabasca in Alberta as early snow depth hits one metre in some high alpine areas

Cathy Ellis
Rocky Mountain Outlook
Thu, 27 Sep 2018 19:33 UTC
Two climbers were buried in a 2.5 size avalanche on Mt. Athabasca, Sept. 19. Both suffered serious, but non life-threatening injuries.
Two climbers were buried in a 2.5 size avalanche on Mt. Athabasca, Sept. 19. Both suffered serious, but non life-threatening injuries.
An early season avalanche swept away two climbers on Mount Athabasca in Jasper National Park last week, prompting Parks Canada to issue an early season avalanche warning.

The two climbers from Jasper were roped together on the Silverhorn route when they triggered a 2.5 size avalanche around 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday (Sept. 19). The female leader was partially buried, and her male climbing partner helped dig her out.

The avalanche dragged them 600 metres down the side of the mountain before they came to a stop below the ramp of the north glacier. They were flown by helicopter to the Jasper hospital with serious, but non-life threatening injuries.

"The leader described the climbing as 'styrofoam like' snow," according to a report by the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG).
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Snowflake

Early snowfall for Mount Fuji in Japan


The Mainichi
Thu, 27 Sep 2018 19:21 UTC
Mount Fuji
© Akinori MiyamotoMount Fuji
The first snowcap of the season is seen on Mount Fuji, Japan's highest peak at 3,776 meters, on Sept. 26, 2018.

The snow was announced by the Kofu Local Meteorological Office in Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture.

This year's first snowcap came four days earlier than average, and 27 days earlier than last year.

Local officials at the office observed the snow-topped mountain during an about 20-minute break in the cloud cover from 1:30 p.m. on Sept. 26. At 1 p.m. that day, the temperature at the top of the mountain was 2.2 degrees Celsius, after dropping to minus 5.1 degrees at 11 p.m. the previous night.

(Japanese original by Ryotaro Ikawa, Kofu Bureau)
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Cloud Precipitation

Drone video of Conway's flooded Sherwood neighborhood during flood's full crest in South Carolina

Jason Lee
Myrtle Beach Online
Thu, 27 Sep 2018 13:03 UTC
Conway's flooded Sherwood neighborhood
Conway's flooded Sherwood neighborhood
Drone video of Conway's flooded Sherwood neighborhood during Hurricane Florence's flood's full crest on Wednesday Sept. 26, 2018.

The Waccamaw River crested at 21.2 feet.

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