Earth ChangesS


Sun

Sun dog phenomenon seen in Derbyshire, UK

Ben Lyons
Derby Telegraph
Mon, 21 May 2018 19:58 UTC
Sun dogs over Derbyshire
© YouTube/Spooky Nook Creative
The rare solar phenomenon of sun dogs were spotted in the Derbyshire sky this weekend.

People were amazed to see the weather phenomenon, which can also be called mock suns, with the official title being a parhelion.

Sun dogs are formed by two bright spots appearing either side of the sun, creating the illusion of three suns in the sky.

The phenomenon is caused by ice crystals in the upper atmosphere.

Sun dogs were spotted in Winshill, East Staffordshire on Friday, May 18 at 7.10pm.

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Arrow Down

Symbolism: Sinkhole opens up on White House lawn


CBS News
Tue, 22 May 2018 19:41 UTC
A sinkhole has appeared on the White House North Lawn.
© Jacqueline Alemany / CBS NewsA sinkhole has appeared on the White House North Lawn.
A sinkhole has appeared on the White House's North Lawn -- which has naturally spawned jokes on the internet.

The sinkhole, confirmed by groundskeepers, is just outside the office of White House deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley. The sinkhole, which groundskeepers remarked was smaller than they thought it might be, was roped off with cones and caution tape.

But, according to reporters who have observed it, it appears to be growing.

On Twitter, the hole's appearance garnered jokes about the president's "drain the swamp" slogan and that the sinkhole was actually a portal to another dimension.
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Cloud Precipitation

Floods in Tripura, India leave 15 dead, thousands displaced

Richard Davies
FloodList
Wed, 23 May 2018 16:46 UTC
Flood rescues in Tripura, India, May 2018.
© Tripura PoliceFlood rescues in Tripura, India, May 2018.
Fifteen people have lost their lives and thousands have been forced to evacuate their homes after flooding in the north-east Indian state of Tripura.

Rain has affected parts of the state since early May and state disaster management officials said that a total of 15 people have died in floods and landslides, with 24 injured and 11,704 displaced. Local media said that the overflowing Haora (Howrah) and Gumti (Gomati) rivers have forced many to evacuate their homes. Forty-five relief camps have been set up to house those displaced.

A storm on 06 to 07 May caused widespread damage in parts of West Tripura. However, most of the fatalities and evacuations across the state occurred from 17 May, 2018 after monsoon rain intensified.

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Cloud Precipitation

Paris hit by flash flooding and severe hailstorm


The Connexion
Wed, 23 May 2018 16:20 UTC
Drivers struggle on the Paris roads after rainfall caused flash floods
© Sylvie JohnssonDrivers struggle on the Paris roads after rainfall caused flash floods
The streets and Métro stations in Paris have been flooded after unseasonal storms brought heavy rainfall and strong hail to the capital - while strong hail further south in Vaucluse has destroyed crops.

The capital's streets looked more like rivers - and stairwells more like waterfalls - yesterday afternoon, with areas in the north and the west said to be most affected.

While temperatures remained at seasonal norms - at around 22°C for most of the day - hail battered the streets and settled, looking at times snow-like in consistency.

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Red Flag

French territories under siege from predatory worms


RT
Wed, 23 May 2018 15:36 UTC
blue green worm
© Laurent CharlesThe invasive worms have a rusty-brown head and iridescent blue–green body.
Biologists are warning about an invasion of giant predatory worms in French territories across four continents. The infestation has gone underreported for almost two decades and poses a threat to fauna, according to researchers.

Biologist Jean-Lou Justine, amateur naturalist Pierre Gros, and three other colleagues conducted a five-year study of over 700 sightings of giant worms across French territory since 1999, and published their findings in the journal PeerJ on Tuesday. Five years ago, Gros began sending Justine photos of three separate and highly unusual worms he discovered in his garden.

The alien worms are all clones that reproduce asexually. Native to Asia, the predatory creatures feed on earthworms. They possess a bioweapon known as 'tetrodotoxin' which immobilizes their prey. One of Justine's colleagues once reportedly put one of the flatworms in his mouth and described it as "one of the worst experiences of his life."
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Attention

Giant salamander being eaten to extinction because it tastes like chicken

Stuart Winter
Express
Mon, 21 May 2018 14:51 UTC
giant salamander chicken
© ZSL / GETTYThe Chinese giant salamander is said to taste like chicken.
A REAL-life river monster that has survived since the age of the dinosaurs is being hurriedly eaten towards extinction. The Chinese giant salamander has become the must have delicacy among Far East luxury diners who prize its lean but chewy flesh said to taste like chicken.

Despite being embedded in Chinese myth and folklore, with the iconic yin and yang symbols for opposites supposedly representing two salamanders entwined, the 6ft-long amphibian is now so desired by epicures that its 170 million history is in peril.

Four years of research across 97 known Chinese strongholds show how the striking muddy brown salamander - affectionately known as "wa wa yu" or baby fish as their distress calls are said to sound like a crying child - has all but vanished from its freshwater haunts.

Although the Chinese authorities prohibit the hunting of the salamander - scientific name Andrias davidianus - the country's ministry of agriculture allows the widespread release of farmed animals to aid its conservation.

This practice, warn conservationists, may be harmful to wild populations as it risks spreading disease and mixing genetic lineages.
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Tornado1

After rare tropical cyclone Sagar devastates Somalia, a second aims for Oman

Jason Samenow
Washington Post
Tue, 22 May 2018 14:49 UTC
tropical cyclone near the Arabian Peninsula
© Joint Typhoon Warning CenterA satellite view of a tropical cyclone near the Arabian Peninsula that is expected to hit Oman later this week.
In less than a week's time, two tropical cyclones will have battered the Middle East in highly unusual locations.

Tropical cyclone Sagar slammed into northwestern Somalia over the weekend, after forming in the Gulf of Aden, killing at least 31 people in the region. The storm made landfall farther west in the North Indian Ocean basin than any previous storm on record.

Now, a second cyclone has spun up just to the east, due south of the Arabian Peninsula. The rapidly organizing storm is eyeing Oman's southern coast, where it may make landfall at hurricane-strength late this week.

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center says the cyclone is over very warm waters, between about 87 and 90 degrees. "Extremely warm sea surface temperatures and favorable environmental conditions will lead to steady intensification," the center wrote in its latest update.

The center forecasts the storm to make landfall near Salalah along Oman's southeast coast between Friday and Saturday, with maximum sustained winds of more than 90 mph. Salalah is Oman's second-largest city with a population of about 200,000. Assuming the storm remains on its current track, the area can expect torrential rain, damaging winds and dangerously high seas.

Brian McNoldy, Capital Weather Gang's tropical weather expert, said that since 1980, only three "hurricane-strength" storms have made landfall within 100 miles of the Oman-Yemen coast, and none near Salalah.
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Windsock

Footage shows severe windstorm toppling tower crane in Astana, Kazakhstan


Sott.net
Wed, 23 May 2018 04:46 UTC
Astana wind storm
Violent winds caused damage to the Palace of Peace and Accord in Astana, Kazakhstan, on May 22nd, 2018.
A severe windstorm struck Astana, the capital city of Kazakhstan, on May 22nd, 2018. Gusts of up to 90 kph (about 56 mph) toppled a tower crane and caused damage to cars and some buildings including the iconic Palace of Peace and Accord, a 62-metre high pyramid.

The violent winds were accompanied by a strong hailstorm. The mayor's office said 13 people suffered non-life-threatening injuries from the storm but warned that winds of a similar strength were expected today.

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Fire

Lava haze: A look at Hawaii's latest volcanic hazard

Jae C Hong, Audrey McAvoy
AP News
Tue, 22 May 2018 15:39 UTC
kilauea haze hazard
© AP Photo/Jae C. HongPlumes of steam rise as lava enters the ocean near Pahoa, Hawaii Sunday, May 20, 2018. Kilauea volcano that is oozing, spewing and exploding on Hawaii’s Big Island has gotten more hazardous in recent days, with rivers of molten rock pouring into the ocean Sunday and flying lava causing the first major injury.
Lava from Hawaii's Kilauea volcano is pouring into the sea and setting off a chemical reaction that creates giant clouds of acid and fine glass.

The lava haze, or "laze," is created when molten rock hits the ocean and marks just the latest hazard from a volcano that has been generating earthquakes and spewing lava, sulfur dioxide and ash since it began erupting in Big Island backyards on May 3.

The dangers have forced at least 2,000 people to evacuate and destroyed more than 40 buildings. It's also created anxiety for thousands of others about the possibility of lava heading their way or cutting off roads they depend on to get to work, school and grocery stores.

Here are key things to know about the latest volcanic threat:

Comment: See also:

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Fire

First volcano-related injury recorded - man suffers serious burns from lava spatter


Conservative Fighters
Tue, 22 May 2018 20:14 UTC
leilani estates lava rift
© USGS/HVOLava fountains from the new fissure eruption at Leilani Estates on Kilauea, seen on May 5, 2018.
A man was seriously injured when he was hit with lava spatter while standing on his third-floor balcony - the first known injury related to Hawaii's Kilauea volcano eruptions as new volcanic activity creates new threats in surrounding neighborhoods.

The homeowner on Noni Farms Road in Pahoa was hit with lava on the shin and taken to the hospital with serious injuries, Janet Snyder, spokeswoman for the Office of the Mayor, told Reuters.

"It hit him on the shin, and shattered everything from there down on his leg," Snyder said, adding that the lava spatter could weigh "as much as a refrigerator."

"And even small pieces of spatter can kill," she said.

No other information about the man and his condition were released as of Sunday morning.
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