Earth ChangesS


Attention

Two people killed by sloth bear in Gujarat, India

Sloth bears are found in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bhutan but shrinking habitats and rampant poaching have reduced their numbers
© Manpreet RomanaSloth bears are found in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bhutan but shrinking habitats and rampant poaching have reduced their numbers
Two persons were today killed after being attacked by a sloth bear in Danta tehsil in in Banaskantha district, a forest official said.

"Two shepherds who had taken their goats and sheep in the forest area in Kansa village for grazing were attacked and killed by a sloth bear," Danta range forest officer Bajit Khan Sindhi said.

He said when the duo, Bhikhabhai Bhagora (35) and Manabhai Angari (25), did not return home to their native village Khapra last night, some of their fellow villagers went out looking for them.

Two of the villagers were also attacked and injured by the bear in the same area, he added.


Headphones

Loud 'sonic boom' heard, felt in Cheektowaga, New York

Cheektowaga sonic boom map
© GoogleMap of Marywood Drive and the surrounding area.
Several residents in the area of Marywood Drive reported hearing a loud boom around 2:45 p.m. Friday according to reports in the Cheektowaga Police blotter.

One resident described what she heard as "a sonic boom." She said her entire house shook and her neighbor heard it as well.

A highway duty foreman call police around 3:20 p.m. to report a "boom" from Indian Road. He called the quarry and they said it wasn't them. Twin Village Recycling also heard and felt the boom.

Cheektowaga Chronicle reached out to the National Weather Service in Buffalo and the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station.

The service did not observe anything around that time and the air base said nothing military out of the Falls could have caused the "boom."

Bizarro Earth

New lethal virus causing mass mortality in amphibian species in Portugal

virus infecting toads portugal
© Goncalo M. RosaCommon midwife toad metamorphic forms and larvae in the Serra de Estrela, infected simultaneously by chytrid fungi and ranavirus.

A new strain of ranavirus is currently causing mass mortality in several species of amphibian in the Serra da Estrela, the highest mountain range in continental Portugal. This infectious agent is hypervirulent and also affects fish and reptiles, which complicates the situation, according to a study boasting the collaboration of the National Museum of Natural Sciences in Madrid.

An emerging virus is affecting amphibian populations in Portugal, but this is not the first time amphibians have been a source of worry in the country. In 2009, hundreds of midwife toads (Alytes obstetricans) were found dead in Serra da Estrela Natural Park.

A research study published in the journal Scientific Reports raises a new alert on this genus of virus, which has also been discovered in Spain and elsewhere in Europe. As Jaime Bosch, a researcher at the National Museum of Natural Sciences and co-author of the study, tells SINC: "Ranaviruses have been known about for a long time, although in recent years globalisation is setting off mass mortalities throughout the world, and new strains also keep appearing, probably from Asia."

Igloo

New York declares state of emergency ahead of powerful winter storm Stella

winter storm stella march 2017
© Kamil Krzaczynski / Reuters United Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines and JetBlue are among the companies which have canceled some 4,000 flights to and from DC, Philadelphia, New York and Boston starting Monday night just before the storm hits, ABC News reported.
School and work, along with flights and plans, will be canceled, as cities across the Northeast brace for at least one more snowstorm this winter season. And it may be the most powerful yet, with a state of emergency announced in New York.

Travelers are already stranded, with airports from Washington, DC to Boston canceling flights for Tuesday in preparation for what could be the season's strongest snowstorm. In DC, residents are told to expect up to 10 inches Tuesday night while the New York tri-state area has been warned to anticipate over a foot.

A state of emergency has been declared for New York as a powerful snowstorm moves towards the tristate area. The level of snowfall that is forecasted would prohibit the safe operation of Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North. So people should stay home unless absolutely necessary," Governor Andrew Cuomo said.

"We're going to be hit with a tremendous challenge in the coming hours," New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio warned Monday afternoon.

Comment: NOAA: 'Extreme situation developing': 18-24 inches of snow for parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey


Windsock

High waves hit beach in Durban, South Africa

Durban
North Beach has been closed due to high swells that have breached the promenade.

With Cyclone Enawa off the coast, some believe the increased velocity and strength of the waves might be a result of the storm system.

Many people have flocked to the area, which was also damaged 11 years ago by high waves, to watch the spectacle as waves pummel the breaker wall between the shoreline and the paved promenade opposite the Wimpy restaurant.

Lifeguards and emergency services are on the scene and people are cautioned to stay away.


Snowflake

Snowstorm strikes southwest China's Tibet

snow
A heavy snowstorm hit the southern counties in Shigatse City, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region on Friday.

By 14:00 Saturday, the total snowfall in Nyalam, one of the heaviest hit counties, reached 89.2 millimeters. The depth of accumulated snow in the county reached 61 centimeters. Local residents and snowploughs all did their part to help clear away snow off roads and sidewalks.

Affected by the heavy snowstorm, the power supply in Nyalam and Gyirong counties were cut off.

Several sections of national highway 318 and national highway 219 in Shigatse City were put under traffic control.


Attention

Killer whale found dead on beach in West Auckland, New Zealand

orca
A dead orca has washed up on a West Auckland beach.

Orca are considered nationally critical in New Zealand, and known threats include interactions with fisheries and boat strikes. The death is being investigated.

The orca was discovered on Whatipu Beach, 40km west of downtown Auckland, and reported to the Department of Conservation (DoC). Photos taken by rangers show possible blunt force trauma to the head.

A team from Massey University will today do a necropsy to establish cause of death, and also take biological sampling to assess diet and pollutant loads in the adult male whale.

Seismograph

Shallow M6.0 earthquake hits Nicobar Islands region

Nicobar Islands earthquake map
© USGS

A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.0 hit Nicobar Islands region, India at 02:51 UTC on March 14, 2017. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). EMSC is reporting the same magnitude and depth. India's National Center for Seismology reports M5.9 at a depth of 10 km.

According to the USGS, the epicenter was located 316.1 km (196.4 miles) W of Lampuyang (population 0), 333.2 km (207 miles) W of Sabang (population 24 519) and 338.8 km (210.5 miles) W of Banda Aceh (population 250 747), Indonesia.

There are no people living within 100 km (62 miles).

This earthquake did not produce a tsunami.

Megaphone

Strange noises from underground or the sky reported in France

Strange sounds in France
© YouTube/T Norman
Can the Planet Earth cry? Is the French gouvernement tunnelling enormous 'shelters' underground? Are aliens singing to us?

One thing for sure is that these sounds are being heard all over the world.


Windsock

Strongest storm in a decade cripples St. John's International Airport in Canada

St. John’s International Airport
© Upperclass MediaSt. John’s International Airport
The strongest storm to hit the region in over a decade has caused significant damage to St. John's International Airport, Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The storm produced wind speeds of up to 180 km/h (112 mph) at its peak, causing significant power outages and damage to property across the province.

A powerful storm grounded flights at St. John's International Airport on Saturday, March 11, 2017, wreaking havoc on travel plans as the airport measured winds of up to 158 km/h (98 mph), the equivalent of a Category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

"The airport incurred significant damage to its facilities as a result of the wind storm that affected the region over the last few days," airport officials said Sunday.

"An electrical component in the Airport's Terminal Electrical room was damaged, resulting in no electrical feed entering the Terminal Building. The Terminal Building is presently operating under back-up emergency power provided by two emergency generators as well as reduced normal power," they said.