Earth ChangesS


Bizarro Earth

'Crazy airglow' spotted over Maine national park


Space Weather
Sun, 11 Sep 2016 03:16 UTC
Not every green light in the sky is the aurora borealis. On Sept. 2nd, Mike Taylor was in the Acadia National Park of Maine when he witnessed an intense display of airglow:
Airglow
© Mike Taylor PhotographyAirglow in Acadia National Park.
"It was the craziest airglow I've ever seen," says Taylor. "I was with 3 other photographers and we all saw this with our naked eyes."

Airglow is not an aurora. It's a chemical reaction involving oxygen in the upper atmosphere driven in part by solar ultraviolet radiation and cosmic rays. Visibility waxes and wanes with conditions such as pressure and temperature in the rarified air more than 90 km above Earth's surface. Gravity waves traveling up from the planet below impress the verdant glow with a dramatic rippling structure.

Dark nights with a new or thin crescent Moon are the best times to catch a glimpse of airglow. Often, the glow is dim and pale to the naked eye, revealing its green color only to the lens of cameras set for Milky Way-length exposures. On rare occasions, such as Sept 2nd in the Acadia National Park, the human eye is more than enough. Browse the airglow photo gallery for more sightings.
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Arrow Down

Massive sinkhole opens along historic Route 66 near Pacific, Missouri

Jason Aubry
ksdk.com
Fri, 09 Sep 2016 19:30 UTC
sinkhole
There are many things that I couldn't tell from a hole in the ground.

The sinkhole along Historic Route 66 in Pacific, Missouri, is not one of them. It truly is a hole in the ground, a 70-foot by 50-foot hole — as of Friday afternoon — that was deep enough to swallow a two story building.

According to an engineer working for a company contracted by the city, the cause of the sinkhole was the collapse of a storm sewer pipe.

The 6- to 7-foot wide pipe, was installed in the undeveloped farm field back in the 1980's.

It was attached to the cement box culvert that ran under the highway at the time.

The engineer believes the connection joint failed and the pipe was crushed after years of deterioration.

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Seismograph

USGS tells Kansans to prep for earthquakes like Californians

Rachel Skytta
KWCH12
Thu, 08 Sep 2016 06:45 UTC
Earthquake map Okla
© twitter.com5.8 earthquake strikes Oklahoma, felt in Kansas
Oklahoma's largest earthquake ever still has people talking. Saturday's 5.8 magnitude earthquake caused only minor damage in Kansas, but officials with the US Geological Survey say it's time for people in the region to start preparing for earthquakes like Californians. Items on your wall or shelves can be hazardous in an earthquake, but there are ways you can protect yourself and your belongings.

"It scared me this time," said Errica Weaver. The morning jolt felt across the region didn't skip Weaver's home. "I ran down the hallway and woke my husband up and I was like 'we're having another earthquake'," said Weaver. [T]he earthquake shook pictures off her wall, and caused drawers to slide out of her bedroom dresser. We took Weaver through the FEMA Earthquake Home Hazard Hunt, a guide to eliminate potential dangers in your home in the event of an earthquake.

FEMA recommends you securely fasten or relocate heavy pictures over beds and furniture. We checked Weaver's home and all wall hangings are in safe places. Another suggestion is to secure cabinets to wall studs, and use latches to keep cabinet doors from flying open during an earthquake. Weaver says that's something she'll have to fix in her own home.

FEMA also recommends strapping down TVs and other expensive or hazardous electronics. FEMA emphasizes making sure all heavy objects are secured inside your home. There are also steps you can take outside the home, such as making sure your house is anchored to its foundation.


Comment: The earthquake ties for Oklahoma's strongest earthquake on record, the first coming in November 2011. No major damage was immediately reported. An increase in magnitude 3.0 or greater earthquakes in Oklahoma has been linked to underground disposal of wastewater from oil and natural gas production. State regulators have asked producers to reduce wastewater disposal volumes in earthquake-prone regions of the state.

Some parts of Oklahoma now match northern California for the nation's most shake prone, and one Oklahoma region has a 1 in 8 chance of a damaging quake in 2016, with other parts closer to 1 in 20. An estimated 10 million people felt the earthquake across Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Texas, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Tennessee, and Alabama.

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Seismograph

Magnitude 5.3 earthquake hits near Skopje, Macedonia


ABC News
Sun, 11 Sep 2016 15:48 UTC
Macedonia earthquake
© USGS
Macedonian authorities say an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.3 struck on the outskirts of the capital on Sunday, causing minor damage to buildings but no injuries.

The quake occurred just after 3 p.m. (1300 GMT), seismologist Dragana Cernih from the national seismological observatory told The Associated Press.

She said she received reports of cracks in the walls of buildings or collapsed chimneys, as well as damage to roofs in villages around Skopje. But she said there was no indication of people being injured.

The U.S. Geological Survey also gave the quake a preliminary magnitude of 5.3, with its epicenter about four kilometers east-northeast of Skopje, at a depth of 10 kilometers (six miles). The Potsdam-based German Research Centre for Geosciences, or GFZ, gave a magnitude of 5. Earthquake experts often give different estimates of magnitude.

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Wolf

50,000 dog and monkey attacks recorded in 8 months for the city of Agra, India

Arvind Chauhan & Aditya Dev
The Times of India
Sat, 10 Sep 2016 16:15 UTC
Dog attack
Terrifying as it sounds, an average of over 201 cases of monkey and dog attacks are reported every day in Agra district. In the eight months from January to August, 48,876 people have been treated for such bites at the district hospital here. The highest number of cases (7,913) were reported in the month of May. Last year, over 38,000 people were treated for animal attacks in Agra.

Speaking to TOI, chief medical superintendent of the district hospital Dr R K Sharma said, "We have apprised the administration about the increasing number of cases. This year the number of victims of dog and monkey attack has almost reached 50,000 already. The situation has worsened and it's the responsibility of the civic body to control the animal population in the district."

Chief veterinary officer of Agra Municipal Corporation Dr Yogesh Sharma said, "We catch 30-40 dogs who are then vaccinated and sterilized by private animal rehabilitation centres such as People For Animals (PFA). Wildlife SOS is making efforts to catch and vaccinate or sterilize monkeys. In the last six months, 401 monkeys have been taken care of."

Last month, given the high number of rabies cases being reported every day in the city, Wildlife SOS submitted a proposal to the administration for opening a clinic and carrying out vaccination and sterilization programme at a cost of Rs 89 lakh. The proposal is under consideration.
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Bizarro Earth

Philippines institute warns of 'big' Mayon volcano eruption in coming days

Rhaydz B. Barcia
Rappler
Thu, 08 Sep 2016 13:41 UTC
Mayon volcano
© Rhaydz B. Barcia/RapplerMayon volcano, the Philippines: Volcanologists say magma beneath the so-called 'perfect cone' is building up.
Phivolcs cites 'abnormal activity' such as drying wells, more earthquakes, and increased sulfur dioxide emission of the volcano

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) has warned of a possible "big" Mayon volcano eruption in the coming days.

"Phreatic explosion may happen anytime but a big explosion is expected in the coming days," said Philvolcs resident volcanologist Eduardo Laguerta. Laguerta cited "abnormal activity" similar to what happened prior to the Mayon eruption in 1984.

The 1984 Mayon eruption is classified as a Vulcanian-type eruption which involves relatively small but violent explosions of thick lava producing columns of ash, gas, and occasional pyroclastic flows.

"The massive drying up of wells across Albay, specifically in the municipalities surrounding the volcano, may be attributed to the magma movement activity beneath the restive volcano," Laguerta added. He also cited the 3 consecutive earthquakes in August originating from the Sto Domingo fault line, which can affect volcanic activity.

Laguerta said his office asked geodetic engineers from the Phivolcs central office to conduct a ground survey around the volcano following the earthquakes.

"We noted after the survey, Mayon is inflated, magma beneath the volcano is building up. Deep wells are drying up surrounding the volcano and in several towns here - an implication of abnormal activity," he said.
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Cloud Lightning

Lightning bolt kills three in Pakistan


The News International
Sun, 11 Sep 2016 10:04 UTC
lightning
© 123RF
At least three persons, including a minor boy, were killed and another wounded when lightning hit a house in Madyan area of Swat district on Saturday.

According to the police, the lightning hit a house in Palam village in Madyan, killing two-year-old Sheraz, Bala Nishta, 15, and Niaz, 13.

Another person identified as Usman also sustained injuries and was shifted to Madyan hospital for medical care.
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Airplane

Fasten your seat belt - severe turbulence is on the rise

Robin McKie
The Guardian (UK)
Sun, 11 Sep 2016 07:30 UTC
United Airlines Boeing 767-300
© Alamy A United Airlines Boeing 767-300, similar to the one forced into an emergency landing at Shannon airport.
Severe turbulence, which recently forced the emergency landing of a transatlantic flight, is on the rise. But why and what can be done?

United Airlines Flight 880 was carrying more than 200 passengers from Houston, Texas, to London's Heathrow airport two weeks ago when it was battered by turbulence that threw people on to the cabin ceiling. Twenty-three people were injured. "We were flying along as smooth as can be and then were just slapped massively from the top as if someone had torpedoed us," one passenger told journalists.

The aircraft, a Boeing 767-300, made an emergency landing at Shannon airport and the injured were taken to University Hospital, Limerick. No one was seriously hurt but all went through a terrifying experience and one, say experts, which will increasingly affect flights.

"It is predicted there will be more and more incidents of severe clear-air turbulence, which typically comes out of the blue with no warning, occurring in the near future as climate change takes its effect in the stratosphere," Dr Paul Williams, a Royal Society research fellow at Reading University, said last week.

"There has already been a steady rise in incidents of severe turbulence affecting flights over the past few decades. Globally, turbulence causes dozens of fatalities a year on small private planes and hundreds of injuries to passengers in big jets. And as carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere keep on rising, so will the numbers of incidents."

Comment: It is likely that dust loading from increased comet and volcanic activity is contributing to these atmospheric changes. See also: A strange change has occurred in the stratosphere

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Tornado1

Why were forecasters off on Hermine's path?

Tom Avril
philly.com
Thu, 08 Sep 2016 05:04 UTC
tracking TS Hermine
© unknownPredicting Hermine's path
As late as Sunday morning, meteorologists were warning that Tropical Storm Hermine could wreak havoc along the New Jersey Shore. Yet the promised storm stayed far offshore, kicking up little more on land than some wind and minor flooding -- and complaints from frustrated beach-goers and merchants. What happened?

The short answer: while the science of storm tracking has improved steadily in recent years, it remains subject to a fair amount of uncertainty. On average, the errors in forecasting a storm's location increase by 40 to 50 nautical miles for every day in advance of the point in time that is being predicted, said James L. Franklin, a meteorologist at the National Hurricane Center in Miami. Looking two days out, forecasts can be off by up to 80 to 90 nautical miles in either direction, on average. Three days, 120 miles or more. That is dramatically better than what forecasters achieved several decades ago, but it is still enough to spell the difference between predicting flooded streets or expecting a relatively normal day.

Comment: Forecast Prediction: Meteorologists will always 'weather' the storm!

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Info

Update: At least 11 dead, 192 injured following earthquake in Tanzania

Tamerra Griffin
Buzzfeed News
Sat, 10 Sep 2016 20:56 UTC
Tanzania is the latest nation to hit by a devastating earthquakes
Tanzania is the latest nation to hit by a devastating earthquakes
An earthquake struck near the Ugandan border in northern Tanzania on Saturday afternoon, leaving at least 11 people dead and nearly 200 others injured, officials said.
Damage from near the epicentre of today's 5.7 magnitude earthquake in Tanzania

— NTV UGANDA (@ntvuganda)
The tremor measured 5.7 on the Richter scale and struck at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), according to the US Geological Survey.

Comment: See also: Shallow 5.7 magnitude earthquake recorded in Tanzania

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