Earth ChangesS


Attention

Elephant tramples 2 people to death, injures one in Dumka, India


Business Standard
Wed, 22 Jul 2015 15:31 UTC
Image
Asian elephant
Two persons were today trampled to death and another was injured by a wild elephant at separate places in Dumka district.

The elephant killed a 33-year old man, Suniram Baski, at Aamgachhi kurua village and a 25-year-old woman, Savati Tudu, at Silanda village in Jama block of the district, Divisional Forest Officer Abhishek Kumar said.

Another man suffered serious injuries in its attack at Kulapathar village and was admitted to a hospital in Dumka, he said.

The DFO said the elephant, which strayed from a herd and entered the villages late last night, also destroyed two houses.

A team has been sent to drive the animal into the forests, he added.

Source: Press Trust of India
Read More...
Cloud Precipitation

7 die as floods sweep central Burma


The Irrawaddy
Mon, 20 Jul 2015 14:05 UTC
Image
Overflowing water from the damaged Thit Kae Dam washes out a road in Sai Pyn village, Yin Marbin district, Sagaing Region.
Severe flooding in central Burma has killed seven rescue workers and displaced thousands of villagers as unusually heavy rains swept through the region over the weekend.

Inn Daw, Kawlin, Kantbalu, Kyun Hla and Butalin townships of Sagaing Division were thrashed by rains throughout the past week, as rains hit the low lying farmlands nonstop since last Tuesday.

"The water levels of the Mae Za and Mu rivers rose up and the floods worsened on Saturday as nearby dam [reservoirs] overflowed," an official from the Sagaing Division administrative office told The Irrawaddy, requesting not to be named.

According to the official, at least 150 villages across five townships were affected, displacing more than six thousand people and damaging as many as 30,000 farm plots. The total deaths have not yet been tallied, though seven rescue workers died while trying to retrieve trapped villagers, he said.
Read More...
Attention

Weird frostfish from the deep sea found on Rabbit Island shore, New Zealand

Samantha Gee
stuff.co.nz
Tue, 21 Jul 2015 20:37 UTC
Image
© Natasha van der KallenThe frostfish that washed up on Rabbit Island, Sunday July 19.
It came from the deep with big eyes and sharp teeth, but the marine creature that washed up on Rabbit Island, near Nelson, was more novel than scary.

Natasha van der Kallen was enjoying a barbecue with her family on Sunday when her daughter Holly Ward noticed something moving in the shallow water.

"We saw the splashing and Holly screamed out, what is that? So we went to have a look."

When they got closer to the shoreline, van der Kallen said they were surprised to see a long, narrow, silver fish flipping about in the water.

"It was around a metre long with big eyes and big teeth," said van der Kallen.

The fish had a silvery coloured flesh which rubbed off when it was touched, she said.

Curious to know more, the family searched the internet while at the beach and identified it as a frostfish, a creature that usually lives in much deeper water.

Comment: See also this from 2013: 'Monster' fish washes up on Rabbit Island

Read More...
Arrow Down

Sinkhole destroys 16 houses in Papua New Guinea


abc.net.au
Tue, 21 Jul 2015 18:53 UTC
Image
© Jamie Asa A sinkhole in Papua New Guinea's East Sepik Province destroys 16 homes.
A sinkhole in Papua New Guinea's east has destroyed 16 houses and injured two people, local media says.

The Post-Courier reported the sinkhole appeared in the swampy Ambunti area of East Sepik Province and caused panic among locals.

Photos on social media showed huge cracks in the soil, as well as collapsed houses.

The newspaper quoted a witness who said the sinkhole formed about midday on Saturday, near the Sepik River.

The ABC has been unable to reach emergency officials.

Image
© Jamie AsaTwo men stand near huge cracks in the earth and look at the damage caused by the sinkhole.
Read More...
Sun

Sun halo appears over Abu Dhabi, UAE

Emmanuel Samoglou
thenational.ae
Mon, 20 Jul 2015 08:18 UTC
Image
© Ravindranath K/The National
Residents in the capital were treated to an awe-inspiring sight in the sky on Sunday when a phenomenon known as a 22-degree halo was visible at noon and well into the afternoon.

The halo appeared as a rainbow-like ring with limited colours, forming a circle around the Sun, with the inside of the ring noticeably darker than the horizon.

Toqueer Ahmed noticed the halo while outside at noon. "I walked to a different location thinking it was a reflection, but it still appeared as it is," said Mr Ahmed. "I live in Khalidiyah, I've been here eight years, I've seen lot of sunny days but nothing like this. It was very surprising, we were shocked when we saw it."

The halo is formed around the Sun or the Moon when light is refracted through tiny hexagonal ice crystals trapped within cirrus clouds.

The clouds are faintly visible to the eye, located between five and 10 kilometres high in the Earth's atmosphere.

The phenomenon was not visible in Dubai.

Halos around the Sun and the Moon were believed to be part of a primitive form of weather forecasting, and are sometimes observed before rainfall.
Read More...
Attention

Third right whale carcass found in 3 weeks in Quebec waters, Canada


Life in Québec
Tue, 21 Jul 2015 18:36 UTC
Image
© John Durban. North Pacific Right Whale
The Gulf of St. Lawrence has seen three Right Whale carcasses floating in its waters in the last three weeks and according to Fisheries and Oceans Canada it is an alarming number considering the small population of this particular species of whale. The last reported sighting of a dead whale in the Gulf was back in 2001.

On June 24, the first dead whale was seen off the coast of Percé. The carcass was recuperated and will be studied to find the cause of death. On July 7th, another was spotted off the coast of the Magdalen Islands, and just last week on July 13 a third floating whale was seen off the coast of the town of Gaspé. The last one sighted has been given a number and has been identified as a six-year old female.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada together with the Quebec Network for marine mammals rescue want to bring the carcasses ashore to study the cause or causes of death. The North Atlantic Right Whale is on the endangered species list and there are only about 350 of that particular breed still left in the oceans along the east coast of North America.

Because the species is on the point of extinction, the researchers want to know why these particular whales perished in this particular area.

The most common causes of death to whales is either being caught-up in old fishing nets or being hit and wounded by the propellers of large ships.
Read More...
Snowflake

Summer snowfall in the highlands of Iceland

Emilía S. Ólafsdóttir Kaaber
Iceland Review
Tue, 21 Jul 2015 16:51 UTC
Image
© Ferðafélag Akureyrar/Haukur Björnsson. Sunday morning, July 19 2015, at Drekagil near Askja and Holuhraun in the North-East region of Vatnajökull National Park
The past weekend was exceptionally cold throughout all of Iceland. Sharp winds ravaged the Western coast, while snowfall and hail hit the East and South.

On Sunday, the ground was white with snow all around the highlands in Central Iceland.

"Everything was white. When we got up at 9AM the snowfall was mostly over, but by the time we left, around noon, it had started up again," Þorgerður Eva Þórhallsdóttir, a member of the Search and Rescue team in Skagafjörður, North Iceland, told Morgunblaðið.

"I think this is rather abnormal weather for the middle of the summer. It wasn't like this last year."
Read More...
Umbrella

Waterspout seen near St. George Island, Florida

Max Tsaparis
wtxl.com
Mon, 20 Jul 2015 16:14 UTC
Image
© John BaneyWaterspout near St. George Island
A waterspout formed Monday morning near the Franklin County coastline after an intense stationary storm sat over the open waters. Because of this, a marine warning was issued for the Forgotten Coast until 11:30 am.

Read More...
Fire

Uncontained brush fire in Washington state forces highway closure

Evan Bush
Seattle Times
Tue, 21 Jul 2015 13:10 UTC
vantage WA wildfire
© Washington State PatrolMore than 50 homes are under Level 3 evacuation, meaning the residents need to leave their homes, according to Trooper Darren Wright.
A brush fire near George, Grant County, closed Interstate 90 in both directions Monday afternoon and the freeway remained closed Tuesday morning, according to Trooper Darren Wright of the Washington State Patrol.

It's unknown when the freeway, which is closed from mileposts 138 to 155, will re-open.

The fire at one point threatened about 50 homes, but Wright said Monday night officials lifted an evacuation order despite the continuing blaze.

"I don't think we have actual control, but (firefighters are) making better progress," Wright said around 6:30 p.m.
Read More...
Cloud Lightning

21 killed by lightning so far this year in the U.S., well above 5 year-average

Mike Clay
baynews9.com
Mon, 20 Jul 2015 14:11 UTC
Image
The death of a 31-year-old woman in Colorado brings the number of lightning deaths in the U.S. to 21 so far this year — well above the five-year average of 13.4 by this point in the year.
In Colorado this weekend, lightning struck and killed a 31-year-old woman while she was hiking in the mountains. Three others were injured, one critically.

This brings the number of lightning deaths in the U.S. to 21 so far this year — well above the five-year average of 13.4 by this point in the year.

Three have been killed here in Florida. Remember, there is NO safe place outside if thunderstorms develop.

Know the weather patterns of the area you plan to visit. For example, in mountainous areas, thunderstorms typically develop in the early afternoon, so plan to hike early in the day and be down the mountain by noon.

Listen to the weather forecast for the outdoor area you plan to visit. The forecast may be very different from the one near your home. If there is a high chance of thunderstorms, stay inside.

When thunder roars, stay indoors.

Image
Three have been killed in Florida.
Read More...