Earth ChangesS


Bizarro Earth

Dozens of dead penguins have shown up on the coast of Uruguay


Phys.org
Thu, 11 Jun 2015 00:00 UTC
penguins
Rescued penguins wait to be fed on July 28, 2007, in the department Maldonado, Uruguay
Dozens of penguins have shown up dead over the past three days on the coast of Uruguay, a government official said Thursday.

One group of young specimens was found in the Rocha area 210 km (125 miles) east of Montevideo, and then another at a beach in the resort town of Punta del Este, said Graciela Fabiano of the National Directorate of Water Resources.

The agency has no penguin monitoring program but at this time of year penguins do tend to show up on the coast, sometimes dead, and the movement is associated with migratory patterns, she said.
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Fire

Canadian wildfire smoke covers 17 states and causes red sun

Angela Fritz and Jason Samenow
The Washington Post
Wed, 10 Jun 2015 10:01 UTC
A smoky sunset over the District, June 9, 2015 (Richard Barnhill via Flickr)
© Richard BarnhillA smoky sunset over the District, June 9, 2015 (Richard Barnhill via Flickr)
A thick haze of smoke drifted over the D.C. region late Tuesday afternoon, driven south from Canada's burgeoning wildfires by the high-level winds of the jet stream.

There are six large wildfires burning in Alberta and British Columbia, according to the Remote Sensing Applications Center in Salt Lake City. These fires are pumping copious amounts of smoke high into the atmosphere, which is then hitching a ride on the global jet stream to paint our skies pink and orange.

Comment: See also: Hundreds evacuated from northeastern Alberta as wildfires rage through crude-producing region

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Wolf

Canine craziness: Dozens injured after stray dogs' attack in Turkey


national.bgnnews.com
Thu, 11 Jun 2015 17:08 UTC
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Treatment for dog bite
At least 55 people, many of them children, have been attacked by stray dogs in Turkey's eastern Van province within the last 24 hours.

Seven dogs have been put down on suspicion, and samples were sent to the Veterinary Control Institute in eastern Elazığ province, Van Provincial Directorate of Food, Agriculture and Livestock said.

The directorate said that 30 people were treated at various hospitals for dog bites Wednesday.

An additional 25 were attacked later, bringing the total to 55 since Wednesday noon, officials said.

The directorate said that victims were given rabies vaccines and discharged after being kept under observation.

The attacks were reported in Bostaniçi, Esenler, Yenimahalle and Şerefiye streets of the province, which has a center population of less than 500,000.
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Question

Mystery booms shake houses in Dinwiddie County, Virginia

Wayne Covil
wtvr.com
Thu, 11 Jun 2015 16:26 UTC
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Stephanie Groves, of Ettrick, said she first worried she might be experiencing an earthquake.
Several viewers contacted WTVR CBS 6 News after they reported hearing loud booms early Wednesday morning. People in Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, and Prince George said the activity was so intense it shook their homes. The constant booms, as people described them, began around 8:10 a.m. and lasted for about 10 minutes.

"It was boom, boom, boom," William Britton, of Chesterfield, said.

"It was consistent, hear a loud boom, a few seconds later, hear another loud boom. A few seconds later another loud boom and it went on for a few minutes," Roland Britton said.Stephanie Groves, of Ettrick, said she first worried she might be experiencing an earthquake.

Those who heard the loud and constant noise have no clue what it was. But one man does not think it was not military activity.

"I'm used to hearing Fort Pickett from time to time, [but] his is nothing like it," said Britton.
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Red Flag

Red River floods in Louisiana at highest levels in 70 years

Richard Davies
floodlist.com
Thu, 11 Jun 2015 16:00 UTC
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© Bossier Parish Sheriff’s OfficeRed River flooding, 08 June 2015.
Northern parts of Louisiana, in particular the city of Shreveport and the parishes of Bossier and Caddo, have experienced major flooding after the Red River overflowed.

May 2015 was the wettest month on record in Oklahoma and Texas, where huge amounts of rain fell across the Southern Plains. Since then the water has made its way downstream, swelling levels of the Red River in Louisiana.

Levels of the Red river at Shreveport have been at major flood stage since last week, and are expected to remain so for at least 3 or 4 more days. Hundreds of homes and businesses have been flooded, as have wide areas of farmland and several roads in Bossier and Caddo parishes. Louisiana National Guard have been dispatched to help shore up flood defences. No deaths or serious injuries have been reported.

The video below shows the Red River swallowing up buildings, trees, and roadways across the Shreveport and Bossier areas.

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Arrow Down

Landslide death toll reaches 53 in Taplejung, Nepal


ekantipur.com.np
Thu, 11 Jun 2015 15:19 UTC
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© Nepal PoliceArea affected by landslide in Taplejung district, Nepal.
The death toll from the landslide triggered by incessant rainfall in Taplejung has reached 53. As many as 12 people have sustained injury while some others have gone missing.

The landslides were triggered by rain in the areas, it is learnt.

Of the dead, only five including Chameli Limbu and Manamaya Limbu of Lingtepa, Devendra Liwang of Liwang, Sabin Maden and Basant BK of Khokling have been identified so far, according to District Police Office, Taplejung.

The entire area of Liwang, Thokling, Thinglabu and Lingket VDCs have been reportedly severely hit by the mudslip triggered by rainfall. The number of casualties may rise as some locals are yet to come into contact. Some wards of Khalung and Khokling VDCs have also been affected.

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Magnet

Rare U.S. Auroras and lightning visible side by side


Space Weather
Mon, 08 Jun 2015 00:09 UTC
Image
A solar wind stream hit Earth's magnetic field during the late hours of June 7th, sparking a G2-class geomagnetic storm. In the United States, surprised sky watchers from Maine to Washington witnessed a rare display of summer auroras. Outside of Rochester, Minnesota, photographer Marcella Chester recorded the green glow alongside a June thunderstorm:

"I've never seen auroras and lightning visible side by side before," marvels Chester. "These photos were taken between 2 and 3 am on Monday, June 8th."

At about the same time in Hartford, Wisconsin, Jake Stehli witnessed a similar display. "The auroras were visible to the naked eye with lightning in a thunderhead on the horizon as well," he says.
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© Jake Stehli
Researchers have long known that geomagnetic storms happen most often in spring and fall. In other words, auroras prefer equinoxes. That's why seeing them so close to the summer solstice is remarkable.

The show is subsiding, but might not be finished. NOAA forecasters estimate a 45% chance of polar geomagnetic storms on June 10th as the solar wind continues to blow.
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Sun

Sun halo captured in Maine skies

Jeff Parson
wjbq.com
Mon, 08 Jun 2015 12:07 UTC
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© WJBQ
A lot of people in Maine posted photos on social media on Saturday (June 6) of a ring around the sun. I saw two rainbow rings but didn't go all double rainbow guy. Here's what caused the ring to appear overhead.

According to an article by The University of Illinois, the phenomenon is called a 22 degree halo. The website explains, "Halos form when light from the sun or moon is refracted by ice crystals associated with thin, high-level clouds....A 22 degree halo is a ring of light 22 degrees from the sun (or moon) and is the most common type of halo."

Stephen Lenz

Usually the ring is white but on more rare occasions it has color like a rainbow.

I also saw a second ring on Saturday which it turns out is a 46 degree halo. They're less common than a 22 degree halo, but form the same way.

In even more rare instances, a sun dog will form which looks like a mini sun on each side of the halo. Isn't science fun?
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© Stephen Lenz
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Attention

Toba supervolcano showing large emissions of steam and foul smelling gas

Michael Janitch
Dutchsinse.com
Mon, 08 Jun 2015 00:00 UTC
mount sinabung
Photo from Indonesia press showing new activity (June 2015) at Mount Sinabung, prompting evacuations around the area.
Western Indonesia's Mount Sinabung has been placed on high alert for what is being called a "mega-eruption" for several km/miles around the volcano.

Video reports coming out from the region show ash, steam, and eruptive blasts currently occurring.

In addition to the large eruption at Mount Sinabung, we now have other reports that the nearby Toba supervolcano is showing large emissions of steam (from the ground), as well as foul smelling gas.

According to reports from Indonesian press, locals are alarmed by these recent developments.

Toba supervolcano is indeed a "super-volcano" by all measurements. Actually LARGER in eruptive power to the other more well known "Yellowstone" super volcano (located in Wyoming / United States).

Comment: Mount Sinabung blows its top, sending lava and thick plumes of volcanic ash into the sky

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Cloud Precipitation

Flood alert following heavy rain in Assam, over 80,000 affected

Samudra Gupta Kashyap
The Indian Express
Wed, 10 Jun 2015 17:53 UTC
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© PTIA father hold his child on back to take him to school at waterlogged Anil Nagar in Guwahati on Monday.
Thousands of people across Assam have been affected after incessant rains over the last week caused several rivers, including the Brahmaputra, to overflow. The overflowing rivers have breached embankments, inundated villages and damaged standing crop, affecting over 80,000 people, according to a report by the state disaster management body.

Eighteen revenue circles in 10 districts have been badly affected by the relentless rains, stated the daily flood report issued by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) on Tuesday. The districts of Lakhimpur and Dhemaji in eastern Assam, where nearly 45,000 people were affected by the overflowing rivers, were the worst hit.

In Tinsukia, another district hit hard by the relentless rains, authorities have already set up three relief camps. A sizeable portion of the Dibru-Saikhowa National Park in the district has been submerged by the rising levels of the Brahmaputra.


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