Earth ChangesS


Snowflake

Rains and snow lash Kashmir as chill returns

Shabir Ibn Yusuf
Greater Kashmir
Thu, 04 Jun 2015 18:22 UTC
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© Aman Farooq/GKThe chilly conditions forced the people Kashmir to wear more warm and woolen clothes. The plains, including Srinagar, were lashed by heavy rains.
With upper reaches receiving fresh snowfall, Kashmir, Thursday witnessed chilly conditions even as Meteorological department predicted light to moderate rains during next 24 hours.

"The areas above the height of 3000 meters above sea level have received fresh snowfall," the MeT officials said here. "Fresh chilly conditions are result of the fresh snowfall."

The chilly conditions forced the people Kashmir to wear more warm and woolen clothes. The plains, including Srinagar, were lashed by heavy rains.

The Met officials said that Srinagar recorded 6.0mm of rainfall, Pahalgam 9.4mm, Kupwara 10.1mm, Qazigund 14.7mm, Kokernag 15.6mm and Jammu 0.2.
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Info

40% of Europe's shark and ray species facing extinction

Arthur Neslen
The Guardian
Wed, 03 Jun 2015 17:35 UTC
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© Tony Gilbert/IUCN Angel shark, Squatina squatina, once abundant has drastically declined and has been declared locally extinct in the North Sea and also from large areas of the northern Mediterranean Sea.
About 40% of Europe's sharks and rays are threatened with extinction, according to the authoritative red list's first full assessment of Europe's 1,220 marine species.

Where fish population trends could be measured, nearly a third were found to be in decline by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which publishes the list. The IUCN found 7.5% of all the continent's marine species at risk of extinction - a number that jumps to 10% when 'near threatened' species are counted too.

The findings came on the same day as the World Bank warned of the economic costs of overfishing and the UN general assembly agreed on the need for a new treaty to protect marine life in the high seas.

"It is alarming that many commercially and ecologically important species continue to be at risk in Europe," said Simon Stuart, the chair of the IUCN's species survival commission. "We need to take urgent action to reduce target and incidental catches of threatened species, and to set and enforce fishing quotas based on scientific understanding of population declines."

The IUCN identified overfishing as the primary cause of the decline in marine biodiversity, followed closely by bycatches - accidental fish kills - coastal development, and pollution.
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Arrow Down

Massive sinkhole opens up inside business in Jackson Township, Pennsylvania


The York Daily Record
Fri, 05 Jun 2015 17:15 UTC
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© Northern York County Regional PoliceThe sinkhole is seen inside the building Thursday.
It was 5:40 a.m. Thursday when Bob Sanders, a plant supervisor at Oldcastle Industrial Minerals in Jackson Township, heard what he called a "large bang" while sitting in his office.

Sanders discovered that a massive sinkhole - measuring an estimated 40 feet by 40 feet - had opened up inside the building at 550 S. Biesecker Road. The building, which houses Sanders' office, a maintenance shop and storage for parts, sits near South Biesecker Road.

Everyone inside the building evacuated safely and the fire department; and York Water Company and PennDOT were called, Sanders said. In addition, the building was cordoned off and South Biesecker Road was closed at its intersection with Route 30.

"There was water running," in the hole, Sanders said. "Is that what was causing it? We don't know, but we shut it off."

Comment: The chart below shows the clear rise in the number of sinkhole reports from across the world since 2010:



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Arrow Down

Sinkhole swallows police SUV in Sheridan, Colorado


USA Today
Fri, 05 Jun 2015 16:48 UTC
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© KUSA-TV, DenverA police SUV was swallowed by a sinkhole Friday, June 5, 2015, in Sheridan, Colo. The police sergeant in the SUV was able to climb out of the SUV and the sinkhole.
A police sergeant on patrol in his department SUV was swallowed by a massive sinkhole here, Sheridan Police said.

Sgt. Greg Miller was traveling eastbound on West Oxford Avenue south of Denver early Friday morning when the road gave way.

"Next thing I know ... dirt — I'm assuming dust from the airbag — was floating around and everything," said Miller. "I hear the rushing water, and all I see is a dirt wall in front of me."

The car ended up 10 to 15 feet below the road surface.

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Cloud Precipitation

Grapefruit-sized hail, tornadoes and floods batter Colorado

Alexander Smith and Jacob Rascon
NBC News
Fri, 05 Jun 2015 09:47 UTC
Colorado tornado
© Dan Elliott - APA tornado moves through Longmont, Colorado, June 4, 2015
Hail the size of grapefruit, heavy rainfall, and multiple tornadoes caused damage and flooding across parts of the Rockies and Plains overnight into Friday, officials and meteorologists said.

Seven tornadoes were reported in Colorado and one in Kansas, according to the National Weather Service.

The worst hit was the town of Berthoud, Colorado, where up to 25 homes were affected, with more than 12 severely damaged. Trees were uprooted, but the Associated Press reported there were no injuries.

Don Grabosky, who lives just west of Berthoud, told NBC News that a tornado tore through his shed and destroyed his neighbor's home, but stopped short of his own house.

"You just wouldn't believe how many hailstones we had," he said. "And the continuous roar of the lightning and thunder. It was just awful."

His neighbors were not home when the tornado hit.

"It was just a whirling mass," he said. "It was coming for my home, and God stopped it."

Another tornado touched down southeast of Denver Thursday night and damaged some homes, with heavy rain and hail pounding the area, causing flash floods.

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Attention

Hundreds of barrel jellyfish wash up on the south coast in UK

Emma Glanfield
Daily Mail, UK
Fri, 05 Jun 2015 16:17 UTC
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The English Channel is teeming with the enormous jellyfish just as thousands of people are due to visit the coast this weekend.
Hundreds of 4ft barrel jellyfish have washed up along the south coast of England as millions of people prepare to flock to the country's beaches to make the most of the soaring temperatures.

Port worker Clive Thomas managed to capture photos of the giant jellyfish in Portland Harbour in Dorset, while dozens more have been found washed up further along the coast in Bournemouth.

In one morning alone, lifeguards in Bournemouth recovered more than 100 jellyfish which had beached themselves.

Despite their large size, barrel jellyfish - which are called Rhizostoma pulmo in Latin - cause little harm to humans as their sting is not considered powerful. It is similar to a nettle sting and can cause a rash.

The recent influx to British shores is down to rich nutrients presently in the water which create ideal conditions for plankton to bloom.

The jellyfish are attracted towards the shore by the plankton but strong southerly winds often mean they end up being swept into the shallows.
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Bizarro Earth

Malaysia 6.0 earthquake: Over 160 people stranded on mountain, 40 missing


RT
Fri, 05 Jun 2015 16:13 UTC
Mount Kinabalu
© Reuters/Bazuki MuhammadMount Kinabalu
Rockfalls at Malaysia's Mount Kinabalu, caused by a 6.0-magnitude earthquake on Borneo Island, have left more than 160 people stranded on the peak, with some injured, according to officials. Forty people have been reported missing.

About 120 climbers and 40 local guides appear to be unable to descend from the Kinabalu summit, due to the Friday morning earthquake. At least four climbers had injuries, such as broken bones and head wounds, the New Straits Times reported.
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Frog

Biblical scenes in China as a plague of toads descend on town after heavy rainfall

Jake Polden
Daily Mail, UK
Fri, 05 Jun 2015 15:54 UTC
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The toads pile on top of each other, and because of their colour, give the impression the ground is moving
A scene of biblical proportions descended upon China's Liaoning Province following heavy rainfall.

A plague of toads was filmed in the area of Ganjingzi Qu, Liaoning Sheng, swarming a pathway and making the ground look like it was moving.

Hopping in their tens of thousands, the toads, which were all relatively small in size, escaped from a nearby lake.

According to local news reports the amphibians arrived in the area after heavy rainfall in the morning.

In the short clip people can be seen attempting to negotiate around the toads as they jump in every direction.

In some areas of the pavement the distance between each amphibian is quite large, and there doesn't appear to be an overly dramatic amount of them.

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Attention

2 killed in separate jumbo attacks in India


The New Indian Express
Fri, 05 Jun 2015 14:42 UTC
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Elephant kicking up some dust
Two persons were killed in separate incidents of elephant attack in Angul and Rourkela on Wednesday.

In Chhendipada of Angul, Pitamber Pradhan (55) of Brahmanbil village was trampled to death by an elephant. He had gone to his vegetable farm on the outskirts of the village when the animal attacked him.

Soon after Pradhan's death, locals resorted to agitation accusing the forest officials of taking no step to drive away an elephant herd from the area despite being informed by them.

The agitators were pacified after the police assured them of ensuring payment of compensation to the family of the deceased.

So far, five persons have been killed by elephants in the Angul Forest Division in the last two months.

Of the five deaths, one was reported from Nuakheta village under Bantala range, one each from Manikjodi and Karatpeta villages, both under Purnakote forest range and two in Chhendipada Forest Range.

According to experts, the elephants are straying from forest to human habitation in search of water as water bodies in the forest have dried up.

In the second case, 56-year-old widow Sagni Pradhan was trampled to death by a tusker while she was sitting on the verandah of her house at Ratakhandi village under Rourkela Forest Division in Sundargarh district.
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Attention

Portents and signs: Piglet born with 2 heads in China


uk.news.yahoo.com
Fri, 05 Jun 2015 14:23 UTC
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© CENPoor piglet: The unique farmyard animal in China.
A pig has astonished Chinese villagers after being born with two heads, four eyes and two snouts.

The poor animal hardly has the strength to walk because his twin's head weighs so much.

But pig farmer Jing Guanglan believes the piglet will bring him luck because so many people will want to come and see it - and perhaps buy it.

And he is feeding it with milk powder and fresh vegetables so that it will grow big and strong.

The unique animal was one of a litter of 11 piglets born just four days ago in Beiyan Village in the township of Gaoguan in Chengkou County, in Southwest China's Chongqing municipality.

Comment: Other freak animal births in 2015:

Portents and signs: Dog with two bodies and eight legs born on Tonga

Portents and signs: Mutant pig born with strange features and appendage in China

Portents and signs: Mutant pig born in Scotland

Portents and signs: Calf born with 2 heads at Florida farm

Portents and signs: Lamb born with face like an 'angry old man' in Dagestan

Portents and signs: 5-legged lamb born in Wales

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