Earth ChangesS


Cloud Lightning

Yet another storm batters UK

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A section of rail track dangles over the sea after the wall collapsed at Dawlish

UK storms wash away railway line and leave thousands without power

Parts of Britain are being hit by a powerful storm which has washed away a stretch of railway line and left thousands of homes without electricity.

The Environment Agency says around 328 homes have been flooded since Friday evening - with more heavy rain forecast into the weekend.

A section of the sea wall in Dawlish, Devon, collapsed and left the main railway line suspended in mid-air.

David Cameron has announced an extra £100m for flood works.

At Prime Minister's Questions he pledged £75m for repairs over the next year, £10m for urgent work in Somerset - where several rivers have flooded - and £15m for maintenance.

He said: "Whatever is required, whether it is dredging work on the rivers Tone and Parrett, whether it is support for our emergency services, whether it is fresh money for flood defences, whether it's action across the board, this government will help those families and get this issue sorted."

Cloud Precipitation

Apocalypse in Slovenian forests due to freezing rain and snow

Slovenia ice storm forest damage
© 2014 Mariša BizjakIn some areas up to 80 per cent of the forest has been damaged. Some forests in the regions of Postojna and Pivka are completely in tatters due to sleet and snow.
Devastating sleet, which has been crushing trees under its weight all over the country, has caused the largest catastrophe ever to hit Slovenian forests.

Damjan Oražen, director of the Slovenian Forest Institute, has stated that according to early estimates as many as 500,000 hectares are damaged, i.e. almost half of all Slovenian forests. According to Oražen, the total volume of fallen wood amounts to 4 million cubic metres, which equals the entire average annual harvest. What is more, since the current conditions do not allow forestry teams to estimate the damage on the spot, the estimated numbers are not final.

Falling branches and trees pose danger throughout the country at the moment, and it will continue to be so until the ice melts. Therefore, walkers through forested areas are advised caution, and should be aware that the situation is not likely to fully return to normal until the spring.

Snowflake Cold

Update! Now 25% of Slovenia is without power, 40% schools closed as blizzards compound ice storm

Slovenia Ice Storm Road Cleanup
© www.rtvslo.siFirefighters work through the night to clear fallen tree limbs

Heavy freezing rain in Slovenia has caused widespread power outages and the closing of many roads across the European nation. Approximately 10% of the country was without power due to downed power lines and damaged transformers.

Prime Minister Alenka Bratušek announced that Slovenia had requested aid from the European Union, as well as help from neighboring Italy and Croatia to help repair the country's damaged electrical distribution network. She also stated that it may take up to a week to complete all the repairs, as current icy conditions and fallen trees and branches on roadways are impeding repair crews.

Comment: Update 5 February 2014

Further blizzards have hit Eastern Europe, leaving 25% of Slovenians without power and 40% of schools closed.

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Question

Number of whales currently beaching on Florida coast 3 times above average, experts suggest cold weather to blame

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A National Park Services volunteer looks over a dead pilot whale as it lies on the beach in the Florida Everglades
On average about 200 whales beach themselves each year off the coast of Florida. In the past two months more than 90 have beached themselves and experts don't know why.

More than 90 whales have become stranded on Florida beaches in the past two months, almost three times the average, baffling marine biologists and making them wonder if a deadly common denominator is at play.

The series of cold fronts that marched across Florida in the past month could be a factor. "Any kind of front or a hurricane disorients the animals, and they come in," said Erin Fougeres, a marine mammal biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries.

Another theory: The whales might have contracted morbillivirus, an ailment similar to canine distemper that has been attacking dolphins along the East Cost this year. But necropsies failed to confirm this.

Navy sonar, which can cause whales to aim toward shore, has been ruled out, because the Navy wasn't conducting any sonar exercises when the whales stranded, Fougeres said.

Or, the whales could be following a sick leader who was heading toward shallow waters to make breathing easier, said Denise Boyd, a research biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Nothing so far is conclusive, Fougeres said, and "there are cases where we just never know the cause."

On average, about 200 whales each year land on Florida's shores. About one "mass stranding," involving several whales, occurs every three years in this state, authorities said.

Bizarro Earth

California simultaneous freeze and drought badly damages citrus crops - U.S. food prices to increase

citrus crops freeze
© CBSCitrus crops frozen during a cold weather snap
Monday citrus growers found out how much of an impact the deep freeze which gripped our area in December had on citrus crops. The freeze ruined millions of dollars' worth of citrus and that is expected to drive up food prices in the coming in the months.

At the peak of citrus season Kings River Packing hires about a thousand people to harvest and sort fruit. But this year the family owned operation may have to scale back on hiring after getting hit by a double whammy. The statewide drought and the deep December citrus freeze have ruined a lot of fruit.

"Industry wise there's a lot of damage. Some people did get hit harder than others. The ultimate effect is going to be the jobs," ColbyCampbell with Kings River Packing said.

Question

Large number of dead albatross found on Ripiro Beach, NewZealand

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BIG QUESTION: Danika, 5 and Alsya, 7 Hilliam and their puppy check out one of 12 dead albatross which Noel Hilliam has seen washed up on Ripiro Beach, south of Glinks Gully.
Why have a significant number of dead albatross washed up on Ripiro Beach?

Regular beach patroller Noel Hilliam says he saw 12 dead albatross washed up along about five kilometres of beach south of Glinks gully about two weeks ago.

"I've never seen anything like this before. You sometimes see the odd one but never this."

He says the birds appeared to have been dead for some time and were "looking pretty battered."

"I'd like to know what caused it. Was it starvation, something they ate or a big storm?"

Mr Hilliam contacted the Department of Conservation but had not heard back from them at the time of print.

A live but exhausted southern royal albatross was found on the beach in mid January and taken to the Whangarei Native Bird Recovery Centre where, despite initially improving, it died.

Co-owner of the Whangarei Native Bird Recovery Centre, Robert Webb says he is concerned to learn there has been so many dead birds on the west coast beach.

Question

1,122 dead turtles washed ashore in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, India in January

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© B. Jothi RamalingamAt least 1,122 carcasses of Olive Ridley turtles were washed ashore on the beaches of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh in January alone.
At least 1,122 carcasses of Olive Ridley turtles were washed ashore on the beaches of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh in January alone.

More than 145 dead turtles were found on the stretch between Marina Beach and Neelankarai, while 226 were found between Neelankarai and Marakkanam. In Andhra Pradesh, Nellore recorded 547 carcasses. Marine conservationists say there has been a sharp increase in the number of dead turtles found along the beaches of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

The main problem, according to marine experts, is fishing nets. The turtles normally come to nest on beaches on the east coast from January to March. "The female turtles dig nests and lay around 60 to 120 eggs at a time. The same turtles may nest two or three times and stay close to the shore during this time. As they stay close to the shore, many easily get entangled in the fishing nets," said Supraja Dharini, chairperson of TREE Foundation, a non-governmental organization that works for the protection of endangered marine species. The foundation conducted the study of the beaches.

Dharini said not a single day passed in January without phone calls from volunteers about carcasses on beaches. "The main reason for this tragedy is that the turtles get caught in the trawl fishing nets of mechanised boats, gill nets or ray fishing nets. Turtles need to come to the surface of the sea to breathe. Once they are trapped in the net, they remain underwater and drown," said Dharini.

Question

More than 400 dead dolphins on north Peru coast

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© AP Photo/Str
More than 400 dead dolphins were found last month on the Pacific Ocean beaches of northern Peru where twice that amount were encountered in 2012, officials said Monday.

Authorities never established the cause of the deaths in 2012. They are doing autopsies on the latest dolphins found during January in the Lambayeque region on the northern coast.

Technician Jaime de la Cruz of Peru's IMARPE marine life agency said about 220 dead dolphins were found in the last week of January, the rest during the previous three weeks.

Arrow Up

19 more volcanoes in Indonesia raised to alert level status

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The government has raised the status on another 19 volcanoes in the country to alert level - the second-highest category - in the wake of the Mount Sinabung eruption in North Sumatra that killed 16 people on Saturday. Besides the 19 new additions, three volcanos have been on high alert status since last year. They include Lokon and Karangetang in North Sulawesi and Rokatenda in East Nusa Tenggara. The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) issued the raised status on Monday for the 19 volcanoes, which are scattered across the archipelago, but has yet to call for the evacuation of populations living nearby.

The 19 volcanoes are Kelud, Ijen, Bromo, Semeru and Raung in East Java; Lewotobi Perempuan in East Nusa Tenggara; Ibu, Gamkonora, Dukono and Gamalama in North Maluku; Soputan in North Sulawesi; Sangeang Api in West Nusa Tenggara; Papandayan in West Java; Dieng in Central Java; Seulewah Agam in Aceh; Talang and Marapi in West Sumatra; Anak Krakatau in Banten; and Kerinci in Jambi. Indonesia is among the world's most seismically active countries, situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin. The 19 volcanoes are among about 127 active volcanoes in Indonesia. Mt. Sinabung has been sporadically erupting since September. Though the alert level for the 19 volcanoes had been raised, Sutopo called on nearby residents not to panic. "Volcanoes erupt in stages, they won't suddenly erupt. Their activity can be categorized from normal to waspada [alert] to siaga [high alert] to awas [danger, the highest level]," he said on Monday.

Igloo

Southern Austria on highest avalanche alert after heavy snow

Heaviest snow in 15 years - At least two people killed.

Snow in Southern Austria
© Reuters
With more snow in the forecast, more than 1,000 soldiers have been put on standby for helicopter rescue operations.