Earth ChangesS


Attention

Sperm whale found dead on Boca Raton beach, Florida


wsvn.com
Fri, 10 Jan 2014 10:46 UTC
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© Tania Rogers/WPTVA large dead whale was spotted Jan. 10, 2014 near the Boca Raton shore just south of Spanish River Boulevard.
Officials are investigating the death of a young sperm whale after discovering the dead animal on a South Florida Beach, Friday morning.

According to officials, the 30-foot female whale was found ashore, just south of Lifeguard Post 18, at Spanish River Park in Boca Raton at around 9 a.m.

The whale was found following reports of a shark feeding frenzy about a mile off shore. However, officials said, the whale was beached within an hour-and-a-half, due to strong wind currents. They also said the animal was partially decomposed, leading officials to believe it may have been dead for a while. "Sharks were already kind of around it, but because of the strong winds coming from the southeast here that hour-and-a-half it came from about a mile and washed up here in the shore," said Boca Raton Police spokesperson Mark Economou.

Once the whale was ashore, experts noticed it had been decomposing and might have been dead for up to five days. "We're all going to work together to find out why this animal died and use that information to help them as much as we can in the future," said NOAA standing coordinator Elizabeth Stratton.

The part of the beach where this occurred had been closed prior to the discovery of the whale due to dangerous rip currents. However, that did not keep people from coming to observe the beached whale. "It's terrible, it really is," said resident Dennis Forgione. "It's a shame to see this happen, but I still had to see it. I had to come down and see what was going on. I live nearby here, and I heard about it."

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Meteor

From polar vortex to wildfires in one week! Fires break out across Oklahoma

Priscilla Luong
Fox25
Sun, 12 Jan 2014 18:35 UTC
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© UnknownWildfire burns over 1200 acres in Logan County, OK
Several outbuildings were destroyed in a large wildfire that swept through Logan County Sunday afternoon.

Oklahoma's Wildland Task Force was deployed as local fire crews battled flames than spanned across an estimated 1,200 acres near County Road 73 and Post Road.

Guthrie Fire Chief, Eric Harlow says more than 20 agencies assisted in the effort to bring flames under control. Two dozen homes were evacuated as a precautionary measure.

Harlow says strong winds caused hot spots from a Saturday fire in Logan County to flare up into a massive fire around noon Sunday.

Clouds of smoke could be seen from miles away, strong winds gusting more than 30 miles per hour swept the fire within five feet of Ralph Hanley's home.

"We came out here and all this here had been burned off," said Hanley, pointing to his backyard, "our neighbors had come over and fought the fire to keep it away from the house."

Comment: First fireballs, then an eruption of wildfires... Coincidence?

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Attention

Sperm whale body stuns, draws crowd in Uruguay


newsdaily.com
Sun, 12 Jan 2014 09:54 UTC
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© AFP A municipal worker talks on a mobile phone next to a whale on Jan 12, 2014 as its body is being removed from the water a day after appearing at the shore of Carrasco beach in Montevideo, Uruguay. Authorities in Uruguay on Sunday recovered the body of a 16-meter sperm whale, normally at home in deep waters, after it beached near the capital.
Authorities in Uruguay on Sunday recovered the body of a 16-meter sperm whale, normally at home in deep waters, after it beached near the capital.

Using a crane, the authorities moved the animal from the shallow waters onto the beach off Carrasco, an upscale town just next to Montevideo.

"The body will remain on the beach until Monday," said navy spokesman Gaston Jaunsolo.

Traffic tied up in the area as curious locals stopped to watch and catch a glimpse of the unusual sight.

"I don't ever recall another sighting of a sperm whale here; they are from very deep waters," Rodrigo Garcia, from the whale protection organization, said of the adult male that apparently beached on Saturday.

Authorities were expected to investigate the cause of death.

Garcia said that the animal did not appear to have any apparent external injuries, and that like dolphins they are highly sensitive to sound.

Source: Agence France Presse
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Attention

Dead sperm whale washes up on Edinburgh beach, Scotland


metro.co.uk
Sat, 11 Jan 2014 09:46 UTC
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© AP Photo/PA, Andrew MilliganA marine rescue worker photographs a sperm whale that washed up on Portobello beach in Edinburgh, Scotland
The dead body of a huge sperm whale has washed up on a beach near Edinburgh - capturing the attention of the local public.

Pictures showed the young whale in shallow waters off Portobello beach on the outskirts of the Scottish capital.

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© Andrew Milligan/PA WireMembers of the public look at the dead sperm whale that washed ashore near Portobello beach, Edinburgh
Scottish Animal Welfare (SAW) had been called in the early hours of this morning to the beach near the Rockville hotel in Joppa.

'On arrival it was clear life was extinct, so there was no need to mount a rescue operation,' explained SAW Chief Superintendent David Drummond.
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Red Flag

US 'superweeds' epidemic shines spotlight on GMOs

Veronique Dupont
newsdaily.com
Mon, 13 Jan 2014 09:25 UTC
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The United States is facing an epidemic of herbicide-resistant "superweeds" that some activists and researchers are blaming on GMOs
The United States is facing an epidemic of herbicide-resistant "superweeds" that some activists and researchers are blaming on GMOs, an accusation rejected by industry giants.

According to a recent study, the situation is such that American farmers are "heading for a crisis."

Many scientists blame overuse of herbicides, prompted by seeds genetically modified to resist them.

"In parts of the country, weeds resistant to the world's most popular herbicide, glyphosate, now grow in the vast majority of soybean, cotton, and corn fields," many of which were planted with seeds resistant to the weedkiller, said the study published in the journal Science in September.

Earlier this month, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it was considering the release of new genetically-engineered seeds that are resistant to multiple herbicides.

But "weeds that can shrug off multiple other herbicides are also on the rise," the study said.
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Windsock

Cyclone Ian brings widespread destruction to Tonga's central and northern islands

Dominique Schwartz
Australia Network News
Sun, 12 Jan 2014 17:08 UTC
cyclone Ian tonga
© Twitter: @ProudTongansPower lines down on Hala Holopeka, one of the main roads on the eastern side of Ha'apai.
Officials in Tonga have confirmed the first death from Severe Tropical Cyclone Ian as reports come in of widespread destruction on islands in the country's centre and north.

The full extent of damage is still unclear as the storm, now downgraded to category three, moves away from Tonga and out into the open ocean.

The huge storm, described as the worst to hit Tonga in decades, slammed into the northern islands on Saturday before moving on to the main island overnight.

Houses have been flattened, roofs blown away and trees and power lines brought down.
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Sun

Solar cycle 24 remains the weakest in 170 years... Svaalgard: "None of us alive have ever seen such a weak cycle"

P Gosselin
NoTricksZone
Sun, 12 Jan 2014 15:28 UTC
What implications could a low-activity sun have on earth? Fritz Vahrenholt's and Frank Bosse's latest solar report.

The Sun in December 2013: Coming Back To Life

By Frank Bosse and Fritz Vahrenholt
(Translated and edited by P Gosselin)

For solar observers there was quite a bit of activity last month, namely sunspots, and not too few of them. Activity even reached 84% of the mean value calculated from cycles 1-23. With an official SSN (sunspot number) of 90.3 the sun reached a second peak in December 2013, see the following chart:
Solar Cycle24_1
© NoTricksZoneFigure 1: Comparison of solar cycle 24 activity to the mean value of the previously observed cycles and to that of solar cycle 5.
As far as sunspot activity is concerned, the peak was comparable to what we observed 25 months ago (November 2011), but this time most activity occurring in the sun's southern hemisphere: 82%. In the sun's first cycle 24 outbreak, most of the activity happened in the northern hemisphere.
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Sherlock

State stepping in to investigate donkey deaths

Troy Washington
WALB
Fri, 10 Jan 2014 14:41 UTC
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© WALB
We now know that two other donkeys mysteriously died in Grady County recently, and now the Georgia Department of Agriculture plans to step into the investigation.

"We just don't know why," said owner Michelle Hudson

Michelle Hudson is hurt and confused after finding two of her pet donkeys dead on their property on New Year's Day.

"Marley we found just laying dead right over there on New Year's Day and then yesterday morning, I found Chester right down there, one they're healthy running around doing there normal little thing and then I find them laying dead," said donkey owner Butch Hudson.

While the scenario is different these aren't the first donkeys to be found dead in the area.
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Cloud Grey

Polar vortex over U.S. brings abnormally mild weather to Scandinavia

Jessica Aldred
The Guardian
Fri, 10 Jan 2014 12:52 UTC
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© Sylwia Domaradzka/Barcroft MediaRainy weather in Finland is said to have brought many bears out of hibernation early.
The freezing polar vortex that has gripped the US has extended an abnormally mild winter in Scandinavia and disrupted the seasonal patterns of flora and fauna. The weather system that brought snow, ice and record low temperatures to many parts of the United States this week left Iceland, Greenland and Scandinavia much warmer than normal.

On the back of a generally mild winter, there have been reports of bears emerging early from hibernation in Finland, changes in the behaviour of migratory birds off the coast of Sweden and plants appearing earlier than normal in Norway. Scandinavia and Russia's cold weather during the winter comes from a high-pressure system that keeps warmer, more humid air and low-pressure systems with wind and rain from coming up from the Atlantic Ocean.

The weakening of the jetstream that holds this in place has allowed cold air to spill further south into much of the United States and Canada, while bringing above-average temperatures to parts of Europe.
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Snowflake Cold

Heavy snowfall cripples life in hills in Nepal


myrepublica.com
Sun, 12 Jan 2014 11:11 UTC
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Heavy snowfall has crippled normal life across the hills of the far-western and mid-western regions. Bhim Dutta Highway, the only motorway to reach the hills of the far-western region, has been blocked by snowfall since Friday night. Hundreds of buses, trucks and other vehicles are now stranded on the highway. As snowfall continues, the highway is unlikely to be cleared any time soon.

"We are unable to clear the highway as it is still snowing," said Keshav Bohara, inspector at the District Police Office (DPO) of Dadeldhura. "We will start clearing the highway only when it stops snowing." Heaps of snow can be seen in Saukharka and Hugulte areas of the highway; and vehicles are now trapped between these two places. There is no way out for them as long as it keeps snowing in the hilly region.
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