Earth ChangesS


Arrow Down

World's banana supply at risk from increasing number of bugs and spread of fungal disease

William Turvill
The Daily Mail, UK
Tue, 17 Dec 2013 10:22 UTC
  • 'National emergency' declared in Costa Rica, one of the biggest suppliers
  • Country produces 1.2 million tons of bananas each year - one in five could be ruined by plagues of mealybugs and scale insects
  • Elsewhere, banana-eating fungus from Asia and Australia is spreading
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Costa Rica, one of the world's biggest suppliers of bananas, has declared a state of 'national emergency' following estimates suggesting one in five bananas could have been destroyed this year by insects
Plagues of insects and a spreading fungus are threatening the world's supply of bananas, researchers have warned.

A state of 'national emergency' has been declared in Costa Rica, one of the world's biggest suppliers, while separately a banana-eating fungus from Asia is believed to be spreading.

Officials in the Central American country of Costa Rica fear that one in five bananas could have been ruined by insects this year. The country last year supplied 1.2 million tons of the fruit worldwide.
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Extinguisher

California wildfire grows to 500 acres


Press TV
Tue, 17 Dec 2013 04:49 UTC
big sur wildfire
Big Sur fire burned at least 15 homes by Monday evening and forced dozens of others to evacuate.
A wildfire that broke out late Sunday night along the Big Sur coast, California, burned at least 15 homes by Monday evening and forced dozens of others to evacuate, fire officials said.

The 500-acre blaze, which started near Pfeiffer Ridge Road in the Los Padres National Forest, was fueled by strong winds and was not at all contained by nightfall Monday. But fire crews were hopeful that calmer conditions could help them make progress overnight.

"Right now, the winds have died down; they were really gusting overnight and this morning," said Los Padres National Forest spokesman Andrew Madsten on Monday afternoon. "Hopefully they will get some containment lines cut now."

Smoke could be seen as far away as Monterey Bay. No injuries have been reported, and fire officials said between 50 and 100 homes were evacuated by Monday evening. The Red Cross set up an evacuation center at the Big Sur Grange.
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Ice Cube

Best of the Web: How the global warming whopper is being buried under a jillion pounds of Arctic ice

Michael Bastasch
The Daily Caller
Mon, 16 Dec 2013 21:46 UTC
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It was only five years ago in December that Al Gore claimed that the polar ice caps would be completely melted by now. But he might be surprised to find out that Arctic ice coverage is up 50 percent this year from 2012 levels.

"Some of the models suggest that there is a 75 percent chance that the entire north polar ice cap, during some of the summer months, could be completely ice-free within the next five to seven years," Gore said in 2008.

The North Pole is still there, and growing. BBC News reports that data from Europe's Cryosat spacecraft shows that Arctic sea ice coverage was nearly 9,000 cubic kilometers (2,100 cubic miles) by the end of this year's melting season, up from about 6,000 cubic kilometers (1,400 cubic miles) during the same time last year.
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Snowflake Cold

Rare 'snow-nado' observed on Lake Superior, Minnesota

Maggie Koerth-Baker
Boing Boing
Mon, 16 Dec 2013 20:48 UTC
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© Andy MacDougal via Burlington, Vt., NWSWinter waterspout over Lake Champlain on Jan. 15, 2009.
According to the Weather Channel, there are only six known photographs of winter waterspouts in existence. Then, last week, Jordan Detters captured a good minute and a half of video, showing winter waterspouts dancing along the waves of Lake Superior near Knife River, Minnesota.


While water spouts are relatively common in warm months, producing one in the winter requires a pretty specific set of meteorological circumstances, writes Minnesota Public Radio's chief meteorologist Paul Huttner. Thus, the dearth of images. In fact, for one to form at all you need a temperature difference between the water and the air of 19 degrees C.
Winter waterspouts occur when meteorological conditions are just right. You need a bitter arctic air mass passing over relatively warm lake water, and just enough light, low level wind shear to get the rapidly rising air currents spinning nicely.

Saturday's contrast between bitter arctic air (air temp was about -7 degrees at Two Harbors nearby) and relatively warmer lake water (offshore surface water temps were around 40 degrees) create an "enhanced lapse rate" as temps cooled rapidly with height above the water. That produces rising air, and the lift needed to generate strong updrafts. Slight wind shear gets the air spinning, and small vortexes can form into waterspouts over the lake.
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2 + 2 = 4

Climate alarmists' search for proof going cold

Mark Landsbaum
Orange County Register
Fri, 13 Dec 2013 15:39 UTC
Art
© MCT Illustration

Recall global warming hysteria's halcyon days? Just 13 years ago, Dr. David Viner, senior scientist at Britain's University of East Anglia's climatic research unit, confidently predicted that, within a few years, winter snowfall will become "a very rare and exciting event."

"Children just aren't going to know what snow is," he said.

Of course, that doesn't mesh with what happened. This past October, the UK Express headlined, "Worst winter for decades: Record-breaking snow predicted for November."

By the end of November, Brits were shivering, "as Britain faces snow, ice and plummeting temperatures," reported the Mirror newspaper. "Most of Scotland has been issued severe weather warnings for ice, and temperatures are expected to remain low, causing problems with snow and ice across the country." Winter yet lay ahead.
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Stop

Etna's volcanic ash cloud forces flights shutdown in eastern Sicily


SFGate
Mon, 16 Dec 2013 20:20 UTC
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© Salvatore Allegra, APIn this Sunday, Dec. 15, 2013 filer, Mt. Etna volcano spews lava during an eruption near the Sicilian town of Catania, Italy. Ash fallout from Mount Etna's latest spectacular eruption has forced the closure of Catania's airport in eastern Sicily.The airport said it would remain closed at least until Monday evening. Several flight departures and arrivals were canceled, and at least two flights were diverted to Palermo's airport in the western part of the Mediterranean island. Etna is Europe's most active volcano. Its latest series of eruptions has lasted for weeks now, occasionally causing a change in flight routes. The eruption hasn't forced evacuation of the villages on the mountain's slopes. Its last major eruption occurred in 1992.
An ash cloud from Mount Etna's latest spectacular eruption has forced the closure of Catania's airport in eastern Sicily.

The airport said it would remain closed at least until Monday evening. Several flight departures and arrivals were canceled, and at least two flights were diverted to Palermo's airport in the western part of the Mediterranean island.

Etna is Europe's most active volcano. Its latest series of eruptions has lasted for weeks now, occasionally causing a change in flight routes. The eruption hasn't forced evacuation of the villages on the mountain's slopes. Its last major eruption occurred in 1992.

Source: AP
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Igloo

The Arctic's stunning single year recovery! BBC reports there's 50% more Arctic Sea ice VOLUME this year!

P Gosselin
NoTricksZone
Mon, 16 Dec 2013 15:00 UTC
Arctic sea ice thickness
© BBCArctic sea ice thickness - late Oct 2013.
If the oceans have eaten the heat, then it certainly isn't to be found in the Arctic Ocean - that's for sure!

The Beeb has surprised today in reporting that Arctic sea ice VOLUME grew a stunning 50%, from 6000 cubic kilometers to approx. 9000 cubic kilometers, from 2012 to 2013, this according to measurements made by the Cryosat probe of the European Space Agency.

Yet another argument of the warmists is melting away.
Data from Europe's Cryosat spacecraft suggests there were almost 9,000 cu km of ice at the end of this year's melt season. This is close to 50% more than in the corresponding period in 2012.
Are sea ice models next in line to be embarrassed?
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Cow Skull

50 head of cattle die from mysterious disease in one week in Matabeleland North, Zimbabwe.


bulawayo24.com
Sun, 15 Dec 2013 13:26 UTC
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UP to eight families in BH3, Jambezi in Hwange, lost more than 50 head of cattle last week to a yet-to-be identified disease in the latest mass animal deaths in Matabeleland North.

Chief Shana of Jambezi confirmed the mass cattle deaths and said about eight households had been affected.

"At the moment we don't know what is killing the cattle; we are waiting for the veterinary people to come back to us. So far they have not identified the disease because they are still conducting tests. What I can tell you is that a lot of families, about eight of them, lost their cattle to the disease," said Chief Shana.

Villagers said veterinary officials, who came and took samples which they sent to veterinary laboratories in Hwange for tests, fear that the cattle were wiped out by an infectious disease whose exact cause remains unknown.
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Cloud Precipitation

Tornado destroys 7 homes, damages 150 in central Florida

Kelley Kennedy
The Tampa Tribune
Sun, 15 Dec 2013 00:00 UTC
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© WFTV
Seven homes were destroyed and more than 150 damaged when a tornado struck a central Florida neighborhood Saturday, city officials said.

The National Weather Service said the tornado had winds as high as 110 miles per hour and was 25 to 75-yards wide.

Palm Coast city officials said 142 homes were partially damaged in the Indian Trails neighborhood and 22 homes had moderate damage. The damage was estimated at more than $5 million. No injuries were reported.

City officials released on Sunday several 911 calls from concerned residents. One woman said she was driving when the tornado knocked out her windshield and a side window. The frightened woman was unaware that a tornado had passed through and told the operator in a shaking voice that she had driven away from the storm to safety and was covered in glass. Another caller said the storm had knocked down two large oak trees in front of her house.
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Eagle

Eagle influx doubles this year at Goldstream Park, BC, Canada

Christine van Reeuwyk
Victoria News
Thu, 12 Dec 2013 12:40 UTC
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Eagles abound in Goldstream park now through, hopefully, the new year
The eagles have landed in droves at Goldstream Provincial Park.

"Every year we have the eagles that come after the salmon run but this year there seems to be more than previous years," said park naturalist Bre Robinson.

The flock has more than doubled from the 65 last year to 158 counted today (Dec. 12).

They scan the park with binoculars as a head count, but figure there's even more.
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