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Mysterious dolphin death rate 7 times higher than normal

John Del Signore
Gothamist
Tue, 13 Aug 2013 16:12 UTC
Image
© Marine Mammal Stranding Center
Bottlenose dolphins are washing up on mid-Atlantic beaches in staggering numbers this summer. In response, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has declared an "unusual mortality event," and researchers say the death rate is seven times higher than normal for the East Coast in July.

"This is the highest number that we have had for this time of year since 1987," Susan Barco, research coordinator for the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center told USA Today. And what happened in '87? Morbillivirus, a virus related to measles, killed over 740 dolphins along the East Coast in a three month span. According to the Press of Atlantic City, four of the 28 dolphins that washed up in New Jersey last month had the morbillivirus, with lab tests pending for the rest of the carcasses.

"The minute (the dolphins) started coming in, there were similarities (to the 1987 outbreak)," Bob Schoelkopf, founding director of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine, told the Press of Atlantic City. The huge number of strandings has put an enormous financial strain on groups like his that lack institutional backing, but the NOAA's declaration of an "unusual mortality event" will direct some federal funding to the Center.
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Bizarro Earth

USGS: Earthquake Magnitude 6.6 - WSW of Mutis, Colombia


US Geological Survey
Tue, 13 Aug 2013 16:18 UTC
Mutis Quake_130813
© USGS
Event Time
2013-08-13 15:43:14 UTC
2013-08-13 10:43:14 UTC-05:00 at epicenter

Location
5.757°N 78.200°W depth=10.0km (6.2mi)

Nearby Cities
102km (63mi) WSW of Mutis, Colombia
170km (106mi) W of Quibdo, Colombia
180km (112mi) WNW of Istmina, Colombia
189km (117mi) WNW of Tado, Colombia
386km (240mi) SSE of Panama, Panama

Technical Details
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Ice Cube

Greenland ice sheet is melting but much of the heating is coming from inside the earth

Ellie Zolfagharifard
The Daily Mail, UK
Mon, 12 Aug 2013 09:54 UTC
Study suggests melting in an area is due to composition of Earth's mantle

The IceGeoHeat team claims they produced more accurate forecasts by adding their new findings to earlier models on climate change

Ice in Greenland is melting partly because of heat from the Earth's mantle, according to a team of international researchers.

The group claims that they are the first to find a connection between melting of the Greenland ice sheet and the high heat flow from the Earth's mantle.

The findings, they suggest, could have implications for future predictions on climate change and the reasons behind ice melt in the region.

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In total, the Greeland ice sheet contains an amount of ice that would lead to a rise of global sea level by more than seven metres, if completely melted
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Health

River otter attacks woman swimmer in British Columbia lake


cbc.ca
Tue, 13 Aug 2013 10:03 UTC
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© Theresa Weltzin'I think the first bite was down here on my left calf because it's the biggest chunk,' says Theresa Weltzin.
A B.C. woman says she was viciously attacked by a river otter while swimming in one of the province's lakes earlier this month.

Theresa Weltzin was on a family vacation at a cabin on Greeny Lake, in B.C.'s South Cariboo region, more than 200 kilometres northwest of Kamloops, when she encountered the otter.

During a swim on Aug.1, Weltzin made it halfway across the lake when she spotted an otter coming her way.

"I stop and watch and wonder, and then it goes below surface probably about 10 feet away, and then it bites me and I scream," Weltzin told CBC News.

"I think the first bite was down here on my left calf, because it's the biggest chunk."

The otter bit Weltzin a total of nine times.
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Cloud Lightning

Lightning sparks massive fire at refinery in Venezuela


RT
Mon, 12 Aug 2013 09:25 UTC

Partial view of the refinery of Guaraguao after a fire broke when a lightning struck a treatment pond, in Puerto la Cruz, state of Anzoategui, 220 km east of Caracas, on August 11, 2013. (AFP Photo / Jose Manuel Rondon)

A huge pillar of black smoke enveloped the Venezuelan town of Puerto La Cruz on Sunday after a bolt of lightning set fire to one of the country's largest oil refineries, prompting residents to evacuate the immediate area.

Firefighters battling the blaze in heavy rain managed to extinguish the fire, according to vice-president of Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA, Asdrubal Chavez.

He congratulated fire crews for their "sustained effort which allowed us to control this important fire in record time."

"There has been no loss of life nor injuries," said Information Minister Delcy Rodriguez, adding that the evacuation of the area around the refinery was merely a precaution.

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Bizarro Earth

Massive sinkhole causes Disney-area resort villa to partially collapse


New York Post
Mon, 12 Aug 2013 10:18 UTC
Sinkhole
© AP Photo/WFTV/Myrt PricePolice officers look on a hotel building after its foundation cracked in Clermont, Fla. Monday.
Clermont, Florida. - A sinkhole caused a section of a central Florida resort villa to partially collapse early Monday, while another section of the villa was sinking, authorities said.

About 30 percent of the three-story structure collapsed around 3 a.m. Monday, Lake County Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Tony Cuellar said. The villa at the Summer Bay Resort had already been evacuated and no injuries were reported. Cuellar said authorities were also concerned about another section of the villa, which was sinking.

The sinkhole comes five months after one elsewhere in Florida killed a man.

Monday's sinkhole, which is in the middle of the villa, is about 40 to 50 feet in diameter, Cuellar said. He said authorities think it was getting deeper but couldn't tell early Monday if it was growing outward.

The villa houses 24 units and about 20 people were staying in it at the time, Cuellar said.
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Hardhat

Aggressive seagull attacks are at highest for a decade in UK


The Cornishman
Mon, 12 Aug 2013 10:30 UTC
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RSPB says seagull complaints are at highest for a decade
Aggressive seagull attacks are on the rise all over the duchy and people are taking extreme approaches to deal with them.

Seagull attacks are at their highest in a decade, according to the RSPB, the charity which helps provide a healthy environment for birds.

From tales of shocking horror as seagulls are lured to their deaths under the wheels of passing cars, to fed up postmen abandoning their delivery rounds for fear of being dive-bombed, it seems seagulls are causing quite a stir across Cornwall.

The RSPB could not say why there are more complaints coming out of Cornwall this year than previously. But it says seagulls generally become more aggressive when nesting.
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Bizarro Earth

USGS: Earthqquake Magnitude 6.1 - 90km WSW of Paita, Peru


US Geological Survey
Mon, 12 Aug 2013 10:32 UTC
Image
© USGS
Event Time:
2013-08-12 09:49:32 UTC
2013-08-12 04:49:32 UTC-05:00 at epicenter

Location:
5.384°S 81.873°W depth=10.0km (6.2mi)

Nearby Cities:
90km (56mi) WSW of Paita, Peru
97km (60mi) WSW of Salinera Colan, Peru
111km (69mi) SW of Talara, Peru
118km (73mi) W of Sechura, Peru
680km (423mi) SSW of Quito, Ecuador

Technical Data
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Cloud Precipitation

Philippines hit by year's strongest typhoon; 1 dead, 20 missing


The Extinction Protocol
Mon, 12 Aug 2013 09:45 UTC
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The most powerful typhoon to hit the Philippines this year triggered landslides and floods on Monday, disrupting power and communication links to leave one man dead and 13 fishermen missing, weather and disaster officials said. Typhoon Utor, packing winds of 150 km per hour (93 mph) near its center and gusts of up to 185 kmph, regained strength as it moved out of northern Luzon island towards the South China Sea, headed west-northwest at 19 kmph, the officials said. The coastal town of Casiguran in Aurora province, 343 km northeast of the capital Manila, suffered the worst damage, after the typhoon set off landslides that blocked its only access road.

"About 90 percent of our agriculture was destroyed or damaged, particularly rice and corn crops and coconut plantations," Aurora governor Gerardo Noveras told ANC television, adding that the full extent of damage was still unknown. "We have restored power and communications in some towns, and we're ready to deliver relief goods to affected families." But Casiguran and another coastal town were still isolated, he said. Television showed images of devastation ranging from uprooted trees and fallen lamp-posts to tangled power lines and flattened houses. Most mountain roads were blocked by boulders and loosened soil. By Tuesday, the typhoon, the twelfth tropical cyclone this year, will have crossed Philippine borders and head for southern China, officials said.
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Attention

Elephants take revenge after herd member struck by train in India

Kristen Butler
upi.com
Fri, 09 Aug 2013 09:08 UTC
Elephants take revenge after herd member struck by train, hold vigil, attack villages

Image
© Big DubyaA train runs through the forest

A group of 15 elephants in mourning for a herd member struck and killed by a train have reportedly taken out their anguish on nearby villages, damaging at least 10 homes and partially destroying a schoolhouse.

For the last several days, the elephants have remained near the location of the fatal train accident in an ongoing vigil near the village of Matari in eastern India, and the herd has halted several other trains passing through the area.

Villagers have been keeping all-night vigils themselves, in an effort to thwart the attacks and hold the elephants back with firecrackers, but so far villagers haven't been able to drive the herd away.

Wildlife activist D. S. Srivastava explained that elephants are intelligent, emotional and have been known to resort to revenge attacks against those they feel responsible for the death of their friend and family member -- in this case humans.
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