Earth ChangesS


Igloo

Prepare for decades of extreme cold

Robert Felix
IceAgeNow
Sun, 11 Aug 2013 16:38 UTC
"The Sun drives climate change, not mankind."
IceAge
© India Times
In a press release entitled "Cold Climate Preparation Requires US Academic Support," the Space and Science Research Corporation (SSRC) recently announced that it has launched a nationwide campaign to encourage the largest US academic institutions to become active participants in getting the US prepared for the next climate change, expected to be one of decades of extreme cold weather.

The campaign is to take the form of a letter being sent to the heads of major US universities and colleges, academic associations, science and environmental departments, media, and government leaders. Universities in the Washington, D.C. area will be the first to be notified. The letter has been composed by SSRC President, Mr. John L. Casey.

Mr. Casey (the press release says) is the leading climate researcher in the US advocating national and international preparedness for the coming cold climate era. His foundational research into cycles of the Sun completed in 2007, led him to the creation of the "Relational Cycle Theory" of global climate change and subsequently, the SSRC.

This theory establishes that the Sun drives climate change, not mankind and that repeating cycles of the Sun allow us to predict climate changes decades in advance.
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X

Gone with the water: Floods in Russia's east cause over $30 mn in damages


Russia Today
Sun, 11 Aug 2013 14:34 UTC
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© RIA Novosti/Belozerov IvanLocal people in a boat in the flood village of Vladimirovka in Amur Region.
Devastating floods that hit Russia's Far East as a result of heavy rains have caused at least one billion rubles (over US$32 million) in damages. Meanwhile, the water keeps rising in several regions.

For about three weeks now several regions in the Russian vast eastern part have been fighting with reportedly the worst floods in decades; a state of emergency has been declared in five of the regions.

About 3,500 people have evacuated from flooded areas in southern parts of the Amur Region, as the situation deteriorated dramatically, Emergencies Ministry said on Sunday. Over a thousand houses and 1,500 gardens in 28 settlements have been inundated, while 29 bridges and around 300km of roads have been closed for use.
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© RIA Novosti/Mikhail VoskresenskiyAreas flooded due to the overflowing of the Zeya River in the Mazanovo district, Amur Region.
More than 20,000 people and 1,200 pieces of machinery and equipment are engaged in fighting floods, authorities say.

The damage has already cost the country's economy over one billion rubles, but the final figure is expected to be bigger.
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Attention

Six killed in Indonesia volcano eruption

James Legge
The Independent, UK
Sat, 10 Aug 2013 12:31 UTC
Nearly 3,000 people have been evacuated on the remote island

Image
At least six people have died during a volcano eruption on a remote Indonesian island, which shot smoke and ash up to 2,000 metres into the air.

Those killed were sleeping on a beach on the island of Palue when Mount Rokatenda - which has been rumbling since October 2012 - erupted.

The country's National Disaster Mitigation Agency said the eruption occurred early this morning.

An agency spokesman said the victims included three adults and two children. The age of the sixth person killed was unclear and that the children's bodies had not been recovered from Ponge beach in Rokirole village.

Nearly 3,000 people have been evacuated from the area. the island is about 4km wide, and 1,250 miles east of the capital, Jakarta.

The archipelago nation, home to 240 million people, is prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity because it sits along the Pacific "Ring of Fire," a horseshoe-shaped series of fault lines.
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Cloud Lightning

Dramatic mudslide sweeps away hamlet in northern Japan after four inches of torrential rain falls in an hour leaving six dead

Emily Allen
The Daily Mail, UK
Sat, 10 Aug 2013 12:14 UTC
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Devastation: An aerial view shows the mudslide site at a hamlet where people are still missing, in Senboku, Akita prefecture, Japan. At least eight houses are believed to have been swept away by the floods which hit the area yesterday
These were the shocking scenes of devastation in northern Japan this morning after torrential rain sparked floods and a massive mudslide killing six people.

At least eight buildings were destroyed by one mudslide in Senboku, Akita prefecture, which was triggered when about four inches of rain fell in an hour yesterday - a local record.

The Japanese Meterological Agency has issued evacuation warnings to residents and it's understood that at least 300 people have been forced out of their homes.

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Cloud Precipitation

Freak hail the size of 'eggs' destroys crops in Bordeaux weeks after storms wrecked 90 per cent of Burgundy's vineyards

Suzannah Hills
The Daily Mail, UK
Sat, 10 Aug 2013 12:01 UTC
Severe hailstorms hit the Bordeaux region on August 2 completely destroying entire vineyards

Vineyards owners described the hail as being the size of 'pigeon's eggs'

Comes weeks after much of Burgundy's wine crop was destroyed by storms

Many wine-makers are now facing ruin as they have no grapes to make wine

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uined: Vineyards which were left seriously damaged after a summer hailstorm in Burgundy
Wine-makers in France are facing ruin after hail storms decimated vineyards in Bordeaux just a few weeks after summer storms destroyed up to 90 per cent of crops in Burgundy.

The torrential hail storm which struck on August 2 ravaged around 20,000 hectares of land in the region - leaving many vineyards completely barren.

Many wine-makers in the region have been left with no crops by freak hail the size of 'pigeon's eggs' while others have seen theirs severely reduced.

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Question

Rare Curlew bird found wandering around UK supermarket


swns.com
Mon, 05 Aug 2013 09:40 UTC
One of Britain's rarest birds stunned shoppers after it was found wandering around - a Lidl supermarket

The stone curlew was discovered "dazed and confused" in the shop many miles from the nearest habitat.

Stone curlews are a ground-nesting bird that were once common in upland areas of the West, but nearly died out because of modern farming methods.

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A wildlife expert releases a stone curlew to the wild – after it was found in a supermarket in Devizes, Wiltshire
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Question

Why is the USDA storing 700,000 vials of frozen sperm in Colorado?

Adam Clark
Gizmodo
Fri, 09 Aug 2013 14:40 UTC
Cow
© Flickr/AWorldTourer
When a drive through America's heartland showcases mile after mile of cow-filled field, it's easy to overlook the most sobering of all possibilities.

These wonderful delicious animals could all get wiped out one day, leaving the world burgerless and milk free. Don't worry. The USDA is on the case.

In Fort Collins, Colorado, there are currently some 700,000 "straws" of sperm from 18 different species of animals floating in liquid nitrogen in case some cataclysmic life-ending event happens.

And by life-ending we're talking less giant asteroid and more terrible plague of mad cow disease. (If the asteroid hit, we'd all be goners.)

The facility is part of the National Animal Germplasm Program and contains a vast array of different breeds, both common and rare. According to Modern Farmer magazine, it's possibly the largest semen repository in the world outside of China, whose collection remains a mystery to us.
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Bizarro Earth

Damage, injuries reported from flooding in Manitou Springs, Colorado

David Mitchell and Jeremy Hubbard
KDVR
Fri, 09 Aug 2013 16:15 UTC
Flooding in Manitou Springs, Colo. August 9, 2013
© KDVRFlooding in Manitou Springs, Colo. August 9, 2013
Heavy rain brought flooding, mudslides and damage to the Manitou Springs area Friday evening.

There were three people hurt and one unconfirmed report of a missing person according to the Manitou Springs police chief.

There was damage to homes and businesses along Canon Ave. Streets were closed in the Canon Avenue area and western Manitou Springs.

Police told people to stay away from the town Friday night.

The Waldo Canyon burn zone received about 1.5 inches of rain in a very short period of time.

The muddy floodwaters - swelling Fountain Creek out of its banks in downtown Manitou Springs Friday night.

Off in the distance - the patio of a restaurant - Adam's Mountain Cafe suffered major damage from the messy runoff.

Video posted to Facebook shows banged-up cars, covered in mud and debris, surrounded by the flash flood.

One picture showed a truck and an SUV tossed against each other by the raging water.
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Question

Halesowen residents driven to distraction by "mystery sound"


Halesowen News
Mon, 05 Aug 2013 19:49 UTC
Mystified residents in Halesowen are being driven to distraction by a loud banging noise every 30 minutes for 12 hours a day.

As well as annoying human residents around Manor Way the constant loud bangs are disturbing pets and wildlife throughout the day.

David Taylor contacted the Halesowen News after being unable to find out what was making the din which the police were unable to shed light on.

He said: "Residents who live close to Manor Way are being plagued by mysterious 'explosions' from 8am until 9.30pm every day.

"The sounds, which sound like gun fire, occur every 20-30 minutes for over 12 hours every day, and no one seems to know what causes them."

"In the hot weather, it means that residents in the Brier Mill Road, Chadbury Road and Cloister Drive area of Halesowen are unable to sit outside and enjoy the weather in peace and local pets and wildlife are also disturbed by the sounds."
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Camera

Rare sprite lightning discharge caught on camera


Geekquinox
Fri, 09 Aug 2013 16:28 UTC
Image
© Jason Ahrns
Have you ever seen a sprite?

I'm not talking about the mythological creature or the soft drink, now. I'm referring to rare flashes of lightning that happen high above storm clouds.

The normal kind of lightning that we see is usually inside storm clouds or between the clouds and the ground. Just like we talk about positive and negative charge when dealing with electricity, a lightning bolt can be positive or negative. When a rare positive lightning bolt arcs between the cloud and the ground, this discharge also sets off a sprite above the cloud.
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