Earth ChangesS


Bizarro Earth

Earthquakes are increasing in northern India: scientists warn large earthquake long over-due

In last few years, Himachal Pradesh (HP) is witnessing increased frequency of earthquakes up to 5 magnitude on the Richter scale, which has led to the fear of bigger quakes hitting the state in future. While experts are claiming low intensity quakes release seismic energy to avoid bigger earthquakes, unplanned constructions, even on steep hills, has led to fear of widespread destruction if a high magnitude earthquake hits the state. In the past 90 years, 250 quakes of magnitude 4 and more than 60 with a reading of 5 on the Richter scale have rocked HP and adjoining states of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and Uttarakhand. On Tuesday, a low intensity earthquake of magnitude 5 had hit Kullu, Chamba and Lahaul-Spiti districts and its epicenter was between J&K and HP.

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Last month, between June 4 and 6, four low intensity earthquakes had hit the state and epicenter of all the quakes was between Chamba and Lahaul-Spiti. The areas falling in districts Chamba, Kangra, Mandi, Kullu, Hamirpur and Bilaspur are very sensitive as they fall in the very high damage risk seismic zone (Zone V), whereas the rest of the areas falls in high damage risk zone (Zone IV). According to D D Sharma of Himachal Pradesh University, frequent occurrences of low intensity earthquakes are good because they help in releasing the seismic energy and does not allow accumulation of energy, which later results in earthquakes of bigger magnitude and intensity. "It is said that a big earthquake revisits after a gap of 50 years and in Kangra district for last 110 years no major earthquake has occurred.

Bizarro Earth

Floods top 2013 world disaster bill so far

Floods that caused billions of dollars in losses were the world's most expensive natural disasters so far this year, with central Europe being hit hardest, re-insurers Munich Re said on Tuesday. Altogether, natural catastrophes - also including earthquakes, tornadoes and heat waves - caused $45 billion in losses in the first half of 2013, well below the 10-year average of $85 billion. Insured losses worldwide totaled about $13 billion, said Munich Re. Inland flooding that affected parts of Europe, Asia, Canada and Australia caused about 47 percent of overall global losses and 45 percent of insured losses, said the leading reinsurance company based in Munich, Germany. The deadliest disaster out of 460 recorded "natural hazard events" worldwide was a series of flash floods in northern India and Nepal that killed more than 1,000 people in June after early and exceptionally heavy monsoon rains.
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By far the most expensive natural disaster was the river flooding that hit southern and eastern Germany and neighboring countries in May and June, causing more than $16 billion in damage, most of it in Germany. "The frequency of flood events in Germany and central Europe has increased by a factor of two since 1980," said Munich Re board member Torsten Jeworrek. In some places, 400 liters of rain per square meter fell within a few days. With the ground already saturated from the rainiest spring in half a century, this led to rapid swelling of the Danube and Elbe river systems. Peter Hoeppe, head of Munich Re's Geo Risks Research unit, said in a statement that "it is evident that days with weather conditions that lead to such flooding are becoming more frequent."

Fish

Legacy mercury levels in fish, environment will persist for centuries

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© Thinkstock.com
Significant reductions in mercury emissions will be necessary just to stabilize current levels of the toxic element in the environment, according to new research from a team led by Harvard University.

Surface reservoirs, such as soil, air and water, hold an enormous amount of mercury from past pollution going back thousands of years. Scientists believe it will continue to persist in the ocean and accumulate in fish for decades to centuries.

"It's easier said than done, but we're advocating for aggressive reductions, and sooner rather than later," says Helen Amos, a PhD candidate in Earth and Planetary Sciences at the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. The findings of this study were published in a recent issue of Global Biogeochemical Cycles.

Amos worked with a team of researchers from the the Atmospheric Chemistry Modeling Group at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) to collect historical data concerning mercury emissions as far back as 2,000 BC. The team has also been building environmental models of mercury cycling that captures the interactions between the atmosphere, oceans and land.

Most of the mercury emitted to the environment ends up in the ocean within a few decades, the model reveals. The mercury remains in the ocean from centuries to millennia. Currently, emissions of mercury are mainly from coal-fired power plants and artisanal gold mining. The mercury is thrown into the air, rained down into lakes, absorbed by the soil and carried by rivers, eventually finding its way to the sea. Once there, aquatic microbes convert it to methylmercury, the organic compound that accumulates in fish, finds its way to our dinner plates, and has been associated with neurological and cardiovascular damage.

Arrow Down

Unusually cold spring causing bat declines in Britain

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© Thinkstock.com
Because of an unusually cold spring and an insect shortage this summer, conservationists are concerned bat numbers could continue to suffer this year. Based on the latest figures from Britain's National Bat Monitoring Programme (NBMP), the annual bat breeding season got off to a slow start due to unseasonable weather earlier this year.

Dr. Kate Barlow, Head of Monitoring at the Bat Conservation Trust, said, "After 2 years of long, wet, winters and a particularly late and cold start to summer this year, the outlook isn't too promising for our bats. The most recent results from the National Bat Monitoring Programme showed that there were fewer bats were counted in 2012 than in 2011 for most species monitored."

Dr. Barlow added that 2013 saw the coldest March in 50 years and summer got off to such a late start many of the species are struggling. "This year Britain's bats need all the help they get," she said.

Further adding to the bat recovery struggle is the fact that winged insect numbers are also down. So on top of a cold spring and delayed summer, several species may face shortages in food supply, especially those that rely on moths, according to a National Trust report released last month.

Question

'Strange sky sounds' heard in Curitiba Brazil, Mississauga Canada and Clearwater Florida on 9 July 2013

In this post you get a compilation of these weird noises from the sky that we were used to listen in 2012 just before the Maya calender ended! Are they back now?
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Strange Sounds from the sky in Curitiba Brazil - July 9 2013

The recorder of the video had always a foot back from videos of strange sounds coming from the sky as they seemed to be haoxes. This until he witnesses the phenomenon on July 9 2013. The metallic echoeing and rumbling noise started around 3 am and lasted intermittently for approximately one hour. At the beginning, it sound very similar to a bell. He has never listened to something like this since he is around (lots of years). Sometimes, the sound was very loud and scary, without any specific direction, but coming from above, from the sky. The sky is very frightning, is terrible!


Cloud Precipitation

Has Atlanta ever seen so much rain?

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Thanks to an especially wet Fourth of July, rain has remained a topic of conversation in the Atlanta area, where we don't seem to be getting a break. But there's always a question of perception vs. truth when it comes to weather. Has it really rained as much as it has seemed here?

In the case of 2013 weather, the truth is this: It has rained in near record volumes in the metro Atlanta area, according to the National Weather Service. We had more rain through July 8 this year than we had in all of 2012. Same is true for all of 2011.

Let's look at the stats, courtesy of Keith Stellman, meteorologist in charge at the Peachtree City-based weather service. Atlanta is on pace to have its wettest year ever. These records, by the way, extend back to 1879. Through July 8, the official site at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport recorded 41.28 inches of rain. At that pace, Atlanta would reach 79.72 inches by December 31, eclipsing the highest marks to date -- 71.18 in 1948 and 69.43 in 2009. The 2009 year was pushed by a "once in 500 years flood" that crippled the city for a week in September.

But of course, that's only pace and assumes rain at the same frequency and volume, which may be unlikely. Because the pace and volume have indeed been extraordinary.

"If we simply get average rainfall the remainder of the year and no more rain in July, we will get into the top 10 wettest years on record with 61 inches of rain," said Stellman. In addition, there are only seven years on record that have had more rain through July than we have had in Atlanta, and that's with 2013 records only through July 8.

Extinguisher

Electrical storm causes fire in Almeria province, Spain

electrical storm almeria
A violent electrical storm was the cause of a bush fire this morning in the province of Almeria. Fire planes have been working since dawn to extinguish six points of fire that are still burning being fanned by strong winds in the area.

The zone affected is scrubland with little vegetation and quite a distance from the nearest populated area in the Huercal-Overa region.

Javier Madrid who is co-ordinating the work by INFOCA said that there was no risk to homes or people but that some families had been evacuated as a safety precaution.

According to the authorities, last night's storm caused over 2,000 lightening strikes which set off three major fires in Turre, Mojacar and Huercal Overa.

Bizarro Earth

Toronto mops up after record-breaking storm

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Toronto-area residents mopped up Tuesday after a record-breaking storm and driving wind caused flash floods which set cars afloat, stranded rail commuters and caused widespread power outages in Canada's largest city.

"It is really, probably the most intense, wettest moment in Toronto's history," Environment Canada senior climatologist David Philips said.

Phillips said two separate storm cells moved over the city at the same time, and then stalled over Toronto for hours.

"It's almost like Toronto was a target with a bull's eye," he said.

Pearson International Airport reported 12.6 centimeters (4.96 inches) of rain throughout Monday, breaking the previous single-day rainfall record for the city set back on Oct. 15, 1954, when Hurricane Hazel dumped 121 millimeters (4.76 inches) of rain.

Gallery

Bizarro Earth

Mudslide in western China buries about 30

Flooding in western China, the worst in 50 years for some areas, triggered a landslide Wednesday that buried about 30 people, trapped hundreds in a highway tunnel and destroyed a high-profile memorial to a devastating 2008 earthquake.
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Torrential rains pummel China's Sichuan Province, causing flooding that has swept away homes and bridges.
Meanwhile, to the northeast, at least 12 workers were killed when a violent rainstorm caused the collapse of an unfinished coal mine workshop they were building, said a statement from the city government of Jinzhong, where the accident occurred. The accident Tuesday night came amid heavy rain and high winds across a swath of northern China, including the capital, Beijing.

There was no immediate word on the chances of survival for the 30 or so people buried in the landslide in the city of Dujiangyan in Sichuan province, but rescue workers with search dogs rushed to the area, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

State-run China Central Television said hundreds of people were trapped in a highway tunnel between Dujiangyan and Wenchuan - the epicenter of the earthquake five years ago that left 90,000 people dead or missing. Authorities were not able to make contact with the people, the report said.

Cloud Lightning

Waterspout forms over Florida bay - Video

A large waterspout has come ashore over the coastline of Oldsmar in Florida, to the amazement of onlookers who captured the phenomenon on video.

Residents of the Tampa Bay area of Florida were amazed to see a huge column of water hovering over their homes on Monday.

The waterspout came over the coastline of Oldsmar before hitting land and becoming a tornado.

Cleanup crews worked quickly and, by Tuesday afternoon the only signs of damage were an uprooted mailbox, and knocked down tree branches. No injuries were reported.

"I was so excited, I just wanted to see this thing," said David Necker, who recorded video on his mobile phone before and after driving away from his house in case the waterspout caused significant damage. "I couldn't believe it. Fifteen years living here, and it's the first time I've ever seen anything so incredible."

Abram Carawan was also mesmerised by the sight and posted this video clip of it on YouTube.

The National Weather Service has confirmed that isolated thunderstorms in the Tampa Bay area produced the waterspout. Generally, waterspouts are tornados that occur over water in which a continuous vortex, sometimes hundreds of metres high, extends from a cloud to the water surface.