Earth ChangesS


Bug

US: Stinky Kudzu Bug Invades South

Wynne Parry
Live Science
Wed, 13 Jul 2011 16:41 UTC
Kudzu Bug
© D. Suiter / Univ. GeorgiaKudzu bugs, which feed on the infamous vine, showed up in Georgia in 2009.
As if kudzu, the invasive "vine that ate the South," weren't trouble enough, one of its little friends from Asia has joined it in the United States.

The kudzu bug, known formally as Megacopta cribraria, is a type of stinkbug that feeds the kudzu vine in its native Asia. While the invading vine is its favorite meal, the bug also attacks soybeans, and as it spreads from Georgia to neighboring states, there are fears it will broaden its palate and target other legume crops, including peanuts.

Kudzu was brought to the East Coast more than a century ago to control erosion. Its quick growth wreaked havoc on the ecosystem: It smothers and strangles other plants, uproots trees and breaks branches with its weight. The bug appears to have hitched a ride by accident much more recently. Just how remains a mystery.
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Bizarro Earth

US: Supersize Dust Storms Could Become Southwest Norm

Brandon Keim
Wired Science
Tue, 12 Jul 2011 16:12 UTC
Phoenix Haboob
© Wired.com
The massive dust storm that engulfed Phoenix last week was unusual for the 20th century, but could become more common in the 21st.

The storm resulted from thunderstorm-cooled air plummeting into the ground like mist pouring from an open freezer, only exponentially more powerful. Combine those winds with extremely dry conditions, and the result was a wall of dust 100 miles wide and 5,000 feet high.

Dust storms are common in the U.S. southwest, but not storms this big. No formal records are kept, but meteorologists said it was the largest such storm in at least 30 years. It was on par with storms seen in China's Gobi desert and Australia. Some commentators invoked the apocalyptic storms of the 1930's Dust Bowl.
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Bizarro Earth

Typhoon Ma-on Poses New Threat to Japan

Jason Samenow
The Washington Post
Wed, 13 Jul 2011 14:00 UTC
Typhoon Ma-On
© Joint Typhoon Warning CenterSatellite image of Typhoon Ma-on at 10:00 a.m. ET.
Still in the midst of its long recovery from the earthquakes and tsunami of early March, Japan must now keep a watchful eye on typhoon Ma-on, rapidly intensifying in the western Pacific. The storm could impact the disaster-ravaged country early next week.

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) reports this morning that Ma-on, about 655 miles east-southeast of Iwo-Jima, has shown "steadily improving organization" over the past six hours, with convection "consolidating around the core" and the emergence of an eye.

The storm's current peak winds are 75 mph, equivalent to category 1 hurricane.

The storm is expected to remain within a tropical airmass with low wind shear and warm sea surface temperatures as it continues west through the northern Philippines Sea. Consequently, significant intensification is forecast over the next 72 hours, with peak winds predicted to reach 125 mph by Saturday morning, equivalent to a category 3 hurricane. JTWC cautions there is no reason to expect signficant weakening until the storm makes landfall.
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Bizarro Earth

Chile: Rare Snow in Atacama Desert


Earth Observatory, NASA
Wed, 13 Jul 2011 13:21 UTC
Atacama Desert_1
© MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFCAcquired - July 7, 2011
Atacama Desert_2
© MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFCAcquired - July 7, 2011
Ordinarily, the flashes of white in South America's Atacama Desert rise from salt pans. But on July 7, 2011, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra satellite acquired these images, the white came from a far rarer commodity: snow.

Starting on July 3 and lasting several days, a cold front dumped up to 80 centimeters of snow (32 inches) on the driest desert in the world, reported BBC News.

The images above show the largest snowfall the region has witnessed in a half-century. The top image provides a photo-like, natural color view of the snow. A few clouds hang over the white desert, marring the view slightly. The lower image, which includes both visible and infrared light, helps distinguish between snow and clouds. Snow is dark red, while clouds are lighter shades of orange and white.
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Snowman

Thousands Stranded by Worst Snows in Bolivia for 20 Years

Robin Yapp
The Telegraph, UK
Tue, 12 Jul 2011 11:56 UTC
snow to the capital La Paz
© EPAA cold snap that brought fog and snow to the capital La Paz at the start of this month killed at least 35 people
Thousands of people have been left stranded by the worst snow storms in Bolivia for 20 years.

President Evo Morales was reported to be considering declaring a state of emergency in the region of Potosi to mobilise the army and national guard.

Some 7,000 people belonging to farming families are in need of help in the region, according to officials.

More than 40,000 llamas and alpacas are also without food and farmers have lost their crops under a thick blanket of snow.

The snow has hit the remote highlands of Potosi, which lies in the south-west of the country and generally remains dry.
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Bizarro Earth

Costa Rica: 5.3 Earthquake in Upala Alajuela


Costa Rica News
Wed, 13 Jul 2011 11:48 UTC
earthquake damage
© n/a
Today at approximately 2:11pm in the afternoon, Upala was rattled by a 5.3 magnitude earthquake that shook products off store shelves and rattled off home furnishings. No immediate damages were reported however later in the afternoon something strange was discovered as a result.

While reporting on the earthquake in Upala today, a local news station discovered that a district near the epicenter was missing a river. That's right...A RIVER.

Apparently in the moments following the earthquake, a community stood watch as their river disappeared in to the Earth. As of this writing it is still unknown exactly which community this occurred in however once we have the name we will update this article. The affected citizens were interviewed and expressed concern for the loss of this substantial water supply to the area. Not only will this affect humans but also the livestock raised in the area.

Additionally there was also a 4.8 earthquake registered in Guanacaste near Santa Rosa de Bagaces today.
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Cloud Lightning

Heavy rains strike north of Sweden


The Local
Tue, 12 Jul 2011 10:38 UTC
Image
© Per Eriksson/Scanpix
On Tuesday torrential rain flooded many roads in Sundsvall on the eastern coast of Sweden, a major power outage in the area was caused by the ensuing thunderstorms and a man in his sixties was taken to hospital after being struck by lightning.

Emergency services in Sundsvall are now putting all their efforts into draining the infrastructure. Head of local emergency services, Mats Granat, is counting on being busy all night - if the weather clears.

"If the rains continue we'll be working much longer," he told news agency TT.

So far the water level hasn't risen enough to pose a threat to the general public, according to Granat.
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Bizarro Earth

China: New oil spill in Bohai Bay, the third since June

Zhou Yan and Wang Qian
China Daily
Wed, 13 Jul 2011 10:11 UTC
china,oil spill
© CFPA screen grab from China’s Central Television (CCTV) on July 6, 2011, shows the devastation caused by the oil spill at the Penglai 19-3 oil field in Bohai Bay off China's eastern coast.

Beijing - A new oil leak was reported in northern China's Bohai Bay, the third since June.

The leak occurred at the Suizhong 36-1 oilfield at 1:30 am on Tuesday due to a malfunction at the central control system, China National Offshore Oil Corp Ltd (CNOOC), the field's operator, said in a statement.

Technicians managed to seal the leak, which covered one square kilometer. Mats and chemicals were used to disperse the sheen which was likely to be cleaned up by Tuesday evening, the company said.
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Cloud Lightning

Canada: Heavy rain causes flooding in Eckville, Alberta


CBC News
Tue, 12 Jul 2011 10:02 UTC
Image
© CBCFlooding was caused by heavy rain that fell over the area Monday.
Heavy rains in central Alberta caused flooding in the town of Eckville Monday.

"People are just kind of dumbstruck," resident Sharon Walker said. "We have had washouts of roads. Some people have got 10 to 14 inches of water in their basements ... we've never seen anything like it."

Signs of flooding were everywhere Tuesday. Belongings from water-filled basements were out on lawns and there was a sinkhole on the side of a busy road.
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Cloud Lightning

U.S.: Heavy Rain Hits Metro Area, Northeast Colorado

Wayne Harrison
TheDenverChannel.com
Tue, 12 Jul 2011 09:54 UTC
Image
Denver-- Torrential rain hit the Denver metro area Tuesday night, flooding streets and some buildings and prompting calls for water rescues.

There were numerous reports of cars stalled in high water, with people on the roofs of their cars, requiring rescue.

The monsoon moisture moved from the southwest to northeast across the metro area, pounding the downtown area starting just after 9 p.m.
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