Earth ChangesS


Eye 2

US, Florida: Pythons Apparently Wiping Out Everglades Mammals

Matt Sedensky
The Associated Press
Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:36 UTC
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© The Associated Press/National Park Service/Lori OberhoferA Burmese python is wrapped around an American alligator in Everglades National Park, Fla.
A burgeoning population of huge pythons - many of them pets that were turned loose by their owners when they got too big - appears to be wiping out large numbers of raccoons, opossums, bobcats and other mammals in the Everglades, a study says.

The study, published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that sightings of medium-size mammals are down dramatically - as much as 99 percent, in some cases - in areas where pythons and other large, non-native constrictor snakes are known to be lurking.

Scientists fear the pythons could disrupt the food chain and upset the Everglades' environmental balance in ways difficult to predict.

"The effects of declining mammal populations on the overall Everglades ecosystem, which extends well beyond the national park boundaries, are likely profound," said John Willson, a research scientist at Virginia Tech University and co-author of the study.

Tens of thousands of Burmese pythons, which are native to Southeast Asia, are believed to be living in the Everglades, where they thrive in the warm, humid climate. While many were apparently released by their owners, others may have escaped from pet shops during Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and have been reproducing ever since.
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Igloo

Severe Cold Snap, Heavy Snow Kills at Least 36 People in Eastern Europe, 2 More Missing

Jovana Gec
The Associated Press
Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00 UTC
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© The Associated Press/The Canadian Press/Selcan HacaogluA couple walks on a snow covered road near the Lake of Eymir, Ankara, Turkey, on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. Winter temperatures and recent snowfall has partially paralyzed life in Turkey.
A severe and snowy cold snap across central and eastern Europe has left at least 36 people dead, cut off power to towns, and snarled traffic. Officials are responding with measures ranging from opening shelters to dispensing hot tea, with particular concern for the homeless and elderly.

This part of Europe is not unused to cold, but the current freeze, which spread to most of the region last week, came after a period of relatively mild weather. Many were shocked when temperatures in some parts plunged Monday to minus 20 Celsius (minus 4 Fahrenheit).

"Just as we thought we could get away with a spring-like winter ..." lamented Jelena Savic, 43, from the Serbian capital of Belgrade, her head wrapped in a shawl with only eyes uncovered. "I'm freezing. It's hard to get used to it so suddenly."

Officials have appealed to people to stay indoors and be careful. Police searched for the homeless to make sure they didn't freeze to death. In some places, heaters will be set up at bus stations.
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Chalkboard

Strange Sounds in Sky Explained by Scientists


GeoChange Journal
Sat, 28 Jan 2012 00:00 UTC
Elchin Khalilov
© unknownElchin Khalilov
Mr. Khalilov, what is the nature of the unusual very low-pitched sounds reported by a great number of people in different parts of the planet since the summer of 2011? Many call them "The Sound of the Apocalypse". Information about that comes from all over the world: US, UK, Costa Rica, Russia, Czech Republic, Australia, etc.

We have analyzed records of these sounds and found that most of their spectrum lies within the infrasound range, i.e. is not audible to humans. What people hear is only a small fraction of the actual power of these sounds. They are low-frequency acoustic emissions in the range between 20 and 100 Hz modulated by ultra-low infrasonic waves from 0.1 to 15 Hz. In geophysics, they are called acoustic-gravity waves; they are formed in the upper atmosphere, at the atmosphere-ionosphere boundary in particular. There can be quite a lot of causes why those waves are generated: earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, storms, tsunamis, etc. However, the scale of the observed humming sound in terms of both the area covered and its power far exceeds those that can be generated by the above-mentioned phenomena.

Comment: For further information on "strange sounds from the sky" watch the latest Sott report: Strange Noises in the Sky: Trumpets of the Apocalypse?

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Igloo

US - 62 below: Deep freeze grips much of Alaska


MSNBC
Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:10 UTC
Even if it has been warmer than usual in much of the United States, there's no denying Alaska is seeing a real winter, even by its standards.

Anchorage is shivering through one of its coldest January's on record, while in Fairbanks, folks preparing for a sled dog race were being tested by temperatures nearly 50 degrees below zero. Farther inland, Fort Yukon has ranged from minus 50 to minus 62 degrees over the last three days, getting close to its record of minus 78.
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© Dan Joling/APDowntown Anchorage, Alaska, has seen a snowy and icy winter, including this scene from Jan. 18.
Anchorage's average temperature for January has been 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit, the Alaska Daily News reported. That's well below its average of 15 degrees, and only three other years (1947, 1925 and 1920) have been colder, National Weather Service data show.

It's so cold for Anchorage, the Daily News reported, that:
  • Cross country ski practices by the Junior Nordic League have been canceled due to temps dipping below the official cut-off of minus 4 degrees.
  • Tow trucks are so busy helping folks with dead car batteries that it can take up to four hours to get service.
  • Some schools have had only a handful of outdoor recess days this month.
In Fairbanks, where the Yukon Quest sled dog race starts on Saturday, some racers have had a hard time moving their trucks around due to a freeze that kept engines from starting, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported.

Fort Yukon, for its part, dipped to 62 degrees below zero on Saturday, then hit 59 below on Sunday, the National Weather Service reported.

The deep freeze is in addition to the record snow and blizzard conditions seen earlier this month in towns like Cordova and Valdez. Even Anchorage is on track to see a record snow season, having received more than twice its average amount so far.
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Better Earth

Powerful Energy Release Emanating From The Earth's Core Recorded


GeoChange Journal
Thu, 15 Dec 2011 09:21 UTC
The International Geodynamic Monitoring System, a part of GNFE (London, UK), has registered on November 15, 2011 a powerful energy release emanating from the Earth's core. The intense three-dimensional gravitational anomaly was almost simultaneously recorded by all ATROPATENA geophysical stations separated by vast distances from each other in the following cities: Istanbul (Turkey), Kiev (Ukraine), Baku (Azerbaijan), Islamabad (Pakistan) and Yogyakarta (Indonesia).

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© Unknown
According to GNFE President Professor Elchin Khalilov, the detailed analysis of ATROPATENA station records indicates a powerful energy release emanating from the Earth's core. According to the scientist, this fact may herald intensification of geodynamic processes in our planet and as a result, a higher number of strong earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis.

As GNFE President Professor Elchin Khalilov told WOSCO news agency, ATROPATENA earthquake forecasting stations record particular three-dimensional gravitational anomalies that occur, on average, 3-7 days before strong earthquakes. These anomalies are generated by the passingof tectonic waves (stress waves) under the stations; they are emitted by the focuses of imminent large earthquakes at the moment when the stresses in them reach critical values.
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Sun

Change of Tune: No Need to Panic About Global Warming


The Wall Street Journal
Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:00 UTC
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© AP PhotoAl Gore's campaign to 'decarbonize the economy' is facing mounting opposition
There's no compelling scientific argument for drastic action to 'decarbonize' the world's economy.

WSJ Editor's Note: The following has been signed by the 16 scientists listed at the end of the article:

A candidate for public office in any contemporary democracy may have to consider what, if anything, to do about "global warming." Candidates should understand that the oft-repeated claim that nearly all scientists demand that something dramatic be done to stop global warming is not true. In fact, a large and growing number of distinguished scientists and engineers do not agree that drastic actions on global warming are needed.

In September, Nobel Prize-winning physicist Ivar Giaever, a supporter of President Obama in the last election, publicly resigned from the American Physical Society (APS) with a letter that begins: "I did not renew [my membership] because I cannot live with the [APS policy] statement: 'The evidence is incontrovertible: Global warming is occurring. If no mitigating actions are taken, significant disruptions in the Earth's physical and ecological systems, social systems, security and human health are likely to occur. We must reduce emissions of greenhouse gases beginning now.' In the APS it is OK to discuss whether the mass of the proton changes over time and how a multi-universe behaves, but the evidence of global warming is incontrovertible?"

In spite of a multidecade international campaign to enforce the message that increasing amounts of the "pollutant" carbon dioxide will destroy civilization, large numbers of scientists, many very prominent, share the opinions of Dr. Giaever. And the number of scientific "heretics" is growing with each passing year. The reason is a collection of stubborn scientific facts.
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Bizarro Earth

Near the Coast of Central Peru - Earthquake Magnitude 6.3


US Geological Survey
Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:06 UTC
Peru Quake_300112
© USGSEarthquake Location
Date-Time
Monday, January 30, 2012 at 05:11:00 UTC

Monday, January 30, 2012 at 12:11:00 AM at epicenter

Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones

Location
14.179°S, 75.644°W

Depth
39.2 km (24.4 miles)

Region
NEAR THE COAST OF CENTRAL PERU

Distances
15 km (9 miles) SE of Ica, Peru

96 km (59 miles) SSE of Chincha Alta, Peru

172 km (106 miles) WNW of Puquio, Peru

280 km (173 miles) SSE of LIMA, Peru
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Bizarro Earth

5.7 quake strikes remote Pacific area: geologists


The Times Of India
Sun, 29 Jan 2012 13:43 UTC
Wellington: A 5.7-magnitude earthquake and several aftershocks struck beneath the Pacific off New Zealand's Kermadec Islands today, US geologists said, but no tsunami warning was issued.

The remote offshore quake hit at 05:42am local time at a depth of 32 kilometres, 65 kilometres east of Raoul Island and 926 kilometres south of Tonga, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said.

The USGS at first measured the quake at a strong magnitude of 6.2 but later downgraded it.
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X

Australia Shark Attacks: 3 Swimmers Attacked in Unusual First 3 Weeks of 2012

Julia Greenberg
International Business Times
Fri, 20 Jan 2012 11:52 UTC
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© ReutersThere have been an increased number of shark attacks in Australia this year with three attacks occurring in the past three weeks of 2012. David Pickering, a 26-year-old snorkeling guide, was the latest victim of a shark attack on Thursday.
There have been an increased number of shark attacks in Australia this year, with three attacks occurring in the first three weeks of 2012. David Pickering, a 26-year-old snorkeling guide, was the latest victim of a shark attack on Thursday.

Pickering was leading a group of snorkelers, a couple and their two children, in a lagoon at Western Australia's Coral Bay, when he was attacked. A 10-foot tiger shark swam up to the snorkeling guide and sunk its teeth into his arms.

"I turned around and boom, there he was," Pickering told The Associated Press. "[The force] was enough to actually bring me forward and under him because I scraped my knee on his belly."

After the shark bit him, Pickering punched the animal with his other arm. The creature quickly backed off. The AP reports Pickering warned the other snorkelers to get out of the water and then swam 300 feet back to shore.

Comment: Not only in Australia. Since August, 2011, SOTT has been adding items to a growing list of unusually aggressive behavior exhibited by infamous marine predators all over the world.

UK: Did the same shark which killed British honeymooner in Seychelles in front of his new wife also kill French tourist just two weeks ago?
Two Shark Attacks in Russia in One Day
Mystery of five shark attacks in a week
Another shark attack reported in Russia's Far East
Riding their luck in California, US: 12ft Great White shark pictured in San Diego wave just feet away from oblivious surfers

Read More...
X

US: Dolphin, seal deaths plague New England

Jay Lindsay
MSNBC
Sat, 28 Jan 2012 11:25 UTC
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© Julia Cumes / Associated PressTwo stranded common dolphins wait to be transported to a waiting vehicle by a team from the International Fund for Animal Welfare at Herring River in Wellfleet, Mass., on Thursday.
Whether they got lost, sick or swam astray chasing food, 77 dolphins that beached on Cape Cod in recent weeks have died, the second time in three months New England has seen a mass of marine mammal deaths.

Now, scientists are trying to figure out why.

They're also researching whether there's any connection to a die-off this fall of 162 harbor seals, whose carcasses were found between northern Massachusetts and Maine.

Scientists later determined the seal deaths were linked to an influenza virus similar to one found in birds but never before seen in seals. In a letter earlier this month, Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry and Rep. William Keating asked Jane Lubchenco, head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to investigate "any common cause" between the dolphin and seal deaths.
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