Earth ChangesS


Phoenix

Flashback Florida, US: Lightning starts fires in Clay, Nassau


The Times-Union
Fri, 27 Jun 2008 03:28 UTC
Firefighters are straining to put out a rash of wildfires sparked by lightning in Nassau and Clay counties.

Just days after putting out a 105-acre wildfire near Cedar Point and Pumpkin Hill roads in Nassau County, the state's Division of Forestry battled at least three fires over a total of about 30 acres Wednesday and Thursday. Lightning caused each of the fires, said Annaleasa Winter, a wildfire mitigation specialist for the Forestry Division.

Those come after lightning caused six fires over about 55 acres Tuesday in Clay County.
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Cloud Lightning

Dolly upgraded to hurricane, set to hit Texas coast


Associated Press
Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:00 UTC
McALLEN, Texas - Dolly spun into a hurricane Tuesday, heading toward the U.S.-Mexico border and the heavily populated Rio Grande Valley, where officials feared heavy rains could cause massive flooding and levee breaks.
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Alarm Clock

France: Baby Oysters Hit By Mysterious Plague


The Daily Green
Tue, 22 Jul 2008 23:47 UTC
Baby Oysters In France Are Dying Off By the Millions. Why?

The Independent reports that millions of baby oysters along the French coast from Normandy to the Mediterranean are dying, causing a major crisis for France's shellfish industry.
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Gear

Horse deaths natural: Critic denounces study methods

Keith Rogers
Review Journal
Tue, 22 Jul 2008 23:31 UTC
Nitrate poisoning that killed 71 wild horses last year on the Tonopah Test Range probably came from natural sources and not de-icing fluids used at a military airfield, concluded a controversial study released Monday by the Bureau of Land Management.

BLM officials cited findings from a long-awaited study by the Desert Research Institute that one former airfield worker described as a "farce" and a "waste of time."
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Bizarro Earth

Busy start heralds bruising Atlantic hurricane season

Michael Christie
Reuters
Tue, 22 Jul 2008 22:41 UTC
The 2008 Atlantic hurricane season is already a month ahead of schedule, portending a rough year for tropical storms for the United States, Caribbean and Central America although most likely not a repeat of the devastating 2005 season.

On average, the fourth storm of the six-month season does not occur until August 29. This year, the fourth, Dolly, formed on July 20 and was on the cusp of becoming a hurricane on Tuesday as it churned through the oil and gas-rich Gulf of Mexico.

"It absolutely does mean something, and we should be looking at it with trepidation," said Jeff Masters, co-founder of meteorological website The Weatherunderground.

Image
©REUTERS/NASA/Handout
Tropical Storm Dolly is shown in the NASA satellite image taken July 21, 2008.

The Atlantic hurricane season begins on June 1 but rarely gets into gear before August.
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Question

Commercially bred bees spread disease to wild bees

Will Dunham
Reuters
Tue, 22 Jul 2008 22:35 UTC
Disease spread to wild bees from commercially bred bees used for pollination in agriculture greenhouses may be playing a role in the mysterious decline in North American bee populations, researchers said on Tuesday.

Bees pollinate numerous crops, and scientists have been expressing alarm over their falling numbers in recent years in North America. Experts warn the bee disappearance eventually could harm agriculture and the food supply.

Scientists have been struggling to understand the recent decline in various bee populations in North America. For example, a virus brought from Australia has been implicated in massive honeybee deaths last year.
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Bizarro Earth

Volcanic activity continues in Alaska's Aleutian Islands


KTUU.com
Tue, 22 Jul 2008 21:46 UTC
Anchorage -- Okmok volcano is showing signs of settling down while Cleveland volcano is just getting started.

Cleveland began erupting in the Aleutians Monday, sending ash nearly 17,000 feet high. Pilots are reporting surface ash 50 miles away.
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Phoenix

Flashback Ohio, US: Lightning sparks plaza fire; wind shatters Government Center door

Bridget Tharp
ToledoBlade.com
Fri, 27 Jun 2008 21:03 UTC
A lightning strike started a fire yesterday that destroyed a strip shopping plaza near the University of Toledo as a line of thunderstorms swept across northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan causing 10,000 customers to lose power, authorities said.

The plaza at 1205 Westwood Ave., just south of Dorr Street, housed a seasonal location of the tax service franchise, H&R Block, the clothing retailer, L.A. Collections, and the yet-to-open Wings Express restaurant.
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Phoenix

Flashback Lightning strike starts house fire in Washington, Illinois, US


Journal Star
Thu, 26 Jun 2008 20:51 UTC
A lightning strike is to blame for a Washington, Illinois house fire this morning. No injuries were reported.

The fire at 301 Hale St. started about 3:30 a.m. after lightning hit a tree, causing the tree to split in half and fall on the house.

Before firefighters arrived, the homeowner, whose name was not immediately available, attempted to put out the blaze with an extinguisher and garden hose. It took firefighters another 20 minutes to douse the fire, which they were able to contain to an upstairs bedroom, Washington Assistant Fire Chief Randy Hurd said.
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Better Earth

Carbon emissions case for global warming is seriously weakened

David Evans
the Australian
Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:38 UTC
I devoted six years to carbon accounting, building models for the Australian Greenhouse Office. I am the rocket scientist who wrote the carbon accounting model (FullCAM) that measures Australia's compliance with the Kyoto Protocol, in the land use change and forestry sector.
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