Earth ChangesS


Phoenix

US: Forest Fire Scorches 3,000 Acres in Ulster Park

Cara Buckley
The New York Times
Mon, 21 Apr 2008 04:22 UTC
A fast-moving forest fire that twice jumped trenches dug to hold it back has scorched 3,000 acres of the Minnewaska State Park Preserve near New Paltz, N.Y., an official said on Sunday.

Only minor injuries were reported in the fire, which started on Thursday in the northeast quadrant of the park, about 90 miles north of New York City in Ulster County.

But residents of a nearby hamlet have been told to prepare for evacuation, said Yancey Roy, a spokesman for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
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Cloud Lightning

Tornadoes hit Maryland, US

Tyeesha Dixon and Brent Jones
Baltimore Sun
Mon, 21 Apr 2008 04:17 UTC
Two tornadoes ripped through the Maryland suburbs of Washington yesterday, part of a weather system that sparked fires, spawned hail and flooded roads around the state.

Afternoon reports of severe weather in Charles and Prince George's counties were confirmed as tornadoes late last night by the National Weather Service in Sterling, Va. No injuries were reported.
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Bulb

The fallacy of "Climate Change"

Hawkeye
View From Above Blog
Sun, 20 Apr 2008 02:18 UTC
"Climate Change" seems to be the new buzzword these days among environmentalists and politicians who were formerly the proponents of "Global-Warming". Unfortunately, the term "climate change" is a meaningless phrase. The climate is always changing, about as often as the weather in fact. Some years are warm, while others are cool. Some years are dry, while others are wet. There are El Niños, and there are La Niñas. There have been ice ages and warm periods throughout Earth's history. And the term "Global Climate Change" is not much better. That simply tells us that the climate is changing everywhere in the world. Yeah, and so...?
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Cloud Lightning

Jet Streams Move Poleward, Widening Hurricane Belt, Study Says

Alex Morales
Bloomberg
Thu, 17 Apr 2008 19:11 UTC
Global warming may be pushing the jet streams toward the Earth's poles, widening the area where hurricanes may form, scientists at the Carnegie Institution's Department for Global Ecology found.
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Nuke

Coral reefs can survive nuclear explosion


ABC News
Wed, 16 Apr 2008 08:44 UTC
New Queensland research has found coral reefs can survive a nuclear explosion but may not be able to survive global warming.

Scientists at Townsville's James Cook University have found healthy coral reef populations growing inside the Bravo atomic bomb crater in the Marshall Islands. The Bravo crater was formed in 1954 by a bomb a thousand times more powerful than the one dropped on Hiroshima.
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Recycle

Colorado, US: Water law coming into play

Kevin Duggan
The Coloradoan
Sun, 20 Apr 2008 08:24 UTC
Colorado's complex system for appropriating water - which was shaped in part by disputes over Poudre River water - will come into play if Glade Reservoir is built.

State water law is based on the concept "first in time, first in right," also known as the doctrine of prior appropriation.
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Eye 2

Komodo Dragon's Bite Is "Weaker Than a House Cat's"

Carolyn Barry
National Geographic News
Fri, 18 Apr 2008 00:13 UTC


Komodo Dragon
©Kenneth Garrett/NGS
A Komodo dragon prowls Rinca Island, Indonesia, in a file photo. A new study has found that the giant lizards have surprisingly weak bites and instead use their sharp teeth and strong neck muscles to subdue their prey.

The world's largest living lizard, the fearsome Komodo dragon, has a bite weaker than a house cat's, researchers say.

Though known for killing prey much larger than itself, the Komodo relies on its razor-sharp teeth, strong neck muscles, and "space frame" skull to subdue its prey, according to a new study.
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Snowman

British Columbians brace for cold weather


CTV
Sat, 19 Apr 2008 14:39 UTC
British Columbians are bracing for some cold temperatures this weekend, just one week after balmy temperatures sent almost everyone outside in droves.
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Stop

Predator and its prey: Orca whales snatch sea lion pups from beach

Damian Wroclavsky
Reuters
Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:20 UTC
The park ranger gestured forcefully, ordering me to throw myself down on the sand and stay quiet.

Some sea lion pups paddled tentatively in the shallow surf, learning to swim at Punta Norte beach in eastern Patagonia, and we were staring at the sea, watching for a huge black fin.

It was my first visit to see orcas hunting baby sea lions on the Valdes peninsula, a natural phenomenon unique to the killer whale group in this region.

I tried to stick carefully to the instructions the park ranger gave us before leading us to a thin stretch of sand near the ocean where Mel, a giant orca, was preparing to hunt.

orca
©Reuters
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Better Earth

April storm hands Calgary a snowy weekend


CBC News
Sat, 19 Apr 2008 14:23 UTC
More than 35 weather warnings were in effect in Calgary and southern Alberta Saturday as snow continued to blanket the region for a second day.

The spring snowfall began Friday morning and hit Calgary with more than 10 centimetres by evening. Another 10 to 15 cm were forecast for the city and the Foothill Regions by Sunday morning.
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