Earth ChangesS


Black Cat

With 88 human deaths, 2020 saw worst-ever wildlife conflict in the state of Maharashtra, India

Vijay Pinjarkar
Times of India
Thu, 11 Feb 2021 13:09 UTC
Most human deaths were in leopard and tiger attacks.
Most deaths were caused by tiger (38) and leopard (32)attacks.
With 88 human deaths, Maharashtra witnessed the worst-ever human-animal conflict in 2020 indicating significant consequences for the economy, human health, safety and welfare, and ecosystem.

According to information received under RTI by activist Abhay Kolarkar, most human deaths were in leopard and tiger attacks. The details sought for calendar years 2017 to 2020, show that conflict almost doubled in the period.

In 2017, 54 humans were killed with the state paying Rs 4.32 crore as compensation. In 2020, the figure had risen to 88 humans for which the state government paid Rs 12.75 crore compensation.

These deaths include 32 in attacks by leopards and 38 in attacks by tigers. Most of the tiger attack cases were from Chandrapur district. In the same period, there is also a drastic increase in cattle kills from 5,961 in 2017 to 9,258 in 2020.
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Seismograph

Two more strong earthquakes strike off New Caledonia Coast, magnitudes 6.4 and 6.0 - Total of SEVEN quakes of 6+ magnitude within 24 hours


Sputnik
Wed, 10 Feb 2021 11:36 UTC
seismograph
© AP Photo
A new 6.4 magnitude earthquake was registered on late Wednesday off the coast of New Caledonia, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

On Wednesday, a series of tremors - with the magnitude ranging from 5.0 to 7.7 - was recorded outside the coast of New Caledonia. A tsunami alert was declared.

The earthquake was recorded at 21:23 GMT, with the tremor's epicenter located 427 kilometers (265 miles) east of the town of Vao on the island of Pines at the depth of 10 kilometers.

Comment: See also: Shallow M7.7 earthquake hits off Vanuatu, New Caledonia coasts - Tsunami warning sounded

Details of the other magnitude 6+ earthquakes here, here, here, here and here.



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Snowflake Cold

After Storm Darcy brings heavy snow, extreme freeze shuts UK schools and roads

Jane Dalton
The Independent
Thu, 11 Feb 2021 03:58 UTC
Icicles formed on the fountains of Trafalgar Square in London in the big freeze
© EPAIcicles formed on the fountains of Trafalgar Square in London in the big freeze
Schools closed across the UK as more snow blanketed the country, with what was thought to be the deepest "extreme freeze" for a decade.

About 70 schools shut to the children of key workers and vulnerable pupils in County Durham, as many did in Essex, Suffolk and Derbyshire.

Roads as far south as Kent became impassable because of a thick sheet of ice, and the M20 - the main route across the county - was closed in both directions on Wednesday following a crash.

Forecasters warned that further travel disruption was likely, with roads too treacherous to use, and cancelled rail services.

National severe weather warnings for snow and ice have been issued for much of the UK for the rest of this week.

Met Office chief meteorologist Dan Suri said: "Weather for the rest of this week will continue to be very cold, with daytime temperatures only reaching a degree or so above freezing at best for many, and strong easterly winds continuing to make it feel even colder."


Comment: Dangerously cold temperatures pour into Europe this week

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Water

330,000 facing drinking water shortages as drought hits southern and eastern China

Amber Wang
South China Morning Post
Mon, 08 Feb 2021 08:16 UTC
China drought
© Getty ImagesFarmers and experts fear the drought may damage harvests.
Hundreds of thousands of people in southern and eastern parts of China are facing drinking water shortages as a result of months of reduced rainfall, the central government says.

The Ministry of Water Resources said on Thursday that more than 500,000 hectares of arable land had been affected by the drought, leaving 330,000 people in rural areas without a sufficient supply of potable water.

Since October, rainfall in regions south of the Yangtze River had been 50 to 80 per cent lower than normal, it said.

About 2.4 million people in the provinces of Zhejiang, Guangdong and Fujian had already been affected by the drought, and concerns were growing in Guangxi, Hunan and Yunnan, the ministry said.

In Taizhou, Zhejiang, the residents of Sanmen county are dealing with their worst drought in 50 years, according to a report by state broadcaster CCTV.

Comment: Meanwhile other parts of China experienced 21 large-scale floods last year setting historical records.

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Snowflake Cold

North America's widespread and record-breaking Arctic outbreak set to intensify further

Cap Allon
Electroverse.net
Tue, 09 Feb 2021 20:26 UTC
cold map
Hundreds of COLD RECORDS have fallen across North America over the past few days, and hundreds - potentially thousands - more are expected to tumble over the coming 10-or-so days as the Arctic descends south on the back of a weak and wavy "meridional" jet stream.

"Early February brings deadliest week in the U.S. for avalanches since 1910," reads a thedenverchannel.com headline dated Feb. 8 (1910 fell during the solar minimum of cycle 14, a weak solar cycle very similar to that just experienced - cycle 24).

The article goes on, pointing out that between between Jan. 30 and Feb. 6 a total of 15 people died in avalanches across the United States. In Colorado alone, since Jan. 29, 2021, more than 500 avalanches have been reported to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC).

Comment: U.S. avalanche death toll reaches 15 in a week - Colorado records 500 avalanches at the same time

Related: Dangerously cold temperatures pour into Europe this week

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Snowflake Cold

Record cold invades Moscow - Eiffel Tower requires blowtorch - Autobahn chaos in Germany - Summer chill blamed for mass bird deaths in Australia

Cap Allon
Electroverse.net
Wed, 10 Feb 2021 19:42 UTC
snow
As the MSM doubles-down on its catastrophic global warming narrative, the planet is busy nosediving into its next cooling epoch: the Grand Solar Minimum.

RECORD COLD INVADES MOSCOW

As reported by themoscowtimes.com, western Russia has been hit by bitter cold this week, and has joined central and eastern regions which have been battered by brutal Arctic lows of -58.3C (-73F) and beyond for months now.

Moscow is suffering its coldest weather of the past decade, according to the MT article, with Muscovites suffering lows of -20C (-4F):

Comment: Hundreds of drivers spend night on Autobahn as Germany's snow chaos continues

Cold weather blamed for mass deaths of tree martin birds in Western Australia

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Snowflake Cold

Dangerously cold temperatures pour into Europe this week


Zerohedge
Wed, 10 Feb 2021 11:45 UTC
cold temperatures Europe
While the Arctic blast over the central US is set to worsen in the coming days (see: here & here), temperatures in northern Europe are set to dive as low as -20 degrees Celsius (-36 degrees Fahrenheit), data firm Maxar Technologies said in a report on Wednesday.

The pattern of exceptionally frigid air blasting parts of the US and Europe at the moment is due to a disruption of the polar vortex, which has allowed Arctic air to spill south into North America and Europe.

Maxar said European heating degree days (HDD) between Feb. 10-14 would register around 102, which is well above the ten-year average of 82.1. HDD is a measurement designed to quantify the demand for energy needed to heat a building.

However, there is good news following dangerously cold air that has poured into Europe since early January and sent natural gas prices sky-high - that is - temperatures are expected to return to normal by next Friday across the UK, continental Europe, and the Nordic region.
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Seismograph

Shallow M6.2 earthquake strikes off Indonesian island of Sumatra

Chris Jewers
Daily Mail
Wed, 10 Feb 2021 13:38 UTC
Indonesia quake map
The quake was at a depth of 18.64 miles (30 kilometres), EMSC said, and struck roughly 60 miles south of the city of Bengkulu, which is home to more than 300,000 people
A 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia's Sumatra Island Wednesday, the US Geological Survey said, but there was no tsunami warning or immediate reports of damage.

The strong offshore quake hit about 217 kilometres south-southwest of the city of Bengkulu at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres at 7:52 pm local time (1252 GMT).

Shallow quakes tend to cause more damage than deep ones.

It comes weeks after another powerful earthquake rocked Indonesia's Sulawesi island, killing 84 people and injuring 932.
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Seismograph

Shallow M7.7 earthquake hits off Vanuatu, New Caledonia coasts - Tsunami warning sounded


NDTV
Wed, 10 Feb 2021 15:22 UTC
Earthquake map New Caledonia
© Volcano Discovery
A 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck in the South Pacific on Thursday, the US Geological Survey said, sparking a tsunami warning for New Zealand, New Caledonia, Vanuatu and other nations in the region.

The quake struck at just after midnight on Thursday local time (1320 GMT Wednesday) about 415 kilometres (258 miles) east of Vao in New Caledonia at a depth of 10 kilometres, according to the USGS.

"Hazardous tsunami waves from this earthquake are possible within the next three hours," the NWS Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.

Waves reaching between 0.3 and one metre above the tide level are possible for some coasts of Fiji, New Zealand and Vanuatu, the centre said.

The New Zealand National Emergency Management Agency released a statement telling people in coastal areas to move away from waterfronts.

"We expect New Zealand coastal areas to experience strong and unusual currents and unpredictable surges at the shore following a magnitude 7.7 earthquake," the disaster agency said.

Comment: Also of note the just before this major earthquake struck two magnititude 6 quakes hit the same area (both within an hour) according to the EarthTrack website. See here and here.

Two aftershocks of magnitude 6.1 have also been registered, see here and here.

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Attention

Sakurajima volcano in Japan erupts with ash plume 7000 feet high


Volcano Discovery
Wed, 10 Feb 2021 12:13 UTC
Sakurajima volcano
Sakurajima volcano
Explosive activity continues. Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) Tokyo warned about a volcanic ash plume that rose up to estimated 7000 ft (2100 m) altitude or flight level 070 and is moving at 10 kts in E direction.

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