Earth Changes

Lightning bolt claims 2 lives in Amreli, India

The Times of India
Fri, 06 May 2016 15:29 UTC

As unseasonal rains coupled with heavy winds continued in Amreli district for the second consecutive day, two persons were killed after they were hit by lightning in Pithavadi village of the district late on Thursday evening.

The deceased were identified as Jinaram Gondaliya and Shivraj Khuman. They were working in their fields when they were hit by lightning.

On Thursday evening, the weather changed suddenly in Savarkundla, Liliya and Amreli with showers accompanied by hailstones. Heavy winds even uprooted roadside trees on Savarkundla-Palitana highway. The road was blocked for nearly an hour for vehicular movement.

In Jeera village of Savarkundla, blowing winds swept a 'pandal' erected for a Ram Katha. Some villages of Amreli even received more than 30mm rainfall in just one hour.

Similarly, showers with hailstones occurred in Bhuj and nearby areas of Kutch. Bhuj received about 11mm rainfall in one hour. The sudden showers flooded streets and roads in Bhuj and Gandhidham cities. Weather office said that a local disturbance due to difference in day and night temperatures had resulted in the showers.

Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials have forecast light to moderate rains and thundershowers in coastal Saurashtra in the next two days.

Source: TNN

Animals die as Cambodia is hit by worst drought in decades

Lauren Crothers
The Guardian
Thu, 05 May 2016 15:00 UTC

© Mak Remissa/EPA
A pumping machine in an empty lake in Kandal province, Cambodia. The country is facing its worst drought in decades.

Schools face water shortages and government says entire nation is affected as rainy season is forecast to be delayed by months

Behind a clutch of huts that hug the major route between Cambodia's capital and its famed Angkor temples, rice farmers Phem Phean and Sok Khoert peer into a cement hollow.

It is several meters deep, and one has to crane over the top to see all the way down. At the bottom, all that is left is a small pool of warm, dirty-looking water; it has run all but dry, along with two other wells, meaning the farmers and four other families have just one working well left from which to drink. And that, too, is fast running out.

Behind them, hundreds of acres of parched earth bake under an unrelenting sun in a relatively cloudless sky. If a rice harvest is even possible this year, they fear it is set to be poor and their main concern right now is being able to get enough water to drink.

Fort McMurray wildfire update: Massive Canadian blaze spreads to 85,000 hectares; potential cost of disaster around C$9 billion ($7 billion)

RT
Fri, 06 May 2016 04:46 UTC

© CF Operations / Reuters
A Canadian Joint Operations Command aerial photo shows wildfires near neighborhoods in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada in this May 4, 2016

Canadian fire officials battling wildfires in Alberta warned the only thing that could stop the blaze was a lot of rain. The latest damage estimates indicate that the Fort McMurray fire could cost insurance companies around C$9 billion ($7 billion).

On Thursday, the enormous fire that had already destroyed hundreds of homes and encircled a city and several communities was picked up by 70 kilometer-per-hour (44mph) winds and spread to 85,000 hectares.

The most severe part of the roaring front moved south of Fort McMurray, with no signs of stopping.

Over 1,110 firefighters, 145 helicopters, 138 pieces of heavy equipment, and 22 air tankers are fighting a total of 49 wildfires across Alberta, seven of which are currently considered to be out of control, according to the provincial government.

Despite all the firefighting efforts, the blaze around Fort McMurray is expected to grow stronger.

"Let me be clear, air tankers are not going to stop this fire," Chad Morrison, manager of Alberta's wildfire prevention, said at a briefing on Thursday. "This is an extreme fire event. It's going to continue to push through these dry conditions until we actually get some significant rain to help us."

Comment: See also:

Kolkata, West Bengal witnesses rare red-blue 22-degree sun halo

The India Express
Thu, 05 May 2016 22:28 UTC

The phenomenon was observed between 12.10 pm and 12.40 pm when the fifth and penultimate phase of Assembly elections was underway in parts of the city

A red and blue ring around the sun, popularly known as '22 degree circular halo' was sighted this afternoon in the city.

The phenomenon was observed between 12.10 pm and 12.40 pm when the fifth and penultimate phase of Assembly elections was underway in parts of the city.

The phenomenon popularly known as the 22 degree circular halo of the sun or occasionally the Moon (also called a moon ring or winter halo), occurs when the sun's or moon's rays get deflected/ refracted through the hexagonal ice crystals present in cirrus clouds, a senior researcher with the MP Birla Planetarium told.

"These kind of cirrus clouds are generally formed when water vapour freezes into ice crystals at altitudes five to ten kilometres above the earth's surface," the researcher said.

"It's a very common phenomenon in the cold countries. But in our country it's occurrence is rare and cannot be predicted... The red and blue ring around the sun was seen for around 30 minutes," he added.

Wave of dead sea creatures hits beaches in Chile

abc.net.au
Thu, 05 May 2016 15:44 UTC

Thousands of clams beached on the shores of Chiloe Island in May.

Piles of dead whales, salmon, sardines and clams blamed on the El Nino freak weather phenomenon have been clogging Chile's pacific beaches in recent months.

Last year, scientists were shocked when more than 300 whales turned up dead on remote bays of the southern coast — it was the first in a series of grim finds.

A surge in algae in the water earlier this year choked to death an estimated 40,000 tonnes of salmon in the Los Lagos region — equal to about 12 per cent of Chile's annual production of the fish.

This month, about 8,000 tonnes of sardines were washed up at the mouth of the Queule river and thousands of dead clams piled up on the coast of Chiloe Island.

Researchers believe earthquakes in SE US caused by chunks of Earth's mantle breaking off and sinking into the Earth

Mark Prigg
Daily Mail
Wed, 04 May 2016 15:40 UTC

Researchers believe the quakes could be caused by pieces of the Earth's mantle breaking off and sinking into the planet in the affected area (shown here). They say pieces of the mantle have most likely been breaking off from underneath the plate since at least 65 million years ago. This map shows the study area in detail.

The southeastern United States has been hit by a series of strange unexplained quakes - most recently, the 2011 magnitude-5.8 earthquake near Mineral, Virginia that shook the nation's capital.

Researchers have been baffled, believing the areas should be relatively quiet in terms of seismic activity, as it is located in the interior of the North American Plate, far away from plate boundaries where earthquakes usually occur.

Now, they believe the quakes could be caused by pieces of the Earth's mantle breaking off and sinking into the planet.

A new study found pieces of the mantle under this region have been periodically breaking off and sinking down into the Earth. This thins and weakens the remaining plate, making it more prone to slipping that causes earthquakes.

The study authors conclude this process is ongoing and likely to produce more earthquakes in the future.

Bristol Island volcano off Antarctica active for the first time in 60 years

Volcano Discovery
Wed, 04 May 2016 14:13 UTC

Gas and steam plume from Bristol volcano (Landsat 8 image, annotated by Culture Volcan)

A new volcanic eruption is occurring at the remote island, recent satellite imagery reveals.

Since late April, a thermal hot spot could be detected originating the volcano's summit, and clear-weather views showed a significant plume of gas and steam, possibly containing volcanic ash, drifting from the volcano. The volcano's last known activity was in 1956. However, without closer observation is difficult to know what type of activity is going on.

Two earthquakes of magnitudes around 5.6 and 4.7 were detected to have occurred near the island on 24 and 25 April; they are likely in relation with the new activity.

Source: Possible activité éruptive sur le volcan Bristol Island (Sandiwch du sud)

May snowfall and frost damages crops across Europe

freshplaza.com
Thu, 05 May 2016 13:09 UTC

© Meteo Europe
Farmers in Grisons, Switzerland protecting their vineyards from frost on April 27 with thousands of fire lights.

In several European countries - such as Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Croatia, Germany, Slovenia, France and Belgium - apples, pears, cherries and grapes were frozen early last week. The snowfall also created challenges with the roofing systems, and occasionally the snow completely ruined things. Snow and cold temperatures are predicted for some places in the coming nights again. NFO, the Dutch fruit growers association, summarised the results per country as follows:

Austria

In the cultivation area in the state of Styria the words 'complete catastrophe' have been used. About 80 per cent of the fruit harvest would be destroyed (see photo left of the news report in which firefighters remove snow from hail nets in Gleisdorf, the link is at the bottom of this article and external). During the night from Monday to Tuesday the small fruits had to endure temperatures of 2 to 6 degrees below freezing according to the Landwirtschaftskammer. Initial estimates concerning approximately 2,000 Styrian cultivators indicate €100 million Euro in damages for the fruit sector (without grapes) alone. Councillor Hans Seitinger: "This is truly a unique situation, which has not occurred in the last 50 years."

Whether financial support will be given to the affected growers has to be further examined. Austrian growers have broad weather insurance, but because of the high premiums not a lot of growers use it. Damages have also been reported from Burgenland, slightly more to the east, where temperatures were recorded at 3 to 4 degrees below freezing. Austria produces about 170 million kilograms of apples annually. Golden Delicious and Gala are the largest strains.

45 wildfires raging across 77 regions of Russia; covering 5,900 hectares

TASS
Thu, 05 May 2016 03:03 UTC

The biggest wildfires are reported in the Far Eastern Amur regions (3,900 hectares) and in the Siberian republic of Buryatia (1,400 hectares)

As many as 45 wildfires on an overall area of 5,900 hectares are reported across Russia, with the wildfire season starting in 77 Russian regions, the press service of the Federal Forest Protection Service said on Thursday.

The biggest wildfires are reported in the Far Eastern Amur regions (3,900 hectares) and in the Siberian republic of Buryatia (1,400 hectares).

Wildfires are also reported in the Transbaikal and Krasnoyarsk Territories, in the republic of Tuva, in the Tomsk, Sverdlovsk, and Vologda regions.

Comment: A study last year showed that wildfire seasons are more destructive and lasting longer almost everywhere on Earth.

Fort McMurray wildfire update: State of emergency declared after 88,000 residents flee; 1,600 homes destroyed, airport threatened by raging blaze

RT
Wed, 04 May 2016 23:38 UTC

Canada's western Alberta province declared a state of emergency as a massive fire in Fort McMurray forced 88,000 residents to flee, with two deaths reported due to an accident during evacuation. Hundreds of homes have already been consumed by the blaze.

The latest update from Municipal Affairs Minister Danielle Larivee revealed that the fire is raging in residential areas, while crews face very challenging and volatile conditions.

The blaze has now spread to 10,000 hectares.

Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said that around 1,600 homes have been destroyed in Fort McMurray so far. A boil-water advisory has also been issued for the region due to the possibility of contamination and all flights in and out of Fort McMurray airport have been suspended.

The mass exodus caused by the fire has been described as the largest evacuation in Alberta's history, with one fatal traffic accident reported that killed two people on secondary highway 881, which has been designated for evacuees.