Earth ChangesS

Cloud Lightning

Rising Concerns: Floods inundate half of Arkansas

Sand Hill, Ark. - Volunteers armed with sandbags held back water springing up from under a rural levee Tuesday as the White River continued its highest surge in a quarter-century through eastern Arkansas.

Arkansas flooding
©Jim Williamson
Flood waters submerge a fishing pier and parking lot Monday morning at Beard's Bluff on Millwood Lake. Heavy rains from last week's storms left the lake about 8 foot higher than normal. Rising water continues to wreak havoc across the state, with 35 counties declared disaster areas.

Alarm Clock

US: Why Are The Horses Going Hungry?

Southeast Drought Wreaks Havoc On Hay Supplies, Leading Farmers To Despair

LEXINGTON, Ky., The rolling hills of central Kentucky appear as scenic as ever. But there's a more troubling picture developing in the bluegrass and beyond.

Horses are starving - even dying - in Kentucky, Tennessee, and at least five other Southeastern states, CBS News correspondent Daniel Sieberg reports.

Target

Deep quake off New Zealand felt across North Island

A deep earthquake which struck several hundred kilometres north-east of New Zealand tonight was felt in much of the North Island


Bizarro Earth

Earthquake South of Crete but No Damage

Athens, Greece - Authorities say an earthquake has struck the southern island of Crete, but no damage or injuries have been reported.

Crete Earthquake
©USGS

Better Earth

New 'battle of Midway' over plastic

On the coral atoll of Midway in the central Pacific - famous for America's first victory over the Japanese fleet in World War Two - wildlife experts are facing a new battle against a rising tide of plastic waste.

Life Preserver

Australia: Giant ocean eddy shadows Sydney

The giant ocean eddy that cooled Sydney's shores a year ago has been superseded by another 300 km diameter giant.

CSIRO Wealth from Oceans National Research Flagship scientist, Dr David Griffin, says the 'birth' of the eddy has been traced to last August.

"From satellite maps of sea-level we can see that it had been loitering this side of Lord Howe Island for some time and began approaching the NSW coast near Christmas," Dr Griffin says.

"It remained stationary during January and simply grew larger but, because it remained offshore, less people would have noticed its impacts on water temperatures."

The cold water at the new eddy's centre has welled up about 500m from the ocean depths.

Life Preserver

Russian tourists rescued after avalanche in Siberia

Russian rescue workers have evacuated a group of tourists hit by an avalanche in the northeast Siberian republic of Yakutia, a member of the emergency services said on Wednesday.

Two members of the group, including the leader, died yesterday when they were struck by the avalanche.

Binoculars

UK: Garden birds decline by 20 per cent in four years

Garden bird numbers have slumped 20 per cent in the past four years, the latest survey reveals.

Polly Morgan
©Polly Morgan - The Drawbridge UK
Dead garden birds
Polly Morgan

Bug

Studies Show Alarming Insect-eating Bird Declines in Canada

An article by Bird Studies Canada biologist Jon McCracken examines substantial population declines for 'aerial insectivores ' - birds that specialize on feeding on flying insects.

Butterfly

Bee plague worsening, anxious keepers say

It's been 16 months since Dave Hackenberg of Dade City became the first beekeeper in the country to say publicly that something was terribly wrong with his insects.

In the intervening time following the identification of the malady now known as Colony Collapse Disorder, things haven't gotten any better for the nation's bees, which pollinate about one-third of U.S. crops - some $15 billion worth.