Earth Changes

Thousands of jellyfish wash up on beach in Wales

Ted Ranosa
Tech Times
Wed, 17 Jun 2015 00:58 UTC

Beachgoers spotted hundreds of barrel jellyfish washed up at Cefn Sidan sands in South Wales.

Thousands of barrel jellyfish (Rhizostoma pulmo) have washed ashore on a beach in Carmarthenshire in the United Kingdom.

The sea creatures were found on Cefn Sidan Beach over the weekend, with 50 more jellyfish spotted at the harbor of Burry Port.

Members of the Carmarthenshire council believe the barrel jellyfish, which can grow to about 35 inches in diameter, were drawn to the area en masse because of the warm temperatures of the sea. The condition provides a suitable feeding ground for the jellyfish, as plankton are known to thrive in warm weather.

While the sea creatures do not pose an immediate threat to humans, beachgoers are still advised not to disturb or touch the jellyfish.

USGS: Earthquake Magnitude 7.0 - Southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge

US Geological Survey
Wed, 17 Jun 2015 19:03 UTC

Time

2015-06-17 12:51:33 (UTC)
Times in other timezones

Nearby Cities

494km (307mi) WNW of Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, Saint Helena
2750km (1709mi) SE of Arraial do Cabo, Brazil
2752km (1710mi) SE of Armacao de Buzios, Brazil
2755km (1712mi) SE of Cabo Frio, Brazil
3513km (2183mi) ESE of Montevideo, Uruguay

Scientific Data

Mobile phone towers in Hyderabad, India are driving migratory birds crazy

Siddharth Tadepalli
The Times of India
Tue, 16 Jun 2015 18:27 UTC

Birds near phone tower

Increasing radiation from thousands of mobile phone towers in Hyderabad is playing havoc with the natural flight paths of migratory birds, experts said on Monday. Rare species of birds are unable to find their way back home after winter, they added.

While migratory birds use the geomagnetic field as a compass to track their route from Europe to the Indian sub-continent every year, radiation emitted from these mobile phone towers (6,000 of which came up in just two years) is damaging their brain cells and sense of direction, several environmentalist groups said.

Thousands of birds from 800 different species visit the lush environs of Osmansagar and Safilguda lakes every year. But bird-watchers say hundreds of birds they tracked about a year ago have not found their way back home. Instead, they are found to be circling the city and heading back to the city lakes.

Impressive waterspout seen off southern Thailand

Kritsada Mueanhawong
Phuket Gazette
Mon, 15 Jun 2015 13:33 UTC

The impressive waterspout near Koh Pu in Krabi, Thailand.

PHUKET: A waterspout put on a show for tourists and fishermen off Koh Pu in Krabi yesterday morning.

"My friends and I were going fishing at Sri Boya Island when the waterspout emerged about 1 kilometer away from us," said 50-year-old Samart Maikeaw, who was out on a fishing trip with friends.

The spout caused sudden heavy rain, but no damage was reported.

A waterspout is usually a non-supercell tornado over the water, which is connected to a towering cumuli-form or cumulonimbus cloud. Mr Samart seized the moment and took photos of the column before sharing it on the popular mobile application LINE

Sudden downpour causes floods on Metro Manila streets

gmanetwork
Wed, 17 Jun 2015 15:05 UTC

© Teresa Andrada
Motorists navigate through a flooded portion of Scout Chuatoco Street in Quezon City on Wednesday, June 17, as thunderstorm dumps rain in many parts of Metro Manila.

Several roads in Metro Manila were flooded Wednesday afternoon after a thunderstorm brought heavy rain in the National Capital Region and nearby provinces.

Tweets posted by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said MacArthur Highway in Valuenzuela is not passable to all types of vehicles as of 4:30 p.m.

Gutter-deep flood, meanwhile, was reported on the loading bays along EDSA Aurora and Farmers Market, but all lanes are passable.

In Scout Lozano corner Tomas Morato in Quezon City, floods reached waist level.

16,000 pigs drowned after monster rainstorms in China

Daniel Miller and Edward Chow
Daily Mail, UK
Wed, 17 Jun 2015 14:33 UTC

Catastrophe: Some farmers in the region were able to get their livestock to safety, but at the pig farm in Dahua Yao the water rose too fast

Thousands of pig carcasses have been washed up on farmland in southern China after days of continuous and torrential rain sparked devastating flash floods.

Health and safety authorities in south China's Guangxi region are removing and sterilizing an estimated 16,000 pig carcasses after filthy, algae-filled floodwater swamped the large farm, drowning most of its animal inhabitants, according to People's Daily Online.

The pig farm is situated in a valley in the autonomous county of Dahua Yao walled by steep mountains on either side which caused the water levels to rise rapidly following the relentless downpour.

Pictures of the remote valley with the farm buildings flooded have been quickly shared on Chinese social media showing thousands of pig carcasses floating among the rubbish and debris.

Aftermath: A total of 16,000 pigs drowned at the farm in south China's Guangxi region after heavy rainstorms caused devastating flooding

Tropical Storm Bill dumps rain on Texas, raising fear of floods

Phil Helsel
nbcnews.com
Wed, 17 Jun 2015 14:15 UTC

Texas Storm: A tropical storm in Texas raises fear of flood

There was flooding in Texas Tuesday as Tropical Storm Bill made landfall on the southeastern part of the state, and dumping more than two inches of rain on a region that was hard hit by flooding last month, officials said.

Tropical Storm Bill is the first tropical storm to hit Texas in seven years. Nearly 2 1/2 inches of rain fell in Baytown, and there were reports in Houston to the west, according to the National Weather Service.

The tropical storm hit Matagorda Island, near Corpus Christie, just before noon and was located about 45 miles northeast of Victoria as of 10 p.m. local time, according to the National Hurricane Center. A tropical storm warning remained in place from Port Aransas to south of Galveston Tuesday.

Nearly 5 1/2 inches of rain fell in Bay City in Matagorda County, southwest of Houston, between midnight and 6 .m., a carport was damaged in Edna, Texas, and a car was blown off the road in Morales, according to NWS reports.

Black bear spotted in Indiana for the first time in over 140 years

Brendan O'Brien
Reuters
Wed, 17 Jun 2015 22:36 UTC

Wildlife officials say a wandering Michigan black bear has arrived in Indiana.

A black bear has been spotted in Indiana for the first time in more than 140 years, state wildlife officials said on Tuesday.

Paw prints and a scat pile found in northwest Indiana were left behind by a young male black bear that likely walked into the state from Michigan within the last week, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) said in two statements.

"It's quite unusual and exciting for a Michigan lakeshore black bear to move this far south," said Mitch Marcus, an Indiana DNR wildlife official.

Elephant gores man to death at beach side restaurant in Thailand

Euan McLelland
Daily Mail, UK
Wed, 17 Jun 2015 13:44 UTC

The five-year-old elephant is led away after causing the death of a man who was out eating with friends

A man died in hospital after being gored through the chest by an elephant that was being used to beg for money on a beach in eastern Thailand.

Weeranat Yoodee succumbed to his brutal injuries yesterday following the Monday night attack as he ate dinner with friends at a seaside restaurant in the tourist hub of Rayong, south of Bangkok.

The 28-year-old was speared by the four-ton animal's tusk after it was spooked by nearby commotion - thought to be loud music and passing traffic.

In doing so, it rammed Yoodee and charged into the telecoms worker's friend, Thongpoon Boonraksatrakul - leaving him with severe bruising to his chest and rib cage.

Police rushed to the scene in Tambon Noen Phra, with the two men taken to Krungthep Rayong Hospital.

Yoodee died on Tuesday.

The elephant's keeper - known as a mahout - was identified locally as Surin native Wittawat Aundoungdee, 21. He's been charged with violating animal welfare legislation, recklessness causing death and injury, transporting animals without permission, and using animals in inappropriate work.

Georgia police in Tbilisi shoot tiger that killed man after zoo escape

Andrew North
The Guardian
Wed, 17 Jun 2015 13:30 UTC

Animal that escaped in Tbilisi after severe flooding is shot dead but officials say other animals might be on the loose

Police in Tbilisi say a tiger that broke loose after severe flooding at a zoo in the Georgian capital over the weekend has been shot by marksmen after it killed a man and wounded another..

It has now emerged that other animals may still be on the loose, amid conflicting statements from the government and zoo officials.

The man who died is believed to be in his 40s. The tiger reportedly attacked him around midday as he and two others entered a flood-damaged building near Tbilisi's central Heroes Square, a few hundred metres from the zoo.

It brings to 20 the number of people killed in the disaster, with most of the casualties residents of homes that were flooded by the sudden deluge on Saturday night. At least six people are still reported to be missing.