Earth ChangesS


Info

Expedition reports findings from Havre Volcano in south Pacific Ocean, site of major 2012 underwater eruption

Remotely operated vehicle
© Woods Hole Oceanographic InstituteA remotely operated vehicle (ROV) lands on the seafloor at Havre submarine volcano to retrieve a heat flow monitor.
The first close quarters investigation of what was possibly the largest underwater volcanic eruption in modern history has uncovered a carpet of pumice rocks, some as big as motor vehicles, and unexpected ocean-bed lava flows.

In a paper published in the journal Science Advances, a research team led by the University of Tasmania in Australia and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in the US report on the use of two autonomous underwater vehicles to explore the aftermath of the eruption of the 2012 Harve volcano, which lies between New Zealand and American Samoa in the southwest Pacific Ocean.

The volcano blew on July 18, 2012, an event noted only when passengers on an airliner flying above the Kermadec Islands (of which Harve is an underwater component) noticed a huge number of pumice rocks floating on the surface of the ocean. The raft of rocks eventually covered almost 400 square kilometres.

Three years later, the joint Australian-US expedition headed to the blast site.

Comment: That right there is the real source of 'ocean acidification', increased CO2 and methane levels, and increased temperatures. The sea floor is literally opening up all over the place.


Info

Evidence of something much bigger: New bee species found thriving in former Arctic nuke site - study

Bees
© Sina Schuldt / AFP
A species of bee has been discovered that is miraculously capable of surviving in the high arctic region where the Soviet Union once tested nuclear weapons for decades, according to a new study.

The 'Bombus glacialis' species lives on the archipelago of Novaya Zemlya, which the Soviet Union closed off decades ago to carry out scores of nuclear tests. While previously considered to be a subspecies of the B. polaris - one of the only other arctic bee types in the world - a recent study published in Polar Biology confirmed B. glacialis to be its own species.

Specimens of the bees were often collected by explorers who visited the island in the early 20th century, and are now preserved in natural history museums. Their existence, however, could be evidence of something much bigger.

Comment: See also: Russian military deploys radar array facility on remote Arctic island


Seismograph

Shallow 7.1 magnitude earthquake strikes southern Peru, leaves 1 dead and 20 injured

The earthquake struck off the Peruvian coast just after 4 a.m. local time Sunday.
The earthquake struck off the Peruvian coast just after 4 a.m. local time Sunday.
A strong earthquake struck the coast of southern Peru on Sunday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey said, causing damage to some homes, collapsing roads and injuring around 20 people.

A strong earthquake struck the coast of southern Peru on Sunday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said, leaving one dead and around 20 injured and causing homes and roads to collapse.

The 7.1 magnitude quake hit at 4:18 a.m. local time (0918 GMT) at a depth of around 10 km (6 miles), the USGS said. Peru's government Geophysical Institute said the earthquake was of magnitude 6.7 with its epicenter in Lomas, in the southern region of Arequipa.


Binoculars

Mayon Volcano in Philippines spews ash, threatens major eruption

Mayon volcano
© Erik de Castro / ReutersFILE PHOTO: Clouds partially covers the Mayon volcano
The Mayon volcano in the Philippines has spewed ash several times over the weekend, forcing authorities to evacuate two villages in its vicinity and raise the threat level, warning of potential "hazardous magmatic eruptions."

"The public is strongly advised to be vigilant and desist from entering the six kilometer (3.7 mile) radius Permanent Danger Zone to minimize risks from sudden explosions, rockfall and landslides," the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) announced on Sunday.

The volcano, located in Albay province of central Philippines, first spewed ash on Saturday afternoon and again on Sunday morning. Since the eruptions, a "faint crater glow" has been observed, while the "rockfall events have been intermittently recorded and are continuing," the agency added.


Wolf

Wolf discovered in northern Belgium, first time in over 100 years

Wolf
© AFP
A wild wolf has been found in the northern Belgian region of Flanders for the first time in more than a century, an environmental group said on Saturday (Jan 13).

"Our country was the only one in continental Europe to have not been visited by a wolf," since the animal began recolonising the continent, Landschap said.

Overhunting, industrialisation and urban sprawl progressively led to the disappearance of the wolf from most of Western Europe since the beginning of the 20th century.

Since the Bern Convention of 1979, the wolf has gone from public enemy to a protected species as "a fundamental element of our natural European heritage".

In some countries, like Romania and Poland where there have always been wolves, people adapt to treat an attack on sheep "like an accident, like a flock that falls into a ravine", says Farid Benhammou, a specialist on predators.

Igloo

Academics and politicians looking to blot out the sun and make it colder!

With the US experiencing possibly the coldest January on record, our top scientists and Democratic Party politicians are looking to spray pollutants into the atmosphere and blot out the sun - in order to make the weather even colder.
Climate News
© The Deplorable Climate Science Blog
Temps over US
© The Deplorable Climate Science Blog10-Day Temperature Outlook for the Conterminous U.S.
Last time we had winters this cold was in the 1970's, and scientists wanted to spray pollutants on Arctic ice in order to melt the ice cap and stop global cooling.

Snowflake

Heavy snowfall continues in western to northern Japan, 128 cms (50 inches) in 24 hours for Hiroshima Prefecture

snow Japan
Snow is continuing to fall on and off in areas of western to northern Japan.

The Meteorological Agency says some mountainous areas have received 30 to 50 centimeters of snowfall for the 24 hours until noon on Saturday.

As of 11 AM, the city of Ono, Fukui Prefecture, had 83 centimeters of accumulated snow, and Kitahiroshima, in Hiroshima Prefecture, had 128 centimeters.

The city of Niigata, facing the Sea of Japan, has had 8 times the average snowfall for this time of year.

More snow is forecast, particularly for areas along the Sea of Japan. Weather officials are warning of icy roads, avalanches and snow-related accidents.


Comment: See also: Heavy snowfall traps 430 passengers overnight on stranded train in Japan


Attention

Thousands of dead fish on Alabama beaches likely died of cold temperatures

Residents near Little Lagoon in Gulf Shores are dealing with the effects of a large fish kill
© Brian KellyResidents near Little Lagoon in Gulf Shores are dealing with the effects of a large fish kill that occurred this week. Thousands of dead mullet in Gulf Shores can be seen in this photograph taken off of Minnow Lane Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018.
A large fish kill at Little Lagoon in Gulf Shores has locals holding their nose and gritting their teeth around usually scenic docks and beaches, but it's all part of the natural order of things, according to the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

"This is not a new phenomenon," said Kevin Anson, a marine biologist with the ADCNR's Marine Resources Division. "In 2014 there was a small fish kill, in 2011 I think, we had another cold event, and it's been documented going back into the 1960s."

Thousands of fish -- mostly white mullet -- have gone belly-up on the surface of Little Lagoon or washed up on shore this week, leaving behind an ugly scene, a terrible smell, and a feeding frenzy for birds who don't mind dead mullet, even if they're a few days old.

Attention

Eight dolphins have stranded on the Irish coast in 13 days

The rise in common dolphin strandings is alarming wildlife enthusiasts
© Jochen Duerr/IWDGThe rise in common dolphin strandings is alarming wildlife enthusiasts
For the past six years, the first few weeks of the year have seen an increase in the number of dolphins being washed up on the Irish coastline.

The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group is making a determined effort this year to try to establish the cause and has begun the first post-mortem examinations of dead dolphins by a veterinary laboratory.

In this week's podcast, the Chief Scientific Officer of the IWDG tells me what is being done and says that fisheries by-catch is particularly being looked at.

If there is another increase this year in the number of stranded dolphins, the IWDG is hoping the post-mortem scheme will provide a definite insight towards the cause of dolphin deaths.

Attention

Very strong explosion seen at Stromboli volcano in Italy

map italy
Reports are coming of an explosion at the Stromboli volcano on the Italian island of Ginostra, below is a report translated from Italian...

A very strong explosion seems to have occurred on the Stromboli volcano last night around 21:00 local time, friends of ours who are currently on the island of Ginostra, Italy reported.

Thomas H. who at the time was in a house near the port (east side of island) wrote: "Last night, around 9pm, a very large detonation occurred at the mountain and the night sky was bright as day, even the window facing the sea towards the east was lit up... my girlfriend believed to hear rumblings from falling rocks, while I suspected this to be rather the sound of strong rain."