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Five pygmy sperm whales wash up on Māhia Beach, New Zealand in 2 weeks

Andre Chumko
Stuff
Mon, 09 Jul 2018 08:57 UTC
Two pygmy sperm whales were found washed up on Māhia Beach on Monday morning. (File photo)
© Ben Curran/Stuff
Two pygmy sperm whales were found washed up on Māhia Beach on Monday morning. (File photo)
Two whales which were stranded and died at Māhia Beach are the latest in a string of whale beachings in the area.

On Monday afternoon Department of Conservation community ranger Sandra Groves said the organisation was made aware of two pygmy sperm whales which were stranded at the Hawke's Bay beach.

A young male calf was found dead on the beach, and a decision was made to euthanise the mother, Groves said.

Both whales were in a reasonable condition with no visible signs of injury.

Burial of the whales was organised in discussion with local iwi. Samples and measurements were also taken to be sent to Auckland University.
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Info

Pollution damages fungi that nourish trees

Helen Briggs
BBC
Wed, 06 Jun 2018 11:57 UTC
TREES
© Getty
Scientists are warning that pollution could be starving Europe's trees of vital nutrients by damaging essential fungi.

The fungi live on the roots of trees, supplying them with minerals and water.

Current pollution limits may not be strict enough to protect the forest fungi, say researchers.

Signs of tree malnutrition, such as discoloured or missing leaves, have been seen across Europe's forests.

Loss of fungi may be a factor, according to the study, published in the journal, Nature.
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Attention

Rare, double shark attack off Fernandina Beach, Florida

Andrew Hay
Reuters
Sun, 15 Jul 2018 11:05 UTC
shark attack
Surfers warily returned to the waters off Fernandina Beach in northern Florida on Saturday after what appeared to be a rare, double shark attack the previous day.

Fernandina Beach Fire Department got a call late Friday afternoon that a 30-year-old man was bitten by a shark. Three minutes later it got a second call that a 17-year-old had been bitten just over a mile south down the beach, according to a statement by the city of Fernandina Beach.

The beach was immediately closed but reopened on Saturday, with ocean rescue services watching the waters for "dangerous marine life."
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Attention

New tiny island of lava forms off Hawaii island


Honolulu Star Advertiser
Sun, 15 Jul 2018 10:48 UTC
A tiny island is seen off the coast of Hawaii island. The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory’s field crew noticed the new island on Friday.
© U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
A tiny island is seen off the coast of Hawaii island. The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory’s field crew noticed the new island on Friday.
A tiny island of lava has formed north of the Kapoho ocean entry on Hawaii island.

During a Friday morning flight, a Hawaiian Volcano Observatory field crew noticed the new island oozing lava and producing a steam plume along the coastline.

HVO believes the new island could be part of the fissure 8 lava flow, which continues to flow into the ocean. It could also be a submarine tumulus that's created when slow-moving lava pushes the earth's outermost crust above sea level.
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Question

At least 50 birds found dead around mall in Abilene, Texas

Joshua Peguero
foxsanantonio.com
Sat, 14 Jul 2018 15:31 UTC
DEAD BIRDS
Dozens of birds were mysteriously found dead around the Mall of Abilene.

The mall's general manager, Steven Niles, told KTXS that his staff discovered at least 50 purple martins dead on the mall's property.

Niles said that he believes that lightning is to blame and that this was an isolated incident.

Annaliese Scoggin, a district biologist for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department based in Taylor County, drove around the Mall of Abilene on Friday to see where the dead birds were found.

Scoggin said that she first learned of the dead birds found at the mall on Thursday.
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Attention

Eastern Greenland community on high alert as massive iceberg looms


CBC News
Thu, 12 Jul 2018 15:06 UTC
iceberg greenland village
© Scanpix Denmark/Reuters
Innaarsuit, on the west coast of Greenland, this week. The iceberg rises about 300 feet above the water level.
There are 180 inhabitants and we are very concerned and are afraid,' says Innaarsuit local Karl Petersen

Residents in Innaarsuit are on standby for evacuation because a giant iceberg is looming over the island community in northwestern Greenland.

Innaarsuit ideberg
© Google Maps
Innaarsuit is an island settlement in northwestern Greenland.
The iceberg is so big it's grounded on the sea floor.

On Tuesday a small section of it collapsed and caused large waves. Residents are afraid a tsunami will occur if the iceberg calves. Rivers near the community could also experience a water surge.

"There are 180 inhabitants and we are very concerned and are afraid," said Karl Petersen, chair for the local council in Innaarsuit.

Residents in houses near the shore are prepared for an evacuation. Petersen said Greenland's emergency responders are closely monitoring the iceberg. A Danish Royal Navy ship is also standing by.

Another concern is that the community's power plant is near the ocean, and large waves could destroy it. Rain in the forecast could also precipitate calving.

Petersen said everyone is hoping a strong wind will dislodge the iceberg and move it farther away from the community.

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Snowflake

Snow blankets South Africa again

Suthentira Govender
Times Live
Sat, 14 Jul 2018 13:43 UTC
A Snow Report SA vehicle is covered in snow at the Matroosberg Reserve in Ceres‚ Western Cape, on July 2, 2018.
© Snow Report SA
A Snow Report SA vehicle is covered in snow at the Matroosberg Reserve in Ceres‚ Western Cape, on July 2, 2018.
Snow blanketed vast parts of South Africa's mountainous regions on Saturday in the Eastern Cape, Western Cape and large parts of the Drakensberg.

Neighbouring Lesotho also received its fair share of snow, according to Rob Ansell of the Snow Report SA.

Spectacular winter wonderland-like images were posted on the Snow Report's Facebook page, illustrating the extent of the snowfall.


Comment: For details and videos of the first event on July 2nd and 3rd, see: Heavy snowfall across South Africa

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Attention

Small eruption occurs on uninhabited island south of Japan


Kyodo News
Thu, 12 Jul 2018 13:31 UTC
Nishinoshima
© Japan Coast Guard
A small eruption has been confirmed on an uninhabited island in the Pacific around 1,000 kilometers south of Tokyo, the weather agency said Thursday.

A Japan Coast Guard aircraft observed brown smoke coming out of a crater on Nishinoshima around 12:24 p.m., according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

The island emerged in an eruption in 2013 but volcanic activity has slowed since August last year, prompting the agency to lower the alert level it issued for areas near the crater.

Given that land surface temperatures have remained steady, the agency believes the latest eruption did not lead to the release of lava.
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Black Cat

Leopard killed after 21 people are mauled to death over 3 years in Uttarakhand, India

Maya Oppenheim
The Independent
Fri, 13 Jul 2018 13:18 UTC
Stock image of leopard
© Getty
A leopard has been shot dead in India after 21 people were mauled to death over the last three years.

The wild cat was killed by forest officials in Haridwar's Rajaji National Park near Delhi.

"This is the 21st incident and this is happening since 2014," the director of Rajaji Sanatan Sonkar, Director, Rajaji Park told Indian newspaper Business Standard.

"We have either tranquillized or shifted five leopards from here.

"We had found human DNAs in two of them. We were neither able to capture this leopard in cage or by some other means. The last option with us was to shoot the leopard."

This comes after footage emerged showing the moment a leopard jumped out of a house in India as officials tried to catch it in March.
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Seismograph

Growing, deforming, shaking: Iceland's largest volcano Öræfajökull showing clear signs of unrest for last 18 months


The Watchers
Sat, 14 Jul 2018 09:18 UTC
Öræfajökull
© IMO
Öræfajökull volcano in southeastern Iceland, the largest active volcano and the highest peak in Iceland, is showing clear signs of unrest with an inflation phase for at least a year and a half. The last eruptive episode of this volcano started in August 1727 and ended in May 1728.

The inflation is ongoing and is reflected by increased seismicity and characteristic deformation pattern, Icelandic Department of Civil Protection said July 13, after a series of meeting with scientists from The Icelandic Meteorological Office, The University of Iceland and Iceland Geosurvey.

There are no signs of a decrease in the inflation rate or the seismicity and the state of unrest persists despite a decrease in geothermal activity since last December.

The source causing the inflation is most likely injection of new magma, scientists said. The volume change since the start of the unrest is of the order of magnitude of 10 million m3 (about 0.2 m3/sec) comparable to the intrusion activity in Eyjafjallajökull some years before the eruption in 2010.


Comment: The eruption in 2010 grounded flights throughout Europe for nearly a week.


Comment: The uptick in volcanic and seismic activity all around the world point to much greater changes occurring:


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