Earth ChangesS


Bad Guys

Why BP is Readying a 'Super Weapon' to Avert Escalating Gulf Nightmare

Nuclear bomb
© shatterlimits.com
Chicago - In a desperate attempt to stop a huge area of the Gulf ocean floor from possibly rupturing due to subterranean methane gas (leading to a calamity no human has ever seen) BP has ripped a page from science fiction books.

The giant oil company is now quietly preparing to test a small nuclear device in a frenzied rush against time to quell a cascading catastrophe. If successful they will have the capability to detonate a controlled fusion generated pulse.

While the world watches BP's attempt to contain the oil gusher at the former Deepwater Horizon site, company officials have given the green light on an astounding plan to use what is known as a nuclear EPFCG charge if all else fails.

Bizarro Earth

US: Massive Jet Fuel Spill at Kirtland Air Force Base Still Threatens Water Supply

It is has been reported that a massive amount of highly toxic jet fuel has been leaking into the ground at Kirtland Airforce Base (KAFB) in Albuquerque, New Mexico for the last thirty years. Initial estimates put the total leak at 1-2 million gallons. However, The New Mexico Environment Department has put the figure at closer to 8 million gallons. Unfortunately, if spills like the BP's Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico are any indication, even these higher figures may understate the true level of contamination. The leak was detected in 1999, and since then various efforts have been made to secure funding to help clean up the mess. Approaches, including the drilling of as many as 23 wells, and pump have been used with some degree of success, as this article reports.

It appears that fuel has sunk as deep as 500 feet underground, which threatens the water table, and could potentially migrate into the Rio Grande River, which is one of the most important sources of water for the Albuquerque, and the state of New Mexico. Recently, as this article reports, as much as $15 million was appropriated to perform soil remediation. It is not clear that this will be an adequate amount of money, however, given the size of the spill, and the urgency to prevent the contamination of the aquifer. As recently as July 7th of this year Kirtland was required to provide final proposals to the New Mexico Environment Department to detail the status of cleanup efforts and future planning.

Bizarro Earth

Huge Underwater Volcano Found Off Indonesia

Underwater Volcano
© Irwin Fedriansyah/APA 3,000m volcano deep below the water's surface has been discovered off Indonesia's Sulawesi island.
Scientists on a deep-sea expedition off the coast of Indonesia have discovered an underwater volcano that towers 3,000 metres (10,000 feet) above the ocean floor, yet remains far from sight beneath the water's surface.

The volcano was discovered by a group of US and Indonesian researchers who are using a powerful sonar system and a robotic vehicle with high-definition video to explore marine ecosystems off Sulawesi island.

"This is a huge undersea volcano, taller than all but three or four mountains in Indonesia," said Jim Holden, the chief US scientist for the first leg of the joint expedition.

Arrow Down

Red Squirrels Dying After Picking Up Human Bacteria From Animal Lovers

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© Press AssociationRed squirrels may be picking up deadly human bacteria
Red squirrels may be being "killed with kindness" after picking up human bacteria from animal lovers who leave food out for them, wildlife experts have claimed.

The bacteria, which is found on the hands and skin of humans, has been found in a number of dead squirrels displaying lesions and infections.

However, scientists were not clear whether the infection was the primary cause of death.

Wildlife experts said that the problem was particularly evident on the Isle of Wight, the only place in Britain with no competing grey squirrels, and where residents commonly leave food out for red squirrels.

Cloud Lightning

Eight injured as German tornado hits North Sea island

Image
© AFPThe storm came amid a heatwave in Germany
At least eight people have been injured after a tornado struck a German island in the North Sea.

The tornado hit a campsite with about 100 people on the island of Duene, off the coast of the larger island Heligoland, at 1315 GMT.

Storms have also hit other parts of the country amid a heatwave in Germany, with temperatures reaching 40C.
Image
Heligoland, just off the northern German coast

Two people were seriously injured, and at least six people were less badly hurt, reports say.

The tornado destroyed the campsite and knocked over light aircraft at a nearby airfield, according to the DPA news agency.

Eyewitnesses described a "black wall" that formed and then dissipated, the news agency said.

Several people were injured by flying deckchairs, the ZDF television network reported.

Heligoland itself was undamaged by the storm.

Better Earth

The Antarctic Ice Sheet is Growing Thicker

These two photos, taken in the late 1980s, show that the Antarctic Ice Sheet is growing thicker. If you or someone you know has seen these towers - or actually worked on them - I'd love to hear from you.
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© Robert HolmesTransmission Towers Buried in Ice Sheet.

In the mid 1960s, ITT built a power transmission line in Antarctica. The transmission towers stood 115 feet tall. As you can see in these photos, all but the top 30 feet of the towers are now buried in ice. And the crane used to build the towers will soon be totally covered by ice. (By the way. If you know what kind of crane this is, or how tall it is, please let me know.)
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© UnknownConstruction Crane Buried in Ice Sheet

Not only are the power transmission towers being buried, so are the Antarctic research stations themselves. The old Byrd Station has been shut down because it is buried beneath 40 to 50 feet of ice and snow and is slowly being crushed.

The old South Pole station is also buried beneath the ice. So is the old Siple station. The current South Pole station is also slowly being buried. A new station is now being built on top of the ice to replace it.

Comment: Here's a bit more information on the Antarctic Ice: Antarctic sea ice peaks at third highest in the satellite record


Info

Stargazers In Awe As Total Eclipse Arcs Across Pacific

Eclipse_1
© AFPThe sun is seen partially covered by the moon on Easter Island, 3700 km off the Chilean coast in the Pacific Ocean.
A total solar eclipse drew an 11,000-kilometer (6,800-mile) arc over the Pacific, plunging remote isles into darkness in a heavenly display climaxing on mysterious Easter Island.

The skies grew black in the middle of the day Sunday as the Moon slipped in front of the Sun and aligned with the Earth, blotting out the sunshine that just moments earlier had swathed the island's silent, ancient stone guardians.

Applause erupted from thousands of stargazers who began gathering days ago on this remote Chilean outpost for the rare four-minute, 41-second eclipse.

"It was like being in the stadium at night with artificial light. It was like being in a dark room with a 10-watt bulb," awe-struck local official Francisco Haoa told AFP.

"It started with a shadow. The skies were perfectly blue, with lots of wind that chased away the clouds. Everyone applauded.

"We saw a luminous object near here and people started saying they were sure it was a UFO."

In Tahiti, where the solar eclipse began its trek, the effect was so stunning that crowds of football-mad Polynesians turned away from the World Cup final on their television screens to look to the skies instead.

Bizarro Earth

Magnitude 6.2 - Antofagasta, Chile

Antofagasta Quake_120710
© USGSEarthquake Location
Date-Time:
Monday, July 12, 2010 at 00:11:18 UTC

Sunday, July 11, 2010 at 08:11:18 PM at epicenter

Location:
22.255°S, 68.205°W

Depth:
91.3 km (56.7 miles)

Region:
ANTOFAGASTA, CHILE

Distances:
80 km (50 miles) ENE of Calama, Antofagasta, Chile

205 km (130 miles) E of Tocopilla, Antofagasta, Chile

245 km (150 miles) SW of Uyuni, Bolivia

1260 km (780 miles) NNE of SANTIAGO, Region Metropolitana, Chile

Monkey Wrench

Gulf of Mexico has many deepwater wells

Mars platform
© Chang W. Lee/The New York TimesRoyal Dutch Shell's Mars platform operates in 2,940 feet of water in the Gulf of Mexico.
The 5,000 feet of water between the Gulf of Mexico's surface and the Deepwater Horizon blowout has kept the oil and natural gas flowing.

Each time BP has tried to cap its runaway well, the company has warned that no one has ever tried it at such a depth.

But elsewhere in the Gulf, companies have been drilling in far deeper water - and making the same environmental and safety promises that BP made.

The BP disaster is calling attention to unique engineering challenges and environmental risks associated with seeking oil and gas at great depths. Equipment designed to withstand harsh conditions deep underwater failed, making some engineers discount assurances that crises could be addressed at far greater depths.

Igloo

Info Commissioner Finds Saintly CRU Crew Guilty

Climategate row rumbles on

Climatic Research Unit director Phil Jones was being whisked back to his desk at the University of East Anglia by the University's Russell enquiry yesterday.

But with exquisite timing, the Information Commissioner's office chose the same day to confirm that CRU had twice broken the Freedom of Information regulations - once by ignoring the request, and twice by refusing the actual data. The breaches carry a civil penalty.

More is to come, as this was one of four complaints by David Holland under consideration by the ICO, which adjudicates on both FOI requests and EIRs, or Environmental Information Regulations. Other bodies include the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and the Met Office.