Earth ChangesS


Wolf

Wolves return to Moldova for first time in 40 years

Image
© WikipediaWolves return to Moldova for first time in 40 years
Wolves have returned to the territory of Moldova after 40 years of their absence, with more than 20 predators seen in several areas of the country, Moldovan Deputy Environmental Minister Lazar Chirica said on Wednesday.

He added that the appearance of wolves should not cause panic among local residents as no cases of attacks have been reported yet.

Attention

The loyal dog who refuses to leave his owner's muddy graveside as Brazil mudslides death toll tops 630

After the deluge of photographs showing devastated landscapes, this scene is one which perhaps sums up the loss floods have brought to Brazil.

As the mudslides death toll hits 630, a loyal dog refuses to leave the muddy graveside of its owner.

Leao cuts a pitiful figure beside the grave of Cristina Maria Cesario Santana, who died in Teresópolis, one of the areas hardest hit by last week's natural disaster.

Renewed rainfall was slowing rescue helicopters today in south-east Brazil as officials focused their attention on the survivors they could reach more immediately, mapping out a plan to get people living in tents in the short term.

Image
© Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesVigil: Leao sits for a second consecutive day next to the grave of his owner Cristina Maria Cesario Santana

Attention

US: More dead birds found, this time in Scottsboro, Alabama

Dead blackbird
© WaffDead blackbird

More dead birds are found, this time in a suburban Scottsboro neighborhood.

A sample of 15 birds was sent to Auburn University. The remainder were picked up and discarded. Officials say this could just be something that happens naturally in nature.

It was Monday afternoon around 1:00pm along Morning Glory and Golden Rod Drives that the dead blackbirds were found. Many dead blackbirds.
"We estimate between 50 and 100," said Jackson County Emergency Management Agency Director Victor Manning.

Phoenix

Philippines: Mt. Bulusan spews ash anew

Image
© Unknown
Restive Bulusan Volcano in Sorsogon acted up again onTuesday, spewing ash in a predawn explosion before dawn, state volcanologists said.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Philvolcs) said the quake occurred at 2:58 a.m., accompanied by a rumbling sound audible at Monbon village in Irosin town.

"(But) the explosion was not observed because the volcano summit was covered by thick clouds. Field investigation conducted this morning confirmed the presence of traces of ash deposits in Monbon, Irosin," Phivolcs said on its website on Tuesday.

Phivolcs said Bulusan's alert level remains at "1." The alert level had been at "1" since November last year.

Bizarro Earth

US: Northeast ice means slippery commute, canceled flights

Over 400 N.Y.-area flights cut; some schools closed, streets turn to slush

A mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain iced over roads, driveways and sidewalks from Delaware up into New England on Tuesday - making for a slippery and sometimes dangerous morning commute that also saw hundreds of flight cancellations.

"Terrifying" was how Tomoko Takushi, a graphic designer in Philadelphia, described her walk to work on the ice-glazed sidewalks.

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm advisory until 1 p.m. ET in New York City. The area got 1 to 2 inches of snow and sleet by early morning. It was followed by ice before turning to rain by late morning.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Slightly more accumulations were forecast for parts of northeastern New Jersey, Rockland and Westchester counties and the lower Hudson Valley.

"Travel will be extremely hazardous" for commuters, the weather service said. "Then one- to two-tenths of an inch of ice are expected on top of the snow and sleet," it added.

Speed limits were lowered on highways from Delaware to New Jersey.

Hundreds of schools up and down the East Coast were closed or having delayed starts, including the Washington, D.C. area, eastern New York and southern Vermont.

Below's a look at some of the other weather headaches.

Bizarro Earth

Pakistan: Earthquake Magnitude 7.2

Image
© USGS
Date-Time:
Tuesday, January 18, 2011 at 20:23:17 UTC

Wednesday, January 19, 2011 at 01:23:17 AM at epicenter

Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones

Location:
28.827°N, 63.974°E

Depth:
10 km (6.2 miles) set by location program

Region:
SOUTHWESTERN PAKISTAN

Distances:
45 km (25 miles) W of Dalbandin, Pakistan

255 km (160 miles) W of Kalat, Pakistan

310 km (195 miles) ESE of Zahedan, Iran

1020 km (640 miles) WSW of ISLAMABAD, Pakistan

Attention

US: More bald eagles dying on Michigan roads

Lansing - State and federal officials are cautioning motorists to be more aware of the presence of bald eagles on Michigan roadways.

The number of eagles killed by cars is on the rise over the past six years in the state, according to a joint news release from the Michigan wildlife officials and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

In addition to catching and eating fish, eagles commonly feed on dead animals, meaning they're often around road corridors where they scavenge on large road-kill such as deer, coyote, fox or raccoon.

"The bald eagle tells one of our nation's most revered conservation success stories, and although this species has recovered to sustainable levels, we must keep in mind that as numbers rise, so does the risk for mortality due to human interactions," said Jack Dingledine, an official with the Fish and Wildlife Service's East Lansing field office.

Cloud Lightning

Malaysia: Floods Force Temporary Closure Of Niah, Lambir Hills National Parks

Image
The Niah National Park and Lambir Hills National Park in the Miri division are temporarily closed to the public with immediate effect due to serious flooding, the Sarawak Forestry Corporation said in a statement Tuesday.

It said the parks were closed for safety reasons and an announcement would be made once they were ready to receive visitors.

Niah, which is about 109 km from Miri and 131 km from Bintulu, is one of Sarawak's smallest national parks but it is one of the most important archaeological sites in the world following the discovery of the oldest modern human remains in Southeast Asia.

The 6,952-hectare Lambir Hills National Park, which is only 32 km from the Miri city centre, has a complex and diverse forest eco-system, including 237 different species of birds, flying squirrels, wild pigs, gibbons, many different types of monkey, various species of deer besides insects and other invertebrates.

Eye 1

China: Giant Hole Opens up Behind House

giant sink hole
© na
A Chinese family had to leave their home after a giant sinkhole suddenly opened up in their backyard overnight.

The hole is nearly 70ft wide and nobody has so far even been able to measure how deep it is.

Zhang Fengrong, 58, of Leshan, Sichuan province, said he suddenly heard a roaring sound at 2am.

He stepped outside and was amazed to see the giant hole opening up, and getting closer and closer to his house.

Evil Rays

Scientists Track Down Source of Earth's Hum

Image
© Unknown
You can't hear it, but the Earth is constantly humming. And some parts of the world sing louder than others.

After discovering the mysterious low-frequency buzz in 1998, scientists figured out that the Earth's hum is caused not by earthquakes or atmospheric turbulence, but by ocean waves colliding with the seafloor. Now, researchers have pinpointed the source of the Earth's "background noise," and it looks like it's coming primarily from the Pacific coast of North America.

When two waves of opposite direction but similar frequency collide, they create a special kind of pressure wave that carries energy to the ocean bottom. As these waves pound against the sea floor, they generate a constant vibration with a frequency of about 10 millihertz, much too low for humans to hear but easily detectable with seismometers. By comparing the intensity of the hum with the height of waves around the world, scientists can track where the buzz is coming from.