Earth ChangesS

Evil Rays

Magnitude 4.0 earthquake shakes Israel

A mild earthquake measuring 4.0 on the Richter Scale was felt across Israel Monday night, from Kiryat Shmona in the north to the Jerusalem area.

The quake's epicenter was located about 12.5 miles east of the south Lebanese town of Tyre. No injuries or damage were reported.

Better Earth

Strong quake hits island off South America

WASHINGTON - A strong 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck yesterday near the South Sandwich Islands, a remote British territory near Antarctica and South America's southern tip, the US Geological Survey said.

Padlock

Tornadoes Not So Unusual

Every time the weather gets nasty these days, the question of whether global warming is to blame pops up.

It's inevitable. People wonder, politicians bring it up, and scientists have something to say.

Bug

Insect Invasion Possible as Climate Warms

Global warming could bring about a veritable insect explosion, if past performance is an indication of future gains.

Just such a buggy invasion swarmed parts of the northern United States during an abrupt global warming event more than 50 million years ago, a new study of leaf fossils shows.

Snowman

US: Bitter Cold, Snow Pummel Plains, East

Hazelton, Pa. - Windy, bitterly cold weather spread from the northern Plains to the Northeast on Sunday, with blinding snow canceling church services in parts of Michigan and causing a 68-vehicle pileup in Pennsylvania.

House

US: Wildfires Threaten Homes in Carolinas

Conway, South Carolina - Wind-whipped wildfires across the rain-starved Carolinas chased churchgoers from worship on Sunday and forced residents to flee dozens of homes threatened by flames.

Cloud Lightning

'Greatest ever' downpour floods Tonga

A freak storm -- that dumped more than a month's average rainfall in less than 24 hours -- has swamped the Pacific island nation of Tonga, forcing evacuations, officials said Saturday.

Buildings, including the Australian High Commission, and houses in the main city of Nuku'alofa were flooded after roads turned into rivers during the storm, officials said.

"This is the greatest rainfall we have ever had in the kingdom," duty forecaster 'Ofa Taumoepeau said.

Fish

Deformed fish seen near farm runoff

A form of intersex fish, which have male and female traits, is found more frequently in areas with more farming and human population density, according to a new study by the U.S. Geological Survey.

The so-called intersex fish have been found in U.S. waters over the past decade, including the Potomac River watershed, the southern Great Lakes and the Southern California coast. The cause isn't fully understood, but researchers suspect waste-water and farm runoff polluted with chemicals that stimulate estrogen production.

Fish

Dust Storms In Sahara Desert Trigger Huge Plankton Blooms In Eastern Atlantic

Scientists on board RRS Discovery are at sea studying the Saharan dust that blows off the coast of Africa - triggering huge plankton blooms in the eastern Atlantic.

Saharan dust is rich in nitrogen, iron and phosphorus and acts as a fertilizer on the production of plankton.

Dr Eric Achterberg from NOCS is leading the research cruise and studying the dust's effect on nutrients, plankton production and the food chain.

dust storm over N Atlantic
©National Oceanography Centre, Southampton
MODIS satellite true color image of dust storm over tropical North Atlantic Ocean, March 2004.

People

Cold snap kills 750 in Afghanistan

Freezing weather has killed 750 people in war-torn Afghanistan with many others losing their limbs due to frostbite.