Earth Changes

27 Bald eagle deaths in Utah caused by West Nile Virus?

Michelle L. Price
newsdaily.com
Tue, 31 Dec 2013 05:21 UTC

Utah wildlife officials believe West Nile Virus caused 27 bald eagle deaths in December

© AP Photo/Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Lynn Chamberlain
In this undated photo released by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, shows a bald eagle, in Utah.

The mystery illness that has killed 27 bald eagles in Utah this month appears to be West Nile Virus, state officials said Tuesday.The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources said in a statement Tuesday that that laboratory tests done on some of the first birds found indicate they died from West Nile Virus.

Since Dec. 1, officials have found the birds in northern and central Utah. All were either dead or were ill and later died during treatment.The eagles displayed similar symptoms, including head tremors, signs of seizures, weakness in legs and feet and a paralysis of the bird's wings.

Beyond the 27 that have died, officials said five eagles were being treated at a wildlife rehabilitation center Tuesday. They appeared to be responding well to treatment, officials said.Utah wildlife officials aren't sure how the eagles caught the virus, but they suspect the birds contracted it by eating Eared Grebes that were infected with the virus and died recently.

Coldest day in Islamabad in 46 years

alrasub.com
Tue, 31 Dec 2013 05:07 UTC

Heavy snowfall in upper areas of Pakistan

Almost the entire country was in the grip of a cold wave on Monday, with a number of cities and towns struck by temperatures ranging between -17C and -21C. The federal capital went through its most uncomfortable day in 46 years as the mercury plunged to three below Celsius.

And even Karachi, known for its mild winters, was not far behind, recording a minimum temperature of six degrees Celsius. The city is likely to face more cold on Tuesday and Wednesday.

A minimum temperature of -2.8C in Islamabad had been recorded in 1984, but the lowest temperature recorded in the city is -3.9C in 1967.

Officials said that the wave was the fallout of extreme cold weather conditions in Europe as cold winds coming from there dry up after crossing the Central Asian region.

These cold and dry winds are also delaying the winter rains as the strong currents push the warm, moist winds rising from the Arabian Sea.

"These systems coming from the northwest last up to five or six days," Meteorological Department Director Dr Mohammad Hanif said. The Met Office forecast very cold and dry weather for Tuesday in most of the country, with cloudy conditions along with rain and light snowfall over the hills at places across a swathe stretching from Gilgit-Baltistan to Lahore and Sargodha divisions.

"But these are not the regular winter rains. They will only bring light rain because these clouds are part of the westerly wave that has separated from the European system and has reached up to Kashmir," Dr Hanif said.

Bitterly cold New Year expected in much of Canada

cbc.ca
Mon, 30 Dec 2013 04:49 UTC

Eastern Prairies remain locked in a deep freeze,' with wind chill warnings, says CBC meteorologist

© Janice Stein/CBC
Yellowknife, above, came close to breaking temperature records Tuesday. Temperatures fell to –43.4 C, around half a degree higher than the record low for Dec. 31, set in 1949.

Canadians awoke to below-freezing temperatures and wind chill warnings in much of the country and can expect a body-numbing last day of 2013, with the wind chill creating extremely cold conditions heading into the New Year.

On Monday, a number of provinces faced below-freezing temperatures, as Manitoba, parts of Saskatchewan, northern Ontario and Quebec were all under extreme wind chill warnings.

In Manitoba, where the wind chill made it feel like - 40 C to - 50 C, the cold weather forced at least one airline to cancel some flights. ExpressJet, a partner of United Airlines, cancelled several flights out of Winnipeg Monday night and Tuesday morning.

Airline representatives said the unique combination of extreme low temperatures and ice crystals exceed safe operating guidelines for their aircraft, which are small commuter planes that carry 35 to 70 passengers.

Passengers were moved onto flights operated by other airlines and rerouted through other cities.

Third icebreaker abandons rescue of climate scientists boat in Antarctica, media fog, obscure, don't say "climate"

Joannenova.com
Tue, 31 Dec 2013 17:38 UTC

LATEST NEWS: Aurora Australis abandons attempt to save Akademik Shokalskiy in Antarctica. The SMH headline could've said "Another icebreaker abandons attempt to save climate scientist's boat in Antarctica."

UPDATE: Russia says 54 of 74 passengers to be helicoptered off if weather permits. (h/ tPeter Miller) The Polar Star icebreaker has left from the US to come help. It will take 8 -9 days to arrive. (Guardian)

Welcome to Media-Sport, where we score points watching a part of the media dance around the hysterical folly of an Antarctic climate science expedition trapped in sea ice for six nights (and counting). The Art of Propaganda is not just in the telling of one-sided lines, but is crafted through parts left unsaid.

With three ice-breaker rescue ships trying to reach them, the latest news is that the scientists and media entourage may have to abandon ship and be helicoptered to safety (though right now even that is not possible due to the very rough weather). The ABC news home page at time of posting this has zero references to "Antarctica", but does say there are cracks in ice around a stranded ship.

The decision to abandon the latest attempt was made at 9am Australian EST. The SMH story appeared at 4.40pm, and the ABC reported it on "just in" at 5.40pm. Marvelous how "fast" satellite communications and social media can work. No mention on The Guardian Australia site (despite them having a reporter on the boat). No twitters seen on the @GdnAntarctica, or @guardian, @alokjha (their journalist), @loztopham (their documentary maker), or #spiritofmawson or @ProfChrisTurney. (Perhaps those trapped on the boat don't know?)

Flood warnings as more storms forecast for New Year's Day

BBC News
Tue, 31 Dec 2013 11:35 UTC

Flood warnings have been issued across England and Wales as forecasters predict more heavy rain and strong winds for the first day of 2014. The Environment Agency said communities in Cumbria and parts of southern England were particularly at risk.

Hundreds of households are still recovering from storms that caused floods and power cuts over Christmas.

Scottish and Southern Energy customers who faced a prolonged blackout will be entitled to compensation payments.

A statement on the company's website said domestic and business customers without power for 48 hours could claim £54 plus an extra £54 for every subsequent 12 hours.

In total, 130,000 customers had power restored, but this was mostly within 48 hours. A spokeswoman was unable to say how many customers would be eligible for payments.

Meanwhile, Commons energy select committee chairman Tim Yeo has said the bosses of the UK's energy distribution companies are to face questioning by MPs about the power cuts and Energy Secretary Ed Davey has summoned them to an "urgent meeting" next week.

It comes after more than 150,000 properties across the UK were left without power, many for several days, during the storms over Christmas.

Mr Yeo said it was "ludicrous" that some people had to wait five days for their power to be restored.

Stag attack in Scottish Highlands leaves woman fighting for life

Maev Kennedy
The Guardian
Tue, 31 Dec 2013 14:13 UTC

Kate Stone in serious but stable condition after suffering injuries to her neck and spine while holidaying in Lochailort

A Cambridge University academic is fighting for her life, with injuries to her neck and spine, after she was attacked and gored by a stag while chatting with friends outside a cottage in the Highlands.

Kate Stone was first treated at a local hospital on Monday night after the attack at Lochailort near Fort William, in which her throat was pierced. She was then airlifted to the Southern General in Glasgow when the seriousness of her injuries was realised.

She remains in intensive care where her condition was described as "serious but stable". Her neck was pierced so deeply that the animal had to shake itself free.

Stone, a research engineer at Cambridge's institute of manufacturing, who also runs her own hi-tech printing company, was holidaying with a group of friends, staying in a B&B near the site of the attack. She was with a group of friends standing chatting after they returned from a ceilidh at the nearby Lochailort Inn, in the darkness outside the home of a local musician.

Swedish man survived in snowed-in car for two months

Lizzy Davies
The Guardian
Sun, 19 Feb 2012 13:23 UTC

© Scanpix Sweden/Reuters
The man survived inside his car by eating snow. Doctors said he may have hibernated, like a bear.

A Swedish man who spent two months snowed inside his car as temperatures outside dropped to -30C is "awake and able to communicate", according to the hospital treating him, where stunned doctors believe he was kept alive by the "igloo effect" of his vehicle.

The man, believed to be Peter Skyllberg, 44, who was found near the north-eastern town of Umeå on Friday by passers-by, told police he had been in the car since 19 December without food, surviving only by eating snow and staying inside his warm clothes and sleeping bag.

Dr Ulf Segerberg, the chief medical officer at Noorland's University Hospital, said he had never seen a case like it. The man had probably been kept alive, he said, by the natural warming properties of his snowed-in car which would have acted as "the equivalent of an igloo".

"This man obviously had good clothes; he's had a sleeping bag and he's been in a car that's been snowed over," said Segerberg. "Igloos usually have a temperature of a couple of degrees below 0C and if you have good clothes you would survive in those temperatures and be able to preserve your body temperature. Obviously he has managed to preserve his body temperature or he wouldn't have made it because us humans can't really stand being cooled down like reptiles, for instance, which can change the body temperature."

All scientists and passengers to be taken off ship stuck in Antarctic Ice

Anthony Watts
WattsUpWithThat?
Mon, 30 Dec 2013 00:00 UTC

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority's (AMSA) Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC Australia) was advised this morning by the Aurora Australis that the ship will not be able to reach the MV Akademik Shokalskiy.

The Aurora Australis advised RCC Australia it would be at risk of becoming beset by ice itself if it continued to make further rescue attempts.

The Aurora Australis made attempts yesterday to reach the MV Akademik Shokalskiy but was driven back into open waters due to adverse weather conditions such as winds up to 30 knots and snow showers resulting in poor visibility. The ship is currently located about 16 nautical miles east of the Russian vessel.

The helicopter on board the Chinese flagged vessel Xue Long will now be used to rescue the passengers from the MV Akademik Shokalskiy.

This rescue will be a complex operation involving a number of steps and subject to factors such as weather.

The helicopter is unable to fly in the current weather conditions, and will hold off on the rescue until conditions improve. Weather conditions are unlikely to start improving until tomorrow and decisions related to carrying out the rescue may be made at short notice.

New island south of Tokyo grows to 8 times original size

Mainichi
Tue, 31 Dec 2013 00:00 UTC

A new island formed from volcanic activity near Nishinoshima Island in the Ogasawara island chain south of Tokyo has expanded to around eight times its size at the time of its discovery last month, analysis revealed on Dec. 24.

The analysis was conducted by assistant professor Fukashi Maeno of the Earthquake Research Institute at the University of Tokyo using photographs he took from the Mainichi Newspapers plane "Kibo" on Dec. 20. He estimated the volcanic crater on the island is as high as 50 meters above sea level.

Maeno estimates the island's area as of Dec. 20 at around 120,000 square meters. The island was around 450 meters long and wide. Around 2 million cubic meters of lava had erupted from it. Based on the manner in which the island was expanding, the daily eruption amount seems to be increasing.

50 meter-wide sinkhole suddenly opens up in Derbyshire, UK (VIDEO)

BBC
Mon, 30 Dec 2013 19:28 UTC

A large sinkhole has appeared in part of the Peak District in Derbyshire. The hole, which eye witnesses said measures about 160ft (49m) wide, has opened up in the village of Foolow.

Caver Mark Noble, 58, from Eyam, said he saw the hole during a walk on Christmas Day, but believes the land began to fall the day before. He said he has explored the caves at Foolow in the past as huge cavities were left in the area from an old lead mine.