Earth ChangesS


Bizarro Earth

US Geological Survey reports 6.5 magnitude quake near Alaska


news.yahoo.com
Thu, 01 May 2008 23:40 UTC
ANCHORAGE - The U.S. Geological Survey on Thursday reported a 6.5 magnitude earthquake in a sparsely inhabited area near the tip of the Aleutian island chain, 45 miles WNW of Adak, Alaska.

The temblor, recorded at 6:33 p.m. Pacific time (9:33 p.m. EDT), was at a depth of 29.6 miles, the USGS said.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injury in the Aleutians, a chain of more than 300 small volcanic islands that are home to small communities of some 8,000 natives.

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Better Earth

Oxygen Depletion Zones In Tropical Oceans Expanding, May be Due To Climate Change


Science Daily
Thu, 01 May 2008 18:50 UTC
Scientists confirm computer model predictions that oxygen-depleted zones in tropical oceans are expanding, possibly because of climate change. An international team of physical oceanographers including a researcher from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego has discovered that oxygen-poor regions of tropical oceans are expanding as the oceans warm, limiting the areas in which predatory fishes and other marine organisms can live or enter in search of food.

oxygen concentrations in the worlds oceans
©AAAS/Science
Mean dissolved oxygen concentrations in the world's oceans at a depth of 400 meters (1,312 feet) with blue contours representing the lowest concentrations. Boxed areas represent ocean regions analyzed in the study.
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Attention

4.4-magnitude quake strikes in mountains near Bakersfield, California


Associated Press
Thu, 01 May 2008 17:44 UTC
A moderate earthquake shook a mountainous area near Bakersfield, Calif., early Thursday, just hours after a quake some 230 miles to the southeast.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the 4.4-magnitude quake struck at 1:11 a.m. and was centered 12 miles south-southeast of the resort town of Lake Isabella and 35 miles east-northeast of Bakersfield.
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Bulb

Birdsongs give insights into learning new behaviors


Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Thu, 01 May 2008 17:03 UTC
Young songbirds babble before they can mimic an adult's song, much like their human counterparts. Now, in work that offers insights into how birds - and perhaps people - learn new behaviors, MIT scientists have found that immature and adult birdsongs are driven by two separate brain pathways, rather than one pathway that slowly matures.

The work is reported in the May 2 issue of Science.

"The babbling during song learning exemplifies the ubiquitous exploratory behavior that we often call play but that is essential for trial-and-error learning," comments Michale Fee, the senior author of the study and a neuroscientist in the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT and an associate professor in MIT's Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences.
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Evil Rays

Report: More than 100 hurt in western Iran earthquake


Associated Press
Thu, 01 May 2008 16:33 UTC
An earthquake hit western Iran Thursday, causing minor injuries to more than 100 people, state TV reported.

The report said the magnitude 4.7 quake jolted three towns in Lorestan province at 4:45 a.m., but no one was seriously hurt or required hospitalization.

The head of Lorestan's emergency department, Reza Ariai, was quoted as saying that at least 70 of the wounded lived in Boroujerd, about 200 miles southwest of Tehran.
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Target

'Sonic boom' preceded 5.2 quake near Burnt Ranch, Northern California

Carol Harrison
The Eureka Reporter
Thu, 01 May 2008 14:10 UTC
A magnitude-5.2 earthquake, centered 11 miles east southeast of Willow Creek, jolted the North Coast at 8:03 p.m. on Tuesday.

The Unites States Geological Survey termed it a level VI temblor with a strong shake and light damage.

A magnitude-2.0 aftershock hit five minutes later, 16 miles to the east of Willow Creek.

"It was sort of like a sonic boom," said Brenda Simmons of SkyCrest Lake resort in Burnt Ranch. "It was a very loud noise before the house started shaking. It was pretty scary, the biggest thing I've ever felt here. (It) lasted 10 seconds max. I didn't feel the aftershock."
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Alarm Clock

Fairly strong earthquake jolts Chiba Prefecture


Mainichi Daily News
Thu, 01 May 2008 13:46 UTC
A fairly strong earthquake jolted Chiba Prefecture on Thursday morning, the Meteorological Agency said.
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Arrow Down

Global warming may 'stop', scientists predict

Charles Clover
The London Telegraph
Thu, 01 May 2008 09:56 UTC
Global warming will stop until at least 2015 because of natural variations in the climate, scientists have said.
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Bizarro Earth

Pacific Decadal Oscillation Has Shifted to Cool Phase, Reducing Global Temperatures: NASA


NASA
Thu, 01 May 2008 10:00 UTC
A cool-water anomaly known as La Niña occupied the tropical Pacific Ocean throughout 2007 and early 2008. In April 2008, scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory announced that while the La Niña was weakening, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation - a larger-scale, slower-cycling ocean pattern - had shifted to its cool phase.

PDO
©NASA
La Nina and Pacific Decadal Oscillation Cool the Pacific
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Cloud Lightning

Maine flooding 'greater than a 100-year event'


Associated Press
Thu, 01 May 2008 09:21 UTC
FORT KENT, Maine - The raging St. John River spilled its banks, flooding more than 100 homes as emergency management officials feared the region could face its worst flooding in modern history Thursday.

Fort Kent, ME
©Shawn Patrick Ouellette / AP
A man walks his dog past flooded Main St. in Fort Kent, Maine, on Wednesday.
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