Earth ChangesS


Black Cat

Woman killed by leopard in Junnar, India - 7th such incident in the area since March

A 40-year-old woman was killed in a leopard attack in Pendhar village in Junnar on Wednesday. (
A 40-year-old woman was killed in a leopard attack in Pendhar village in Junnar on Wednesday. (
A 40-year-old woman was killed in a leopard attack in Pendhar village in Junnar on Wednesday.

This incident marked the seventh death in the Junnar forest division due to leopard attacks since March.

"It is expected that more leopard attacks might take place by the end of the year. It is a worrisome situation for the forest department as well as the concerned authorities and the locals," said Kumar Ankit, senior research fellow at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), who has been working on the leopard project in Junnar since 2019, under the guidance of Bilal Habib, a senior scientist at WII.

Sharing insights from the data observations, Ankit said, that in places like Pauri Garhwal in Uttarakhand and others, including Junnar in Maharashtra, where humans and carnivorous animals coexist, we have seen a certain trend in such conflict incidents.

Comment: An earlier report from the area: Woman killed by leopard in Pune, India - 5th such incident for district in 5 months


Arrow Down

It's an emergency! Green plants spreading at alarming rate in Antarctica

Lesson #457 in how to lie with science

File this lesson away in the Decline and Fall of Enlightenment Science. Nature, formerly known as the esteemed science journal, is now achieving everything a captured tabloid industry sales mag could hope for. They've squeezed a disaster out of a tiny change in a short record, and from a good news story. Let's not forget, for the last 100,000 years most humans would have been happy that a bit of Antarctica was greening.

"Lush"? The only people who call this lush are penguins:
Antarctica Greening
© joannenova.com.au
To appreciate the Black Belt level of naked exaggeration going on here, consider the opening hyperbole:
A fast-warming region of Antarctica is getting greener with shocking speed. Satellite imagery of the region reveals that the area covered by plants increased by almost 14 times over 35 years — a trend that will spur rapid change of Antarctic ecosystems.

"It's the beginning of dramatic transformation," says Olly Bartlett, a remote-sensing specialist at the University of Hertfordshire in Hatfield, UK, and an author of the study1, published today in Nature Geoscience, that reports these results.
All this shock and drama arise from an area of "less than a square kilometer" expanding all the way up to "nearly 12 square kilometers". These numbers "shocked us" say the PR team, I mean, the scientists, who continue on in their best Agony-Aunt impression: "It's simply that rate of change in an extremely isolated, extremely vulnerable area that causes the alarm." Sob sob, and Boo hoo too. It's a lonely peninsula. Can we find it a friend?

Everything about this shows the pathetic decay of Western Science. We're talking about 12 square kilometers of more habitable land on a continent with 14 million square kilometers of ice. The horrible affliction of unexpected tundra now covers 0.00009% of Antarctica.

Volcano

Japan: Sakurajima volcano spews ash 1,400 meters high

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In a display of natural power, Japan's Sakurajima volcano erupted explosively on October 13 at 12:42 local time, sending a towering ash plume 1400 meters above its crater.

This event marks the 32nd explosive eruption of Sakurajima in 2024, continuing its active phase that has captivated and concerned residents and scientists alike.

The eruption, while not unexpected given the volcano's frequent activity, serves as a stark reminder of the geological forces at play beneath the Earth's surface.

Sakurajima, located on the southernmost tip of Kyushu Island, is one of Japan's most active volcanoes, known for its almost continuous minor eruptions and periodic explosive events.


Tornado2

Rare waterspout spotted over Qinghai Lake in China

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On October 9, 2024, a spectacular natural phenomenon was captured over Qinghai Lake in Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, located in northwestern China's Qinghai Province.

In the video, a thick layer of clouds hung in the sky while a massive column of water shot straight from the lake's surface toward the clouds. This rare event, known as a waterspout, resembled a giant dragon playing in the water, as if connecting the lake to the sky.

Waterspouts are a form of tornado over water, featuring a rapidly rotating funnel of wind with intense low pressure. The breathtaking scene left Chinese onlookers in awe of the power and beauty of nature.


Seismograph

Strong shallow 6.0 magnitude earthquake shakes Malatya, Türkiye

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A 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck Türkiye's Malatya province Wednesday at 10:46 a.m. local time, with the epicenter located in the Kale district, the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) reported.

The tremor was felt across several surrounding provinces, prompting concern among residents. It was determined that the earthquake occurred at a depth of 10.07 kilometers (6.25 miles).

The 6.0 magnitude earthquake was also felt in Diyarbakir, Tunceli and Elazig.

Following the earthquake, education was suspended for one day in Elazig and Malatya provinces.

Malatya Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Sami Er said: "Regarding the Kale-centered earthquake, there have been no reported problems so far. Our field assessments are ongoing."


Tsunami

Flood submerges 200 communities, displaces over 2 million people in Kogi, Nigeria

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The Kogi State Government says ravaging flood has submerged over 200 communities and displaced over two million people in the state.

The state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Hon. Kingsley Fanwo, disclosed this on Monday at Kotonkarfe in Kogi Local Government Area of the state, saying, a major "humanitarian crisis is brewing in the state."

He said the communities in the nine local government areas affected by the water flood include Kogi, Lokoja, Adavi, Ofu, Ajaokuta, Idah and Ibaji, Igalamela and Omalla.

The state government called on the Federal Government and international donor agencies to come to the aid of the state to cushion the attendant hardships.


Comment: Relevant: Thunderstorms are bringing unprecedented greening to the southern Sahara desert

See also these recent reports about nearby countries in the region:


Cloud Precipitation

Rainfall recorded over western Singapore on Oct 14 among the highest in over 40 years

High water levels in Ulu Pandan Canal seen around 9.45am due to heavy rain on Oct 14.
© Mark CheongHigh water levels in Ulu Pandan Canal seen around 9.45am due to heavy rain on Oct 14.
The western part of Singapore experienced one of the country's heaviest downpours in over 40 years on the morning of Oct 14, with thunderstorms blanketing the island.

Some 134.8mm of rainfall was recorded in western Singapore from 8.15am to 1.50pm, the highest amount during this time period, national water agency PUB said on Facebook late on Oct 14.

"This amount corresponds to 80 per cent of Singapore's average monthly rainfall in October, and lies within the top 1 per cent of maximum daily rainfall records since 1978," PUB said.

According to the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS), the month of October sees an average of 168.3mm of rainfall, based on readings recorded between 1991 and 2020.

The heavy rain on Oct 14 resulted in flooding in many areas, such as Tampines and Bukit Timah, with videos on social media showing vehicles slowly making their way through flooded roads.


Cloud Precipitation

Heavy rainfall of 114mm (4.5 inches) an hour cause of flash floods across Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Flash floods were reported in parts of Kuala Lumpur following a morning downpour on Tuesday (Oct 15).
Flash floods were reported in parts of Kuala Lumpur following a morning downpour on Tuesday (Oct 15).
Unusually high and continuous rainfall from 8.30am this morning in Kuala Lumpur caused major rivers, including Sungai Batu, Sungai Klang, and Sungai Gombak, to overflow, which led to flooding in several areas.

The Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) Corporate Planning Department, in a statement, 60mm of rain was recorded during this time, which was well above the average.

"Rainfall readings at the city centre station exceeded 114mm per hour, which is 54mm higher than the norm," the statement read.

DBKL added that its personnel had been deployed to manage the situation, including directing traffic to ease congestion.


Snowflake

Early snowfall causes traffic jams on Otmok pass, Kyrgyzstan

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Snowfall on Otmok pass is creating traffic jams on Suusamyr - Talas - Taraz road on October 15, drivers say.

The special equipment is cleaning the road surface.

Due to the sharp change in weather and snowfall, drivers moving on Bishkek - Talas route are recommended to have snow chains, not to drive on the oncoming lane during traffic jams, not to hinder the movement of special equipment to the place of traffic jams, not to use summer tires, change tires for winter tires, keep a safe distance between the cars.

The movement of trucks on Suusamyr - Talas - Taraz road has been suspended.


Doberman

Minor girl mauled to death by stray dogs in south Kashmir, India

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A minor girl was mauled to death by stray dogs in Awantipora area of south Kashmir's Pulwama district on Monday, officials said.

An official said that the girl was attacked and grievously injured by stray dogs outside her residence in Beighpora locality of Awantipora. He said that the girl was shifted to a nearby hospital from where she was referred to Srinagar, reported news agency KNO.

"Soon after reaching Srinagar hospital, she succumbed to her injuries." She has been identified as Zobia Gulzar (08) daughter of Gulzar Ahmad Naikoo of Beighpora.