The periodic phenomenon known as El Nino has developed in the Pacific Ocean threatening extreme weather in many parts of the world, US scientists say.
El Ninos begin with a warming of waters in the eastern Pacific, and there has been a steep rise in water temperature in recent weeks, they say.
This El Nino is likely to strengthen towards the end of the year and early into 2007, the researchers add.
However it is not expected to reach the strength of the 1997 phenomenon.
Earth Changes
BOISE, Idaho - Wildfires across the country have scorched more land in 2006 than in any year since at least 1960, burning an area twice the size of New Jersey.
But the flames have mainly raced across sparsely populated desert, causing fewer firefighter deaths than in previous years.
As of Wednesday, blazes had torched 8.69 million acres, or 13,584 square miles, just above last year's total of 13,573 square miles, according to the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise. Reliable records were not kept before 1960, officials said. The annual average over the past 10 years is 4.9 million acres.
But the flames have mainly raced across sparsely populated desert, causing fewer firefighter deaths than in previous years.
As of Wednesday, blazes had torched 8.69 million acres, or 13,584 square miles, just above last year's total of 13,573 square miles, according to the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise. Reliable records were not kept before 1960, officials said. The annual average over the past 10 years is 4.9 million acres.
Arctic sea ice in winter is melting far faster than before, two new NASA studies reported Wednesday, a new and alarming trend that researchers say threatens the ocean's delicate ecosystem.
Scientists point to the sudden and rapid melting as a sure sign of man-made global warming.
Scientists point to the sudden and rapid melting as a sure sign of man-made global warming.
School children saw it, businessmen saw it and little old ladies in their gardens saw it.
The meteor that blazed its way across Ashburton skies yesterday caught many by surprise and, so quick was its passage, most doubted what they had seen.
That doubt remained until reports of the fiery, moving light began to flood into newsrooms around the South Island.
The meteor that blazed its way across Ashburton skies yesterday caught many by surprise and, so quick was its passage, most doubted what they had seen.
That doubt remained until reports of the fiery, moving light began to flood into newsrooms around the South Island.
Three powerful earthquakes have been registered off Russia's Pacific coast, local officials said Wednesday.
Two quakes measuring 4.7 and 4.8 on the Richter scale were registered at 6:54 p.m. local time Tuesday (5:35 a.m. GMT) and 11:59 p.m. (10:59 GMT), respectively, 220 kilometers (140 miles) to the east of the Kamchatka Peninsula at a depth of 33km (21 miles), seismologists said.
Two quakes measuring 4.7 and 4.8 on the Richter scale were registered at 6:54 p.m. local time Tuesday (5:35 a.m. GMT) and 11:59 p.m. (10:59 GMT), respectively, 220 kilometers (140 miles) to the east of the Kamchatka Peninsula at a depth of 33km (21 miles), seismologists said.
3.6 2006/03/03 14:36:36 19.113 -63.991 5.0 55 km ( 34 mi) NE of Settlement, British Virgin Islands
Addis Ababa - Heavy rain, swirling waters, mud, silt and marsh combined Wednesday to hamper frantic efforts to reach thousands of villagers marooned by deadly flash floods in southern Ethiopia, officials said.
The elements, along with the reluctance of pastoralist herders to leave their surviving cattle for higher ground, frustrated the delivery of the first overland relief supplies that reached the remote region on Tuesday, they said.
The elements, along with the reluctance of pastoralist herders to leave their surviving cattle for higher ground, frustrated the delivery of the first overland relief supplies that reached the remote region on Tuesday, they said.
ONE of our worst fears about global warming has been confirmed. Greenland's ice is melting faster than ever. The process could reach a point of no return before the end of the century, raising the sea to catastrophic levels. Hopes that increased snowfall on Antarctica would mitigate the problem have also been dashed.
Mount Etna just got a full-body scan. While nothing serious was diagnosed this time around, similar scans might give warning of a future volcanic eruption.
The Sicilian volcano is almost always bubbling with activity, but despite this thousands of people live safely on its slopes. In 2002, however, there was an unusually violent eruption that geophysicists believe was caused by gas-rich magma rising within the volcano.
The Sicilian volcano is almost always bubbling with activity, but despite this thousands of people live safely on its slopes. In 2002, however, there was an unusually violent eruption that geophysicists believe was caused by gas-rich magma rising within the volcano.
Britain faces a serious risk of floods in the coming months according to experts who yesterday criticised the Government for cutting national funding for flood defences.
A combination of exceptionally high tides and the risk of autumn storms and heavy downpours could bring serious floods to many parts of the country at a time when anti-flood funding is being cut.
A combination of exceptionally high tides and the risk of autumn storms and heavy downpours could bring serious floods to many parts of the country at a time when anti-flood funding is being cut.
Comment: Comment: Back on February 10, a 5.2 earthquake struck in the Gulf of Mexico about 160 miles South of New Orleans.
According to Elaine Meinel Supkis: