Earth ChangesS


Bizarro Earth

Magnitude 5.1 - Southern Qinghai, China


United States Geological Survey
Wed, 16 Jul 2008 23:15 UTC
Details:

* Wednesday, July 16, 2008 at 22:58:19 UTC
* Thursday, July 17, 2008 at 06:58:19 AM at epicenter
* Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones

Location 33.162°N, 92.049°E
Depth 10 km (6.2 miles) set by location program
Region SOUTHERN QINGHAI, CHINA
Distances 400 km (250 miles) NNE of Lhasa, Xizang (Tibet)

440 km (275 miles) SW of Golmud, Qinghai, China

530 km (330 miles) NE of Xigaze, Xizang (Tibet)

2295 km (1430 miles) WSW of BEIJING, Beijing, China
Read More...
Butterfly

Canada: Moth outbreak threatens forests, scientist warns


The Canadian Press
Fri, 11 Jul 2008 17:56 UTC
The mountain pine beetle isn't the only problem British Columbia forest officials are concerned about in the Southern Interior.

Entomologist Lorraine MacLauchlan, who just came back from the field, says the area is in the midst of a severe outbreak of the tussock moth.
Read More...
Info

Over 100 Species Of Bats Found Within Several Acres Of Rainforest In Ecuador


Science Daily
Wed, 16 Jul 2008 17:20 UTC
Bats are a remarkable evolutionary success story representing the second largest group of mammals, outnumbered only by rodents in number of species. Now, researchers of the Leibniz-Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Berlin (Germany) and Boston University (U.S.A.) have discovered the place that harbours the highest number of bat species ever recorded. In a few ha* of rainforest in the Amazon basin of eastern Ecuador, the authors have found more than 100 species of bats.

Dr. Katja Rex and colleagues captured bats at several biodiversity hotspots in the New World tropics, in the lowland rainforest of Costa Rica, the slopes of the Andes and a site in the Amazon rainforest of Eastern Ecuador, at the Tiputini Biodiversity Station 1 located adjacent to the Yasuní Biosphere Reserve. During many months of strenuous nightly field work, exposed to rain and mosquitoes, the researchers captured bats, identified species and recorded the total number of each species they captured. Based on these numbers, they calculated the species richness and diversity present in each of these forests.
Read More...
Bizarro Earth

US: NOAA Predicts Largest Gulf Of Mexico 'Dead Zone' On Record


Science Daily
Wed, 16 Jul 2008 17:06 UTC
NOAA-supported scientists from the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium and Louisiana State University are forecasting that the "dead zone" off the coast of Louisiana and Texas in the Gulf of Mexico this summer could be the largest on record.

The researchers are predicting the area could measure a record 8,800 square miles, or roughly the size of New Jersey. In 2007, the dead zone was 7,903 square miles. The largest dead zone on record was in 2002, when it measured 8,481 square miles. The official measurement of this year's dead zone is slated to be released in late July. Researchers began taking regular measurements of the dead zone in 1985.

dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico
©NOAA
Approximate dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico.

"The prediction of a large dead zone this summer is due to a combination of large influx of nitrogen and exceptionally high flows from the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers," said LSU scientist R. Eugene Turner.
Read More...
Phoenix

Colorado, US: Crews battling wildfire near Fort Carson


Associated Press
Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:23 UTC
A 300-acre wildfire burning on Fort Carson grounds is about 50 percent contained.

The blaze is burning in grass and trees on the south part of the Army base. Authorities believe the fire was sparked by a lawn mower.

Fort Carson spokeswoman Brandy Gill says the Army base was notified of the blaze about 10 this morning. She says the fire is burning in grass and trees near the south part of the base. No structures are threatened.
Read More...
Recycle

Kamikatsu, Japan: Zero Waste

Roger Harrabin
BBC
Fri, 11 Jul 2008 16:15 UTC
The Mayor of Kamikatsu, a small community in the hills of eastern Japan, has urged politicians around the world to follow his lead and make their towns "Zero Waste".

He told BBC News that all communities could learn from Kamikatsu, where residents have to compost all their food waste and sort other rubbish into 34 different categories.

Residents say the scheme has prompted them to cut down on waste generally and food waste in particular.

If the policy spread, it would reduce the amount of food waste, and so take some of the pressure off high food prices.

Kamikatsu may be a backwater in the wooded hills and rice terraces of south-eastern Japan but it's become a world leader on waste policy.

There are no waste collections from households at all. People have to take full responsibility for everything they throw away.
Read More...
Evil Rays

China's Sichuan hit by new earthquake


RIA Novosti
Tue, 15 Jul 2008 17:10 UTC
An earthquake aftershock measuring 5.0 on the Richter scale struck China's southwest province of Sichuan on Tuesday, Xinhua news agency reported.

The aftershock hit the county of Mianzhu at 5:26 p.m. local time (9:30 GMT), the agency said, citing the China Earthquake Administration. No details on casualties or damage have yet been released.
Read More...
Sherlock

Brazil announces new offshore oil find


RIA Novosti
Tue, 15 Jul 2008 17:08 UTC
Brazil's state-controlled oil company Petrobras has announced the discovery of a high-quality off-shore oil deposit in the Espirito Santo Basin.

The new deposit is located in near the Golfinho field, 60 kilometers (40 miles) from the city of Vitoria, at a depth of 1,374 meters (about 4,500 feet). The first estimates indicate a potential of 150 million barrels of recoverable oil, Petrobras said in a press release posted on its website on Tuesday.
Read More...
Phoenix

US: California blazes called state's largest 'fire event'


Associated Press
Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:48 UTC
Officials say the recent California wildfires have burned more area than a devastating series of blazes in October 2003.

The Governor's Office of Emergency Services said Monday that the earlier fires burned 1,155 square miles. The new fires have burned nearly 1,300 square miles since June 21.
Read More...
Question

Flashback India: Mysterious disease affects crops in Nellai district


NewIndPress
Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:45 UTC
Farmers in and around Tirunelveli and Palayamkottai, who cultivated cotton, vegetables, and sunflower, are in a shock over a mysterious disease, which caused heavy damage to the crops.

Farmers from Gangaikondan, Anaithalaiyoor, Paruthikulam, Maanur and other areas surrounding Tirunelveli and Palayamkottai have cultivated cotton, vegetables and sunflower on 600 acres. They bought seeds from private companies and recently they noticed, a white liquid secreting from the stem of cotton.
Read More...