Earth ChangesS


Bizarro Earth

Hurricanes Julia and Igor Churn the Atlantic as Simultaneous Storms Rage for First Time in a Decade


The Telegraph, UK
Wed, 15 Sep 2010 18:25 UTC
Hurricane Igor, Tropical storm Julia
© Getty ImagesHurricane Igor (L) and Tropical Storm Julia in the Atlantic Ocean
Tropical storm Karl soaked the coast of Mexico as a rare duo of powerful hurricanes rolled waters far out in the Atlantic.

Hurricanes Julia and Igor were moving across the Atlantic in the first time in a decade that there have been two category four storms in the seas at the same time.

Forecasters have predicted that this year could be one of the worst on record for hurricanes.

Hurricanes Julia and Igor are not thought to pose any threat to land, but Karl, the 11th named storm of the season, dumped more rain on Mexico which is already struggling with heavy flooding in southeastern states.

Karl also threatened installations of state oil company Pemex, and was due to pass close by.
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Magnify

Did Earth's Magnetic Field Have a Fast Flip-Flop?


Discover Magazine
Thu, 02 Sep 2010 19:14 UTC
earths magnetosphere
© Nasa
Had compass-toting Boy Scouts existed around fifteen million years ago, they may have had a fun time making it through the forest. New geological research questions if the Earth's magnetic field changed, at that time, at the remarkable pace of one degree per week, leading to a particularly fast magnetic pole flip.

In a paper to appear in Geophysical Research Letters, Scott Bogue and Jonathan Glen suggest that the Earth's magnetic field changed 53 degrees in one year's time, based on their study of preserved lava flows in Nevada. As the solid rock formed from cooling liquid lava, it preserved a pattern corresponding to the "super-fast" geomagnetic field reversal, the researchers believe. This is the second time that Bogue has controversially argued for the existence of such speedy flips, finding hints of a faster one in 1995.
In 1995 an ancient lava flow with an unusual magnetic pattern was discovered in Oregon. It suggested that the field at the time was moving by 6 degrees a day - at least 10,000 times faster than usual. "Not many people believed it," says Scott Bogue of Occidental College in Los Angeles. [New Scientist]
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Sun

Sun and Volcanic Eruptions Pace North Atlantic Climate Swings


ScienceDaily
Tue, 14 Sep 2010 00:00 UTC
Image
© University of BergenThe upper panel shows the variations in North Atlantic Ocean basin wide sea surface temperatures in a simulation that includes historical variations in total solar irradiance and volcanic aerosols (blue), and in a simulation that in addition to the natural external 'forcings' also include anthropogenic 'forcings' for the last 150 years (red). Up to year 1900, the blue curve is consistent with available temperature observations, whereas only the red curve matches the observed temperature evolution in the 20th century. The lower panel shows variations in the large-scale ocean circulation in the Atlantic (black) and dates of major volcanic eruptions.
A study presented in Nature Geoscience suggests that changes in solar intensity and volcanic eruptions act as a metronome for temperature variations in the North Atlantic climate.

A research team from the Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research in Bergen, Norway, has studied the climate in the North Atlantic region over the past 600 years using the Bergen Climate Model and the observed temperature evolution. They point to changes in the solar intensity and explosive volcanic eruptions as important causes for climate variations in the North Atlantic during this period.

The Sun, Volcanoes or Ocean Currents?

The traditional and common view is that climate variations in the North Atlantic lasting a decade and more, is governed by changes in the large-scale ocean circulation. The presented analysis supports this common perception, but only when the climate effects from changes in the solar intensity and volcanic eruptions are left out.

When the scientists include actual changes in the solar forcing and the climate effect of volcanic eruptions in their model, they find a strong causal link between these external factors and variations in the Atlantic surface temperature. In particular, the study highlights volcanic eruptions as important for long-term variations in the Atlantic climate both through their strong cooling effect, but also through their direct impact on atmosphere and ocean circulation.
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Alarm Clock

'Killer' Shrimp Found in UK, Scientists Worried

Jack Phillips
The Epoch Times
Wed, 15 Sep 2010 22:21 UTC
killer shrimp
© Screenshot of Youtube.comA Dikerogammarus villosus freshwater shrimp preys on other invertebrates. The so-called "killer" shrimp has recently been discovered in the UK.

A "killer" shrimp Dikerogammarus villosus has been found in a water reservoir in the U.K., causing concern among researchers, according to reports on Monday.

The non-native species is known to be invasive and could potentially cause major problems for the U.K.'s water ecosystems.

The shrimp eats a number of freshwater invertebrates including other shrimp, damselflies, small fish and water boatmen - all commonly found in Britain's waters. It tends to aggressively pursue its prey, often leaving it dead but uneaten. It is known to have caused the extinction of several other species in other areas.
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Bizarro Earth

Tropical Storm Karl Hits Mexico

Isela Serrano
Reuters
Wed, 15 Sep 2010 16:35 UTC
Image
© NOAA via AFP - Getty Images This satellite-based image taken Thursday morning shows Tropical Storm Karl just before it re-emerged into the Gulf of Mexico.
Tropical Storm Karl hit Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula on Wednesday and could reach hurricane strength once it enters the Gulf of Mexico, where it could swing past major Mexican oil installations.

Hundreds of mostly Mayan villagers were evacuated as Karl dumped rain and brought strong winds to the Yucatan, civil protection authorities said.

The storm also knocked out power to tens of thousands of people throughout the mainly rural area. Majahual, home to a large cruise ship port, bore the brunt of the storm as it made landfall but no serious damage was reported.

Mexico's state-run oil giant Pemex has not curtailed any operations but said it would monitor Karl's progress as it approached operations in the Bay of Campeche, where the bulk of Mexico's 2.55 million barrels per day of oil is produced.
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Arrow Down

Thailand: Apology After Tsunami False Alarm


Reuters
Tue, 14 Sep 2010 10:53 UTC
The Thai government apologized Tuesday to a region where thousands died in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami after a botched warning drill this week caused hundreds to flee their homes, convinced another wave was coming.

Hundreds of villagers in southwestern Phang Nga province fled to higher ground Monday after warning sirens went off intermittently, 30 minutes after a scheduled drill was completed in Ban Nam Khem, a village devastated by the 2004 tsunami.

The false alarms were the latest hiccup in Thailand's efforts to build a tsunami warning system since the towering waves battered Thailand's Andaman coast on December 26, 2004, leaving 5,398 people dead and nearly 3,000 missing.

The Indian Ocean tsunami, one of history's worst natural disasters, killed more than 226,000 people in 13 countries, including many foreigners lured by the region's pristine islands and beaches.
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Bizarro Earth

Europe is Expected to Have the Worst Winter in the Last 1000 Years


eWorldPost
Wed, 15 Sep 2010 15:56 UTC
Gulf Stream
© eWorldPost

If we hoped for a soft winter, a warning from Polish meteorologists gives us creeps. They believe this winter will be the coldest in the last 1000 years.

In the 2010-2011 we can freeze more than ever.

All this because the change of oceanic current Gulfstream, that keeps a climatic equilibrum on Earth. Soon, the hot waters transported by Gulf Stream won't fight the cold air from the Arctic Ocean. The first signs of the phenomena can already be seen in the Scandinavian Peninsula, the specialists say.

Gulf Stream or Gulf's Current works as a 'radiator' for the north part of Europe, and this disappearance or even a slight diminish can have as a consequence a new Ice Age.

Such a catastrophe might be hurried by the explosion of the petrol platform from Gulf of Mexico, just the place were Gulf Stream is formed. Then over 700k tons of petrol were discharged into the Ocean. The situation can change dramatically. A part of the petrol passed from Caribean Sea into the Atlantic Ocean, reducing the speed of Gulfstream, that transports less warm water.
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Binoculars

New York: 10,000 Birds Trapped in Twin Towers Memorial Light

Nick Allen
The Telegraph, UK
Wed, 15 Sep 2010 12:21 UTC
Image
© WiredFlying around the Tribute in Light are birds, pulled from their migratory path by the light
More than 10,000 confused birds were trapped by the beams of memorial lights switched on to mark the anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York.

Two beams emanating from Manhattan, known as the Tribute of Light, had to be turned off five times to allow the migrating birds to continue on their journey last week.

The birds were on their way from Canada to the warmer climate of the Caribbean and South America.

They do not always fly over New York and the last time their migratory path coincided with September 11 was in 2004.

The Tribute of Light is turned on by the Municipal Art Society every year on the anniversary of the attacks.

Monitors from New York City Audubon, a conservation organization, observed this year's tribute and alerted organizers to the confused birds.
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Binoculars

New Zealand: Kiwi Egg Hatches After Buffeting by Earthquake


The Telegraph, UK
Mon, 13 Sep 2010 06:52 UTC
Image
© Agence France-PresseA newly born kiwi chick at the Willowbank Wildlife Reserve in Christchurch
An endangered New Zealand kiwi has hatched safely, in a boost to conservation efforts.

Named Richter, after the scale of the 7.0-magnitude quake this month, the chick hatched at the Willowbank Wildlife Reserve in Christchurch.

"Our first egg hatch this year is one breakage that is a welcome relief after the recent quakes," Kate Wilkinson, the country's Conservation Minister, said.

The ground-dwelling kiwi, the avian symbol of New Zealand, is threatened by a host of introduced predators including rats, cats, dogs, ferrets and possums.

Rory Newsam, a Department of Conservation spokesman, said there were fewer than 70,000 kiwis left in New Zealand and the rowi, the subspecies to which Richter belongs, numbered only 300.
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Binoculars

Wood-Eating Catfish Discovered in Peru

Fiona Govan
The Telegraph, UK
Tue, 14 Sep 2010 07:54 UTC
Image
© Paulo PetryPaulo Petry, a zoology professor at Harvard University, said the fish was found in an area bursting with biodiversity but also under threat from development
A new species of armoured catfish that eats wood with spoon-shaped teeth has been discovered in a remote area of the Amazonian jungle in Peru.

Scientists from the US National Science Foundation made the discovery during an expedition last month to a national park in the Alto Purus area of northeastern Peru.

The fish, which reaches 70cm long (2ft 3 ins), have evolved "spoon-shaped teeth" specialised in scraping tree logs that fall into the river waters.

The indigenous people have long eaten the fish which they catch by shooting them in the water, but it is the first time a specimen has been caught alive to be studied by scientists.

Paulo Petry, a zoology professor at Harvard University, said the fish was found in an area bursting with biodiversity but also under threat from development.
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