Earth ChangesS


Extinguisher

US: Lightning starts fires near Okanogan, Washington

Dee Camp
The Chronicle
Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:59 UTC


Okanogan fire 1
©Chronicle photo by Dee Camp
Fire erupts near Okanogan after lightning storm passes through at 7 p.m.


A brief, fierce lightning storm touched off a fast-moving fire that is threatening structures, the Okanogan County Sheriff's Office's communications system and crops in the Cameron Lake Road area near Okanogan.

The fire began around 7 p.m. July 1 as a lightning storm moved through the valley. It brought scattered rain showers to the mid-valley area and hail to the south end of the county.
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Stop

Israel: 'Current water crisis is unprecedented'


Jerusalem Post
Tue, 08 Jul 2008 13:49 UTC
"This is the worst crisis since records started being kept 80 years ago," Water Authority head Uri Shani declared Tuesday morning at a special press conference in Tel Aviv. "Like most countries, Israel is dependent on rainfall and the amount of rainfall is decreasing. There is a drop of 100 million cubic meters per year."

Shani described a situation of increasing damage to Israel's main natural water sources. The Coastal Aquifer "has dropped below its black line," which means that it will suffer rapid damage, possibly irreversible damage, Shani said.
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Bizarro Earth

Small earthquake shakes Peru


United Press
Tue, 08 Jul 2008 13:43 UTC
An earthquake registering 5.8 on the Richter scale shook southeastern Peru early Tuesday apparently causing no injuries, officials said.

Police confirmed reports a bridge some 450 miles from Lima collapsed during the tremor, El Comercio newspaper reported online.
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Cloud Lightning

Hurricane Bertha shifts direction


CNN
Tue, 08 Jul 2008 11:06 UTC
MIAMI, Florida -- Hurricane Bertha -- the first hurricane of the 2008 Atlantic season -- began a shift in direction Tuesday morning, a day after growing to Category 3 status, according to the National Hurricane Center.
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Phoenix

Dry, hot weather threatens California fire gains


Associated Press
Tue, 08 Jul 2008 10:27 UTC
LOS ANGELES - A day of gains on the California firelines could be giving way to days of trouble. The return of some residents to their homes Monday marked progress against the siege of wildfires, but forecasters warned that weather is turning the advantage back in favor of the flames.
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Alarm Clock

Zimbabwe Conservationists Predict "Catastrophe" Over Upsurge in Poaching

Kholwani Nyathi
The Standard
Sun, 06 Jul 2008 00:30 UTC
"Hungry ZANU PF Militias Poach Wildlife To Survive"

An environmental catastrophe is looming in most wildlife protected areas in Matabeleland North due to an upsurge in poaching activities by ZANU-PF [Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front] militias camped at bases throughout the province, it has been learnt.
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Cloud Lightning

UK: Lancashire hit by freak weather


Lancashire Evening Post
Tue, 08 Jul 2008 00:13 UTC


funnel cload
Shaun Kearns was fishing at Bickerstaffe when he took this picture

Evening Post readers were quick to capture dramatic pictures of freak weather in the sky above Merseyside and Lancashire.

Violent downpours resulted in the formation of a funnel cloud - a tornado which does not touch the ground - which was spotted at around 2.30pm on Sunday.
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Hourglass

Solving The Mystery Of The Disappearing Honey Bee

James Smith
eworldvu.com
Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:10 UTC
Albert Einstein once predicted that if bees were to disappear, man would follow only a few years later. Indeed, researchers need to find a solution to this worldwide bee problem very soon to insure that his theory is not put to a test.
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Cloud Lightning

First Hurricane of 2008 forms in distant Atlantic


Reuters
Mon, 07 Jul 2008 15:48 UTC
Miami - The first hurricane of the 2008 Atlantic storm season formed on Monday, hundreds of miles (kilometers) away from the United States and the Caribbean islands, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

The Miami-based center said it was still too early to determine whether Hurricane Bertha would hit any land, as computer models showed it would eventually start curving to the northwest and then to the north, possibly taking it near Bermuda.

Image
©NOAA
Bertha
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Magnify

US: On Plum Island, scientists track a tiny sparrow in hopes of saving the marshes

Kay Lazar
Boston.com
Sun, 06 Jul 2008 23:36 UTC
An elusive, palm-sized bird that spends its entire life in marshlands may help scientists unravel a mystery that, they say, could have profound implications for a lot of other creatures.
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