Earth Changes
Three volcanoes in Russia's Kamchatka continue to send steam and ash into the air while lava flows down their slopes. Volcanic activity on the peninsula has dramatically intensified. Aviation authorities issued an orange security level in the area. The volcanoes Shiveluch, Kizimen and Plosky Talbachek are erupting in different parts of the peninsula simultaneously, causing dozens of local earthquakes, as the vibrations accompanying the eruptions of the giants continue to increase. The biggest and most active is Shiveluch, Kamchatka's northernmost volcano and 3,283 meters high. Over the last days it made several eruptions of gases, steam and ash, the highest of which reached the 4,900 m above sea level. Unceasing earth tremors send avalanches down its slopes.
Hydrothermal activity at White Island has increased and an expert says there is "significant concern" the volcano could erupt with little or no warning.
GNS volcanologist Brad Scott visited the island - situated 48km from the Bay of Plenty coastline - and confirmed hydrothermal activity in the small "hot lake" had increased.
"The hydrothermal activity is some of the most vigorous I have seen at White Island for many years. This type of activity usually leads to stronger volcanic activity and is a significant concern," Mr Scott said.
This new era called a 'solar hibernation' or 'grand minimum' is caused by a repeating 206 year cycle of the Sun. These hibernations are accompanied by historic reductions in the energy output of the Sun. SSRC research shows the next solar hibernation will bring a long period of cold just as it has done before every time this cycle 'turns over' from its global warming phase to its global cooling phase. In addition, SSRC research backed by that of other researchers has shown a high degree of correlation between solar hibernations and the world's largest earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.Mr. Casey, President of the SSRC was the first authority to notify the White House and other government agencies of this coming solar hibernation in early 2007. Numerous other scientists discovered the same cycles of the Sun. Their findings have been ignored or buried in science journals and thus essentially unknown to the public.During the first six months of 2011, NASA, The US Air Force, and the National Solar Observatory all confirmed the coming solar grand minimum. The next solar hibernation and according to the SSRC and many other scientists, the next climate change to decades of record cold has begun.
This cold era is expected to last for approximately 22 to 33 years with the coldest temperatures to be seen during the 2020's and 2030's either side of the bottom year of the cycle in 2031, and have temperatures on the order of that observed during the Dalton Minimum (1793-1830). We have already seen the early signs of the new climate with record cold winters globally for some of the past four years. During the winter of 2011-2012, while the central and eastern USA experienced a relatively warm winter, Europe and Asia had a difficult winter. We have entered a period of record temperature setting both hot and cold. This trend of highly variable extremes of both hot and cold within a general trend of globally declining temperatures is fully characteristic of the transition between climate changes.
This cold era is expected to last for approximately 22 to 33 years with the coldest temperatures to be seen during the 2020's and 2030's either side of the bottom year of the cycle in 2031, and have temperatures on the order of that observed during the Dalton Minimum (1793-1830). We have already seen the early signs of the new climate with record cold winters globally for some of the past four years. During the winter of 2011-2012, while the central and eastern USA experienced a relatively warm winter, Europe and Asia had a difficult winter. We have entered a period of record temperature setting both hot and cold. This trend of highly variable extremes of both hot and cold within a general trend of globally declining temperatures is fully characteristic of the transition between climate changes.
© AFP/Christof Stache
Employees de-ice an airplane in Munich, southern Germany, on January 21, 2013.
Employees de-ice an airplane in Munich, southern Germany, on January 21, 2013.
Frankfurt airport, Germany's main air hub, cancelled around 500 departing and arriving flights, representing 40 percent of its daily schedule.
The busiest airport in Europe, London Heathrow, scrapped more than 200 flights.
Heathrow said a decision was taken 24 hours in advance to cancel 130 flights due to predicted poor visibility, but problems elsewhere in Europe were having an impact too.
"The additional cancellations are because a number of airports elsewhere in Europe are experiencing problems so that has a knock-on effect for us," an airport spokesman said.
Heathrow has spent 36 million pounds ($57 million) on upgrading its snow-clearing equipment since 2010, when freezing temperatures and snow almost brought the airport to a halt in the approach to Christmas.
Freezing rain and snow also led to treacherous conditions on railways and roads, triggering numerous accidents.
© Mark Stones
Wind blew ice off Wellers Bay and packed it onto the shoreline, wrecking a dock in the process.
Wind blew ice off Wellers Bay and packed it onto the shoreline, wrecking a dock in the process.
The rare "thundersnow" system brought heavy wind, rain, snow and the occasional flash of lightning.
Gusts of 90 km/h toppled trees and traffic lights and a wind warning issued by Environment Canada remained in effect for much of southern Ontario Sunday morning.
Fallen trees and hydro wires shut down Rosedale Valley Rd between Bayview Ave. and Park Rd. overnight.
© Niki Caruana
Certain crops can be replanted but some will have lost everything
Middlesea Insurance said they received a flurry of claims for damage at property located in Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq, St Andrew's, Għargħur, Mosta, Naxxar and San Pawl Tat-Tarġa.
These came in the wake of reports of tennis ball-sized hailstones lashing certain localities around midday on Tuesday.
© Photo Credit: John M. Hannam
Longtime-birder Suzanne Hannam, 84, spotted the warbler treading around the backyard of her Laurelhurst home. The sighting was so unusual the Audubon Society initially didn't believe Hannam. It was later verified after an official identified the spotted, orange-crowned bird.
© PHOTO: HANDOUT/WILDLIFESNAPS
A red-flanked bluetail that would normally be in Southeast Asia at this time of year has been causing quite a stir in Queen's Park. Birders armed with binoculars and photographers equipped with fancy cameras descended on the park in recent days to view the visitor.
"There were a lot of bird watchers - 35 or 40," New Westminster resident Rob Butler said about the crowd on Wednesday afternoon. "If it hangs around, there would be people coming from across North America - it's so rare."
The arrival of the red-flanked bluetail in New Westminster is the first time the bird has been reported in Canada.
"It was pretty neat," Butler said about seeing the bird. "I have been over to Asia birding. I didn't see it in Asia."
© Photograph: Matt Cardy/Getty Images
Parked cars in snowy Bath.
Parked cars in snowy Bath.
Heavy snow brought its usual mixture of beauty, fun and serious disruption to most of the country on Monday as the cold front that turned southern England white on Sunday moved east and north.
Hundreds of schools were closed, disrupting some GCSE and AS-level exams, and there were cancellations and delays on roads, rail and in the air as bitterly cold winds added drifting to already deep falls and widespread ice.
Heathrow airport suffered worse disruption than expected with 175 flights cancelled by midday, well over the figure of 130 predicted earlier. Sunshine brought a rapid thaw but the total later crept close to the 260 cancellations of Sunday. The airport blamed poor visibility.
Gatwick and Birmingham airports were also badly disrupted and East Midlands and Robin Hood airports were closed to flights.
© Neil Ratley/Fairfax NZ
Beached: A beaked whale has become on stranded on a Southland beach.
Beached: A beaked whale has become on stranded on a Southland beach.
It was the second time in 24 hours DOC had to put down an Arnoux's beaked whale, which is relatively rare.
Acting area manager for Murihiku/Southern Islands, Alan Christie, said the whale stranded at Sandy Pt less than a day after an unsuccessful DOC and community effort to save a whale at Omaui Beach.
DOC staff were notified of the second whale's beaching yesterday morning, he said.
The 8-metre-long whale was in a highly distressed state and DOC made a difficult decision, in consultation with local iwi, to euthanise the whale and end its suffering.
While an attempt to refloat the whale would have been ideal, several factors, including the tides and the whale's condition, made this impractical, Mr Christie said.
Among several parallels between the two strandings, he said, were that both whales were females of the same species and yesterday's stranding occurred at the Sandy Pt entrance of Invercargill Estuary, almost immediately opposite the first stranding.
