Earth Changes

Food prices at risk of spiking in 2013, U.S. drought may play a part

Christopher Doering
Des Moines Register
Thu, 07 Feb 2013 15:46 UTC

Global food prices ended their three month slide after they stabilized in January, but the United Nations warned prices could spike in 2013 if poor weather curtails production of wheat, corn, rice and other cereals.

The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization said the food price index, which measures monthly price changes in cereals, dairy, meat, sugar and oilseeds, was 210 in January, unchanged from the prior month. Food prices have leveled off and even declined in recent months after climbing during much of 2012 following concern that drought plaguing the United States and other parts of the world could spark a food crisis.

"Given the tight supply situation, weather remains an important determinant of prices," said FAO Senior Grains Economist Abdolreza Abbassian. "For several cereals, production needs to increase significantly this year in order to avoid unexpected price surges."

What's killing Minnesota's moose?

Maddie Oatman
Mother Jones
Fri, 08 Feb 2013 14:31 UTC

Minnesota's iconic moose are in such bad shape that the state called off the 2013 hunting season on Wednesday. The heartiest herd, located in the northeastern region of the state, is down to around 2,700 animals, a 35 percent drop from last year and a startling 65 percent drop since 2008. Though the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources canceled hunting season, it stressed that hunters are not to blame for this worrisome news. "The state's moose population has been in decline for years but never at the precipitous rate documented this winter," said MDNR commissioner Tom Landwehr. "It reaffirms the conservation community's need to better understand why this iconic species of the north is disappearing."

Though the sharp decline has state officials somewhat baffled, many members of the conservation community feel climate change is at fault. Doug Inkley, senior scientist at the National Wildlife Federation, put it this way: "With the high temperatures in the summer, moose seek out shelter rather than feeding. Nutritional status declines, and they become more vulnerable to disease and parasites. It's like a person who smokes is much more vulnerable to other diseases, and that can be associated with mortality."

USGS: Earthquake Magnitude 6.9 - NNE of Yacuanquer, Colombia

US Geological Survey
Sat, 09 Feb 2013 13:04 UTC

Event Time
2013-02-09 14:16:09 UTC
2013-02-09 09:16:09 UTC-05:00 at epicenter

Location
1.167°N 77.384°W depth=153.8km (95.6mi)

Nearby Cities
5km (3mi) NNE of Yacuanquer, Colombia
12km (7mi) WSW of Pasto, Colombia
17km (11mi) SE of Sandona, Colombia
27km (17mi) ENE of Tuquerres, Colombia
199km (124mi) NE of Quito, Ecuador

Technical Details

International Space Station photograph captures giant 'underwater' wave spread over hundreds of miles in the Caribbean Sea

John Hall
The Independent
Sat, 09 Feb 2013 05:46 UTC

A stunning new image taken from the International Space Station shows a huge 'underwater' wave moving through the Caribbean.

The giant wave, believed to be hundreds of miles in width, was captured by a photographer on board the space station and appears particularly visually clear thanks to a beam of sunlight being reflected back to the camera at the exact moment the photo was taken.

The image, captured on January 18, shows a so-called 'internal wave' just to the north of the Caribbean island of Trinidad.

Internal waves are created by different water densities moving over ocean features such as underwater mountains or continental shelves.

The features create internal waves which can grow up to 100 metres in height and span hundreds of miles in width.

They have been reported to affect submarines, oil rigs, underwater cables and even passing aircraft, which can suffer drops in altitude. It is also believed that they have an impact on the planet's climate.

Sinkhole causes partial building collapse in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania

Sari Heidenreich
abc27.com
Wed, 06 Feb 2013 05:41 UTC

A sinkhole opened up and caused the partial collapse of a building in Chambersburg Wednesday morning.

The sinkhole was called in just before 9 a.m. at the old Tower Bank building at 2001 Lincoln Way East in Guilford Township. The building was vacant and no one was injured.

Township Road Superintendent Frank Hobbs said the sinkhole occurred on private property but is within 75 feet of Lincoln Way East, also known as Route 30, which is maintained by the state. PennDOT was called in to evaluate the situation.

Hobbs said the situation has now been handed over to Susquehanna Bank, which currently owns the building. He said the gas and electricity in the building have been shut off.

Power out for thousands, evacuations expected as blizzard's impact begins to be felt

John R. Ellement, Peter Schworm, Michael Levenson and Martin Finucane
Boston Globe
Fri, 08 Feb 2013 17:04 UTC

A National Weather Service map showing projected snowfall totals from the blizzard.

A potentially historic blizzard swept into Massachusetts today and is expected to dump more than 2 feet of snow, whip winds up to 70 miles per hour, and batter the coast with giant waves.

Roads are emptying out now as drivers heed an order issued by Governor Deval Patrick that all vehicles be parked by 4 p.m. Sideways-blowing snow is adding to the falling darkness.

More than 5,000 power outages have already been reported as winds down tree limbs and wires.

In Marshfield, officials said they expected to ask shorefront residents to evacuate themselves because of concerns about storm-driven tides tonight and Saturday morning.

Think Nemo's bad? In Brazil it's raining spiders

Neetzan Zimmerman
Gawker
Fri, 08 Feb 2013 15:30 UTC

What's that? You're worried about a little snow falling on your head? How adorable.

Meanwhile, in Brazil, it's raining spiders.

Footage posted online yesterday shows thousands of spiders "falling from the sky" in the southern Brazilian town of Santo Antônio da Platina.

"Still do not know what causes such behavior," writes the video's uploader. "We are researching and will post the answer to the question here."

I know exactly what causes such behavior. A little something called the end of the world.

State of disaster declared on Santa Cruz islands

Scoop Independent News
Fri, 08 Feb 2013 14:23 UTC

The Government today has officially declared a State of Disaster for Santa Cruz Islands in Temotu Province following Wednesday's deadly 8.0 magnitude quake and subsequent tsunami that claimed lives and property.

The Minister for Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology, Hon Bradley Tovusia made the declaration following a decision reached by the National Disaster Council on February 7.

Heaviest snowfall in many years hits Polish-Slovakian border

Robert Felix
IceAgeNow
Fri, 08 Feb 2013 13:59 UTC

Due to heavy snowfall a state of emergency was imposed in 20 towns at the Polish-Slovakian Border, near to Orava. Last night it was seen 75 cm of snow!

More than 1200 residents of the region were left without electricity after heavy snowfall knocked out power lines and substations.

I've never seen such big flakes of snow. They are as big as the coin two euros. Within 24 hours as much snow fell as usual throughout the winter. Snow cover in some places more than five feet, the governor said.

Plows can not keep up with snow removal routes.

Source: WP.PL (In Polish)

Major snowstorm in Ontario causes flight cancellations, school closings

Tu Thanh Ha
Globe and Mail
Fri, 08 Feb 2013 11:35 UTC

© Chris Young /The Globe and Mail
A woman walks down a residential street as snow falls in Toronto on Friday, February 8, 2013.

The worst of a winter storm into southern Ontario landed during morning rush hour, covering the region in a white shroud of snow flurries and sleet, forcing schools to close and disrupting land and air traffic. (For a list of school closures, transit delays and flight information,click here.)

Other vehicles were reported to be stuck in snowbanks, in ditches or blocking lanes after spinning out of control. At the Bayview entrance of the southbound Don Valley Parkway, cars had trouble negotiating the icy in-ramp. The DVP's Bayview off-ramp was reported to be closed because of slippery conditions. On Highway 401, the eastbound collector off-ramp at Allen Road was also closed because of the road conditions.

On the Queen Elizabeth Way, near Fort Erie, a snowplow fell into a ditch and, a few kilometres further north, a salter truck had rolled.

More than 150 highway car collisions had been reported, said Ontario Provincial Police Sergeant Dave Woodford.

There were only minor injuries, mostly from fender benders, he said.