Earth Changes

No surprise here - Thousands of spills at U.S. oil and gas fracking sites

Matt McGrath
BBC News
Tue, 21 Feb 2017 14:48 UTC

Up to 16% of hydraulically fractured oil and gas wells spill liquids every year, according to new research from US scientists. They found that there had been 6,600 releases from these fracked wells over a ten-year period in four states. The biggest problems were reported in oil-rich North Dakota where 67% of the spills were recorded. The largest spill recorded involved 100,000 litres of fluid with most related to storing and moving liquids.

Higher numbers

The rapid growth in the extraction of oil and gas from unconventional sources in the US has had a massive impact on the production and consumption of energy over the past ten years. The key to this expansion has been the use of hydraulic fracturing, the process of injecting fluids with chemical additives under pressure to crack underground rock and release the trapped resources.

However, environmental campaigners have long been troubled by the potential for this process to contaminate water supplies and the environment through leaks and spills. A study carried out by the US Environment Protection Agency on fracking in eight states between 2006 and 2012 concluded that 457 spills had occurred.

But this new study, while limited to just four states with adequate data, suggests the level of spills is much higher. The researchers found 6,648 spills between 2005 and 2014.

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Rare great kiskadee spotted in Colleton County, South Carolina

David Quick
The Post and Courier
Mon, 20 Feb 2017 14:24 UTC

Avid birders have been flocking to the Bear Island Wildlife Management Area in Colleton County for the past 10 days to see a bird that likely has never before visited the Palmetto State.

A great kiskadee - a large, "boisterous" flycatcher typically found in South and Central America, Mexico and the southern edge of Texas - was first spotted by nature photographer Kelley Luikey of Port Royal on the morning of Feb. 9.

"When I arrived at Bear Island that morning, the light and the birds were not cooperating in the areas I had planned on shooting, so I went looking for what else I could find," said Luikey, who was alone.

When she first saw the bird, her view was obscured by branches of a pecan tree, but she was able to keep tracking it because of its call, which is known to be loud and sounds like "kis-ka-dee."

"It was unmistakably something that we do not have here in South Carolina," said Luikey, recalling its bright colors.

Beijing sees first snow this spring as temperatures drop across northern China

Sydney Leng
South China Morning Post
Tue, 21 Feb 2017 14:31 UTC

Beijing had its first spring snow this season on Tuesday, as a cold front spread across northern China. The National Meteorological Centre issued a yellow alert for snow at 10am, forecasting heavy snow in southern and eastern Hebei province, eastern Henan province and parts of Shandong province till early afternoon on Wednesday.

China has a four-colour warning system for severe weather, with red being the most serious, followed by orange, yellow and blue. In Beijing, the northern and western parts of the city could see heavy snowfall of approximately 3mm to 5mm, with the remainder of the city likely to have receive between 1mm and 3mm, according to a report from Chinanews.com.

Additional images

The Vanishing: Europe's farmland birds down 55% in the last 3 decades

Iván Ramírez
Surfbirds
Tue, 21 Feb 2017 14:11 UTC

The Head of Conservation for BirdLife Europe & Central Asia explains how intensive agriculture has made farmland birds one of the most threatened bird groups in Europe.

Once upon a time, they were all around us - sights and sounds as familiar as the dusky skies their flocks danced in or the wind whistling through the fields. They were the tiny flashes of colour caught by the corner of your eye as you strolled in the countryside. They were the chirps, chatter, coos and caws making music in the hedgerows and the long meadow grasses. But that was before we destroyed their homes. Now, our common farmland birds are not so common.

It's an increasingly rare sight to see a Corn bunting perched on a farm fence before taking off in fluttering flight with its legs dangling, or graceful Yellow wagtail running through wet pastures on its slender black legs. The distinctive orange face and chestnut tail of the once abundant Grey partridge is now glimpsed all too infrequently. When was the last time you admired the splendid crest of a Northern Lapwing or heard the tew it of its display call? How many today would even recognise this once iconic cry? And what of the Barn Owls, Godwits, Corncrakes and Curlews? Or the Redshanks, Whinchats, Twites and Yellowhammers? For the bird lover, the farm has become the tragic symbol of paradise lost.

Man killed by shark off Reunion Island

Russell Hope
Sky News
Tue, 21 Feb 2017 13:36 UTC

Former professional shark-spotter Alexandre Naussance, 26, is killed in an area where water sports are banned.

A man who ignored warnings not to surf off the coast of Reunion Island has died after being bitten on the leg by a shark.

Alexandre Naussance, 26, who was once employed as a shark spotter by a surfing association, was attacked while bodyboarding off the northeast coast of the French territory in the Indian Ocean.

He was pulled out of the water by fishermen but pronounced dead after the animal bit through a major artery in his leg.

"This accident happened even though swimming and other water sports are forbidden in this area," the local government office said in a statement.

Northern California braces for more flooding; Don Pedro spillway opens for first time in 20 years

Louis Sahagun and Esmeralda Bermudez
Los Angeles Times
Mon, 20 Feb 2017 21:05 UTC

© Nic Coury/Monterey County Weekly via AP
A man walks through floodwaters Monday in Salinas. Forecasters issued flash flood warnings Monday throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and elsewhere in Northern California.

Water came gushing down the spillway at Don Pedro Dam in Stanislaus County Monday afternoon, further proof — if any were needed — that this is a rainy season for the record books in much of California.

It was only the second time the spillway had been used, and the first time in 20 years, as officials sought to keep the Don Pedro Reservoir from overflowing.

Residents along the Tuolumne River were not forced to evacuate, but "we are strongly encouraging people to seek shelter and move to higher ground," Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson said at a news conference. "Our No. 1 priority is the safety and security of the people here in Stanislaus County."

The Don Pedro release came as much of the state's northern half was being hit with a colossal drenching — one expected to drop as much as 9 inches of rain in areas from Santa Cruz County along the coast to the Feather River Basin, far inland. People living along waterways braced for flash floods and evacuations.

It came with memories still fresh of the crisis that developed just over a week ago at Oroville Dam, some 180 miles to the north. Both spillways were damaged, and fears of catastrophic flooding prompted the evacuation of more than 100,000 people.

Widespread flooding hits Indonesia's capital Jakarta

The Hindu
Tue, 21 Feb 2017 04:54 UTC

Torrential rains in the Indonesian capital have overwhelmed drains and flooded roads and thousands of homes.

The disaster mitigation agency says more than 50 areas are flooded in Jakarta with waters up to 1.5 metres (4.9 feet) high in East Jakarta.

It said the city's drains couldn't accommodate the runoff and rivers also overflowed.

Floods in 2013 forced killed more than two dozen people in Jakarta and forced tens of thousands to flee their homes.

The city, which has about 30 million people in its greater metropolitan area, says it has reduced the number of flood prone areas since then by dredging rivers and other measures.

National Guard re-evacuation of Oroville Dam, general denies but eight inches of rain falling

Adapt 2030
You Tube
Mon, 20 Feb 2017 21:47 UTC

Oroville Dam

Some National Guard on station near Oroville Dam were asked by citizen journalists what they were doing in the area and the response was that "they were there to help with the re-evacuation", this was quickly corrected by a major general within an hour. Winter storm warnings for all northern California with forecast of 8 inches as Southern California slammed with Cat 2 hurricane force winds.

Sources

Shallow earthquake shakes Panama with magnitude of 4.7

The Washington Post
Mon, 20 Feb 2017 21:09 UTC

A strongly felt earthquake has swayed skyscrapers in Panama's capital and caused the evacuation of some buildings.

The U.S. Geological Survey gives a preliminary magnitude of 4.7 for Monday afternoon's quake.

The shaking set off car alarms and local news media said the local subway system was halted.

There are no immediate reports of injuries.

The 2:35 p.m. (1935 GMT) quake was centered 6 miles (10 kilometers) deep about 51 miles (83 kilometers) south-southeast of Panama City in the Gulf of Panama.

Source: AP

42,000 lightning strikes recorded around Bulahdelah, Australia

Great Lakes Advocate
Mon, 20 Feb 2017 20:37 UTC

The Great Lakes and surrounds were treated to a spectacular light show during the weekend's storms. In a 50km radius from Bulahdelah Weatherzone reported there were 42,000 lightning strikes including cloud to cloud lightning strikes and cloud to ground strikes.

There were 5000 cloud to ground lightning strikes. A Weatherzone spokesperson said this amount of lightning was "quite intense" for one area. The spokesperson said the majority of the lightning hit between Bulahdelah and Forster, with the storm heading in a southwesterly direction.They added 26mm of rain fell in Forster during yesterday's (Sunday, February 19) storm.

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Earth Changes

No surprise here - Thousands of spills at U.S. oil and gas fracking sites

Rare great kiskadee spotted in Colleton County, South Carolina

Beijing sees first snow this spring as temperatures drop across northern China

The Vanishing: Europe's farmland birds down 55% in the last 3 decades

Man killed by shark off Reunion Island

Northern California braces for more flooding; Don Pedro spillway opens for first time in 20 years

Widespread flooding hits Indonesia's capital Jakarta

National Guard re-evacuation of Oroville Dam, general denies but eight inches of rain falling

Shallow earthquake shakes Panama with magnitude of 4.7

42,000 lightning strikes recorded around Bulahdelah, Australia

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