Earth Changes

Hundreds of elephants dead in mysterious mass die-off in Botswana

Phoebe Weston
The Guardian
Wed, 01 Jul 2020 14:35 UTC

Aerial images of some of the elephant carcasses seen in the Okavango Delta

More than 350 elephants have died in northern Botswana in a mysterious mass die-off described by scientists as a "conservation disaster".

A cluster of elephant deaths was first reported in the Okavango Delta in early May, with 169 individuals dead by the end of the month. By mid June, the number had more than doubled, with 70% of the deaths clustered around waterholes, according to local sources who wish to remain anonymous.

"This is a mass die-off on a level that hasn't been seen in a very, very long time. Outside of drought, I don't know of a die-off that has been this significant," said Dr Niall McCann, the director of conservation at UK-based charity National Park Rescue.

Comment: See also: The terrifying phenomenon plummeting species towards extinction

Flood destroys vast cropland in Bangladesh

NEW AGE
Wed, 01 Jul 2020 19:05 UTC

Farmers bore the brunt of the first spell of monsoon floods that continued to inundate fresh areas for the fourth consecutive day until Tuesday.

Parts of Rajbari and Tangail districts went under water since Monday night as the River Padma and the tributaries of the River Jamuna crossed their danger marks at three new places.

The five northern districts that emerged as worst hit by the floods already had crops on 13,642 hectares almost completely destroyed, reported New Age correspondent in Lalmonirhat.

A comprehensive picture of the damages caused by the floods to the agriculture sector would take a while to come by as new areas were affected with the deluge moving downstream.

Wrong place, wrong time: Gray-tailed tattler shorebird from Asia never before recorded in Canada found in Kitimat, British Columbia

Clare Rayment
Northern Sentinel
Tue, 30 Jun 2020 18:25 UTC

Gray-tailed tattler

A bird native to Asia was spotted at Minette Bay recently, bringing in birders from all over B.C.

Birders in Kitimat and across B.C. got a special treat last week when a rare bird native to Asia, the gray-tailed tattler, was spotted at Minette Bay.

The gray-tailed tattler travels to breed in northeast Siberia, then migrates to anywhere from Southeast Asia to Australia.

This is the first time the bird has been recorded in Canada, according to local bird expert Walter Thorne.

Waterspout filmed off the coast of Finland

Yahoo! News
Wed, 01 Jul 2020 17:06 UTC

A waterspout was spotted spinning off the coast of Enskär, Finland, on June 30, amid storms in the area, which caused widespread power outages.

Bomb cyclone lives up to its name, wreaks havoc on Brazilian city

RT
Wed, 01 Jul 2020 16:06 UTC

At least three people were killed as the southern Brazilian state of Parana was lashed by winds of up to 120kph from a 'bomb' cyclone which wreaked havoc across the area, bombarding the streets with high-speed debris.

The ferocious tempest ripped up trees, tore roofs off buildings and sent locals cowering indoors as shrapnel flew past their very eyes outside on Tuesday. Eyewitness video from Curitiba and elsewhere in Parana showcases the full fury of the bomb cyclone.

Comment: The term "bomb cyclone" can apply to both summer rain, and winter snow storms if they meet the following criteria from The National Ocean Service :

"Bombogenesis, a popular term used by meteorologists, occurs when a midlatitude cyclone rapidly intensifies, dropping at least 24 millibars over 24 hours. A millibar measures atmospheric pressure. This can happen when a cold air mass collides with a warm air mass, such as air over warm ocean waters. The formation of this rapidly strengthening weather system is a process called bombogenesis, which creates what is known as a bomb cyclone."

They develop and dissipate rapidly, and therefore are not often named as with tornadoes. An explanation from the UK's Met Office from 2019:

23-month-old child killed by dog in Quinlan, Texas

cbslocal.com
Tue, 30 Jun 2020 12:07 UTC

A 23-month-old child was killed in Hunt County Monday morning after being attacked by a dog, the Hunt County Sheriff's Office said.

Shortly after 11:00 a.m. deputies responded to the 9900 block of Private Road 3820 in the Easy Living addition regarding a dog bite call.

The first deputy on scene found an infant in the roadway "who had suffered major trauma as a result of a dog attack."

The child was rushed by ambulance to Hunt Regional Medical Center in Quinlan, but the child did not survive.

Preliminary information shows the child had gotten out of the enclosed yard without family members realizing it and went down the gravel road.

Flash flood leaves four children dead in Parwan, Afghanistan

Menafn
Tue, 30 Jun 2020 11:36 UTC

A fatal flash food in Shiwari district of central Parwan province has left four children of a family dead and one another wounded, local officials said on Tuesday.

Provincial Governor Spokesperson, Wahida Shahkar said that the flood flowed as a result of heavy rain in Sufikhil village of the district, and the killed victims are 'two boys and two girls'.

Ski resorts in Chile and Argentina clobbered by nearly 5 feet of snowfall

Planetski
Tue, 30 Jun 2020 10:40 UTC

Valle Nevado, Chile

The Andes mountain range in Chile and Argentina has had large dumps of snow in the past week with more forecast.

Some resorts say as much as 1.2 to 1.5 metres has fallen.

While it's great to see, skiers and snowboarders are having to sit it out and that may the case for the whole season.

This video was posted by Nevados de Chillán in Chile...

Widespread frost engulfs Eastern Australia, but MSM says it's normal

Cap Allon
Electroverse
Mon, 29 Jun 2020 00:00 UTC

An Antarctic blast has sent the mercury plunging across much of Eastern Australia, with below-freezing temps registered in many regions including Melbourne.

Australia's Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) warned on Monday that "temperatures at ground level can be many degrees lower than those recorded by standard weather stations, especially in calm conditions with clear skies."

And in turn, damaging frosts have ravaged many parts.

Areas in the Mallee, Wimmera, Northern Country, North Central, North East, South West, Central, West, South Gippsland, and East Gippsland districts have all had frost warnings issued, reports sciencetimes.com.

Dams are expected to be iced over, especially in northern parts of Victoria, due to temps as low as -4C (24.8F) and beyond in the mountains.

Adapt 2030 Ice Age Report: What repeating cycle are we in ?

Adapt 2030
Tue, 30 Jun 2020 21:05 UTC

Across the planet where ever you look there are strange anomalies from summer snow storms, intense lightning, record floods with unusual sea and Greenland ice accumulations. It seems the climate of our planet is beginning to turn upside down. What cycle are we repeating?