A key component of the Gulf Stream has markedly slowed over the past century — that's the conclusion of a new research paper in Nature Communications published on August 7. The study develops a method of tracking the strength of near-shore ocean currents using measurements made at the coast, offering the potential to reduce one of the biggest uncertainties related to observations of climate change over the past century.
"In the ocean, almost everything is connected," said Christopher Piecuch, an assistant scientist in the Physical Oceanography Department at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and author of the study. "We can use those connections to look at things in the past or far from shore, giving us a more complete view of the ocean and how it changes across space and time."
10 more people die in floods in ongoing floods while over 33,000 people infected with water borne diseases
Bangladesh on Sunday registered 10 more deaths in floods, taking the fatalities count to 184 as the South Asian country faces one of the worst floods in history.
Over 33,000 people got infected with water borne disease, according to the health emergency operation centre under the Health and Family Welfare Ministry of the country.
Of the total deaths, 155 drowned while 16 died of snakebites and 13 in thunderstorms, it said, adding that around 11,375 people in flood-hit areas are also suffering from diarrhea.
Three days of heavy monsoon rains triggering flash floods killed at least 50 people in various parts of Pakistan, as troops with boats rushed to a flood-affected district in the country's southern Sindh province Sunday to evacuate people to safer places.
Every year, many cities in Pakistan struggle to cope with the annual monsoon deluge, drawing criticism about poor planning. The monsoon season runs from July through September, during which swelling rivers cause damage to crops and infrastructure.
According to Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority, 19 people were killed in rain-related incidents in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, 12 in southern Sindh province, 8 in Punjab province and 10 in the country's scenic northern Gligit Baltistan region in the past three days.
Saudi Arabia's civil defense has saved almost 700 people after torrential rain caused flooding in several areas of the Kingdom.
Between July 26 to Aug. 4, 77 people including 11 families, have been rescued in Makkah, Madinah, Asir, Jazan, and Al-Baha, the media center of the General Directorate of Civil Defense said Wednesday.
More than 600 people have been provided with shelter, including three families.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that more than 30,000 people have been displaced due to floods in Ethiopia since late July, 2020
Flooding has affected Afar, Gambella, Oromia, and SNNP regions since 20 July.
In Afar region, the overflow of Awash River and flash floods in the first week of August have displaced almost 20,000 people.
Meanwhile, 1,740 people have been displaced in Kefa zone of SNNP region after flooding and landslides.
Nineteen people have died and over 50,000 have been affected by flooding in Niger since June this year.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that widespread floods triggered by heavy rain affected parts of Niger and neighbouring Mali from late June.
As of 30 July, 9 people had died, 20,174 people affected and 2,244 houses destroyed. The worst hit areas were the regions of Maradi and Tahoua, with respectively 13,667 and 4,173 people affected.
Flooding has continued, in particular after a period of heavy rain in early August. The capital Niamey recorded 67mm of rain in 24 hours to 07 August. As of 08 August, the Niger river in the city stood at 5.8 metres, approaching Orange alert level (level 3 of 4).
At least 26 people have died after 46 days of heavy rains in South Korea, with the country's longest monsoon in seven years causing more flooding, landslides and evacuations on Saturday (Aug 8).
More than 5,000 people had been evacuated as of 4.30pm local time on Saturday, according to Ministry of the Interior and Safety data, as rains battered the southern part of the Korean peninsula. Ten people are missing.
About 100m of levee collapsed at the Seomjin River in the southern edge of the peninsula on Saturday and flooded the area, an official at the South Jeolla province said, with about 1,900 people evacuated in the province including about 500 from around the river.
As many as 706 villages across 17 districts of Uttar Pradesh have been affected by floods so far, while many major rivers continue to be in spate, officials said on Friday.
Sharda river at Palia Kalan (Lakhimpur Kheri), Rapti river at Bird Ghat (Gorakhpur) and Saryu-Ghagra at Elgin Bridge (Barabanki), Ayodhya and Turtipar (Ballia) are flowing above the danger level, they said.
A total of 706 villages in 17 districts have been hit by the floods. Of these, 467 villages are marooned, Relief Commissioner Sanjay Goyal said in a statement.
Fifteen teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), seven of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel have been deployed in the affected districts, he said.
Besides, 749 boats have been deployed and 715 flood chowkis have been set up, he added.
Looking at the African Mega-Lakes which would be the largest lakes on Earth today, scientists say they found fossilized bones from tilapia and catfish, on massifs with rock carvings and stone art. Timeline seems off for fossils as well the sheer amount of caravans and trade points across N. Africa with known habitation points, vast swaths of civilization across the region and all we get is the Egyptians. I see a missing part of human history, what do you see?
Further flooding has struck in parts of Somalia, with over 10,000 people affected in South West State over the last few days.
Wide areas of the country have seen unusually strong "Hagaa season" rainfall which has caused flash and riverine flooding in particular from mid July. Since then, 6 fatalities have been reported and at least 120,000 people displaced and 191,000 affected in Hirshabelle, South West, Jubaland States and Banadir region.
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