Japan's consulate in San Francisco helped the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirm where the boat came from, after it was spotted washed up on a local beach. The boat was covered in pelagic gooseneck barnacles. The vessel is the 27th item of debris so far confirmed on the US West Coast, and the first in California. Other items have been found washed up in the states of Alaska, Washington and Oregon further up the coast.
One of the biggest items so far, a 20-metre floating dock, washed up in June in Oregon, after a 15-month trip across the Pacific from the port of Misawa, in Japan's Aomori prefecture. A year ago, the US Coast Guard fired on and sank a deserted Japanese "ghost ship" off the coast of Alaska, after it was deemed to be a potential danger to shipping.
Japan last month marked the second anniversary of the March 11, 2011 9.0 magnitude earthquake that sent a huge wall of water into its northeastern coast, killing some 19,000 people and triggering a nuclear calamity. The tsunami created the biggest single dumping of rubbish, sweeping some five million tonnes of shattered buildings, cars, household goods and other rubble into the sea. An estimated three and a half million tonnes sank immediately, leaving some 1.5 million tonnes of plastic, timber, fishing nets, shipping containers, industrial scrap and innumerable other objects to float deeper into the ocean.
but I figure, why take the chance?**
Ronald Reagan
LARGEST QUAKES -
Live Seismograms - Worldwide (update every 30 minutes)
This morning -
None 5.0 or higher.
Yesterday -
4/27/13 -
5.1 TARAPACA, CHILE
4/26/13 -
6.2 KERMADEC ISLANDS REGION
5.0 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS.
China - Quake warning system in the works. After experiencing heavy casualties and extensive damage in powerful earthquakes since 2008, China is developing a way to give at least a few extra seconds' warning for those near quake epicenters.
The earthquake in Ya'an in western Sichuan province on April 20 with a magnitude of 7 was the second major seismic event to occur in China since the Wenchuan earthquake of May 12, 2008 - the other being the Yushu quake in Qinghai province in 2010.
VOLCANOES -
Volcano Webcams
Columbia - On Friday, scientists took advantage of a break in the weather to conduct an observation flight over Nevado Del Ruiz volcano. Ruiz appears to be degassing vigorously in concert with recent strong seismicity affecting the volcano.
TROPICAL STORMS -
No current tropical storms.
Cyclone tipped to form near Papua New Guinea and cross Cape York next week - Queensland, Austrailia's fourth cyclone of the season is expected to form on Monday in the Coral Sea. It is expected to develop near Papua New Guinea and move slowly west-southwest, likely crossing Cape York about Wednesday.
Six months after Superstorm Sandy, tens of thousands of people in New York and New Jersey remain homeless and communities are still struggling to recover.
Fiji - Food security concern for Yasawas and Mamanucas. Four months after Cyclone Evan, farms still aren't producing enough.
EXTREME HEAT & DROUGHT / CLIMATE CHANGE -
From North Carolina to Maine, the waters have been UNUSUALLY WARM lately. - Sea surface temperatures on the Northeast US Continental Shelf reached THE HIGHEST RECORDED IN 150 YEARS.
Sea surface temperatures in the Northeast Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem, which extends from Cape Hatteras to the Gulf of Maine and outward to the boundary of the continental shelf, increased dramatically to reach a record 57.2 degrees Fahrenheit, beating a previous record high in 1951. The average temperature over the past three decades has been typically lower than 54.3 degrees Fahrenheit.
The temperatures were recorded via satellite and ship-board measurements. Historical measurements, based on ship-board thermometers, date back to 1854. According to NOAA, the warming was THE GREATEST INCREASE ON RECORD, and one of only five instances when the temperature has changed by more than 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit. These drastic changes have not been noted elsewhere in the ocean basin, although in recent years global sea surface temperatures have been the highest on record.
The warmer ocean temperatures might be good news for beachgoers in the Northeast, but they could also disrupt ecosystems, along with the livelihoods that depend on them. Black sea bass, summer flounder, longfin squid, and butterfish have been migrating northeastward. Lobsters are migrating too, but at a slower rate.
“What these latest findings mean for the Northeast Shelf ecosystem and its marine life is unknown. What is known is that the ecosystem is changing, and we need to continue monitoring and adapting to these changes.”
U.K. fishermen set for disappointing year after extreme weather - Fishermen could be casting in vain this season after ONE OF THE WORST YEARS ON RECORD almost halved the salmon population.
HEALTH THREATS -
Fujian province cites first H7N9 case as total reaches 119 - Fujian province reported its first H7N9 influenza case; the ninth area of eastern China to be affected by the virus; as other provinces reported six more infections, raising the outbreak total to 119.
Past exposures may help explain H7N9 age profile - Taking a cue from curious findings noted during the 2009 influenza pandemic, Canadian researchers are suggesting that past exposure to distantly related viruses may help explain why the age curve in H7N9 cases is so skewed to the older side.
CDC Labs take lead role in H7N9 preparedness - The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an update on routine preparedness steps it is taking to protect the country if the novel H7N9 virus in China starts spreading among humans.
RECALLS & ALERTS
