Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Global Disaster Watch - daily natural disaster updates.



LARGEST QUAKES so far today -
5.1 VOLCANO ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION

Yesterday, 12/14/15 -
5.0 NEW IRELAND REGION, P.N.G.
5.2 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS
5.3 BANDA SEA
5.1 BANDA SEA

12/13/15 -
5.4 BANDA SEA
5.1 LAKE BAYKAL REGION, RUSSIA
5.4 KURIL ISLANDS
5.4 KEPULAUAN TALAUD, INDONESIA

TROPICAL STORMS -

* In the Western Pacific -
Typhoon Melor is located approximately 177 nm southeast of Manila, Philippines. The system has significantly degraded as it dragged across the Philippine archipelago. Melor will continue to track generally westward to west-northwestward under the steering influence of a deep layered subtropical ridge over the next 36 hours. Afterwards, the cyclone will track southwestward with the low level wind flow in the South China Sea. Land interaction, increasing vws and the intrusion of cold dry air associated with a strong Continental cold surge in the South China Sea will accelerate its decay, leading to dissipation.

Video - Typhoon Melor: 'The strong winds are terrifying'. Thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes in the Philippines after Typhoon Melor made landfall on Monday.

SEVERE RAIN STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES -

States in the Pacific Northwest were hit this week with El Niño weather that brought record rainfall, flooding, mudslides, and power cuts, causing two deaths and leading state officials to declare a state of emergency in multiple counties.
Weather experts and federal agencies have warned that California could be hit with severe seasonal weather patterns whose effects could be worsened by the state's ongoing drought. According to a recently released Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)preparedness guide, this El Niño season — which some expect to be the strongest on record — could combine with existing conditions in California to create a slew of borderline disaster-scenarios in the state. The guide warns of increased flooding risks because of too-dry soil, a higher likelihood of landslides from wildfire destruction, and abnormally high tides along coastal regions.
While the seasonal warming of the Pacific Ocean affects localities spanning the entire West Coast, California's environment is particularly suited to magnify the effects of those weather patterns. While the state's drought-induced low reservoirs will likely take in some of the heavy rainfall, tributaries in flat areas could be prone to flooding, and several levees in the Sacramento Valley "have a significant chance of failure during the next high water mark." Along coastal areas, especially high tides could result from what's known as the "Blob,"a patch of warm water in the Pacific that could contribute to a rise in water levels by between eight and 11 inches.
Strong El Niño seasons have wreaked havoc on the state before. In the 1997-1998 season, the strongest on record, the state evacuated 100,000 people from affected regions. It resulted in landslides, mudslides, floods, and home destruction. Some have speculated that changes in the weather linked to climate change could be a contributing factor in making this year's season one of the strongest.

As Florida Keys flood, property worries seep in - Adams Drive in Key Largo, Florida has been flooded for nearly a month, after high tides were exacerbated by a super moon. Extreme high tides have turned streets into canal-like swamps in the Florida Keys, with armies of mosquitoes and the stench of stagnating water filling the air, and residents worried rising sea levels will put a damper on property values in the island chain.
On Key Largo, a tropical isle famous for snorkeling and fishing, the floods began in late September. While people expected high tides due to the season and the influence of a super moon, they were taken by surprise when a handful of streets in the lowest-lying neighborhoods stayed inundated for nearly a month with 16-inches (40-centimeters) of saltwater. By early November, the roads finally dried up. But unusually heavy rains in December brought it all back again. "Like a sewer."
Residents have signed petitions, voiced anger at community meetings and demanded that local officials do something, whether by raising roads or improving drainage. Sometimes, they clash over whether the floods are, or are not, a result of man-made climate change. "We get vocal residents who show up and argue," said the president of the Island of Key Largo Federation of Homeowners Association, who has never seen such high waters - or high tempers - in her 30 years of living here." Residents tend to agree on one thing, which is for many their life's biggest investment. "We are all concerned about our property values."
"It is like taking a peek at the future," said a geologist of the Key Largo floods, which he says were driven by abnormal tides and made worse by rising seas. Scientists cannot predict exactly how fast sea levels will mount in the years ahead as the oceans warm and glaciers melt. But they can broadly predict how much more water to expect - up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) above the 1992 average in the next 15 years and 26 inches (0.6 meters) by 2060.
Absent measures to adapt the properties, that amount of sea level rise by 2060 would wipe out 12 percent of property value in the Keys, a string of 1,700 small islands built on porous, prehistoric coral reefs, said a 2011 reports. Forecasts for 2100 are more dire. Since most of the islands are less than six feet (two meters) above the current sea level, a five-foot (1.5 meter) water rise in the Keys would erase 68 percent of property value in the area.
For now, south Florida real estate is booming. Even in the Keys, sales are up 17 percent and the average home sale price is $512,000, up three percent from last year. "So far we have not been seeing buyers being concerned with sea level rise, which I'm a little surprised given all the media attention it has garnered lately." But experts warn that plenty of cash and land stand to disappear in the next 15 years. As much as $15 billion could be lost in Florida property by 2030.
In the Keys, local officials are still studying ways to address the floods, and are planning a pair of demonstration projects to showcase the possibilities. But sea walls are impractical for the 113 miles (182 km) of islands. Pumps can't keep up with water that comes in from all sides and also up through the porous ground. Simply raising roads could send excess water into people's yards.

Landslide leaves Oregon residents on brink of disaster - The storm system may be on its way out of the Northwest, but it's not done doing damage. The road leading to houses used to be a road, but now it's a cliff. They've watched the landslide on their property for the last six days. What started as a crack, caved into a crater.
A week's worth of nearly non-stop rain in the picturesque part of Tillamook, Oregon, has left residents literally living near the edge. Now seven homes are in danger of being destroyed after nearly 11 inches of rain fell in seven days, opening a hole big enough to fit 11 SUVs. "Not a sound warning. It just, the land went away."
People are pitching into help - more than 200 sandbags are holding down a tarp intended to stop the ground from sliding any more. "If it starts to move, I'm not going to be stubborn and stay. I will get the hell out. But until it starts to move, I'm staying." The hole in front of one house is 100 feet long, and 50 feet wide. On Monday, he will find out if his home is condemned. He has found out the insurance company will not pay for the damage.

HEAVY SNOW / EXTREME COLD -

Here's Where NOAA Thinks We'll Have A White Christmas in the U.S. - NOAA released a graphic that charts out the probability that you’ll have some snow on December 25th, based on historical norms. NOAA’s graphic shows the “climatological probability of at least 1 inch of snow being on the ground”: This map is based on the 1981–2010 Climate Normals, which are the latest three-decade averages of several climatological measurements. This dataset contains daily and monthly Normals of temperature, precipitation, snowfall, heating and cooling degree days, frost/freeze dates, and growing degree days calculated from observations at approximately 9,800 stations operated by NOAA’s National Weather Service.

'GLOBAL WEIRDNESS' / CLIMATE CHANGE -

Earth May Spin Faster as Glaciers Melt - Scientists say a section of the West Antarctic ice sheet has reached a point of inevitable collapse, an event that would eventually raise sea levels more than 3 feet (1 meter). Melting ice triggered by global warming may make Earth whirl faster than before and could shift the axis on which the planet spins. This could also affect sunset times, as the length of Earth's day depends on the speed at which the planet rotates on its axis. Prior research found the rate at which Earth spins has changed over time.
For instance, ancient Babylonian, Chinese, Arab and Greek astronomers often recorded when eclipses occurred and where these phenomena were seen. This knowledge, in combination with astronomical models that calculate what the positions of the Earth, sun and moon were on any given date and time, can help reveal how fast Earth must have been spinning. To do so, researchers calculate the speed necessary for the planet to face the sun and moon in ways that allowed those astronomers to observe the eclipses.
In general, the gravitational pull of the moon and sun on Earth is relentlessly slowing the planet's rate of spin. However, in the short term, a variety of different factors can also speed up and slow down how fast Earth whirls. Previous research has found that melting glaciers triggered by global warming helped cause a significant amount of global sea-level rise in the 20th century. In theory, rising sea levels — once estimated to be climbing at a rate of about 0.06 to 0.08 inches (1.5 to 2 millimeters) per year — should also have slightly shifted Earth's axis and increased the rate at which the planet spins.
When polar ice caps melt, they remove weight off underlying rock, which then rebounds upward. This makes the poles less flat and the planet more round overall. This should in turn cause Earth to tilt a bit and spin more quickly. However, previous research mysteriously could not find evidence that melting glaciers were triggering a shift in either Earth's rotation or axis that was as great as predicted. This problem is known as "Munk's enigma," after oceanographer Walter Munk who first noted the mystery, in 2002.
Now, in a new study, researchers may have solved this enigma and shown that rising sea levels are indeed affecting Earth's spin and axis. "The rise of sea level and the melting of glaciers during the 20th century is confirmed not only by some of the most dramatic changes in the Earth system — for example, catastrophic flooding events, droughts [and] heat waves — but also in some of the most subtle — incredibly small changes in Earth's rotation rate." First, the scientists noted that recent studies suggested 20th-century glacial melting was about 30 percent less severe than Munk assumed. This should significantly reduce the predicted amount of shift in Earth's spin and axis.
Moreover, the research team's mathematical calculations and computer simulations found that prior research relied on erroneous models of Earth's internal structure. This meant previous studies did not correctly account for how much glaciers would deform underlying rock and influence Earth's spin. Furthermore, interactions between Earth's rocky mantle and the planet's molten metal outer core should have helped slow the planet's spin more than was previously thought.
Altogether, these adjustments helped the scientists find that ongoing glacial melting and the resulting sea-level rise are affecting the Earth in ways that match theoretical predictions, astronomical observations, and geodetic or land-survey data. "What we believe in regard to melting of glaciers in the 20th century is completely consistent with changes in Earth's rotation [as] measured by satellites and astronomical methods. This consistency was elusive for a few years, but now the enigma is resolved. Human-induced climate change is of such pressing importance to society that the responsibility on scientists to get things right is enormous. By resolving Munk's enigma, we further strengthen the already-strong argument that we are impacting climate."

California's stranded sea lions suffering from brain damage caused by algal blooms - Scientists have gleaned fresh insight into the havoc wreaked by a microscopic culprit that has disrupted marine life this year along the Pacific Coast, not only tainting Northern California's delicious supply of Dungeness crab but also sickening or killing hundreds of sea lions.

SPACE WEATHER -

THE GEMINID METEOR SHOWER IS UNDERWAY - Canada's Meteor Orbit Radar is picking up strong echoes from the constellation Gemini. It's a sign that the annual Geminid meteor shower is underway. Geminid meteoroids are gravelly debris from "rock comet" 3200 Phaethon. They hit Earth's atmosphere traveling ~35 km/s (78,000 mph) and typically disintegrate about 80 km (50 miles) above Earth's surface.
Earth is moving through the densest part of the stream today. Under ideal conditions this would produce as many as 120 meteors per hour. Winter weather around the northern hemisphere is, in most places, reducing actual sightings far below that number. On Dec. 14, the network reported 148 fireballs. (107 Geminids, 33 sporadics, 4 sigma Hydrids, 1 December Monocerotid, 1 , 1 Comae Berenicid, 1 December Leonis Minorid)

HEALTH THREATS -
RECALLS & ALERTS

Taking antidepressants during pregnancy linked to increased risk of autism - Children are more likely to be diagnosed with autism if their mothers took antidepressants during pregnancy, a new study shows. In the new study, women who took antidepressants in the last six months of pregnancy were 87% more likely to have a child later diagnosed with autism. Doctors saw no increase in autism rates in women who took medication for depression in the first three months of pregnancy.
It's part of a growing body of research that suggests that the events that cause autism largely occur before birth. Studies have found that children are at higher risk for autism, for example, if they are born early or very small. Children are also at higher risk if they are in medical distress during delivery; if they have older mothers or fathers; or if they are born less than a year after an older sibling.
Autism risk also goes up for women who are obese; if they have diabetes or high blood pressure; if they are hospitalized for an infection; if they're exposed to significant air pollution during pregnancy; if they had low levels of folic acid in early pregnancy; or if they take an anti-seizure drug called valproic acid. "It's really during pregnancy that the hard-wiring of the brain takes place."
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Friday, December 4, 2015

Global Disaster Watch - daily natural disaster updates.

**One does not fall in love; one grows into love, and love grows in us.**
Karl A. Menninger

LARGEST QUAKES so far today -
5.0 SOUTHERN IRAN
5.5 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION

Yesterday, 12/3/15 -
5.3 SOUTHERN EAST PACIFIC RISE
5.3 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G.
5.1 TAIWAN REGION
5.0 OFFSHORE COQUIMBO, CHILE
5.2 SOUTHERN EAST PACIFIC RISE
5.0 SOUTHERN EAST PACIFIC RISE

Earthquakes in the U.S. breadbasket? Understand the risk. (Hazard map at link, article by insurance company)

TROPICAL STORMS -
No current tropical storms.

SEVERE RAIN STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES -

India - Floodwaters recede as Chennai rain eases. More than 7,000 people have been rescued so far, but many are still stranded, reports say. More than 260 people have died in the floods in the state after the heaviest rainfall in a century.
A depression in the Bay of Bengal has triggered rains in coastal areas. Last month, non-stop rain for nearly a week brought the city to a standstill. Three days of fresh rains have again led to massive flooding, inundating homes, hospitals, roads, railway tracks and the city's airport. Forecasts of more showers remain in place. Reports say there has been no rain in Chennai on Friday morning and water levels are receding in some parts of the city.
Schools, colleges and factories are shut, exams postponed and power supply suspended in most parts of the city. An oil refinery has stopped operations. A naval air base at Arakkonam, 70km (43 miles) from the Tamil Nadu state capital, is now being used as a makeshift airport with seven commercial flights expected to operate on Friday and Saturday. Train services will remain suspended until Saturday, officials say.
Flood affected people queued up for food. Some areas are still badly affected and remain cut off. Rescue teams are now focusing on these neighbourhoods while trying to get food and medicines to thousands of people who have been affected. Shops and markets have opened as well and people are queuing up to buy food and fuel, although there are shortages of essentials supplies such as milk. But the airport and the main railway station are still closed - a naval air base outside the city has been cleared for a limited number of civilian flights.
Although the rain is part of the normal monsoon, Chennai received AS MUCH RAIN IN TWO DAYS AS IT DOES IN A COUPLE OF MONTHS. A massive rescue operation is continuing to reach stranded people. Some 5,000 houses are still under water with many people trapped inside them, reports say. Troops have set up 25 shelters and community kitchens for the flood victims. Officials said they were investigating the deaths of 14 patients on life support after a power failure at a private hospital in the city.
"The hospital was flooded and it was adjacent to the river. The patients have died over a period of three days. 57 other patients who were also on ventilator support have been shifted to other hospitals in the city. The deaths have definitely not occurred due to power cuts. They were all critical patients. This will in any case be a matter of investigation."
Many people were queuing at bus stops to leave the city. "There are people who haven't eaten for days. They have seen their possessions float away from the house. Food, clothes - all gone." The federal weather office has predicted two more days of torrential rain in the southern state, where nearly 70 million people live. A total of 269 people are now known to have died in floods in Tamil Nadu state since last month.

'Unnatural disaster' - How human folly has contributed to the Chennai deluge. Many parts of India suffer flooding every year during the annual monsoon rains from June to September. The northeast monsoon has been particularly vigorous over southern India and more so in Tamil Nadu state, of which Chennai is the capital.
Last month was the WETTEST NOVEMBER IN A CENTURY in the city of 4.3 million people. And, at 490 mm, rainfall on 1 December was the highest in 100 years. The floods are a wake up call for India's teeming cities that were built with the expectation that the environment would adjust itself to accommodate the need for the city to grow. (PHOTOS AT LINK)

Twisters Give Nation a Pass in 2015: LOWEST DEATH TOLL ON RECORD? Amid all the genuinely awful news making the rounds in recent days, here is one bright spot: the year 2015 may end up with the lowest number of U.S. tornado fatalities in at least 141 years. As of December 2, preliminary numbers from the NOAA Storm Prediction Center show only 10 tornado-related deaths nationwide. If this number holds through the end of the year, it will beat the 12 deaths reported in 1910 to become the lowest annual total on record.
The U.S. nation has indeed seen a remarkably safe year tornado-wise in 2015. The year is not done, though: 5 of the last 10 Decembers produced at least one tornado fatality, with the highest total of that period being 9 in December 2010. Part of the story this year is sheer good luck. The strongest tornado of 2015 so far occurred on April 9: a violent EF4 twister that tracked over 30 miles of northern Illinois just west of Chicago.
Just a small shift in that tornado’s track could have produced far more havoc. And the unseasonably late tornadic swarm of November 16 over the southern Great Plains produced three large EF3 tornadoes but comparatively little damage. Apart from these two outbreaks, the year’s crop of tornadoes was generally on the weak and short-lived side. A single outbreak can make an otherwise quiet year devastating, but in general, “a low number of tornadoes correlates to a low number of tornado deaths."
After the horrific tornado season of 2011 (with 553 fatalities, the nation’s deadliest since 1925), the U.S. has seen four consecutive years with below-average activity, if we count 2015 in advance. For this quietude, we can thank the same predominant upper-level pattern that’s stoked four years of intense drought in California and shunted a large fraction of hurricanes away from the East Coast.
“The stagnant large-scale pattern of generally northwest flow that has dominated central North America for the past few years has certainly played some role in suppressing conditions more supportive of tornado outbreaks. whether this shift to more tranquil conditions is part of some longer-term oscillation, a result of climate change dynamics, or both, or just a random occurrence, is hard to say.”
An uptick in tornado deaths over the last decade - There is the possibility that a quiet stretch could soften people’s resolve to keep themselves and their loved ones safe from tornadoes. The decade from 2005 to 2014 produced a total of 1092 tornado-related deaths. That’s roughly double the death rate that prevailed over the three prior decades (1975-84, 1985-94, and 1995-2004). Clearly, the numbers for the past decade are skewed by the huge death toll in 2011, but a total of six of the ten years in 2005-2014 produced at least 50 deaths. That wasn’t the case in any of the three previous decades.
“The annual death toll in the modern era is likely influenced more by the number of tornadoes than by our improved ability to predict them. The conditions to support a widespread killer tornado outbreak can come together in a matter of 2-3 days. We need to maintain vigilance!” (photos and charts at link)

'GLOBAL WEIRDNESS' / CLIMATE CHANGE -

Migratory birds are losing ground. Study cites key areas needing protections. Migratory birds are at risk from increasing habitat destruction of stopover points, especially in North Africa, Central Asia, and the coast of East Asia.

Radiation from Japan nuclear disaster spreads off U.S. shores - Radiation from Japan's 2011 nuclear disaster has spread off North American shores and contamination is increasing at previously identified sites, although levels are still too low to threaten human or ocean life, scientists said on Thursday.
Tests of hundreds of samples of Pacific Ocean water confirmed that Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant CONTINUES TO LEAK RADIOACTIVE ISOTOPES more than four years after its meltdown. Trace amounts of cesium-134 have been detected within several hundred miles (km) of the Oregon, Washington and California coasts in recent months, as well as offshore from Canada's Vancouver Island. Another isotope, cesium-137, a radioactive legacy of nuclear weapons tests conducted from the 1950s through the 1970s, was found at low levels in nearly every seawater sample tested.
"Despite the fact that the levels of contamination off our shores remain well below government- established safety limits for human health or to marine life, the changing values underscore the need to more closely monitor contamination levels across the Pacific." In March 2011, a massive earthquake triggered a tsunami that struck the Fukushima nuclear plant, 130 miles (209 km) northeast of Tokyo, causing triple nuclear meltdowns and forcing more than 160,000 residents to flee from nearby towns. It was the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986.
Last year, there wa reported detectable radiation from about 100 miles (160 km) off the coast of northern California, and in April radiation was found off Canada's shores. The latest readings measured the highest radiation levels outside Japanese waters to date some 1,600 miles (2,574 km) west of San Francisco. The figures also confirm that the spread of radiation to North American waters is not isolated to a handful of locations, but can be detected along a stretch of more than 1,000 miles (1,600 km) offshore.

Arctic Sea Ice Is ‘Well Below Average’ for November - Sea ice on both sides of the Arctic Ocean was well below average in November, according to an update released Wednesday by the United States National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colorado.
According to the center, sea ice covered 3.9 million square miles of the Arctic Ocean at the end of November — an area 351,000 square miles smaller than the 1981 to 2010 average extent, although 230,000 square miles greater than 2006’s record low. “At the end of the month, extent was well below average in both the Barents Sea and the Bering Strait regions,” the center reported. “Extent was above average in eastern Hudson Bay, but below average in the western part of the bay.”
The low growth of winter sea ice is a continued signal that climate change is rapidly transforming conditions in the Arctic, which are important drivers of climate and weather conditions around the Northern Hemisphere. Sea ice is also crucial to the survival of polar bears, narwhals,ice seals, and other species. U.S. federal wildlife officials declared polar bears a “threatened” species in 2008 because of diminishing Arctic sea ice, and gave similar protections to populations of Arctic bearded and ringed seals in 2012.
The Pacific walrus is also being considered for endangered species protections. For the past several years, the walruses have been turning up in unprecedented numbers during early autumn on shorelines around the Chukchi Sea, in Alaska and Russia, as the loss of Arctic sea ice forces them to come to land.
Above-average air temperatures above the region contributed to the slow growth of winter sea ice, reported the snow and ice data center. “The area north of the Barents Sea, between Svalbard and the Taymyr Peninsula, was unusually warm, at 11 to 14 degrees Fahrenheit above average,” and 2 to 7 degrees Fahrenheit above average in other parts of the Arctic. The absence of sea ice around Svalbard this fall could affect the region’s pregnant polar bears, which need the ice to reach traditional denning sites in the archipelago’s eastern islands.

SPACE WEATHER -

SIGMA HYDRID METEORS - Last night, Dec. 3-4, NASA's network of all-sky meteor cameras recorded 8 fireballs from the sigma Hydrid meteoroid stream. These meteoroids come from an unknown comet or asteroid. Earth passes through the sigma Hydrid stream every year in early- to mid- December. Typically, the shower produces no more than 1 or 2 faint meteors per hour. The detection of 8 bright fireballs in a single night suggests that sigma Hydrid activity could be higher than usual.
On Dec. 4, the network reported 32 fireballs. (22 sporadics, 8 sigma Hydrids, 1 Geminid, 1 Puppids-Velid)

GEMINID METEOR SHOWER: Earth is entering a stream of gravelly debris from "rock comet" 3200 Phaethon, source of the annual Geminid meteor shower. On the night of Dec. 2-3, NASA's network of all-sky cameras detected three Geminid fireballs over the USA.
The Geminid hit Earth's atmosphere traveling 36 km/s (81 thousand mph) and disintegrated completely 47 km (29 miles) above Earth's surface. These values are typical of Geminids. Meteor sightings will increase in the nights ahead as Earth plunges deeper into the debris stream. Forecasters expect peak rates to occur on Dec. 13-14, when dark-sky observers in both hemispheres could see as many as 120 meteors per hour. Observing conditions will be nearly ideal because the shower peaks just a few days after the New Moon.

VAST HOLE OPENS IN SUN'S ATMOSPHERE: A vast hole in the sun's atmosphere - a "coronal hole" - has opened up in the sun's northern hemisphere, and it is spewing a broad stream of solar wind into space. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory photographed the coronal hole during the early hours of Dec. 3rd. Coronal holes are places where the sun's magnetic field opens up and allows solar wind to escape.
Hot plasma flows outward at speeds exceeding a million mph. Solar wind flowing from this coronal hole will reach Earth beginning ~Dec. 6th, and our solar wind environment will be dominated the stream for days after first contact. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras.

HEALTH THREATS -
RECALLS & ALERTS

Chipotle-Linked E. Coli Outbreak Widens to Three More States - Restaurant chain announces new food-safety measures in wake of reported illnesses. The illnesses in Illinois, Maryland, and Pennsylvania bring to nine the number of states affected by the outbreak. The CDC said a total of seven more people over the past two weeks have reported becoming sick in the outbreak, for a total of 52 — though all fell ill in October and November.
The outbreak was first detected just over a month ago in Washington and Oregon, which still account for most of the cases. Officials last month determined the outbreak extended outside the Pacific Northwest to Minnesota and New York, among other states. The cause of the outbreak hasn’t been determined, though authorities in Oregon and Washington pointed to produce as the likely culprit.

Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Organic Nut Butter has sickened 11 people. Health officials are investigating the link to the JEM Raw Chocolate, LLC brand of nut butters. All reported feeling ill between July 18 and Oct. 15. There have been no hospitalizations or deaths reported in connection with the outbreak. "This contaminated item has been widely distributed over a fairly wide period of time, it looks like a low level of contamination."

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Thursday, December 3, 2015

Global Disaster Watch - daily natural disaster updates.

I'm back! Fresh off a trip to Guatemala. A little natural disaster adventure on the trip, no earthquakes or further big eruptions from Fuego volcano, just a landslide overnight that blocked the mountain road.

**One cannot and must not try to erase the past merely because it does not fit the present.**
Golda Meir

LARGEST QUAKES so far today -
5.4 OFFSHORE COQUIMBO, CHILE
5.2 SOUTHERN EAST PACIFIC RISE
5.0 SOUTHERN EAST PACIFIC RISE

Yesterday, 12/2/15 -
5.4 EASTERN TURKEY
5.3 BOUGAINVILLE REGION, P.N.G.

12/1/15 -
5.0 SOUTH OF KERMADEC ISLANDS
5.0 SOLOMON ISLANDS
5.8 FIJI REGION
5.0 SOUTHERN PERU
5.0 TONGA
5.2 KYRGYZSTAN

VOLCANOES -
Nicaraguan Volcano Erupts For The First Time In 110 Years - on Tuesday, spewing lava and plumes of ash into the sky. Residents in nearby communities reported hearing a loud explosion before seeing gas and ash spout from the volcano. The eruption closed over a dozen schools in the surrounding regions. There are currently no reports of any injuries or deaths. The volcano is located 30 miles from Nicaragua's capital Managua, and is near Leon, which is the country's second largest city. Around 3,500 people live in areas around the volcano.
Earlier this month, Guatemala's Fuego volcano erupted some 320 miles away, covering at least six villages with ash and forcing guests at a nearby hotel to evacuate. (photos and video at link)

TROPICAL STORMS -

No current tropical storms.

The 2015 Atlantic hurricane season is officially over, and it will go into the books as the most memorable hurricane season to occur during a strong El Niño event. Strong El Niño events typically reduce Atlantic hurricane activity by increasing wind shear over the tropical Atlantic, and this year's El Niño conditions did indeed create unusually high levels of wind shear over the Caribbean, making it difficult for tropical systems to organize and strengthen in those waters. Wind shear in 2015 was the strongest on record.
The 200-850-mb vertical wind shear in the Caribbean (10-20°N, 90-60°W) averaged from June through October was the highest since at least 1979 (28.5 knots.) However, this high wind shear did not extend as far east as usual, allowing several tropical storms to form near the coast of Africa over waters that were near-record warm. Near record-warm to record-warm ocean temperatures were also over more northern reaches of the Atlantic, and helped spur the formation of Hurricane Joaquin and Hurricane Kate.
As a result, the 2015 season was able to tally numbers that were not that far below average - 11 named storms, 4 hurricanes, and 2 intense Category 3 or stronger hurricanes. The 1981-2010 average numbers were 11.5 named storms, 6.1 hurricanes, and 2.6 major hurricanes.
Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) is a measure of the total destructive power of a hurricane season, based on the number of days strong winds are observed. ACE for an individual storm is computed by squaring the maximum sustained winds of the storm at each 6-hourly advisory, and summing up over the entire lifetime of the storm. The ACE for the 2015 Atlantic hurricane season was about 60% of average, reflecting the relative lack of hurricanes. Hurricane Joaquin accounted for 46% of the season's ACE.
Top ten notable events of the 2015 Atlantic hurricane season at link. (also charts, photos and video at link)

SEVERE RAIN STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES -

India - Deadly Chennai flooding leaves residents in fear. Weeks of heavy rain and flooding have knocked out power, suspended public transportation and left people stranded in Chennai, one of India's largest cities.
The Indian army and navy are carrying out rescue operations. The Indian Coast Guard is also working to rescue people. At least nine people have died so far in severe flooding that has hit Chennai in recent days, according to a Tamil Nadu state official tally released Wednesday.
Emotional images of dramatic rescues in inflatable boats and civilians hoisting people over muddy flood waters have inundated social media under the hashtag #Chennaifloods. More than a foot of rain fell in the last 24 hours in Chennai - that's about the amount of rain London would receive in six months. It has rained 34 of the past 40 days and the heavy-rain-warning continues. The rain warning for the southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu and neighboring Puducherry are forecast through December 5, according to India's main weather office. (photos and video at link)

Fresh rains in the southern Indian city of Chennai (Madras) have caused serious flooding, with flights and trains suspended and hundreds of people without power. The army has been deployed to rescue thousands of stranded people after two days of heavy rain. At least 188 people are now known to have died in floods in Tamil Nadu state since last month.
A depression in the Bay of Bengal has triggered rains in coastal areas. Last month, non-stop rain for nearly a week brought the city to a standstill. Two days of fresh rains have again led to massive flooding, so much so that flights from the city's airport have been indefinitely suspended after flood waters entered the runway and tarmac areas on Tuesday evening.
Reports say some 400 passengers are stranded at the airport, and all flights have been cancelled. More than a dozen trains have also been cancelled after flood waters inundated the tracks. The army and the National Disaster Response Force have been deployed in the city's worst-affected southern suburbs to rescue people stranded in their flooded properties. At least 10,000 policemen and swimmers have also been employed in the rescue effort.
"The police want to help but there are no boats. We are trying not to panic." Reports say that power supply has been suspended in nearly 60% of the city's neighbourhoods. Most of the main streets are waterlogged and schools were closed for the 17th day since November. Schools and colleges have been shut in six districts due to the rains. Patients have been evacuated from a government hospital in the Tambaram area after flood waters entered the building.
Residents have taken to social media to offer accommodation, food and mobile phone recharges to citizens who are being forced to evacuate their properties. "We only saw rains like this some 25-30 years ago when there was no electricity for almost a week. It has been raining since Monday night and there has been no respite. Everywhere you look, there is two to three feet of water."
All the reservoirs around Chennai are full and the rivers are flooded with the excess waters released from the reservoirs. Thousands of people who were living on the banks of these rivers have been moved to temporary shelters. The meteorological office says "scattered to heavy" rains are expected to continue for the next three days. India suffers severe flooding every year during the annual monsoon rains from June to September. The retreating monsoon has been particularly vigorous over south India and more so in Tamil Nadu. (photos and video at link)

'GLOBAL WEIRDNESS' / CLIMATE CHANGE -

Massive El Niño sweeping globe is now the biggest ever recorded - The current extreme El Niño is now the strongest ever recorded, smashing the previous record from 1997 -8. Already wreaking havoc on weather around the world, the new figures mean those effects will probably get worse.
The 1997-8 El Niño killed 20,000 people and caused almost $97 billion of damage as floods, droughts, fires, cyclones and mudslides ravaged the world. Now the current El Niño has surpassed the 1997-8 El Niño on a key measure, according to the latest figures released by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency.
El Niño occurs when warm water that has piled up around Australia and Indonesia spills out east across the Pacific Ocean towards the Americas, taking the rain with it. A key measure of its intensity is the warmth of water in the central Pacific. In 1997, at its peak on 26 November, it was 2.8 °C above average. According to the latest measurements, it reached 2.8 °C on 4 November this year, and went on to hit 3.1 °C on 18 November – the highest temperatures ever seen in this region.
“The El Niño community is closely watching the evolution [of this El Niño] and whether the current event will surpass the 1997-8 event. Monthly and weekly central Pacific temperature anomalies clearly show that this current event has surpassed it.” The temperatures in the central Pacific have the biggest impact on the global atmospheric circulation, and therefore the biggest impacts on global weather.
The event hasn’t broken temperature records across the entire eastern Pacific, but in the central eastern Pacific. “It’s shifted into an area where most likely the atmosphere will respond even more.” El Niños have been stronger in the last few decades than in any period over the past four centuries. It is unknown whether that’s because of climate change.
El Niño has been implicated in a host of extreme weather events across the globe. Combined with global warming, it’s partly responsible for 2015 being the hottest year on record. In India, more than 2000 people died in a heatwave caused by a delayed monsoon – an effect of El Niño.
Now the region is experiencing unusually heavy rains as the monsoon has finally arrived – also an expected impact of El Niño. “Southern India is having a lot of rain as it goes into winter, having come out of the dry monsoon. This is only so during extreme El Niño, so it is a confirmation that the El Niño is huge."
El Niño is also probably making record-breaking illegal fires in Indonesia worse, by reducing rainfall there. And in some Pacific Islands, water levels have dropped so much that coral reefs are exposed, in a phenomenon known as Taimasa, Samoan for “smelly reef”. New Scientist has received photographs from Guam showing this dramatic effect, only seen during extreme El Niño events. Across the globe, the El Niño has also begun a mass coral bleaching.
Australia has dodged some of the worst effects of El Niño, as the Indian Ocean Dipole – an oscillation of sea temperatures in the Indian Ocean – which was amplifying El Niño, has eased off. And because of the location of the warmest water, some regions like Peru and Ecuador are also likely to experience fewer impacts.
Many of the effects are yet to come. For example, whether it will bring rains to California and relieve the drought – or even whether it will go too far and cause floods – isn’t yet known. The models are predicting a higher chance of rain for California. And once the El Niño is over, it might not be time for celebration, since it’s likely to be followed by a strong La Niña, which will bring roughly opposite effects to the world’s weather. La Nina’s are also expected to be about twice as common as a result of climate change this century.

China Cloning Facility to Bolster Meat Production, Cloning Humans Next? Sinica, a subsidiary of Boyalife Group, has signed a deal to establish a $31 million commercial animal cloning facility in Tianjin, China, with the intent to produce beef cattle, racehorses and other animals.
The plant will initially produce 100,000 cattle embryos per year, eventually increasing its output to 1,000,000 per year. Chinese farmers are struggling to produce enough beef cattle to meet market demand. China’s meet demand has quadrupled in the last 40 years. Chinese scientists have been cloning sheep, cattle and pigs since 2000. In September 2014, Boyalife and Sooam Biotech opened the first commercial cloning company in China’s Shandong Province. The first animals produced were three pure-blooded Tibetan mastiff puppies.
Cloning animals for human consumption has been a contentious issue. Recently, the European Union (EU) made strides to ban imports of cloned animals and products made from cloned animals. European farmers are facing increasing pressure from Asia due to practices such as cloning.
However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2008 determined meat and milk from clones and their offspring pose no substantial threat when compared with food eaten every day. Boyalife Group hopes to hit the 1,000,000 production goal by 2020. Additionally, the company is working with partners to improve primate cloning for disease research purposes. From there, it’s on to humans, if allowed.
“The technology is already there. If this is allowed, I don’t think there are other companies better than Boyalife that make better technology.” In the future, the technology may be applied to reproduction, allowing parents more choice their child’s genetic makeup.

HEALTH THREATS -
RECALLS & ALERTS

The source of a an E. coli outbreak spanning seven states has been traced back to a single ingredient in Costco’s rotisserie chicken salad: diced celery. The tainted ingredient came from Taylor Farms Pacific of Tracy, California, according to the FDA.
The supplier has since issued a recall for items that may contain its celery. The recall affects a nearly a dozen retailers including 7-Eleven, Safeway, Walmart, Sam’s Club, Target, and Starbucks. The strain of E. coli found in the celery is more dangerous than the outbreak tied to Chipotle, because it can lead to kidney failure.
So far, 19 people have been infected with E. coli in California, Colorado, Missouri, Montana, Utah, Virginia, and Washington. Five people have been hospitalized, and two have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a type of kidney failure. No deaths have been reported. The CDC said most of those infected had eaten Costco’s rotisserie chicken salad in the week before they became ill.
Consumers who purchased rotisserie chicken salad from any Costco store in the US on or before November 20, 2015, should not eat it and should throw it away. Costco has removed all remaining rotisserie chicken salad from all stores in the US and stopped further production of the product until further notice. Starbucks has also removed all potentially tainted items from its stores. The recall affected only its “holiday turkey with stuffing panini” with “enjoy-by” dates of November 27 to November 28 in select stores in California, Oregon, and Nevada.

Eat all the bananas you can now because soon, there won’t be any left. And it won’t be because you ate them all. It’ll be because they’ve gone extinct. A new study in PLOS Pathogens claims that a virus named Tropical Race 4 is about to kickstart the bananapocalypse.
In what must be the worst case of deja vu in food history, this projected banana extinction is actually the second to happen in this century. In the 1960s, the Gros Michel variety of bananas were all the rage, until disaster struck. Panama disease, caused by Tropical Race, essentially wiped out the entire crop of the Gros Michel. To give you a sense of the fungus’ virulence, once-leading banana producer Taiwan now exports just 2 percent of what it did 50 years ago.
The death of the Gros Michel led to the rise in popularity of today’s Cavendish banana, which was resistant to the old version of the Panama disease virus. But now, all bets are off, as attempts to quarantine the fungus have proven completely insufficient.
While the Cavendish may have been able to survive the previous round of wipeouts, it is susceptible to the new Tropical Race 4 strain currently making its way around the world. And while it hasn’t reached Latin America yet, it seems inevitable that the producer of 82 percent of the world’s Cavendish bananas will soon fall victim to the ruthless onslaught.
So why haven’t we been able to do anything to stop the spread? Mostly because today’s bananas have been cultivated as a monoculture — all bananas are genetically identical because they’ve been grown as a seedless variety, which means that when one gets sick, they all get sick. Worse yet, the virus, which kills essentially by dehydrating the plant’s root system, can stay in the soil for 30 years.
The biggest problem at hand is the alarming rate with which humans today consume bananas. “Most bananas are grown by small-time farmers in the many poor countries where they’re a staple crop.” This means that this impending banana shortage could have a huge effect on the diets of some of the world’s poorest communities. And experts note that Tropical Race 4 puts more than 80 percent of these staple bananas at risk around the world.

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Sunday, October 18, 2015

Global Disaster Watch - daily natural disaster updates.

**Either you run the day or the day runs you.**
Jim Rohn

LARGEST QUAKES so far today -
None 5.0 or larger.

Yesterday, 10/17/15 -
5.2 VANUATU
5.3 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G.
5.0 WEST CHILE RISE
5.9 SALTA, ARGENTINA

10/16/15 -
5.6 KAMCHATKA PENINSULA, RUSSIA

10/15/15 -
5.4 ECUADOR
10/14/15 -
5.4 NORTHERN COLOMBIA
5.0 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS
5.9 EAST OF KURIL ISLANDS
5.0 HALMAHERA, INDONESIA

10/13/15 -
None 5.0 or larger.

Argentina - At least one dead as 5.9 quake hits Salta at 8:33 am this morning. The earthquake hit the province of Salta in the northern area of the country, claiming the life of one woman who lived in the locality of El Galpón, 160 km away from the provincial capital city. The tremor was felt also in the provinces of Tucumán, Jujuy, Santiago del Estero and Córdoba.

TROPICAL STORMS -

* In the EASTERN PACIFIC -
Tropical storm Olaf strengthening. Expected to become a hurricane today. Located about 1685 mi (2715 km) WSW of the southern tip of Baja California.

* In the WESTERN PACIFIC -
- Typhoon Koppu, donwgraded from a super typhoon, is located approximately 91 nm north of Manila, Philippines.

- Typhoon Champi is located approximately 343 nm south of Iwo To, Japan.
-----
Super Typhoon Koppu Could Hit Philippines as a Category 5 - Intensifying Super Typhoon Koppu is pounding the Philippines' eastern Luzon Island with torrential rains as the storm crawls west-northwest at 6 mph. Koppu is called "Lando" locally in the Philippines. At 8 am EDT Saturday, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center estimated Koppu was a Category 4 super typhoon with top winds of 150 mph, and the Japan Meteorological Agency estimated a central pressure of 930 mb.
Koppu is the nineteenth Category 4 or 5 tropical cyclone this year in the Northern Hemisphere, SETTING A NEW RECORD for these most powerful of storms. The previous record was eighteen such storms in 2004.
Satellite loops on Saturday morning showed that Koppu had an impressive ring of eyewall clouds with very cold cloud tops that extended high into the atmosphere, and a prominent 23-mile diameter eye. The combination of low wind shear, warm ocean waters that extend to great depth and the presence of two impressive upper level outflow channels will support continued intensification right up until landfall.
Extreme winds, a large storm surge, and heavy rains are all major threats from Koppu, but it is the storm's rains that will cause most of the storm's destruction. Recent satellite estimates showed Koppu's maximum rainfall rate was likely 20 inches of rain per 24 hours.
Unfortunately for the Philippines, Koppu is moving very slowly, which will lead to extremely high rainfall rates. Koppu will slow down further after landfall, and spend at least three days over northern Luzon Island. With water temperatures an UNUSUALLY WARM 30 - 31°C (86 - 88°F) in the waters surrounding Luzon - about 1°C (1.8°F) above average - the typhoon will be able to pull in tremendous amounts of water vapor from the oceans, resulting in widespread rains of over two feet falling on Luzon Island.
More than four feet of rain will likely fall in some mountainous areas, and rainfall amounts of this magnitude are likely to cause devastating flooding. The Saturday run of the GFS model shows Koppu spending a full five days over Luzon, which would result in even more disastrous rainfall amounts than described here. The capital of Manila (population 12 million) lies right at the edge of where the most extreme rains of at least a foot will fall, so hopefully the monetary damage from the flooding will stay below a billion dollars. (maps at link)

Typhoon Koppu - video.

UPDATE - Philippines battered as Typhoon Koppu makes landfall. Homes have been flattened, power lines toppled, and thousands of people have fled their homes as Typhoon Koppu swept into the northern Philippines.
Disaster agency officials said the storm was also whipping up coastal surges 4m (12ft) high. The slow-moving typhoon made landfall near the town of Casiguran on the main island of Luzon on Sunday morning. Koppu is predicted to bring three days of torrential rain, triggering major flooding and possibly landslides. 10,000 people have been displaced in north-eastern Luzon but no casualties had been reported so far.
Why is Koppu slow-moving? There are two typhoons in the west Pacific at the moment - Typhoon Champi sits just to the east of Koppu. The complex interaction between these two typhoons and the warm air within these storms helps to build a ridge of high pressure over Taiwan this weekend. It is this ridge that effectively traps typhoon Koppu over the Philippines for a number of days rather than it being able to turn away from the Philippines and out of harm's way to the South China Sea.
Some computer models suggest the storm system will still be affecting the Philippines into the middle of next week allowing colossal amounts of rain to accumulate - 1m (39in) of rain is possible. Such extreme rainfall would bring some severe flooding to Luzon. (video and photos at link)

Worst case scenario begins to unfold - Super Typhoon Koppu made landfall close to 1 a.m. local time on Sunday morning near the town of Casiguran in Luzon's Aurora Province, as a powerful Category 4 or 5 storm. The storm was on the cusp of being declared a Category 5 monster from one of the official storm monitoring agencies in Japan and the U.S. before it crossed over land, officially with winds of 150 miles per hour, just shy of Category 5 strength.
Super Typhoon Koppu underwent a nightmarish period of rapid intensification that may have caught many of the 15 to 20 million residents of Luzon off guard. Just before people along the northeastern coast of Luzon in the Philippines — from Cabantuan City to the small towns along the coast, including Casiguran and Dipaulao — went to bed on Saturday evening, local time, Typhoon Koppu was a strong Category 2 storm.
It was powerful, worthy of respect, but not monstrously strong. The storm was not remotely near the scale of Super Typhoon Haiyan, for example, which struck well to the south of this area in 2013, leaving at least 7,300 dead or missing. Fast forward about eight hours, to chaotic pre-dawn Sunday as Koppu made landfall as a ferocious Super Typhoon with winds of 150 miles per hour or higher.
Such a storm is capable of wiping out entire towns from wind damage, and inflicting a grim toll along the coast from storm surge flooding. This storm is going to do something few storms of this strength do — sit and spin over land, and then near land, for three to four full days, dumping almost unheard of rainfall totals in the process. "We are looking at the possible worst scenario, not to scare but to allow us to prepare. If it stays 24 hours ... and the downpour is sustained, we will surely have floods and landslides."
This may prove to be an understatement. Some computer models are projecting that rainfall totals in northwestern Luzon will eclipse 50 inches, or 1,270 millimeters, by the time rain ends on Tuesday or Wednesday. If some projections are born out — and there is little reason to doubt them considering that there is historical precedent for such deluges from such tropical weather systems in the Philippines — rainfall totals could climb even higher, toward 60 to 80 inches, or about 1,500 to 2,000 millimeters or more.
This would be the equivalent of receiving an entire year's worth of average precipitation in Miami, Florida, which is 61.92 inches, in just three or four days. Such rains will cause potentially deadly flash flooding and mudslides as well as river flooding, and combined with the wind and storm surge damage, could lead to this storm being one of the most expensive natural disasters on record in a country that experiences the most natural disasters of any nation on Earth.
To prepare for the flooding, local officials have been conducting forced evacuations of communities historically affected by flash flooding and landslides. Authorities also evacuated coastal villages that risked getting hit by storm surge flooding.

Elsewhere in the Pacific: Typhoon Champi, Tropical Storm Olaf, and Tropical Cyclone Two -
Category 2 Typhoon Champi is expected to intensify into a Category 4 storm by Sunday, becoming the Northern Hemisphere's RECORD-SETTING twentieth Category 4 or stronger tropical cyclone of 2015. Champi is headed northwest, and will turn to the north and northeast on Sunday and Monday. By Tuesday, a weakening Champi may pass close enough to Iwo Jima to bring hurricane-force winds to that island.
In the Eastern Pacific, Tropical Storm Olaf is steadily organizing as it heads west at 12 mph towards Hawaii. Olaf is predicted to reach major hurricane strength by Monday, but will turn to the northwest well before reaching Hawaii, eventually dying in the waters between Hawaii and California more than a week from now. Olaf is not a threat to any land areas.
In the South Pacific, Tropical Cyclone Two, the second tropical cyclone of the 2015 - 2016 season, was expected to dissipate in the waters about 300 miles west of Fiji on Saturday night.

SEVERE RAIN STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES -

California - RAINFALL RECORDS for Oct. 15 were set Thursday in Palmdale, Sandberg and Fox Field in Lancaster. Homeowners in northern Los Angeles County communities were spending their Saturday digging mud out of their houses as crews continued to clear tons of dirt that clogged roadways and buried hundreds of cars. Route 58, the Mojave-Barstow Highway, remains closed, after nearly 200 cars were trapped under mud and debris. Officials have not yet given word on when it will reopen.

California - Dramatic Photos of the Mudslides That Stranded LA Drivers. Cars were stuck in place on Los Angeles highways Thursday night amid mudslides caused by flash flooding and thunderstorms. Both northbound and southbound traffic on Interstate 5 was blocked because of the flooding and cars had to be removed by crews of workers. "I've never seen it rain that hard in such a short period of time; the hail and wind, it was coming down hard. ... The debris was just intense: chunks of wood and rock flowing everywhere."

Wild dust storm rolls over US city of Phoenix - Video . A dust storm has been caught on camera as it rolls across Phoenix in the US state of Arizona.

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Friday, September 18, 2015

Global Disaster Watch - daily natural disaster updates.

**A part of kindness consists in loving people more than they deserve.**
Joseph Joubert

LARGEST QUAKES so far today -
5.0 OFFSHORE COQUIMBO, CHILE
5.4 OFFSHORE COQUIMBO, CHILE
5.0 OFFSHORE COQUIMBO, CHILE
5.0 OFFSHORE COQUIMBO, CHILE


Yesterday, 9/17/15 -
5.0 OFFSHORE COQUIMBO, CHILE
5.6 OFFSHORE COQUIMBO, CHILE
5.4 OFFSHORE COQUIMBO, CHILE
5.1 OFFSHORE COQUIMBO, CHILE
5.1 OFFSHORE COQUIMBO, CHILE
5.2 COQUIMBO, CHILE
5.4 OFFSHORE COQUIMBO, CHILE
5.9 OFFSHORE VALPARAISO, CHILE
5.3 OFFSHORE VALPARAISO, CHILE
5.2 OFFSHORE COQUIMBO, CHILE
5.3 COQUIMBO, CHILE
5.1 OFFSHORE COQUIMBO, CHILE
5.5 NEAR EAST COAST OF KAMCHATKA
5.1 COQUIMBO, CHILE
5.0 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G.
5.5 OFFSHORE COQUIMBO, CHILE
5.2 OFFSHORE COQUIMBO, CHILE
5.2 OFFSHORE COQUIMBO, CHILE
5.1 OFFSHORE COQUIMBO, CHILE
5.5 OFFSHORE COQUIMBO, CHILE
5.4 COQUIMBO, CHILE
6.6 OFFSHORE COQUIMBO, CHILE
5.0 COQUIMBO, CHILE
5.4 OFFSHORE COQUIMBO, CHILE
6.5 COQUIMBO, CHILE
5.1 COQUIMBO, CHILE
5.0 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G.
5.0 OFFSHORE COQUIMBO, CHILE
6.1 COQUIMBO, CHILE
5.8 OFFSHORE COQUIMBO, CHILE
5.3 OFFSHORE COQUIMBO, CHILE
5.0 OFFSHORE COQUIMBO, CHILE
5.6 SAN LUIS, ARGENTINA
5.0 OFFSHORE COQUIMBO, CHILE
5.0 COQUIMBO, CHILE
5.3 OFFSHORE COQUIMBO, CHILE

9/16/15 -
5.8 OFFSHORE COQUIMBO, CHILE
7.0 COQUIMBO, CHILE
6.2 OFFSHORE COQUIMBO, CHILE
6.1 OFFSHORE COQUIMBO, CHILE
6.4 OFFSHORE COQUIMBO, CHILE
8.3 OFFSHORE COQUIMBO, CHILE
5.1 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G.
5.2 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G.
6.1 NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G.
5.2 TAIWAN
5.0 KERMADEC ISLANDS, NEW ZEALAND
5.0 KASHMIR-XINJIANG BORDER REGION
6.3 MOLUCCA SEA

9/15/15 -
5.3 TAIWAN
5.0 SOUTHERN EAST PACIFIC RISE

9/14/15 -
5.0 FIJI REGION
5.0 SOUTH OF KERMADEC ISLANDS
5.0 OFFSHORE ANTOFAGASTA, CHILE

9/13/15 -
5.0 GULF OF CALIFORNIA
5.3 GULF OF CALIFORNIA
6.6 GULF OF CALIFORNIA
5.6 GULF OF CALIFORNIA
5.3 GULF OF CALIFORNIA
5.7 NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN
5.2 KERMADEC ISLANDS, NEW ZEALAND
5.7 MINAHASA, SULAWESI, INDONESIA

9/12/15 -
5.0 SULAWESI, INDONESIA
5.5 EASTERN NEW GUINEA REG., P.N.G.
5.8 SOUTH OF KERMADEC ISLANDS
5.2 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
5.4 HOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION
5.0 MINAHASA, SULAWESI, INDONESIA
5.0 SAN JUAN, ARGENTINA

9/11/15 -
5.2 EASTERN NEW GUINEA REG., P.N.G.
5.4 EASTERN NEW GUINEA REG., P.N.G.
5.2 OFF COAST OF CHIAPAS, MEXICO
5.2 NEAR S. COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
5.1 SOUTH OF KERMADEC ISLANDS
5.0 NEAR N COAST OF PAPUA, INDONESIA

9/10/15 -
5.9 FOX ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS
5.0 FIJI REGION
5.0 OFFSHORE SUCRE, VENEZUELA

9/9/15 -
5.3 HINDU KUSH REGION, AFGHANISTAN
5.1 SIMEULUE, INDONESIA
5.0 SOUTHERN EAST PACIFIC RISE
5.3 KURIL ISLANDS
5.5 SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION

9/8/15 -
5.0 SOUTH OF KERMADEC ISLANDS
5.0 KURIL ISLANDS
5.0 SOUTH OF KERMADEC ISLANDS
5.5 SOUTH OF KERMADEC ISLANDS
5.5 OFF COAST OF CHIAPAS, MEXICO
5.8 SOUTH OF KERMADEC ISLANDS
5.3 SOUTH OF KERMADEC ISLANDS

9/7/15 -
5.2 SOUTH OF KERMADEC ISLANDS
5.9 SOUTH OF KERMADEC ISLANDS
5.0 SOUTH OF KERMADEC ISLANDS
6.3 SOUTH OF KERMADEC ISLANDS
5.8 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
5.0 STATE OF YAP, MICRONESIA
5.1 SOLOMON ISLANDS

9/6/15 -
5.0 IZU ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.4 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
5.1 MARIANA ISLANDS REGION

9/5/15 -
5.1 SALTA, ARGENTINA
5.1 MID-INDIAN RIDGE
5.8 KURIL ISLANDS
5.2 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS.
5.1 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS.
5.0 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS.
5.6 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS.
5.3 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS.
5.1 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS.

9/4/15 -
5.5 RYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN

9/3/15 -
5.0 OFF EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
5.6 OFF EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
5.0 BIO-BIO, CHILE
5.5 MOLUCCA SEA
5.2 TONGA

9/2/15 -
5.0 OWEN FRACTURE ZONE REGION
5.7 CELEBES SEA

9/1/15 -
5.0 VANUATU REGION
5.1 CHIAPAS, MEXICO
5.1 KERMADEC ISLANDS REGION
5.4 TARAPACA, CHILE
6.0 IZU ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.5 IZU ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
5.3 TAIWAN
5.1 VANUATU REGION
5.5 JAVA, INDONESIA
5.4 AZERBAIJAN

8/31/15 -
5.0 MOLUCCA SEA

8.3-magnitude quake rattles north Chile - 1 million evacuate. Thousands of residents of the small city of Illapel in northern Chile slept outside Thursday after a powerful earthquake destroyed their homes.

Chile Sees Extensive Damage After Earthquake - Officials say at least 11 people are known dead and one million people have been evacuated from coastal towns to escape a tsunami.

Aerial footage shows Chile quake damage - Drone footage shows the damage caused by an earthquake in the Chilean town of Los Vilos.

8.3-magnitude quake was felt in places across South America. Authorities worked into the early hours Thursday assessing damage in several coastal towns that saw flooding from small tsunami waves set off by the quake.
The magnitude-8.3 quake hit off northern Chile on Wednesday night, causing buildings to sway in the capital of Santiago and prompting authorities to issue a tsunami warning for the Andean nation's entire Pacific coast. People sought safety in the streets of inland cities, while others along the shore took to their cars to get to higher ground. "Once again we must confront a powerful blow from nature."
Numerous aftershocks, including one at magnitude-7 and four above 6, shook the region after the initial earthquake — the strongest tremor since a powerful quake and tsunami killed hundreds in 2010 and leveled part of the city of Concepcion in south-central Chile. Although officials cautioned it was too early to know for sure, it appeared Wednesday's quake had a much smaller impact than the 2010 tremor. If that turns out to be the case, it will be a sign that Chile's traditionally strong risk reduction measures and emergency planning had gotten better in the last five years.
"Earthquake impact is a little like real estate: what matters is location, location, location. But it is true that preparedness and risk reduction in Chile is ahead of that in much of the world, and that makes a difference." The tremor was so strong that people in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on the other side of the continent, reported feeling it. People in Peru and Brazil also reported feeling the shakes. No injuries were reported outside Chile.
The shaking was powerful, but more worrisome was how long it lasted. "We went out in the street when we felt it was going on too long. It was more than a minute." Authorities said some adobe houses collapsed in the inland city of Illapel, about 175 miles (280 kilometers) north of Santiago and about 34 miles (55 kilometers) east of the quake's epicenter. Electricity was knocked out, leaving the city in darkness. "We are very scared. Our city panicked."
A magnitude-8.8 quake and ensuing tsunami in south-central Chile in 2010 killed more than 500 people, destroyed 220,000 homes, and washed away docks, riverfronts and seaside resorts. That quake released so much energy, it actually it shortened the Earth's day by a fraction of a second by changing the planet's rotation. The quake had huge ramifications, both political and practical, prompting the Andean nation to improve its alert systems for both quakes and tsunamis. While Wednesday's tremor was strong by any estimation, the 2010 quake was 5.6 times more powerful in terms of energy released.
Chile is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries because just off the coast, the Nazca tectonic plate plunges beneath the South American plate, pushing the towering Andes cordillera to ever-higher altitudes. The strongest earthquake ever recorded on Earth happened in Chile — a magnitude-9.5 tremor in 1960 that killed more than 5,000 people.

Aftershocks of Chile's 8.3 quake hit port city Valparaiso – video. The earthquake that hit off Chile’s northern coast Wednesday night caused buildings and flagpoles to sway, and the tsunami alarms to sound in Valparaiso.

VOLCANOES -
Hawaii - Alert level for Mauna Loa volcano raised from normal to 'advisory,' but eruption not imminent. USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists are closely monitoring recent signs of unrest on Mauna Loa, the largest active volcano on Earth.

Scientists Solve Mystery Of Earth's Longest Continental Volcano Chain - There's a gargantuan chain of volcanoes lurking beneath Australia's surface, and scientists have long been puzzled by how these volcanoes came to be, until now. The volcanoes stretch some 1,243 miles across the continent from Cape Hillsboro in central Queensland to near Melbourne in central Victoria. It's nearly three times the length of North America's Yellowstone volcanic track.
According to a new study, the earliest volcanoes in the chain formed 33 million years ago as the continent of Australia shifted northward over a so-called "hotspot," which is a mantle plume fed by hot rock that slowly made its way to the Earth's surface from about 1,864 miles underground. Surprisingly, the hotspot sits away from tectonic plate boundaries, where most volcanoes are found. The "hotspot" was responsible for all of the volcanic activity along the chain. When the plume reaches around 80 miles beneath Earth's surface it can melt, which makes the volcanic activity visible on land.

Catastrophic Volcanoes Blamed for Earth's Biggest Extinction - Geologists hauling hundreds of pounds of 250-million-year-old rocks from Siberia, through Russian and American customs, say luck was on their side. Not only did they successfully transport the huge haul, but they also may have confirmed the cause of Earth's worst mass extinction.
The culprit? Catastrophic volcanic eruptions that spewed enough lava to cover Australia led to the die-off at the end of the Permian era, the researchers found. That die-off occurred about 250 million years ago and was the greatest mass extinction in Earth's history; 90 percent of marine species and 75 percent of land dwellers were wiped off the face of the planet over the course of about 60,000 years.
"The main question we and many other research teams are trying to answer is, 'What causes mass extinction?'These events shape the evolutionary trajectory of life on our planet, and are thus some of the most important events to occur in the 600 million years that complex life has inhabited Earth."
Scientists knew that a key factor behind this disaster may have been one of the biggest continental volcanic eruptions on record. It occurred in what is now Siberia, currently called the Siberian Traps, and spewed out as much as 2.7 million square miles (7 million square kilometers) of lava. This magmatism, or movement of magma, may have injected massive amounts of global warming gases into the atmosphere, wreaking havoc on the environment. These eruptions also led to acid rain that may at times have made the ground as acidic as lemon juice.
The scientists found that the eruptions started about 300,000 years before the mass extinction, continued during the die-off and lasted for at least 500,000 years after species stopped dying off. Most of the lava, about two-thirds of the total, spewed out before and during the mass extinction. One important question remains: Why did the mass extinction occur over tens of thousands of years even though the eruptions stretched over hundreds of thousands of years? That could be due to at least a couple of reasons. Perhaps a specific cluster of eruptions was key to the mass extinction, or the die- off only happened after a critical amount of lava was spewed.

TSUNAMI -

Tsunami alert as Chile hit by powerful earthquake - The powerful 8.3 magnitude earthquake hit central Chile, causing buildings to sway in the capital Santiago and prompting officials to issue a tsunami alert.

The Chile Earthquake’s First Tsunami Waves Strike - A tide gauge less than 100 miles from the quake's epicenter has logged wave heights in excess of 14 feet.

Tsunami advisory for Hawaii, California after Chile quake - The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center had originally issued a watch for Hawaii, saying a tsunami may have been generated by Wednesday's earthquake. They later downgraded the alert to an advisory, saying that current data indicated there would be no major tsunami in the state, but that sea-level changes and dangerous currents could pose a threat to those in or near the water.The center estimated that the effects from the tsunami would arrive in Hawaii about 3 a.m. (6 a.m. PDT) Thursday. A similar advisory was issued for southern and central California. The resulting surge was no higher than 13 inches.
After the 8.3 magnitude temblor hit Chile on Wednesday, tsunami waves of 15 feet were observed at Coquimbo, Chile, while Valparaiso and Quintero saw waves of about 6 feet. Between 3- and 10-foot waves could arrive in French Polynesia. Waves between 1 foot and 3 feet were possible along some coasts in Mexico, Ecuador, Japan, Russia and New Zealand.

New Zealand - Where the tsunami waves from the chile quake have hit the New Zealand coast.

Study Finds Greater Tsunami Risk From Southern California Quake - Californians may be used to hearing about the threat of potentially deadly earthquakes, but a new study finds that quake-triggered tsunamis pose a greater risk to Southern California than previously thought.
Tsunamis are monster waves that can reach more than 100 feet (30 meters) high. They are often caused by earthquakes; the 2004 Banda Aceh earthquake and tsunami killed about 250,000 people, while the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami that struck offshore of Japan killed about 20,000 people and triggered a nuclear disaster. Tsunamis increase in size as the depth of water in which they occur decreases. Since water depth is usually shallow near coastlines, tsunamis can grow as they approach land, becoming particularly dangerous along heavily populated coastlines, such as those in Southern California,

Are American Cities Prepared For Massive Tsunamis? - Is Los Angeles ready for a massive tsunami? How about Honolulu or Seattle? It's possible that a tsunami could hit the East Coast. But it's cities along the Pacific Ocean's "Ring of Fire" that are most at risk.
Hawaii is constantly threatened by tsunamis that originate far away. Those big waves can be deadly for some swimmers and boaters, but overall they're not the stuff of natural disaster nightmares. More dangerous are local or "near-field" tsunamis triggered by powerful nearby quakes. Think of the deadly Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004 that contributed to more than 230,000 deaths. Coastal towns in Washington and Oregon run the highest risk of encountering these disasters. California and Alaska are also at risk.
Last month, a study found that an earthquake off the coast of Southern California could send a 23- foot-high wave more than a mile inland into the cities of Ventura and Oxnard. Near-field tsunamis are the real danger. They can sometimes hit within 10 to 15 minutes, too quickly for local governments to do much but give emergency responders a heads-up.
These tsunamis do, however, come with natural warnings. "In Chile, they actually teach in school: If the shaking is strong enough to throw you to the ground, the minute you can get up, run for high ground." In most areas of the United States, able-bodied people should be able to walk to a safe area within 10 minutes. The problem? Not everyone knows where those areas are.

TROPICAL STORMS -

* In the Western Pacific -
Typhoon 20w (Krovanh) is located approximately 141 nm southeast of Iwo To, Japan.
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High 90 percent chance of cyclone between Cape Verde, Lesser Antilles in the next 48 hours, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said on Wednesday. Another low pressure system, located about 350 miles southwest of the southernmost Cape Verde Islands, has a high 70 percent chance of becoming a tropical cyclone in the next two days.

Grace, 7th tropical storm of the season - The seventh named tropical storm of the eastern Atlantic hurricane season formed several hundred miles from the Cape Verde Islands September 5.

At 21 days and counting, Kilo to rank among LONGEST-LIVED TROPICAL CYCLONES ON RECORD - Typhoon Kilo, already the longest-lived tropical cyclone on on Earth so far this year, was well on its way to ending among the longest-lived on record at the end of last week.
Kilo formed from a cluster of thunderstorms way back on Aug. 20, as a tropical depression south of Hawaii. Since then the storm strengthened to a very strong hurricane, the westernmost in a trio of Category 4s, marking THE FIRST TIME THREE STORMS OF THAT INTENSITY SPUN SIMULTANEOUSLY in the northeast Pacific Ocean since satellite records began in the 1960s.
Then on Sept. 1, Hurricane Kilo crossed west over the international dateline and became a typhoon. East of the international dateline, Pacific Ocean cyclones are managed by NOAA’s Central Pacific Hurricane Center, which calls tropical cyclones “hurricanes.” The western side is monitored by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, where tropical cyclones are called “typhoons.”
Amazingly, Kilo had tracked nearly 4,000 miles over its 21-day existence. On average, storms that develop in the eastern Pacific Ocean have a life of about six days. 24 days as a tropical cyclone is far from the longest on record, but solidly in the top five longest- lived tropical cyclones that formed in the eastern Pacific Ocean, and the top 10 longest-lived cyclones in any basin.
The record-longest tropical cyclone on Earth was Hurricane (Typhoon) John in 1994, which lasted an incredible 31 days on its westward journey across the Pacific — similar to Kilo’s track. Typhoon Kilo will end about a week short of John’s impressive record, but will likely snag the title of third- longest Eastern Pacific tropical cyclone on record.

SEVERE RAIN STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES -

Utah - Nine people have been confirmed dead and four others are still missing after two vehicles were swept away during flash flooding in a small polygamous Utah town. Three women and 13 children were in an SUV and a van on their way to watch the floods in the community of Hildale on Monday evening when a wall of water and debris swept them several hundred yards downstream.
'Once-in-a-century' flood - Flash floods are common in the small polygamous town of Hildale, Utah, but the volume and pace of Monday's rain was a "100-YEAR EVENT'. The torrent of water killed 12 people in this small town that straddles the state’s border with Arizona, as floods swept them away in their cars. The storm climax lasted about a half hour, pouring 1-1/2 inches of rain into a desert-like landscape with little vegetation and steep slopes. The Associated Press described the flooding as “like a bucket of water being poured onto a rock — it slid right off and began running downstream, picking up sediment to create the forceful, muddy mess that rushed through the city.”

Utah - Some of 7 killed in flash flooding new to climbing canyons. Rescuers traversed a 100-foot drop into a rugged section of Zion National Park on Thursday to find the last of seven hikers killed when fast-moving floodwaters rushed through a narrow Utah canyon.

RECORD SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA RAIN swamped roads, swelled rivers. A record-breaking storm slammed parched Southern California on Tuesday, cutting off power to thousands and jamming traffic.

Central Florida could see up to 11 inches of rain - With more rain in the Central Florida forecast, a flood watch is issued for coastal counties.

Japan hit by flooding and landslides, September 10 - Tens of thousands of people abandoned their homes and the city of Joso was flooded as heavy rain continued to fall in northeast Japan.
Video - House dragged away by flood.
Flooding in pictures .
Japan hit by second day of heavy rain, flooding and landslides - Heavy rain pummeled Japan last Thursday for a second straight day, flooding hundreds of homes and causing landslides that left one person missing. Tokyo was drenched overnight, but the hardest-hit area Thursday was north of the capital in Ibaraki and Tochigi prefectures.
Bullet train service was partially suspended, and muddy raging rivers flooded some neighborhoods and streets. Japanese television footage showed abandoned vehicles and pedestrians wading through ankle- and knee-deep water. The rain followed Tropical Storm Etau, which caused similar flooding and landslides Wednesday as it crossed central Japan. The Fire and Disaster and Management Agency said 15 people were injured, two seriously, both elderly women who were knocked over by strong winds.

Video - Officials monitor expanding Russian sinkhole - As of September 5, a crater in Russia, which emerged 10 months ago has tripled in size to become a 120m-wide sinkhole. The sinkhole, near the town of Solikamsk, is believed to have been caused by flood erosion in an underground mine. The collapsing soil has already claimed a number of holiday homes, but officials say local people are not in danger.

Kentucky, 2003 - Lightning struck 800,000 gallons of Whiskey, caused Epic Firenado. In footage The Weather Channel broadcast last Thursday, a Jim Beam factory in Kentucky received an extra spark to their bourbon after lightning struck the plant back in 2003.

EXTREME HEAT & DROUGHT / WILDFIRES -

California - video. The massive Rough Fire is now 67% contained after days of cooler weather and some rain.
Blaze destroys 233 Sierra Nevada foothills homes - The latest on wildfires raging in drought- stricken California. The blaze in Amador and Calaveras Counties has charred more than 112 square miles and was 40 percent contained on Tuesday. It is still threatening another 6,400 structures. Forecasters say Northern California weather conditions were changing and the area could see some precipitation Wednesday.
Death toll in Northern California wildfires jumps to five - Two more bodies were found in areas scorched by one of the two devastating wildfires raging in Northern California for the past week, raising the death toll to 5.

Unseasonal sandstorm swept across Mideast - An unseasonal sandstorm swept across the Mideast last Tuesday, blanketing Beirut and Damascus, causing the deaths of at least five people and sending hundreds of others to hospitals with breathing difficulties.
Reduced visibility prompted the Syrian government to call off airstrikes against rebel fighters and threatened planned protests by Lebanese activists over the government's inability to deal with the country's rampant trash crisis. The storm also hit Jordan, Israel and Egypt. In Jordan, schools shut down or cut their days short.
In Syria, three people in the central Hama province died from the sandstorm and said there were more than 3,500 cases of people with breathing difficulties across several provinces. The sandstorm reached Beirut on Tuesday, a day after it engulfed eastern Lebanon's Bekaa Valley. People, especially those with health issues, were advised to stay indoors while many of those who ventured onto the streets donned surgical masks.
The Lebanese Health Ministry said 750 people suffered breathing problems across the country, and that two women died because of the sandstorm. Airport officials reported some flight delays. "It is unbelievable. This must be some test," said a Damascus resident. "It's hot. Temperatures are high and above that we have this dusty weather! It is something beyond reasonable. Enough please!" Hospitals in the town of al-Mayadeen in the northern province of Deir el-Zour ran out of oxygen cylinders and were unable to take in more patients.

'GLOBAL WEIRDNESS' / CLIMATE CHANGE -

Israel Hit with Extreme and UNUSUAL Weather on Jewish New Year. “It Felt Like the Apocalypse”.
As Jews across Israel celebrated the Jewish New Year of Rosh Hashana earlier this week, parts of the country were hit with extreme flash flooding and, in some areas, hail, in an unusual change of weather. “It felt like the apocalypse, the rain has been torrential, there were about 10 lightning strikes in seconds, and even with your windshield wipers on high, it was impossible to see anything.”
Since the beginning of September, Israel has experienced a series of extreme weather changes, beginning last week with a sudden sandstorm that blanketed the country in thick yellow dust. The RECORD SETTING FIVE-DAY DUST STORM was also accompanied by a heat-wave, with NEW TEMPERATURE AND AIR POLLUTION RECORDS reached across Israel. Last week’s sandstorm is reported to be the WORST TO HIT THE REGION IN ISRAEL'S HISTORY. As the dust finally dissipated, it was only to be replaced with freak rainstorms and flash flooding in the Arava and Judean deserts.
Israel’s meteorological service issued flash flood warnings Tuesday, even going so far as to close the Eilat Airport, grounding domestic flights until the late evening. The flash floods led to road closures in from the central region of Mitzpe Rimon all the way just north of Eilat. The extreme change in weather also caused parts of southern Israel and the Galilee to be hit by a RARE hail storm. Witnesses reported hail the size of ice cubes.
“The Environmental Protection Ministry reported that in several parts of the country, air pollution levels were at their worst in the country’s 75-year history. Air pollution in Jerusalem was 173 times higher than average, 51 times higher in the Negev, and 32 times higher in the Galilee.” More than 600 people were treated for conditions “related to the weather,” the report said of the storm, which also affected Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Cyprus.
The weather “confused scientists and meteorologist[s], who were caught by surprise by the UNPRECEDENTED PHENOMENON.” In July in Iran, the city of Bandar Mahshahr recorded a heat index of 164 degrees. From bugs to earthquakes to fires to winds to rain to smoke to heat, there are reports of extremes around the globe, too.

NASA Says Three Feet of Sea Level Rise Is Unavoidable - Ocean levels around the world have risen about three inches since 1992 thanks to warming temperatures owing to the burning of fossil fuels. Now, new NASA research shows sea levels will likely rise three feet in the coming decades, and it’s too late to do anything about it.
The findings are based on satellite data that looked at sea levels, the amount of heat that’s already stored in the oceans, and how much water is being added by melting ice sheets in the Arctic and Antarctica. “It’s pretty certain we are locked into at least three feet of sea-level rise, and probably more. But we don’t know whether it will happen within a century or somewhat longer.”
The three-foot figure is at the high end of what the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicted two years ago, when it estimated one to three feet of sea-level rise by 2100. Even if the high point of sea-level rise is still a century out, the effects of encroaching seas will be felt much sooner. Low-lying areas such as Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, with a population of 14 million, could experience regular river floods within the next two decades. That would leave portions of the city completely inundated. For New Orleans, a city still picking up the pieces from Hurricane Katrina, NASA’s predictions raise concerns about whether projects to protect the city from future floods underestimate sea-level rise.
If the new normal means three feet of sea-level rise, hundreds of millions of people living in coastal regions will feel the effects first as increasingly destructive storms—like Sandy and Katrina—trigger frequent floods that could wipe out millions of homes and billions of dollars’ worth of infrastructure.
Oceans have risen steadily on the East Coast of the United States, but on the West Coast, they have dropped about three inches over the past 20 years. Climate scientists attribute the phenomenon to a weather pattern called the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. “But this is a temporary thing. We’re going to see sea-level rise on the West Coast sometime over the next 20 years, and we’ll probably see faster-than-average sea-level rise, so we have to be prepared.” Temperature increases account for at least one-third of the world’s sea-level rise. The oceans, which cover 70 percent of the Earth’s surface, absorb much of that heat.
“When heat goes under the ocean, it expands just like mercury in a thermometer." That expansion means more mass for the ocean and a higher sea level overall. Rising temperatures from the burning of fossil fuels are also melting the polar ice sheets at an accelerating rate, which contributes to most of the sea-level increase.

Giant Arctic Mosquitoes That Are Thriving in a Changing Climate - The Arctic mosquito, a larger, furrier version of the ubiquitous pests, are getting a longer breeding season as Arctic ponds warmed earlier in the year, researchers have found.

Frozen Giant Virus Still Infectious After 30,000 Years - It's 30,000 years old and still ticking: A giant virus recently discovered deep in the Siberian permafrost reveals that huge ancient viruses are much more diverse than scientists had ever known. They're also potentially infectious.

HEALTH THREATS -
RECALLS & ALERTS

WHO finds possible cancer link to mosquito insecticide - A new report from the World Health Organization has found possible cancer links to popular weed killers commonly used by Canadian farmers and across the world. The report also found that an insecticide used to ward off mosquitos could contribute to the development of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and prostate cancer. Malathion, glyphosate - more commonly known as Roundup – as well as diazinon, were classified as "probably carcinogenic to humans."
In March, 17 experts from 11 countries met to discuss the relationship between five different insecticides and herbicides – glyphosate, malathion, diazinon, tetrachlorvinphos and parathion - and cancer in humans. Malathion is used regularly in Winnipeg to fend off pesky mosquitos. Chemical fogging was adopted by the city in 2005 to combat the spread of the West Nile virus. Even though the practice was established in many other places, Winnipeg is the last Canadian city that continues to use the insecticide as part of an ongoing program.
Glyphosate is one of the most common agricultural herbicides in the world, and is used by the farmers across Canada. The popular weed killer is sold over the counter under the name Roundup. The researchers state that there is "limited evidence" that malathion could contribute to development of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and prostate cancer. They cite studies from the U.S., Canada and Sweden on human exposure.
The research also points to past studies conducted on rodents, which connected malathion to the growth of tumours. The insecticide causes "chromosomal damage" and disrupts "hormone pathways." Debate about its use has raged in the city for more than a decade. Critics have long argued that the chemical sprayed into the air to kill adult mosquitos was instead hurting humans. "It's really something that needed to stop 10 years ago."
Glyphosate caused "DNA and chromosomal damage" in humans. In response to WHO's findings, the multinational agrochemical and biotechnology company Monsanto said that researchers "disregarded dozens of scientific studies that support the conclusion that glyphosate is not a human health risk."
Health Canada's policy is to re-evaluate pesticides on a 15-year-basis to ensure products meet current scientific standards. Diazinon is currently being phased-out because of safety concerns. However, glyphosate and malathion remain classified as safe.

Deadly Legionnaires' disease outbreak in New York City, Illinois and California.

San Diego firm recalls cucumbers after salmonella outbreak - A California company is recalling its cucumbers after a salmonella outbreak that has sickened 285 people in 27 states and killed a San Diego woman. [Site note - This one got me. Came down ill after eating a salad with cucumbers the day before I saw this report.]

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