Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Transforming UFO Reported Over India

KOLKATA, OCT 29 (PTI)

A small dazzling UFO was claimed to have been sighted in the eastern sky early today with Birla Planetarium Director here saying it was an 'interesting and strange object'.

It was spotted between 3:30 am and 6:30 am by a senior executive of a private company who filmed it on video on his handycam and showed it to the M P Birla Planetarium Director D P Duari.

Duari told PTI here that the viewer, who did not wish to be named, saw the object, a very bright one, changing shape from a triangle into a sphere and then a straight line while emitting various colours at 30 degrees on the eastern horizon.

"The viewer first thought it was a plane but gradually its brightness increased and it went up and vanished at about 6:30 am," the Planetarium Director said.

"No natural phenomenon is likely to last for such a long duration and it is not a meteor either, It is extremely interesting and strange," Duari said.

UFO Puzzle Has City In A Tizzy

KOLKATA: In the first such incident recorded in Kolkata, an unidentified flying object was spotted in the city’s skies early Monday morning.

The fireball, that moved very rapidly and even seemed to change its shape and size, was photographed by a resident of Kalikapur in east Kolkata. Scientists couldn’t identify the object though some believe it could be a meteor blazing a trail through the morning sky.

The object, as shown on a TV channel, seemed to alter its shape from a round object to a triangle and then turned into a straight line. It emitted a bright light that formed a circle - almost a halo - and also radiated a range of colours.

Is it a UFO, Comet Holmes or Venus?
KOLKATA: The fireball that was seen in the city eastern sky could be comet Holmes or the planet Venus.

The small and bright object sighted on the eastern sky 30 degrees up from the horizon captured on a handycam by a senior executive of a private company early on Monday, was being analysed, Director of the M P Birla Planetarium D P Duari said.

Duari, however, said it could be comet Holmes in the constellation of Perseus or Venus "which occupies the same position as reported around the time the object was seen."

"One has to explore possibility of defocussing and digitalising processes of the handycam which could make Venus seem circular with vivid colours and changing shape to triangular and rod-like as seen in the video," the Planetarium director said.

He said UFO sightings were never reported for three hours as it was in the case of the object.

Duari said it had to be looked into and analysed before making 'any definitive comment'.

Comet Holmes: Trick or Treat?

Breaking Earth News

Skywatch-Media Special Report
Comet Holmes: Trick or Treat?

Comet Holmes Continues to Baffle and Amaze Onlookers
Astronomers around the world agree. Exploding Comet 17P/Holmes is one of the strangest things they've ever seen.

Last night, astrophotographer Alan Friedman of Buffalo, NY, took a close-up picture of the comet's core. "A strong deconvolution filter followed by multiple passes of unsharp mask and gaussian blur reveals startling new structure in comet 17P/Holmes."

Here's a link to the Holmes photo gallery at SpaceWeather.com.
If you haven't seen it yet, step outside after dinner tonight, and look for a narrow triangle of stars below the (sideways) W-shaped constellation Cassiopeia, but above (and slightly to the right of) the bright star Capella - the brightest in that part of the sky. Holmes is the "star" on the left side of the base of that triangle. See Chart Below

Much of U.S. Could See a Water Shortage

EARTH NEWS ALERT
USA
(AP) -- An epic drought in Georgia threatens the water supply for millions. Florida doesn't have nearly enough water for its expected population boom. The Great Lakes are shrinking. Upstate New York's reservoirs have dropped to record lows. And in the West, the Sierra Nevada snowpack is melting faster each year.

Across America, the picture is critically clear - the nation's freshwater supplies can no longer quench its thirst.

The government projects that at least 36 states will face water shortages within five years because of a combination of rising temperatures, drought, population growth, urban sprawl, waste and excess.

"Is it a crisis? If we don't do some decent water planning, it could be," said Jack Hoffbuhr, executive director of the Denver-based American Water Works Association.

Water managers will need to take bold steps to keep taps flowing, including conservation, recycling, desalination and stricter controls on development.

"We've hit a remarkable moment," said Barry Nelson, a senior policy analyst with the Natural Resources Defense Council. "The last century was the century of water engineering. The next century is going to have to be the century of water efficiency."

RELATED NEWS

Western Canada's Glaciers Hit 7000-Year Low

Overlord Glacier: 7000 years old. Glacier in background.

Earth Change

Tree stumps at the feet of Western Canadian glaciers are providing new insights into the accelerated rates at which the rivers of ice have been shrinking due to human-aided global warming.

Geologist Johannes Koch of The College of Wooster found the deceptively fresh and intact tree stumps beside the retreating glaciers of Garibaldi Provincial Park, about 40 miles (60 km) north of Vancouver, British Columbia. What he wanted to know was how long ago the glaciers made their first forays into a long-lost forest to kill the trees and bury them under ice.

To find out, Koch radiocarbon-dated wood from the stumps to see how long they have been in cold storage. The result was a surprising 7000 years.

"The stumps were in very good condition sometimes with bark preserved," said Koch, who conducted the work as part of his doctoral thesis at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia. Koch will present his results on Wednesday, 31 October 2007, at the Geological Society of America Annual Meeting in Denver.

The pristine condition of the wood, he said, can best be explained by the stumps having spent all of the last seven millennia under tens to hundreds of meters of ice. All stumps were still rooted to their original soil and location.

"Thus they really indicate when the glaciers overrode them, and their kill date gives the age of the glacier advance," Koch explained. They also give us a span of time during which the glaciers have always been larger than they were 7000 years ago — until the recently warming climate released the stumps from their icy tombs.

Tropical Storm Noel Nears Florida

Breaking Storm News
Florida, USA
Image: This NOAA satellite image taken Tuesday, October 30, 2007 at 01:45 PM EDT shows Noel near Camaguey, Cuba, which is producing widespread rainfall across southeastern Cuba, southern Bahamas, Hispaniola and Puerto Rico. Farther north, a stationary front cuts across the Florida Peninsula. (AP PHOTO/WEATHER UNDERGROUND)

MIAMI (AP) — Residents of southeastern Florida were advised early Wednesday to keep an eye on the progress of Tropical Storm Noel, a killer storm which could pass close to the state over the next few days.

At 5 a.m. EDT, Noel's top sustained winds were near 40 mph, down from 60 mph a day earlier, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm has crashed through the Caribbean, creating floods and mudslides that have killed at least 22 people.

It was moving "erratically" toward the north-northwestward near 7 mph and approaching the northern coast of Cuba, the center said. But it was expected to turn away from Florida later in the week and speed into the open Atlantic.

Tropical storm-strength winds extended up to 175 miles from the storm's center. Above-normal tides and heavy rains were expected in its path into the Atlantic.

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Environmental failures 'put humanity at risk'

Each person requires a third more land for his or her needs than the planet can supply, says the study. Photograph: Corbis

The future of humanity has been put at risk by a failure to address environmental problems including climate change, species extinction and a growing human population, according to a new UN report.

In a sweeping audit of the world's environmental wellbeing, the study by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) warns that governments are still failing to recognise the seriousness of major environmental issues.

The study, involving more than 1,400 scientists, found that human consumption had far outstripped available resources. Each person on Earth now requires a third more land to supply his or her needs than the planet can supply, it finds.

Meanwhile, biodiversity is seriously threatened by the impact of human activities: 30% of amphibians, 23% of mammals and 12% of birds are under threat of extinction, while one in 10 of the world's large rivers runs dry every year before it reaches the sea.

The report - entitled Global Environment Outlook: Environment for Development - reviews progress made since a similar study in 1987 which laid the groundwork for studying environmental issues affecting the planet.

Attack Iran and you attack Russia

International News
The barely reported highlight of Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Tehran for the Caspian Sea summit last week was a key face-to-face meeting with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

A high-level diplomatic source in Tehran tells Asia Times Online that essentially Putin and the Supreme Leader have agreed on a plan to nullify the George W Bush administration's relentless drive towards launching a preemptive strike, against Iran. An American attack on Iran will be viewed by Moscow as an attack on Russia.

Related News

Lack of frost busts record from 1950s

Canada
Frost is missing in action, SETTING A RECORD for its absence from the London region. "Not in my recollection have I seen a season of this length." Environment Canada data shows the London area has already experienced ONE OF THE LONGEST GROWING SEASONS ON RECORD and there was no sign of frost until Monday. Although it varies from year to year, London usually has its last frost day in the spring on May 8 and its first frost in the fall on Oct. 5, working out to an average of 149 frost-free days. But this year, the last frost to hit London was on April 14, three weeks ahead of the average date. And although the temperature dipped toward the freezing mark Sept. 16 and Oct. 12, it never crossed the line to bring the growing and lawn-cutting season to its usual frosty end. By Thursday, the 25th, the area had 194 frost-free days and counting. Over the past century, the climate in Southwestern Ontario has warmed by 0.5 degrees C, enough to lengthen the frost-free season by more than 18 days since the 1940s. That has helped farmers and home gardeners, who have faced less risk of losing their crops before they mature. But agriculture experts and climatologists warn the longer season without freezing temperatures has the potential for both good and bad. "It is not necessarily a good news story . . . how it will play out is still guesswork." Though the longer season may benefit crops, it means the climate is becoming less stable. There is the possibility of extreme weather events, droughts and ground-level ozone. "It may extend the smog season quite a bit, too." The longer growing season lessens the risk of farmers losing their crops, but it is unpredictable. If farmers knew ahead of time it was going to be a long season, they could plant higher-yielding varieties that take longer to mature. But they don't know. And there has to be the right conditions to go with the warmth, such as adequate rainfall. A few farmers gamble each year and double-crop, planting beans, for instance, after they take their wheat crop in July. This year those farmers lost because it didn't rain. The longer growing season when it is warm also increases the potential for insect damage. Another downside is with crops such as pumpkins that ripen early. It is then a challenge to keep them in good shape until Halloween.

Update: Caribbean storm kills 20 people

BREAKING EARTH NEWS
Dominican Republic

At least 20 people have been killed in flooding in the Dominican Republic following torrential rains dumped by Tropical Storm Noel.

Most of the deaths were reported along the south coast, east of the capital Santo Domingo.

It is feared the death toll will rise, with another 20 reported missing.

The storm was continuing to drop heavy rain on the country and on neighbouring Haiti, as it travelled towards Cuba and the Bahamas.

By 0900 GMT, Noel's centre was very near the town of Gibara on the north coast of Cuba and some 270 miles (435km) south-east of Nassau in the Bahamas.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami warned that the storm was expected to strengthen and bring heavy rain to south-eastern Cuba and central and south-eastern Bahamas.

Power cuts

At least 10in (25cm) of rain has already fallen on the island of Hispaniola - divided between the Dominican Republic and Haiti - and the rain is continuing to fall there, forcing river levels higher.

Lava flow spreads through tube

Volcanic Alert
Hawaii, USA
Lava flowing from a new vent on Kilauea's eastern flank is now feeding into a lava tube that could allow it to flow farther and faster. Geologists say the formation of lava tubes can be worrisome because they insulate the lava, which has advanced 1.5 miles from the end of the open lava channel. But Hawaiian Volcano Observatory's daily assessment maintains that there's no immediate threat. That means thousands of lower Puna residents currently remain at a safe distance. There needs to be a steady supply of lava for it to travel a long distance, but the level of the channel has fluctuated over time. Kilauea has been erupting for 24 years. On July 21, a new outbreak of lava occurred to the east of Puu Oo vent. It was the first time lava erupted in the area outside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park since 1992.

Monday, October 29, 2007

Artic Meltdown Warning

Climate Change Warnings
The Artic
Image:The animation shows changing sea ice extent and concentration from 12 March to 24 September 2007. These weekly and bi-weekly Arctic charts are based on the analysis of observations from a diverse number of satellite missions including ESA's Envisat, CSA's RADARSAT-1, NASA's QuikSCAT, DMSP, and NOAA. Credits: U.S. National Ice Center (NIC)

Tropical Storm Noel Rains Lash Haiti

Breaking Storm News
Haiti
Image: A man takes photos of the waves and clouds produced by tropical storm Noel at the seafront of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic Sunday, Oct. 28, 2007. (Ramon Espinosa/AP Photo)

Tropical Storm Noel lashed Haiti with heavy rains early Monday as it moved across the impoverished Caribbean nation, generating fears of flash flooding on deforested hills often blanketed by rows of flimsy shacks.

Noel, the 14th named storm of the Atlantic season, was expected to drop as much as 20 inches of rain on Haiti and the Dominican Republic which share the island of Hispaniola before heading on a path east of Cuba toward the Bahamas.

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Comet Holmes Now Bigger Than Jupiter

The Exploding Comet/Holmes (Above)

Astronomers around the world agree, Comet 17P/Holmes is ONE OF THE STRANGEST THINGS EVER TO EXPLODE IN THE NIGHT SKY. It's a comet, yet it looks like a planet with a golden core and a green atmosphere. Comet Holmes shocked sky watchers with a spectacular eruption, brightening almost a million-fold from 17th to 2.5th magnitude in a matter of hours. The comet is now visible to the naked eye - even from light polluted cities - high in the northern sky after sunset. The golden hue of Holmes' core is probably the color of sunlight scattered by comet dust, while the green fringe likely signifies an atmosphere rich in diatomic carbon and cyanogen (substances found in many green comets). There are reports that the fuzzball is expanding and taking on a lopsided shape - possibly the first signs of a tail. Exploding Comet 17P/Holmes is now larger than Jupiter. The diaphanous and curiously spherical cloud surrounding the comet's core is now large enough to swallow the King of Planets! It's gotten so big, in fact, that many observers say they can see it without a telescope

Freak Tornado Rips Australian Village

Breaking Earth News

Australia

A FREAK tornado with winds up to 150 kmh that tore through a northern NSW village was ONE OF THE RAREST WEATHER EVENTS TO HAPPEN IN A POPULATED AREA OF AUSTRALIA. The tornado rampaged through the village of Dunoon after clipping nearby Lismore, causing millions of dollars in damage. Destructive twisters are more commonly associated with the Midwest of the United States, and RARELY seen by Australians. The tornado came out of the bottom of a thunderstorm about 4pm on Friday. Large hailstones and destructive winds were battering Dunoon, Lismore, Byron Bay and Mullumbimby.

Indonesia's 'Child of Krakatoa' volcano spews ash, smoke; prompts warning

Click the Image Above to Enlarge

THIRD VOLCANO BECOMES ACTIVE - ANAK KRAKATOA - The Indonesian volcano known as the "Child of Krakatoa" has been spewing ash and smoke, prompting warnings of a possible eruption. The mountain in the Sunda Strait, 130 kilometres west of Jakarta, formed after the giant Krakatoa eruption of 1883 that killed tens of thousands of people and was the largest explosion in recorded history. "Activity at Anak Krakatoa increased yesterday [Friday] and there were several small eruptions. We have upgraded the alert level to the second highest." Anak Krakatoa is the third volcano to become active in recent weeks in Indonesia, a sprawling country of more than 17,000 islands. Indonesia has about 150 volcanoes. Krakatoa's massive 1883 blast, heard nearly 3,200 kilometres away in Australia, sent pyroclastic surges of gas and burning ash which, combined with a tsunami, wiped out 165 villages and killed at least 36,417 people. It destroyed two-thirds of the island of Krakatoa between Java and Sumatra.

Record tides promise more flooding in HCM City

Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh City will see RECORD HIGH TIDES within the next few days and can expect widespread flooding if the predicted heavy rains appear at the same time. The Southern Hydrometeorology Station says the Saigon and Dong Nai rivers will peak between Friday and Monday and reach 1.49 meters at Phu An on Sunday. As large volumes of water are released from the dams, outlying areas of the city should experience flooding during this period. The swollen waters could even breach embankments. In the already devastated central region, river levels in Binh Dinh, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan, Quang Ngai and Phu Yen reached alarming levels on Thursday, and the rivers in Quang Nam, Ninh Thuan and Gia Lai were continuing to rise. Heavy rain in Khanh Hoa put many roads 30 centimeters underwater and disrupted traffic severely. The storms also caused landslides in Da Lat in the highlands and generated twisters in Quang Nam farther up the coast. Heavy flooding has been hitting all parts of the country since last month, making hundreds of families homeless and inundating large areas of agricultural land.

Friday, October 26, 2007

Climate Change Testimony Was Edited by White House

NATIONAL NEWS

Natural decline 'hurting lives'

EARTH/SCIENCE

Continuing destruction of the natural world is affecting the health, wealth and well-being of people around the globe, according to a major UN report. The Global Environment Outlook says most trends are going the wrong way. It lists degradation of farmland, loss of forest cover, pollution, dwindling fresh water supplies and overfishing among society's environmental ills. There is a "remarkable lack of urgency" to reverse these trends. "There continue to be persistent and intractable problems unresolved and unaddressed. This assault on the global environment risks undermining the many advances human society has made. Past issues remain and new ones are emerging, from the rapid rise of oxygen 'dead zones' in the oceans to the resurgence of new and old diseases linked in part with environmental degradation." The well-being of millions of people in the developing world is put at risk by failure to remedy problems which have been tackled in richer societies. "This assault on the global environment risks undermining the many advances human society has made in recent decades. It is undercutting our fight against poverty. It could even come to jeopardise international peace and security."

Stuck in denial as the river runs dry

Oregon, USA

Image: Steve Duin/The Oregonian

steveduin@news.oregonian.com

The forecast is for increasingly volatile and unpredictable weather patterns "that are UNPRECEDENTED since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. Our experiential framework doesn't encompass these cataclysmic events. We just assume the future will echo the past. The world is changing. Extremely rapidly. All the management rules have been built around the assumption of a stationary climate. For the foreseeable future, for generations to come, change is what we need to manage, not the status quo." In the U.S., by noon Wednesday, more than 666 square miles of the Southern California tinderbox - Los Angeles went 150 consecutive days this year without rain - had been charcoaled. The snowpack in the Sierra Nevada is at its LOWEST LEVEL IN 20 YEARS. And drought continues to devastate the southeast, particularly in Alabama and Georgia, where the folks at Coca-Cola are increasingly "concerned" about sustaining their bottling operation. Will we do better, before water shortages and the climate crisis swallow us whole? Because the dry subtropic zone is expanding, pushing the jet stream and western Oregon's traditional drizzle zone farther north, the Northwest may experience alternating decades of dampness and drought that wreak havoc on the landscape. And as we reach the limits of available water, available food and available space, the conflicts between the haves and have-nots will turn brutal. The 2002 fish kill in the Klamath River "is just the tip of the iceberg." "We can continue to worship before the altar of the status quo or get off our knees and begin wrestling with this runaway change. We can bridle the beast or be stampeded by it, but we can no longer pretend the horse hasn't left the barn."

After deadly floods, Burkina Faso faces 'wet' drought

Burkina Faso

OUAGADOUGOU (AFP)-After deadly floods that hit Burkina Faso weeks ago, the impoverished west African country faces a drought caused by an early and abrupt end to the rainy season. Fears run high that the weak rains will have a knock-on effect on food prices and would inevitably affect the next cotton harvests. The meteorological services bureau reported a "premature end" to the rains in September when crops were beginning to flower in the west, southwest and the south of the country and just before they matured in the northern parts of the country. "Starting from the second half of September, we have registered a drastic drop in the intensity of the rains.

Climate expert says drought, flooding threaten Texas

Texas, USA

Image: Climate researcher James Hansen expressed concern Wednesday about an accusation that the White House diluted Senate testimony on climate change. The White House has denied the accusation.
News Source: Mayra Beltran: Chronicle

A top climate scientist warned Wednesday that Texas faces a dual threat from floods and drought if global warming is left unchecked. Predictions made two decades ago about the effects of a warming world are now beginning to come true. "Texas is in the line of fire for double-barreled climate impacts. What we said in the 1980s, and is beginning to come true now, is that both ends of the hydrological cycle get intensified by global warming." A warmer climate increases evaporation. It both sucks moisture from the ground, intensifying drought, and increases atmospheric humidity, which causes more rain to fall during extreme events. It remains possible — and not entirely painful — for nations to tackle global warming. The most important step would be to prohibit the construction of coal-fired power plants until technology is developed to capture carbon dioxide produced during the coal-burning process. Coal remains a popular energy source with electricity providers, because it is a cheap source of power and the United States has abundant supplies. However, coal burning is also the worst producer of the greenhouse gases that, scientists say, are causing the planet to warm. A second step would be to gradually adopt a fee for carbon dioxide emissions. Although this would raise the price of energy, it would spur companies to develop alternative energy sources such as wind and solar.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Climate Change: Ignore the science

Sound Off on Climate Change

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER EDITORIAL BOARD
In an apparent attempt to downplay the effects of climate change, the White House Office of Management and Budget (aka, The Ministry of Truth) gouged the text of testimony given by a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee this week.

The Associated Press reports that CDC Director Dr. Julie Gerberding's testimony, providing scientific details about the nature of diseases that will spread should the Earth continue to warm, was cut in half by the White House. A CDC insider told the AP that while some changes were customary, the edits to Gerberding's original draft were especially "heavy-handed." Cut were statements such as, "scientific evidence supports the view that the Earth's climate is changing" and, "Despite this extensive activity, the public health effects of climate change remain largely unaddressed. CDC considers climate change a serious public health concern." Seriously.

The White House says the statements were not diluted. But Gerberding was allowed to say only that climate change is "anticipated to have a broad range" of health impacts and then had to focus on how to prepare for problems she wasn't permitted to list. In July, it surfaced that former Surgeon General Dr. Richard Carmona faced similar censorship when it came to speaking about emergency contraception and global health challenges.

For a country that houses and supports some of the world's premiere scientific minds, this administration's backward policies are nothing short of embarrassing. What's the justification for these tactics?

Killer Floods Continue to Devastate Much of Costa Rica

Costa Rica, C.A.
At least eighteen people are dead and thousands have been displaced after torrential rains pounded Costa Rica this week, flooding large swaths of the country and triggering deadly landslides.

In the worst single incident, 14 people were killed when rains triggered a landslide on October 11, burying seven houses in the town of Atenas, located between San José and the Pacific coast.

On Wednesday, after ten days of downpours, the government declared a national emergency, freeing up funds for disaster efforts in affected areas, which included at least 75 percent of the country.

Late Thursday more than 1800 people were being housed in temporary shelters across the country. The worst of the damage was concentrated in the northwestern province of Guanacaste, where the Tempisque River was among several waterways that burst their banks, and in the central Pacific canton of Parrita, where the Parrita River overflowed and flooded at least 800 homes.

“The water was up to my neck,” said Luz Marina Marchena, a mother from Los Jocotes staying at a shelter in Filadelfia, Carrillo, in Guanacaste. “It happened so fast, we couldn’t save anything.”

TORRENTIAL RAINS
COLUMBIA - A total of 43,200 people have been affected in October by intense rains affecting almost all Colombia in the winter season which started this month. Heavy rains have caused ravages in 39 municipalities in 18 of the 32 Colombian departments. The main affectations are due to floods that have affected hundreds of houses and cultivation areas, landslides, and overflowing of rivers and streams. The Institute of Meteorology and Environment Studies warned that intense rains would affect the Andean, Caribbean and Pacific regions of Colombia up to Saturday. Some zones at the center of Colombia would be affected with electric storms and some other things.

BRAZIL - Heavy rain wreaked havoc in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday, causing a mudslide that cut off the main tunnel linking the Brazilian city's north and south. An average of 180,000 vehicles go through the Reboucas Tunnel every day and its closing caused huge traffic jams across the city. Five mudslides since late Tuesday had left some 5,000 tonnes of debris in tunnels and there was a risk of more collapses. The Reboucas Tunnel, more than 2 kilometres long, could be closed for up to a week. Power was cut off in some neighbourhoods, causing further traffic jams as traffic lights did not work.

Oil Rigs Collide, 10 Dead

BREAKING EARTH NEWSGULF OF MEXICO

AT least 10 people died after two oil platforms crashed into each other in high winds in the Gulf of Mexico, causing a gas leak that forced the evacuation of all workers in the area.

"Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) announces the death of 10 workers ... on board the Usumacinta platform,'' the company said.

The accident occurred late on Tuesday amid high winds and heavy seas when the two platforms crashed into each other.

"Due to wind gusts of up to 130km/h and waves of 6m-8m ... the Usumacinta drilling platform struck the valve train of Kab-101 platform,'' Pemex said.

"Weather conditions in the are have made it impossible to reach an emergency life boat that has already been spotted and which we presume could be carrying the staff that was working on the platforms,'' it said.

Huge ash cloud as Indonesia's Mount Soputan erupts

BREAKING EARTH NEWS

JAKARTA, Indonesia — A volcano erupted in central Indonesia on Thursday, shooting plumes of white smoke and sand 1,500 yards into the air and covering nearby villages in ash, officials said.

Violent tremors sent farmers tilling land near Mount Soputan's crater fleeing before the blast, said Sandy Manengke, a local monitoring official, adding that there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

The nearest villages are five miles from the crater's mouth, well clear of the danger zone, he added, but many houses were covered in black soot and residents wore face masks to protect themselves against the smoke.

More buffeting forecast for storm-lashed South

NEW ZEALAND
The South is bracing itself for more gales today as hundreds of homes remain without power from yesterday's devastating storms.

Gusts up to 140kmh smashed areas of Southland and Otago yesterday raising roofs, toppling trees, tipping over trucks and cutting power to around 2500 homes.

About 1500 homes were still without power this morning as MetService forecast more gale-force winds to hit the region.

"They're not expected to be as severe as yesterday but there could still be further damage to powerlines, trees, that kind of stuff. So it's just a warning," said forecaster Liz Haslan.

The east of the North Island from Hastings to Masterton can expect similar winds to yesterday with 120kmh gusts and a possible mean speed of about 75kmh this afternoon.

Damage from yesterday's storm is expected to run into the millions of dollars

A Strange Comet Lights Up The Evening Sky

BREAKING ASTRONOMY NEWS
COMET ALERT

ASTRONOMERS ARE BEWILDERED OVER A STRANGE COMET NOW APPEARING IN THE EVENING SKY

Astronomers around the world agree, Comet 17P/Holmes is one of the strangest things ever to explode in the night sky. It's a comet, yet it looks like a planet with a golden core and a green atmosphere:

Comet 17P/Holmes as Shown Below: Photo Gallery

Chris Shur of Payson, Arizona, took this picture last night using his 12.5-inch telescope and a Canon XTi digital camera. "The comet was yellow and green, very bright in the viewfinder," he says.

Yesterday, Comet Holmes shocked sky watchers with a spectacular eruption, brightening almost a million-fold from 17th to 2.5th magnitude in a matter of hours. The comet is now visible to the naked eye--even from light polluted cities--high in the northern sky after sunset: finder chart.

The golden hue of Holmes' core is probably the color of sunlight scattered by comet dust, while the green fringe likely signifies an atmosphere rich in diatomic carbon and cyanogen (substances found in many green comets). There are reports that the fuzzball is expanding and taking on a lopsided shape--the first signs of a tail? Amateur astronomers are encouraged to monitor developments

Stay tuned to The Great Red Comet for further updates on this story

Calif. fires may be at turning point

Breaking Earth News
California, USA
Image: A firefighter sprays water in a torrent of hot ambers blown back at him and his team by the wind as they try unsuccessfully to prevent flames from the Harris Fire from crossing the road in Jamul, in California's San Diego county. Fires raged across California for a fourth day Wednesday as officials confirmed three people had died and property worth one billion dollars had been destroyed across the disaster zone.(AFP/Robyn Beck)

SAN DIEGO - A massive aerial assault and a break in harsh winds helped firefighters make their first major progress against Southern California's firestorm, raising evacuees' hopes of returning home for good. But flames were still drawing perilously toward thousands of homes.

The hot, dry Santa Ana winds that have whipped the blazes into a destructive, indiscriminate fury since the weekend were expected to all but disappear Thursday.

"That will certainly aid in firefighting efforts," National Weather Service meteorologist Jamie Meier said.

The record high temperatures of recent days began succumbing to cooling sea breezes, and two fires that burned 21 homes in northern Los Angeles County were fully contained.

President Bush, who has declared a major disaster in a seven-county region, was scheduled to arrive in California Thursday and to take an aerial tour of the burn areas, accompanied by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Losses total at least $1 billion in San Diego County alone, and include a third of the state's avocado crop. The losses are half as high as those in Southern California's 2003 fires, but are certain to rise.

An Interview with James Hoggan of DeSmogBlog

From the Editor's Desk
Skywatch-Media News
October 25, 2007

Last Night James Hoggan, Chairman of the David Suzuki Foundation and PR Executive for Hoggan and Associates of Vancouver, B.C. spoke out on the most important issue of our day, climate change and global warming. During his interview on the Earth Frenzy Radio Show he emphasized the importance of exposing the climate change skeptics (doubters, as he calls them)who are twisting the truth about the reasons for the extreme weather in an attempt to keep the public confused, primarily for monetary gain. Mr Hoggan, through his website, DeSmogBlog has successfully educated and informed the general public about the environment and what can be done to save our planet.

You can hear the entire broadcast(podcast)at the following links:

Earth Frenzy Radio

RSS Feeds

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Live Broadcast Tonight: James Hoggan, Canadian PR Executive and Founder of DeSmogBlog

Live Broadcast at 8:00PM CST, 6PM PST-Tonight
October 24, 2007

Earth Frenzy Radio

The North Pole and the Greenland Ice Sheet are disappearing at an alarming speed according to recent observations by leading researchers. Learn more about this dire meltdown, and it's implications on society, with leading pr executive and founder of DeSmogBlog, James Hoggan.

James Hoggan is the president of the public relations firm James Hoggan & Associates. Over the past two decades, Jim has earned a reputation as one of Canada’s leading public relations professionals. His clients have included A&W Foods, the North West Cruise Ship Association, Vancouver Port Authority, Canadian Tire, Business Objects and Canadian Pacific Rail.

He is the author of the PR Tips that regularly appear on the front page of the business section in The Vancouver Sun, and In 2003, James Hoggan & Associates won the Public Relations Society of North America’s most prestigious award – The Silver Anvil for the best crisis communications campaign in North America.

Mr.Hoggan is Chair of the David Suzuki Foundation, an executive member of the Urban Development Institute and Future Generations and a Trustee of the Dalai Lama Centre for Peace and Education. He helped establish the Suzuki Foundation Business Council on Sustainability to encourage collaboration between the environmental and business communities.

Jim’s interest in climate change and his commitment to practicing ethical public relations converged recently in the creation of the popular website DeSmogBlog. The blog exists to identify unethical PR tactics and to expose the PR people who are trying to confuse the public about climate change.

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Copyright © 2007 Skywatch-Media. All Rights Reserved

Record Breaking Temps In NYC For 5th Time In Oct.

New York City
City On Brink Of Warmest October Ever

For the fifth time this month, a RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE WAS SET at LaGuardia Airport on Tuesday, and it's the seventh record high to be set in the last six weeks. The temperature Tuesday topped out at 80-degrees, breaking the old record set back in 1995. What's more, the average temperature this month has been 9 degrees above normal. With just a week to go until November, New York City is ON PACE TO HAVE ITS WARMEST OCTOBER EVER. In Central Park, the average temperature this month has been 66.7 degrees, a full three degrees warmer than the warmest October on record, which was 60 years ago in 1947. This past week has seen high temperatures remaining steady in the 70s, with a streak of seven straight days with temperatures at least 10 degrees above normal. It hasn't been just this past week that's seen warmer than normal weather. In fact, 32 of the past 34 days have also experienced above average temperatures.

Mass Exodus from flames: Nearly 1 million flee California wildfires

BREAKING EARTH NEWS
CALIFORNIA, USA
Image: A helicopter swoops in close to wildfire flames to make a water drop over the Del Dios neighborhood of Escondido, Calif., on Tuesday. Below: Kristina Ford, right, hugs friend and neighbor Fran Meyers as they watch efforts to save Ford's home and others in the High Valley area of Poway, Calif., where at least a
dozen homes were destroyed Tuesday. Meyers did not know the fate of her home.

LOS ANGELES -- Firestorms raged across Southern California on an epic scale for a third day, with flames as high as 100 feet stoked by extremes of wind, heat, dryness and -- on the suburban frontier where some of the worst blazes roared -- the human impulse to live just a little farther out.

Brush fires still beyond the control of firefighters forced the largest evacuation in modern times, officials estimated. The orders called for vacating 350,000 homes, affecting 950,000 people. In San Diego County alone, where the largest fire more than tripled in size over 24 hours, evacuation orders went to more than a half-million people without reports of major hardships.

REFUGE BEING IMPLEMENTED FOR EVACUEES

Image: Thousands sought shelter with church groups and strangers and at schools and a football stadium [AFP]

What You Should Know About the Santa Ana Winds & Fire

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Georgia Governor Declares Drought Emergency

Georgia, USA

Image: Bare shoreline is revealed Friday as north Georgia's Lake Lanier continues to recede.

Governor Requests Disaster Declaration for North Georgia

LAKE LANIER, Georgia (CNN) -- Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue declared a water supply emergency in north Georgia on Saturday as its water resources dwindled to a dangerously low level after months of drought.

But an Army Corps of Engineers official denied there is a water crisis.
Perdue, who signed an executive order Saturday, asked for President Bush's help in easing regulations that require the state to send water downstream to Alabama and Florida.
He also asked the president to declare 85 counties as federal disaster areas.
Perdue blasted what he called the "silly rules" governing the water supplies, noting that even if the state got replenishing rains, it could not by law conserve those, but must release 3.2 billion gallons a day downstream.
"The actions of the Corps of Engineers and Fish and Wildlife Service are not only irresponsible, I believe they're downright dangerous and Georgia cannot stand for this negligence," Perdue said.

California wildfires - from space

SATELLITE PHOTOS: CALIFORNIA WILDFIRE DISASTER

NASA's Earth-observing satellites have been snapping pictures this week of the devastating wildfires that have scorched southern California and burned hundreds out of their homes.
Here's one showing the smoke plumes streaming out over the Pacific Ocean.
Here's another showing how the fires blossomed in just a few hours on Sunday afternoon.
Here's one shot Monday. Amazing. The red dots show where infrared imagers spotted intense heat on the ground - fire.
And here's one shot today.

A home burns in the massive Californian bushfire. October 22, 2007. (AFP: Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images)

BREAKING NEWS

500,000 evacuated in California wildfire crisis

More than 500,000 people have been ordered to evacuate their homes in California's San Diego County as wildfires rage across the state, officials said.

Collier Glacier is shrinking

Image: Mary Hare, of La Pine, and Diana Eddleston, of Bend, hike past Middle Sister’s Collier Glacier in late July. In the top photo, circa 1910, the glacier reached the ridge they are walking on — more than a mile farther than it is today

BREAKING EARTH NEWS

OREGON, USA

BEND, Ore. - Between the North Sister and Middle Sister in Oregon's Cascade Range, Collier Glacier has advanced and receded for hundreds of thousands of years. But like many glaciers, it is headed in one direction these days: backward.

It is in serious peril, says geologist Ellen Morris Bishop of the Fossil-based Oregon Paleo Lands Institute. "We have basically a really sad picture of Collier Glacier today."
Geologists blame among other things a warming climate, altering the landscape and perhaps the availability of water to high-elevation ecosystems. Collier is shrinking faster than most of the 35 glaciers in the state.
"Now everything is just in a chaotic shrink," Bishop said.

RELATED NEWS
Disappearing Glaciers
Like others worldwide, Central Oregon’s Collier Glacier is shrinking – ‘We have basically a really sad picture’

Heavy Rain Floods Parts of New Orleans

Louisiana, USA
Image: Lauren Robinson from New Orleans walks through the water in the uptown area of New Orleans on her way to study in a coffeehouse Monday, Oct. 22, 2007. Bands of heavy rain flooded streets and threatened homes and businesses in New Orleans and the surrounding suburbs Monday. The rain caused traffic jams and forced police to close some roads. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The deluge of rain that flooded streets eased dramatically Tuesday, a day after high water disrupted businesses, closed schools and swamped areas still recovering from Hurricane Katrina.
Only a few more showers were forecast Tuesday.
After more than 8 inches of rain drenched the city Monday, Mayor Ray Nagin shut City Hall early and schools were closed across the city. Waist-high water in parts of eastern New Orleans soaked businesses, some of which had only recently reopened after being damaged by Katrina in 2005.
The city's drainage pumps all worked, but they couldn't keep up with the intense rainfall, emergency preparedness officials told The Times-Picayune.
The pumps can handle up to 1 inch of rain in the first hour and a half-inch an hour after that, but some areas got more than two inches of rain in an hour, said Robert Jackson, a spokesman for the New Orleans Sewerage & Water Board.
Rough rainfall estimates from 3 p.m. Monday to 7 a.m. Tuesday ranged from 5 inches in Kenner and New Orleans East to nearly 9 in central Jefferson Parish, National Weather Service meteorologist Jim Vasilj said.

Calif. fires burn 1,200 structures

BREAKING EARTH NEWS

CALIFORNIA, USA

Image: A firefighter holds his helmet during a gust of wind while using a water canon on top of a fire truck to try to protect buildings that were in the path of a fast-moving wildfire burning through the Rancho Bernardo neighborhood of San Diego, California, October 22, 2007

SAN DIEGO - Thousands more residents were ordered to evacuate their homes Tuesday, bringing the number of people chased away by the wind-whipped flames that have engulfed Southern California to at least 300,000.

By day three, the dozen wildfires had burned 1,200 homes and businesses and set 245,957 acres — 384 square miles — ablaze, and the destruction may only be the start for the region. Tuesday's forecast called for hotter temperatures and more explosive Santa Ana gusts.

The blazes bedeviled firefighters as walls of flame whipped from mountain passes to the edges of the state's celebrated coastline, spreading so quickly that even hotels serving as temporary shelters for evacuees had to be evacuated.

BREAKING VIDEO: WORST FIRE IN SAN DIEGO'S HISTORY

Monday, October 22, 2007

Update: California Wildfires Out of Control

BREAKING EARTH NEWS
CALIFORNIA, USA
Image: Three firefighters brace themselves from explosive heat coming from a burning home in Rancho Bernardo, Calif., Monday, October 22, 2007. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)

SAN DIEGO - Wildfires fanned by fierce desert winds consumed huge swaths of bone-dry Southern California on Monday, burning dozens of buildings and threatening hundreds more from Malibu to San Diego, including a jail, a hospital and nursing homes.

"We have more houses burning than we have people and engine companies to fight them," San Diego Fire Captain Lisa Blake said. "A lot of people are going to lose their homes today."

Nearly 250,000 people were forced to flee in San Diego County alone, where hundreds of patients were being moved by school bus and ambulance from a hospital and nursing homes, sheriff's spokeswoman Susan Knauss said.

BREAKING VIDEO

Another Meteor Seen In The Skies Of Australia

Australia
Meteor Alert
Tension gripped Western Victoria residents after witnessing bright light in the heavens for two straight nights, believed to be a meteor. Residents of Ballarat, west of Melbourne, said that they saw a bright orange-colored light in the sky about 10 p.m Tuesday. The object reportedly flew around the air for more than one minute. Last Monday, calls from the residents of South Australia and Western Victoria were received by authorities and media offices reporting a bright green colored object shooting like a fireball westward in the sky around 8pm. The Bureau of Meteorology confirmed the object seen on Monday night was a meteor.

Bright Lights Over Bendigo: Some residents of Central Victoria believed they saw the meteor crashing to the ground on Monday the 15th. Callers to ABC Radio say they saw a brightly coloured object moving quickly through the northern skies. "I guess it just looked like a meteor. It was bright green, or flashing green, and really bright and sparkling and kind of blazed across the sky." "Very visible, very bright. A big white, greenish sort of a head and long tail in the middle with orange sparks flying off each side."

Flood displaces 120,000 villagers in 60 communities

BREAKING EARTH NEWS
Nigeria
No fewer than 60 communities have either been submerged or ravaged by a charging flood in four states of the Niger-Delta, specifically, Delta, Edo, Bayelsa and Ondo states, in the past few weeks, with more than 120,000 persons reportedly dislodged following the overflow of the River Niger and the bordering tributaries. The kind of flooding that was experienced, this year, HAS NEVER BEEN EXPERIENCED IN THE LAST FIVE DECADES in the riverside communities of the Niger-Delta and the situation was not helped by the fact that most of the communities do not have foreshore protective walls and there was no piling or concrete measures taken to prevent flood disaster. Worse hit is Delta state where at least 50 communities were affected at Ndokwa-East, Patani, Bomadia and Burutu local government areas. The palaces of two royal fathers in Ndokwa-East were destroyed in addition to other residential buildings, farmlands, economic crops and domestic animals in the endangered communities.

Related News
THAILAND - Two more districts in Ayutthaya were declared disaster zones yesterday, bringing the number of severely flooded districts in the province to eight. The worst-hit areas are in Bang Ban district where the flood rose as high as 2.5 metres. 10,187 houses in the provinces were reported to be inundated by last night. The water level in the Chao Phraya river is rising by 10 centimetres a day. It threatens to inundate ancient riverside temples and Siriyalai Palace. Yesterday soldiers helped build a 400-metre wall of sandbags in front of the palace to keep the water back. The weather office said rain would continue to lash southern Thailand until later this week as a low pressure front moved slowly across the area. Heavy rains warnings were issued for nine provinces in the South, including Chumphon where 150 village roads and 15 bridges have already been damaged by the flood. Officials have been also told to stay alert in 267 areas prone to mudslides. See Red Flood Alerts 2007

Wildfires Rage in Southern California

BREAKING EARTH NEWS
Image: Malibu Presbyterian Church burns as high winds push a wildfire toward multi-million dollar homes, many owned by celebrities, in Malibu, California, 21 October 2007

MALIBU WILDFIRE SLIDESHOW

MALIBU, Calif. - Out-of-control wildfires threatened thousands of Southern California homes Monday, as firefighters raced to beat back the blazes that have engulfed the region, killing one, destroying buildings and forcing thousands to evacuate.

The fires, which covered swaths of drought-parched land from the high desert to the Pacific Ocean, were being fanned by hot, dry Santa Ana desert winds. Some of the worst damage was in Malibu, where a church, homes and a castle were charred.

Things got worse early Monday, when several new fires sprouted in San Diego county, adding to about a dozen blazes that have already burned more than 40,000 acres. Though firefighters had been on high alert because forecasters predicted the winds, they admitted Sunday night that they were overwhelmed.

VIDEO: CALIFORNIA IN A STATE OF EMERGENCY

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Rising Seas Threaten 21 Mega-Cities

For Full View Click the Image Above

BANGKOK, Thailand - Cities around the world are facing the danger of rising seas and other disasters related to climate change.

Of the 33 cities predicted to have at least 8 million people by 2015, at least 21 are highly vulnerable, says the Worldwatch Institute.

They include Dhaka, Bangladesh; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Shanghai and Tianjin in China; Alexandria and Cairo in Egypt; Mumbai and Kolkata in India; Jakarta, Indonesia; Tokyo and Osaka-Kobe in Japan; Lagos, Nigeria; Karachi, Pakistan; Bangkok, Thailand, and New York and Los Angeles in the United States, according to studies by the United Nations and others.

More than one-tenth of the world's population, or 643 million people, live in low-lying areas at risk from climate change, say U.S. and European experts. Most imperiled, in descending order, are China, India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Indonesia, Japan, Egypt, the U.S., Thailand and the Philippines.

Unprecedented Floods in Belize

Belize. C.A.
Rains over the past week have resulted in rivers being flooded especially in the Cayo District. The result has been UNUSUAL flooding occurring in the Belize River because of the influx of water coming down the Macal and the Mopan River. A lot of rains occurred over the Peten area over the northern part of Guatemala and this has also resulted in runoffs to that Mopan River and has been adding to the flooding situation on the Belize River. The Iguana Creek wooden bridge that joins Blackman Eddie and the Mennonite community across the river is still under some three feet of water and it’s impassable. It has been reported that this bridge has been impassable for the past 72 hours which is A RECORD, since this has not been noted to have occurred over the last five years. So the waters that have been coming down across the Belize river has been UNPRECEDENTED in this area.

Related News
Worst Flooding in 13 years
THAILAND - Nakhon Ratchasima is now suffering from the WORST FLOOD IN 13 YEARS as more than 200000 people have lost the use of tap water after flood waters rose over 1.5 metres and damaged an electricity transformer at a water-treatment station on Tuesday night. Many houses in the province are now submerged.

Mini-tsunami devastates Welsh village 20 miles from the sea

There is still mystery surrounding why the village's canal burst it's banks trailing tonnes of mud and debris into villagers' homes

United Kingdom

A Welsh village has been devastated by a 'tsunami' wave of water even though it is 20 miles from the sea. Ten people were rescued and three homes evacuated when a canal burst its banks - sending a 4ft wave surging through the country village. Mystery surrounds the reasons why the 200-year-old Brecon and Monmouthshire canal burst its banks - sending the torrent down a hillside into the village. Families in Gilwern, near Abergavenny, South Wales, have been clearing up after thousands of gallons of canal water carried tons of mud and debris into their homes. "It is terrible what has happened here, and there was no warning it was about to happen. A huge crater has been left next to one house and the canal has very little water left in it. It really is shocking, and the residents and businesses here will be badly affected." "It could be an issue elsewhere. Canals are so old they're not constructed how they would have to be constructed now. How many banks of canals are leaking that we don't know about?"

Residents are amazed no-one was killed in the mini-tsunami which has affected the homes and businesses of villagers

Oceans are 'soaking up less CO2'

Global Warming Alert
The amount of carbon dioxide being absorbed by the world's oceans has reduced. Results of a 10-year study in the North Atlantic show CO2 uptake halved between the mid-90s and 2000 to 2005. Scientists believe global warming might get worse if the oceans soak up less of the greenhouse gas. Researchers said the findings were surprising and worrying. "It is a tremendous surprise and very worrying because there were grounds for believing that in time the ocean might become 'saturated' with our emissions - unable to soak up any more." That would "leave all our emissions to warm the atmosphere". Of all the CO2 emitted into the atmosphere, only half of it stays there; the rest goes into carbon sinks. There are two major natural carbon sinks: the oceans and the land "biosphere". They are equivalent in size, each absorbing a quarter of all CO2 emissions.

Texas Conditions Spark Wildfire Risk

Texas, USA
The grass is high and drying down, the winds are blowing, and UNUSUAL lightning storms are taking place – conditions are right and all it will take is a spark to set off a repeat of the 2006 wildfire season. "It’s setting up to be that kind of year again. We’ve had so much rain, a lot of moisture, and have grown a lot of grass." Due to drought conditions, some areas don’t have that many cows grazing, which has left a lot of dry grass or fuel standing in pastures. "If it turns off dry or with an early frost, it is setting us up to have another fire season like we had in 2006 and 2007." Already the Panhandle and South Plains area have seen a number of fires touched off by lightning this fall, which is a little UNUSUAL. A fire on Oct. 18 burned more than 20,000 acres of grassland in Deaf Smith County. This combination of conditions has led to increased fire weather concerns across Oklahoma and portions of western North Texas, as well as eastern New Mexico and across the Texas Panhandle. Wildfires are not just a problem for rural homeowners and ranchers; during the last two years, 85 percent of the wildfires in Texas have occurred within two miles of a community.

Cyclone cuts off electricity to almost 200,000 people in Primorye

Russia

A snow cyclone in Primorye, in Russia's Far East, has caused power outages in several areas and interrupted water supplies in Vladivostok. The snow cyclone swept through the region during the night Friday. The cyclone has left about 100 populated areas of almost 200,000 people without electricity. Repair teams continue to work day and night there, but it is difficult for them to reach some areas because of the heavy snowfall. While some electro-transmission lines are repaired, new line breaks occur. Specialists plan to resume electricity supply to most of the affected areas in 12 hours. The situation is also complicated on roads. The snowfall disrupted traffic on the Khorol-Yaroslavka-Sibirtsevo section where about 100 vehicles were trapped in snow and on the federal Khabarovsk-Vladivostok road where several hundred vehicles were blocked in a congestion. The cyclone is moving across the central and northern regions of the Primorsky Territory. According to meteorologists, it will move to the northeast and to the Sea of Okhotsk and then come to Sakhalin.

Houses and roads collapsed by floods

Breaking Earth News
Algeria

Several houses in Tlemcen and Naama provinces in western regions of Algeria collapsed after floods that hit the, while a lot of families became houseless.

Official sources in Fire-brigade told El Khabar that the region of Naama witnessed an alert state following weather turbulence which led to flooding of two rivers that cross the centre of city. Floods level reached 160mm and Firemen underscored 150 interventions.

Friday, October 19, 2007

Climate Warnings for Asia

Breaking Earth News
Tokyo

Indonesian volcano blast expected

Image: Police officers help an elderly woman during a forced evacuation of a village on the slope of Mount Kelud near the town of Kediri, East Java, Indonesia, Thursday, Oct. 18, 2007. [Agencies]

MOUNT KELUD, Indonesia -- Armed police forced tens of thousands of reluctant residents to leave the slopes of one of Indonesia's deadliest volcanos Friday amid warnings that an eruption was imminent.

Scientists raised the alert at Mount Kelud to the highest level this week, pointing to rising temperatures and deep underground tremors. Authorities ordered 116,000 people living along the fertile slopes to evacuate, but many have refused, saying they wanted to tend to crops and herds.

"If we don't force them -- in this case with a showing of firearms -- the villagers would not budge, although we have repeatedly reminded them of the danger," said local police chief Col. Tjuk Basuki. "We had no choice but to do this for their safety."

Mount Kelud, on the densely populated island of Java, last erupted in 1990, killing dozens. In 1919, a powerful explosion, heard hundreds of miles away destroyed dozens of villages and killed 5,160 people.

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Record September Temperatures Extend Southeast Drought

USA
Temperatures in September 2007 were hot enough to BREAK 1,000 DAILY HIGH RECORDS across the United States, the eighth warmest September on record. The heat extended the worsening drought to almost half of the contiguous United States - with the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic and Tennessee Valley experiencing the driest conditions. Thirty-eight of the 48 contiguous states were warmer than average, and no state was cooler than average for the month. The global surface temperature was the fifth warmest on record for September, and the extent of Arctic Sea ice reached its lowest amount in September since satellite measurements began in 1979, shattering the previous record low set in 2005.

'Warm wind' hits Arctic climate

BREAKING EARTH NEWS
THE ARCTIC

"It looks like the beginning of a signal from global warming." James Overland,
US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

The Arctic is being hit by melting ice, hotter air and dying wildlife, according to a US government report on the impact of global warming there.

A new wind circulation pattern is blowing more warm air towards the North Pole than in the 20th Century, scientists found.

Shrubs are now growing in tundra areas while caribou herds are dwindling in Canada and parts of Alaska.

The report stresses that the fate of the Arctic affects the entire planet.

Heavy flooding in Thailand

Breaking Earth News
Thailand
Image: Monks at Wat Chulamanee in Ayutthaya's Bang Ban district wade through floodwater to collect items floating in the temple compound on October 17.

Three heavily-flooded districts of Ayutthaya have been declared disaster areas as the province is opening up fields to absorb water and lessen the knock-on effects of the floods expected to be felt in Bangkok from Sunday to Monday. Bang Ban, Sena and Phak Hai districts, which are part of the province's major rice-growing areas, are bearing the severest brunt of the inundation. More areas in the province could be declared disaster zones if the floods continue to cause widespread destruction. Only last year, much of Ayutthaya remained under water for weeks. Water was pushed into fields to mitigate flood problems for Bangkok, and the practice is being repeated with the onset of the flood season. Ayutthaya and neighbouring provinces were expecting the worst as Chao Phraya dam in Chai Nat was almost full and had already started releasing water. River water was rising fast and some 50 ancient riverside temples in Ayutthaya were racing against time to put up sand-bag flood walls. However, at some temples the surging floods were impossible to beat.

State of emergency declared in Costa Rica after flooding

Costa Rica, C.A.
The Costa Rican government declared a national state of emergency Wednesday after heavy damage and casualties were caused by heavy rainfall over the last week. The floods have already claimed 18 lives. Intense rainfall added to the rain of recent months, causing an estimated 80 million dollars in damage. Roads across the country have been badly damaged, particularly in the Costa Rican south and in the northern province of Guanacaste. "The damage to the traffic infrastructure is immense." Neighbouring countries Nicaragua and Panama and several Caribbean islands have also been affected by flooding. Image Above: Emergency workers recover bodies after a landslide in Costa Rica. Photo / Reuters

Related News

Torrential Rains, Floods Kill 20 in Central America
COSTA RICA - Emergency officials across Central America worked to clean up towns inundated by recent deadly floods and landslides, and braced for more bad weather.

At least 20 people were killed and thousands evacuated across Central America after days of torrential rain sparked landslides and flooding.

The same weather system that killed 23 people in a Haitian village on Friday triggered a landslide that buried 14 people under mud and debris in Costa Rica.

Rains push Twin Cities toward watery record

Minnesota, USA
Wednesday the Twin Cities BROKE A CENTURY-OLD RECORD FOR THE WETTEST AUGUST, SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER. After a near summer-long drought, now Mother Nature won't turn off the spigot. If history repeats itself, the record rain this fall might be a harbinger of lighter-than-normal snowfall this winter. After the wet fall of 1900, the winter of 1900-01 produced only 41.5 inches of snow, which is below the historic average of nearly 55 inches annually.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Why are we losing Louisiana?

Image: Since 1950, the delta has been losing an average of 55 square miles of land each year. That figure accelerated to 115 square miles of land loss the day Katrina struck.

Rolla MO (SPX) Oct 16, 2007
The Mississippi Delta region was losing land long before Hurricane Katrina came ashore. But the correlation between land loss and the risk of flooding in the region is now more evident than ever. The scientific community is not in harmony about what mechanisms are most responsible for the land loss or what to do about it, says Dr. J. David Rogers, the Hasselman Chair of Geological Engineering at the University of Missouri-Rolla. Rogers will present some of his ideas about the land loss problem during the Geological Society of America's annual meeting Oct. 28-31 in Denver.

Rain-fed calamities cause havoc

Breaking Earth News
Bangladesh
Image: People trying to salvage a vehicle inundated in rainwater as downpour caused by a low over the Bay of Bengal flood many areas of Chittagong city yesterday. Photo: STAR

Tornadoes, mudslides and boat and trawler capsizes killed at least nine persons and injured over 100 across the country while 32 others have remained missing as heavy rainfall fell, caused by a well-marked low in the Bay which inundated the Chittagong region. The low pressure developed in the northern Bay of Bengal and started moving towards the shore in the evening. It may turn into a land depression and may cause heavy rainfall in Chittagong, Dhaka and Sylhet divisions until this afternoon. All fishing boats have been advised to stay in shelter until further notice. Movement of vehicles smaller than 65 feet in length on 108 river routes was also suspended until further orders. Torrential rainfall completely paralysed normal life yesterday. Logged water has made movement of city dwellers completely impossible in most areas. Rickshaws and vans became the only modes of transport for the people stuck at different places. The rain also caused immense suffering to day labourers and low-income people. The city kitchen markets faced a serious dearth of supply of essentials. Three people including two children were killed and two others were injured in a landslide caused by the onrush of heavy shower in Kaukhali upazila of Rangamati yesterday morning. Sources said a large chunk of earth fell straight on the thatched house around 8.30am yesterday. In Bandarban, road connection with other districts was snapped due to heavy rainfall and mudslide from hills. In Khagrachhari, over 20,000 people were marooned and took shelter on high land and structures yesterday as the onrush of hill water and heavy rain flooded 25 villages under six upazilas. In Patuakhali, four trawlers with 29 fishermen were capsized in rough sea. A Kuakata-bound trawler rescued 24 fishermen swimming in the sea. Relatives of the missing fishermen gathered in Kuakata and Mohipur areas to see if they returned. At least five people were killed and more than one hundred injured when tornadoes ripped through the southern coastal districts and the south-central parts of the country on Monday night. Over 100 fishermen were reported missing as 18 fishing trawlers capsized in the River Passur during storms caused by land depression. The gale also damaged hundreds of thatched houses and crops and uprooted trees in their thousands and some electrical poles, disrupting road communication and snapping power supply in the districts. A tornado that lashed five remote villages of Shahrasti upazila on Monday injured at least 25 people and damaged around 100 houses.

4.2 Quake Latest In Series Of Tremors To Hit California

California, USA
An early Tuesday morning 4.2 quake was the latest in series of tremors to hit California. Residents of San Bernardino County were rocked early Tuesday morning by a magnitude 4.2 earthquake. Tremors were felt thought out the region. The quake occurred at 1:53 am about three miles north of Wrightwood, a remote community about 80 miles northwest of Los Angeles. Despite its only 4.2 measurement, people as far north as Glendale, a suburb of Los Angeles, felt the quake, while callers from Pasadena also reported shaking. On Monday afternoon a magnitude-3.1 earthquake, preceded by two smaller tremors, rattled the Hemet area

Thousands of Indonesians flee rumbling volcano, boiling lake

Breaking Earth News
Image: Photo of evacuees by Dimas Aro, Reuters. The face masks are to protect them from any ash that is released into the air during the eruption.

With Mount Kelud ready to explode, Indonesian officials today ordered thousands of people to evacuate the slopes within six miles of the volcano's crater.
The decision came as the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation raised the alert to "Level IV." "The volcano's explosive activity typically starts with a steam explosion -- when surfacing magma meets ground water. Such eruptions produce hot mud flows, pyroclastic surges and flows," according to the Associated Press.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Drought-Stricken South Facing Tough Choices

Worst-case analyses indicate that Lake Lanier, the main water source for Atlanta, could be drained dry within four months

ATLANTA, Oct. 15 —For the FIRST TIME IN MORE THAN 100 YEARS, much of the Southeast has reached the most severe category of drought, climatologists said Monday, creating an emergency so serious that some cities are just months away from running out of water. Officials in the central North Carolina town of Siler City estimate that without rain, they are 80 days from draining the Lower Rocky River Reservoir, which supplies water for the town’s 8,200 people. In the Atlanta metropolitan area, which has more than four million people, worst-case analyses show that the city’s main source of water, Lake Lanier, could be drained dry in 90 to 121 days. The hard numbers have shocked the Southeast into action, even as many people wonder why things seem to have gotten so bad so quickly. For the better part of 18 months, cloudless blue skies and high temperatures have shriveled crops and bronzed lawns from North Carolina to Alabama, quietly creating what the state climatologist of Georgia has dubbed “the Rodney Dangerfield of natural disasters,” a reference to that comedian’s repeated lament that he got “no respect.” “People pay attention to hurricanes. They pay attention to tornadoes and earthquakes. But a drought will sneak up on you.” The situation has gotten so bad that by all measures — the percentage of moisture in the soil, the flow rate of rivers, inches of rain —

THIS DROUGHT HAS BROKEN EVERY RECORD IN GEORGIA'S HISTORY. Within two weeks, the director of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, is expected to send the Governor recommendations on tightening water restrictions, which may include mandatory cutbacks on commercial and industrial users. If that happens, experts at the National Drought Mitigation Center said, it would be the first time a major metropolitan area in the United States had been forced to take such drastic action to save its water supply. “The situation is very dire.”

Possibility of volcanic activty near Quesnel excites scientists

Canada, B.C.
Possibility of volcanic activty near Quesnel excites scientists - Scientists are headed to an area 75 kilometres west of Quesnel to install seismological equipment aimed at determining whether a "swarm" of small earthquakes are evidence of a forthcoming burst of molten lava - potentially the first volcanic activity in the province of British Columbia in two centuries. "The earthquakes are continuing, even today. We should have some answers soon." Last Wednesday existing seismological equipment located at Thunder Mountain began recording earthquake activity. Since then, there have been more than 100 small earthquakes - most of them magnitude 1.0 or less on the Richter scale, but as big as 3.1 - including an average of one per hour over the past 24 hours. The activity is located 20 kilometers west of Nazko Cone, which last erupted 7,200 years ago and is currently being mined for scoria, used for light-weight aggregate, landscaping and ground cover, and in agricultural and horticultural applications as a soil additive. Upward movement could be evidence the lava is working its way to the surface, causing small earthquakes as it muscles its way through the earth's rocks. "We don't know if it's caused by magma at depth or if it's tectonic - just an earthquake in an UNUSUAL area, because we haven't seen earthquakes here before. It may turn out to be a little swarm of earthquakes in an unusual spot, but it may turn out to the be reawakening of a volcano, which is really exciting." Even if lava is on its way, it could take weeks or months to reach the surface. It took Mount St. Helens in Washington about two months to finally blow its top in 1980.

Volcanoes
RUSSIA - Shiveluch Volcano on the Kamchatka Peninsula may be about to stage a large eruption. The Shiveluch volcano located in the north of the peninsula has intensified its activity and threatens with a new heavy eruption. Lately the volcano activity has increased and a heavy eruption is supposed to occur; it is supposed to be as heavy as the eruption in 2005, when the burning hot lava stream, about a kilometer wide and 25 kilometers long, erupted from Shiveluch and rushed down its slopes burning everything on its way. The seismic stations have already registered more than 400 local earthquakes near the volcano. The scientists suppose that some seismic events were accompanied with emissions of gas and ash about four kilometers high. The eruption of the volcano began in December 2006. The massive gas and ash columns rise above its crater from time to time. The volcano is not dangerous for the nearby settlements of the peninsula; however the emissions of ash threaten aircraft and the melting snow sometimes causes avalanching onto the Kamchatka Territory roads.

Help us, we're sinking

Niue
Help us, we're sinking, says Niue. The leader of the tiny Pacific nation of Niue has begged developed nations to urgently act on climate change, saying his country could be uninhabitable within decades. His country and other small Pacific nations are facing catastrophe if sea levels rise. "It is very serious because if they (the biggest polluting nations) don't listen now, and we don't do something now, we are gone. That is for sure, and we are scared. The problem is huge and I think the voices of the Pacific islands have been yelling for the last 15 or 20 years and nobody is listening...I am not a scientist, but I have been told our time is very short ... I think a few decades, it is very short."

Monday, October 15, 2007

Beware more weird weather

South Africa
Storms in South Africa are going to become more severe, an analyst at the South African Weather Service has warned. And while residents in Mamelodi, Soweto, were mopping up water and clearing up the damage to their houses this week, the weather man warned that people in low-lying areas could expect more flooding. “This year alone South Africa has seen MANY WEATHER RECORDS TUMBLING. South Africa will have to learn to cope with these extreme weather conditions. They are not going to stop.” Floods are becoming heavier and they will be a major problem in informal settlements. Climate experts have warned that there will be “an increase in severe storms, such as those associated with cut-off low-pressure systems”. “This will lead to more frequent flooding and consequent damage to farmlands, infrastructure and inhabitants of flood-prone areas." The weather service is concerned that the velocity of hailstorms on the Highveld could increase and it has detected much stronger and more damaging winds during the traditional thunderstorms that Gauteng is famous for. Last Saturday a man died in Lenasia when a tree uprooted by powerful winds fell on him. The storms also caused power failures and infrastructural damage in the south and west of Johannesburg. Several uprooted trees blocked the N12 highway. In addition, snowfalls in South Africa are increasing. Johannesburg had its first snowfall since 1981 and the weather man said that for the first time this winter snow had fallen as far north as Giyani in Limpopo. People up north are not used to the plummeting temperatures, exposing them to the dangers of hypothermia. In August the United Nations Weather Agency said that many parts of the world have experienced record extreme weather conditions since the beginning of the year, including unusual floods, heatwaves, storms and cold snaps. And the global land-surface temperatures in January and April reached the highest levels recorded for those months. Africa has had a particularly severe flooding season, affecting 22 countries including Ethiopia, Niger, Uganda and Sudan. Torrential rains uprooted the lives of more than 1.5-million people on the continent.

Record breaking rainfall described as a tsunami

Turkey
The rain, which began on the second day of the 'Feast of Sacrifice' holiday paralyzed much of life in primarily Istanbul, as well as many other areas. The rainfall broke a record in Istanbul for October. Waves in the Black Sea reached up to five meters.

Al Gore deserves Nobel prize - and much more

Breaking News Editorial
Image: Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore speaks at a news conference in Palo Alto, California, October 12, 2007 after winning the Nobel Peace Prize along with the U.N. climate panel. REUTERS/Kimberly White

Al Gore has done more than anyone in the past five years to try to restore America's standing in the eyes of the world. He is deserving of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize he will share with an international network of scientists for spreading awareness of the global climate crisis.

The award should be viewed as all the more remarkable because of the depths to which the former vice president fell after his failed bid for the presidency in 2000. History may yet record that his loss to President Bush was the world's gain.

Gore has been fighting criticism on this issue ever since he came out with his book, "Earth in the Balance," in the late 1980s. The immediate flap following the Nobel committee's announcement should not be a surprise. They include those still in denial about climate change, those who view the choice as a misguided political statement and those who ask what Gore's work has to do with promoting world peace

Gore made his share of mistakes in his Academy Award winning documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth," but the thrust of his arguments is now recognized as backed by an overwhelming amount of evidence from the most respected scientists in the world.

RELATED NEWS

Science backs Gore's premise

Most of the remaining doubts some scientists harbored about the impact of human activity on global temperatures have disappeared in the last few years. Gore's recital of climate facts in his movie "An Inconvenient Truth" contains some flaws, but most experts agree he is correct on the biggest point: The earth is on a path toward a perilously warm climate and the release of greenhouse gases is playing a key role.

The research behind that conclusion has been coming for decades, but some of the most dramatic findings emerged only in the last few years.

Many scientists give Gore high marks for alerting the public to the reality of global warming, but the praise is not universal. A British judge this week cited nine "scientific errors" in "An Inconvenient Truth," though the judge said the movie is "broadly accurate" and can be shown in British schools so long as teachers provide additional scientific context.

The increasingly clear message of research on climate change began to emerge in the 1970s. The conclusions solidified as scientists gathered more data on prehistoric levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that help warm the earth. That research shows pollution from sources such as power plants and automobiles is causing a spike in greenhouse gases, unprecedented in the 500,000-year record preserved within the ice of Antarctica.

"There's a lot of science in there that people have a hard time refuting," said Jerry Melillo, director of the ecosystems center at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Massachusetts, who helped author past Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports.

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Giant Atmospheric Waves Over Iowa

Undular bore waves over Iowa, Oct. 3, 2007. Click here to see the animation

Iowa, USA

Giant atmospheric waves over Iowa. Giant waves -"undular bore waves"- were photographed Oct. 3rd flowing across the skies of Des Moines, Iowa. "These waves were created by a cluster of thunderstorms approaching Des Moines from the west. At the time, a layer of cold, stable air was sitting on top of Des Moines. The approaching storms disturbed this air, creating a ripple akin to what we see when we toss a stone into a pond." Undular bores are a type of "gravity wave"- so called because gravity acts as the restoring force essential to wave motion. "We're all familiar with gravity waves caused by boats in water. When a boat goes tearing across a lake, water in front of the boat is pushed upward. Gravity pulls the water back down again and this sets up a wave." Playing the role of boat, the thunderstorms tearing across Iowa on Oct. 3rd spawned a train of four waves. Undular bores may play a surprising role in severe weather. "For one thing, we believe undular bores can amplify tornadoes. Furthermore undular bores may be a source of thunderstorms." That's right, thunderstorms make undular bores and undular bores return the favor. "These waves churn up the atmosphere, causing instabilities that can initiate and sustain severe storms." Typical waves measure 5 miles from peak to peak and race across the sky at 10 to 50 mph. "An undular bore passes over any given point in the United States about once a month," a scientist estimates

Mudslide kills 14 in Costa Rica

Costa Rica & Panama C.A.
Flooding from days of heavy rain left 14 people dead in a mudslide in Costa Rica and sowed chaos in neighbouring Panama, displacing scores of people. The mudslide struck poor homes in Atenas, west of the Costa Rican capital on Thursday in a torrential downpour. Rescuers later found 14 bodies as they picked through the mud, timber and rubble. The mudslide engulfed a complex housing the families of poor farm workers. It was the WORST WEATHER DISASTER FOR YEARS in the Central American country. Parrita on the western Pacific coast was also flooded when rain-swollen rivers burst their banks. To the south-east in central Panama, heavy rain since Friday left two people missing and more than 100 displaced in remote areas. Even worse flooding struck across the Caribbean Sea on the island of Haiti.

Torrential Rains
HAITI - At least 45 people have died in the poverty-stricken island of Haiti as homes were swept away in floods triggered by heavy rain. More than 6000 people have had to leave their flooded homes in Cabaret, where neighbourhoods have been completely submerged. Thousands of families are displaced and hundreds of homes destroyed or damaged across the country. Roads are swamped and plantations wiped out. Farming has been particularly affected and numerous crops have been destroyed after more than a week of rain.

Indonesian Mt Kelud volcano shows worrying signs

Indonesia
Mount Kelud volcano, which was put on the country's second-highest alert level last month, shows several alarming signs indicating it may erupt, the country's top volcano expert said. "I'm scared about Kelud. Kelud is now on the point of no return." The number of volcanic earthquakes at Mount Kelud, 90 km (55 miles) southwest of Indonesia's second-largest city Surabaya, has risen to as high as 23 in one day, compared with a maximum of 15 a day just before its last eruption in 1990. The volcano's "deformation" or expansion has increased, and gas and chemical levels have risen, while the temperature of the lake in the volcano's crater is climbing more rapidly, hitting 37.4 degrees Celsius on Saturday, compared with 32 degrees in August. Experts in Bandung, a city in West Java which is circled by volcano peaks, have been monitoring Mount Kelud for weeks, after three other volcanoes erupted earlier this year in Indonesia.

Earthquakes in Northern B.C. Related to Volcano?

British Columbia

Seismologists are trying to figure out if a series of earthquakes in Northern B.C. this week are connected to a dormant volcano 150 km southwest of Prince George.

The eight quakes have ranged between a magnitude 2.8 and 3.2 and began on Tuesday evening and the latest happened on Thursday evening.

Seismologists aren't sure if the small quakes were caused by tectonic shifts or volcanic activity.

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Climate Change and Entire Landscapes on the Move

BROOKLIN, Canada - The hot breath of global warming has now touched some of the coldest northern regions of world, turning the frozen landscape into mush as temperatures soar 15 degrees C. above normal.

Entire hillsides, sometimes more than a kilometre long, simply let go and slid like a vast green carpet into valleys and rivers on Melville Island in Canada’s northwest Arctic region of Nunavut this summer, says Scott Lamoureux of Queens University in Canada and leader of one the of International Polar Year projects.

“The entire landscape is on the move, it was very difficult to find any slopes that were unaltered,” said Lamoureux, who led a scientific expedition to the remote and uninhabited island.

The topography and ecology of Melville Island is rapidly being rearranged by climate change.

“Every day it looked different,” he told IPS. “This is a permanent change.”

Global warming changes face of high Alps

Skywatch-Media News
Special Report
More Photos Here

TRIENT VALLEY, Switzerland (Reuters) - The Trient glacier looming ahead of me on a trek through the Alps this summer looked very different to the frosty heights that once provided ice for pastis drinkers in France.

Now the bare, eroded rock is testament to the ice's retreat under the warming effects of climate change.

In the 19th century up to a meter of ice was dug each day out of the glacier in southwest Switzerland, close to the border with France, and taken to Paris and Marseille for mixing in the anise-flavored liqueur adored by the French.

The ice grew back overnight.

These days, Parisian cafe owners get their ice elsewhere.

"Nowadays of course the ice is way, way, way up. It's amazing how much has changed there," said Kev Reynolds, author of a guide to a Chamonix-to-Zermatt walking route, who has made several trips through the valley since the 1980s.

"Vegetation will soon be setting in down there, where a few years ago there was ice." Continued...

The Food Shortage Reality

The time of overflowing vats and overstocked shelves is coming to an end. We do not hear of huge surpluses in food production anymore, of massive stockpiled reserves for shipment to countries in famine, or as a hedge against times of extreme weather or blight by disease. Those days are over. The days of plenty are a thing of the past. Prepare now for increasing shortages of staple food products. The reality is that a number of historical leaders in agricultural exports are now becoming net importers of food products. In 1994, a Washington-based research group warned of a potential national food shortage and its consequences by or before 2030. But figure in the increasing occurrences of floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, drought and other unnatural disasters and it is sure to occur much sooner than predicted. Not only is most of the globe's arable land already under production, but 35 percent of that land is seriously degraded due to intensive chemically based farming practices. Add to this the increasing dependence of the farm sector on hybrid varieties that have no capacity to self-replenish (by the designs of such corporate entities as Monsanto Chemicals) plus the continuing escalation of energy prices, and you have a recipe for agricultural disaster.

Wondering whether weather patterns will be permanent

KENTUCKY is wondering whether weather patterns will be permanent - October in central Kentucky HAS NEVER BEEN HOTTER than it was Sunday and Monday when high temperatures flirted with 90 degrees. Add that to the fact AUGUST WAS THE HOTTEST MONTH EVER and one question begs to be asked: What the heck is going on here? Some climate predictions called for 2007 to be the Earth�s warmest year on record, a forecast Kentucky�s weather matches. A high-pressure ridge has blanketed the area, and when it looks as if it�s breaking down because of a passing frontal system or a shift in the jet stream, it re-forms. The National Weather Service predicts above-normal temperatures from December through February. Also, precipitation is expected to be more plentiful than in an average winter. Another player in this year�s odd weather is a La Ni�a system, which has developed in the Pacific Ocean. While its effects on Kentucky historically have been variable, it�s expected to bring dry weather to the South. As for central Kentucky�s drought, Bowling Green is 17 inches below normal and Louisville is down 9 inches.

Climate change deadlier than car accidents

Europe
Climate change deadlier than car accidents - Europe needs to take drastic action to reverse complex environmental issues that have shortened the life expectancy of its people by almost a year, the European Environmental Agency said Wednesday. "Air pollution continues to pose a significant threat to health: it shortens average life expectancy in western and central Europe by almost one year and affects the healthy development of children." The continent needs to act fast to deal with challenges including the poor quality of air and drinking water, adverse impacts of climate change and continuing biodiversity loss. "This requires a better understanding of the problems we face, their nature and distribution across societies and generations."

Mystery Booms: Biggest quake in 40 years hits one house

Breaking Earth News
More Mystery Booms Reported
Image: Grant Taylor sent us these photos of the damage the eathquake caused to his home

The BIGGEST QUAKE IN 40 YEARS to hit the Great Southern has cracked the walls of one man�s home but left his neighbours� homes unscathed. The quake, which registered 4.8 on the Richter scale, left his house trashed. �I do know that it happened just around 8 oclock because my clocks all jumped off the wall, along with all my pictures, and the clocks stopped.� While many people reported that the quake had shaken their house, for this man the experience was quite different. �I never had a shake I just had an almighty boom.� He has been expecting something like this for some time. �For the last few months I�ve also been getting these booms and it took a while to work out what it was. It sounded like something landing on the roof � we�re talking something pretty heavy, not like a swan or a bird, more like an elephant. I�d ring my neighbours up after and say �did you hear that? Did you feel it?� and they�d say �no we never felt anything�. I almost felt like I was going mad, that I was just imagining it although I know one time my daughters were here staying with me and they said �what is that dad?� and I said �I don�t really know�. So it�s been very localised but it hasn�t happened for at least a month which had me concerned - either it was going away, or this was coming and this is what came."

MORE RUMBLING SOUNDS
INDIA - A geologist has visited 8 Gir villages to study mysterious rumbling sounds that have been occurring for the past several days. He said that the sounds are certainly not emanating from earthquake tremors or its aftershock, but were caused due to "block system", which might be the after-effect of the 2001 massive earthquake in Kutch. However, he refused to elaborate. Asked about his observation of the recurring phenomena, he replied that he cannot say anything with certainty about its root cause. The villages of Haripar, Jasapar, Moruka, Suruva, Vadla, Akol Vadi, Rasoolpara and Hadamatiya experienced the rumbling sounds on the 8th, spreading panic among the people who rushed out of their houses as the vessels started making a huge rattling sound. Many houses developed cracks on the walls. All of the villages fall within a radius of 15 kilometers. The village of Jaspar experienced 15 such sounds. These events are not new, and three years ago such sounds were felt in Haripur. A seismograph installed between October and December of 2001 has so far recorded more than a thousand tremors, ranging up to 3 on the Richter scale. The Haripur village and nearby areas had again experienced the rumbling sounds during December of 2004.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Global Warming: Bad News for Gnus

Drowned wildebeest are seen after being swept by the Mara river in Maasai Mara, Kenya's most famous game reserve September 16, 2007.

Cristina Gall / Reuters

Africa

The annual wildebeest migration is one of nature's most spectacular photo-ops, with more than a million wildebeest — also known as gnus — crossing from the Serengeti. The photos from this year's migration are just as dramatic, but for a different reason. This time, piles of wildebeest carcasses line the riverbanks, after 10,000 of the animals drowned trying to cross the Mara at the start of their journey back east to the Serengeti. The deaths are natural: each year crocodiles and the strong current claim some victims. The numbers, this year though, are BIZARRE. The migration rarely leaves more than a few thousand dead; but this year, an estimated 100,000, or about 1% of the wildebeest population, were wiped out. The Mara River was especially high this year, after the heavy rains that flooded parts of Africa, killing hundreds of people and uprooting thousands more. Climatologists are pointing to the downpours as proof that predictions that Africa will suffer the most from global warming and climate change are already coming true. "Climate change has accentuated the difference between the seasons, making the rainy season shorter and heavier and the dry season hotter." The weather extremes on the African plains are getting so intense that it may no longer be enough for conservationists to simply protect nature. They might have to start improving on it. "The best thing that conservationists can do is to better design the protected areas." During a very dry dry season, that could mean having an area of back-up grass that's opened to the wildlife only if they absolutely need it. Or, in a very wet wet season, creating an alternative migration route across a shallower part of the river. It's too early to tell how the mass drowning will affect Africa's wildebeest population as a whole. But it's safe to say that as the weather gets more erratic, these kinds of freak deaths will become more common — early last year, the Masai Mara had the opposite problem, and a drought left almost 100 hippos dead

Officials brace for Indonesian volcano eruption

BREAKING EARTH NEWS
INDONESIA
JAKARTA --Indonesian officials in two districts on the slopes of a volcano on Java island have been put on standby - with all leave cancelled - because of a potential eruption, officials said Tuesday. The order, which means they should not leave the districts, was issued "so evacuation and relief efforts can proceed smoothly. "There have been no significant changes, Kelut is still at the same alert status level." Mount Kelut has been placed on the second highest of four alert levels. It had been showing signs of increasing volcanic and seismic activities in past weeks, and the state volcanology office had warned of an eruption at any time. Signs of an imminent blow-out were much stronger this time than preceding an eruption in 1990. That was the last time the volcano went off. An estimated 15,000 people have been killed by the volcano in the last 500 years, including around 10,000 in a 1568 eruption.

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Ice melt raises passage tension

Canada
In another sign of potential friction in the warming Arctic, Canada has warned that it will step up patrols of the Northwest Passage.

Record summer melting of sea-ice has made the passage fully navigable; and immediately escalated a dispute over who controls the route.

Canada maintains that the waterway that connects the Atlantic with the Pacific lies within its territorial waters.

It has backed that up with plans for a new military base in the Arctic.

However, the United States, and other countries claim international rights to use the route for shipping

VIDEO: AT THE EDGE OF THE NORTHWEST PASSAGE

VIDEOS ON DEMAND: EARTH IN PERIL

BREAKING EARTH NEWS VIDEO
THE UNITED NATIONS

RELATED STORY

Emission Levels Accelerating

SYDNEY, Australia -- Worldwide economic growth has accelerated the level of greenhouse gas emissions to a dangerous threshold scientists had not expected for another decade, according to a leading Australian climate change expert.

Tim Flannery told Australian Broadcasting Corp. that an upcoming report by the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change will contain new data showing that the level of climate-changing gases in the atmosphere has already reached critical levels.

"What the report establishes is that the amount of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere is already above the threshold that can potentially cause dangerous climate change," Flannery told the broadcaster late Monday. "We are already at great risk of dangerous climate change, that's what these figures say. It's not next year or next decade, it's now."

Hong Kong choking in dense smog

Image: The heavily polluted barely visible skyline of Hong Kong 08 October 2007. Hong Kong's air pollution reached dangerous levels, reigniting concerns about public health and fears that the city could lose out on crucial foreign investment due to the thick smog. Photo courtesy AFP.

Hong Kong's air pollution passed the danger level again on Monday, reigniting concerns about public health and fears that the choking smog could hamper tourism and investment.

Some of the world's tallest skyscrapers were virtually invisible in the murk despite a series of measures to try to fight what is rapidly becoming Hong Kong's top social and political problem.

Across the southern Chinese territory, the Air Pollution Index on Monday passed the critical 100 mark, the point at which those with respiratory or heart problems are urged to stay home.

At the weekend, the index reached 144. The high on Monday was 113.

The poor air quality was recorded even though many factories in the neighbouring Pearl River Delta in mainland China have been closed for a week-long holiday.

More than a dozen Hong Kong pensioners were hospitalised on Saturday alone for breathing ailments, prompting local aid charities to cry foul.

3,000 evacuated after China landslide blocks river

Monster hail hits eastern Australia

BREAKING EARTH NEWS
AUSTRALIA
SYDNEY - HAIL the size of tennis balls lashed an eastern coast city in Australia on Tuesday, reportedly smashing windows and damaging cars and buildings, as a severe storm swept through.

Reports said the storm shut down the city of Lismore for 15mins as huge hailstones rained down.

'There are reports of giant hail in parts of Lismore of up to five to six centimetres and we're really worried about the potential for these thunderstorms to continue for the rest of the afternoon,' Michael Logan of the Bureau of Meteorology told state radio.

'These thunderstorms have the potential to be really quite frightening, with some really extreme weather associated with them.' State Emergency Services said it received scores of requests for help after the storm.

Weather experts said the temperature plummeted from 29 to 15 degrees Celsius within an hour as the storm swept in and warned that more thunderstorms could be on the way.

MORE NEWS ON HAILSTORM
"There are reports of giant hail in parts of Lismore of up to five to six centimetres and we're really worried about the potential for these thunderstorms to continue for the rest of the afternoon," said The Bureau of Meteorology's severe weather forecaster Michael Logan. Image: The SES is still assessing the damage caused by the hailstorm. (Jonathan Atkins) More Photos Here

RELATED VIDEO

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Back to nature: British plan to let sea flood reclaimed land

The coast around Wallasea island was reclaimed over several centuries. Photograph: Graham Turner

Britain

Conservation experts are to reverse five centuries of British history and deliberately allow rising sea levels to flood a huge stretch of reclaimed Essex coastline. In the most ambitious and expensive project of its type, the RSPB intends to puncture sea defences around Wallasea island, near Southend, and turn 728 hectares (1,800 acres) of farmland into a mosaic of saltmarsh, creeks and mudflats - making mainland Britain just a little bit smaller. Generations of farmers have worked the land there for 500 years, since Dutch settlers first built a wall wall around the remote strip of coast; the RSPB wants to transform the area into a wildlife reserve. As the sea returns, so should otters, wild plants, fish and birds, some of which have not nested in the UK for more than 400 years. " We will be restoring habitats that were lost more than 400 years ago and preparing the land for sea level rise. This is land that was borrowed from the sea that now the sea is reclaiming." Similar projects are under way in Germany, the United States, Denmark and Holland.

Record-breaking heat continues

New York, USA
Another RECORD WAS SMASHED Monday as the Southern Tier measured RECORD-BREAKING HEAT for the third time in five days. Monday's high of 82 degrees shattered the old record of 76 degrees for Oct. 8 recorded in 1993 at the Greater Binghamton Airport. The normal high temperature for the date is 59 degrees. The Weather Service recorded record-breaking high temperatures for the individual dates - on Thursday with 85 degrees, Friday with 85 degrees, and Saturday with 82 degrees.

Related News
WASHINGTON D.C. - The Washington region is in the grips of a heat wave, and they cracked some longtime records. Thermometers at Dulles International Airport reached 91 degrees, BREAKING THE RECORD set in 1982. Thurgood Marshall-Baltimore Washington International Airport topped out at 89 degrees, cracking the 88-degree record set in 1931. And Reagan National Airport flirted with the 88-degree record set in 1931, reaching 87 degrees on Monday. The normal high temperature for October 8th is 71 degrees.

WATCH RECORD SETTING HEAT (CLICK Below)

China reels after Typhoon Krosa

China
Some five million people have been affected by a powerful storm that hit China's south-east coast, destroying houses and causing widespread flooding.

More than 1.4 million people were evacuated ahead of Typhoon Krosa, which struck Zhejiang and Fujian provinces on Sunday, Xinhua news agency reported.

No deaths were reported and it was later downgraded to a tropical storm.

In Vietnam, meanwhile, the toll from Typhoon Lekima, which struck last week, rose to at least 55, officials said.

Hardest hit were the provinces of Thanh Hoa and Nghe An, south of the capital, Hanoi.

Hundreds of thousands of homes were said to be under water, and a Red Cross official described the situation as "very acute".

Several bombs from the Vietnam War era that were exposed by landslides have been defused by military engineers, local media reported.

Sunday, October 07, 2007

KZN can expect more giant waves

South Africa
The giant surf that pounded Durban's coastline in March this year caused damage estimated at R115-million - and it will take at least another two years before the city's beaches and infrastructure are fully repaired. This figure does not include damage suffered to private property, which would push the estimate significantly higher. And the bad news is that surf of similar force and intensity - or even greater - can be expected within the next few years. The sea level is rising along the South African coast. Durban's sea level is rising by about 2.7 mm per year.

Climate change disaster is upon us, warns UN

Two girls rescue a dog in floods in Trinidad, Bolivia. Photograph: Aizar Raldes/AFP
In Photos: Extreme Global Weather

A Warning from the United Nations

World in Crisis Map (PDF Format)
A RECORD NUMBER of floods, droughts and storms around the world this year amount to a climate change "mega disaster", the United Nation's emergency relief coordinator has warned. "We are seeing the effects of climate change. Any year can be a freak but the pattern looks pretty clear to be honest. That's why we're trying ... to say, of course you've got to deal with mitigation of emissions, but this is here and now, this is with us already." The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has issued 13 emergency "flash" appeals so far this year. The number is three more than in 2005, which held the previous record. Two years ago only half the international disasters had anything to do with the climate; this year all but one of the 13 emergency appeals is climate-related. "And 2007 is not finished. We will certainly have more by the end of the year, I fear." The only one of this year's emergency appeals not connected to the climate was the earthquake in Peru, in August. The others arose after an UNPRECEDENTED STRING OF CATASTROPHIC FLOODS across much of Africa, south Asia and North Korea, and followed severe drought in southern Africa, Nicaragua's category-five hurricane, and extreme climate conditions in Bolivia, which brought both drought and floods. "You can't actually stop disasters happening but you can do a lot to reduce their impact and reduce people's vulnerability to them by making sure people don't live on the coast or river plains, and that roads are raised and dams are in reasonable shape

Severe Rain Causes Flooding In Portugal

Breaking Earth News
Portugal
Many towns and cities throughout Portugal were flooded this week, causing the evacuation of school children and the elderly as bad weather affected the whole of the country.

The emergency services had to intervene and the Meteorological Institute placed the country on yellow alert, the second of four levels which begins with green and ends in orange and red.

In Beja, as well as severe rain flooding 14 different areas of the city, it was also affected by strong winds which caused seven trees in the region to fall.

Spectacular storm wreaks havoc

Lightning illuminates the Gold Coast sky around Q1 in Surfers Paradise last night. Pictures by Alex Carter

Breaking Earth News
Australia

SEVERE thunderstorms lit up the sky and wreaked havoc on the Gold Coast with road accidents, felled and burning trees and blackouts last night.

Severe thunderstorms were detected on the weather radar near Ipswich, Beaudesert, Kooralbyn, Harrisville, Peak Crossing and Amberley and moved into the Gold Coast about 6.20pm, prompting a severe weather warning.

"The storm built on a trough around Roma and moved eastwards in a line and finally moved off the coast," said Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Gavin Holcombe.

The Coast's spectacular lightning show began at 6.30pm with thunder rattling windows for about an hour-and-a-half.

Up to 67 killed in worst Vietnam floods in decades

Breaking Earth News
Vietnam

"This may be the worst flooding since 1945," said Phan Dang Khoa, a Communist Party official in Thach Thanh district of Thanh Hoa where a dyke broke on the Buoi river, causing extensive flooding.

THANH HOA, Vietnam (Reuters) - At least 67 people were killed or missing after a typhoon, floods and landslides cut power and closed roads in what officials in two Vietnamese provinces on Sunday described as some of the worst flooding in decades.

Thanh Hoa and Nghe An provinces in north-central Vietnam were hit hardest by torrential rains and strong winds in the aftermath of typhoon Lekima, which slammed into several provinces on Wednesday.

"The people need urgent help, the flooding won't be over for 10 or 15 more days," Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said on Sunday while visiting one of the disaster-struck areas.

Lekima was the fifth of 2007, but flooding and landslides in the aftermath have been even more devastating. The storm and floods destroyed about 100,000 homes mainly in central provinces and 15,000 hectares (37,070 acres) of rice crops. Image Above: A villager swims almost submerged in flood waters in Thach Thanh district, in Vietnam's Thanh Hoa province, October 7, 2007. (REUTERS/Joe Lowry/International Federation of Red Cross/Handout)

Storm drenches China with heavy rains

Breaking Storm News
Image: Strong waves hit the coastal areas of Dongtou, eastern China's Zhejiang Province, Saturday, Oct. 6, 2007. Authorities in coastal Chinese provinces cleared tourist sites and ordered officials back to work on Saturday to prepare for the approach of Typhoon Krosa. (AP Photo/EyePress)

BEIJING - A storm drenched China's southeast on Sunday after killing five people on Taiwan and prompting the evacuation of 1.4 million people on the mainland, officials said. In Vietnam, the death toll from a separate storm rose to 55.

More than 1.4 million people were evacuated from coastal areas, including more than 500,000 tourists who were at beach resorts for the National Day holiday week, Xinhua said.

Krosa — the Cambodian word for crane — killed five people Saturday on Taiwan as it knocked out power to 2 million homes and soaked the island, according to Taiwan's Disaster Relief Center.

Friday, October 05, 2007

Taiwan braces for typhoon Krosa

BREAKING STORM NEWS
TAIWAN
Typhoon Warning
Image: Waves smash against the northern coast near Keelung

TAIPEI (AFP) — Authorities in southern Taiwan shuttered schools, suspended ferry services and cancelled outdoor events as the island braced Friday for Typhoon Krosa, expected to hit over the weekend.

Offices and schools on Orchid Island, off Taiwan's coast, were closed, while ferries linking Taiwan and several offshore islands were cancelled.

With a radius of 300 kilometres (186 miles), Krosa, meaning crane in the Khmer language, was 440 kilometres east-southeast of Oluanpi, the southernmost tip of Taiwan, at 1:15 pm (0515 GMT), the central weather bureau said.

Packing winds gusting up to 184 kilometres per hour, it was moving northwest at a speed of 14 kilometres an hour.

The weather bureau estimated Krosa's impact would be strongest between late Saturday and early Sunday. It could dump up to 1,100 millimetres (44 inches) of rain in northern and eastern mountain regions.

Dragonflies, open water reveal rapid Arctic change

Hudson Bay Mountains

Summer of 2007: A Time of Great Discontent

At the top of Hudson Bay, "we still have ice year-round, but there's been a little bit of changes. Different kinds of insects and different kind of birds that come around our area now." In the summer of 2007, both anecdotal and quantifiable evidence emerged that showed dramatic changes are taking place in the Far North at a faster pace than anyone imagined. "The summer of 2007 was stunning." The Northern Hemisphere is normally covered with 7.5 to 8.5 million square kilometres of ice on average. But on Sept. 17, 2007, scientists calculated that the amount of sea ice hit a new record low of just 4.2 million square kilometres. The fabled Northwest Passage is normally still choked with ice during the summer. At its usual low point, 14 per cent of the shipping route remains covered with ice, which prevents ships from passing unless escorted by icebreakers. This year, just 2 per cent was covered with ice, resulting in the second consecutive summer during which an unaided sailboat could pass through. "Along the 2,300 kilometres of the Northwest Passage you're going around ice for about 20 kilometres as opposed to the usual 400." Experts say it was the peculiar weather Mother Nature offered up last summer - whatever caused it - that is largely to blame for the recent UNUSUAL events. There was a high-pressure system that sat over the Arctic for much of the summer. It shooed away clouds, leaving the sun alone to beat down. That created higher ocean temperatures, which in turn accelerated the melt. UNUSUAL winds compressed sea ice, pushing it into the Transpolar Drift Stream and into warmer water where melting happened more quickly. On Melville Island north of the Arctic Circle, the mean temperature has been reported at just under 5 C in July since records were first kept in the 1950s. "What we observed through much of July [2007] were temperatures in the 15-to-20 C range. The highest temperature recorded was almost 22 C." While the summer melt usually sinks 50 centimetres into the permafrost, the melt depth was down at least a metre or more this year. That caused land to fracture, as well as large slides and flooding. One piece of land slid down a hill and dammed a river 200 metres across. "It's not surprising that this kind of thing could happen, but it's the scale and how rapidly it could occur. The impact of this, even if it's the only time it happens for the next decade, could be felt on the system for many, many years." This year, the dire warnings piled up. Until now, climate models were predicting that the Arctic would be free of sea ice in the summertime by 2040, 2050 or at the latest 2100. Now, 2030 is a more realistic date for that biggest melt of all. "We're a decade ahead of the worst-case scenario." "Sea-ice conditions would have to be substantially better than even the most conservative computer simulations of warming and sea ice" in order to prevent the projected drop in the number of polar bears. NASA warned that with so much Arctic ice melt, the planet may be hitting a tipping point. The thaw may become a self-sustaining acceleration. As the ice shrinks, so does the amount of reflective snow and ice, which in turn leaves the ocean to draw in more heat from the sun. Warmer waters, of course, melt ice more quickly. The Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany has pronounced that Arctic sea ice has "already tipped."

Rumbling volcano sparks panic in Indonesia

Indonesia
Image: Volcanologists observe the crater of Mount Kelud at the Kediri regency, East Java September 23, 2007.
REUTERS/Sigit Pamungkas

Hundreds of Indonesians have begun evacuating the slopes of a rumbling volcano in East Java following increased levels of toxic fumes and tremors. The country's volcanological survey raised Mount Kelud's alert status to the second-highest level on Sunday, following increased activity. A mix of carbon dioxide and toxic substances seven times normal levels has been recorded from the volcano in recent days, prompting authorities to isolate the area. "We have advised everyone to stay away within a radius of 5 km (3 miles) from the volcano in anticipation of an eruption that could take place any moment. We have reason to believe that the magma is very close to the crater's surface." About 100,000 people, mostly farmers, live on the slopes of Mount Kelud. Many people in villages nearest to the crater, located on the borders of the safe zone, have already left their homes. A 1919 eruption of Mount Kelud caused the lake in its crater to burst through the volcano rim and sent boiling water down its slopes, killing 5,000 people in 104 villages.

Lake Boils As Volcano Awakes

VOLCANOES
Philippines Volcano: Eruption Alert Issued
Volcanologists in the Philippines have warned residents near Mt. Bulusan Volcano on Luzon Island's in Sorsogon Province, issuing urgent alerts concerning possible mud, ash, and 'lahar flows' after ash explosions early Thursday morning. A spokesman for Phivolcs urged those living near river and stream channels to evacuate to high ground. Recent heavy rains have increased the risk of flash floods and landslides. "Ground surveys... along the at the volcano's northeast flank... indicated a slight inflation of the volcano's edifice," a indication that the volcano is bulging.

Thursday, October 04, 2007

Flaming object seen over Minn. sky may have been meteor

BREAKING EARTH NEWS
MINNESOTA, USA

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A flaming object over Minnesota skies this afternoon may have been a meteor.

Shortly after 2 p.m., people across the Twin Cities reported seeing a "metallic" object or "flaming ball" falling from the sky.

Broadcasters and emergency dispatchers got hundreds of calls from people who saw the object traveling from the northeast to the southwest.

The FAA received no reports of anything falling from any airplanes in the area, leading to speculation that it was a meteor that burned up in the atmosphere, since no crash site has been identified.

Residents of Lyon County in far southwestern Minnesota reported a loud boom that might have been connected with the sightings in the Twin Cities.

Navy reservist Greg Devereaux, who lives near the town of Amiret, says it shook his house and sounded like a sonic boom from an F-14 breaking the sound barrier at close range.

Related News
IOWA - 10/3/07 - several residents reported sightings of fireballs in the sky in northwestern Iowa, especially near Sioux City.

VIDEO: MYSTERIOUS FIREBALL BLAZES ACROSS THE MINNESOTA SKY

Super Typhoon Krosa Grows Into Category 4 Hurricane

Still Hundreds of Miles from China, Storm Will First Bring Heavy Rain to Philippines and Taiwan
Typhoon Alert

Typhoon Krosa underwent a rapid intensification today, as it grew from a Category 1 hurricane into a Category 4 major storm, or super typhoon, in a matter of hours.

The storm packs 138 mph winds, and is headed on a track that would take it north of the Philippines, over the norther portion of Taiwan and on to China in the next several days.

Yemen volcano erupts again

BREAKING EARTH NEWS
Yemen
Image: The lava is expected to come out of the volcano until the end of reserves of hot melts.

The volcano that erupted on a small island off the coast of Yemen has again begun spewing lava and ash into the air, Yemen's navy said on Wednesday. The volcano lies on the island of Jazirt Al-Tair in the Red Sea, about 130 kilometres from Yemen. Inactive for over a century, the volcano first erupted on Sunday after several earthquakes were felt on the island. The volcano has so far produced one kilometre long lava flows and blackened the water within 10 kilometres of the island. Six Yemeni soldiers, part of a garrison of 50 stationed on the island, were killed in the eruption, while another 15 were injured. On Monday Yemen�s coastguard said shipping had been unaffected by the eruption.

Record 22C temperatures in Arctic heatwave

The Arctic
Image: Arctic ice ebbs to record level: Ice breaks away from a frozen coastline near the Norwegian Arctic town of Longyearbyen April 23, 2007. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir

Parts of the Arctic have experienced an unprecedented heatwave this summer, with one research station in the Canadian High Arctic recording temperatures above 20C, about 15C higher than the long-term average. The high temperatures were accompanied by a dramatic melting of Arctic sea ice in September to the lowest levels ever recorded, a further indication of how sensitive this region of the world is to global warming. Scientists from Queen's University in Ontario watched with amazement as their thermometers touched 22C during their July field expedition at the High Arctic camp on Melville Island, usually one of the coldest places in North America.

"This was exceptional for a place where the normal average temperatures are about 5C. This year we frequently recorded daytime temperatures of between 10C and 15C and on some days it went as high as 22C," said Scott Lamoureux, a professor of geography at Queen's.

"Even temperatures of 15C are higher than we'd expect and yet we recorded them for between 10 and 12 days during July. We won't know the August and September recordings until next year when we go back there but it appears the region has continued to be warm through the summer."

The high temperatures on the island caused catastrophic mudslides as the permafrost on hillsides melted, Professor Lamoureux said. "The landscape was being torn to pieces, literally before our eyes."

Typhoon Lekima Pounds Vietnam

Breaking Storm News
Vietnam
The storm made landfall late last night in Ha Tinh and Quang Binh provinces of Vietnam. It destroyed or damaged more than 29,000 homes in Quang Binh province, where 33 people were injured by falling trees or flying debris, according to disaster official Nguyen Ngoc Dien.

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Major Landslide Near La Jolla, California

A power pole leans toward a sink hole on Soledad Mountain Road in San Diego. Officials had been in the process of warning residents that the earth was shifting when the collapse occurred about 9 a.m.

(Lenny Ignelzi / Associated Press)

Breaking Earth News
California, USA
SAN DIEGO -- A landslide this morning heavily damaged one home and created a sinkhole about 50 yards long beneath a residential street on Mt. Soledad, a pricey neighborhood on the edge of La Jolla.

"The city is doing everything possible to stabilize the situation and safeguard homes," said Jay Goldstone, San Diego's chief operating officer. "This is a quickly evolving situation."

Goldstone said the only explanation city officials could give for the slide was gravity. The earth had begun to slide in July, with cracks appearing in the street. The movement had accelerated in recent days.

The heavily damaged home appeared to disappear into the sinkhole.

Mayor Jerry Sanders cut short a trip to Washington to return to San Diego.

The road is buckled in the 5700 block of Soledad Mountain Road between Desert View Drive and Palomino Circle.

About 2,500 customers were without power after utility poles fell, officials said.

Videos Included here

Massive hailstones and thunderstorms cause monumental damage to vehicles and houses in Malaga

Spain

“I thought the end of the world had come, the Apocalypse, the noise was so frightening,” said a Spanish judicial civil servant.

Around 1,500 vehicles were damaged by hailstones the size of golf balls in the town of Marbella and Coín last Friday morning September 28

For around twenty minutes last Friday

morning thunderstorms and hailstones the size of golf balls thrashed the province of Malaga. Residents in Marbella and Coín were particularly affected with garages having to work overtime to repair broken windscreens. Estimates place the number of damaged vehicles in the two municipalities at 1,500, and some garages opened up for business on Saturday and Sunday to keep up with demand. One judicial civil servant described the incident as the “apocalypse.” Image: Vehicles dragged by the water in the street of the Eagle, in Alcala of Guadaira (Seville). Photo: EFE / RAÚL DÍAZ (From El-Periodico.com, English translation)

Some thirty people, including four children, were treated for cuts and bruises caused by the hailstones, in Marbella.

Town Halls around the province have pledged to do what they can to ensure that people are compensated for the damage caused, and are urging those affected to make claims to their insurance companies. Some councils are also requesting that the Central Government declare the affected areas “zonas catastróficas” - disaster areas.

Flood of UFO calls after Another Meteor Sighting

BREAKING EARTH NEWS
Australia
Phones rang overnight with reports of a UFO sighting in Melbourne. People from Lilydale to Mt Eliza and Richmond to St Albans called about 9:45pm to say they had seen an amazing bright blue light in the sky with a long blue trail. It was, in fact, a meteor or Bolide burning up in the atmosphere. The meteor entered the atmosphere over north-east Victoria and travelled towards South Australia. "As the Earth moves around the sun in its orbit it sweeps up this sort of material every day. However, not much is larger than a grain of sand. This one however was bigger, probably the size of a tennis ball." The meteor was moving up to 72km a second.

Did you see the meteor? Email Us With Your Images

Astronomers see second Earth in the making

BREAKING ASTRONOMY NEWS
Image: This artist's conception shows a binary system, called HD 113766, where astronomers suspect a rocky Earth-like planet is forming around one of the stars.

Astronomers have spotted evidence of a second Earth being built around a distant star 424 light-years away.

Using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, astronomers have spotted a huge belt of warm dust swirling around a young star called HD 113766 that is just slightly larger than our sun. The dust belt, which scientists suspect is clumping together to form planets, is located in the middle of the star system's terrestrial habitable zone where temperatures are moderate enough to sustain liquid water. Scientists estimate there is enough material in the belt to form a Mars-sized world or larger.

At approximately 10 million years old, the star is just the right age for forming rocky planets, the researchers say. Their finding will be detailed in an upcoming issue of Astrophysical Journal.

Story Continues

Grandfather Mountain sees record temperatures in September

North Carolina USA
Image: Looking up at Grandfather's Attic Window Peak from the Blue Ridge Parkway

This September WAS THE WARMEST EVER AT GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN. The average high temperature of 67.5 degrees was 4.83 degrees warmer than normal for September, and the average low temperature of 54.27 degrees was 3.77 degrees above normal for this time of year. The previous record for the highest average daily temperature was 67.30 degrees set September 2005. Two daily high temperature records were broken in September. A high temperature reading of 74 degrees was recorded on Sept. 25 breaking the daily high temperature record of 71 degrees set in 1961 and 73 degrees recorded on Sept. 26 broke the previous daily record of 71 set in 1958 and tied in 1993 and 1998. A daily high temperature record was tied Sept. 27. A temperature of 70 degrees matched the original record set in 1986. The all time highest temperature for the month of September at Grandfather Mountain is 78 degrees set Sept. 1, 1993. Grandfather Mountain saw little drought relief during the month of September. The rainfall total of 3.57 inches for the past month was 2.67 inches, or 43 percent below the 51-year average rainfall total for September of 6.24 inches. Rain for the year-to-date totals 34.75 inches, which is 14.9 inches (or 30 percent) below the 51-year norm for this time of year.

Another Record Set
Chiayi temperatures reach record October high
CHIAYI, Taiwan -- Temperatures in the southern region of Chiayi soared to 34.2 degrees Celsius yesterday afternoon -- the highest October temperature recorded in the area in the past 40 years, said the Central Weather Bureau (CWB).

The record high was registered at 1:21 p.m. by a local CWB station. Whether or not the weather phenomenon is a direct cause of global warming is yet to be determined and will require further readings and long-term monitoring, said the bureau.

Update: Red Sea volcano erupts for third straight day

Red Sea Volcanic Alert
The volcano on a Yemeni island in the Red Sea was spewing a deadly mix of lava and ash for the third straight day on Tuesday, after erupting for the first time since the 19th century. Three soliders had been killed during the eruption on the island of Jabal al-Tair, home to a garrison of 50 soldiers, and five others are missing. A team of volcanologists dispatched to the area reported that the eruption produced one kilometre (0.6 mile) long lava flows and blackened the water within a 9.7 kilometre (six mile) radius of the island. There had been considerable seismic activity around the island ahead of the eruption, the Yemeni defence ministry said on its website. It said an earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale had been recorded on Friday.

VIDEO: CLICK THE IMAGE TO PLAY
The Yemen Volcanic Eruption

From National Geographic News: Yemen Volcano Erupts After 100 Years. Video

VOLCANOES
KENYA - Scientists are warning of a volcano risk if the proposed construction of a controversial soda ash factory at Lake Natron in Tanzania is allowed to go on. A report released by the scientists said that Ol Doinyo Lengai, a volcanic mountain situated 14 kilometers from Lake Natron where the construction is planned to take place, shows signs of extreme instability. "The area has experienced a series of earthquakes in the last few weeks and these do also represent a major hazard to the planned production site." Eruptions at the active volcanic mountain have in the recent past been causing a spate of earthquakes in Tanzania, reaching as far as Kenya. "The actual crater area shows signs of extreme instability and any hazard evaluation has to consider the sudden failure." If an eruption occurs, at risk is a community of an estimated 10,000 to 20,000, which rely entirely on cattle herding. "A major explosive eruption, with the magnitude of events as documented repeatedly for the last 2000 years, threatens to annihilate the basis for Maasai persistence in the Natron rift area, the rift shoulders of the Crater Highlands and the adjacent Serengeti plain." Environmentalists already saw the project as a threat to Lake Natron's ecosystem. With the new threat of the volcano, it is not yet apparent what course the project will take. India's largest conglomerate of companies, Tata Chemicals, has set its sights on building a soda ash processing factory capable of producing 500,000 metric tonnes of soda annually at Lake Natron. The environmentalists say that the lake which is in Tanzania and touches the border with Kenya is the only remaining significant breeding site for the lesser flamingo, a species that forms the majority of the world's flamingo population. Despite the warnings from environmentalists, the Tanzanian government seems keen to go on with the planned construction and has already carried out an environmental impact assessment that gave the project a green light.

Massive Landslide On Pennsylvania Route 28

A rockslide closed the southbound side of Route 28 between RIDC park and the Harmar exit this morning.

BREAKING EARTH NEWS
Pennsylvania, USA

A rockslide early this morning sent boulders tumbling onto Route 28 in Harmar, shutting down the southbound lane and one of the northbound lanes.

The southbound lane remained closed throughout rush hour as crews worked to clear the rocks. There is only one southbound lane in that area because of ongoing work to secure the hillside, which has been plagued by slides.

The slide also shut down one of the two northbound lanes, but the other was passable.

The incident happened at about 3:45 a.m. One boulder rolled across the highway and smashed into a tractor-trailer. The driver swerved onto the berm, where the rig flipped over onto a hillside above adjacent Freeport Road.

The overturned truck caused a chain-reaction crash involving several cars as drivers slammed on their brakes to avoid it.

Part of the cargo the truck was hauling spilled down the hillside onto Freeport Road, forcing officials to close one southbound lane of that highway.

The combination of the slide and the accident created miles of backups for morning commuters who use those roads to get into town.

Watch Video Coverage (top left) VIDEOS ON DEMAND

Vietnam begins evacuations as typhoon nears

BREAKING STORM NEWS
VIETNAM

HANOI--Vietnam began evacuating 200,000 people along its central coast on Wednesday and put troops on standby as typhoon Lekima surged toward the Southeast Asian country, officials said.

The typhoon was expected to make landfall late Wednesday, possibly packing maximum sustained winds of 117 kilometers (72 miles) an hour, Vietnamese weather forecasters said.

"Priorities have been given to old people, women and children. We bring them to public places or to their relatives and friends' houses away from the coast," said Nguyen Truong Son of the flood and storm control committee of Nghe An province.

About 40,000 army troops were put on high alert to help with the evacuation and the aftermath, according to the Thanh Nien or Young People daily newspaper.

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

'Super-Meteor' Lights up Northern Sky

Finland Meteor Sighting

Finland's biggest astronomical association, Ursa, says that a light phenomenon seen over much of northern and eastern Finland on Friday night was a meteor -- the brightest seen in the country in more than 30 years.

The editor of the organization's journal, Marko Pekkola, says it was a superbolide, a fireball more than 100 times brighter than a full moon. The fireball was apparently caused by a space rock striking the atmosphere over Northern Ostrobothnia and then exploding over Finland. Ursa says the rock may have weighed some 200 kilogrammes. However it was not clear on Saturday whether any meteorites fell to the ground.The dazzling 'shooting star' spurred worried telephone calls to emergency centres in various parts of Finnish Lapland, as far apart as Kemi, Enontekiö and Ivalo.

Arctic ice island breaks in half

Click here to see the Canadian Ice Service website tracking the ice blocks.

BREAKING EARTH NEWS
THE ARCTIC

The giant Ayles Ice Island drifting off Canada's northern shores has broken in two - far earlier than expected. Ice islands in the past might have lasted in the Arctic Ocean for 50 years or more. In a season of record summer melting in the region, the two chunks have moved rapidly through the water - one of them covering 98km (61 miles) in a week. Their progress has been tracked amid fears they could edge west towards oil and gas installations off Alaska.

The original Manhattan-sized berg (16km by five km; 10 miles by three miles) broke off the Ayles Ice Shelf in 2005. "It's relatively UNUSUAL for the ice island to drift so far south so quickly - many ice islands in the past have stayed within the Arctic Ocean, or within the northern parts of the Queen Elizabeth Islands."

The island had travelled so far south because of the small extent of Arctic ice this summer, influenced in turn by warmer conditions. "Ultimately, the ice island should break up faster because of the warmer temperatures - I'd be surprised if it lasted more than a decade or so." The team which landed on the Ayles ice block in May found it to have an average thickness of 42-45m (138-148ft) - the equivalent of the height of a 10-story building.

Temperatures may rise by 5C by 2070

BREAKING EARTH NEWS

AUSTRALIANS have been warned to brace for catastrophic heatwaves, bushfires, drought and severe water shortages as climate change causes widespread havoc. Rising temperatures, lower rainfall and more searing hot days are predicted in a major report released by the CSIRO and Bureau of Meteorology today. The grim global warming forecast for coming decades further highlights the water crisis gripping the nation and the need to curb greenhouse gas emissions. The Climate Change in Australia report also warns of: A spike in temperatures nationwide of at least 1C by 2030,and up to 5C by 2070, droughts dragging on for up to 80 percent longer, less spring and winter rainfall - with drops of up to 40 percent in some southern parts of Australia by 2070, fewer frosts and less snow.

RELATED NEWS

Climate change: Hottest year on record

Southern Australia is experiencing its hottest year on record.
Figures just released from the Bureau of Meteorology show that for the Murray-Darling Basin and southern Australia 2007 will surpass 2005 as the hottest year ever.

Non-stop rain causes flooding in Germany

Germany

Heavy rain in central Germany has caused severe flooding, and more is expected in the coming days.

Riverbanks have burst and mudslides cut off nearby towns. In Lower Saxony, firefighters remain on call 24 hours a day.

And people are fighting to keep the flood waters out of their homes. Over the past three days, Germany has experienced a prolonged rainfall.

Also See Videos on Demand (Top Left) for additional Video on the German Floods

Thousands in Africa wait for aid amid catastrophic floods

KAMPALA (AFP) - African nations that bore the brunt of the continent's worst floods in three decades face a new epidemic threat and on Friday stepped up appeals for international help.

At least 300 people in 20 countries have died in floods over the past two months, according to figures from governments, hospitals and humanitarian sources compiled by AFP.

As the extent of the damage begins to emerge epidemic warnings are growing. Image Above: Two men wade through water covering a road in Teso, the north-eastern region of Uganda 24 September 2007.

Disaster Relief News
African Flood Losses Getting Worse -- "It's consistent with predictions of Global Warming" The American Red Cross

The Red Cross said Friday that it had observed a "worrying" eightfold
increase since 2004 in the number of African flood disasters it has to
deal with.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
said the number of floods in Africa where the movement provided relief
aid jumped from five in 2004 to 32 in 2006.

By mid September, with widespread flooding stretching across more than
20 countries from west to east Africa, the number of floods on the
continent that mobilised Red Cross aid so far this year stood at 42.

"While the figures only cover those flooding situations that the Red
Cross and Red Crescent responded to, they still make worrying
reading," Federation acting policy director Encho Gospodinov said.

The floods are consistent with predictions of climate change,
according to Gospdinov, raising the risk of both drought and flooding
in different parts of Africa.

Canadian navy saves Yemeni soldier after eruption

CTV map detailing the location of Jazirt Atta-Ir, Yemen.

Yemen

A Canadian Navy spokesman described the volcanic eruption as "catastrophic." The eruption collapsed part of the island of Jabal al-Tair and covered the rest with lava. Six NATO ships searched for hours without success and were eventually told to stop by the Yemeni coast guard. "Just as we were leaving the area, about six miles offshore, we discovered a survivor drifting in the water. The first one went aboard the American ship and then Toronto recovered another survivor." The second survivor found was a 22-year-old private who had been in the water for about 20 hours. Four dead were also pulled from the Red Sea, officials said. Two people remain missing. It remains unclear whether the victims died from the eruption or drowning. The island last saw an explosive eruption in 1883.

Lava flows and clouds of smoke and ash reach skyward after a volcano eruption on the island of Jazirt Atta-Ir in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen. This photo was taken from the deck of HMCS Toronto. (Master Cpl. Kevin Paul / Canadian Forces Combat Camera)

A Series of Quakes Jolts New Zealand

BREAKING EARTH NEWS
NEW ZEALAND
A string of earthquake jolted parts of New Zealand overnight. These follow the magnitude 7.3 quake that struck near New Zealand's sub-Antarctic Auckland Islands on Sunday night. GNS science recorded five earthquakes yesterday from Mount Cook to Turangi. A magnitude 4.1 quake struck Mount Cook at 5.25pm. It was centred 30km north of the mountain and was 2km deep. Earlier in the afternoon, a quake measuring 4.5 on the richter scale shook the central North Island. The quake at 3.12pm was centred 10km northeast of Turangi and was 5km deep. At 6.20pm a second smaller quake, 2.8 in magnitude, hit 20km north east of Turangi at a depth of 5km. A 3.7 magnitude quake hit 20km south of Porangahau, Waipukurau, at a depth of 25km at 11.05pm. At 11.46pm a magnitude 3.9 quake struck 30km southwest of Takaka at a depth of 5km. Seismologists said aside from the two quakes near Turangi, the earthquakes were not connected, as the epicentres were too far apart. It was likely the second smaller quake in Turangi yesterday was an aftershock to the first magnitude 4.5 quake.

The Chinese Lake Monster: Is it Real?

China

Updated Content

China’s Loch Ness monster has been sighted. Or so Chinese state-run television says. Not just one, but more than a dozen huge creatures can be seen churning across Lake Kanasi in remote western China, leaving a foamy wake more like an enormous motorboat than a big fish.

A Rare Video (Below) filmed by a tourist at the lake in the Heavenly Mountains of the wild Xinjiang region, has reignited debate over the existence of an underwater creature that can compete with the Loch Ness monster in both mass and mystery.

The grainy film shows about 15 objects moving at high speed just beneath the surface of the lake and whipping the smooth blue water into a bubbling white frenzy. Chinese Central Television broadcast the video on its news channel, describing the footage shot by a passing tourist on July 5 as the clearest ever seen of a legendary beast that has been rumoured for centuries to live in the depths of Lake Kanasi.

Local myth among the Chinese Mongolians living in the scenic mountains near the Russian and Mongolian borders has it that the animals have been known to drag sheep, cows and even horses from the shore and into the deep to devour them.

Watch the Video and Judge for Yourself

Monday, October 01, 2007

The Climate Change Debate Is Over!

Skywatch-Media Newsletter
October 1, 2007
The debate is over about whether or not climate change is real. Irrefutable evidence from around the world - including extreme weather events, record temperatures, retreating glaciers, and rising sea levels - all point to the fact climate change is happening now and at rates much faster than previously thought.

To Read More Visit the Newsletter Archives

FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK
The Great Red Comet has received special recognition from the Voxant Newsroom for exceptional use of media content. Read about our Distributer Spotlight here
Thanks to all our viewers and subscribers for your continued support. Without you, these special awards would not be possible.

Massive Waves Lash Florida's East Coast

A weekend of powerful waves and strong winds eroded parts of Lantana Beach. Here, despite low-tide, the waves came to the bottom of the lifeguard tower on Monday morning. (Libby Volgyes/Post Staff)

BREAKING EARTH NEWS VIDEO UPDATE
FLORIDA, USA

Click to View

Severe September Flooding in Brazil

Brazil, S.A.
Heavy rainfall in late September 2007 caused severe flooding in Brazil’s southernmost state, Rio Grande do Sul. More than a dozen cities declared a state of emergency. Several people were killed, and as many as 4,000 lost their homes.

This pair of satellite images (above) captured roughly two weeks apart shows the extent of the flooding. Made with a combination of visible and infrared light, the images highlight the location of water on the surface. Depending on how muddy and/or shallow it is, water will appear blue to nearly black: the shallow, muddy water of the Patos Lagoon appears blue, while the Atlantic Ocean (lower right) is nearly black. Vegetation appears bright green, and clouds are turquoise or white. On September 10, a swath of smoke from intense fires burning in the surrounding countries cuts diagonally across the scene.

TORRENTIAL RAINS

BREAKING EARTH NEWS
Nimba Flood Worsens
Guinea, Ivory Coast Borders Closed

NIMBA COUNTY, Floods in Nimba have worsened during a second week of heavy downpour, leaving the St. John on the border with Guinea and the Cestos River along the Ivory Coast border to burst their banks, forcing the two borders to close down.
Image: One of the flooded areas in Sanniquellie City Photo by Ishmael Menkor

After storm lull, scientists warn of red-flag October

Accuweather.com Satellite Image October 1, 2007

FLORIDA - while Floridians bask in their second hurricane-free year in a row, meteorologists warn that the threat from the tropics may be about to ramp up. October typically brings a shift in the tropics' steering winds, pushing hurricanes into Florida from the Gulf of Mexico and western Caribbean instead of the Atlantic. The western Caribbean still is loaded with the deep, abundant warm water that fueled Hurricanes Dean and Felix to Category 5 strength in August. The expected return of the La Niña global climate pattern, which encourages Atlantic hurricane formation, could keep the season humming well into November. "One or two more major hurricanes is very possible. I would think we'd have a high chance of a hurricane coming out of the Caribbean and possibly threatening Florida." Officially, the Atlantic basin's hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30, with peak activity hitting in mid-September. "October is the biggest threat for the state of Florida - more than August, more than September." The 13 named storms that have already formed this year, including four hurricanes, are more than the long-term average of 10 storms a season. This season "is going to be ranking as one of the most historic. What we've been warning our clients is that the waters have been phenomenally warm in the Gulf of Mexico and other regions nearby. We kind of use the phrase 'We expect to be surprised.' ... That should be the expected thing, for storms to explode." Water warmer than 80 degrees is potent fuel for hurricanes, and it's more than 100 feet deep in the western Caribbean. That means passing hurricanes keep stirring up warm water, not the cold, discouraging water they might churn up elsewhere in the Atlantic.

VERACRUZ, Mexico

Floodwaters from hurricane Lorenzo were re ceding Saturday after rains caused mudslides and floods that killed at least five people and drove tens of thousands from their homes in eastern Mexico. Meanwhile, a new tropical storm, Melissa, formed in the eastern Atlantic

Indonesia raises alert status on Java volcano

BREAKING EARTH NEWS
Volcanic Alert
INDONESIA
Indonesian scientists stepped up the alert level for a volcano in East Java and told people to stay away from the crater amid fears it is building up to an eruption. The alert for Mount Kelut was raised to the third of a four-level warning system on Sunday. It was based on recordings of increased seismic activity as well as rising temperatures in the crater lake and the shifting chemical composition of the water. The alert status had already been raised one step on September 11. Although its slopes are sparsely inhabited, the peak is a popular domestic tourist destination and is located on a densely-populated plain. Between September 26 and 29, 54 vulcanic earthquakes and nine tectonic temblors had been recorded, and signs were that their epicentre was moving closer to the surface. The lake on top of the volcano has also changed from its habitual greenish aspect into milky white, and gas is coming out. The chemical concentrate in the water had risen significantly over the previous months and the temperature of the lake was steadily rising. The volcano last blew in 1990. It has claimed more than 15,000 lives since 1500, including around 10,000 when it erupted in 1568. IMAGE: A farmer smokes a cigarette while having a break in his field as a volcano is seen churning out smoke in Java

VOLCANOES
Quakes may signal more to come
Seismologists are warning that two earthquakes near Mount Ruapehu on Monday (local time) may be a sign of more things to come. A 4.5 magnitude quake was felt just after 3pm on Monday. It was centred 10 kilometres north-east of Turangi. The quake was 5km deep. Then at 6:20pm there was another small quake, measuring 2.8 on the Richter scale. It could be an indicator that we haven't seen the last eruption from Mount Ruapehu. Mount Ruapehu is showing signs of unrest, that in itself means it is important to be cautious about it.

Volcano erupts off Yemen killing 8 soldiers

BREAKING EARTH NEWS
YEMEN
Image: Lava flows and clouds of smoke and ash reach skyward after a volcano eruption on the island of Jazirt Atta-Ir in the Red Sea, 70 nautical miles (130 km) off the coast of Yemen, in this infra-red photo taken from the deck of the Canadian frigate HMCS TORONTO, September 30, 2007. REUTERS/MCpl Kevin Paul, Canadian Forces Combat Camera/Handout

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A volcanic eruption off the Red Sea coast of Yemen spewed lava hundreds of yards into the air Sunday evening and at least 9 people were missing at sea. The eruption occurred on Jazirt Mount al-Tair, an island about 80 miles (140 km) from Yemen. A Defence Ministry official said the western part of the island had "collapsed" following the eruption. Naval ships were searching the surrounding waters for nine missing Yemeni soldiers who were stationed on the island. Several earthquakes felt on Sunday had triggered the eruption. "Three earthquakes struck the island around 1127 GMT on Sunday, and were ranging between 4.3 and 4 on the Richter scale." A Canadian frigate is conducting a search and rescue operation at the request of the Yemen coast guard. It said it was trying to locate nine people believed to be at sea in the area. Lava was spewing hundreds of yards into the air, with volcanic ash also rising 300 yards. The entire two-mile-long (three-km-long) island was aglow with lava and magma as it poured into the sea. A Yemeni geologist said the volcano had previously erupted in the 19th and 18th centuries, and is regarded as one of the Red Sea's more recent volcanic islands. Continued

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Wind and Waves Batter Florida Shore

BREAKING EARTH NEWS
FLORIDA, USA
Image:A lifeguard stand tilts towards the water at high tide at Bathtub Reef Beach in Stuart on Sunday afternoon. Severe erosion washed away the footing of the structure. (Amanda Voisard / The Post) Click the image for photo slide show

Stormy weather took a bite out of local beaches Sunday, leaving residents gawking at damage to Bathtub Reef Beach in Stuart. Winds gusted to about 30 miles per hour in some areas of Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast, causing such serious erosion on Hutchinson Island that visitors lifted yellow police caution tape to scamper up a sand berm for a better look at waves stealing sand from Bathtub Reef Beach. Officials closed Bathtub Reef Beach last week after erosion exposed tree trunks and roots at the popular swimming spot on Hutchinson Island. They also trucked in a dozen loads of sand to build a berm along the parking lot. But the weekend's gusty northeastern winds sent a steady spray up and over the berm and nearby fences. Muddy, grayish-colored water pooled in the parking lot and ran in rivulets to the road below. A lifeguard station at one end of the beach tilted precariously toward the water; steps that weeks before led from the boardwalk down onto the beach dropped off into choppy waves Sunday. Palm Beach County's erosion was most noticeable in areas north of Juno Beach. A resident who has lived at Ocean Trail in Jupiter for almost 30 years said weekend waves were some of the worst she has seen. Lifeguards flew a red flag for extreme waves Sunday, but surfers and strong swimmers still made their way out to the water. The waves washed sea turtle eggs from their nesting site on the beach into the grass over the seawall. Bathtub Reef Beach is susceptible to erosion because of its rocky shoreline and reefs. Large waves and strong winds blowing in just the right direction can devastate the area and the recent erosion is THE WORST IN DECADES.

Unexpected Waves Lash Philippines Coast

DAVAO CITY, Philippines--Nine houses were destroyed while nine others were damaged when strong waves hit a coastal village here on Saturday night.

The waves also displaced at least 77 families in Barangay (village) 76-A in Bucana District.

Celso Tizon, village chairman, said houses near the shore were destroyed when strong waves suddenly hit the village at around 7 p.m. Saturday.

He said three persons were hurt when wooden house materials fell on them.

The city government has provided relief and food assistance to those displaced.

Lake Superior sets record for low water

BREAKING EARTH NEWS
"I've been here since 1959 and this is the lowest I've seen it," Joel Johnson, owner of Lakehead Boat Basin in Duluth, Minn.

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. - Drought and mild temperatures have pushed Lake Superior's water level to its lowest point on record for this time of year, continuing a downward spiral across the Great Lakes. (Click Image to learn more)

Preliminary data show Superior's average water level in September dipped 1.6 inches beneath the previous low for that month reached in 1926, Cynthia Sellinger, deputy director of NOAA's

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