Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
5.6 Earthquake hits the Molucca Sea.
5.3 Earthquake hits offshore Tarapaca, Chile.
5.3 Earthquake hits the Babuyan Islands in the Philippines.
5.1 Earthquake hits the Carlsberg ridge.
5.0 Earthquake hits off the east coast of North Island, New Zealand.
5.0 Earthquake hits near the north coast of New Guinea, Papua New Guinea.
Two 5.0 Earthquakes hit the Carlsberg ridge.
Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:
The mellow 2014 Atlantic hurricane season ends Today (Nov. 30), marking another year without major hurricanes hitting the Eastern United States.
Tropical storm 21w (Sinlaku), located approximately 138 nm south-southeast of Da Nang, Vietnam, and is tracking west-northwestward at 14 knots.
WHO reports sudden spike in Ebola death toll
The World Health Organization said that almost 7,000 people have died of Ebola in west Africa, adding a further 1,200 to a toll from two days earlier.
Of the 16,169 people who contracted the disease, 6,928 died in the three countries most affected by the outbreak: Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia, the WHO said.
The sudden increase in number of deaths, mostly in Liberia, were because of a “a reconciliation of historical numbers” and not to new deaths in recent days, WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said.
Given the difficulty in collecting figures, the agency has previously said it believes there have been far more deaths than those registered.
The virus, which hit Liberia the hardest, is said to have been slowing down, according to observer.
Nonetheless, Liberia accounts for the lion’s share of the new deaths tallied, now standing at 4,181 out of 7,244 cases. Sierra Leone, which according to the WHO is still seeing a rapid spread of Ebola in many parts of the country, now counts 1,461 deaths out of 6,802 cases, up from 1,398 deaths and 6,599 cases on November 26.
Guinea, where the outbreak began nearly a year ago, meanwhile counted 1,284 deaths out of 2,123 cases, up from 1,260 deaths and 2,134 cases two days earlier.
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity
Bardarbunga (Iceland): As the lava field continues to expand, new branches of red hot rivers reach its edge and cascade down on the sandy plain below in a spectacular ‘water’fall of glowing lava. Scientists report that by now the Holuhraun lava field covers almost 75 square kilometres which represents an area bigger than the Reykjavik metropolitan area. The intensity of the eruption declined so that the present amount of emitted lava is only a quarter of what it was at the eruption’s most intense phase. But according to Ármann Höskuldsson, volcanologist at the University of Iceland Earth Science Institute, there are no indications that the volcanic activity will stop anytime soon. He points out that it remains a very intense eruption despite the recent (temporarily?) weakening of its activity. Scientists observed fluctuations in the eruption plume last week due to sporadic emission of powerful lava jets. The lava flow discharge pulsated accordingly.
Nyamuragira (DRCongo): For the first time in 75 years, a new lava lake appeared on some of Africa’s most active stratovolcanoes: Mount Nyamuragira in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The neighbouring volcanoes of Nyamugira and Nyiragongo are both part of the Virunga volcanic chain in the East African Rift, situated along DR Congo's border with Rwanda. They are famous as two of the few volcanoes on Earth that have sustained lava lakes for several decades. The previous lava lake at Nyamuragira emptied in 1938 as its lava poured out of the summit and flowed more than 30 kilometres down to Lake Kivu. The new lava lake seems to have formed at the bottom of the 500 m deep crater that was left behind by this 1938 lava flood. Nyamuragira’s last eruption started in November 2011 and ended in March 2012 by the partial emptying of the magma chamber through the effusion of large lava flows. This eventually resulted in the collapse of the pit crater, an event after which the magma is likely forced to follow a new route higher up to the volcano’s summit. Such reconstruction of the volcano’s plumbing system with transport of magma higher in the volcano’s cone could trigger the formation of a lava lake. Nyamuragira’s past eruptions all seem to follow a typical eruptive cycle of lava being progressively emitted from the volcano’s base to its summit, ending in the formation of a lava lake.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
5.3 Earthquake hits central Alaska.
5.2 Earthquake hits the Celebes Sea.
5.2 Earthquake hits New Britain, Papua New Guinea.
5.1 Earthquake hits the Molucca Sea.
5.0 Earthquake hits the Carlsberg ridge.
Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:
Tropical storm 21w (Sinlaku), located approximately 210 nm southeast of Da Nang, Vietnam, and is tracking westward at 11 knots.
NewsBytes:
France - The flash flooding in France has now claimed the lives of three people and left two others missing. The fatalities are from Mediterranean towns of La Londe-les-Maures, Grimaud and Hyeres. Tornadoes in Serignan and Nissan-les-Enserune in the Herault department injured ten people.
China - Another landslide in southwest China's Yunnan Province has claimed the lives of six people. A separate landslide blocked a 110-meter-long section of railroad of the Nanning-Guangzhou Railway.
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity
Fogo (Cape Verde): Activity, after having slowed down a bit yesterday, picked up again this morning, as a new vent opened above the eruption fissure. Lava fountaining and associated lava effusion mainly occur from the lower vent, while the upper one shows strombolian explosions, strong degassing and ash emissions. As typical for flank eruptions, eruptive activity has by now concentrated to and continues from two vents (as compared to 6 active ones on the first day).
Zhupanovsky (Kamchatka, Russia): A moderately strong ash emission occurred this morning. A plume at 20,000 ft (6 km) drifted east. Weaker ash venting continued afterwards. (Tokyo VAAC).
Aso (Kyushu): Activity at the volcano picked up and went through an intense phase of strong, continuous ash emissions Wednesday. An ash plume rose to approx. 3 km altitude, according to Tokyo VAAC.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
5.3 Earthquake hits Tonga.
5.2 Earthquake hits the Andaman Islands off India.
5.1 Earthquake hits the Panama-Colombia border region.
5.0 Earthquake hits the Carlsberg ridge.
5.0 Earthquake hits the Kuril islands.
5.0 Earthquake hits the South Sandwich Islands.
Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:
Tropical storm 21w (Sinlaku), located approximately 537 nm east of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and is tracking west-northwestward at 15 knots.
NewsBytes:
Philippines - 6,933 people have been affected and displaced by Tropical Depression Queenie (Chebi). More than 30 evacuation centres have been opened for them. Public storm warning signal 1 has been issued in Palawan, including the Calamian group of Islands, Cuyo Islands and Southern Negros, Guimaras Island, LLoiLo and Antique. Winds of 30-60 kph are expected for at least 36 hours in these regions.
Gaza - The United Nations has declared a state of emergency in the Gaza Strip after two days of heavy rains and flooding in the war-battered enclave. The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) declared the state of emergency in Gaza City on Thursday, after torrential rain overwhelmed some areas and caused flooding.
Queensland, Australia - Brisbane residents will wake up to a huge clean-up effort this morning after the city was walloped by an extreme hail storm described by Premier Campbell Newman "the worst in a decade". The army has been called in to help mop up after golf ball-sized hailstones catapulted by destructive winds up to 141km/h slammed into high rise buildings and vehicles in the CBD and surrounding suburbs leaving a trail of destruction yesterday afternoon. At least four light planes were flipped in severe winds at Archerfield Airport causing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage. Queensland Premier Campbell Newman says all available emergency personnel have been mobilised to help with the clean-up.
France - A woman has died and three other people are missing after a heavy storm triggered flash flooding in southeastern France.
Canadian Lakes 'Jellified' by Acid Rain
Decades of acid rain that have made many Canadian freshwater lakes more acidic have also profoundly altered the ecological balance and turned some lake bottoms to jelly.
Even though pollution controls have long since diminished the amount of acid rain, some affected lakes have not recovered from the pollution and have become home to expanding populations of a tiny, slimy crustacean called the Holopedium.
The invertebrate is surrounded by a bulbous coating of jelly.
Swimmers in affected lakes often emerge from the water with the caviar-like balls clinging to their arms and backs.
Writing in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, researchers document that decades of acid rain have flushed away much of the calcium in the lakes, which Holopedium’s biggest competitor, the Daphnia water flea, needs to create an exoskeleton.
With the formerly dominant Daphnia now deprived of enough calcium to bulk up, and gradually disappearing, Holopedium has been able to reproduce unchecked since it needs far less calcium to make its gooey shell.
This competitive edge is creating a jellied mess that threatens to clog water intake systems in the lakes for residential and commercial use.
Top: Microphotograph of the Holopedium. Bottom: Researcher holds a handfull of the small invertebrates, which have slimed some Canadian lakes.
Ebola Outbreak, West Africa - Update
Sierra Leone has appealed to the United States on Wednesday to send military aid to help it battle Ebola as it falls behind its West African neighbours Guinea and Liberia in the fight against the virus.
The worst recorded Ebola outbreak has killed at least 5,689 people, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday, as the virus has overwhelmed African countries with weak infrastructure and healthcare systems.
While the outbreak appears to be coming under control in Liberia, thanks partly to a health operation run by U.S. troops, infection rates have accelerated in Sierra Leone.
The rate of transmission is also beginning to slow in neighbouring Guinea, the first country to report an Ebola case, although case numbers are rising in Mali.
Jaundice Outbreak in India
An outbreak of jaundice in Saraspur has left 199 people affected in the last three weeks. There were nine new cases on Thursday across 24 chawl clusters in the area. Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) health officials were yet to confirm four additional jaundice cases.
"The jaundice strain is hepatitis E, which is not lethal among all those who are affected," says a senior AMC health official.
Global Temperature Extremes
The week's hottest temperature was 113.9 degrees Fahrenheit (45.5 degrees Celsius) at Oodnadatta, South Australia.
The week's coldest temperature was minus 56.7 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 49.3 degrees Celsius) at Russia's Siberian weather station in Agata.
Temperatures were tabulated from the more than 10,000 worldwide synoptic weather stations. The United Nations World Meteorological Organization sets the standards for weather observations, and provides a global telecommunications circuit for data distribution.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
6.8 Earthquake hits the Molucca Sea.
No tsunami is expected from this earthquake - NWS Pacific Warning Centre.
5.6 Earthquake hits the Molucca Sea.
5.2 Earthquake hits the Carlsberg ridge.
5.1 Earthquake hits the Kuril Islands.
5.1 Earthquake hits the northern east Pacific rise.
5.1 Earthquake hits New Ireland, Papua New Guinea.
5.0 Earthquake hits the Carlsberg ridge.
Three further 5.0 Earthquakes hit the Molucca Sea.
Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:
No current tropical storms.
NewsBytes:
Brazil - A heavy rain storm flooded large parts of Sao Paulo Tuesday just as evening commuters were leaving work causing travel headaches and traffic jams several miles long. The city of Sao Paulo and the surrounding region is in the midst of the worst drought it has have faced in 80 years. Government agencies said the rain brought some relief, but despite the problems it was causing, it would not be enough to impact stressed reservoirs that collectively sit at about 16% of capacity. The wet season in this part of Brazil usually occurs between November and January and the forecast is for more rain in the coming days. However, the national weather service has said it will not be enough to replenish the areas reservoirs and reverse the drought.
Foot and Mouth Disease Outbreak in China
China's Jiangsu Province has reported a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak.
Animals showing signs of the disease were first found on a farm in Dongtai township on Nov. 18. It was confirmed Tuesday by the National Foot-and-Mouth Disease Reference Laboratory that the animals had the O-type strain of the disease.
After authorities were alerted to the outbreak, the affected zone was sealed off and the affected pigs were culled and incinerated.
The ministry said that at the current time, the outbreak was under control.
Wildfires - Australia
Lives and homes were in danger from three out of control lightning-sparked bushfires burning in Western Australia. An emergency warning had been issued for people in the Shire of Gingin and town of Eneabba.
The fires have since been brought under control with the aid of rain from the same thunderstorms that caused them. A house and shed were damaged in the fires.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
5.6 Earthquake hits western Sichuan, China.
5.3 Earthquake hits northern Colombia.
5.3 Earthquake hits Tristan de Cunha.
5.1 Earthquake hits the Molucca Sea.
Polar Bears and Global Warming
Melting ice is a major problem because of its contribution to sea level rise, but it also affects wildlife in all kinds of ways. As their frozen hunting grounds melt away, some polar bears — like this one — are turning to cannibalism and eating their own cubs.
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity
Fogo (Cape Verde): The eruption continues, but the situation is critical inside the Cha caldera. The northern lava flow branch has started to enter the village of Portela and today destroyed and/or damaged several buildings, including the headquarters of the Fogo Nature Park. The village, located at the northern end of the main road inside the caldera, is at risk of being cut of by lava flows: If the main road becomes covered, only a difficult and long passage to the NE via Monte Velha remains as land evacuation route.
Aso (Kyushu): Activity from the Nakadake crater has intensified. Since yesterday, ash emissions and comparably strong incandescence have been observed, suggesting that a new magmatic eruption could be under way. The height of the emitted ash plumes was up to 8,000 ft (2.4 km) and light ash fall was reported from Namino village 11 km NE of the Nakadake cone. The volcano had been showing signs of unrest since 2013, with intermittent small, probably phreatic explosions and weak to moderate glow sometimes visible from the crater.
Semeru (East Java, Indonesia): A recent visit at the summit of the volcano by our expedition leader Andi and Markus confirmed that "Semeru's lava dome is growing bigger and wider, and now has a diameter of 100-200 m. Strombolian explosions occur from time to time and eject bombs up to 100 m above the vent. Gas venting from two vents is loud and continuous. According to our observations, part of the dome has collapsed recently to the south flank. A moderately viscous lava forms a long tongue descending into the southern ravine"
Pavlof (Alaska Peninsula, USA): The Alaska Volcano Observatory concluded that "the most recent period of explosive eruptive activity at Pavlof Volcano has ended" and downgraded the volcano alert level again. "For about the past week, seismicity at the volcano has remained at low levels and shows no indication of the unrest typically associated with lava fountaining or ash emission. Satellite observations show no evidence for continuing eruptive activity. Thermal signals at the summit are occasionally visible, but are likely being generated by the cooling of previously emplaced lava and debris and not newly erupted material.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
5.6 Earthquake hits the Bougainville region, Papua New Guinea.
5.3 Earthquake hits Simeulue, Indonesia.
5.1 Earthquake hits Tarapaca, Chile.
5.0 Earthquake hits the Carlsberg ridge.
Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:
No current tropical storms.
NewsBytes:
Morocco - Flash flooding in Morocco has claimed the lives of at least 32 people. At least 24 people have died in the southern city of Guelmim, including 11 bodies that have been recovered from the Oued Talmaadart. More than 200 people, including two French nationals, have been evacuated by air force helicopters. The flash flooding has mostly affected the Guelmim, Agadir, Tiznite, Ouarzazate and Marrakesh regions.
China - Two drivers have been killed in a landslide that hit a freight train in Ankang City, in northwest China's Shaanxi Province on Monday afternoon. The landslide occurred at around 3 p.m on the Xunyang-Zongxi section of the railway, which runs from central China's Hubei Province to southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. Eight carriages of the freight train came off the track.
South Africa - A massive tornado roared across a field near Dundee, South Africa, over the weekend. There were no injuries reported but more than 20 houses were caught in the tornado's path. More tornadoes occur in South Africa than any other nation in Africa. South Africa is often hit by violent thunderstorms during the summer months of November through February, and these storms sometimes produce devastating hailstorms and tornadoes.
Interesting Images:
An underwater robot exploring the deep seas captured the first video footage ever of a creepy-looking anglerfish — a creature that looks so menacing it is sometimes called the "black seadevil."
Bird Flu Outbreak in India
The Indian government has issued a Statewide alert following the confirmation of an outbreak of avian flu (bird flu) in two districts.
The H5 Avian Influenza virus had been confirmed in samples sent to the High Security Animal Disease (HSAD) Laboratory, Bhopal. The strain spreads between birds and can potentially affect humans.
A red alert has been issued in Kottayam and Alappuzha districts where the disease outbreak was noticed in ducks. Four panchayats, Aimanam, Purakkad, Kumarakom, and Thalavadi have been affected.
Affected birds would be culled from Tuesday to prevent the spread of the disease. Farmers would be compensated after assessing the extent of loss. Directions had been issued to restrict the transportation of ducks and eggs from Alappuzha to other districts.
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity
ogo (Cape Verde): The recent eruption of the Pico do Fogo continues to produce lava fountains from two vents on the volcano's flank. The erupted lava collects in rapidly growing flows that destroy roads and houses near the caldera, as shown in the new BBC footage below. Fortunately, this new eruption has not yet made any casualties, but many locals are forced to abandon there homes and move to houses constructed for the refugees of the 1995 eruption or to newly constructed temporary shelter. A large ash plume can be seen from Praia, the capital of Cape Verde on one of the neighbouring islands. The eruption also caused the closure of the local airport.
Zhupanovsky (Kamchatka, Russia): A strong explosion occurred at 00:15 UTC at the volcano. A plume rose to approx. 27,000 ft (8 km) altitude.
Aso (Kyushu): A small explosion or ash emission was reported from the volcano at 03:00 UTC (noon local time in Japan) via VAAC Tokyo. Cloud cover prevented visual observations on webcams.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
5.2 Earthquake hits Iceland.
5.0 Earthquake hits east of North Island, New Zealand.
Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:
No current tropical storms.
NewsBytes:
USA - Flood warnings are in effect for parts of New York, with temperatures heating up as the region dug out from a massive and deadly snowfall that dumped seven feet of snow on the Buffalo area and killed at least 13 people. Temperatures were expected to climb through the Midwest, Great Lakes and Northeast on Sunday and Monday, with some areas seeing highs in the 60s and possibly even the 70s in the South.
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity
Fogo (Cape Verde): Cape Verde orders evacuation after Fogo volcano erupts. It was not immediately clear if there were injuries or deaths following the eruption. The volcano last erupted in 1995, causing minor damage. A larger eruption occurred in 1951. Fogo's volcanic peak, surrounded by vineyards, is normally a hiking destination.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
6.2 Earthquake hits eastern Honshu, Japan.
The earthquake injured at least 39 people while more than 43 houses in a popular ski-resort collapsed.
5.8 Earthquake hits central Afghanistan.
5.5 Earthquake hits Romania.
5.4 Earthquake hits off the coast of Oregon, USA.
5.0 Earthquake hits the southeast Indian ridge.
5.0 Earthquake hits off the coast of Oregon, USA.
5.0 Earthquake hits off the east coast of Honshu, Japan.
World's Oceans Heat Up to Warmest on Record
A 13-year pause in the overall warming of the world’s ocean surface ended earlier this year with the average global mean sea surface temperature soaring to the warmest ever recorded.
“The 2014 global ocean warming is mostly due to the North Pacific, which has warmed far beyond any recorded value and has shifted hurricane tracks, weakened trade winds and produced coral bleaching in the Hawaiian Islands,” said climate scientist Axel Timmermann of the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
He says sea-surface temperatures started to rise quickly in January across the North Pacific, followed by a surge of very warm water from the western Pacific to the eastern Pacific along the equator.
“Record-breaking greenhouse gas concentrations and anomalously weak North Pacific summer trade winds, which usually cool the ocean surface, have contributed further to the rise in sea surface temperatures,” says Timmermann.
“The warm temperatures now extend in a wide swath from just north of Papua New Guinea to the Gulf of Alaska,” he adds.
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity
Fogo (Cape Verde): A new eruption started at the volcano this morning around 10:00 local time. The aviation alert was raised to red due to possible ash emissions that could harm aircraft in the area. Not much detail about the eruption is so far available, but a strong thermal anomaly was detected on satellite data, suggesting the presence of lava at the vent, perhaps in the form of lava fountains. Typical eruptions of Fogo start with lava fountains / strombolian activity that build a new cone, followed by lava flow effusion.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
6.1 Earthquake hits western Sichuan, China.
5.6 Earthquake hits Vanuatu.
5.1 Earthquake hits central Peru.
5.0 Earthquake hits off the coast of Tarapaca, Chile.
Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:
No current tropical storms.
NewsBytes:
Alabama, USA - The National Weather Service say a total of four tornadoes touched down in Alabama as part of the severe weather that happened overnight from Sunday to Monday. The tornadoes, all rated as EF-1 twisters, affected Pike, Crenshaw, Bullock, Butler, Perry, and Russell counties.
New York, USA - A snowfall that brought huge drifts and closed roads in the Buffalo area finally ended Friday, yet residents still couldn’t breathe easy, as the looming threat of rain and higher temperatures through the weekend and beyond raised the possibility of floods and more roofs collapsing under the heavy loads.
Plague – Madagascar
On 4 November 2014, WHO was notified by the Ministry of Health of Madagascar of an outbreak of plague. The first case, a male from Soamahatamana village in the district of Tsiroanomandidy, was identified on 31 August. The patient died on 3 September.
As of 16 November, a total of 119 cases of plague have been confirmed, including 40 deaths. Only 2% of reported cases are of the pneumonic form.
Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – Saudi Arabia
Between 12 and 16 October 2014, the National IHR Focal Point for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) notified WHO of 5 additional cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection, including 2 deaths.
First European outbreak of avian influenza H5N8 confirmed in poultry
Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom have recently identified outbreaks of avian influenza. The first was reported on 5 November 2014 on a turkey farm in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. The virus was identified as highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N8. This is the first detection of this strain of avian influenza, also called bird flu, in Europe, although outbreaks continue in wild birds and poultry in Asia (China, Japan and the Republic of Korea). How the virus reached Europe is unknown, but testing in Germany revealed that the virus is similar to the one currently circulating in Asia.
The Netherlands outbreak was on a chicken farm in Hekendorp, north-east of Rotterdam; the virus was confirmed as H5N8 on 15 November 2014. A subsequent outbreak on a duck-breeding farm in East Yorkshire, United Kingdom was confirmed as H5N8 on 18 November. Since then two more outbreaks have been detected in the Netherlands. These are also caused by H5 viruses, but exact virological details will not be known until testing has been concluded.
Solar Activity Triggers Lightning on Earth
While recent findings point to the likelihood of more lightning around the world as the planet warms, other research suggests lightning strikes in some areas are already affected by solar activity.
In a report published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, scientists say the orientation of the sun’s magnetic field plays a significant role in the number of lightning strikes, at least in the United Kingdom.
“What we found was there is significantly more lightning in the U.K. when the field is pointing towards the sun than when it’s pointing away, which was surprising,” said lead author Matt Owens from the University of Reading.
He believes that the sun’s pushing or pulling on Earth’s magnetic field lets energetically charged particles filter down into the atmosphere, triggering the lightning.
Owens and colleagues found that between 2001 and 2006, there was a 50 percent increase in thunder and lightning in Britain when the solar magnetic field pointed away from Earth.
They conclude that while the configuration did have a clear increase in lightning for the U.K., such electrical storms might have decreased over Canada or Siberia during the period.
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity
Stromboli (Eolian Islands, Italy): Lava effusion seems to have stopped completely since about a week ago. Small strombolian explosions continue to occur sporadically from vents in the northern and central crater terrace at the summit. The apparent low activity may be the "calm before the storm": a surge in CO2 gas emissions since the beginning of November indicates that fresh magma might be on the rise within the conduit (CO2 being the least soluble magmatic gas and the first to leave the new magma). One possibility is that the arrival of new magma leads to a strong initial (and very dangerous) explosion. This scenario occurred in 2003 and 2007 during similar stages of activity (after the end of a sustained lava flow).
Dukono (Halmahera): A series of stronger explosions and/or elevated ash emissions produced a plume at 8,000 ft (2.4 km) altitude extending almost 150 km to the west of the volcano.
Colima (Western Mexico): A strong explosion occurred yesterday afternoon, producing a 5 km tall ash plume. Ash fall occurred in up to 25 km distance in the municipalities of Zapotiltic and Tamazula de Gordiano. The vulcanian-type eruption was likely the result of accumulated gas/magma pressure that ejected a solid plug blocking the vent.
Cerro Negro de Mayasquer (Colombia): The seismic crisis that began last year continues at high intensity. During the ongoing swarm more than 206,000 earthquakes have been detected in an area 4 km south of the Chiles-Cerro Negro complex since 29 Sep alone. Daily numbers of quakes have ranged between 3700-5400 earthquakes. While most quakes have been very small, a few were strong enough to be felt by local inhabitants.
Reventador (Ecuador): A new lava flow is active on the upper NW flank of the volcano, originating from the base of its lava dome. Likely, the flow started in mid to late October; on 19 Nov, it had a length of less than 1 km.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
6.9 Earthquake hits the Molucca Sea.
5.9 Earthquake hits the Philippine Islands.
5.7 Earthquake hits the Myanmar-India border region.
5.2 Earthquake hits the Hindu Kush, Afghanistan.
Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:
No current tropical storms.
NewsBytes:
New York, USA - A state of emergency has been declared after the freak snowstorm in New York State claimed lives of at least eight people in three days.
Guyana - Heavy rains have flooded thousands of homes in the South American country of Guyana and forced the closure of schools and businesses in the capital, officials said Thursday. More than 7 inches (18 centimetres) of rain fell on the capital of Georgetown in less than 24 hours, and more rain was predicted for the coming days, meteorologists said. Many streets were impassable in Georgetown and there were widespread reports of flooding in the lower floors of buildings throughout the city. No deaths were reported.
Thailand - Military officers have been put on standby in flood-prone areas in southern provinces as heavy rains continue to batter the region. Krabi, Narathiwat, Trang and Phatthalung provinces have all been hit by floods over the past few days resulting from torrential rains.
Small Volcanic Eruptions Slow Global Warming
Small volcanic eruptions are also responsible for the global warming slowdown since 2000, claims a new study. Over the years, the impact of small volcanic blasts was overlooked because their planet-cooling particles cluster below the reach of satellites, scientists said.
The study included small volcanic eruptions from 2000 to 2013. It stated that small eruptions would have discharged larger amounts of sulfur dioxide gas into the upper atmosphere than previously thought.
Sulphur dioxide gas cools the Earth by blocking some of the Sun's solar radiation and reflecting it back into space. The stratosphere is the second layer of Earth's atmosphere and is above the one in which humans live (the troposphere).
The study said one or two eruptions each year could help prevent a doubling of the solar radiation reaching Earth.
"The effects of these smaller volcanoes is part of the solution to the warming hiatus or why the climate models didn't predict that this was going to happen," said David Ridley, lead author the study and atmospheric scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
These small volcanic eruptions create droplets of sulfuric acid that combines with oxygen in the upper atmosphere and stay there for a long time. They also reflect sunlight away from the Earth.
Ridley and his colleagues also traced the source of aerosols found in the lower stratosphere and put there by volcanic eruptions early this century. The eruptions were much smaller than 1991's massive Mount Pinatubo outburst in the Philippines, which had a noticeable cooling effect on the global climate.
Findings indicate a lot of small eruptions do pump aerosols into the stratosphere, especially eruptions of high-latitude volcanoes.
Bats Drop Dead From Trees in Blistering Australian Heat
Thousands of fruit bats fell dead from trees in one area of eastern Australia as a heat wave pushed temperatures as high as 111 degrees Fahrenheit on Saturday.
The dead mammals, also known as flying foxes, piled up on the ground in Casino and the Richmond Valley of northern New South Wales, where wildlife officials warned residents not to touch the animals due to the danger of catching viruses or other illnesses.
Hundreds of infant bats left orphaned were being cared for by animal-rescue workers who said they were overwhelmed by the environmental disaster.
“Some areas along the riverbank are inaccessible, and the stench from the rotting carcasses will be quite unbearable for some time yet,” council manager John Walker told Sydney’s The Daily Telegraph.
Last January, an unprecedented heat wave in neighbouring Queensland killed as many as 100,000 flying foxes.
Global Temperature Extremes
The week's hottest temperature was 111.2 degrees Fahrenheit (44.0 degrees Celsius) at Walgett, New South Wales, Australia.
The week's coldest temperature was minus 67.5 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 55.2 degrees Celsius) at Russia's Siberian outpost of Turukhansk.
Temperatures were tabulated from the more than 10,000 worldwide synoptic weather stations. The United Nations World Meteorological Organization sets the standards for weather observations, and provides a global telecommunications circuit for data distribution.
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity
Chirpoi (Kurile Islands, Russia): Satellite images showed a weak thermal anomaly over Snow volcano on 16 November.
Sinarka (Shiashkotan Island ): The alert level of the volcano was raised to Yellow. SVERT reported steam-and-gas emissions visible on satellite images. The plume drifted 40 km E on 11 November. The next day a weak thermal anomaly was detected. Gas-and-steam activity became more robust; emissions drifted NE. A weak thermal anomaly was again detected on 16 November.
Aso (Kyushu): Mild activity continues at the volcano. During 10-14 November, white plumes were seen rising 400 m and incandescence was visible from Nakadake Crater at night.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
5.4 Earthquake hits southern Peru.
5.4 Earthquake hits near the east coast of Honshu, Japan.
5.2 Earthquake hits Taiwan.
5.2 Earthquake hits the Carlsberg ridge.
5.1 Earthquake hits Kyushu, japan.
5.0 Earthquake hits the Nicobar Islands off India.
5.0 Earthquake hits offshore Chiapas, Mexico.
Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:
In the South Indian Ocean - Tropical cyclone Adjali is located approximately 400 nm south-southwest of Diego Garcia, and is tracking west-southwestward at 04 knots.
NewsBytes:
Albania - Flooding in Albania has claimed lives of three people and kept army on standby to help emergency service workers with evacuation efforts. Heavy rainfall has caused flooding in Tirana and the western port city of Durres. The storm dumped 130 millimeters of rain in two hours overnight on the Lac and nearby Lezhe districts.
USA - From Hawaii to the Carolinas, Americans shivered as racing winds and icy roads caused accidents, school closings and delays in municipal operations from the Midwest to the South even where snowfall was low or mercifully absent. The blast of arctic air brought up to five and a half feet of snow in places.
Australia - A severe storm has caused chaos in Brisbane, with flash flooding in the city centre and surrounding suburbs which left cars floating in streets and water cascading down stairs and across footpaths.
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity
Kilauea (Hawai'i): A new surge of lava over the past 2-3 days is moving through and leaking from lava tubes that until recently were feeding the eruption front in Pahoa village. Prior to the surge, the lava flow's forward progress had stalled once again with the little remaining activity both widening and inflating the flow field. It remains to be seen how far this surge can move through the pre-existing lava tube towards Pahoa, having so far travelled "about 11 km (7 mi) in a straight line distance downslope of Pu`u `Ō`ō" according to the County of Hawai`i and USGS-HVO.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
5.3 Earthquake hits Tonga.
5.1 Earthquake hits the Molucca Sea.
5.1 Earthquake hits the Carlsberg ridge.
5.1 Earthquake hits Timor, Indonesia.
5.0 Earthquake hits Kyushu, Japan.
5.0 Earthquake hits Kapulauan Tanimbar, Indonesia.
5.0 Earthquake hits the Babuyan region in the Philippines.
Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:
In the South Indian Ocean - Tropical cyclone Adjali is located approximately 362 nm south-southwest of Diego Garcia, and is tracking southward at 07 knots.
NewsBytes:
Kenya - Heavy rainfall caused a landslide in Limuru town in Kenya which claimed the life of a 14-year-old boy.
Malaysia - The flood situation in Terengganu worsened as the number of residents affected rose to 2,312 on Wednesday (Nov 19) from 67 on the previous day. Two rivers recorded a reading that breached the warning level, namely Sungai Chalok at Jambatan Chalok and Sungai Marang at Jambatan Pengkalan Berangan.
Human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus – China
On 15 November 2014, the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) of China notified WHO of 3 additional laboratory-confirmed cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus, including 1 death.
WHO continues to closely monitor the H7N9 situation and conduct risk assessment. So far, the overall risk associated with the H7N9 virus has not changed.
Ebola Update: Vaccines in Tests, Spike in Mali, Dips in Liberia
No cases of Ebola remain in the United States at the moment, but researchers are busy working on vaccines as the virus continues to spread in West Africa. In a few areas in Liberia, cases may be on the decline, new reports find.
Researchers working on a vaccine against the Zaire strain of Ebola virus, which is causing the current outbreak, say that nearly 200 people have now received an experimental vaccine that was developed by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) and GlaxoSmithKline. The trial is a Phase I trial, meaning its goal is to test the vaccine's safety (as opposed to looking at how effectively it may work).
The trial's participants include people in the United States, Mali, Switzerland and England, the researchers said in a statement on Monday (Nov. 17). So far, data is showing promising results, indicating that the vaccine will likely move into a Phase II trial, they said, which would continue to evaluate the vaccine's safety as well as look at its effectiveness.
The vaccine contains a cold virus that infects chimpanzees, along with a single gene from the Ebola virus, which the researchers hope will prompt the body to develop an immune response to Ebola. It does not contain infectious material, and people cannot catch Ebola from the vaccine, experts said.
The researchers want to look at how the immune response of the Malian health care workers in the trial compares with that of people in England and Switzerland, by the end of this year.
"If this vaccine is proven to work, it could help alter the dynamic of this epidemic by interrupting transmission to the health care workers who are most at risk," Dr. Myron Levine, director of the Centre for Vaccine Development at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, said in the statement.
Another Ebola vaccine, developed by NewLink Genetics, is also being tested in a human clinical trial. Doctors are monitoring the immune systems of about 40 people to see how they react to an Ebola protein in the vaccine, the company said in a statement. Other treatments, including plasma from people who have recovered from Ebola, and the experimental drug ZMapp, are slated for testing by the end of 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a recent report.
"We don't know if the vaccines are going to work, and how well, and what the side effects will be, but we will get some information as we get into the New Year," said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious-disease specialist at Vanderbilt Medical Centre in Nashville, Tennessee, who is not involved with the trials.
Liberian cases drop
As for the outbreak itself, the virus continues to spread in Sierra Leone and Guinea, which had 1,166 and 1,187 deaths from Ebola as of Nov. 14, respectively, according to the CDC.
However, cases may be dropping in some areas in Liberia. Reports released last week by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggested the number of new Ebola cases is now declining in two of Liberia's 15 counties.
For example, in Lofa County, where Liberia's outbreak began, Ebola cases decreased from a peak of 153 new cases a week in August, to four new cases during the week that ended Nov. 1, a CDC report found.
Since September, Liberia's Montserrado County, home to about 1.5 million people, has seen a 73 percent decline in admissions to Ebola treatment units, a 58 percent decline in blood samples testing positive for Ebola and a 53 percent decline in the number of bodies collected, the CDC found.
An increase in Ebola treatment units, safe burials and public education may have helped stem the virus' spread in these counties, researchers said.
People in these areas are still coming down with the disease, and the virus is also spreading to rural areas in Liberia, which are hard for medical personnel to reach. In the past few weeks, doctors have reported one new cluster of cases per day in these regions, the CDC said.
Still, the declines in the two Liberian counties suggest that medical and humanitarian help are slowing the epidemic, officials said.
"The recent decrease in cases suggested by these reports shows how important it is to continue to intensify our Ebola response," CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden said in a statement. "We have to keep our guard up. In Guinea, cases have increased and decreased in waves; we can’t stop until we stop the last chain of transmission."
Mali spike
In Mali, 28 health care workers are now under observation after they had contact with a patient who died of Ebola at their hospital.
This is Mali's second wave of Ebola. On Oct. 24, a 2-year-old girl who had come to Mali from Guinea died of the disease. In a separate case at about the same time, an ill 70-year-old man traveled from Guinea to Mali's capital Bamako to receive treatment, the WHO reported.
The man had acute kidney failure, a complication common in late-stage Ebola virus, but the clinic did not test him for the disease. He died on Oct. 27, according to the WHO.
A nurse who had cared for the man died of Ebola virus on Nov. 11, and several of his family members have also tested positive for Ebola, and some have died.
"The Malians previously, with CDC guidance, jumped on the previous introductions and prevented spread," Schaffner said. "They'll have to do this again this time, and if they do it right, they ought to be able to limit spread. It's all very important because the last thing the people in Mali want is for Ebola to be established in their country."
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity
Shiveluch (Kamchatka): A series of eruptions occurred during the past days from the volcano's growing lava dome. Tokyo VAAC issued alerts about ash plumes rising up to 30,000 ft (9 km) altitude. Bad weather prevented detailed observations, but most likely, several explosions and/or avalanches with pyroclastic flows occurred. Ash was dispersed to southerly directions.
Sinabung (Sumatra, Indonesia): The volcano continues to produce occasional (generally smaller) pyroclastic flows triggered by collapsing parts of the still active lava lobe on the upper southeastern flank.
Dukono (Halmahera): A more intense explosion occurred at the volcano, sending an ash plume to estimated 2.4 km altitude this morning (VAAC Darwin). The plume drifted 15 km to the south.
Reventador (Ecuador): Activity at the volcano continues with little changes. Occasional small explosions are being reported to occur from the active lava dome in the crater.
Copahue (Chile/Argentina): The volcano remains restless. Intermittent small to moderate ash emissions from the El Agrio crater and night-time glow continue to be observed at the volcano. SERNAGEOMIN keeps the alert status at yellow, apparently because no other monitored parameters indicate more elevated activity to be expected soon.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
6.2 Earthquake hits the Prince Edward Islands.
5.9 Earthquake bits the Molucca Sea.
5.5 Earthquake hits the Nicobar islands off India.
5.3 Earthquake hits Greece.
5.3 Earthquake hits the D’Entrecasteaux Islands.
Three 5.2 Earthquakes hit the Babuyan Islands in the Philippines.
5.2 Earthquake hits Greece.
5.2 Earthquake hits the Nicobar Islands off India.
5.1 Earthquake hits the northern Mid-Atlantic ridge.
5.1 Earthquake hits the Flores Sea.
Two 5.1 Earthquakes hit the Babuyan Islands in the Philippines.
5.1 Earthquake hits southeast of Easter Island.
5.0 Earthquake hits the Molucca Sea.
5.0 Earthquake hits Tajikistan.
Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:
In the South Indian Ocean - Tropical cyclone Adjali is located approximately 279 nm southwest of Diego Garcia, and is tracking southeastward at 09 knots.
NewsBytes:
Singapore - The monsoon season has seen heavy rain falling over many parts of Singapore in the past few weeks. Hougang and Macpherson were affected by flash floods on Monday.
Florida, USA - A tornado touched down early Monday at a state prison near Blountstown in Florida's Panhandle, slightly injuring two people.
Scientists Identify Virus Killing Millions of Starfish
Scientists finally discovered the culprit responsible for wiping out starfish along the Pacific Coast: a killer virus called SSaDV. They can't exactly figure out why it became deadly or if it will continue to kill a lot of other species, however.
Researchers from University of California, Santa Cruz and Cornell University said the pathogen that causes starfish to wither and die was identified as "Sea Star Associated Densovirus (SSaDV)," a type of parvovirus found in invertebrates.
SSaDV triggered the deadly epidemic among starfish because of its overpopulation caused either by a genetic mutation or other unknown environmental factors.
The densovirus dissolves the starfish in under 10 days, leaving a pile of dissolved starfish. The infection over the past 18 months has affected a majority of the starfish population and stopped their reproduction.
Aside from starfish, the disease is also present in brittle stars and sea urchins. Their presence was also discovered in seawater and sediments collected from affected areas, including Santa Cruz and Monterey. "There are 10 million viruses in a drop of seawater, so discovering the virus associated with a marine disease can be like looking for a needle in a haystack," said Ian Hewson, a professor of microbiology at Cornell University, said in a statement.
Fishermen are also affected because they aren't able to catch crabs because their nets keep catching dissolved starfish.
Scientists are now looking for ways to reduce the number of infections by sterilizing the starfish and treating them with UV light. This should help in removing the possibility of starfish becoming extinct.
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity
Bardarbunga (Iceland): Winter conditions continue to make it difficult to study the fissure eruption at Holuhraun. Rare opportunities for visual observation however revealed that the Baugur crater ceased to eject tall lava fountains and transformed into an elongated, boiling lava lake. Magma seems to be welling up in this lava lake at the same effusion rate as early November.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
6.6 Earthquake hits off the east coast of North Island New Zealand.
6.1 Earthquake hits the D’Entrecasteaux Islands.
5.4 Earthquake hits Myanmar.
5.4 Earthquake hits the Nias region, Indonesia.
5.2 Earthquake hits off the coast of Costa Rica.
5.2 Earthquake hits the Mariana Islands.
5.0 Earthquake hits Fiji.
5.0 Earthquake hits Iceland.
Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:
In the South Indian Ocean - Tropical cyclone Adjali is located approximately 334 nm west-southwest of Diego Garcia.
NewsBytes:
Israel - Overnight and early morning storms wreaked havoc on Israel Sunday, as rain flooded roads in Tel Aviv and lightning strikes caused several injuries in the West Bank and a fire in Jerusalem.
Bird Flu in England
A case of bird flu has been confirmed at a duck breeding farm in East Yorkshire, officials have said.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said the risk to public health was very low. The poultry is being culled and a 10km (6 mile) exclusion zone is in place.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
5.4 Earthquake hits the Molucca Sea.
5.0 Earthquake hits Iceland.
5.0 Earthquake hits Sulawesi, Indonesia.
5.0 Earthquake hits the South Sandwich Islands.
5.0 Earthquake hits the Molucca Sea.
Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:
No current tropical storms.
NewsBytes:
France - Heavy rains have left five people dead in the south of France between Friday evening and Saturday morning.
Italy, Switzerland - Four people died when mudslides hit their homes in the border area between Italy and Switzerland overnight on Saturday, and a fifth was missing near the Italian port city of Genoa after days of torrential rains and flooding. Severe storms over the past few weeks have again exposed the fragile state of infrastructure in many parts of Italy, where poor planning and widespread illegal building greatly increase the threat posed by flooding. Heavy rains for much of the past month have caused chaos in many areas of Italy, flooding city streets and causing hundreds of millions of euros damage, three years after seven people were killed in severe floods in 2011.
Congo declares its Ebola outbreak over
Democratic Republic of Congo declared its three-month Ebola outbreak officially over on Saturday after 42 days without recording a new case of the disease.
Congo's outbreak, which killed 49 of the 66 people infected in the remote northwestern Equateur province, is unrelated to the outbreak in West Africa, where at least 5,177 people are known to have died in the worst Ebola outbreak on record.
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity
Pavlof (Alaska Peninsula, USA): The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) reports that "the eruption that began on November 12 has intensified and the ash cloud height is currently estimated at 25,000 ft above sea level. Thus, the Aviation Color Code has been raised to RED and the Volcano Alert Level to WARNING. The intensity of seismic tremor has increased significantly over the past 6 hours, and satellite data indicate that the ash cloud is now at an altitude of 25,000 ft above sea level. As of 11:00 am AKST (20:00 UTC) the cloud is moving towards the northwest and extends for about 125 miles (200 km) downwind."
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
7.2 Earthquake hits the Molucca Sea.
5.9 Earthquake hits Sulawesi, Indonesia.
5.6 Earthquake hits near the coast of central Peru.
5.5 Earthquake hits the Molucca Sea.
5.2 Earthquake hits southern Peru.
5.1 Earthquake hits Iceland.
Two 5.0 Earthquakes hit the Molucca Sea.
Poliovirus in South Sudan and Madagascar
In separate and unrelated events, circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses (cVDPVs) have been confirmed in South Sudan and Madagascar.
In South Sudan, 2 cases due to cVDPV type 2 (cVDPV2) have been confirmed. The strains were isolated from 2 acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) cases in Unity state, with onset of paralysis on 9 September and 12 September 2014, respectively. In Unity state, as many as 33% of children remain under-immunized against poliovirus. Both cases are from an internally-displaced persons camp in Unity state. Unity state has been affected by civil unrest, leading to population displacements and declining vaccination coverage in most of the areas.
Dengue Fever Outbreaks Strike Asia
Though much of the world is focused on the Ebola virus, pockets of Asia are struggling with record outbreaks of a mosquito-borne infectious disease called dengue fever, which has no specific drug treatment.
Guangdong Province in southern China is facing its largest outbreak of the virus in more than 20 years. There have been more than 44,000 confirmed cases in Guangdong, with more than 15,500 people hospitalized and six deaths as of Nov. 12, according to the Provincial Health and Family Planning Commission.
On Nov. 3, the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention warned travellers to the region about the outbreak, advising them to prevent mosquito bites.
The Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung, with more than 9,000 cases, is battling its largest-ever outbreak of laboratory-confirmed infections. In Hong Kong on Nov. 7, officials confirmed a third case of locally acquired dengue, after last month discovering its first in four years. Earlier this fall, Japan faced its first outbreak in 70 years.
Officials in Hong Kong expressed concern about finding multiple locally acquired cases of dengue. Though a fair number of its residents contract dengue fever each year, nearly all are infected while traveling abroad. As of Nov. 13, 102 cases of dengue had been confirmed in the city this year, 99 of which originated elsewhere.
Moscow Stink Alarms Residents
The entire Russian capital became enveloped in the foul smell of sulfur and oil products on Monday, prompting at least one resident to ask if the gates of hell had opened up beneath Moscow.
A thick fog accompanied the stink, which seeped into apartments, offices, stores and even the underground metro.
Officials in the emergencies ministry said faulty air filters at a refinery in southeastern Moscow were responsible for the stench.
But state-controlled Gazprom, which operates the refinery, denied the claim.
Air in southwestern Moscow briefly contained 2.5 times the maximum permissible levels of styrene, a toxic and mutation-causing chemical used for polymer production, according to city-run watchdog MosEcoMonitoring.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
5.7 Earthquake hits the Kuril Islands.
5.5 Earthquake hits Vanuatu.
5.4 Earthquake hits Kyrgyzstan.
5.1 Earthquake hits Golfo de Fonseca, Honduras.
5.0 Earthquake hits off the east coast of Kamchatka.
5.0 Earthquake hits New Guinea, Papua New Guinea.
5.0 Earthquake hits the Rat Islands in the Aleutian Islands.
Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:
No current tropical storms.
NewsBytes:
Canada - Frigid temperatures and snow have expanded into Ontario and Quebec as a wave of cold air moves east. Snow has begun falling in the north of Ontario, and freezing rain is forecast in parts of Quebec. The sharply cooler temperatures are a result of frigid air pushed in by a powerful storm that hit Alaska with hurricane-force winds.
Ireland - Flooding across several counties after heavy rain. The Irish Met Office has issued an orange warning, its second most serious category, for Dublin, Louth, Wexford, Wicklow, Meath and Monaghan.
Global Warming Driving Some Kenyans Nocturnal
Days in northern Kenya have become so hot under climate change that some residents have turned nocturnal to escape the heat.
Nightfall has become something to celebrate in Atheley and other villages, where afternoon readings in excess of 104 degrees Fahrenheit became common for the first time this year.
The Thomson Reuters Foundation reports this has made farming, going to school and other daily activities a struggle.
Villagers now take refuge in circular huts, waiting for sunset before venturing outside.
Students attend classes between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m., then return at dawn for an additional two-hour session.
New solar lighting technology, which charges up during the broiling daylight hours, has allowed these remote communities to adapt to nocturnal life.
“I have lived in Atheley for 50 years and I have never witnessed such weather conditions, which have turned us into prisoners, forcing us to work at night when we are supposed to rest before another grueling day of trekking for water and herding livestock," village elder Abey told freelance journalist Abjata Khalif.
Global Temperature Extremes
The week's hottest temperature was 107.6 degrees Fahrenheit (42.0 degrees Celsius) at Mandora, Western Australia.
The week's coldest temperature was minus 57.6 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 49.8 degrees Celsius) at Russia's Vostok Antarctic research station.
Temperatures were tabulated from the more than 10,000 worldwide synoptic weather stations. The United Nations World Meteorological Organization sets the standards for weather observations, and provides a global telecommunications circuit for data distribution.
Marburg virus disease - Uganda
On 11 November 2014, the Government of Uganda declared that Uganda was free of the Marburg virus. This declaration was made at the National Media Centre by the Minister of State for Primary Health Care, Hon. Sarah Achieng Opendi.
On 4 October 2014, WHO was notified by the Government of Uganda of a case of Marburg virus disease. The case was a male health professional that developed symptoms on 11 September. On 17 September, the patient was admitted to a district health facility in Mpigi. He was later transferred to a hospital in Kampala. On 28 September, the case passed away and was buried on 30 September in Kasese district.
Legionnaires' disease – Portugal
On 9 November 2014, WHO was notified by the National IHR Focal Point for Portugal of a large outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in Vila Franca de Xira, a suburban area of Lisbon.
The first 17 cases were identified between 6 and 7 November. Since then, the number of cases has increased exponentially. On 12 November, the Directorate-General for Health of Portugal reported a total of 302 cases of Legionnaires' disease. So far, 5 deaths have been confirmed to be caused by the disease. Four more deaths are currently being investigated. All cases have epidemiological links to the outbreak taking place in Vila Franca de Xira.
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity
Stromboli (Eolian Islands, Italy): Occasional mild strombolian explosions occur from the summit vents. Very weak lava effusion also continues, at least intermittently from the vent at 650 m elevation.
Ontake-san (Honshu): JMA reported that cloud cover often prevented visual observations of Ontakesan during 5-11 November; white plumes rose 200-300 m above the crater rim and drifted NE, E, and SE. The Alert Level remained at 3 (on a scale of 1-5).
Suwanose-jima (Ryukyu Islands): Tokyo VAAC reported a small eruption this morning, producing an ash plume to 6,000 ft (1.8 km) altitude. At least intermittently, the volcano continues to produce strombolian explosions of varying intensity.
Mayon (Luzon Island): During 5-11 November white plumes rose from Mayon's crater and drifted S, SW, WSW, WNW, and NW, sometimes downslope. Weak incandescence from the crater was noted some nights. As many as five volcanic earthquakes were recorded per day. The Alert Level remained at 3 (on a 0-5 scale).
Ibu (Halmahera, Indonesia): When observed during 12-13 Nov, there was frequent mild to moderate explosive activity from at two different vents in the center of the lava dome. No activity was observed at the lava dome itself. The vent to the south is surrounded by a recent-looking cinder cone, about 30 m tall and 60 m wide, and produced likely phreatomagmatic explosions at intervals of 20-30 mintues. These typically seemed to start from a cluster of vents inside the cone's crater, ejecting dense white steam as well as gray ash plumes, sometimes followed by dense black tephra jets reaching 10-20 m in height. Sometimes, the ash plumes collapsed to form small pyroclastic flows running down the western slope of the cone. At night, weak incandescence could be seen and only few glowing blombs were ejected during these eruptions.
Monowai (Kermandec Islands, New Zealand): New Zealand scientists concluded that most likely 3 underwater eruptions occurred during this October at the shallow submarine volcano, one of the most active ones in the Tonga-Kermadec arc. This conclusion was based on both the observation of a pumice raft in the area on 31 Oct and the analysis of so-called T-waves, a particular kind of acoustic waves that propagate well in the ocean and have been found to be typically associated with submarine eruptions from Monovai seamount.
Pavlof (Alaska Peninsula, USA): A new eruption began at the volcano on 12 Nov afternoon about 3:00 pm AKST (00:00 UTC on 13 November). The eruption comes from a vent at the upper northern flank just below the summit and has been characterized by ash emissions to about 9000 feet (2.7 km), lava fountaining and avalanches of rock debris and ash descending the north flank of the volcano. Minor ash emissions were visible in the FAA-operated web camera in Cold Bay beginning around 4:50 pm AKST yesterday (1:50 UTC on 13 November). Observations from ground observers in Cold Bay coincided with a subtle but distinct increase in seismic activity, and the appearance of a thermal signal at the summit of Pavlof evident in satellite images at 5:40 pm AKST (02:40 UTC 13 November). Since these initial reports of activity, seismic activity has continued to increase gradually and the thermal signal at the summit remains evident in satellite data. Cloud cover has obscured the volcano and no new observations on ash emissions are available. However, the level of seismicity suggests that ash emission continues. (AVO)
Santiaguito (Guatemala): Both explosive and effusive activity continue from the Caliente lava dome. The observatory reports weak ash explosions ejecting plumes that rise approx. 500 m. The length of the viscous lava flow to the SE is now more than 3.3 km long and has two active fronts, one inside the Nima1 river bed, the other outside its banks.
Pacaya (Guatemala): It seems new strombolian explosive activity has started around 10-11 November from the Mackenney crater. INSIVUMEH reported in its special bulletin that an increase in gas emissions as well as fine ash expulsions have been observed. Together, they form plumes reaching 3000 m altitude and drifting SW for approx. 7 km. The seismic signal shows elevated activity as well. This could be the beginning of a new episode of strombolian activity, which in turn would slowly start building a new cone inside the Mackenney crater.
Fuego (Guatemala): Explosive activity from the volcano has slowly been increasing over the past 1-2 weeks. Eruptions of moderate size with ash plumes up to more than 1000 m height have become more frequent. Shock waves could be felt in up to 20 km distance and rattled windows and roofs of houses in villages around the volcano.
Reventador (Ecuador): IG reported moderate volcanic activity including explosions, long-period earthquakes, harmonic tremor, and tremor at Reventador during 5-11 November. On 11 November steam plumes with a minor ash content rose 1 km and drifted NW. Cloudy conditions frequently obscured views of the summit.
Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:
No current tropical storms.
NewsBytes:
Somalia - The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Tuesday said that seasonal flooding in several regions of Somalia have now affected more than 50,000 people.
Malaysia - Two tornadoes this week in Alor Setar, Kedah region of Malaysia have left a swathe of destruction including damaging at least 30 houses.
Global warming increasing spread of dead zones in oceans, rivers
Global warming is likely playing a bigger role than previously thought in dead zones in oceans, lakes and rivers around the world and it's only going to get worse, according to a new study.
Dead zones occur when fertilizer runoff clogs waterways with nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorous. That leads to an explosion of microbes that consumes oxygen and leaves the water depleted of oxygen, harming marine life.
Scientists have long known that warmer water increases this problem, but a new study Monday in the journal Global Change Biology by Smithsonian Institution researchers found about two dozen different ways — biologically, chemically and physically — that climate change worsens the oxygen depletion.
Warmer water holds less oxygen, adding to the problem from runoff, but warmer water also affects dead zones by keeping the water more separate, so that oxygen-poor deep water mixes less.
When the water gets warmer, marine life's metabolism increases, making them require more oxygen just as the oxygen levels are already dropping. Other ways that climate change affects dead zones includes longer summers, ocean acidification and changing wind and current patterns, the study said.
A duck swims in Lake Michigan's Green Bay near an accumulation of algae. The bay is one of the many bodies of water that have developed dead zones, areas where fertilizer and wastewater runoff has created excessive levels of nutrients that build up microbes but deprive marine life of oxygen.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
5.3 Earthquake hits Iceland.
5.2 Earthquake hits northwest of the Kuril Islands.
5.2 Earthquake hits the Banda Sea.
5.0 Earthquake hits southern Iran.
5.0 Earthquake hits south of the Mariana Islands.
Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:
No current tropical storms.
NewsBytes:
El Niño - NOAA dropped their odds of an El Niño event forming this winter from 67% in their October outlook to 58% in their November outlook, but a surge of warm water over the equatorial Eastern Pacific over the past week could signal the onset of El Niño.
Italy - More flooding and landslides in northern Italy have claimed lives of at least three people. The torrential rain and flooding have affected Tuscany, Lombardy, Liguria and Emilia-Romagna regions.
Traces of Fukushima Radiation Detected Off California Coast
Extremely low levels of radioactive cesium from Japan's 2011 Fukushima nuclear meltdown are present in ocean water offshore Northern California, researchers announced Monday.
In seawater collected about 100 miles (161 kilometers) offshore of Eureka, the amount of cesium-134 was 2 Becquerels per cubic meter of water (a unit of measure based on the number of radioactive decay events per second per 260 gallons of water). That's about 1,000 times lower than the drinking water limit set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
This level of radioactivity does not represent a health hazard for people who want to fish or swim in the area, said Ken Buesseler, a marine chemist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, who helped analyze the seawater. Buesseler is leading a crowdfunded citizen science program to track cesium levels from the meltdown by collecting water samples along the U.S. and Canadian West Coast.
A swimmer who spent 6 hours every day for a year in water with 10 Becquerels per cubic meter of cesium-134 would still receive 1,000 times less radiation than the dose from a single dental X-ray, Buesseler said. "Now, we have measurements that confirm that for human health, when a mother from Santa Cruz calls me and asks if it's safe for my son to go surfing, we have far fewer concerns," he said.
To date, no cesium-134 has been found at Canadian or U.S. beaches, including those in Hawaii, Alaska, Washington, Oregon and California. The short-lived isotope has only been detected offshore.
Second Ebola Death in Mali
Mali reported a second death from Ebola, four days after Doctors Without Borders said it appeared the country may have prevented the spread of the disease.
A nurse died yesterday after treating a man in his 70s from Guinea at the Pasteur Clinic in Bamako, Sona Bari.
Mali is now monitoring 28 people for possible exposure to the virus.
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity
Bagana (Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea): Eruptive activity at the volcano continues. Several ash plumes were observed on satellite imagery during the past days, indicating continuing explosions. VAAC Darwin estimated the altitude of the ash plumes extending several tens of km to the south at 10,000 ft (3 km).
Kilauea (Hawai'i): Today lava reached and burned an unoccupied home on private property near the transfer station on Apa`a Rd. Lava first flowed nearby on October 25, with the front approximately 50m/yds wide and 75m/yds away from the residence. The main flow went by, and after stalling near Pahoa Village Rd has widened upslope and nearby the transfer station. This is the first residence destroyed by lava from Pu`u `O`o since Jack's Lava House in March 2012.
Sabancaya (Peru): A pilot reported an ash plume yesterday rising to approx. 6 km altitude. Webcam imagery shows a degassing plume mixed with possibly light ash content. Seimic activity is elevated. (VAAC Buenos Aires)
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
5.8 Earthquake hits Antofagasto, Chile.
5.6 Earthquake hits the Kermedec Islands off New Zealand.
5.4 Earthquake hits southern Iran.
5.3 Earthquake hits the Nicobar Islands off India.
5.2 Earthquake hits the South Sandwich Islands.
5.1 Earthquake hits the Nicobar Islands off india.
5.0 Earthquake hits Lake Tanganyika, Central-East Africa.
5.0 Earthquake hits off the east coast of North island, New Zealand.
5.0 Earthquake bits the Nicobar Islands off India.
Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:
No current tropical storms.
NewsBytes:
Colombia - Floods and landslides in Colombia have claimed the lives of at least 38 people and left 18,000 homeless. Flooding and landslides have also put five of Colombia’s 32 states on red alert. Worst damages have been reported in Antioquia, Valle de Cauca, and Cauca States.
Portugal: Legionnaire’s disease outbreak
An outbreak of the bacterial infection, Legionnaire’s disease, has sickened more than a hundred (120) and killed four people in the central Portuguese region of Vila Franca de Xira, a municipality in the Lisbon District.
Many of the cases are being treated in Lisbon.
The Portuguese authorities are seeking out the source of the outbreak. Samples have been taken from the area’s drinking water supply and disinfection of water tanks has been ordered. The Secretary of State for Health has warned the population to avoid taking showers or using Jacuzzis or hot-tubs until the source of the infection has been identified.
Legionnaires’ disease gained national notoriety in 1976 when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) discovered it during an epidemic of pneumonia among American legion members at a convention in Philadelphia.
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity
Zhupanovsky (Kamchatka, Russia): A new phase of eruptions started on 8 Nov. An initial explosion at 21:55 (UTC) on 7 Nov produced an ash plume that rose to approx. 10 km altitude and drifted SE. Several smaller explosions with ash emissions have been following during the past days. A plume can be seen extending over 250 km length to the southeast from Kamchatka. After having downgraded it for only 2 days to yellow, KVERT raised the volcano's status again to orange.
Dukono (Halmahera): During our stay at the volcano from 8-10 Nov, there were no explosions, but the volcano produced vigorous constant ash venting from at least 2 vents inside the crater. The ash plume was rising 200-400 meters and drifting to the southeast.
Sabancaya volcano (Peru) A pilot reported an ash plume yesterday rising to approx. 6 km altitude. Webcam imagery shows a degassing plume mixed with possibly light ash content. Seimic activity is elevated. (VAAC Buenos Aires)
Bagana volcano (Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea) Eruptive activity at the volcano continues. Several ash plumes were observed on satellite imagery during the past days, indicating continuing explosions. VAAC Darwin estimated the altitude of the ash plumes extending several tens of km to the south at 10,000 ft (3 km).
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
6.0 Earthquake hits southeast of the Loyalty Islands.
5.5 Earthquake hits the Philippine Islands.
5.2 Earthquake hits the Mid-Indian ridge.
5.0 Earthquake hits south of Fiji.
U.N.'s Most Dire Climate Change Warning Yet
The U.N. panel on climate change concluded in its fourth and final volume of climate assessment that humans may be forced to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero this century to avoid global temperatures rising to dangerous levels.
It also warned that failure to reduce the use of fossil fuels could compel the world to find ways of removing carbon emissions from the atmosphere in the future.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s assessment also says human activities are to blame for nearly all global warming since the 1950s.
“Science has spoken. There is no ambiguity in their message. Leaders must act. Time is not on our side,” U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said at the report’s launch in Copenhagen.
The final report must be approved by governments and scientists in advance of a 2015 deadline for a global agreement on limiting climate change.
The IPCC says the financial costs of shifting to solar, wind and other renewable sources, and improving energy efficiency, would reduce global economic growth only by 0.06 per cent annually.
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity
Bardarbunga (Iceland): The volcanic eruption at Holuhraun gives no signs of weakening and continues to eject an impressive lava fountain from the central Baugur crater at a rate similar to the past few weeks. This record-breaking eruption started on the 31st of August 2014 and formed a more than 17 km long lava flow. Using the successive outlines of this lava flow as drawn on a radar image from the Icelandic Coast Guard, researchers from the Institute of Earth Sciences estimated that by now the lava has covered an area of 70 km².
Subsidence of the glacier surface above the Bárdarbunga caldera is also still going on. This vertical displacement is monitored by near real time presentation of data from a GPS station that was mounted in the centre of the caldera on September 11. There was a technical problem that prohibited transmission of these GPS data on the 8th of November, but this has been fixed. Comparison of the vertical location of this GPS station before and after the ca. 24 h communication problem shows subsidence of up to half a meter in a single day. The total subsidence recorded at Bárdarbunga caldera since 12 September is 21 m and based on earlier GPS data the total subsidence since the onset of this eruption is at least 44 m.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
5.4 Earthquake hits the northern Mid-Atlantic ridge.
5.3 Earthquake hits Fiji.
5.2 Earthquake hits Greece.
5.2 Earthquake hits the western Indian-Antarctic ridge.
5.0 Earthquake hits Mindanao in the Philippines.
Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:
No current tropical storms.
NewsBytes:
Malta - A rare "Medicane" - a hybrid storm with characteristics of both a tropical storm and an extratropical storm - formed over the South Central Mediterranean Sea on Friday and moved over the island of Malta, bringing it tropical storm-like conditions. Winds at the Luqa, Malta Airport looked suspiciously like what one would observe with a tropical storm passing overhead - a double peak with a near-calm in between, with the pressure falling to 984 mb during the calm. Winds peaked in Malta at 47 mph, gusting to 66 mph, at 6:37 pm local time, and the island was lashed with flooding rains. At least one funnel cloud was also observed.
Italy - Much of Italy remained on maximum weather alert on Friday as the wave of storms and torrential rain that has caused huge disruption and floods in many areas continued. Schools in Rome reopened as the level of alert there was lowered from red to orange, but students in other parts of the country, including the city of Frosinone near the capital and Catania in Sicily, had the day off as a precaution with storms forecast to arrive. Disruption also continued in Rome, despite the lowering of the alert, with floods causing one metro station to close on Friday, after four were temporarily shut on Thursday, and a woman passer-by was hurt when a tree fell amid torrential rain. The bad weather also contributed to major traffic congestion in the city. The bad weather system, which hit northern Italy first this week, causing massive damage and flooding in the Tuscan city of Carrara, has extended southwards. Strong winds and rain lashed Calabria and Puglia, while sea connections between Naples and the islands of Capri were suspended.
Alaska - A massive storm in the Bering Sea, off the western Alaska coast and to the east of Russia, strengthened enough to be considered the strongest storm that the turbulent region has ever seen. It may not be an official record, however, as the minimum central pressure of 924 millibars (mb) was estimated by meteorologists, since the storm is over the open ocean off the Kamchatka Peninsula.
Ozone Hole Healing Stalls
The hole in stratospheric ozone over Antarctica has remained stubbornly large in recent years despite a worldwide ban since 1987 on the chlorine emissions that created it, according to NASA.
While this year’s maximum expanse of the ozone hole, reached on Sept. 9, was about 9 percent less than the record set in 2000, its coverage was about the same as in 2010, 2012 and 2013.
Earth’s ozone layer helps shield life on the surface from potentially harmful ultraviolet radiation that can cause skin cancer, cataracts and plant damage.
The reason the hole isn’t closing up despite no new chlorofluorocarbons being released into the atmosphere is clouded by a complex interaction between it and climate change, scientists say.
“The ozone hole itself is affecting the climate of Antarctica and Australia, and is being affected by it. It is changing the wind systems,” said Jonathan Shanklin of the British Antarctic Survey, one of the three scientists who discovered the hole in the 1980s.
He tells The Guardian he expects the ozone hole to gradually fill in even as the effects of climate change increase over the next 50 years or so.
The U.N. Environment Program and the World Meteorological Organization announced last month that while there were “positive indications” that the ozone layer is recovering, it could take another 35 years to get back to 1980s levels.
The ozone hole over Antarctica two days after it reached its greatest size this year.
Drought in Brazil
Sao Paulo is suffering the worst drought to hit southeastern Brazil in more than eight decades. Brazil's biggest city is desperate for water as a severe drought causes problems for more than 10 million people in southeast Brazil.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
6.9 Earthquake hits New Britain, papua New Guinea.
5.4 Earthquake hits northern Sumatra, Indonesia.
5.4 Earthquake hits off the east coast of Honshu, Japan.
5.3 Earthquake hits the Nicobar islands off India.
5.3 Earthqauke hits Guatemala.
5.2 Earthquake hits New Britain, Papua New Guinea.
5.2 Earthquake hits Mato de Grosso Do Sul, Brazil.
5.2 Earthquake hits the South Sandwich Islands.
5.2 Earthquake hits Iceland.
5.1 Earthquake hits Mindanao in the Philippines.
5.0 Earthquake hits Greece.
Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:
Tropical cyclone (tc) 05b (Five), located approximately 496 nm south of Calcutta, India, has tracked west-northwestward at 03
Tropical Storm 20w (Nuri), For 24 hours, Nuri was a category 5 monster storm with maximum sustained winds of 180 mph, tying with Typhoon Vongfong as the strongest cyclone of the season. But Nuri may actually make a name for itself after it loses its tropical characteristics when it moves north into the Bering Sea. When it gets there, all the warm, tropical air it's pushing around will crash into a mountain of cold air and cause a violent explosion of meteorological energy that could propel this storm into history. The National Weather Service in Anchorage says that during that so-called "bombogenesis" the storm's central pressure — an important measure of intensity — will deepen from 970 MB late Thursday to between 918 to 922 MB late Friday.The Aleutian Islands will be pummeled with 40 to 50 foot waves and wind gusts of up to 100 mph. This storm is so strong that it will also cause the jet stream to plunge south, bringing cold temperatures to a huge part of the U.S.
NewsBytes:
Switzerland - A landslide in Switzerland has claimed the lives of at least two people. The landslide buried the house in a heavily wooded area in Bombinasco.
Malaysia - Flash floods and landslides at Malaysian hill station Cameron Highlands have claimed the lives of at least three people. The landslide at Ringlet and Bertam Valley buried two and flash floods in Kuala Terla killed one person.
Uganda - The recent floods in western Uganda have displaced over 16,000 people. Heavy rainfall caused the River Semliki burst its banks and affected the western Ugandan district of Ntoroko.
Italy - In Italy, hundreds of residents have been evacuated from the northern Tuscan city of Carrara after heavy rainfall led to widespread flooding. Around 180 millimetres of rain fell in three hours, flooding the lower floors of many houses and factories in Carrara, famous for its marble.
Global Temperature Extremes
The week's hottest temperature was 108.7 degrees Fahrenheit (42.6 degrees Celsius) at Mandora, Western Australia.
The week's coldest temperature was minus 61.8 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 52.1 degrees Celsius) at Russia's Vostok Antarctic research station.
Temperatures were tabulated from the more than 10,000 worldwide synoptic weather stations. The United Nations World Meteorological Organization sets the standards for weather observations, and provides a global telecommunications circuit for data distribution.
Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – Saudi Arabia
Between 27 and 30 October 2014, the National IHR Focal Point of Saudi Arabia (KSA) notified WHO of 12 additional cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection, including 3 deaths.
Ebola Update - Texas
As of midnight Friday, it was 21 days since anyone got Ebola or was in contact with someone who got Ebola.
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity
Zhupanovsky (Kamchatka, Russia): KVERT reported that the eruption at Zhupanovsky had likely finished in mid-October; satellite images last detected an explosion on 11 October and a thermal anomaly on 12 October.
Volcanologists conducting an overflight on 17 October observed only gas-and-steam activity from the active crater. The Aviation Color Code was lowered to Yellow.
Ontake-san (Honshu): White plumes rose 100-300 m above the crater rim and drifted NE and SE during 29-30 October and 4 November. The Alert Level remained at 3 (on a scale of 1-5).
Mayon (Luzon Island): PHIVOLCS reported that during 28 October-4 November white plumes rose from Mayon's crater and drifted SW, WSW, WNW, and NW, sometimes down the flanks. Weak incandescence from the crater was noted at night on 28 October.
A few volcanic earthquakes and rockfall signals were recorded during 29-31 October and 4 November. A 4 November report noted that ground deformation had been detected since the beginning of 2014.
Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:
Tropical Storm 20w (Nuri), located approximately 130 nm west-northwest of Chichi Jima, has tracked northeastward at 12 knots.
NewsBytes:
Italy - Italy's agricultural heartland in the fertile north was particularly heavily hit by the flooding. Mud and water have destroyed orchards and vineyards in the regions of Tuscany, Liguria and Veneto. One person died in the floods in Tuscany. Near Milan, heavy rain swelled the Po River by almost 2 meters (yards) in 24 hours. The civil protection agency warned of dangerous weather from Liguria in the northwest to the southern island of Sicily. Italy's unstable, mountainous landscape leaves it vulnerable to flooding and landslides, a problem long made worse the abandonment of farmland and reckless construction.
Taurid Meteor Shower
The Taurid meteors, sometimes called the "Halloween fireballs," show up between mid-October and mid-November, and these slow and majestic meteors are typically at their best from Nov. 5 through Nov. 12.
Unfortunately, the presence of a brilliant moon will seriously affect this year's Taurid meteor shower. The moon, in fact, turns full on Thursday (Nov. 6), the so-called "Beaver Moon" of November. On that night, bright moonlight will flood the sky much of the night, squelching all but the brightest meteors. Thereafter, as the moon sets later in the evening and slowly wanes in brightness, the visibility will gradually improve.
Venezuela - Tropical Diseases
Venezuela is in the grip of one of the worst outbreaks of tropical diseases in decades, and the response by public health authorities has been slow and inefficient, two non-governmental groups reported Tuesday.
In 2014, Venezuela had over 150,000 recorded cases of dengue, malaria, and Chikungunya, the report said.
The country also had 1.2 million fever episodes without a precise diagnoses.
The epidemic is one of the worst in 25 years, said former health minister Jose Felix Oletta.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
5.2 Earthquake hits the Kermedec Islands.
5.0 Earthquake hits Guam.
Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:
Tropical Depression Vance is located about 40 mi...70 km NW of Las Islas Marias Mexico with maximum sustained winds...35 mph...55 km/h. Present movement...NE or 50 degrees at 13 mph...20 km/h.
Hazards affecting land - rainfall...the combination of Vance and moisture spreading northward and northeastward ahead of the system are expected to produce rainfall totals of 4 to 8 inches with isolated amounts near 12 inches through today over the states of Sinaloa…Nayarit...and Durango in western Mexico. Surf...swells generated by Vance are affecting portions of the coast of southwestern Mexico and Baja California sur.
Typhoon 20w (Nuri), located approximately 182 nm west-southwest of Iwo To, and is tracking north-northeastward at 12 knots.
NewsBytes:
Caribbean - Heavy rainfall caused by a cluster of storms in the northern Caribbean has claimed lives of at least eight people in Haiti. Major flooding has been also reported in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.
Australia is 'holding back' global climate change fight
Australia is a drag on international efforts to tackle climate change, says leading economist and former government adviser Professor Ross Garnaut.
Prof Garnaut said the country had failed to make its "fair share" of greenhouse gas cuts.
Earlier, Prime Minister Tony Abbott reiterated his position that coal was the foundation of global energy needs.
Australia has the world's highest carbon emissions per capita and is its second biggest coal exporter.
Prof Garnaut was appointed by the previous Labor government to examine the impact of climate change on the Australian economy.
He said it was clear before the last election that the main political parties supported Australia's commitment to the United Nations to cut emissions unconditionally by 5% from 2000 levels by 2020 - and by a further between 15% and 25%, depending on the extent of international action.
He was reacting to comments by Mr Abbott made earlier in the day that coal was the foundation of Australia's prosperity and would be so "for the foreseeable future".
Mr Abbott said that if the world was serious about lifting the living standards of the poorest people, "we have to be serious about making the best use of coal".
A UN-backed expert panel has warned that the unrestricted use of fossil fuels must be phased out by 2100 if the world is to avoid dangerous climate change.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says most of the world's electricity can - and must - be produced from low-carbon sources by 2050.
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity
Sakurajima (Kyushu, Japan): The volcano's activity is currently elevated. At least 3 explosions yesterday produced ash plumes that rose to more than 10,000 ft (3 km) altitude.
Sinabung (Sumatra, Indonesia): Growth of the viscous lava dome and lava lobe on the southeastern flank continues. Several pyroclastic flows, mostly smaller ones, have occurred from time to time during the past days. At least some of them seem now to affect the previously untouched western flank, perhaps as the result of the changed topography at the summit due to the accumulated lava.
Kilauea (Hawai'i): USGS staff from HVO measured the lava flow yesterday and reported that "the leading edge of the flow has not advanced since last Thursday, October 30, but the flow continued to inflate, and minor breakouts were scattered across the flow interior behind the flow front. The most significant (although still minor) breakouts were occurring about 370 meters (405 yards) above Apaʻa Street on Tuesday afternoon.
Popocatépetl (Central Mexico): The volcano's activity remains essentially unchanged. A new lava dome is slowly growing in the inner summit crater and produces glow at night and occasional small explosions. During the past 24 hours, activity has been a bit more intense. An explosion 20 minutes ago sent incandescent material to approx. 600 m distance outside the crater rim.
Copahue (Chile/Argentina): Light ash emissions occurred yesterday from the volcano. Glow continues to be visible from the crater at night. SERNAGEOMIN keeps the volcano's alert status unchanged at yellow.
Piton de la Fournaise (La Réunion): There are signs that a new eruption could be on its way: an increasing number of shallow earthquakes has been registered under the volcano recently. The volcano observatory (OVPF) and the prefecture raised the alert level to 1 (on a scale of 0-3), which includes some access restrictions to the enclos (the caldera of the volcano).
