Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

There have been no 5.0 + magnitude earthquakes reported so far today.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

In the Atlantic Ocean: Hurricane Dorian is located about 470 mi...755 km e of West Palm Beach Florida and about 305 mi...490 km e of the northwestern Bahamas with maximum sustained winds...140 mph...220 km/h. Present movement...wnw or 290 degrees at 12 mph...19 km/h.

Nature - Images

Interesting Images

A dragonfly covered in morning dew gives it the appearance of a jewel-encrusted broach.

Wildfires

Wildfires - Alaska - Update

As of Thursday night, more than 200 wildfires were blazing in our most northern state, including a monster-sized wildfire, The Swan Lake fire that was ignited by lightning on June 5. The Swan Lake fire, near Sterling on the Kenai Peninsula, has become the country's largest wildfire, growing to over 161,000 acres, as of Thursday night. Meanwhile the Ethel Creek Fire near Koliganek that has now burned over 18,000 acres.

Wildfires - California, USA

A wildfire in California’s high desert near Susanville is expected to burn for another week. The R-1 Ranch Fire was started Wednesday evening by a lightning strike in Hagata Canyon, east of Eagle Lake. Twenty-four hours later, it had burned 1,800 acres and was 10 percent contained.

The biggest wildfire currently burning in California is the Springs Fire, south of Mono Lake. Started on July 26 by a lightning strike, it has burned 3,844 acres and is 50 percent contained.

Wildfires - Brazil

Brazil’s government is banning most legal fires, used for land-clearing, for at least 60 days in the wake of the massive blazes that ravaged the Amazon rainforest.

Currently, farmers and others are allowed to set some fires as long as they have licenses from environmental authorities, the country’s forest code states.

This year, however, there’s been a 77 percent uptick in fires compared to the same period last year — a total of 83,000 blazes, the network reported, citing data from the National Institute for Space Research.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

6.3 earthquake hits off the coast of Oregon, USA.

5.3 earthquake hits the northern mid-Atlantic ridge.

5.2 earthquake hits Tonga.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

In the Atlantic Ocean: Hurricane Dorian is located about 260 mi...420 km ene of the southeastern Bahamas and about 530 mi...850 km e of the northwestern Bahamas with maximum sustained winds...105 mph...165 km/h. Present movement...nw or 320 degrees at 12 mph...19 km/h.

NewsBytes:

Russia - Over a dozen cities and districts on Russia’s Pacific coast have declared a state of emergency over torrential rains that have caused severe floods this week. Footage showed flooded roads and homes, as well as dangerous mudslides, in the major Far Eastern city of Vladivostok. Weather forecasters say a month’s worth of rainfall has descended on the city in two days, with more precipitation expected in the coming days.

Nature - Images

Interesting Images

Tumbleweed Invasion

A huge hybrid tumbleweed that can grow up to 6 feet in height is spreading across California, burying neighborhoods, causing traffic accidents and helping to spread wildfires.

Experts had predicted the hybrid would go extinct. But Salsola ryanii is now tumbling into new areas of California and could expand its territory even farther.

The thistle inherited extra sets of chromosomes from each parent, which scientists believe is why it has grown larger and more vigorous than either of its parents.

Environment

Global Temperature Extremes

The week’s hottest temperature was 120 degrees Fahrenheit (48.9 degrees Celsius) in Al Qaysumah, Saudi Arabia.

The week’s coldest temperature was minus 101.0 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 73.9 degrees Celsius) at Russia’s Vostok base, Antarctica.

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.

Disease

Anthrax - Canada

The Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture is reminding producers to be on the lookout for anthrax in their animals after an anthrax case was confirmed in the RM of Golden West in southeastern Saskatchewan. Anthrax was confirmed by laboratory results on August 29, 2019, as the cause of sudden death in seven animals.

Volcanos

Global Volcanic Activity - Ongoing Activity for the week of 21 August - 27 August 2019

Aira | Kyushu (Japan) : JMA reported that very small eruptive events at Minamidake crater (at Aira Caldera’s Sakurajima volcano) occasionally occurred during 19-26 August. The Alert Level remained at 3 (on a 5-level scale).

Asosan | Kyushu (Japan) : JMA reported that during 18-23 August ash plumes rose from Asosan and drifted N and NW. Crater incandescence was visible at night. An eruption recorded during 1130-1945 on 25 August generated ash plumes that drifted E. The sulfur dioxide emission rate was 1,800 tons per day on 21 August and remained high on 25 August. The Alert Level remained at 2 (on a scale of 1-5).

Dukono | Halmahera (Indonesia) : Based on satellite and wind model data, and information from PVMBG, the Darwin VAAC reported that during 21-27 August ash plumes from Dukono rose to altitudes of 1.8-2.1 km (6,000-7,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted mainly E, NE, N, and NW. The Alert Level remained at 2 (on a scale of 1-4), and the public was warned to remain outside of the 2-km exclusion zone.

Ebeko | Paramushir Island (Russia) : Volcanologists in Severo-Kurilsk (Paramushir Island), about 7 km E of Ebeko, observed explosions during 17-23 August that sent ash plumes up to 3 km (10,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted SE. A thermal anomaly was identified in satellite images on 16 August. The Aviation colour Code remained at Orange (the second highest level on a four-colour scale).

Ibu | Halmahera (Indonesia) : PVMBG reported that at 0704 on 22 August an ash plume from Ibu rose at least 800 m above the summit and drifted W. Seismicity was characterized by an explosion signal and earthquakes indicating rock avalanches. The Alert Level remained at 2 (on a scale of 1-4), and the public was warned to stay at least 2 km away from the active crater, and 3.5 km away on the N side.

Karangetang | Siau Island (Indonesia) : PVMBG reported that during 19-25 August lava continued to effuse from Karangetang’s Main Crater (S) and Dua Crater (N). Avalanches of incandescent material traveled 1-1.5 km SW down the Nanitu and Pangi drainages, as far as 2 km down a drainage W of Pangi, and as far as 1.8 km down the Sense drainage. Sometimes dense white plumes rose to 200 m above the summit. The Alert Level remained at 2 (on a scale of 1-4).

Karymsky | Eastern Kamchatka (Russia) : KVERT reported that ash plumes from Karymsky were visible in satellite images drifting 500 km SW during 20-22 August. Explosions on 21 August produced ash plumes that rose to 6 km (19,700 ft) a.s.l. A thermal anomaly over the volcano was visible during 21-22 August. The Aviation colour Code remained at Orange (the second highest level on a four-colour scale).

Klyuchevskoy | Central Kamchatka (Russia) : KVERT reported that a weak thermal anomaly over Klyuchevskoy was visible in satellite images during 17-23 August. The Aviation colour Code remained at Orange (the second highest level on a four-colour scale).

Krakatau | Indonesia : PVMBG reported that Anak Krakatau’s seismic network recorded 27 eruptive events during 19-25 August. The events were not followed by visible ash emissions, even though there were favorable weather conditions for viewing. An eruption recorded by a summit webcam at 0755 on 22 August produced a white, gray, and black ash plume that rose 100-400 m from the crater rim and drifted N and NW. The Alert Level remained at 2 (on a scale of 1-4), and the public was warned to remain outside of the 2-km-radius hazard zone from the crater.

Merapi | Central Java (Indonesia) : PVMBG reported that during 19-25 August the lava-dome volume at Merapi did not change and was an estimated 461,000 cubic meters, based on analyses of drone images on 8 August. Extruded lava fell into the upper parts of the SE flank, generating block-and-ash flows that traveled as far as 1.9 km down the Gendol drainage: twice on 20 August, once each on 22 and 24 August, and 10 times during 25-27 August. At 1809 on 27 August a block-and-ash flow traveled 2 km. Diffuse white plumes rose as high as 350 m above the summit. The Alert Level remained at 2 (on a scale of 1-4), and residents were warned to stay outside of the 3-km exclusion zone.

Reventador | Ecuador : IG reported that during 21-27 August seismic data from Reventador’s network indicated a high level of seismic activity, including explosions, long-period earthquakes, harmonic tremor, and signals indicating emissions. Weather often prevented views of the summit area, although during clear conditions ash-and-steam plumes were visible rising as high as 1 km above the crater rim and drifting W, NW, and N. Crater incandescence was periodically observed at night. Blocks were observed rolling 800 m down the flanks during 26-27 August.

Sangeang Api | Indonesia : The Darwin VAAC reported that during 21-26 August intermittent ash plumes from Sangeang Api were identified in satellite images rising to 3 km (10,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifting W and WNW. The Alert Level remained at 2 (on a scale of 1-4).

Semisopochnoi | United States : AVO reported that during 17-23 August seismicity at Semisopochnoi remained elevated and was characterized by periods of continuous tremor and discrete low-frequency earthquakes; seismic data went offline starting sometime on 17 August, though was available by around 22 August. Ground-coupled airwaves, indicative of explosive activity, were sometimes recorded in seismic data; an infrasound signal was recorded during 23-24 August. Cloudy weather often prevented satellite views of the volcano, though a steam plume was visible on 18 August and sulfur dioxide emissions were detected during 21-22 August. The Volcano Alert Level remained at Watch and the Aviation colour Code remained at Orange.

Sheveluch | Central Kamchatka (Russia) : KVERT reported that a thermal anomaly over Sheveluch’s lava dome was identified daily in satellite images during 17-23 August. The Aviation colour Code remained at Orange (the second highest level on a four-colour scale).

Suwanosejima | Ryukyu Islands (Japan) : The Tokyo VAAC reported that on 26 August a plume from Suwanosejima was visible in satellite images rising to 2.1 km (7,000 ft) a.s.l. The Alert Level remained at 2 (on a 5-level scale).

Ubinas | Peru : IGP reported that during 20-26 August blue-coloured gas plumes from Ubinas rose above the crater and eight thermal anomalies were recorded by the MIROVA system. The number of seismic events was 1,736 (all under M 2.4), and there was an increase in the magnitude and number of hybrid and long-period events. Around 1030 on 26 August an ash emission rose to heights below 2 km above the crater rim. Continuous ash emissions on 27 August were recorded by satellite and webcam images drifting S and SW. The Alert Level remained at Orange (the second highest level on a four-colour scale) and the public were warned to stay outside of a 15-km radius.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.9 earthquake hits Hokkaido, Japan.

5.1 earthquake hits the South Sandwich Islands.

5.0 earthquake hits Mindanao in the Philippines.

5.0 earthquake hits the Andaman Islands off India.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

In the Atlantic Ocean: Hurricane Dorian is located about 150 mi...240 km nnw of San Juan Puerto Rico and about 425 mi...685 km ese of the southeastern Bahamas with maximum sustained winds...85 mph...140 km/h. Present movement...nw or 325 degrees at 13 mph...20 km/h.

Post Tropical Cyclone Erin is located about 225 mi...365 km ene of Cape Hatteras North Carolina with maximum sustained winds...35 mph...55 km/h. Present movement...nne or 25 degrees at 15 mph...24 km/h.

In the Western Pacific Ocean: Tropical Storm 13w (Podul), located approximately 134 nm northeast of Da Nang, Vietnam, is tracking westward at 17 knots.

NewsBytes:

Morocco - At least seven people were killed in flash floods in Morocco on Wednesday, following torrential rains in mountains in the south of the country near Taroudant, 600 kilometers (373 miles) south of Rabat, local authorities said.

Caribbean - Hurricane Dorian is gaining strength at it approaches Florida, with forecasters warning it could grow into a dangerous storm before it hits the east coast state. The hurricane has moved out into open waters after hitting Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, where it caused power cuts and flooding in places.

Global Warming

Global Warming, Drought Drying Up Siberian Rivers, Cutting Off Far North

Global warming combined with the most serious drought in more than 30 years has led both to massive forest fires throughout Russia east of the Urals and to an abnormal drop in the water levels of major rivers, putting a halt to most river traffic and thus leaving many in the far north without the supplies they will need for the coming winter.

The hardest hit of the rivers is the Lena, 77 percent of whose route crosses through the rapidly melting permafrost; and the hardest hit of the regions are the northernmost portions of the Sakha Republic, many of which are beyond any rail or highway and depend on the river.

In Yakutsk, the republic capital, the water level of the Lena has fallen two and a half meters, leaving many vessels stranded in the mud and killing off the fish on which residents depend. As a result, Russian experts say, villages and towns will have to be supplied by air or be put at risk of depopulation.

If the river fleet dies, it is likely that almost all of those who moved into the region in Soviet and post-Soviet times will leave and the remaining population of indigenous peoples will be forced to return to a life of subsistence. If that occurs, a large part of what is shown as Russia on the map won’t be Russian at all.

Wildfires

Wildfires - Bolivia

Based on information received from the Ministry of Environment and Water (MMAyA) on August 26th, 521 thousand hectares are affected by fire forest in the Chiquitania region, Department of Santa Cruz, and 274 hectares of crops affected. Medias inform that the fires destroyed 738 thousand hectares.

Disease

Ebola - DR Congo

In the past week, from 19 August to 25 August, 77 new confirmed Ebola virus disease (EVD) cases, with an additional 54 deaths, have been reported from nine health zones in three affected provinces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Tularemia - Sweden

In a follow-up on a report about two weeks ago, Swedish health officials are reporting a significant rise in tularemia cases since the end of July. As of Monday, about 560 human cases have been reported.

Malaria - India

Cases of falciparum malaria has spiked in Bareilly district in Uttar Pradesh state, with officials reporting 550 Plasmodium falciparum (PF) cases in the past month compared to about 150 in the first seven months of 2019.

According to reports, the less serious Plasmodium vivax (PV) malaria has accounted for more than 18,000 cases in the district year to date, including 5,600 in the past month. In addition dozens have been infected with both malaria strains.

Volcanos

Global Volcanic Activity - New Activity for the week of 21 August - 27 August 2019

Asamayama | Honshu (Japan) : JMA reported that at 1928 on 25 August a small eruption at Asamayama generated a grayish-white ash plume that rose 600 m above the crater rim and drifted E. Large blocks were also ejected from the crater. Minor ashfall was reported in Karuizawa Town, Nagano Prefecture, about 4 km E. The plume then turned white and continuous emissions rose 200 m during 25-26 August. The Alert Level remained at 2 (on a scale of 1-5).

Shishaldin | Fox Islands (USA) : AVO reported that during 21-28 August continuous, low-level tremor at Shishaldin was recorded by the seismic network and elevated surface temperatures were often visible in satellite images. The spatter cone in the crater had grown and partially filled the summit crater. NOAA scientists took video of the eruption during an overflight on 17 August and noted repetitive minor explosive activity within the summit crater. The Aviation colour Code remained at Orange and the Volcano Alert Level remained at Watch.

Stromboli | Aeolian Islands (Italy) : INGV reported that a paroxysmal explosive event at Stromboli began at 1216 on 28 August with a series of explosions likely from the Area C-S (South Central crater area). The event of strongest intensity occurred at 1217, generating an ash plume that rose more than 2 km above the crater area and a pyroclastic flow that traveled down the Sciara del Fuoco and several hundred meters out to sea. The report noted a similarity in intensity of the eruption to the 3 July paroxysmal event based on the seismic data.

Tangkubanparahu | Western Java (Indonesia) : PVMBG reported that during 19-25 August phreatic events at Tangkubanparahu's Ratu Crater continued to produce sometimes dense gray-to-white plumes that rose as high as 200 m above the vent, and dense black ash plumes that rose as high as 180 m. Ashfall was localized around Ratu Crater. The seismic network recorded continuous tremor. The Alert Level remained at 2 (on a scale of 1-4), and the public was warned to stay 1.5 km away from the active crater.

Veniaminof | United States : AVO lowered the Volcano Alert Level to Normal for Veniaminof and the Aviation colour Code to Green on 25 August, noting that the volcano returned to background activity after low-level tremor was detected and a pilot saw steaming on 1 August.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

6.6 earthquake hits the South Sandwich Islands.

Two 5.6 earthquakes hit the South Sandwich Islands.

5.3 earthquake hits Antofagasta, Chile.

5.3 earthquake hits the South Sandwich Islands.

5.3 earthquake hits the Hindu Kush, Afghanistan.

5.1 earthquake hits Fiji.

5.1 earthquake hits the South Sandwich Islands.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

In the Atlantic Ocean: Tropical Storm Dorian is located about 60 mi...95 km se of St. Croix with maximum sustained winds...60 mph...95 km/h. Present movement...nw or 310 degrees at 13 mph...20 km/h.

Tropical Storm Erin is located about 435 mi...705 km w of Bermuda and about 265 mi...430 km se of Cape Hatteras North Carolina with maximum sustained winds...40 mph...65 km/h. Present movement...nnw or 330 degrees at 6 mph...9 km/h.

In the Western Pacific Ocean: Tropical depression 13w (Podul), located approximately 419 nm east of DaNang, Vietnam, is tracking westward at 15 knots.

NewsBytes:

Guatemala - Heavy rainfall with thunderstorms continues to affect several parts of Guatemala since the last week causing floods and triggering landslides. According to the National Coordination for Disaster Reduction (CONRED), as of 23 August, one person has died, 104 have been injured, 62 evacuated and one is still missing. At least 63,349 people have been affected, 104 houses have been damaged, seven roads flooded and two bridges partially destroyed.

Caribbean - Tropical Storm Dorian is expected to bring heavy rainfall and floods to Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Martinique (France), Puerto Rico (The United States of America), Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

Japan - More than twice the usual rainfall for the whole of August has fallen over parts of the southern island of Kyushu over the past 48 hours, washing away roads, causing rivers to burst their banks and forcing the suspension of train services. One man was killed when his car was swept away in Saga prefecture, while another man in Fukuoka prefecture died after being dragged away by flood waters when he got out of his stalled car. A woman in Saga was found without signs of life.

Spain - Brits holidaying in Ibiza have been experiencing a spell of heavy rain, which is heading to Majorca. Ibiza airport saw the heaviest rainfall for the whole of Spain on Tuesday with two inches falling with San Antonio not far behind.

Wildlife

Scientists reproduce coral in lab

A team of scientists in the US have managed to reproduce coral in a lab setting for the first time ever, an encouraging step in the race to save "America's Great Barrier Reef" off the coast of Florida.

The researchers from Florida Aquarium's Center for Conservation were able to reproduce endangered Atlantic Pillar coral through induced spawning, a development that could ultimately prevent the extinction of the Florida Reef tract.

It's been done before at the Horniman Museum in London with Pacific corals, never with Atlantic corals, and the Pillar coral that was spawned is a highly endangered species.

Florida's corals are deteriorating rapidly due to climate change and a destructive tissue disease that appeared in the waters of the southeastern state in 2014. Scientists hope to reproduce healthy corals and repopulate the reefs through this technique.

Wildfires

Wildfires - Africa

There are now approximately five times as many wildfires burning in Africa than in the Amazon, according to images captured by NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) technology last week.

The affected countries include the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Cameroon and Angola in the heart of Central Africa. The individual blazes are confined primarily to the Savanna, drawing concern because of their close proximity to forests in the Congo Basin, an area made especially vulnerable by deforestation caused by industrial activity in the region.

The Savanna wildfires pose a threat to the world's second-largest tropical forest, which spans 500 million acres and provides a home to more than 2,000 species of animals and roughly 10,000 species of plants. The MODIS images documented more than 6,902 fires in Angola and 3,395 fires in the DRC, while picking up on just over 2,000 in Brazil.

Wildfires - Russia

Wildfires have engulfed 43,300 hectares in Russia’s Siberia with more than 90 fires still active in the region, according to the Russian Aerial Forest Protection Service.

"As of 12am Moscow time on 27 August 2019, 91 wildfires were registered on the territory of 43,335 hectares in Russia, with active firefighting efforts underway," the press service told TASS.

Most wildfires are raging in Krasnoyarsk, Kamchatka, Chukotka regions. Forest fires are also being reported in Irkutsk, Amur, Magadan, Yakutia and Zabaikalye regions.

The firefighters have extinguished nearly 36 wildfires in the past 24 hours.

Disease

Rabies - Utah, USA

The Southwest Utah Public Health Department (SWUPHD) is reporting several recent human exposures to rabies-positive bats. These individuals have been treated with preventive vaccinations.

Dengue Fever - Philippines

Dengue case count The Philippines Department of Health recorded an additional 20,000 dengue fever cases during the week ending August 10, bringing the country total to well over 200,000 cases. According to the DOH, more than 208,000 cases were reported from January 1 to August 10 this year.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.1 earthquake hits Vanuatu.

5.0 earthquake hits Minahasa, Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

In the Atlantic Ocean:Tropical Storm Dorian is located about 15 mi...25 km wnw of St. Lucia with maximum sustained winds...50 mph...85 km/h. Present movement...wnw or 290 degrees at 13 mph...20 km/h.

Tropical Depression Six is located about 365 mi...590 km se of Cape Hatteras North Carolina with maximum sustained winds...35 mph...55 km/h. Present movement...se or 125 degrees at 2 mph...4 km/h.

In the Western Pacific Ocean: Tropical depression 13w (Podul), located approximately 223 nm east of Manila, Philippines, is tracking west-northwestward at 16 knots.

NewsBytes:

Spain - The streets of Madrid have been turned into rivers as flash-flooding and hail inundate Spain’s capital. One of the worst affected neighbourhoods was Arganda del Rey where cars were washed away in the torrents of water while huge piles of hail built up along some streets. The Spanish subway department declared several metro stations and highways closed because of the destructive impact of the weather. But Madrid wasn't the only city to be affected by the intense weather – about 300 miles (500km) south, an ominous tornado hovered over the town of Campillos.

Environment

Noxious Cloud of Carbon Monoxide Pollution Spills Out of the Burning Amazon

NASA has detected a gargantuan cloud of noxious carbon monoxide (CO) rising from the Amazon blaze into the atmosphere.

The plume first appears as a greenish blob over Brazil before rapidly spreading out past the eastern and western coasts of South America, gradually darkening from green to yellow to red. This color shift signifies an increase in CO concentration in the atmosphere from about 100 parts per billion by volume (ppbv) to 160 ppbv in less than two weeks.

Disease

Mystery Disease - Ivory Coast

Officials in Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) are reporting on an unidentified disease that has caused many deaths in Yeretièlé. According to the information received at the level of the Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene, 28 people have died of this unidentified disease since July.

The symptoms presented include swelling of the face and lower limbs, chest pain, abdominal bloating, general fatigue, constipation and vomiting.

Dengue Fever - Bangladesh

While there are reports of dengue fever admissions decreasing over last three weeks, the number of cases is still extremely high in Bangladesh. During the first 25 days of August, more than 45,000 cases have been reported.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.1 earthquake hits Vanuatu.

5.0 earthquake hits Minahasa, Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.3 earthquake hits near the west coast of Colombia.

5.1 earthquake hits the Solomon Islands.

5.0 earthquake hits Myanmar.

5.0 earthquake hits the central mid-Atlantic ridge.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

In the Atlantic Ocean:Tropical Storm Dorian is located about 225 mi...365 km ese of Barbados and about 335 mi...540 km ese of St. Lucia with maximum sustained winds...60 mph...95 km/h. Present movement...w or 280 degrees at 14 mph...22 km/h.

NewsBytes:

Sudan - Torrential rain and floods have killed 62 people in Sudan, according to the official state news agency. The country has been battered by heavy rains since early July, affecting almost 200,000 people across 15 states. White Nile state in the south of the country has been hit hardest. The UN said that more than 37,000 homes have been destroyed or damaged while more flash floods are expected.

Environment

Vast 'pumice raft' found drifting in the Pacific Ocean

A vast "raft" of volcanic rocks stretching over 150 sq km (93 sq miles) is drifting through the Pacific Ocean.

The sea of pumice - the size of 20,000 football fields - was first reported by Australian sailors earlier this month. Experts say the mass likely came from an underwater volcano near Tonga which erupted around 7 August according to satellite images. Sailors have been warned to stay clear of the potential hazard.

Pumice is a lightweight, bubble-rich rock that can float in water. It is produced when magma is cooled rapidly.

Wildfires

Wildfires - California

Local roads were closed and some evacuations were ordered Saturday as a Lassen County wildfire in Northern California grew to 1,500 acres. About three dozen engine crews were battling the Long Valley Fire on the California-Nevada border, which was burning through sagebrush lands overseen by the federal Bureau of Land Management. Aerial retardant drops were halted for the night. The fire has destroyed several outbuildings and one larger building and threatened 40 other structures, authorities said.

Elsewhere in Northern California, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection reported that the 600-acre Mountain Fire in Shasta County was 70% contained by Saturday night, authorities said. The fire, which started Thursday morning, destroyed 14 structures.

Wildfires - Greece

Hot, dry, windy weather has helped fuel dozens of wildfires across the country and the fire service has deployed almost 700 firefighters in the past 24 hours. The most serious fire, on the eastern island of Samos, is now under control, but authorities had to evacuate four hotels Saturday and house the guests in an indoor stadium overnight.

Disease

‘Brain-eating amoeba’ - Pakistan

Officials with the Directorate General Health Services in Pakistan have already reported 11 fatalities due to parasitic meningitis infections caused by Nageleria fowleri, and now a 12th case has been reported.

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – Saudi Arabia

From 1 through 31 July 2019, the National IHR Focal Point of Saudi Arabia reported 9 additional laboratory-confirmed cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV) infection and 4 associated deaths.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

6.1 earthquake hits Vanuatu.

5.3 earthquake hits Tonga.

5.2 earthquake hits the eastern Sea of Japan.

5.1 earthquake hits east of the Kuril Islands.

5.1 earthquake hits Isla Chile, Los Lagos, Chile.

5.0 earthquake hits Tonga.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

In the Atlantic Ocean:Tropical Storm Dorian is located about 555 mi...890 km ese of Barbados with maximum sustained winds...40 mph...65 km/h. Present movement...w or 280 degrees at 13 mph...20 km/h.

In the Eastern Pacific Ocean: Tropical Storm Ivo is located about 460 mi...745 km wnw of the southern tip of Baja California with maximum sustained winds...35 mph...55 km/h. Present movement...nnw or 340 degrees at 10 mph...17 km/h.

Space Events

Asteroid near-miss

An asteroid estimated to be as large as 177-foot narrowly skimmed Earth after only being spotted two days ago. Scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) announced that the asteroid 2019 QQ swooped by Earth at 9:30 EST (3:30 BST) on Friday night. The huge asteroid was only discovered earlier this week after being picked up by NASA on August 21 – just two days before it skimmed by Earth. The near-miss was its closest-ever approach to Earth.

Wildfires

Wildfires - Brazil

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro ordered the deployment of troops to fight the intense wildfires that have engulfed a portion of the Amazon rainforest in an apparent reversal from previously downplaying the blaze.

In a presidential decree, Bolsonaro pledged troops to fight the raging fires for the next month. The Brazilian environmental agency IBAMA also said on Friday it would send hundreds of temporary firefighters to help battle the wildfires.

Brazil's National Institute for Space Research announced that 2,254 square kilometers of the Amazon were eliminated in July, marking a 278% increase from the same period one year ago. The INPE also reported a 90% increase in deforestation in June from the same month last year. The Brazilian government's push to escalate agricultural and mining developments in the Amazon at the expense of Indigenous rights actively brought about the ongoing wildfire crisis, Indigenous advocates say.

The Amazon produces 20% of the world's oxygen and is considered crucial to sustaining life on Earth. The rainforest is also a hub of incredible biodiversity and is vital to combating climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide. But experts say the current wildfires are sending huge amounts of toxic greenhouse gases back into the atmosphere. There are currently over 75,000 wildfires burning in the rainforest throughout the country.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.1 earthquake hits Fiji.

5.0 earthquake hits the southwestern Ryukyu Islands.

5.0 earthquake hits off the east coast of Honshu, Japan.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

In the Atlantic Ocean: Post Tropical Cyclone Chantal is located about 785 mi...1265 km w of the Azores with maximum sustained winds...30 mph...45 km/h. Present movement...s or 185 degrees at 6 mph...9 km/h.

Tropical Depression Five is located about 805 mi...1300 km ese of Barbados with maximum sustained winds...35 mph...55 km/h. Present movement...w or 280 degrees at 12 mph...19 km/h.

In the Western Pacific Ocean: Tropical Storm (td) 12w (Bailu), located approximately 166 nm southwest of Taipei, Taiwan, is tracking northwestward at 19 knots.

In the Eastern Pacific Ocean: Tropical Storm Ivo is located about 420 mi...680 km w of the southern tip of Baja California with maximum sustained winds...40 mph...65 km/h. Present movement...nnw or 330 degrees at 9 mph...15 km/h.

Disease

Malaria - Burundi

In a follow-up to a report from late July, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a travel notice for the African country of Burundi due to an ongoing malaria epidemic. According to the Ministry of Public Health, 5,738,661 cases were reported this year through July 21.  This represents a 97 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2018. The total population of the country is about 12 million. In addition, 1,801 deaths have been recorded.

Syphilis - Japan

In a follow-up to a report last week, the Japan National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) reports that through Aug. 11, 4,009 syphilis cases have been reported in the country. Tokyo, Osaka and Aichi are reporting the most cases with 1,040, 660 and 215 cases, respectively.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.8 earthquake hits Fiji.

5.6 earthquake hits the Santa Cruz Islands.

5.6 earthquake hits the Kermedec Islands off New Zealand.

5.4 earthquake hits the Alamagan region in the North Mariana Islands.

5.3 earthquake hits the Santa Cruz Islands.

5.2 earthquake hits Fiji.

5.0 earthquake hits central California.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

In the Atlantic Ocean: Tropical Depression Chantal is located about 765 mi...1225 km w of the Azores with maximum sustained winds...30 mph...45 km/h. Present movement...se or 140 degrees at 8 mph...13 km/h.

In the Western Pacific Ocean: Tropical Storm (td) 12w (Bailu), located approximately 417 nm south-southeast of Taipei, Taiwan, is tracking northwestward at 10 knots.

In the Eastern Pacific Ocean: Tropical Storm Ivo is located about 455 mi...735 km sw of the southern tip of Baja California with maximum sustained winds...60 mph...95 km/h. Present movement...nnw or 330 degrees at 10 mph...17 km/h.

Environment

Radioactive Spike

Tiny amounts of radioactive iodine were detected in the air along Norway’s border with Russia following a deadly explosion that occurred during a secret rocket engine test in northern Russia’s Arkhangelsk region.

Russia’s meteorological agency said radiation levels in the city of Severodvinsk spiked by up to 16 times following the nearby blast.

U.S. experts believe Russia was testing a nuclear-powered cruise missile when the explosion occurred, killing five research staff and military personnel.

Four of the five stations in Russia that scan for radionuclide particles in the air for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty Organization went silent for days following the blast.

Rain Tree

A team of Chinese and international researchers say they have developed an inexpensive solar-powered “tree” that desalts enough water each day from the sea to provide clean drinking water for at least three people per “leaf.”

The scientists say roots made of cotton fibers soak up water and send it up a metal stem, where leaves made of black-carbon paper convert sunlight into heat.

After the water is heated by the leaves to nearly 122 degrees Fahrenheit, the resulting water vapor is cooled and condensed back as fresh water.

The technology could be deployed in small communities or on remote islands to help ease water shortages.

Wildlife

Wildlife summit votes down plan to allow sale of huge ivory stockpile

An attempt to allow a huge sale of stockpiled elephant ivory has been defeated at an international wildlife conference. The rancorous debate exposed deep divisions between African nations with opposing views on elephant conservation.

About 50 elephants are still being poached every day to supply ivory traffickers and all countries agree the world’s largest land animal needs greater protection. But southern African nations, which have some of the largest elephant populations, want to allow more legal sales of ivory to fund conservation and community development. But 32 other African nations argue all trade in elephants must end, including the trophy hunting legal in some states.

The new sale proposal was comprehensively voted down by 101 votes to 23.

Giraffes to be protected as endangered species for the first time

The Cites nations did give new protection to the giraffe by voting to end the unregulated international trade in the animal’s parts.

There are fewer giraffes alive than elephants and their population has plunged by 40% since 1985 to just 97,500. However, this debate also exposed the same north-south divide in the continent.

The proposal was passed when countries voted by 106 to 21.

New Mexico proposes ban on wildlife trapping near cities

New restrictions on wildlife foot traps and wire snares were proposed Thursday by regulators seeking to resolve conflicts over trapping traditions and evolving attitudes about animal suffering.

The New Mexico Game and Fish agency outlined a proposal to ban traps and snares on select tracts of public lands outside of Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Las Cruces and Taos, along with a half-mile no-trapping buffer at officially recognized hiking trailheads.

The proposal includes mountainous areas east of Albuquerque that are popular for outdoor recreation, along with swaths of national forest along mountain highways leading to ski areas near Santa Fe and Taos. Trappers would be required to attend training. Also, design specifications for traps and snares are being suggested to reduce the risk of animals being maimed by snares and to ensure they don’t walk away with traps attached.

Environment

Global Temperature Extremes

The week’s hottest temperature was 121 degrees Fahrenheit (49.4 degrees Celsius) in Basra, Iraq.

The week’s coldest temperature was minus 107.0 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 77.2 degrees Celsius) at Russia’s Vostok base, Antarctica.

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.

Wildfires

Wildfires - Australia

Firefighters are working to contain a bushfire north of Brisbane but have warned they may not be able to protect every property in the semi-rural area and conditions could get worse.

Meanwhile Pilots flying over Bribie Island’s northwestern beaches were met by a heartbreaking scene this afternoon. Numbers of dead kangaroos were spotted from the air. They had been killed fleeing the bushfires. The bushfires at Bribie Island engulfed campsites on Wednesday and Thursday, with water bombers deployed from helicopters top douse the remaining flames today.

Wildfires - Bolivia

Bolivian authorities warned this week that 70% of the department of Santa Cruz — where more than a quarter of the country's population lives — is under "extreme risk" from forest fires.

According to the government, nearly 500,000 hectares of forest have now been turned into ashes.

According to Brazil’s space research centre (INPE), 72,843 fires have hit the country's side of the Amazon — an 83% increase on last year and the highest number registered since records began in 2013. The smokes from the wildfires on Wednesday caused an hour-long blackout in Sao Paulo, located 2,700 kms away.

Greenpeace has blamed the record number of wildfires in the Brazilian Amazon on deforestation. It also warned that it could have severe meteorological consequences for the region but also for the globe.

Disease

Anthrax - Armenia

Armenia health ministry officials reported three additional human cutaneous anthrax cases in the village of Geghhovit, Gegharkunik Province, bringing the total cases to eight. All the patients are receiving treatment, the ministry said. The Food Safety Inspectorate has reported the outbreak has been linked to a single unvaccinated, diseased cow.

West Nile Virus - Las Vegas, USA

In the Las Vegas/Clark County area, health officials have declared an outbreak of West Nile virus (WNV) after receiving reports of 28 cases of the disease in humans – the highest case count in a season since the virus was first detected in the state in 2004.

African Swine Fever - South Africa

Gauteng officials have warned farmers of a new outbreak of African swine fever, after it was detected in an informal set up in the Swaniesville area. A group of about five pig owners were affected. There are around 1 000 pigs in the area and the culling process was still pending.

Volcanos

Global Volcanic Activity - Ongoing Activity for the week of 14 August - 20 August 2019

Aira | Kyushu (Japan) : JMA reported that during 13-16 August crater incandescence at Minamidake crater (at Aira Caldera’s Sakurajima volcano) was occasionally visible in webcams at night. A small eruptive event was recorded on 18 August. The Alert Level remained at 3 (on a 5-level scale).

Asosan | Kyushu (Japan) : JMA reported that increased eruptive activity at Asosan that began on 28 July paused at 1110 on 16 August. An eruptive event was recorded at 1627 on 18 August; elevated eruptive activity continued at least through 19 August. The Tokyo VAAC reported that the eruptive event on 18 August produced an ash plume that rose to 2.1 km (7,000 ft) a.s.l. Ash plumes rose to 1.5-2.1 km (5,000-7,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted N and NW during 19-20 August. The Alert Level remained at 2 (on a scale of 1-5).

Dukono | Halmahera (Indonesia) : Based on satellite and wind model data, and information from PVMBG, the Darwin VAAC reported that during 14-20 August ash plumes from Dukono rose to altitudes of 1.8-2.1 km (6,000-7,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted NW, N, NE, and E. The Alert Level remained at 2 (on a scale of 1-4), and the public was warned to remain outside of the 2-km exclusion zone.

Ebeko | Paramushir Island (Russia) : Volcanologists in Severo-Kurilsk (Paramushir Island), about 7 km E of Ebeko, observed explosions during 10-16 August that sent ash plumes up to 3 km (10,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted SE. A thermal anomaly was identified in satellite images on 10 and 12 August. The Aviation colour Code remained at Orange (the second highest level on a four-colour scale).

Ibu | Halmahera (Indonesia) : PVMBG reported that at 1107 on 14 August an ash plume from Ibu rose at least 800 m above the summit and drifted N. Seismicity was characterized by an explosion signal and earthquakes indicating rock avalanches. The Alert Level remained at 2 (on a scale of 1-4), and the public was warned to stay at least 2 km away from the active crater, and 3.5 km away on the N side.

Kadovar | Papua New Guinea : Based on satellite data and wind model data, the Darwin VAAC reported that on 19 August an ash plume from Kadovar rose to an altitude of 1.5 km (5,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted NW.

Karangetang | Siau Island (Indonesia) : PVMBG reported that during 12-18 August lava continued to effuse from Karangetang’s Main and Dua craters. Avalanches of material traveled 1-1.5 km SW down the Nanitu and Pangi drainages, as far as 1.4 km down a drainage W of Pangi, and as far as 1.8 km down the Sense drainage. Sometimes dense white plumes rose to 500 m above the summit. The Alert Level remained at 2 (on a scale of 1-4).

Karymsky | Eastern Kamchatka (Russia) : KVERT reported that a thermal anomaly over Karymsky was visible in satellite images during 11-12 and 15 August. Volcanologists doing fieldwork on 14 August observed explosions and ash plumes that rose to 5 km (16,400 ft) a.s.l. Satellite images showed ash plumes drifting S and SE that same day. The Aviation colour Code remained at Orange (the second highest level on a four-colour scale).

Klyuchevskoy | Central Kamchatka (Russia) : KVERT reported that a weak thermal anomaly over Klyuchevskoy was visible in satellite images during 13-14 August. The Aviation colour Code remained at Orange (the second highest level on a four-colour scale).

Merapi | Central Java (Indonesia) : PVMBG reported that during 12-18 August the lava-dome volume at Merapi did not change and was an estimated 461,000 cubic meters, based on analyses of drone images. Extruded lava fell into the upper parts of the SE flank, generating a total of two block-and-ash flows that traveled as far as 950 m down the Gendol drainage on 13 and 14 August. Diffuse white plumes rose as high as 100 m above the summit on some days. The Alert Level remained at 2 (on a scale of 1-4), and residents were warned to stay outside of the 3-km exclusion zone.

Nevados de Chillan | Chile : ONEMI and SERNAGEOMIN reported multiple explosions at Nevados de Chillán’s Nicanor Crater during 14-20 August, each associated with long-period earthquakes. Two explosions on 14 August, at 0000 and 0029, produced gas emissions and ejected incandescent material onto the flanks. An explosion at 1200 on 16 August produced a grayish ash plume that rose 110 m. Another explosion was detected at 1625 on 17 August. A grayish gas plume from an explosion at 1343 on 18 August rose 400 m, and an explosion at 1938 on 20 August ejected incandescent material onto the flanks. The Alert Level remained at Orange, the second highest level on a four-colour scale. ONEMI maintained an Alert Level Yellow (the middle level on a three-colour scale) for the communities of Pinto, Coihueco, and San Fabián, and stated that the public should stay at least 3 km away from the crater on the SW flank and 5 km away on the ENE flank.

Piton de la Fournaise : OVPF reported that the eruption at Piton de la Fournaise that began on the E part of l’Enclos Fouqué at 1620 on 11 August paused for about four hours beginning around 0420 on 15 August; tremor and deep earthquakes indicating magma movement continued to be detected. Lava fountaining resumed at 0830 at two vents residing along the second fissure at 1,500 m elevation, producing flows that did not extend beyond 500 m in length. The lava-flow front from the main flow did not advance past 600-650 elevation. Activity ceased around 2200 on 15 August.

Poas | Costa Rica : OVSICORI-UNA reported that an eruptive event from vent A (Boca Roja) at Poás generated a 1-km-high plume of steam, gas, and fine particulates at 0650 on 17 August. The event was preceded by an increase in tremor amplitude starting at 0500 that same day.

Sabancaya | Peru : Instituto Geofísico del Perú (IGP) reported that an average of 25 low-to-medium intensity explosions per day occurred at Sabancaya during 12-18 August. Gas-and-ash plumes rose as high as 3 km above the summit and drifted SE, S, and SW. There were eight thermal anomalies identified in satellite data. The Alert Level remained at Orange (the second highest level on a four-colour scale) and the public were warned to stay outside of a 12-km radius.

Sangeang Api | Indonesia : The Darwin VAAC reported that during 14-20 August intermittent ash plumes from Sangeang Api were identified in satellite images rising to 2.4-3 km (8,000-10,000 ft) a.s.l. and quickly dissipating to the N, NW, W, and SW. The Alert Level remained at 2 (on a scale of 1-4).

Sheveluch | Central Kamchatka (Russia) : KVERT reported that a thermal anomaly over Sheveluch’s lava dome was identified daily in satellite images during 9-16 August. The Aviation colour Code remained at Orange (the second highest level on a four-colour scale).

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.2 earthquake hits the western Indian-Antarctic ridge.

5.2 earthquake hits the Hindu Kush, Afghanistan.

5.0 earthquake hits the western Indian-Antarctic ridge.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

In the Atlantic Ocean: Tropical Depression Chantal is located about 645 mi...1035 km se of Cape Race Newfoundland with maximum sustained winds...35 mph...55 km/h. Present movement...e or 100 degrees at 17 mph...28 km/h.

In the Western Pacific Ocean: Tropical depression (td) 12w (Bailu), located approximately 608 nm south of Kadena AFB, Japan, is tracking westward at 07 knots.

In the Eastern Pacific Ocean: Tropical Storm Ivo is located about 520 mi...835 km ssw of the southern tip of Baja California with maximum sustained winds...60 mph...95 km/h. Present movement...w or 270 degrees at 13 mph...20 km/h.

Wildfires

Wildfires - USA

Almost 50 large wildfires are burning in a dozen US states from Texas to Alaska.

The McKinley Fire, which has now spread to more than 4,300 acres in Alaska, has destroyed at least 80 structures so far, the Alaska Division of Forestry reported Wednesday morning.

Meanwhile, at least 48 large fires are actively burning in 12 states, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Alaska is battling eight wildfires; Texas 7; Arizona and Idaho six each; Montana and Utah five each; Oregon and Washington three each; New Mexico two; and California, Oklahoma and Wyoming one each.

Wildfires - Australia

Residents living in northeast New South Wales are being advised to put their survival plans into action, with an out-of-control bush fire moving east. The fire is currently burning around 6 kilometres southwest of Uki, near Tweed Heads, and is moving in an easterly direction.

Disease

Listeriosis - Spain

An outbreak of listeriosis in Spain has sickened about 155 people to date, killing one, according to the health authorities. The Spanish Health Ministry said it was looking into another 523 suspected cases. The outbreak has primarily affected Andalusia in the Seville region.

Volcanos

Global Volcanic Activity - New Activity for the week of 14 August - 20 August 2019

Asamayama | Honshu (Japan) : JMA reported that, after a small phreatic eruption occurred at Asamayama on 7 August, both seismic activity and sulfur dioxide emissions temporarily increased and then decreased later that day. During 8-19 August white plumes generally rose 400 m above the crater rim; occasionally they rose as high as 800 m. Sulfur dioxide emissions were 70-300 tons per day. On 19 August the Alert Level was lowered to 2 (on a scale of 1-5).

Semisopochnoi | United States : AVO reported that during 14-17 August seismicity at Semisopochnoi remained elevated and was characterized by periods of continuous tremor and discrete low-frequency earthquakes; seismic data became unavailable starting sometime on 17 August. Cloudy weather often prevented satellite views of the volcano, however some recent clear views indicated that the N cone crater had a smooth featureless area, indicating water or tephra at an elevation several meters below the previous floor. The Volcano Alert Level remained at Watch and the Aviation colour Code remained at Orange.

Shishaldin | Fox Islands (USA) : AVO reported that during 14-20 August continuous, low-level tremor at Shishaldin was recorded by the seismic network and elevated surface temperatures were visible in infrared satellite images. The spatter cone in the crater had grown and partially filled the summit crater. The Aviation colour Code remained at Orange and the Volcano Alert Level remained at Watch.

Tangkubanparahu | Western Java (Indonesia) : PVMBG reported that during 12-18 August phreatic events at Tangkubanparahu's Ratu Crater continued to produce sometimes dense gray-to-white plumes that rose as high as 200 m above the vent, and dense black ash plumes that rose as high as 100 m. The emissions were accompanied by roaring. Ashfall was localized around Ratu Crater. The seismic network recorded continuous tremor. The Alert Level remained at 2 (on a scale of 1-4), and the public was warned to stay 1.5 km away from the active crater.

Ubinas | Peru : IGP reported that during 13-19 August blue-coloured gas plumes from Ubinas rose to heights of less than 1.5 km above the base of the crater. Seven thermal anomalies were recorded by the MIROVA system. The number of seismic events was 1,716 (all under M 2.4), a decrease in the total number recorded during the previous week. The Alert Level remained at Orange (the second highest level on a four-colour scale) and the public were warned to stay outside of a 15-km radius.

Tonga Islands : A submarine eruption in early August from an unnamed seamount about 50 km NW of Vava’u in Tonga created extensive areas of pumice rafts. Sailing crews encountered the pumice starting on 9 August about 40 km NNW of Late Island. Rachel Mackie described a pronounced odor of sulfur, and eventually being surrounded as far as she could see, with the surface pumice layer being 30 cm deep and containing pieces up to 80 cm in diameter. Sentinel-2 satellite imagery from 11 August showed the raft, averaging about 2.5 km across but strung out for 35 km NE-SW, located 70 km WNW of Late Island; another band of scattered rafts extended directly back from the main mass towards Late for 50 km. The raft continued drifting, and was at least another 60 km SW from its previous location as of 16 August. Eruptive activity at this location was previously reported in September-October 2001.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

In the Atlantic Ocean: Tropical Storm Chantal is located about 445 mi...715 km s of Cape Race Newfoundland with maximum sustained winds...40 mph...65 km/h. Present movement...e or 90 degrees at 22 mph...35 km/h.

In the Western Pacific Ocean: Tropical depression (td) 12w (Bailu), located approximately 716 nm south-southeast of Kadena AFB, Japan, is tracking northwestward at 07 knots.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

6.0 earthquake hits the Santa Cruz Islands.

5.4 earthquake hits the Bougainville region, Papua New Guinea.

5.3 earthquake hits the Ryukyu Islands off Japan.

5.0 earthquake hits the Philippine Islands.

5.0 earthquake hits Kepulauan Babar, Indonesia.

5.0 earthquake hits off the coast of Central America.

Wildlife

California to build largest wildlife crossing in world

Hoping to fend off the extinction of mountain lions and other species that require room to roam, transportation officials and conservationists will build a mostly privately funded wildlife crossing over a major Southern California highway. It will give big cats, coyotes, deer, lizards, snakes and other creatures a safe route to open space and better access to food and potential mates.

Environment

Smoke from Burning Amazon Turns São Paulo Afternoon into Midnight

There's so much smoke from wildfires in the Amazon rainforest that São Paulo plunged into darkness on Monday afternoon (Aug. 19), with day turning into night. The atmosphere was a reminder that forest fires in the Amazon have surged 82% this year compared with the same period last year (from January to August).

That smoke, combined with clouds and a cold front (it's winter in the Southern Hemisphere), led to the midnight-like darkness in São Paulo. The fires are largely burning in northern Brazil and have prompted the Brazilian state of Amazonas to declare a state of emergency.

Wildfires

Wildfires - Alaska

The Alaska Division of Forestry has called in over 200 firefighters from Washington to help contain multiple wildfires raging across Southcentral in a late-season flareup in drought-stricken parts of the State.

Fire officials on Monday went over the latest news for the Deshka Fire -- currently burning around 2,000 acres along Nancy Lake Parkway -- the McKinley Fire -- burning steady at 3,000 acres, and compromising 50 structures -- and the Swan Lake Fire on the Kenai Peninsula, which DOF spokesperson John See says has burned over 100,000 acres since it started back up on Sunday.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.0 earthquake hits the Ryukyu Islands off Japan.

Wildlife

Freshwater species on a fast decline

Freshwater species have declined 88 percent since 1970 — twice the decline of animals on the land or ocean, according to recent research, yet large gaps remain in monitoring and conservation efforts. The two main threats, they found, are overexploitation and the loss of free-flowing rivers. “The results are alarming and confirm the fears of scientists involved in studying and protecting freshwater biodiversity,” said Sonja Jähnig, of the Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries.

Thousands of birds killed during hailstorm

More than 11,000 waterfowl and wetland birds were killed after “baseball-sized” chunks of hail fell on a Montana wildlife management area last weekend, state officials said Friday. Ducks and shorebirds with broken wings, smashed skulls and other signs of internal bleeding were found on the shores around Big Lake Wildlife Management Area in Molt, Montana.

Biologists who surveyed the area estimated that between 11,000 and 13,000 birds were found dead or badly injured after the hailstorm. Most of the injured birds are not expected to survive. About 20 to 30 percent of the entire bird population at the lake died in the storm.

Panama - A Broken Link in an Intercontinental Wildlife Route

The expansion of human populations has left animals such as white-lipped peccaries, jaguars, giant anteaters, white-tailed deer and tapirs isolated throughout Panama, a study recently published in Conservation Biology found. The nation represents the narrowest portion of a system of protected areas and connecting corridors that extend through the length of Central America and part of Mexico, known as the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor (MBC).

The results of the study strongly suggest that the bridge [through Panama] is broken. Until a few decades ago, many of these large mammal species still occurred continuously throughout the isthmus.

Now the animals live in forest “islands,” surrounded by cattle ranches, fields of crops, roads and other human developments that jeopardize their ability to move from one place—and, correspondingly, from one group—to another. The habitat fragmentation prevents animal movement and gene flow between populations, which can be detrimental to their long-term survival.

Panama has always played a crucial role in the movement and gene flow of numerous neotropical forest species. When the Isthmus of Panama, connecting North and South America, emerged about 2.8 million years ago, the event led to the Great American Biotic Interchange, allowing species to migrate between the two continents.

Wildfires

Wildfires - Canary Islands

A fire raged out of control on the Spanish holiday island of Gran Canaria Monday, forcing evacuations as flames rose so high even water-dropping planes could not operate in what was dubbed an "environmental tragedy". The blaze, the third in 10 days in the mountainous centre of the island, has forced the evacuation of several villages with a combined population of 9,000.

Altogether, 1,000 firefighters and other crew and 14 water-dropping helicopters and planes were working on controlling the blaze, which is estimated to have destroyed 10,000 hectares (24,700 acres).

Wildfires - Texs, USA

Firefighters in Texas are battling three wildfires covering more than 17,000 acres across the state.

A fire in Hardeman County near Quanah has burned an estimated 8,830 acres and is 40 percent contained, said the Texas A&M Forest Service.

Another fire in Sutton County has burned over 2,400 acres. The Bird Ranch Fire in Cottle County is estimated to have spread to 7,000 acres and is 25 percent contained.

Wildfires - Alaska

The Alaska Railroad has cancelled passenger service between Anchorage and Denali National Park because of a fire burning along tracks north of Willow. The fire began Saturday when high wind blew a tree onto a powerline at Mile 91 Parks Highway. Continued strong winds Sunday night pushed the fire across the highway and across railroad tracks. Crews are removing numerous burned trees that fell on tracks. The fire by Sunday night had grown to nearly 3 square miles (7.7 sq. kilometers).

Disease

Hepatitis A - Flordia, USA

Florida state health officials reported an additional 72 hepatitis A cases last week, bringing the outbreak total since January 2018 to 2,814 cases. In addition, 31 deaths have been reported through July 31.

Bird Flu - China

The China National Health Commission reported a human case of avian influenza A(H5N6) today. The patient is in a critical condition in a Beijing hospital.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.7 earthquake hits the Anatahan region in the North Mariana Islands.

5.2 earthquake hits the South Sandwich Islands.

5.1 earthquake hits the South Sandwich Islands.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

There are no current tropical storms.

NewsBytes:

India - Heavy rains lashed northern parts of India, leaving at least 28 people dead and 22 missing in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab on Sunday, while a flood alert was sounded in parts of Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh as Yamuna and other rivers were in spate.

Wildlife

World’s nations gather to tackle wildlife extinction crisis

From giraffes to sharks, the world’s endangered species could gain better protection at an international wildlife conference.

The triennial summit of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites), that began on Saturday, will tackle disputes over the conservation of great beasts such as elephants and rhinos, as well as cracking down on the exploitation of unheralded but vital species such as sea cucumbers, which clean ocean floors.

Extraordinary creatures being driven to extinction by the exotic pet trade, from glass frogs to star tortoises, may win extra protection from the 183-country conference. It may even see an extinct animal, the woolly mammoth, get safeguards, on the grounds that illegal elephant ivory is sometimes laundered by being labelled as antique mammoth tusks.

The destruction of nature has reduced wildlife populations by 60% since 1970 and plant extinctions are running at a “frightening” rate, according to scientists. In May, the world’s leading researchers warned that humanity was in jeopardy from the accelerating decline of the planet’s natural life-support systems, which provide the food, clean air and water on which society ultimately depends.

South Africa pushes for trade in endangered wildlife

The South African government, together with those of the DRC, Namibia and Zimbabwe, is proposing measures which, if enacted, could open the door to the international trade in elephant ivory, rhino horn and other endangered species.

In a submission to the eighteenth conference of the parties (CoP18) to CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) to be held in Switzerland in September 2019, the countries argue for a major overhaul in the way in which the organisation operates.

They believe they should be allowed to sell threatened wildlife species anywhere in the world in the same way that mineral resources and mass-produced plastic trinkets are traded on global commercial markets.

In essence, the countries proposing these changes to CITES are upset that current rules prohibit them from deriving profits from wild animals which they consider to be valuable products that they should be entitled to harvest and sell as they see fit.

South Africa is one of the best examples of this philosophy in action. Over the past decade or so, the government, guided by economists promoting extreme free-market policies and the unrestricted commodification and commercialisation of nature, has succeeded in crafting laws and regulations that explicitly lay out this interpretation of sustainable use, for instance in the case of lions and rhinos.

The government-supported industry of breeding lions in captivity in South Africa provides an illustration of the outcomes of this philosophy. Supposedly proud of its global wildlife conservation status, the country now hosts more of these caged and commodified lions than live in its national parks and nature reserves.

The problem is that wild animals are not the same as commercial goods and lions bred in captivity for the sole purpose of becoming targets for wealthy trophy hunters and a ready supply of bones for the market in traditional Chinese medicine, are neither capable of surviving in the wild nor have any conservation value whatsoever. In fact, one could argue that they are no longer truly lions in an ecological sense.

Given the current extinction crisis, we should do everything to protect endangered species, not expand ways to exploit them to their greatest commercial potential and it is extremely short-sighted and irresponsible for South Africa and other countries to make proposals that would diminish CITES’ effectiveness.

Global Warming

Iceland honours passing of first glacier lost to global warming

Iceland on Sunday honoured the passing of Okjokull, its first glacier lost to climate change, as scientists warn that some 400 others on the subarctic island risk the same fate. As the world recently marked the warmest July ever on record, a bronze plaque was mounted on a bare rock in a ceremony on the former glacier in western Iceland.

By memorialising a fallen glacier, they want to emphasise what is being lost -- or dying -- the world over, and also draw attention to the fact that this is something that humans have 'accomplished', although it is not something we should be proud of.

Disease

Chikungunya

Brazil - From the beginning of the year through July, Brazil health authorities have reported 97,900 probable cases of chikungunya in the country.

Thailand - In an update on the chikungunya situation in Thailand, the Ministry of Health reports that since the beginning of the year through August 4, 5,996 cases from 44 provinces have been reported, an increase of some 1,500 in about one month.

Measles - New Zealand

Officials with the Auckland Regional Public Health Service have reported some 100 additional measles cases during the past week. On August 13, officials were reporting 410 cases and this morning the total has risen to 507 with some 50 cases reported just over the weekend. Nationally, New Zealand’s measles total has reached 639 cases.

Crimea-Congo Haemorrhagic fever - Uganda

A confirmed case of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) involving a 42-year-old businessman dealing in cattle has been reported from Kasagama Subcounty, Lyantonde District.

Malaria - Uganda

The Uganda Ministry of Health is reporting an increase in malaria cases in 2019. The cases of malaria have increased by over 400,000 cases when compared with 2018 and 2019 from about 1 million cases in June 2018 to 1.4 million in June 2019 (40% increase). However, it is worth noting that cases are still low compared to 2017 and 2016 in the same period.

Diphtheria - India

Health officials at the Government Fever Hospital in Hyderabad, Telangana state, India are reporting a surge in cases of the vaccine-preventable disease, diphtheria. According to a Times of India report, during the past two months they have seen 240 cases reported from Hyderabad, including seven death in just the past month.

Measles kill more people in DR Congo than Ebola

Measles has killed 2,758 people in the DR Congo since January, more than the Ebola epidemic in a year, medical NGO Doctors Without Borders said. The disease, preventable with a vaccine, has infected over 145,000 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo between January and early August.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.3 earthquake hits Myanmar.

5.0 earthquake hits Taiwan.

5.0 earthquake hits the Izu Islands off Japan.

5.0 earthquake hits south of Timor.

5.0 earthquake hits near the coast of Ecuador.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

There are no current tropical storms.

NewsBytes:

Turkey - Heavy rains have hit the Turkish city of Istanbul, flooding streets and basements, stranding drivers on roads and disrupting rail and ferry services. At least one person was found dead inside a flooded underpass. Saturday's rainstorm flooded Istanbul's historic Grand Bazaar — a sprawling complex of covered alleyways lined with shops. The heavy downpour also flooded a pedestrian underpass lined with stalls and video footage showed merchandise floating in the almost waist-high flood waters. Authorities suspended ferry services across the Bosporus and some tram services were also halted. A car was dragged into a pit caused by a collapsed road but its passengers escaped without injuries.

India - 87 villages in Andhra Pradesh have been affected by Krishna floods. The villages and hundreds of acres of farmland remained under a sheet of water in Krishna and Guntur districts even as the flood fury in river Krishna was abating, while the toll in the deluge climbed to two with the death of an 11-year-old girl. After touching a maximum of 8.21 lakh cusecs in the early hours of the day, the flood discharge at Prakasam Barrage in Vijayawada has fallen to 7.99 lakh cusecs at 10 am while the inflow remained steady at 7.57 lakh cusecs. The lives of more than 17,500 people in 87 villages under 32 mandals in Krishna and Guntur districts may continue to be disrupted for several days.

Disease

Ebola - DR Congo

Congo's year-long Ebola outbreak has spread to a new province, with two cases, including one death, confirmed in South Kivu, according to the government health ministry. The movement of the potentially deadly disease to a new province highlights the difficulties that health workers in Congo face in controlling the outbreak. Two new patients tested positive in the Mwenga area of South Kivu, adding to North Kivu and Ituri provinces where there are confirmed cases of the disease, according to the health ministry.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.4 earthquake hits off the coast of Oregon, USA.

5.2 earthquake hits south of Tonga.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

There are no current tropical storms.

NewsBytes:

Sierra Leone - Torrential rains starting from 2 August have led to flooding in Freetown. Despite the normal peak of the rainy season in August, the soil was previously saturated by rains in July. At least 6 people are reported dead and some 5,000 people are believed to have lost their shelter. Informal settlements, including impoverished slum communities, scattered around the city and mostly built in flood or landslide prone areas, are the most affected.

Saudi Arabia - Parts of Taif were lashed by heavy rains on Thursday, prompting the civil defence agency to warn people in the governorate to shun flood-hit valleys and pooled water. Rescue teams saved two families, who had been trapped by flash floods in the western Saudi region, media reported on Friday.

Wildfires

Wildfires - Borneo

The state Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) has recorded 494 cases involving wildfires from Aug 1 till today. In a statement released by Bomba today, 1391.73 acres of land have been affected by the forest, bush and peat soil fires. Kuching recorded the highest bushfire cases as of today with eight cases, followed by Miri with four cases.

Wildfires - Colorado, USA

At least two evacuation orders were in place for residents in Jefferson County as a wildfire continued to burn in the area well into the night Thursday. In total, 328 homes were affected, but officials said that no structures had been lost.

Disease

Typhoid - Singapore

Singapore health officials apparently issued a memo for physicians recently due to an increase in locally acquired typhoid fever. According to the memo, posted on the Etern Medical Facebook page, as of August 13, 15 local cases have been confirmed from July 13 through August 2. All the patients were hospitalized and stable.

Syphilis - Japan

Syphilis has become a big public health issue in recent years, with 2018 seeing more than 6,000 cases globally, the highest number since 1970. To date in 2019, the Japan National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) has reported 3894 cases, including 1,010 cases in Tokyo, more than 25 percent of the country’s total.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.2 earthquake hits the Hindu Kush, Afghanistan.

5.0 earthquake hits offshore Coquimbo, Chile.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

In the Western Pacific Ocean: Tropical Storm 11w (Krosa) is located approximately 296 nm west of Misawa, Japan, is tracking north-northeastward at 18 knots.

NewsBytes:

Japan - Heavy rains lashed parts of western Japan on Thursday as tropical storm Krosa bore down on the country, forcing the cancellations of hundreds of flights and trains as authorities advised more than 400,000 people to evacuate.

Environment

Plastic Pollution goes Airborne

Tiny bits of microplastics have been discovered in recent months in rainwater and snowfall from Colorado to the Arctic.

They join similar plastic pollution that has shown up in groundwater, rivers and lakes, and at the deepest depths of the sea.

Scientists from the Northwest Passage Project, taking ice core samples this summer in Arctic Canada, say they also found visible plastic beads and filaments of various shapes and sizes in the ice.

Earlier studies have found that plastic has fallen from the sky in Europe’s Pyrenees Mountains, a region near Hong Kong, the Iranian capital of Tehran and Paris.

Global Warming

Fracking Methane

A new study concludes that the recent boom in fracking to extract shale gas, largely composed of methane, is responsible for a surge in the atmospheric concentration of the powerful greenhouse gas over the past decade.

Robert Howarth at Cornell University says he estimates that fracking in the U.S. and Canada is also responsible for more than half of the increase in the global fossil fuel emissions seen over the past 10 years.

His report warns that if shale gas extraction continues to rise, it will make the goals of the Paris climate change agreement even more difficult to achieve.

Environment

Global Temperature Extremes

The week’s hottest temperature was 122 degrees Fahrenheit (50.0 degrees Celsius) in Mitribah, Kuwait.

The week’s coldest temperature was minus 102.0 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 74.4 degrees Celsius) at Russia’s Vostok base, Antarctica.

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.

Wildfires

Wildfires - Canary Islands

The heart of Spain's Gran Canaria has been left devastated by two wildfires that ravaged big chunks of the island this week. One of the blazes started on Saturday in the north of the island, close to a prehispanic archaeological site declared a UNESCO world heritage site last month. The flames burnt through 1,500 hectares and reached nearby towns. On Monday, a second fire was declared in Telde, in the east of the island.

Wildfires - France

More than 500 firefighters have been called out to battle a blaze that has already destroyed hundreds of hectares of pine forest in southern France. Some 900 hectares have been destroyed since the fire broke out on Wednesday afternoon in the rugged hills of the Aude department, about 100 kilometres southeast of Toulouse.

Disease

Dengue Fever - Thailand

Thailand health officials reported an additional 4,500 dengue fever cases during the past week, which has brought the total case tally to 49,174 cases with 64 deaths.

African Swine Fever - Myanmar

Myanmar is now the 7th Asian country to report confirmed African swine fever (ASF) cases. The ASF virus was confirmed in Wan Nwet Village, Mongla, Keng Tung, Shan State on the Myanmar/China border where 15 cases were reported, including 12 deaths.

Banana-killing virus reaches Latin America

Officials in Colombia declared a national emergency after confirming the presence of this deadly fungus, known as Fusarium oxysporum Tropical Race 4 (TR4), in the country. This is the first time the fungus has been detected in Latin America. However, the fungus isn't new — for decades, it has been devastating banana plantations in Asia, Australia and East Africa.

Although this fungus isn't harmful to humans, it is a "serious threat" to banana production, according to the United Nations. The fungus attacks the plant's roots and blocks its vascular system — the network used to transport water and nutrients — and ultimately kills the plant. Once the fungus finds its way into soil, it can't be treated with fungicides, and it's very difficult to remove.

What's more, the fungus attacks the most commonly exported banana, the Cavendish banana. Cavendish bananas reproduce asexually, meaning that the plants are essentially clones of their parents. This means banana crops lack genetic diversity, and infections can spread quickly.

Ebola - DR Congo

The Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in North Kivu and Ituri provinces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo continued this week with similar transmission intensity to recent weeks, with an average of 81 cases per week (range 68 to 91 cases per week) in the past six weeks.

Volcanos

Global Volcanic Activity - Ongoing Activity for the week of 7 August - 13 August 2019

Aira | Kyushu (Japan) : JMA reported that during 5-13 August very small eruptive events were detected at Minamidake crater (at Aira Caldera’s Sakurajima volcano), though none of them were explosive. Crater incandescence was occasionally visible in webcams at night. The Alert Level remained at 3 (on a 5-level scale).

Asosan | Kyushu (Japan) : JMA reported that increased eruptive activity at Asosan that began on 28 July continued at least through 13 August. Ash plumes drifted N and NW, and crater incandescence was visible at night. Sulfur dioxide gas emissions were very high at 2,000-5,000 tons per day. The Alert Level remained at 2 (on a scale of 1-5).

Dukono | Halmahera (Indonesia) : Based on satellite and wind model data, and statements from ground-based observers, the Darwin VAAC reported that during 7-13 August ash plumes from Dukono rose to altitudes of 1.8-2.1 km (6,000-7,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted in multiple directions. Ashfall was reported on 8 August at the Galela Airport, Maluku Utara, 17 km NW. The Alert Level remained at 2 (on a scale of 1-4), and the public was warned to remain outside of the 2-km exclusion zone.

Ebeko | Paramushir Island (Russia) : Volcanologists in Severo-Kurilsk (Paramushir Island), about 7 km E of Ebeko, observed explosions on 2 and 4 August that sent ash plumes up to 3 km (10,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted SE. A thermal anomaly was identified in satellite images on those same two days. The Aviation colour Code remained at Orange (the second highest level on a four-colour scale).

Ibu | Halmahera (Indonesia) : PVMBG reported that during 7-12 August white-to-gray plumes rose 200-800 m above Ibu’s crater rim. The Alert Level remained at 2 (on a scale of 1-4), and the public was warned to stay at least 2 km away from the active crater, and 3.5 km away on the N side.

Karangetang | Siau Island (Indonesia) : PVMBG reported that during 5-11 August lava continued to effuse from Karangetang’s Main Crater and travel down drainages on the W and SW flanks, producing incandescent avalanches that descended those same drainages. White plumes rose from the summit craters rose 50-100 m above the peak. The Alert Level remained at 2 (on a scale of 1-4).

Karymsky | Eastern Kamchatka (Russia) : KVERT reported that a thermal anomaly over Karymsky was visible in satellite images during 2 and 4-6 August. Ash plumes drifted 180 km SE and NW during 3-5 August. The Aviation colour Code remained at Orange (the second highest level on a four-colour scale).

Klyuchevskoy | Central Kamchatka (Russia) : KVERT reported that a weak thermal anomaly over Klyuchevskoy was visible in satellite images during 5-6 August. The Aviation colour Code remained at Orange (the second highest level on a four-colour scale).

Merapi | Central Java (Indonesia) : PVMBG reported that during 5-11 August the lava-dome volume at Merapi had decreased compared to the week before and was an estimated 461,000 cubic meters, based on analyses of drone images. Extruded lava fell into the upper parts of the SE-flank, generating a total of two block-and-ash flows that traveled as far as 1.2 km down the Gendol drainage on 4 and 6 August. Diffuse white plumes rose as high as 50 m above the summit on some days. The Alert Level remained at 2 (on a scale of 1-4), and residents were warned to stay outside of the 3-km exclusion zone.

Nevados de Chillan | Chile : ONEMI and SERNAGEOMIN reported that during 8-13 August multiple explosions at Nevados de Chillán’s Nicanor Crater generated gas-and-ash plumes and ejected incandescent material around the crater. These explosions were recorded at 0438 on 8 August, at 2223 on 10 August, at 1831 and 1952 on 12 August, and at 0427, 1058, and 1116 on 13 August. Eruption plumes rose as high as 765 m above the summit. The Alert Level remained at Orange, the second highest level on a four-colour scale, and residents were reminded not to approach the crater within 3 km. ONEMI maintained an Alert Level Yellow (the middle level on a three-colour scale) for the communities of Pinto, Coihueco, and San Fabián; on 13 August they stated that the public should stay at least 3 km away from the crater on the SW flank and 5 km away on the ENE flank.

Piton de la Fournaise | Reunion Island (France) : OVPF reported that a seismic crisis at Piton de la Fournaise began at 0700 on 11 August and was accompanied by rapid deformation. The locations of the earthquakes and area of deformation indicated that magma rose from deep under the SE edge of Dolomieu Crater to beneath the E and SE flanks. Tremor began around 1620, indicating the likely start of this year’s fourth eruption, though inclement weather conditions prevented visual confirmation. The Alert Level was raised to 2-2. On 12 August OVPF confirmed that fissures had opened in the E part of l’Enclos Fouqué, SE of the upper Grandes Pentes. Scientists saw two fissures, about 1.4 km apart, at 1,700 and 1,500 m elevation during an overflight on 13 August. Only the lowest elevation fissure was active. Three distinct cones along the fissure fed lava flows that merged into one which traveled to 665 m elevation and caused small fires as it burned local vegetation.

Popocatepetl | Mexico : CENAPRED reported that each day during 7-13 August there were 125-209 steam-and-gas emissions from Popocatépetl, some of which contained ash. As many as seven explosions were recorded daily, with the exceptions of 7 August (no explosion were detected) and 11 August (16 were documented). Two explosions on 13 August were characterized as major (at 0427 and 0453) and ejected incandescent material onto the flanks. The Alert Level remained at Yellow, Phase Two (middle level on a three-colour scale).

Sangeang Api | Indonesia : The Darwin VAAC reported that during 7-13 August ash plumes from Sangeang Api were identified in satellite images rising to 2.4-3 km (8,000-10,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifting in multiple directions. The Alert Level remained at 2 (on a scale of 1-4).

Semisopochnoi | United States : AVO reported that during 7-13 August seismicity at Semisopochnoi remained elevated and was characterized by periods of continuous tremor and discrete low-frequency earthquakes. No unusual activity was observed in satellite images, though views were often cloudy. The Volcano Alert Level remained at Watch and the Aviation colour Code remained at Orange.

Sheveluch | Central Kamchatka (Russia) : KVERT reported that a thermal anomaly over Sheveluch’s lava dome was identified daily in satellite images during 2-9 August. A diffuse ash plume rose to 2.5 km (8,200 ft) a.s.l. and drifted 40 km NW on 5 August. The Aviation colour Code remained at Orange (the second highest level on a four-colour scale).

Stromboli | Aeolian Islands (Italy) : INGV reported that Stromboli’s crater terrace activity was analyzed during 5-11 August through webcam views, and field inspections during 7-8 August. At least nine vents in Area N (north crater area, NCA) were active on 7 August, three of which had well-formed spatter cones, with Strombolian activity ejecting material 150 m high. A large scoria cone in Area C-S (South Central crater area) jetted material 200 m high. Lava from Area C-S vents continued to travel down the upper part of the Sciara del Fuoco, reaching 500-600 m elevation.

Suwanosejima | Ryukyu Islands (Japan) : JMA reported that volcanic earthquakes began to be detected at Suwanosejima on 4 August and volcanic tremors were occasionally recorded during 4-9 August. Four eruptive events occurred at Ontake Crater on 5 August and one on 6 August. Large blocks were ejected as far as 400 m and ash plumes rose as high as 1.5 km above the crater rim. The Alert Level remained at 2 (on a 5-level scale).

Villarrica | Chile : POVI reported that a portion of the E edge of Villarrica’s summit crater rim collapsed between 9 and 12 August.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.8 earthquake hits the Revilla Gigedo Islands.

5.5 earthquake hits Vanuatu.

5.4 earthquake hits near the east coast of Honshu, Japan.

5.0 earthquake hits eastern Xizang, China.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

In the Western Pacific Ocean: Tropical Storm 11w (Krosa) is located approximately 35 nm southeast of Iwakuni, Japan, is tracking northward at 15 knots.

NewsBytes:

India - More than 500 persons have died and at least are 100 missing in torrential rains and floods across India by Wednesday (August 14), stated official data. In the last one week, 91 deaths have been reported from Kerala, 54 from Karnataka, 48 from Maharashtra and eight from Odisha. Between July and the first week of August, at least 98 deaths were reported from Gujarat, 123 in Bihar and 71 in Assam. With several persons still missing, authorities fear the toll will likely go up. While the flood water is receding from most states, the India Meteorological Department has warned of heavy rainfall over the next five days in several places.

Wildfires

Wildfires - Greece

Hundreds of people have been forced to evacuate their homes after three huge wildfires devastated a Greek island. Water-dropping planes and helicopters have been deployed to the island of Evia, where a huge blaze is burning through a protected nature reserve.

Residents from four villages and a monastery have had to flee as firefighters battle the wildfires, which broke out at about 3am on Tuesday. More than 200 firefighters are working to control the infernos, with one member of the force being taken to hospital after suffering serious burns.

Disease

Plague - Madagascar

In Madagascar, there is a “plague season” which occurs every year, usually between September and April. We’re not even half way through August and 13 suspected human plague cases have been reported in the matter of a few days.