Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.0 Earthquake hits the central Mid-Atlantic ridge.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

No current tropical storms.

NewsBytes:

Malaysia - Floods inundated thousands of houses in 10 villages in Tangerang District of Banten Province on Sunday. The high intensity rain over the last two days had caused the local Cimanceuri River to overflow its banks and and sent floods to the region. The villages spread to several subdistricts, Tigarakasa, Kresek, Rajeg, Kemiri and Kronjo.

Disease

Typoid and Diarrhoea in Zimbabwe

Approximately 50 000 cases of diarrhoea have been reported in Zimbabwe in 2016 alone, with 30 deaths resulting from the deadly epidemic, the country's ministry of health and child care has revealed.

The health ministry disclosed that 48 843 cases of diarrhoea had been recorded since the beginning of 2016, with 10 604 of these having been reported last week, along with 8 deaths. 312 new cases of suspected typhoid were reported last week, with one death having been reported.

The revelation comes just one month after reports indicated that a deadly outbreak of typhoid fever had hit the country's capital, Harare.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity

Sinabung (Sumatra, Indonesia): Over the past days, activity at the volcano seems to have picked up. The frequency and size of explosions from the summit have increased and generated several ash plumes that rose up to approx 3 km height above the summit. In addition, collapses of parts of the lava lobe generated small to moderate pyroclastic flows that traveled up to 3 km down on the ESE side. One of them on Saturday reached again the (already mostly destroyed and abandoned) village of Simacem on the ESE flank at only 3 km distance from the crater.

Momotombo (Nicaragua): The volcano continues to produce on average 2-3 vulcanian-type explosions per day. Some of them seem to generate small pyroclastic flows.

Dallol (Danakil desert, Ethiopia): One of our groups visited Dallol last week during our recent Danakil volcano expedition. The hydrothermal activity was observed to be very intense, with many colourful ponds and hot springs.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.9 Earthquake hits the western Indian-Antarctic ridge.

5.3 Earthquake hits Mindanao in the Philippines.

5.1 Earthquake hits Fiji.

5.0 Earthquake hits Kepulauan Alor, Indonesia.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

No current tropical storms.

NewsBytes:

Durban, South Africa - Heavy rains and floods have been reported around Durban after extreme rainfall on Friday night. In one incident, a man (49) died after he was crushed by a retaining wall that collapsed at his house in Westville. The heavy downpour also flooded the lower level of the Pavilion Shopping Centre.

Disease

Hand, Foot, Mouth Disease in Oregon, USA

The Lane County Public Health Division in Florence, Oregon said Friday that 26 elementary to high school-age children have shown symptoms consistent with the disease.

Those symptoms include a fever, sore throat and poor appetite, accompanied by a rash appearing as small, pimply sores, typically on the hands, feet and in and around the mouth. The 26 cases all surfaced in the last two weeks.

Davis urged parents to disinfect surfaces in their houses repeatedly. Surfaces like table and countertops are breeding grounds for the type of viruses that cause the disease, especially among young children, Davis said. Doorknobs and children’s toys should also be disinfected.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity

Tungurahua (Ecuador): Two moderately large explosions occurred at the volcano yesterday noon from 12:12 local time. The first and larger explosion produced an ash plume that rose approx. 5000 meters above the summit.

The ash plume dispersed mainly to the west and northwest where ash fall occurred in areas including Choglontús, Pillate, Cahuaji and El Manzano.

According to IGEPN, the eruption - which came after a 3 months interval of quiet since last November - was most likely NOT the result of new magma, but instead of accumulated gas pressure in the upper conduit. Magmatic gasses (H2O, CO2 etc) still contained in older magma inside the conduit was being released quietly as the magma continued to cool and crystallize, but most of these gasses were being trapped beneath a solid plug. With time, the gas pressure increased to the critical point: the plug gave way in yesterday's explosions.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.5 Earthquake hits the central Mid-Atlantic ridge.

5.0 Earthquake hits Taiwan.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

No current tropical storms.

NewsBytes:

Louisiana, USA - In New Orleans, stormy weather on Tuesday (Feb. 23) created a unique phenomenon over Lake Pontchartrain: three simultaneous waterspouts whirling across the water.

Wildlife

Monarch Butterflies Rebound

Monarch butterflies have made a big comeback in their wintering grounds in Mexico, after suffering serious declines, experts said Friday.

The area covered by the orange-and-black insects in the mountains west of Mexico City this season was more than three and a half times greater than last winter. The butterflies clump so densely in the pine and fir forests they are counted by the area they cover rather than by individual insects.

The number of monarchs making the 3,400-mile (5,500-kilometre) migration from the United States and Canada declined steadily in recent years before recovering in 2014. This winter was even better.

This December, the butterflies covered 10 acres (about 4 hectares), compared to 2.8 acres (1.13 hectares) in 2014 and a record low of 1.66 acres (0.67 hectares) in 2013.

While that's positive, the monarchs still face problems: The butterflies covered as much as 44 acres (18 hectares) 20 years ago.

The United States is working to reintroduce milkweed, a plant key to the butterflies' migration, on about 1,160 square miles (3 million hectares) within five years, both by planting and by designating pesticide-free areas. Milkweed is the plant the butterflies feed and lay their eggs on, but it has been attacked by herbicide use and loss of open land in the United States.

In Mexico, meanwhile, illegal logging has remained a problem. It more than tripled in the monarch butterflies' wintering grounds in 2014, reversing several years of steady improvements. Illegal logging had fallen to almost zero in 2012.

Authorities said the reserve's buffer area lost more than 22 acres (9 hectares) in 2015 due to illegal logging in one area, but said the tree cutting was detected and several arrests were made.

The forest canopy acts as a blanket against the cold for butterflies forming huge clumps on branches during their winter stay in Mexico.

Bees are vanishing: U.N. report

Many species of wild bees, butterflies and other insects that pollinate plants are shrinking toward extinction, and the world needs to do something about it before our food supply suffers, a new United Nations scientific mega-report warns.

The 20,000 or so species of pollinators are key to growing fruits, vegetables and cash crops. Yet two out of five species of invertebrate pollinators, such as bees and butterflies, are on the path toward extinction, said the first-of-its-kind report. Pollinators with backbones, such as hummingbirds and bats, are only slightly better off, with 1 in 6 species facing extinction.

“We are in a period of decline and there are going to be increasing consequences,” said report lead author Simon Potts, director of the Centre for Agri-Environmental Research at the University of Reading in England.

The trouble is the report can’t point to a single villain. Among the culprits — the way farming has changed so there’s not enough diversity and wild flowers for pollinators to use as food; pesticide use, habitat loss to cities; disease, parasites and pathogens; and global warming.

The report is the result of more than two years of work by scientists across the globe who got together under several different U.N. agencies to come up with an assessment of Earth’s biodiversity, starting with the pollinators.

“The variety and multiplicity of threats to pollinators and pollination generate risks to people and livelihoods,” the report stated.

“These risks are largely driven by changes in land cover and agricultural management systems, including pesticide use.”

Nature - Images

Interesting Images

'Hairy Panic' Rolls Into Australian Neighborhood

Residents in one neighborhood of Australia’s Victoria state scrambled to fight back against an invasion of a fast-growing tumbleweed called “hairy panic,” which was rapidly piling up against their homes and otherwise covering their property.

Panicum effusum is a short-lived perennial, native to parts of Australia. While explosions in the amount of the weed occur in the country each year, one street in the city of Wangaratta has been especially hit hard this summer because of a dry period brought on by El NIño.

Residents say they suspect the troublesome weed is blowing from a large nearby field that a farmer has failed to keep clear.

Disease

At Least 9 Pregnant Women in US Infected with Zika: CDC

Nine pregnant women in the U.S. have now been confirmed to have had Zika virus infections that they contracted through travel to places where the virus is spreading, U.S. health officials said today.

Wildfires

Wildfires - Australia

Lives and homes are in danger from an out-of-control bushfire in WA’s Great Southern region.

A watch and act alert has been issued for people in the Blue Vista and Steerdale estates in Hopetoun, in Shire of Ravensthorpe.

The Department of Fire and Emergency Services said the accidentally lit fire was reported just before 2pm on Friday.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.3 Earthquake hits Antofagasta, Chile.

5.2 Earthquake hits the Prince Edward Islands.

5.2 Earthquake hits San Juan, Argentina.

5.1 Earthquake hits the Balleny Islands.

5.1 Earthquake hits Java, Indonesia.

5.0 Earthquake hits Vanuatu.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical cyclone 14p (Yalo), located approximately 327 nm southwest of Papeete, Tahiti, and is tracked southeastward at 10 knots.

NewsBytes:

Freak Waves - In Hawaii, a pair of gigantic, back-to-back swells generated waves large enough to overtake beach parks, wash across roadways and damage oceanfront properties. In an unprecedented move, state officials shut down a 12-mile stretch of Kamehameha Highway, on the north shore of Oahu, in response to ocean surges that washed over the roadway. In addition to flooding, several areas experienced severe coastal erosion. A 30-foot stretch of beach on the north shore of Oahu reportedly disappeared overnight. Despite numerous beaches being closed, lifeguards were kept busy, rescuing dozens of people and issuing hundreds of warnings. In Los Angeles a large wave swept four people off a Los Angeles County jetty as high surf pounded much of the California coast, leaving one man dead and his three companions seriously injured.

Tornadoes, USA - Whipping northward at interstate speeds, multiple rounds of severe thunderstorms raced from the Carolinas to New England on Wednesday and early Thursday. The springlike round of severe weather - which extended unusually far north for February - took one life in South Carolina and at least four in Virginia, making Wednesday the latter state’s deadliest tornado day since the notorious Super Outbreak of April 27, 2011. Three people, including a two-year-old boy, were killed in hard-hit Waverly, VA, and another man died in Appomattox County.

Bangladesh - Severe weather in Bangladesh has claimed the lives of 10 people and injured at least 25 students. Six people died when a trawler capsized in Dhaleshwari River in Naraynganj. In Narsinghdi, two sisters died when a wall collapsed on them during the storm. Two other people died in Moulvibazar.

South Africa - In Diepsloot near Fourways, Johannesburg, a primary schoolgirl was swept away by flash floods while trying to cross a low level bridge between Extension 1 and 7. Severe thunderstorms lashed northern Johannesburg yesterday afternoon.

Wildlife

65-Year-Old Bird Hatches Her 30th Baby

The world’s oldest known wild bird has become a mother yet again at the age of 65, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The Laysan albatross, known as Wisdom, was first tagged in 1956 and has been monitored as she has reared more than 30 chicks and flown over 3 million miles during her lifetime.

Wisdom is currently raising her chick Kukini, which means “messenger” in Hawaiian, on Midway atoll in the central Pacific.

Her mate, Akeakamai, or “lover of wisdom,” was sitting on the nest when the chick hatched on February 1.

New Zealand - Botulism Among Wetland Birds

Hundreds of birds in a South Auckland wetland have been killed in a botulism outbreak.

The Department of Conservation and Fish and Game are working with the Pukorokoro Miranda Shorebird Centre to contain the outbreak.

The wetland is home to tens of thousands of rare native and non-native waterfowl and shore birds and it's estimated around 200 have died so far. The disease is mostly affecting waterfowl including ducks and gulls.

Disease

Human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus – China

On 23 February 2016, the Department of Health (DH), Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) notified WHO of an additional laboratory-confirmed case of human infection with avian influenza A (H7N9) virus.

Dengue Fever – Uruguay

On 13 February 2016, the National IHR Focal Point (IHR NFP) of Uruguay notified PAHO/WHO a case of dengue.

Circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus – Lao People’s Democratic Republic

Between 6 and 16 February 2016, the National IHR Focal Point (NFP) of Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) notified WHO of 3 additional cases of vaccine-derived poliovirus type 1 (VDPV1).

Environment

Global Temperature Extremes

The week's hottest temperature was 113.9 degrees Fahrenheit (45.5 degrees Celsius) at Makatini, South Africa.

The week's coldest temperature was minus 70.4 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 56.9 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.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity

Shiveluch (Kamchatka): Based on satellite data, Tokyo VAAC reported an eruption plume from the volcano that rose to estimated 21,000 ft (6.4 km) altitude yesterday evening and drifted NW. The volcano overall has been a bit calmer recently. This and a similar report a few days ago indicate that activity continues, and produces occasional moderate-sized explosions and/or pyroclastic flows event from the active lava dome. In many cases, cloud cover prevents visual observation of the volcano from the webcam.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.0 Earthquake hits the Volcano Islands off Japan.

5.0 Earthquake hits Kepulauan Barat Daya, Indonesia.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical cyclone 14p (Yalo), located approximately 334 nm west-southwest of Papeete, Tahiti, and is tracked southeastward at 08 knots.

Tropical cyclone 11p (Winston), Final advisory has been issued on Tropical cyclone Winston which is located approximately 367 nm northeast of Kingston Island. Winston is already exhibiting signs of being subtropical, with the mid-level warm core weakening and the wind field expanding. The system is forecast to complete subtropical transition, but is expected to maintain gale-force winds.

NewsBytes:

Fiji - The death toll in Fiji has jumped to 42 amid fears for remote areas and islands yet to be reached by relief teams, days after a devastating cyclone. Cyclone Winston, thought to be one of the strongest storms to hit the Southern Hemisphere, left 8,500 sheltering in evacuation centres. Teams are still being deployed. Officials said they met "grim images of devastation" on reaching Koro island. The Red Cross has warned that the toll could still rise further. The powerful cyclone, which struck last weekend, brought winds of over 320km/h (200mph), torrential rain and waves of up to 12m (40ft), flattening many buildings in parts of the main Viti Levu island and Koro islands. It has been described by the Fiji Broadcasting Corporation as the worst to ever hit the country. The damage in remote outlying areas - so far seen only from the air - is reported to be especially bad. Pictures taken from Koro on Tuesday showed battered and demolished homes on the island. Communication with many smaller and remote islands in the Pacific nation of 900,000 people have been down since the cyclone hit.

Southern USA - Three dead as tornadoes hit southern US - At least 7 tornadoes lashed Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida Tuesday, destroying homes and businesses. The deaths occurred when mobile homes were destroyed in Louisiana and Mississippi, officials said. A powerful storm system swept across the East Coast on Wednesday, killing four people in Virginia and knocking out power to tens of thousands of homes and businesses in the region. A day earlier, the system spawned about two dozen tornadoes along the Gulf Coast, damaging hundreds of homes in Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida. Three people were killed and dozens were injured.

Space Events

Large space rock burns up over Atlantic

The biggest fireball since the Chelyabinsk explosion has plunged through the atmosphere over the Atlantic Ocean. The event, which has only just come to light, occurred off the coast of Brazil at 13:55 GMT on 6 February. As it burned up, the space rock released the equivalent of 13,000 tonnes of TNT.

This makes it the most powerful event of its kind since an object exploded over Chelyabinsk in Russia in 2013. That blast was much bigger, releasing the equivalent of 500,000 tonnes of TNT.

Wildfires

Wildfires - Australia

Two homes were destroyed and one was damaged in a bushfire that burned out of control at Mount Bolton, north-west of Ballarat, the Country Fire Authority (CFA) says.

The fire broke out mid-afternoon on Tuesday and burned through about 1,300 hectares in the area, much of it rural farmland.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity

Etna (Sicily, Italy): An unusual eruptive episode occurred yesterday morning from the volcano's NE crater (the least active of the summit vents over the past few decades). Incandescent bombs were ejected above the rim of the crater and an ash plume rose several hundred meters. Whether this is the beginning of a more significant eruptive phase, after a period of relative calm since the violent paroxysms of Voragine summit crater in early Dec 2015 remains to be seen. INGV published the following report: "During the month of January 2016, Etna's eruptive activity has maintained rather low levels. Early that month, a few weak ash emissions occurred from the 25 November 2015 vent located high on the eastern flank of the New Southeast Crater (NSEC) cone; similar phenomena were repeated during the last week of January and once more on the morning of 6 February. During the same time interval, degassing from the Northeast Crater (NEC) were sometimes accompanied by the emission of minor traces of ash.

Colima (Western Mexico): The new lava dome in the summit crater continues to be active (and probably is growing) as bright glow visible at night suggests. Explosive activity on the other hand has decreased recently.

Momotombo (Nicaragua): Activity has been calmer during the past two days. No new significant explosions occurred in the interval, but incandescence remains visible at the summit crater, indicating small extrusive activity continues.

Reventador (Ecuador): The eruptive activity of the volcano continues with no significant changes, at moderate to high levels, as IGEPN reports on a daily basis. Lava arrives at the summit crater where small explosive activity (probably strombolian-type) takes place. During yesterday, based on seismic data (the volcano is mostly hidden in clouds), 56 small explosions were registered. This morning, an ash emission was also detected by Washington VAAC.

Cotopaxi (Ecuador): Surface activity of the volcano has been mostly low during the past weeks, characterized by degassing / steaming and occasional very weak ash emissions. According to IGEPN, the level of most monitored geophysical parameters (SO2, volcanic earthquakes, volcanic tremor, deformation) have returned to their pre-eruption background levels. However, the overall seismic activity of the volcano is still elevated and some few deep-seated explosive events are being recorded (on average 1-3 / day). This type of activity possibly indicates that a magma source remains active inside the edifice. The most likely scenario of the coming days to weeks is that surface activity remains at a low level and or continues to decrease, with intermittent small ash emissions possible that would not affect but immediate areas surrounding the volcano. However, even though much less likely now, an increase in internal and external activity of the volcano cannot be excluded either.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity

Etna (Sicily, Italy): An unusual eruptive episode occurred yesterday morning from the volcano's NE crater (the least active of the summit vents over the past few decades). Incandescent bombs were ejected above the rim of the crater and an ash plume rose several hundred meters. Whether this is the beginning of a more significant eruptive phase, after a period of relative calm since the violent paroxysms of Voragine summit crater in early Dec 2015 remains to be seen. INGV published the following report: "During the month of January 2016, Etna's eruptive activity has maintained rather low levels. Early that month, a few weak ash emissions occurred from the 25 November 2015 vent located high on the eastern flank of the New Southeast Crater (NSEC) cone; similar phenomena were repeated during the last week of January and once more on the morning of 6 February. During the same time interval, degassing from the Northeast Crater (NEC) were sometimes accompanied by the emission of minor traces of ash.

Colima (Western Mexico): The new lava dome in the summit crater continues to be active (and probably is growing) as bright glow visible at night suggests. Explosive activity on the other hand has decreased recently.

Momotombo (Nicaragua): Activity has been calmer during the past two days. No new significant explosions occurred in the interval, but incandescence remains visible at the summit crater, indicating small extrusive activity continues.

Reventador (Ecuador): The eruptive activity of the volcano continues with no significant changes, at moderate to high levels, as IGEPN reports on a daily basis. Lava arrives at the summit crater where small explosive activity (probably strombolian-type) takes place. During yesterday, based on seismic data (the volcano is mostly hidden in clouds), 56 small explosions were registered. This morning, an ash emission was also detected by Washington VAAC.

Cotopaxi (Ecuador): Surface activity of the volcano has been mostly low during the past weeks, characterized by degassing / steaming and occasional very weak ash emissions. According to IGEPN, the level of most monitored geophysical parameters (SO2, volcanic earthquakes, volcanic tremor, deformation) have returned to their pre-eruption background levels. However, the overall seismic activity of the volcano is still elevated and some few deep-seated explosive events are being recorded (on average 1-3 / day). This type of activity possibly indicates that a magma source remains active inside the edifice. The most likely scenario of the coming days to weeks is that surface activity remains at a low level and or continues to decrease, with intermittent small ash emissions possible that would not affect but immediate areas surrounding the volcano. However, even though much less likely now, an increase in internal and external activity of the volcano cannot be excluded either.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.9 Earthquake hits south of Australia.

5.3 Earthquake hits Halmahera, Indonesia.

5.2 Earthquake hits central California.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical cyclone 11p (Winston), located approximately 404 nm south-west of Suva, Fiji, is tracking south-southeastward at 08 knots.

Disease

Meningitis in Ghana

Seven more Ghanaians have died from the deadly Meningitis disease, raising the death toll to 100 in nine out of 10 regions. Authorities earlier declared the outbreak in Brong Ahafo an epidemic and put the country’s health facilities on high alert.

More Zika through Sex Cases

U.S. health officials are investigating more than a dozen possible Zika infections that may have been spread through sex.

The 14 cases all involve men who visited areas with Zika outbreaks, and who may have infected their female sex partners, who had not traveled to those areas.

Zika virus is mainly spread by mosquito bites, and sexual transmission has been considered rare. There have been two reported cases, including a recent one in Texas, and at least two other reports of the Zika virus found in semen.

Nigeria - Mystery Diseaase

The mystery disease that was reported to have killed 20 children in Eti-Osa in Lagos State has now been identified as measles. Authorities blame poor sanitation in the slum areas where the disease manifested. No new cases have been reported.

Disease

Meningitis in Ghana

Seven more Ghanaians have died from the deadly Meningitis disease, raising the death toll to 100 in nine out of 10 regions. Authorities earlier declared the outbreak in Brong Ahafo an epidemic and put the country’s health facilities on high alert.

More Zika through Sex Cases

U.S. health officials are investigating more than a dozen possible Zika infections that may have been spread through sex.

The 14 cases all involve men who visited areas with Zika outbreaks, and who may have infected their female sex partners, who had not traveled to those areas.

Zika virus is mainly spread by mosquito bites, and sexual transmission has been considered rare. There have been two reported cases, including a recent one in Texas, and at least two other reports of the Zika virus found in semen.

Nigeria - Mystery Diseaase

The mystery disease that was reported to have killed 20 children in Eti-Osa in Lagos State has now been identified as measles. Authorities blame poor sanitation in the slum areas where the disease manifested. No new cases have been reported.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.2 Earthquake hits southern Qinghai, China.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical cyclone 11p (Winston), located approximately 303 nm south-west of Suva, Fiji, is tracking south-southeastward at 09 knots.

NewsBytes:

Israel - Following a week of unusually mild weather, winter returned to Israel this weekend as a large rainstorm struck from the north to the south, causing floods in the desert and dropping snow on the mountains in yet another round of apocalyptic weather in the Middle East. The Sea of Galilee, which is at a near-constant risk of depletion, fortuitously rose by 1.5 centimetres. In the southern Negev region, heavy rain has caused dangerous flash floods, washing out roads and stranding those unlucky enough to be caught in the storm.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity

Sinabung (Sumatra, Indonesia): The volcano continues to erupt with little changes overall: the activity consists of slow extrusion of viscous lava, interrupted by intermittent explosions (every few days on average) caused by sudden pressure release of trapped pressurized gasses. An explosion this morning was reported to have produced an ash plume that rose to 14,000 ft (4,2 km) altitude and drifted NW. The rising magma inside the conduit continues to accumulate at the lava dome, feeding lava lobes on the steep upper flanks. From time to time, parts of these collapse, the avalanches generate small to moderate pyroclastic flows traveling down the southern and southeastern flanks.

Dukono (Halmahera): Ash emissions continue to be observed from the volcano almost every day, suggesting that activity remains high. Darwin VAAC reported an ash plume at 10,000 ft (3 km) altitude extending 70 km to the WSW this morning.

Nevado del Ruiz (Colombia): SGC and VAAC Washington seem to confirm that an ash emission took place. A large steam plume with possible light ash content can now be seen on a morning view of the webcam in Manizales. This morning, a pilot reported to The Colombian Geologic Service an ash plume from the volcano to 22,000 ft (6.7 km) altitude, which would indicate a moderate explosive activity at the volcano took place. Whether or not this is the case is unclear at the moment, as sometimes weather clouds are being mistaken as ash plumes, in particular if the observation is at night (as in this case). On the other hand, mild ash emissions from Nevado del Ruiz have been occurring intermittently during the past months and a somewhat larger emission as reported this morning would not come as a surprise.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.9 Earthquake hits offshore Coquimbo, Chile.

5.6 Earthquake hits the Volcano Islands off Japan.

5.5 Earthquake hits Nepal.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Strait of Gibraltar.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Xizang-Nepal border.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical cyclone 11p (Winston), located approximately 348 nm west of Suva, Fiji, is tracking west-southwestward at 02 knots.

NewsBytes:

Fiji - The death toll from tropical cyclone Winston has risen to 21. Many remote villages have been completely flattened by the slow moving storm with many communications lines still cut. The government has declared a 30-day state of natural disaster (state of emergency) and a curfew.

Nottinghamshire, England - A car was sucked into a sinkhole created by a burst water pipe in Nottinghamshire. The driver thought it was a puddle!

Wildfires

Wildfires - Oklahoma, USA - Update

The Oklahoma wildfires have now burned at least 60,300 acres, according to the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry.

Fire officials say a large wildfire continues to burn Sunday morning, entering the fourth day of rough conditions for firefighters.

The Pharoah-Nuyuka fire is west of Okmulgee and has burned more than 20,000 acres. It was 30% contained as of Saturday night. Fortunately, no large new fires started Saturday, allowing crews to focus on the Pharoah-Nuyuka fire.

Wildlife

For Rare-Species Poachers, Scientific Journals Are Treasure Maps

Recently, commercial collectors have been using reports of such new species in scientific journals as tools to track down the newbies so they can sell them for a profit on the exotic pet trade market.

Since being scientifically described in the 1990s, the Indonesian turtle Chelodina mccordi and another cave gecko (Goniurosaurus luii) fetch pet trade prices ranging from $1,500 to $2,000 apiece, the researchers said. The demand is so high that C. mccordi is almost extinct in the wild, and G. luii has gone locally extinct.

Likewise, the salamander Paramesotriton laoensis in northern Laos costs between $170 and $250 each on the black market, the researchers said. Smugglers often offer villagers less than $1 to collect the black-and-yellow Laotian newt (Laotriton laoensis), and then turn around and sell each one for as much as $200.

Despite the risks of revealing a newfound animal's location, many researchers still publish that information. This data can help researchers understand how a previously unknown species fits into the ecosystem and the size of its habitat range.

Researchers chose not to publish the location of the newly identified cave gecko species Goniurosaurus kadoorieorum for fear that exotic pet trade poachers would wipe them out.

California Songbird Die-Off

Following the death of hundreds of pine siskins, a small songbird that inhabits California's forested areas, state wildlife officials are asking that people empty their birdbaths and take down their bird feeders.

Since early December there have been reports of at least 300 pine siskins found dead in the Redding area, as well as in the Central and South Coast regions. Scientists from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) believe that Salmonellosis -- a fatal disease caused by Salmonella bacteria -- is largely to blame, and that infected bird feeders and birdbaths are partly responsible for the epidemic.

Based on the number of reported deaths, officials estimate more than 1,000 pine siskins have died this winter from salmonella bacteria. The disease is easily spread when birds ingest contaminated food or water, or come in contact with objects, such as bird feeders, perches or soil that have faeces left behind from infected birds. A similar outbreak occurred last winter, officials say.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity

Alaid (Northern Kuriles): New thermal anomalies have been detected from the volcano during the past days via satellite data. It is not known whether or not a new eruption is underway at the volcano which is rarely visited, but one of the most active ones in the area. Its most recent eruption from Oct 2015 to January this year produced spectacular lava flows that flowed into the sea and enlarged the uninhabited island.

The Aviation Colour Code was raised again to yellow.

Colima (Western Mexico): As had been suspected last week, a new (still small) lava dome has appeared inside the volcano's summit crater. During an overflight on 19 Feb, it was seen to be approx. 25 m in diameter and 10 m tall.

Momotombo (Nicaragua): Activity has been a bit quieter over the past days, but the volcano continues to produce a few (on average two per day) mild to moderate explosions.

Environment

One of World's Driest Valleys About to Burst In Bloom

The typically barren landscape of California’s Death Valley could be about to emerge in a rare wildflower "super bloom" thanks to El NIño rainfall earlier this winter.

The U.S. National Park Service said in a statement that while wildflowers are emerging locally in parts of the park, they've just begun in other locations.

“To have a big bloom like this, which we hope will become a super bloom, which is beyond all your expectations, those are quite rare, maybe once a decade or so,” Park Ranger Alan Van Valkenburg explained in a YouTube video.

The last Death Valley super bloom occurred in 2005.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.8 Earthquake hits south of Fiji.

5.4 Earthquake hits the Hindu Kush, Afghanistan.

5.3 Earthquake hits the central, Mid-Atlantic ridge.

5.3 Earthquake hits Fiji.

Two 5.1 Earthquakes hit the central Mid-Atlantic ridge.

5.1 Earthquake hits south of Fiji.

Two 5.0 Earthquakes hit the central Mid-Atlantic ridge.

5.0 earthquake hits New Guinea, Papua New Guinea.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical cyclone 11p (Winston), located approximately 253 nm west of Suva, Fiji, is tracking west-southwestward at 07 knots.

NewsBytes:

Idaho, USA - About 250 people have been trapped in a massive landslide in the small remote town of Elk City in Idaho County in the United States. The landslide is about 40 feet deep and is blocking approximately 500 feet of the highway.

Fiji - Fiji began a massive clean-up on Sunday after the most powerful cyclone in the Pacific island nation's history left a trail of destruction, killing at least five persons and crippling vital infrastructure. The category five super-storm lashed the popular tourist destination overnight Saturday, packing wind gusts approaching 300 kilometres (185 miles) per hour, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Centre.

Malaysia - Continuous heavy rain in southern Sarawak since Thursday night has left many areas flooded and triggered at least three landslides. The number of flood victims housed at relief centres in the Kuching, Samarahan and Serian divisons have increased to 2,869 people from 486 last night due to intermittent heavy rain in several places since yesterday.

Disease

Jaundice Outbreak in India

The number of deaths due to a jaundice outbreak in Shimla in Himachal Pradesh has touched 10 with three deaths alone recorded in the last 60 hours. More than half of the total families residing in Shimla have reportedly been affected by the disease in the last two-and-a-half months.

Water samples collected by National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune have confirmed the presence of a dangerous virus in the water which was being supplied to the citizens from Ashwani Khad source. Experts have written to the state government saying the virus has origins in untreated sewage.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.1 Earthquake hits Seram, Indonesia.

5.1 Earthquake hits Kepulauan Barat Daya, Indonesia.

5.0 Earthquake hits southern Peru.

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

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical cyclone 11p (Winston), located approximately 90 nm west-northwest of Suva, Fiji, is tracking westward at 16 knots.

Tropical cyclone 13s (Uriah), located approximately 1080 nm south-southeast of Diego Garcia, is tracking south-southeastward at 04 knots.

NewsBytes:

Fiji - Tropical Cyclone Winston has made landfall on the island of Viti Levu in Fiji. The storm, which is the most powerful ever to hit the island nation, was tracked moving through the narrow waterway ocean in between the country's main islands of Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. The capital city, Suva, is without electricity. Tropical Cyclone Winston was packing winds of 180 mph with gusts over 220 mph -- the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane -- according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Centre. It is the strongest storm on record to make a direct hit on the main islands, which are home to a majority of Fiji's 900,000 people and are smaller than Connecticut.

South Africa - Harding - Three more people have died in lightning strikes in KwaZulu-Natal, bringing to 10 the number of people killed in one week, the provincial co-operative governance and traditional affairs department said on Saturday.

Texas, USA - Volunteers with Texas Search and Rescue are picking up their search efforts for two children lost during a major flood along the Blanco River.

Wildlife

30-Year Deep Freeze

After being locked in a deep freeze for more than 30 years, two microscopic creatures called tardigrades have been resuscitated, with one of the adults getting busy with reproduction "immediately" and "repeatedly," scientists reported.

Scientists were even able to revive a tardigrade egg after it spent the past three decades cooling its jets alongside the mature duo in a researcher's freezer.

Their findings shattered the previous preservation and revival record for tardigrades and their eggs, which had been eight years for frozen tardigrades and nine years for dried eggs stored at room temperature.

Scientists retrieved the two microscopic Acutuncus antarcticus hitchhikers and one egg from a piece of frozen moss that had been collected in Antarctica in 1983. For years, the moss was kept frozen at minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 20 degrees Celsius.) During that time, the tardigrades maintained a state known as "cryptobiosis," showing no visible signs of life and with their metabolic processes at a standstill.

But after more than 30 years in this suspended state, they were brought back to life. Scientists rehydrated them and video-recorded the results, observing that after just one day, a revived tardigrade was tentatively stretching a pair of its stubby legs. Six days after rehydration, the tardigrade was moving its body, as though it were trying to lift itself, the researchers noted. After 13 days had passed, the animal was eating algae, its first meal in decades, And after 22 days, eggs were visible inside the tardigrade's chubby body.

It eventually laid 19 eggs. A. antarcticus reproduce through parthenogenesis, which means that their embryos grow and develop without fertilization, and in this instance, a total of 14 hatchlings emerged.

The other tardigrade survived for just 20 days after rehydration, and died without reproducing. But the frozen egg hatched and produced a larva that went on to lay 15 eggs, of which seven hatched successfully.

Disease

Lassa Fever – Benin

On 25 January 2016, the National IHR Focal Point of Benin notified WHO of an outbreak of Lassa fever.

The outbreak was initially detected on 21 January following reports of unexplained fever within a cluster of health workers from the district of Tchaourou, Borgou department. On 3 January, these health workers provided care to a patient suffering from haemorrhagic fever.

Wildfires

Wildfires - Oklahoma, USA

Wildfires spread through 20 Oklahoma counties, including LeFlore, on Thursday, scorching at least 40,000 acres, according to the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry.

Residents were evacuated in Pawnee, Okmulgee, and Harper counties, and the department reported several structures were destroyed by Thursday’s fires. The largest single fire was near Weleetka, which burned nearly 5,000 acres.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity

Momotombo (Nicaragua): Activity at the volcano has been increasing. During the past days, explosions have become frequent, with intervals of only few hours. The largest on Wednesday evening at 20:50 local time showered almost the cone with incandescent ejecta and produced ash plumes up to 1 km tall. Unconfirmed reports suggest that some of the eruptions also have produced small pyroclastic flows. Mild ash fall was reported in the communities of La Concha, Matuzán, Boca de Cántaro, Flor de la Piedra and Puerto Momotombo. According to the Nicaraguan Institute of Territorial Studies (INET) reported that microseismic activity remains high, suggesting that more eruptions are likely to occur in the near future.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.2 Earthquake hits Coquimbo, Chile.

5.0 Earthquake hits El Salvador.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Owen Fracture Zone.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical cyclone 11p (Winston), located approximately 330 nm east of Suva, Fiji, is tracking westward at 12 knots.

Tropical cyclone 13s (Uriah), located approximately 1084 nm south-southeast of Diego Garcia, is tracking southward at 11 knots.

Global Warming

CO2 Emissions Greening Vast Parts of the World

The ongoing accumulation of carbon dioxide from nearly two centuries of greenhouse gas emissions appears to be responsible for a recent greening of the world’s vast drylands.

Scientists from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis say they believe higher CO2 levels have increased the amount of water in drylands soil, while also diminishing the ability of some plants to exchange carbon dioxide and water vapor in and out of their leaves.

"We know from satellite observations that vegetation is greener than it was in the past," lead researcher Lixin Wang said in a press release. "We now understand why that's occurring, but we don't necessarily know if that's a good thing or not.”

Drylands are the world’s most abundant landscapes, where evaporation exceeds the amount of rainfall received by at least a third.

They are also home to more than 2 billion of the world’s human inhabitants and cover 41.3 percent of Earth's land surface.

A view of crops and fields in a mountainous drylands region of Morocco.

Environment

100 Million Suffer Food-Water Shortages From El NIño

One of the strongest El Niños on record has left nearly 100 million people in southern Africa, Asia and Latin America with acute food and water shortages since late last year.

The ocean warming has also made many populations vulnerable to diseases such as Zika, according to various governmental, U.N. and relief agencies.

UNICEF warns that nearly 1 million children in eastern and southern Africa are suffering from “severe acute malnutrition” after two years of drought, preceding the current near-record El Niño.

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization and the Famine Early Warning Systems Network said in a statement that rainfall in southern Africa “has so far been the driest in the last 35 years.”

Millions of other people in various parts of the world have suffered from heat waves, water shortages and wildfires since El Niño’s weather disruptions emerged in mid-2015.

El Niño's warmth is fading across the Pacific, but its influence on the world's weather will linger for months.

Wildlife

Dolphin dies after it’s passed around for selfies

An endangered baby dolphin was killed on a beach in Argentina last week after the animal was plucked from the water and passed around by beachgoers for petting and photos.

The incident, which took place at the beach resort town of Santa Teresita, has drawn wide condemnation from animal lovers and activists.

La Plata dolphins - also known as Franciscana dolphins - are only found in Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil, and fewer than 30 000 of them remain in the wild.

Video footage of last week's incident shows the animal being scooped up by a man and quickly surrounded by a curious mob eager to touch the animal.

The miniature dolphin, no more than a few feet long, is eventually left to die in the mud, where it can be seen lying motionless.

At no point in the footage does it appear that anyone in the crowd intervened or attempted to return the animal to the water.

Environment

Global Temperature Extremes

The week's hottest temperature was 112.6 degrees Fahrenheit (44.8 degrees Celsius) at Learmonth, Western Australia.

The week's coldest temperature was minus 65.4 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 54.1 degrees Celsius) at Russia's Siberian outpost of Oimyakon

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

Swine Flu Outbreak in Leicester - UK

A hospital is dealing with a "significant" outbreak of swine flu among 14 cancer patients.

The patients on three wards at Leicester Royal Infirmary are being treated for the condition, while another three people with the illness - a child and two adults - are being treated at the city's Glenfield hospital.

All 17 people have been diagnosed with having the H1N1 flu strain of influenza, better known as swine flu.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

6.0 Earthquake hits Halmahera, Indonesia.

5.8 Earthquake hits the South Sandwich Islands.

5.1 Earthquake hits Taiwan.

Storms and Flood

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical cyclone 11p (Winston), located approximately 154 nm northwest of Niue, is tracking westward at 05 knots.

Tropical cyclone 13s (Uriah), located approximately 859 nm south-southeast of Diego Garcia, is tracking south-southwestward at 08 knots.

NewsBytes:

New Zealand - Torrential rain and high winds caused overnight havoc in the Nelson region, with flooded homes and roads, felled trees and swollen rivers. Civil Defence said the rain-swollen Wairoa River at Brightwater caused extensive surface flooding, including over State Highway 6 at Brightwater bridge. Police alerted residents in the worst-hit areas, but there were no evacuations. The Tasman District Council said with more than 300mm recorded in the Upper Lee Catchment, the Wairoa River at the Irvines site above Brightwater reached 1300 cubic metre/sec, the second largest flood at this location since recording commenced in 1957. River berms were flooded down much of the lower Waimea River.

Wildlife

Around 10,000 sharks swarm Palm Beach County coast

Blacktip sharks head south for the winter. But this year the sharks didn’t show up for their Florida migration on time.

The sharks will typically first arrive in mid-January, but the waters off the coast of Palm Beach were empty until the end of the month.

But now that they’re here, the blacktip sharks are congregating in huge numbers.

Dr. Kajiura, Florida Atlantic University biologist, estimated more than 10,000 of the sharks are swimming just off the coast of Palm Beach, Florida. “The interesting thing is these sharks are right up against the shoreline. You could stand on the shore and toss a pebble and hit a shark, they’re that close,” Dr. Kajiura said.

So what’s up with the bizarre behavior from the sharks? Part of the reason could be 2016’s particularly strong El Nino. The phenomenon's effects can be felt across the globe, changing the behaviours of sharks and other marine animals including sea snakes, sea lions and seals.

Warming ocean temperatures could also play a role. If waters farther north are staying warmer for longer, then there's less reason for the blacktips to leave on time.

However, Dr Kajiura said the blacktip sharks are relatively harmless.

Environment

Plume from Mumbai's Burning Landfill Seen from Space

The end of January had a smoky surprise for Mumbai, India, after the city's largest landfill caught fire and burned for four days. The billowing smoke was so thick that the massive plume could be seen from space . Mumbai's Deonar dumping ground extends across 0.5 square miles (1.3 square kilometers) near Thane Creek. Each day, the landfill receives more than 8.1 million pounds (3.7 million kilograms) of trash. All that garbage gets tossed into towering piles that measure up to 100 feet (30 meters) in places, which is equivalent to the height of a nine-story building.

Large-scale fires are never good, but when trash burns, it can be even more problematic. For one, landfill fires are difficult to extinguish because they are fueled by highly flammable substances, such as methane, which is produced by decomposing organic materials. And the Mumbai fire was sizeable enough to be spotted by the Earth-watching Landsat 8 satellite.

Equally problematic are the large quantities of smoke produced by the landfill fire, which is located near a densely populated area. The burning trash potentially contains dangerous chemical compounds that can cause respiratory disorders or other medical conditions.

On Jan. 29, pollution in Mumbai was measured at its highest levels since air quality data monitoring began last June. The smoky air also forced government schools in central Mumbai's suburbs of Shivaji Nagar and Deonar to close.

Wildfires

Wildfires - Hawaii

Fire and police officials are asking people in the Puuanahulu area of Hawaii Island to report any suspicious activity after a series of wildfires over the past week.

The latest fire sparked a little after midnight Wednesday, south of the Kona hunter check station in the Puuanahulu Game Management Unit. Fire crews were able to extinguish the small brush fire quickly.

More than 775 acres of mostly brush and grass burned, starting last Thursday in the same area.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity

Ambrym (Vanuatu): Wellington VAAC reported an ash plumes from the volcano this morning. Based on satellite observations, an ash cloud rose to 9,000 ft (2,7 km) altitude and drifted east. This suggests that some explosive activity is occurring at its active vents, at least intermittently, most likely at Marum or Benbow, both of which contain active lava lakes. Similar reports arrived already earlier this month, but there are no indications of a significant change in activity otherwise.

Colima (Western Mexico): Activity has not changed since the last update. The volcano produces intermittent weak to moderate explosions (every few hours on average) with ash plumes typically rising 500-2000 meters. Glow at the summit craters is visible most of the time as well.

Popocatépetl (Central Mexico): The volcano's activity has been comparably low, with less than 10 (and only weak) explosions in the past 7 days combined. Seismic activity is low, but glow continues to be visible from the crater at night, indicating that very slow extrusion of lava continues.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.2 Earthquake hits off the coast of Michoacan, Mexico.

5.1 Earthquake hits the Kermedec Islands.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Auckland Islands, New Zealand.

5.0 Earthquake hits central California.

5.0 Earthquake hits New Britain, Papua New Guinea.

5.0 Earthquake hits the southern east Pacific rise.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical cyclone 11p (Winston), located approximately 121 nm northwest of Niue, is tracking eastward at 04 knots.

Tropical cyclone 13s (Uriah), located approximately 838 nm southeast of Diego Garcia, is tracking westward at 11 knots.

NewsBytes:

Oman, UAE - Stormy weather lashed parts of UAE and Oman on Tuesday with Khorfakkan and Dibba having the highest rainfall. Heavy downpours have been recorded in parts of Khorfakkan, Sharjah, along with Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah. A marine alert has been issued for fresh and strong winds over the Oman Sea. Heavy rainfall has been occurring in parts of Muscat.

Wildlife

Beavers control flash floods in Scotland

A population of beavers in Scotland that was blamed for flooding may actually be preventing it, a study has shown.

Dams built by beavers in eastern Scotland act like a sponge, experts say, and mitigate flooding by storing and then slowly releasing water.

The presence of the reintroduced animals also benefits the wider environment by improving biodiversity and lowering levels of agricultural pollutants, according to the study published in the journal Freshwater Biology this week.

The research comes after residents in Alyth blamed beavers for flash flooding in July last year, saying some of the debris washed through the village in Perthshire showed signs of being chewed by animals upstream. But in October, experts said beavers were not responsible and the flooding had been caused by heavy rain and a high flow in the river.

Naturalists confirmed last year that more than 150 beavers are living and breeding successfully in the wild in the southern Highlands after escaping from nearby private collections. Ecologists called a reintroduction scheme at Knapdale in Argyll an “outstanding success” after four pairs produced 14 young in five years.

Last year, Natural England agreed to allow wild beavers living in Devon to remain at large after a campaign by conservationists.

Nature - Images

Interesting Images

A bizarre deep sea creature, which looks like a cross between a crocodile and a dolphin has washed ashore on the banks of an Australian lake. Australian Museum fish collector Mark McGrouther suspects it is a pike eel, native to deep waters on the east coast of Australia.

“I suspect it was caught and discarded by fisherman who got more than they bargained for when they tried to reel it in.” The pike eel is known to thrash around violently once hooked, damaging fishing equipment and forcing fishermen to cut their lines.

“They can grow up to 1.8 metres in length, but the angle of this photo makes it difficult to determine how large it is.” The pike eel has an elongated body and long slender jaws and large pointed teeth at the front of the lower jaw and on the roof of its mouth. They are nocturnal and known to travel as far as 100 metres deep in search of fish and crustaceans to feed on. The species is elusive as it typically resides in waters near the ocean floor at around 1,200 metres below sea level.

Disease

Newcastle Disease in the Philippines

A Newcastle disease outbreak has been declared in seven towns in Ilocos Norte due to the increasing number of chicken deaths. The provincial veterinary office reported that more than 7,000 chickens have died due to the virus in the towns of Pagudpud, Burgos, Bangui, Adams, Dingras, Marcos and Banna.

It said that some dead chickens have been found on the streets. The veterinary office added that majority of those affected by the virus were native chickens and fighting cocks.

It said that vaccines have been distributed in other towns in Ilocos Norte to prevent the virus from spreading.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

6.2 Earthquake hits the Aukland Islands, New Zealand.

5.7 Earthquake hits Tonga.

5.4 Earthquake hits near the coast of southern Peru.

5.2 Earthquake hits southern Greece.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical cyclone 11p (Winston), located approximately 332 nm southwest of Pago Pago, American Samoa, is tracking east-northeastward at 11 knots.

Tropical cyclone 13s (Uriah), located approximately 682nm west-southwest of Cocos Island, Australia, is tracking southwestward at 08 knots.

NewsBytes:

Papua New Guinea - Police in Papua New Guinea have revealed a mother and her baby and a young girl died when they were buried in a landslide which hit a village in Chimbu on Friday. There were also reports at the weekend of another six deaths as a result of the floods. Eleven schools in parts of Jiwaka province remained closed because of landslides caused by flooding. The bad weather had affected more than 27,000 people.

Wildlife

Anti-whaling activists fail to find Japan fleet

Anti-whaling activist group Sea Shepherd says it has not been able to find the Japanese fleet which is hunting whales in the Southern Ocean.

Sea Shepherd sends its boats out every hunting season to try to interfere with the Japanese fleet and protect whales. But it said Japan had "greatly expanded their area of illegal operations" this year, making it hard to find them.

The statement called on Australia and New Zealand to help by passing on the co-ordinates of the fleet.

From the late 1940s to the mid-1960s whale meat was the single biggest source of meat in Japan. At its peak in 1964 Japan killed more than 24,000 whales in one year, most of them enormous fin whales and sperm whales.

Today Japan can afford to import meat from Australia and America. There is no deep-sea commercial whaling in Japan. The fleet that is now hunting in Antarctic waters is paid for by Japanese taxpayers to carry out what the Japanese government describes as "scientific research".

Japan's other justification is that it needs to kill hundreds of whales each year to study them. But the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has systematically dismantled that argument. In 2014 it ruled that there was no scientific case for Japan's programme of "lethal research" in the Southern Ocean, and ordered Tokyo to stop.

Japan resumed its annual whale hunt in the Southern Ocean in December last year, after a one-year break, despite a global moratorium on whaling.

The four-vessel fleet is aiming to catch 333 Antarctic Minke whales - about one-third of previous targets - and Japan says the hunt is for scientific research, which is allowed under the ban.

But activists say the programme is inhumane, unsustainable and illegal.

Missing Antarctic Penguins - Update

The news was previously reported — that some 150,000 Adélie penguins have died in Antarctica because a colossal iceberg cut off their sea access.

But according to other experts, there's no proof yet that the birds are dead. No one has actually found 150,000 frozen penguins. In fact, some experts think there's a less horrific explanation for the missing birds: When the fishing gets tough, penguins simply pick up and move. It wouldn't be the first time Adélie penguins marched to new digs. When an iceberg grounded in the southern Ross Sea in 2001, penguins on Ross Island relocated to nearby colonies until the ice broke up.

While the Adélie population has dropped along the Antarctic Peninsula, the colonies in East Antarctica are growing. As of 2011, there were approximately 7 million Adélie penguins in Antarctica. Losing 150,000 birds — even if that were true — is hardly considered to be apocalyptic, according to the opposing experts.

Disease

Parechovirus Infects 50 Babies in Queensland, Australia

An outbreak of a rare and potentially fatal virus has left 55 newborns sick, with most of the infected babies under three months old.

The respiratory and gastrointestinal infection parechovirus has swept through parts of Queensland, including Brisbane and the Gold Coast, leaving newborns with lethargy, diarrhoea, a temperature and a refusal to eat.

Last month, two infants from Toowoomba were almost killed by the virus and were left fighting for life in intensive care, with one even having her chest cut open and given painful spinal taps.

The virus initially broke out in Brisbane in September, but there have been reported cases on the Gold Coast, and in Toowoomba, Townsville, Mackay and Bundaberg

There is currently no specific treatment for the potentially fatal disease but doctors are trying to work on a vaccine.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity

Telica (Nicaragua): Nicaragua's volcanoes remain in a particularly active state. A series of approx. 12 small explosions occurred at Telica volcano on Saturday morning, the Nicaraguan Institute of Territorial Studies INETER reported. Ash columns from the eruptions rose from 300 to 1000 meters above the crater.

Masaya (Nicaragua): The lava lake inside the volcano's main crater (Santiago crater) not only remains active, but its activity has been gradually increasing during the past week or so. A few days ago, between 9-10 Feb INETER had recorded a seismic crisis including 10 significant shallow earthquakes with magnitudes between 2 and 4.1, many of them felt in nearby areas, the strongest ones even in several tens of km distance. It is thought that these quakes were the result of a new injection of magma into the volcano's shallow plumbing system underneath the Masaya caldera.

Cerro Negro (Nicaragua): An unusual number of earthquakes have been noted near the volcano recently, prompting authorities to warn tourists and locals not to climb the volcano, local press reports. Whether the earthquakes are precursors of a possible new eruption is uncertain, but Cerro Negro is one of the country's most active volcanoes with at least 23 recorded historical eruptions, last in 1992, 1995 and 1999. Cerro Negro's eruptions are often violent with tall lava fountains and tall ash plumes, and often preceded by earthquakes.

Momotombo (Nicaragua): Another moderately strong explosion occurred from the summit crater yesterday 13:08 local time, ejecting an ash plume that rose approx. 1000 m and many incandescent bombs that ignited bush fires on the upper flank of the volcano. Bright glow at the crater at night suggests that new magma has present there.

Kilauea (Hawai'i): No significant changes in activity have occurred in the ongoing eruption of Kilauea. In recent weeks, lava from Pu'u 'O'o continued to aliment lava tubes feeding the large pahoehoe flow field to the NE. Active outbreaks occurred mainly at its NW margins 2-5 km distance from the vent, where the lava field has been slowly eating away at the forest.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.7 Earthquake hits the Izu Islands, off Japan.

5.0 Earthquake hits Alaska.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical cyclone 11p (Winston), located approximately 302 nm south-southeast of Suva, Fiji, is tracking northeastward at 13 knots.

Tropical cyclone 13s (Uriah), located approximately 1090 nm east-southeast of Diego Garcia, is tracking west-southwestward at 08 knots.

NewsBytes:

Portugal - Flooding in northern Portugal has claimed life of a cyclist after being swept away by a river. River Vouga swept away the man whose body was recovered by firefighters from the northern town of Albergaria-a-Velha.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity

Sinabung (Sumatra, Indonesia): Explosions from the summit crater continue to occur intermittently. An eruption in the evening (18:24 local time) of 12 Feb produced an ash plume that rose approx. 2 km above the summit.

Dukono (Halmahera): The volcano continues to produce mild to moderate, but near-continuous ash emissions. Darwin VAAC reported an ash plume at estimated 10,000 ft (3 km) altitude extending 55 nautical miles to the NE this morning.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.8 Earthquake hits South Island, New Zealand.

Cliffs have collapsed in New Zealand during an earthquake in the city of Christchurch on the South Island. Beaches to the east of Christchurch were busy with swimmers and surfers when rocks began to fall into the sea. No serious damage or fatalities were reported in the Valentine's Day quake that struck at 13:13 local time (00.13 GMT).

5.3 Earthquake hits Tonga.

5.1 Earthquake hits Oklahoma, USA.

5.1 Earthquake hits south of Java, Indonesia.

5.1 Earthquake hits Leyte, Philippines.

5.0 Earthquake hits Lake Baykal, Russia.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical cyclone 11p (Winston), located approximately 474 nm south-southwest of Suva, Fiji, is tracking east-southeastward at 13 knots.

Tropical cyclone 12p (Tatiana), located approximately 386 nm east-northeast of Brisbane, Australia, is tracking south-southwestward at 17 knots.

Tropical cyclone 13s (Uriah), located approximately 295 nm west-southwest of Cocos Island, Australia, is tracking west-southwestward at 11 knots.

NewsBytes:

UK - The Thames River burst its banks yesterday as heavy rain hit the UK, and there are 16 flood alerts put in place on the river by the Environment Agency. Parts of the UK are set to plummet to temperatures as low as -15C over the next few days, with some expecting considerable amounts of snow and flooding. Britain is set for up to four inches of snow over a freezing Valentine's Day weekend, as cold showers are set to hit both the north and south of the country. The Met Office has issued yellow warning for snow and ice in the north of England and Scotland, and said that are a lot colder than normal for the time of year. Severe weather warnings have also been issued for large parts of northern Scotland warning drivers to take care in potentially hazardous conditions and to expect travel disruption.

Kenya - Three people died in Kajiado County on Friday night after flash floods wreaked havoc in the region. In the first incident, a man and his wife who were travelling in their personal car were swept away by flood waters at Kisaju area. Rescuers are still working to recover the body of the man. In a second incident, a Swedish tourist was swept away by raging flood waters at Kandisi area in Ongata Rongai. His body was recovered Saturday morning. Several rivers in Kajiado County have burst their banks following heavy rainfall in the region. Several goats and sheep were swept away by the flash floods ; houses and flower farms were also destroyed by the flooding. The heavy rains have also affected other parts of the country with Nairobi City, parts of central Kenya and the South Rift being most affected.

Wildlife

150,000 Antarctica penguins die after iceberg grounding: study

Some 150,000 penguins died after a massive iceberg grounded near their colony in Antarctica, forcing them to make a lengthy trek to find food, scientists say in a newly-published study.

The B09B iceberg, measuring some 100 square kilometres (38.6 square miles), grounded in Commonwealth Bay in East Antarctica in December 2010, the researchers from Australia and New Zealand wrote in the Antarctic Science journal.

The Adelie penguin population at the bay’s Cape Denison was measured to be about 160,000 in February 2011 but by December 2013 it had plunged to an estimated 10,000, they said.

The iceberg’s grounding meant the penguins had to walk more than 60 kilometres (37 miles) to find food, impeding their breeding attempts, said the researchers from the University of New South Wales’ (UNSW) Climate Change Research Centre and New Zealand’s West Coast Penguin Trust.

During their census in December 2013, the researchers said “hundreds of abandoned eggs were noted, and the ground was littered with the freeze-dried carcasses of previous season’s chicks”.

“The ones that we saw at Cape Denison were incredibly docile, lethargic, almost unaware of your existence.

“The ones that are surviving are clearly struggling. They can barely survive themselves, let alone hatch the next generation. We saw lots of dead birds on the ground… it’s just heartbreaking to see.”

In contrast, penguins living on the eastern fringe of the bay just eight kilometres from the fast ice edge were thriving, the scientists said.

The researchers said the study had “important implications” for the wider East Antarctic if the current trend of increasing sea ice continued.

Sea ice around Antarctica is increasing, in contrast to the Arctic where global warming is causing ice to melt and glaciers to shrink

Wildfires

Wildfires - Tasmania

A watch and act alert has been issued for the fire burning on Pipeline Road, Mawbanna, in Tasmania's north-west.

The Tasmania Fire Service said this fire may put Meunna, Milabena, Lapoinya, Myalla and surrounds at high risk on Sunday night. The fire will be difficult to control, and there may be embers, smoke and ash falling on surrounding areas.

The communities that may be impacted on by that fire include Rocky Cape, Sisters Beach , Boat Harbour and Muntumana and surrounding areas.

Another 50 fire tankers are being brought in from interstate and 10 command vehicles and 245 firefighters over the next few days.

Two C-17 defence cargo planes will arrive in Hobart this week with infrastructure for a fire fighters base camp to be established at Stanley in the far north-west.

Wildfires - Mississippi, USA

Multiple wildfires are still burning in various parts of South Mississippi this weekend, and weather conditions are only helping to feed the flames.

In east Jackson County, a woods fire has been burning since Thursday in the Forts Lake community. Although the fire began on private property along Grand Bature Road, it quickly spread to the surrounding marshes, threatening several homes and the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.

A fire in Hancock County is still burning also, but officials say multiple agencies are working together and it is under control.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity

Semeru (East Java, Indonesia): A pyroclastic flow (hot avalanche of fragmented volcanic material) occurred on the volcano's southern side yesterday morning, reaching 4.5 km length and producing an ash plume that rose to 26,000 ft (8 km) altitude. Darwin VAAC raised the aviation colour code to RED.

Another, smaller flow seems to have occurred today. The pyroclastic flow(s) were probably caused by sudden collapse of accumulated lava on the steep upper flank - inside the volcano's breached summit crater, a flat lava dome has been growing steadily during the past months and overspilling as viscous flow into the upper part of the ravine.

Momotombo (Nicaragua): Another explosion occurred at the volcano yesterday at 10:40 local time. It produced a pyroclastic flow that descended the NE flank through the prominent ravine that also had channeled the recent lava flow from 2015.

The pyroclastic flow, surrounded by yellow-brown ash, was likely the result of collapse of older material at the crater during the explosion. Whether and in which proportion fresh magma is involved in the current activity is difficult to say without an analysis of the ash. Glow continued to be visible at the crater during the night, suggesting that temperatures have increased and maybe magma is now at least close to the vents.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

6.2 Earthquake hits the Sumba region, Indonesia.

5.1 Earthquake hits near the coast of southern Peru.

5.1 Earthquake hits the Solomon Islands.

5.1 Earthquake hits the Santa Cruz Islands.

5.0 Earthquake hits offshore Tarapaca, Chile.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical cyclone 11p (Winston), located approximately 446 nm southwest of Suva, Fiji, is tracking southward at 14 knots.

Tropical cyclone 12p (Tatiana), located approximately 307 nm west of Noumea, New Caledonia, is tracking southward at 08 knots.

Disease

Yellow Fever – Angola

On 21 January 2016, the National IHR Focal Point of Angola notified WHO of an outbreak of yellow fever.

The first cases were identified in the district of Viana (Luanda province) on 5 December 2015. Yellow fever infection was initially confirmed in three patients by polymerase chain reaction at the Zoonosis and Emerging Disease Laboratory of the National Institute for Communicable Diseases in Johannesburg, South Africa and at the Pasteur Institute in Dakar, Senegal.

Microcephaly – United States of America

On 16 January 2016, the National IHR Focal Point for the United States of America notified PAHO/WHO of a male infant with microcephaly born in the state of Hawaii in December.

The mother of the child experienced symptoms compatible with Zika virus infection during her second month of pregnancy, while residing in Brazil; however, at the time, testing for the infection was not performed.

Guillain-Barré syndrome – Colombia and Venezuela

Between 30 January and 2 February 2016, the National IHR Focal Points of Colombia and Venezuela informed PAHO/WHO of increases in the number of Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) cases recorded at the national level.

From epidemiological week (EW) 51 of 2015 to EW 3 of 2016, 86 GBS cases were reported. On average, Colombia registers 242 GBS cases per year or approximately 19 cases per month or 5 cases per week. The 86 GBS cases reported in those 5 weeks is three times higher than the averaged expected cases of the 6 previous years.

Wildlife

South Africa revives ‘extinct’ zebra subspecies

In a spectacular valley less than two hours’ drive north of Cape Town, a small herd of animals provides the chance to travel back in time over more than a century.

The animals roaming over a wide plain encased by jagged mountain ranges look like quaggas, a subspecies of the plains zebra — but quaggas are extinct.

They were wiped out by colonial hunters in the 19th century.

Now, a small group of scientists and conservationists believe they have recreated the quagga, which is distinct from other zebra mainly through the lack of the characteristic black and white stripes on its hindquarters.

Over a period of 30 years the Quagga Project has used selective breeding of plains zebra to produce, in the fifth generation, an animal they say is indistinguishable from those that roamed the same plains centuries ago.

The last of the original quagga, found only in South Africa’s Western Cape region, died in an Amsterdam zoo in 1883.

New Glow-in-the-Dark Species Discovered in Red Sea

Russian scientists say they have found a new species of glowing “fluorescent lanterns’ living in the coral reefs of Saudi Arabia’s Farasan archipelago, in the southern Red Sea.

The researchers from Lomonosov Moscow State University and the Tussian Academy of Sciences say the green-glowing polyps are a form of hydrozoa, of which only six other species have been found to be fluorescent.

The new Red Sea species attaches itself to the shells of a type of mud snail that comes out only at night. Writing in the journal PLOS ONE, the researchers believe the green fluorescent proteins around the hydrozoa’s mouth could be there to attract prey.

Swarms of Moths Plague Outback Town

Australia’s outback town of Winton, Queensland, was invaded for more than three days by millions of moths that clogged gutters and blanketed parts of the downtown area following heavy rain.

Residents said the swarms were so dense that they sounded like rain banging against the walls and roofs of buildings.

Bartender Max Jurd told the Australian Associated Press that the town is often overrun by insects when they breed after rainfall, but he said he’d never seen anything like this before.

Jurd and others tried to rid the town of the infestation by raking the moths into trash bags and taking them to the local dump.

Environment

Pollution

About 5.5 million people around the world die prematurely every year from breathing polluted air, and the majority of those deaths are occurring in China and India, where factories and coal-fired power plants are fueling economic growth, according to a report released Friday.

The authors said the findings show that disease from air and household pollution ranks as the No. 2 cause of death worldwide. It comes in right behind smoking, which the World Health Organization says kills six million people annually.

Air pollution is composed of fine particulate matter from power generation, transportation, and open burning.

Household pollution is created by stoves that burn coal, wood, and animal dung for cooking and heat, primarily in India and Africa. Both can lead to heart attacks and strokes, and the researchers found that nearly one million people die annually from these causes in China, more than a half-million die in India, and nearly 300,000 die in the United States and European Union countries.

The Chinese government is moving aggressively to improve air quality by forcing automobiles there to be equipped with cleaner technology, and power plants to lower the amount of particulates they spew. But gains are offset by the country's drive to become a world economic power - through the very industries it seeks to better regulate.

Two-Thirds of the World Faces Severe Water Shortages

About four billion people, or two-thirds of the world’s population, face severe water shortages during at least one month every year, far more than was previously thought.

In a paper published Friday in the journal Science Advances, Dr. Hoekstra and his colleague Mesfin M. Mekonnen designed a computer model to create what they say is a more accurate picture of water scarcity around the world. Severe water scarcity can lead to crop failure and low crop yields, which could cause food price increases as well as famine and widespread starvation.

An area experiences severe water scarcity when its farms, industries and households consume double the amount of water available in that area.

“That means that groundwater levels are falling, lakes are drying up, less water is flowing in rivers, and water supplies for industry and farmers are threatened.”

Not everyone would suffer equally. In more affluent countries, severe water scarcity could mean water rations for showering and gardening, while in very poor countries it could lead to shortages of drinking water.

Half of the four billion people who experience conditions of severe water scarcity at least one month of the year live in either China or India, Dr. Hoeskstra said. Of the remaining two billion, the majority live mostly in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nigeria, Mexico and the western and southern parts of the United States, such as California, Texas and Florida.

Nature - Images

Interesting Images

When an Australian farmer walked out onto his land he got a creepy treat: a dead brown snake strung up in the web of a daddy longlegs spider. The spindly spider seemed to have ensnared the snake and kept it dangling like a titanic trophy.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity

Sakurajima (Kyushu, Japan): The volcano continues to produce small to moderate vulcanian explosions at rates of a few per day, typically.

Colima (Western Mexico): The volcano continues to produce intermittent explosions, but there might be something new in the making: weak, but continuous glow from the crater has appeared during the last night, something that hasn't been observed since the latest effusive eruptive phase in July last year. It could indicate that a new lava dome is about to appear. The next days or weeks will probably give a better answer. Washington VAAC reported that during 3-8 February ash plumes from Colima rose to altitudes of 4.9-6.7 km (16,000-22,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted 75-140 km in multiple directions.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.2 Earthquake hits northern Xinjiang, China.

5.2 Earthquake hits the southern Mid-Atlantic ridge.

5.1 Earthquake hits San Juan, Argentina.

5.0 Earthquake hits New Britain, Papua New Guinea.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

Tropical cyclone (tc) 10s (Daya), located approximately 508 nm south of St Denis, La Reunion, is tracking southeastward at 16 knots.

Tropical cyclone 11p (Winston), located approximately 388 nm west of Suva, Fiji, is tracking southward at 06 knots. Fiji Meteorological Service has issued flood warning for all low lying areas along Rakiraki river including Rakiraki town. Several roads and bridges in the Western Division have been closed because of flooding triggered by heavy rain experienced over the past 24 hours. At least 19 roads and bridges in Rakiraki, Tavua, Sigatoka and Ba are flooded.

Tropical cyclone 12p (Tatiana), located approximately 428 nm west-northwest of Noumea, New Caledonia, is tracking southeastward at 08 knots.

NewsBytes:

Indonesia - Flooding in Aceh Province in Indonesia has caused the evacuation of 7,597 people in five districts. A heavy downpour for a week has caused the overflow of Kreung Peuto, Kreung Pirak and Kreung Arakundo rivers. At least 24 villages have been submerged in the five districts of Aceh.

Global Warming

January Was the World's Warmest in Satellite- Era Record

A combination of a near-record El Niño and ongoing climate change brought the world’s average temperature during January to a record high for the month.

Using satellite observations, climatologists from the University of Alabama in Huntsville determined the global average temperature last month was just under 1 degree Fahrenheit above the 30-year average for January.

This eclipses the previous record of 0.88 degree above the satellite-era average set during January 1998, which was near the peak of the strongest El Niño ever measured.

Using data gathered by advanced microwave instruments on NOAA and NASA satellites, atmospheric scientists can determine accurate temperature readings for almost all regions of the world.

This includes remote deserts, oceans and rain forests, where reliable climate data are not otherwise available.

The satellite-based instruments measure the temperature of the atmosphere from the surface up to an altitude of about 25,000 feet above sea level.

But such readings only go back about 30 years to the early days of satellite monitoring, limiting the ability to determine long-term trends with the technique.

Much of the planet was warmer than normal during January, with a wide swath of the United States bucking the trend. Northern Russia and the Arctic were the warmest above normal, according to satellite data.

Wildlife

Orangutan's Team Murder Startles Anthropologists

The first known instance of a female orangutan involved in the killing another female in the wild was observed by anthropologists studying the primates in Borneo.

The murderous female, Kondor, was aided in the assault by a young male, Ekko.

The attack seemed to result from Kondor being bitten by the victim, Sidony, after she attempted to approach Sidony’s daughter.

The brutal assault on Sidony went on for 33 minutes, during which the two attackers took turns beating and biting the victim.

Scientists say while orangutans frequently attack each other, it’s unprecedented for a male to be used as a “hired gun” to protect a female or to kill with her.

Another male eventually intervened to rescue Sidony, but her wounds were too severe and she died two weeks later.

Destruction of the dwindling orangutan habitat through deforestation may have at least partially contributed to the unusual behavior, experts say.

Ekko, top, and Kondor, bottom, teamed up in a Borneo forest to kill Sidony.

Environment

Global Temperature Extremes

The week's hottest temperature was 113.4 degrees Fahrenheit (45.2 degrees Celsius) at Dampier, Western Australia.

The week's coldest temperature was minus 65.4 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 54.1 degrees Celsius) at Russia's Siberian community of Oimyakon.

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.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.5 Earthquake hits Tonga.

5,2 Earthquake hits Tonga.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Solomon Islands.

5.0 Earthquake hits south of the Kermedec Islands.

Global Warming

Climate change ‘forcing species to move’

Warming temperatures are causing about half of the world’s plants and animals to move location, an international conference in Australia heard Wednesday, with every major type of species affected.

Camille Parmesan, an expert from Britain’s Plymouth University on how climate change impacts wildlife, said data on thousands of species found that many had shifted their ranges toward the poles or up mountains over the past century.

“While about half of all studied species have changed their distributions in response to recent climate change, we are starting to see negative impacts for the most vulnerable species.”

Other changes had been observed such as plants flowering earlier or migratory birds arriving sooner in the year than previously, she added.

Parmesan said areas most at risk included sensitive systems such as polar regions dependent on sea ice and mountainous forests.

Studies showed that about half of species have moved their geographical ranges poleward and/or upward while about two-thirds of species studied have shifted toward earlier spring breeding, migrating, or blooming.

Every major group has been impacted including trees, herbs, butterflies, birds, mammals, amphibians, corals, invertebrates and fish.

Disease

Human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus – China

On 5 February 2016, the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) of China notified WHO of 28 additional laboratory-confirmed cases of human infection with avian influenza A (H7N9) virus, including five deaths.

Wildfires

Wildfires - Oklahoma, USA

Grass fires pushed along by 35 mph wind gusts forced an elementary school to keep some children after hours Tuesday as wildfires threatened Oklahoma ahead of its annual tornado season.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

6.2 Earthquake hits Coquimbo, Chile.

5.2 Earthquake hits the Carlsberg ridge.

5.2 Earthquake hits the South Sandwich Islands.

5.2 Earthquake hits the Rat Islands in the Aleutian Islands.

5.1 Earthquake hits the Kuril Islands.

5.0 Earthquake hits Tonga.

Two 5.0 Earthquakes hit Coquimbo, Chile

5.0 Earthquake hits near the coast of Nicaragua.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

No current tropical storms.

NewsBytes:

Java - Two university students died after they were swept away by a West Java river while taking selfies. The flash flood at an irrigation dam in Sukabami district's Sukasari village washed away the students.

Mauritius - A torrential rain warning is in effect in Mauritius as widespread flooding has been reported on the island. According to Mauritius Met Service, Pointe aux Canonniers saw the highest rainfall of 86 mm between 07:00 to 09:00 am this morning. Heavy downpours have also been reported in Nouvelle Decouverte, Mon Loisir Rouillard, Queen Victoria, Domaine les Pailles, Champs de Mars, Bagatelle dam, Vacoas and Beau Bassin. Active clouds associated with the tropical disturbance have been influencing the local weather causing widespread heavy thundery showers over the whole island.

USA - Snow, strong winds and floods threatened to snarl travel and shutter schools Tuesday as the Northeast braced for another winter storm. The wintry weather, which was due to hit just as New Hampshire residents cast their primary votes, followed a batch of snow and blizzard-like conditions Monday. More than 30 counties across Pennsylvania, West Virginia and northern Ohio were under a winter storm warning at 5:30 a.m. ET Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.