Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
5.3 earthquake hits Taiwan.
5.3 earthquake hits the South Sandwich Islands.
5.1 earthquake hits Mindanao in the Philippines.
5.1 earthquake hits the Solomon Islands.
5.0 earthquake hits the Moro Gulf, Mindanao in the Philippines.
5.0 earthquake hits north of Ascension Island.
Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:
In the Eastern Pacific Ocean: Tropical Depression Alvin is located about 695 mi...1120 km w of the southern tip of Baja California maximum sustained winds...30 mph...45 km/h. Present movement...nw or 306 degrees at 8 mph...13 km/h.
In the Western Pacific Ocean: Tropical storm 04w (Four), located approximately 436 nm east-northeast of Manila, Philippines, is tracking west-northwestward at 14 knots.
Heatwave in Europe Continues
Europe sweltered Saturday on the sixth day of a widespread, deadly heatwave that has fuelled record-breaking temperatures, huge blazes and pollution peaks. France, Italy, Spain and some central European nations posted all-time high temperatures.
The heat has officially claimed four lives in France, two in Italy and another two in Spain, including a 17-year-old harvest worker, a 33-year-old roofer and a 72-year-old homeless man.
The hot spell sparked several blazes, including in Spain where firefighters were again battling high flames in strong winds and blistering heat Saturday just after they managed to contain another inferno after nearly 72 hours. A fire that started Friday in the central Spanish town of Almorox burnt at least 1,600 hectares (4,000 acres), spilling over into the Madrid region and forcing the evacuation of a village, emergency services said.
In France, about 40 fires were reported, razing about 600 hectares and dozens of houses in the Gard department in the country's south. This is the same region where a new French record of 45.9 degrees Celsius (114.6 degrees Fahrenheit) was set Friday, prompting the Meteo France weather service to issue its highest alert level of red for the first time.
Winegrowers in the south of France said their precious crops have been badly burnt.
Dengue Fever - Reunion - Update
Although the number of dengue cases reported in this year’s Reunion epidemic has decreased significantly in the past month and a half–about 300 cases reported per week compared to more than 1300 mid-April at the height of the epidemic–health authorities raised the epidemic level from a 3 (low intensity epidemic) to a 4 (medium intensity epidemic).
Since the beginning of the epidemic in 2018, more than 23,000 confirmed cases have been reported. More than 16,000 cases have been reported since January 1 this year.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
6.4 earthquake hits the Maug Islands in the North Mariana Islands.
5.1 earthquake hits Java, Indonesia.
5.1 earthquake hits Sulawesi, Indonesia.
5.1 earthquake hits the Santa Cruz Islands.
5.0 earthquake hits Mindanao the Philippines.
Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:
In the Eastern Pacific Ocean: Tropical Depression Alvin is located about 665 mi...1075 km wsw of the southern tip of Baja California with maximum sustained winds...30 mph...45 km/h. Pesent movement...wnw or 290 degrees at 8 mph...13 km/h.
In the Western Pacific Ocean: Tropical storm 04w (Four), located approximately 417 nm north- northwest of Kayangel, is tracking west-northwestward at 06 knots.
NewsBytes:
Moscow, Russia - Heavy rains flooded the roads around Moscow's largest airport Sheremetyevo on Friday, with the floods reaching knee-high depths and blocking cars from bringing passengers to and from its terminals.
Siberia, Russia - Hundreds of people have been evacuated from the flood-hit Siberian city of Tulun as torrential rains in Russia’s Irkutsk region have killed at least two people. A day earlier, officials said that two people died in Siberia during floods caused by heavy rains and that a state of emergency had been declared. Nearly 2,800 residences, 16 roads, and 13 bridges in 27 settlements were affected by the floods.
Gambia - On 19th June 2019, a windstorm surge hit through five (5) regions in the Upper River Region (URR) of the Gambia, namely; Jimara, Tumanna, Wuli East, Wuli West and Sandu districts as well as two districts of Central River Region (CRR) namely Upper Fulado East, Upper Fulado West and Niani, of Gambia, affecting 67 communities. The winds storm surge affected over 900 families (8,100 pax) and caused internal displacement, injuries and 4 deaths (3 in URR and 1 in CRR). The report indicates that some four (4) people have been confirmed dead as a result of the falling walls of buildings and flying iron sheets, 101 people have been injured, and over 900 houses have been damaged or destroyed - totally destroyed (500), partially destroyed (450).
Octopus fishing halted after whale deaths in Cape
The South African government took decisive steps on Friday to temporarily stop the practice of octopus fishing after a spate of whale entanglements around the country's ecologically sensitive coastline led to mounting public concern.
The recent whale entanglements have led to a public outcry. The City of Cape Town on Thursday joined the chorus of calls for a moratorium on octopus fishing. The City said time that three whales had become entangled in octopus fishing nets and two had died as a result of octopus fishing.
Dengue Fever - Brazil
Brazil health officials are reporting a dramatic increase in dengue fever cases during the first 23 weeks of 2019, according to recent data from the country’s Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde. From Jan. 1 through June 8, 1,127,244 probable dengue cases were registered in the country. Of this total, 596,381 case were confirmed, including 366 fatalities and another 453 are under investigation.
Strongyloides stercoralis - Cambodia
Strongyloides stercoralis is a soil-transmitted threadworm that is endemic in many tropical and subtropical areas of the world. Now, researchers reporting in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases have conducted a nation-wide parasitology survey of the Cambodian population and concluded that nearly a third of the studied population is infected with S. stercoralis.
The threadworm is transmitted through infected larvae in the soil and, like hookworms, infect humans through the skin. The worm can cause long-lasting and potentially fatal infections in people.
Dengue Fever - Vietnam
The number of dengue fever cases in Vietnam this year is a three-times increase compared to the same period last year, according to newly published data. So far this year, there have been a total of 70,491 cases with four deaths reported through early June.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
5.4 earthquake hits Tonga.
5.3 earthquake hits Halmahera, Indonesia.
5.2 earthquake hits Fiji.
5.1 earthquake hits Papua, Indonesia.
5.0 earthquake hits Papua, Indonesia.
5.0 earthquake hits Coquimbo, Chile.
Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:
In the Eastern Pacific Ocean: Tropical Storm Alvin is located about 535 mi...860 km sw of the southern tip of Baja California with maximum sustained winds...70 mph...110 km/h. Present movement...nw or 305 degrees at 15 mph...24 km/h.
NewsBytes:
USA - Major flooding hits Chicago south suburbs, northwest Indiana after storms. Rain and storms left several parts of the Chicago area underwater with flooding late Wednesday into Thursday morning. In northwest Indiana, several houses were flooded and roads closed with high standing water, leaving drivers stranded. The Indiana-2 railroad underpass west of Lowell was completely flooded out.
“Plasticrust”
Researchers say they have found a strange new combination of rock and plastic forming on Portugal’s Atlantic island of Madeira.
Researcher Ignacio Gestoso says the new hybrid geology was first observed on the island’s volcanic shore in 2016, the apparent result of waterborne plastic pollution being slammed into rocks by wave action.
The new “plasticrust” looks like melted plastic encrusted on the rocks, according to Gestoso and colleagues at the island’s Marine and Environmental Research Center. They say the plastic is mainly polyethylene, a mixture of polymers and ethylene used in single-use packaging, bottles and food containers.
Heatwave in Europe
Europe's record-breaking heatwave is forecast to intensify further on Thursday with authorities on high alert as temperatures threaten to exceed 40 degrees Celsius in some parts of the continent.
The stifling heat prompted traffic restrictions in France, sparked forest fires in Spain, and fanned debate in Germany over public nudity as sweltering residents stripped down.
Meteorologists blame a blast of hot air from northern Africa for the heat this week, which has already set new records in Europe for June. According to reports, the high temperatures have already claimed the lives of three people.
Exceptional for arriving so early in summer, the heatwave will on Thursday and Friday likely send mercury above 40C in France, Spain and Greece.
Paris Bans 60% of Cars Due To Heatwave and Pollution Levels
Paris imposed a ban on older and less efficient cars on Wednesday and is due to stay in place within the A86 second ring-road – which encompasses Paris and 79 towns around it – as long as the hot weather lasts, the city council said.
Data firm AAA Data said that nearly five million vehicles registered in the Ile-de-France area around Paris were covered, about 60 percent of total, a record number to be restricted. The city was not immediately available to comment on those estimates.
Traffic was lighter in Paris, but not significantly so. Several drivers said they were ignoring the restrictions as the fines for breaking them – just 68 euros ($77) for cars and 135 euros for vans – were so low.
French authorities also stepped up restrictions on water use on Thursday as swathes of western Europe remained in the grip of an intense heatwave.
Paris’ driving ban was imposed under the new “Crit’Air” colored stickers system, which classifies cars by age and pollution levels.
Only electric or hydrogen vehicles, petrol cars registered after Jan. 2006 and diesel cars registered from Jan. 2011 – corresponding to Crit’Air levels 1 and 2 out of 5 – were allowed on the roads.
Domestic honeybee diseases threaten wild bumblebees
Bee populations around the world are in decline, among them many species of wild bumblebees.
New research by the University of Vermont in the US has found that diseases transmitted by domestic honeybees could be to blame for this.
Lead researcher Samantha Alger, an expert beekeeper and researcher in the university’s Department of Plant and Soil Science and Gund Institute for Environment, found that several of the viruses affecting bumblebees had spread from managed bees in apiaries to nearby populations of wild bumblebees.
Her research had shown that this was occurring due to different species of bees sharing flowers during pollination.
Honeybees (Apis mellifera) were at a high risk, due to numerous factors, including land degradation and the use of pesticides, she said.
Native bee populations such as the rusty patched bumblebee (Bombus affinis) were being listed as severely threatened in terms of the Endangered Species Act in the US, as populations had declined by an estimated 90%.
This species had long been a key pollinator of various fruit crops such as cranberries, plums, apples and other agricultural plants.
The research team discovered that two well-known RNA viruses found in honeybees, the deformed wing virus and the black queen cell virus were more prevalent in bumblebees collected less than 300m from commercial beehives.
The study also found that active infections of the deformed wing virus were higher near commercial apiaries, but no deformed wing virus infections were found in the bumblebees collected where foraging honeybees and apiaries were absent.
Global Temperature Extremes
The week’s hottest temperature was 120 degrees Fahrenheit (48.9 degrees Celsius) in Salah, Algeria.
The week’s coldest temperature was minus 98.0 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 72.2 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 - Spain
Firefighters battled wildfires at a scale not seen for 20 years in Spain. More than 500 firefighters and soldiers struggled to bring a huge forest fire under control in the Catalan province of Tarragona that has so far burned across 5,500 hectares (12,355 acres) of land. Fifty-three people have been evacuated from their homes, five roads remain cut off and the civil protection authorities have advised people not to enter the area unless absolutely necessary. Hundreds of sheep have died in the smoke and flames.
Dengue Fever - Philippines - Update
The number of dengue cases in the country continue to rise with rainy season now here. Since the beginning of the year through June 1, the Philippines has seen 83,570 cases, including 354 deaths.
Global Volcanic Activity - Ongoing Activity for the week of 19 June - 25 June 2019
Aira | Kyushu (Japan) : JMA reported that during 17-21 June very small eruptive events at Minamidake crater (at Aira Caldera’s Sakurajima volcano) were recorded, as well as periodic crater incandescence through 24 June. An explosion recorded on 24 June generated a plume that rose 1.6 km above the crater rim. The Alert Level remained at 3 (on a 5-level scale).
Dukono | Halmahera (Indonesia) : Based on satellite and wind model data, and notices from PVMBG, the Darwin VAAC reported that during 19-25 June 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. 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 14-15 June that sent ash plumes up to 2.5 km (8,200 ft) a.s.l. The plumes drifted NW and NE. The Aviation colour Code remained at Orange (the second highest level on a four-colour scale).
Ibu | Halmahera (Indonesia) : The Darwin VAAC reported that on 21 June ash plumes from Ibu rose to 1.8 km (6,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted N and NE based on satellite images and weather models. During 24-25 June ash plumes rose to 1.5-2.4 km (5,000-8,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted SE and ESE. 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.
Karymsky | Eastern Kamchatka (Russia) : KVERT reported that a weak thermal anomaly over Karymsky was identified in satellite images during 14-15 June. 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 on 14 June. 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 at least four eruptive events during 17-24 June. The events were not followed by visible ash emissions, though observations were hindered by weather conditions. A Surtseyan eruption was recorded by a local webcam around 0909 on 25 June. 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 17-23 June the lava-dome volume at Merapi did not change and was an estimated 458,000 cubic meters, based on analyses of drone images. Extruded lava fell into the upper parts of the SE-flank, generating two block-and-ash flows that traveled 1.2 km down the Gendol drainage on 17 and 20 June. White plumes rose as high as 500 m above the summit. The Alert Level remained at 2 (on a scale of 1-4), and residents were warned to remain outside of the 3-km exclusion zone.
Poas | Costa Rica : On 21 June OVSICORI-UNA reported that small, frequent phreatic eruptions from vent A (Boca Roja) were visible during good viewing conditions at Poás ejecting material less than 10 m high.
Popocatepetl | Mexico : CENAPRED reported that each day during 19-25 June there were 26-201 steam-and-gas emissions from Popocatépetl, some of which contained minor amounts of ash. An explosion at 2058 on 21 June produced an ash plume that rose 2.5 km above the crater rim and drifted W, and ejected incandescent material less than 1 km onto the flanks. Minor ashfall was reported in areas downwind including the municipalities of Ozumba (18 km W), Atlautla (16 km W), and Ecatzingo (15 km SW) in the State of Mexico, and in Tetela del Volcán (20 km SW) in the State of Morelos. The Alert Level remained at Yellow, Phase Two (middle level on a three-colour scale).
Semeru | Eastern Java (Indonesia) : The Darwin VAAC reported that on 20 June an ash plume from Semeru rose to an altitude of 4.3 km (14,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted E based on satellite images.
Sheveluch | Central Kamchatka (Russia) : KVERT reported that a thermal anomaly over Sheveluch’s lava dome was identified daily in satellite images during 14-21 June. The Aviation colour Code remained at Orange (the second highest level on a four-colour scale).
Villarrica | Chile : According to POVI, observers near Villarrica during 20-21 June reported hearing noises from the volcano. The webcam recorded incandescent material ejected above the crater rim.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
6.3 earthquake hits the Kermedec Islands.
5.3 earthquake hits the Komandorskiye Ostrova region, Russia.
5.1 earthquake hits north of Severnaya Zemlya, Russia.
5.0 earthquake hits the Panama-Costa Rica border.
5.0 earthquake hits the Kermedec Islands.
Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:
In the Eastern Pacific Ocean: Tropical Storm Alvin is located about 555 mi...890 km ssw of the southern tip of Baja California with maximum sustained winds...60 mph...95 km/h. Present movement...wnw or 300 degrees at 13 mph...20 km/h.
NewsBytes:
Mali - Recent heavy rains in the Mopti region of Mali have caused floods, aggravating the already precarious situation of the 50,254 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the region. Humanitarian assistance is on its way to help the most vulnerable households. The heavy rains have also destroyed the tents that sheltered 304 IDPs at the Koro and Bankass IDP sites in Mopti, Soukoura.
Sewage Spill Wipes out Thousands of Fish - Texas, USA
One-hundred thousand gallons of sewage spilled into a Williamson County’s Bushy Creek, wiping out several thousand fish from the ecosystem. The sewage killed everything in the water, according to local reports. Texas Parks and Wildlife said it was Monday’s storms that knocked out power at the wastewater treatment plant. Now several thousand game and non-game fish have been wiped out from Brushy Creek.
Wildfires - Australia
Firefighters and volunteers from Bushfires NT have been working overtime to control a bushfire that has burned through 500 hectares of bush west of Eva Valley. The fire had started near Cheeney Rd in the Chin sub-division and was moving northwest. The blaze posed a risk to upwards of nine properties in the area.
Wildfires - Jamaica
A bush fire which has been burning in the Mavis Bank area of St. Andrew for a few days, has been brought under control, reducing the threat posed to hundreds of acres of coffee.
Rabies - Pakistan
Health officials in Sindh province have reported the 11th human rabies fatality in Karachi this year, primarily in children. The latest case is a 12-year old boy from Thatta died within an hour of his arrival at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC) on Tuesday due to full-blown Rabies Encephalitis.
Global Volcanic Activity - New Activity for the week of 19 June - 25 June 2019
Colima | Mexico : Centro Universitario de Estudios e Investigaciones de Vulcanologia - Universidad de Colima reported that intermittent steam-and-gas emissions, mainly from the NE side of the crater, and small explosions continued to be recorded during 14-21 June. Weather conditions often prevented visual observations of the crater.
Raikoke | Kuril Islands (Russia) : A powerful eruption at Raikoke that began on 22 June (after 95 years of dormancy) was identified based on satellite observations, prompting KVERT and SVERT to raise the Aviation Color Code to Red. A series of at least nine explosions (six within the first 25 minutes) beginning at 0505 and continuing to about 1900 produced ash plumes, with a significant sulfur dioxide component, that rose 10-13 km (32,800-42,700 ft) a.s.l. and drifted E and NE. Lightning was detected in the eruption plumes. Strong explosions at 1640 on 22 June generated ash plumes that rose to 10-11 km (32,800-36,100 ft) a.s.l. The ash and gas was entrained by jet streams and by a cyclone around the Komandorskiye Islands, causing parts of the material to spiral counterclockwise as it drifted farther NE. By 23 June the leading edge of the plume had drifted 2,000 km ENE. According to a news article, at least 40 flights in that region were diverted. On 23 June ash plumes continued to be visible, rising to 4.5 km and drifting NE. The Aviation Color Code was lowered to Orange. Gas-and-steam plumes possibly with some ash rose to 4.5 km (14,800 ft) a.s.l. and drifted 60 km NW. That same day observers on a passing ship approached the island from the W side; they photographed the island and sent out a drone. An expedition member noted that the entire island was mantled with light-colored ash deposits up to several dozen centimeters thick. In some of the drainages and at the base of some drainages deposits were several meters thick. In some areas along the shoreline waves interacted with the deposits, causing steam explosions and dark brown steam emissions. Gas-and-ash plumes rose 1.5 km above the summit crater rim and drifted W. Minor ashfall was reported in Severo-Kurilsk (340 km NE) during 1830-1920. On 25 June ash plumes continued to be produced, rising as high as 2 km (6,600 ft) a.s.l. and drifting NW.
Ubinas | Peru : Instituto Geofísico del Perú (IGP) reported that seismic activity at Ubinas increased suddenly on 18 June with signals indicting rock fracturing. During 21-24 June signals indicating fluid movement emerged and, beginning at 0700 on 24 June, webcams recorded ash, gas, and water vapor plumes rising from the crater. The plumes were visible in satellite images rising to 6.1 km (20,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifting N, NE, and E. IGP recommended that the authorities raise the Alert Level to Yellow (on a 4 level scale).
Ulawun | New Britain (Papua New Guinea) : RVO reported that RSAM values at Ulawun steadily increased during 24-25 June, and then sharply increased at around 0330 on 26 June. The RSAM values reflect an increase in seismicity dominated by volcanic tremor. An eruption began in the morning hours of 26 June with emissions of gray ash that over time became darker and more energetic. The plumes rose 1 km and drifted NW, causing minor ashfall in NW and SW areas. Locals heard roaring and rumbling during 0600-0800. The Darwin VAAC issued several notices about ash plumes visible in satellite data. These stated that during 1130-1155 ash plumes rose to 6.7-8.5 km (22,000-28,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted W, while ash plumes that rose to 12.8-13.4 km (42,000-44,000 ft) a.s.l. drifted S and SW. A new pulse of activity generated ash plumes that by 1512 rose to 16.8 km (55,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted S and SE. By 1730 the ash plume had risen to 19.2 km (63,000 ft) a.s.l. and spread over 90 km in all directions. Ash from earlier ejections continued to drift S at 13.4 km a.s.l. and W at 8.5 km a.s.l. RVO stated that RSAM values peaked at about 2,500 units during 1330-1600, and then dropped to 1,600 units as the eruption subsided. RVO stated that parts of the ash plume at lower altitudes drifted W, causing variable amounts of ashfall in areas to the NW and SW. A pyroclastic flow descended the N flank. Residents evacuated to areas to the NE and W; a news article noted that around 3,000 people had gathered at a local church. According to another news source an observer in a helicopter reported a column of incandescent material rising from the crater, residents noted that the sky had turned black, and a main road in the N part of the island was blocked by volcanic material. Residents also reported a lava flow near Noau village and Eana Valley. RVO reported that the eruption ceased between 1800 and 1900. Incandescence visible on the N flank was either from a lava flow or pyroclastic flow deposits.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
6.4 earthquake hits the Komandorskiye Ostrova region, Russia.
6.3 earthquake hits the Panama - Costa Rica border.
5.5 earthquake hits the Solomon Islands.
5.0 earthquake hits the Kuril Islands.
Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:
There are no current tropical storms.
NewsBytes:
Vietnam - Heavy rainfall has been affecting northern Vietnam, particularly the districts of Muong Te, Sa Pa and Nam Nhun (northern Lai Châu Province) since 24 June, causing flash floods and triggering landslides. According to media reports, as of 26 June, one person died and three are missing. At least 20 houses have been flooded, several roads, including the national highway and the provincial highway, have been damaged by landslides and a bridge collapsed.
Liberia - Two nights of torrential rains on Friday and Saturday, June 21-22, flooded at least 500 homes and business centers in communities in Montserrado County District #5, and forced residents to seek shelter elsewhere in the neighborhood, while others took their landlords to the police station in demand of compensation for their losses.
Interesting Images
A towering mushroom-shaped cloud of ash and smoke recently rose from Raikoke volcano on the Kuril Islands in the Pacific Ocean, and an astronaut on board the International Space Station (ISS) captured a spectacular view of the eruption from high above.
Wildfires - Europe
Nearly 1,400 fires have hit Europe so far this year compared to an annual average of 174 in the same period over the past ten years. This has resulted in a near five-fold increase in burnt areas. Blazes have so far this year burnt 207,440 hectares. In the decade from 2008-2018, an average of 44,491 hectares had burnt by June 25 every year.
The recent heatwaves alone do not explain higher risk of fire. A number of conditions impact whether fires will spread and intensify. They include the available amount of dry foliage, temperature, overall soil moisture, wind speed and the presence of potential ignition sources, which can be natural — such as lighting — or due to human activity — such as a piece of glass or a smouldering cigarette.
Chikungunya - Iceland
Iceland’s Directorate of Health confirmed that four Icelanders who stayed in Alicante in Spain recently were infected with the Chikungunya virus, a tropical disease not previously seen in Iceland.
Rabies - North Carolina, USA
The Guilford County Department of Health in North Carolina is reporting the ninth confirmed case of animal rabies in 2019 yesterday. The most recent case involved a fox found on Ashton Court in Greensboro.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
6.3 earthquake hits the Komandorskiye Ostrova region, Russia.
5.6 earthquake hits Papua, Indonesia.
5.5 earthquake hits the South Sandwich Islands.
5.3 earthquake hits the southeast Indian ridge.
5.2 earthquake hits Papua, Indonesia.
5.0 earthquake hits Papua, Indonesia.
Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:
There are no current tropical storms.
NewsBytes:
Scotland - Edinburgh and Stirling have been hit with flash flooding. Heavy rain led to disruption in the west of the capital across Bankhead, Clermiston and Corstorphine. Tram services were temporarily shut down in some areas as flood water covered tracks. After soaking the capital, heavy rain made its way to Stirling, prompting warnings from police and Stirling Council about flash floods.
Uganda - The landslides in Bududa District were triggered by a heavy and continuous downpour experienced from the night of 4th June, 2019 until the morning of 5th June, 2019. The landslides hit several sub-counties with most affected being Buwali and Bukalasi/Bundesi, Bumayoka and parts of Bubiita in the lower stream being affected by flash floods. As a direct consequence of these heavy rains, a total of four (4) major landslides occurred in Bududa: one in Bumayoka subcounty, one in Bukalasi/ Bundesi and two in Buwali. The landslides caused six (6) deaths, and injuries to 27 persons.
Zimbabwe ready to sell elephants to ‘anyone who wants wildlife’
Zimbabwe plans to sell elephants to Angola and is prepared to ship wild animals to any other interested countries as the southern African nation seeks to reduce its elephant population due to growing conflict between people and wildlife.
“We have no predetermined market for elephant sales, we are open to everyone who wants our wildlife,” tourism minister Prisca Mupfumira said in an interview on the sidelines of a wildlife summit in Victoria Falls. “`the country has ‘excess’ of 30,000 of the animals.”
“The main problem is landmines in Angola, so we are trying to assist them by having a fund to deal with those before we send the animals.”
Massive Freshwater Sea Is Buried Beneath the Atlantic Ocean
A gigantic freshwater aquifer is hiding under the salty Atlantic Ocean, just off the northeastern coast of the United States, a new study finds.
While the aquifer's exact size is still a mystery, it may be the largest of its kind, taking up a region stretching from at least Massachusetts to southern New Jersey, or nearly 220 miles (350 kilometers). The area includes the coastlines of New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island. This aquifer may contain about 670 cubic miles (2,800 cubic kilometers) of slightly salty water (from slight mixing with sea water over time).
This water isn't young, either. The researchers said they suspect that much of it is from the last ice age.
Cholera, Malaria - Mozambique
In a follow-up on the infectious disease situation in Mozambique since cyclone Idai struck some 100 days ago, government officials report on the latest on the cholera and malaria outbreaks.
No cholera cases have been reported since May 30. The last case was reported in Nhamatanda district. A cumulative 6,768 cases and 8 deaths (CFR 0.1%) have been reported since the outbreak was declared on Mar 27, 2019.
Concerning malaria, a cumulative 59,173 malaria cases had been reported in Sofala province since Mar 27, officials report.
Measles - USA
Thirty-three new measles cases were recorded in the United States last week, most of them in New York, federal health officials said on Monday, bringing the number of confirmed cases this year to 1,077 in the worst U.S. outbreak of the virus since 1992.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
7.3 earthquake hits the Banda Sea.
6.1 earthquake hits Papua, Indonesia.
5.9 earthquake hits the Kermedec Islands.
5.6 earthquake hits Papua, Indonesia.
Two 5.3 earthquakes hit Papua, Indonesia.
5.2 earthquake hits the Banda Sea.
5.2 earthquake hits Papua, Indonesia.
5.2 earthquake hits near the south coast of Honshu, Japan.
5.1 earthquake hits Veracruz, Mexico.
5.1 earthquake hits Papua, Indonesia.
5.0 earthquake hits the Banda Sea.
Two 5,0 earthquakes hit Papua Indonesia.
5.0 earthquake hits Tonga.
Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:
There are no current tropical storms.
NewsBytes:
China - Rain-triggered floods killed three people and left three missing in southwest China's Guizhou Province as of 4 p.m. Sunday. The heavy downpours that started Friday have caused floods in 17 counties and districts of Guizhou, affecting a total of about 455,700 residents, according to local emergency management authorities.
Turkey - Another body was discovered yesterday, five days after severe floods hit a town in the Black Sea province of Trabzon, bringing the death toll to eight. Search and rescue crews are still searching for two people missing after the disaster in Araklı town. The Çamlıktepe and Yeşilyurt neighborhoods of Trabzon were inundated by flash floods after heavy rainfall on June 18. It also triggered landslides in the neighborhoods where a river overflowed its banks.
Trump Hides Studies Proving Effects of Climate Change
The Trump administration has refused to publicize dozens of studies conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that conclude climate change is having negative effects on everything from rice production to allergies, a Politico investigation revealed. The studies in question looked at the effects of rising carbon dioxide, increasing temperatures, and volatile weather. The investigation revealed the Trump administration would not share findings that show the potential dangers and consequences of climate change.
Interesting Images
Against the star-spattered backdrop of the night sky in Russia, glowing green lights of a spectacular aurora rise in the shape of a giant firebird, its wings spread over an abandoned military power station.
Ebola - DR Congo - Update
More than 1,500 people have died in a nearly 10-month-old outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the health ministry said Monday. As of Sunday, 1,506 people have died out of 2,239 recorded cases, it said.
Earlier this month, the virus claimed two lives in neighbouring Uganda among a family who had travelled to the DRC.
Nearly 141,000 people have been vaccinated in the affected eastern DRC provinces of Ituri and North Kivu, the epicentre of the outbreak.
Nipah Virus - India
In a follow-up on the human Nipah virus case in Ernakulum district of Kerala state, Union health minister Harsh Vardhan reported that out of 36 Pteropus species bats tested for Nipah, 12 (33 per cent) were found to be positive for anti-Nipah bat IgG antibodies and are believed to be the source of the human cases.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
5.6 earthquake hits northern California.
5.6 earthquake hits offshore Chiapas, Mexico.
5.4 earthquake hits off the coast of Oregon.
5.3 earthquake hits eastern Sichuan, China.
5.3 earthquake hits the Kermedec Islands.
5.1 earthquake hits off the coast of Oregon.
5.0 earthquake hits the Kermedec Islands.
5.0 earthquake hits off the coast of Oregon.
5.0 earthquake hits Vanuatu.
Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:
There are no current tropical storms.
NewsBytes:
Indonesia - Floods and landslides in Indonesia's Southeast Sulawesi province have triggered more residents to flee their houses, a disaster agency official said on Sunday. According to the agency, 9,609 people have been taking shelter on higher grounds.
UK - There is a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms in place for almost the whole of the UK on Sunday and Monday as heavy rains and flash floods are expected.
USA - Flash floods hit Des Moines metro with numerous roads underwater forcing pedestrians to wade through knee deep water.
Wildfires - Arizona, USA
One of the largest fires in Arizona continues to burn as more than 700 homes have now been evacuated. The Woodbury Fire began on June 8 in the Tonto National Forest near Roosevelt Lake and has since forced the evacuation of about 700 homes as the human-caused wildfire has grown to more than 100 square miles.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
5.1 earthquake hits Java, Indonesia.
5.1 earthquake hits the Kermedec Islands.
5.0 earthquake hits Tonga.
5.0 earthquake hits the Solomon Islands.
5.0 earthquake hits New Britain, Papua New Guinea.
Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:
There are no current tropical storms.
NewsBytes:
South Africa - Heavy rains and driving winds forced the evacuation of a Cape Town building which sustained structural damage and left several suburbs without power. Numerous trees were also uprooted, some falling onto parked cars. City council disaster officials and firefighters evacuated as many as 1,000 people from the building in Kruskal Avenue in Bellville after it was damaged by the storm.
USA - Potent thunderstorms have been blamed for one death and left hundreds of thousands of people without power across the southern United States — and fierce winds walloped parts of several states as new storms formed Thursday. Fallen trees ripped down power lines and crashed into buildings along a line from Texas to Alabama overnight and into Thursday morning. Similar damage continued later in the day in parts of Georgia, the Carolinas and southeast Virginia. In Ohio, heavy rains led to landslides and flooded highways.
Poachers poison hundreds of Botswana vultures
Poachers have poisoned hundreds of raptors in northern Botswana using three elephant carcasses as bait. The information has just been released by the Botswana Department of Wildlife and National Parks.
The incident took place just south of world famous Chobe National Park. Two tawny eagles and 537 vultures were found dead near the carcasses, which had their tusks chopped out. The poisoning killed 10 Cape, 4 lappet-faced, 17 white-hooded, 28 hooded and 468 white-backed vultures.
This might be the largest mass poisoning of vultures in Southern Africa. In 2013, 500 were poisoned in Zambezi (formerly Caprivi Strip) under similar circumstances, which was then deemed the highest such killing.
“This is one of the biggest knocks to vultures in our history,” writes the vulture programme VulPro. “It is breeding season, so many are adults which means not only are they directly affected but their eggs/chicks have died too.”
Vultures are very good at finding carrion and will soon circle and land. This is a giveaway for poachers wishing to remain in the area, so the birds have become a secondary casualty of rising poaching numbers in Botswana, a country that just lifted the ban on hunting.
The poisoning of carcasses shows a high level of sophistication in the activities of the poaching syndicates and would massively multiply the damage wrought on Botswana’s famous wildlife. While raptors are the first responders, other predators soon follow.
A poisoned carcass is likely to kill lions, hyenas, jackals and other smaller vertebrates as well as a range of smaller birds. The National Parks dispatched a team to decontaminate the area and the poison was being analysed.
Vultures provide essential ecosystem services and are vital for the healthy functioning of ecosystems, in many cases keeping them free of contagious diseases. They have extremely corrosive stomach acid that allows them to consume rotting animal corpses. These scavenged leftovers are often infected with anthrax, botulinum toxins and rabies, which would otherwise kill other animals.
The recent rapid increase in elephant and rhino poaching throughout Africa has led to a substantial increase in vulture mortality, as poachers have turned to poisoning carcasses specifically to eliminate vultures, whose overhead circling might otherwise reveal the poachers’ illicit activities.
The illegal trade in vulture body parts for use in traditional medicine is also a significant threat that is increasing in intensity.
Flushed Goldfish
A monstrously huge goldfish was recently captured in the Niagara River in New York. The goldfish was presumably a discarded house pet that may have been illegally released or survived a traumatic flush down a toilet. An even more supersized goldfish was nabbed in California's Lake Tahoe in 2013; it weighed in at just over 4 lbs. (2 kilograms) and measured nearly 2 feet (61 cm) long.
Goldfish (Carassius auratus auratus) are native to eastern Asia and belong to the carp family. They usually reach about 1 to 2 inches (3 to 5 cm) in length when they live in aquariums or small fish tanks; at most, they grow to about 6 inches (15 cm) in captivity.
But when goldfish are released into streams and rivers, they often grow to be 12 to 14 inches (31 to 36 cm) long. The first sightings of goldfish in New York waterways date to 1842; more than a dozen other states also noted the appearance of goldfish in rivers and streams by the end of the 19th century, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The fish can survive year-round in the Lake Erie watershed, and goldfish reproduce very quickly; a handful of goldfish released into a Colorado lake in 2012 multiplied to number in the thousands just three years later. Invasive goldfish directly compete with native fish, and in large numbers, they upset the natural biodiversity of vulnerable freshwater environments.
Dengue Fever - Cambodia
Hundreds of children have been hospitalised with dengue fever in Phnom Penh and thousands of cases reported across Cambodia amid a major outbreak of the deadly disease. Cambodian Health Minister Mam Bunheng said on Thursday that 12,000 cases of the mosquito-borne disease had been reported nationwide and that 21 people had already died
Several other south-east Asian nations are also battling a sharp spike in the number of dengue cases, according to the World Health Organisation, including Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
6.0 earthquake hits the Kermedec Islands.
5.4 earthquake hits Kepulauan Barat Daya, Indonesia.
5.3 earthquake hits New Britain, Papua New Guinea.
5.3 earthquake hits the Kermedec Islands.
5.1 earthquake hits south of the Kermedec Islands.
5.1 earthquake hits the Kermedec Islands.
5.0 earthquake hits the Kermedec Islands.
Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:
There are no current tropical storms.
NewsBytes:
Oxford, England - Heavy rains caused flash flooding in Oxford Thursday damaging roads, school property and homes in the area. UP to six feet of water accumulated in some roads.
New Jersey, USA - More rain and possible thunderstorms were expected overnight after torrential downpours hammered South Jersey on Thursday, flooding highways, paralyzing the PATCO High Speed Line, and forcing the evacuation of residents along the rising Rancocas and Big Timber creeks.
Disrupted Monsoon - Remnants of Cyclone Vayu moved ashore from the Arabian Sea along the India-Pakistan border, further delaying the onset of the summer’s southwest monsoon. Meteorologists say the monsoon is now affecting only a third of India at a time two-thirds typically receives its cooling rains.
Displaced Polar Bears - Russia
A visibly exhausted and starving polar bear wandered into a major Russian industrial city on Tuesday, hundreds of kilometres away from its natural habitat, as widespread wildfires rage across the Arctic Circle. The footage showed an emaciated polar bear in Norilsk, an industrial city in Siberia, located above the Arctic Circle. It is the first polar bear seen in the city in more than 40 years, according to local environmentalists.
Polar bears have increasingly been spotted far away from their natural sea-ice habitats as climate change pushes them further afield for food.
A polar bear was flown back to the northern arctic region of Chukotka in April by Russian authorities after it was found in a village around 700km away. Two months earlier, a Russian archipelago asked for help to tackle "a mass invasion of polar bears into inhabited areas."
Dolphin Deaths
More than 260 dolphins have become stranded since February on Gulf of Mexico beaches from Louisiana to the Florida panhandle.
The U.S. environment agency NOAA declared the marine mammal deaths an “unusual mortality event.” The agency says it is unclear what has caused the deaths, which are three times greater in number than average.
Some experts believe the deaths could be from the lingering effects of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Others think they are from changes in salinity due to river runoff, amplified by massive flooding upstream across the Midwest.
Climate of War
Global heating has already had a small influence in sparking civil wars and other armed conflicts, and is poised to play a greater role as temperatures warm even further this century, according to a new study published in the journal Nature.
While there is intense disagreement over how much of a role climate plays in triggering war and related violence, the study estimates that it has already influenced between 3% and 20% of such conflicts during the past century.
But the new study states clearly that factors such as socioeconomic inequalities, weak governments and history of other violent conflicts have much stronger influences in triggering clashes.
Arctic Heat and Melt
Freak summertime heat across parts of the Arctic in recent weeks has caused temperatures to soar 40 degrees F above normal and resulted in an unprecedented early melt of Greenland’s vast ice sheet.
Arctic sea ice coverage was also at its lowest on record for mid-June.
University of Alaska Fairbanks scientists say they have found permafrost in the Canadian Arctic is thawing 70 years earlier than predicted by computer models in yet another troubling sign that the global climate crisis is unfolding more quickly than expected.
The Arctic heat is linked to numerous outbreaks of violent storms far to the south in North America and Europe this spring as the jet stream buckled and undulated due to the northern heat.
“The jet stream this week was one of the craziest I’ve ever seen,” said Jennifer Francis, a leading researcher who has published studies linking Arctic warming to middle latitude weather.
Global Temperature Extremes
The week’s hottest temperature was 120 degrees Fahrenheit (48.9 degrees Celsius) in Al Ain, UAE.
The week’s coldest temperature was minus 111.0 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 79.4 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 - Florida, USA
The Florida Forest Service (FFS) continue to battle a 450-acre wildfire outside Jacksonville. According to the Florida Forest Service, two separate wildfire broke out two day ago approximately 48 off U.S. 17 and Yellow Bluff Road near Jacksonville. Helicopters, 13 firefighting bulldozer crews, and 29 wildland firefighters were deployed to battle the blazes.
African Swine Fever - Laos
According to information from the Laos Department of Livestock and Fisheries, seven African swine fever outbreaks have been reported on village farms in Saravane province. Based on data given to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), 973 pigs were killed.
Global Volcanic Activity - Ongoing Activity for the week of 12 June - 18 June 2019
Agung | Bali (Indonesia) : PVMBG reported that an eruption at Agung, recorded by the seismic network at 0138 on 13 June, ejected incandescent material onto the flanks. The Darwin VAAC stated that ash plumes rose to altitudes of 5.5 and 9.1 km (18,000 and 30,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted W and SW, respectively, based on webcam views and satellite data. By 0635 the ash plume had detached and by 1505 it was about 370 km S of Agung. The Alert Level remained at 3 (on a scale of 1-4) with the exclusion zone set at a 4 km radius.
Aira | Kyushu (Japan) : JMA reported that inflation at Minamidake crater (at Aira Caldera’s Sakurajima volcano) began at 0500 on 11 June. At 1431 an explosion ejected material 1.2 km from the crater and generated an ash plume that rose 2.2 km above the crater rim. An explosion at 0921 on 13 June was followed by some deflation. Very small eruptive events were recorded during 14-17 June. The Alert Level remained at 3 (on a 5-level scale).
Azumayama | Honshu (Japan) : On 17 June JMA lowered the Alert Level for Azumayama to 1 (the lowest level on a 5-level scale), noting that deformation and elevated seismicity recorded in May had stabilized and decreased, respectively.
Dukono | Halmahera (Indonesia) : Based on satellite and wind model data, and notices from PVMBG, the Darwin VAAC reported that during 12-16 and 18 June ash plumes from Dukono rose to altitudes of 2.1-2.4 km (7,000-8,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted in multiple directions. 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) : KVERT reported that a thermal anomaly over Ebeko was identified in satellite images on 12 June. The Aviation colour Code remained at Orange (the second highest level on a four-colour scale).
Fuego | Guatemala : INSIVUMEH reported that there were 10-20 explosions per hour recorded at Fuego during 15-18 June, generating ash plumes that rose as high as 1.1 km above the crater rim and drifted 10-25 km W, SW, and E. Explosions sometimes produced shock waves that rattled houses in nearby communities. Incandescent material was ejected 200-400 m high and caused avalanches of material that occasionally traveled long distances (reaching vegetated areas) down Seca (W), Taniluyá (SW), Ceniza (SSW), Trinidad (S), El Jute (SE), Las Lajas (SE), and Honda ravines. Ashfall was reported in several areas downwind including Santa Sofía (12 km SW), Morelia (9 km SW), Panimaché I and II (8 km SW), Sangre de Cristo (8 km WSW), and El Porvenir (8 km ENE).
Karymsky | Eastern Kamchatka (Russia) : KVERT reported that a weak thermal anomaly at Karymsky was identified in satellite images during 8-14 June. 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 at Klyuchevskoy was visible in satellite images during 11-13 June. Explosions during 11-12 June were recorded in video and satellite data generating ash plumes that rose to 5.5-6 km (18,000-19,700 ft) a.s.l. and drifted 200 km WNW. 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 one eruptive event at 0719 on 12 June. The event was not followed by visible ash emissions, though observations were hindered by weather conditions. 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.
Kuchinoerabujima | Ryukyu Islands (Japan) : JMA reported that Kuchinoerabujima’s Shindake Crater has not erupted since 3 February, and the number of shallow earthquakes located near the crater had been decreasing since then. Deeper volcanic earthquakes had not been recorded since 16 May. Sulfur dioxide emissions remained elevated. JMA lowered the Alert Level to 2 (the second lowest level on a scale of 1-5) on 12 June.
Manam | Papua New Guinea : The Darwin VAAC reported that on 18 June ash plumes from Manam rose to altitudes of 3-3.7 km (14,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted E and NE, based on satellite data and weather models. A thermal anomaly was also visible.
Pacaya | Guatemala : INSIVUMEH reported that during 15-18 June Strombolian explosions at Pacaya’s Mackenney Crater ejected material as high as 30 m above the crater rim. A lava flow divided into two branches and traveled 300 m down the NW and W flanks, advancing towards Cerro Chino. Minor avalanches of material from lava flow fronts descended the flanks.
Poas | Costa Rica : OVSICORI-UNA reported that on 12 June small geyser-like eruptions at Poás ejected material less than 50 m high at a rate of about once per hour. At 0604 on 18 June an eruption that lasted about six minutes produced a plume of unknown height due to weather conditions. Residents reportedly heard several loud noises during 0610-0615 and observed an eruption plume rising from the crater. Ash fell in Cajón (12 km SW), San Luis de Grecia (11 km SW), Los Ángeles, San Miguel, San Isidro (28 km SE), and San Roque (23 km SSE). Whitish ash deposits surrounding the crater, especially on the W and S sectors, were visible in webcam images.
Santa Maria | Guatemala : INSIVUMEH and CONRED reported that on 12 June lahars descended Santa María's Cabello de Ángel (a tributary of Nima I) and San Isidro (tributary of El Tambor) drainages. The lahar in San Isidro was 15-17 m wide and 1.5 m deep, and carried shrubs, tree trunks, and blocks up to 2 m in diameter. On 16 June lahars again descended the San Isidro drainage. During 15-18 June explosions at Caliente cone generated ash plumes that rose 400-800 m and drifted SW and E. Avalanches of material descended the E and SE flanks of the cone, and during 17-18 June reached the base of the cone. Minor ashfall was reported in San Marcos (10 km SW), Loma Linda (6 km WSW), and Palajunoj (18 km SSW) during 17-18 June.
Sheveluch | Central Kamchatka (Russia) : KVERT reported that a thermal anomaly at Sheveluch’s lava dome was identified in daily satellite images during 8-14 June. Explosions and hot avalanches of material were captured by video and satellite data during 11-12 June. Ash plumes from the events drifted 60 km WNW. The Aviation colour Code remained at Orange (the second highest level on a four-colour scale).
Villarrica | Chile : OVDAS-SERNAGEOMIN and ONEMI reported that during 1-31 May gas plumes rose as high as 170 m above Villarrica’s crater rim. Incandescence from the crater was periodically visible. POVI reported that on 17 June lava spattering above the crater rim was recorded by a newly-installed infrared webcam.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
6.3 earthquake hits Papua, Indonesia.
5.8 earthquake hits the Santa Cruz Islands.
5.6 earthquake hits Tonga.
5.5 earthquake hits Mendoza, Argentina.
5.3 earthquake hits the South Sandwich Islands.
5.2 earthquake hits Fiji.
5.2 earthquake hits northern Peru.
5.1 earthquake hits New Guinea, Papua New Guinea.
5.0 earthquake hits near the east coast of Honshu, Japan.
5.0 earthquake hits Mindanao in the Philippines.
5.0 earthquake hits south of the Kermedec Islands.
Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:
There are no current tropical storms.
NewsBytes:
Turkey - At least four people were killed and three others injured on Tuesday in flash floods in Turkey's northeastern province of Trabzon, the Interior Ministry said Wednesday. The ministry said two streams overflowed after heavy rainfall and floods hit Arakli district in the Black Sea region with six people still missing.
Melting of Himalayan glaciers has doubled in past 20 years
The rate glaciers are melting in the Himalayas has doubled in just 20 years, according to a study which examined 40 years of satellite data.
Glaciers have been losing more than a vertical foot and a half of ice each year since 2000. This equates to 8 billion tons of water being released – or the equivalent of 3.2 million Olympic-size swimming pools.
The rate of melting is more than double that which took place between 1975 and 2000, according to the study published in Science Advances. It is the latest indication climate change is threatening the water supplies for 800 million people living downstream.
These glaciers currently harbour 600 billion tons of ice and they may have lost as much as one quarter of their mass over the past four decades.
'Fly-Pocalypse' in Russian Town
A farmer in Russia's Sverdlovsk region allegedly fertilized his field with chicken litter and unwittingly unleashed a fly-pocalypse, according to local news reports.
Footage recently captured by state news agency Channel One Russia and shared online June 13 revealed unsettling views from the village of Lazorevy. In the video, piles of dead and near-dead flies cover floors, tables and other surfaces in villagers' homes. Meanwhile, outdoors, seething swarms of flies gather on roads, yards and fields.
Global Volcanic Activity - New Activity for the week of 12 June - 18 June 2019
Colima | Mexico : Centro Universitario de Estudios e Investigaciones de Vulcanologia - Universidad de Colima reported that intermittent steam-and-gas emissions mainly from the NE side of the crater and small explosions continued to be recorded during 8-14 June. Weather conditions often prevented visual observations of the crater.
Pavlof | United States : On 12 June AVO reported that elevated levels of seismicity at Pavlof, recorded since mid-May, had declined to background levels. The Aviation colour Code was lowered to Green and the Volcano Alert Level was lowered to Normal. The report noted that vapor plumes were occasionally visible in webcam views and elevated surface temperatures in the summit crater were sometimes identified in satellite images; both are common occurrences at Pavlof.
Piton de la Fournaise | Reunion Island (France) : The eruption at Piton de la Fournaise that began at 0635 on 11 June continued through 12 June from fissures on the SSE flank of Dolomieu Crater. The front of the lava flow had reached around 1,200-1,300 m elevation by 0620. OVPF stated that the eruption ended at 1200 on 13 June.
Sangeang Api | Indonesia : The Darwin VAAC reported that on 17 June multiple discrete emissions with increasing ash content over a period of about an hour rose from Sangeang Api to altitudes of 1.2-2.1 (4,000-7,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted W and WNW, based on satellite images and weather models. A thermal anomaly was also visible. The Alert Level remained at 2 (on a scale of 1-4).
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
6.8 earthquake hits southwestern Russia.
6.7 earthquake hits the Kermedec Islands.
6.4 earthquake hits near the west coast of Honshu, Japan.
6.1 earthquake hits the Kermedec Islands.
5.4 earthquake hits the Kermedec Islands.
5.3 earthquake hits southeast of the Loyalty Islands.
5.3 earthquake hits the Kermedec Islands.
Two 5.2 earthquakes hit the Kermedec Islands.
5.1 earthquake hits Tonga.
5.0 earthquake hits Kepulauan Babar, Indonesia.
5.0 earthquake hits Komandorskiye Ostrova, Russia.
5.0 earthquake hits the Kermedec Islands.
Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:
There are no current tropical storms.
NewsBytes:
Tajikistan - During 1 to 7 June 2019, continuous heavy rains resulted in mudflows and floods countrywide. In total, 10 mid-scale mudflows and floods have occurred throughout Tajikistan. 1,350 households (6,750 people) were heavily affected. At least 4 persons were killed in Khuroson, Penjikent and Pyanj. The mudflows repeatedly hit the same locations (in Farkhor and Vose) on 6 June 2019. Around 650 households were evacuated to neighbouring villages.
Interesting Images
In this photo taken on June 13, 2019, sled dogs in Greenland run on ice, which is covered by a thin layer of water due to the unusual warm weather in the Arctic this year.
Namibia to Auction Wildlife
Namibia will auction one thousand of its wild animals because a severe drought is threatening their lives. Namibia has successfully managed to grow its wildlife population in recent years, but this severe drought is putting immense pressure on it. The Ministry of Agriculture reported this April that 63,700 animals died in 2018 due to severe weather conditions.
The government expects to raise nearly one million euros (17 million Namibian dollars) for wildlife conservation by selling the following: buffaloes, oryx, elands, impalas, giraffes, kudus, springboks, wildebeest and elephants. The proceeds will be invested into the Game Products Trust Fund which manages income derived from trophy hunting, donors funds and wildlife auctions.
Wildfires - Alberta, Canada
Advancing flames of a wildfire have forced the evacuation of the hamlet of La Crete in northern Alberta. More than 9,000 people have been forced from their homes due to out of control wildfires in the region. The Chuckegg Creek, Jackpot Creek and McMillan complex wildfires together cover an area of about 6,750 square kilometres.
Measles - Ukraine - Update
Ukraine health officials reported an additional 967 measles – 436 adults and 531 children, during the past week. This brings the total cases to 54,065 people – 25,439 adults and 28,626 children, including 18 deaths since the beginning of the year.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
5.8 earthquake hits the Sichuan-Guizou border, China.
Twelve people have died and 125 others have been injured following the earthquake according to local reports.
5.6 earthquake hits the Kermedec Islands.
5.5 earthquake hits south of Fiji.
5.5 earthquake hits the central mid-Atlantic ridge.
Two 5.2 earthquakes hit eastern Sichuan, China.
5.1 earthquake hits the Pacific-Antarctic ridge.
5.1 earthquake hits the Kermedec Islands.
Two 5.0 earthquakes hit the Kermedec Islands.
Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:
There are no current tropical storms.
NewsBytes:
USA - Flash flood warnings have been issued for Texas across to the mid-Atlantic by the National Weather Service (NWS), remaining in effect until this morning. Across the country, two to three inches of rain has already fallen, with expected showers to follow over the course of the morning, affecting the eastern states and coast. This rainfall is expected to cause flash flooding in Grayson in Georgia, Oldtown in Idaho, Naples in Florida, Coalton in Ohio, Flatwoods in West Virginia, Russell in Massachusetts and Hopewell, Virginia.
Chicken Pox - France
France is reporting an epidemic of varicella, or chickenpox infections, which includes at least twelve regional outbreaks. Approximately half the country was affected by chickenpox in the week ending June 9. On average, there are 34 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
Measles - DR Congo
In a follow-up on the measles outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), UN health officials report an additional 7500 suspect cases in the past two weeks, bringing the total cases since the beginning of the year to 106,870. The death toll due to the measles outbreak has reached 1,815.
Panama Disease - Thailand
The Thai Department of Agriculture has dispatched officials to inspect a large banana plantation in Chiang Rai province after a report of an outbreak of Panama disease, which is known to rip through plantations causing significant damage. Officials were seen destroying infected banana trees in a bid to contain the disease. Panama disease has never occurred in Thailand before.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
6.1 Earthquake hits the Flores region, Indonesia.
6.0 earthquake hits the Kermedec Islands.
5.6 earthquake hits the Kermedec Islands.
5.4 earthquake hits near the east coast of Honshu, Japan.
5.4 earthquake hits south of the Kermedec Islands.
5.3 earthquake hits the Banda Sea.
5.2 earthquake hits the Sumba region, Indonesia.
5.2 earthquake hits the Kermedec Islands.
5.1 earthquake hits Michoacan, Mexico.
5.1 earthquake hits southern Sumatra, Indonesia.
5.0 earthquake hits the southern mid-Atlantic ridge.
Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:
In the Indian Ocean: Tropical cyclone 02a (Vayu), located approximately 180 nm south of Karachi, Pakistan, is tracking northeastward at 12 knots.
NewsBytes:
Mongolia - On 15 June 2019, heavy precipitation was expected to run across the country. At around 15:00 hours, torrential rain poured on central area of the country including Ulaanbaatar city and nearby provinces including Tuv province. The heavy rainfall caused flash floods in the following soums; Lun, Bayantsogt, and Bayankhangai in Tuv province.
Canada - With once-in-a-century floods two years in a row, residents and communities grapple with a new reality and tough choices: rebuild or pack up and leave? After back-to-back historic floods along the St. John River watershed, the Nauwidgewauk community and others like it in New Brunswick are being redrawn by backhoes, demolition equipment and government officials — who are now enforcing flood-plain building restrictions that went ignored for decades. People in the province are talking about climate change in a way they never would have a few years ago. For the second straight year, hundreds of homes were evacuated and long stretches of the Trans-Canada Highway were underwater. Even officials who manage flood response seemed surprised at the level of destruction this spring.
UK - Residents in at least 590 homes in Wainfleet and Thorpe Culvert, in Lincolnshire, have been told to leave as waters continued to surge this weekend. The town first flooded on Wednesday after more than two months' worth of rain fell in two days, causing the River Steeping to burst its banks. On Friday, three RAF helicopters dropped 270 one-tonne sandbags in an attempt to repair the bank.
Rare Giraffe to Give Birth
Kenya Wildlife Services announces rare white giraffe is pregnant. Ishaqbini Hirola Sanctuary, located in Ijara sub-county is home to the critically endangered Hirola Antelope and the only white giraffe in the world.
Wildfires - Syria
At least 10 people have been killed in Kurdish-controlled northeast Syria since Thursday while trying to extinguish mass wildfires that have recently spread across thousands of acres of farmland, a war monitor reported. Those who perished had been trying to extinguish fires in the countryside of Al-Hasakah Province.
The local Kurdish-led administration in northeast Syria has blamed the Islamic State and Turkey for being responsible for the fires that have destroyed thousand of acres of agricultural land in recent weeks. However, there were reports that several gunmen loyal to the regime had been arrested for setting fires in areas east of the Euphrates River.
Dengue fever - Myanmar
The Yangon Region Public Health Department has reported 670 dengue fever cases since the beginning of the year, including eight deaths. Fatalities have been reported in both adults and children.
Campylobacter - Norway
The Norwegian Institute of Public Health reported a Campylobacter outbreak in Askøy, Hordaland county, Norway. Some 2,000 people have been sickened, presenting with symptoms of diarrhea, fever and abdominal pains. It was believed that water was the source of the outbreak.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
7.2 earthquake hits the Kermedec Islands.
A powerful earthquake has struck the Kermadec Islands region in the Pacific Ocean north of New Zealand, briefly triggering a tsunami warning. The US Geological Survey said a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck the arc of islands, which are 800–1,000km (500-600 miles) from New Zealand's North Island. There are no reports of damage.
6.2 earthquake hits the Kermedec islands.
6.1 earthquake hits Tonga.
Two 5.3 earthquakes hit the Kermedec islands.
5.0 earthquake hits offshore Chiapas, Mexico.
5.0 earthquake hits the Prince Edward Islands.
Two 5.0 earthquakes hit the Kermedec islands.
Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:
In the Indian Ocean: Tropical cyclone 02a (Vayu), located approximately 264 nm south-southwest of Karachi, Pakistan, is tracking south-southeastward at 04 knots.
NewsBytes:
Florida, USA - Heavy rain across South Florida impacted people’s commute and caused some roads in Aventura to flood. The rain swept through parts of Miami-Dade and Broward counties, Friday afternoon. Some drivers found themselves stranded while the water rose quickly.
What would life be like in a zero-carbon country?
Drastic restrictions on almost every aspect of people's lives, from the cars they drive, the way they heat their homes, to the fridges they buy -- even the food stored in them. That is the reality of what awaits us in 2050 if a UK government pledge to cut greenhouse emissions to "net zero" is to be met.
If it can do it, the country will become the world's first major economy to stop contributing to climate change. Net zero means the amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere is no more than the amount taken out.
Petrol and diesel vehicles will need to be phased out and replaced by electric or hydrogen powered ones by 2035. Consumption of beef, lamb and dairy must be cut by 20% by 2050. No houses built after 2025 will be connected to the gas grid. The owners of older buildings will need to switch their heating system to a low carbon one by around 2035. Aviation and shipping are other sectors where low-carbon alternatives don't yet exist.
Emissions that can't be cut, like the ones created by belching animals, must be offset for the country to reach the net zero target. Trees take carbon out of the atmosphere through photosynthesis, so planting more of them is one way to do this. But growing more trees is not always practical. Britain is a small island and space is limited, so the government wants the option of paying other countries to plant trees instead. Groups like Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth are sounding the alarm about that idea. They worry that being able to pay someone else to act could undermine UK's domestic efforts.
Another way to offset emissions is by storing greenhouse gases underground or under the sea. But scientists are still figuring out how exactly to do that in a cost-effective and safe way.
Reaching net zero will cost about £1 trillion ($1.3 trillion), a price that for some, is simply too much. There are also those who argue the UK and other countries should move much faster. Extinction Rebellion, which recently staged major protests in central London and pushed the UK parliament to declare a climate emergency, wants the net zero target to be set for 2025.
Dengue hemorrhagic fever
Thailand’s Department of Disease Control (DDC) has officially declared a dengue hemorrhagic fever epidemic this year as there have been 28,785 patients, 43 of whom died, according to a Bangkok Post report Friday.
Malaria - Trinidad and Tobago
Health officials in Trinidad and Tobago are reporting that the majority of malaria cases reported so far this year are in Venezuelans. The Health Ministry said of the 17 malaria cases reported, 13 are in Venezuelans.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
6.0 earthquake hits the Banda Sea.
5.2 earthquake hits the Mayotte region.
5.1 earthquake hits offshore Chiapas, Mexico.
5.1 earthquake hits the northern mid-Atlantic ridge.
5.0 earthquake hits Vanuatu.
5.0 earthquake hits the Kermedec Islands.
Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:
In the Indian Ocean: Tropical cyclone 02a (Vayu), located approximately 252 nm south of Karachi, Pakistan, is tracking westward at 04 knots.
Elephant Poaching in Botswana Rises
Botswana—widely considered a safe haven for elephants in Africa—appears to be suffering from its own surge in poaching, according to aerial survey work published today in the journal Current Biology. Botswana is estimated to be home to more than 130,000 savanna elephants—about a third of Africa’s remaining population. Until recently, the southern African country had largely escaped the scourge of elephant killings for ivory, still in high demand in China and elsewhere.
In 2014 there were no incidents of suspected elephant poaching in Botswana. But in 2018, across five areas, 156 fresh or recent carcasses whose skulls had been cut open and the tusks removed were counted. Many of the carcasses were hidden under bushes, suggesting, that those animals were victims of the illegal ivory trade.
Zero elephants poached in a year in Northern Mozambique Park
One of Africa’s largest wildlife preserves is marking a year without a single elephant found killed by poachers, which experts call an extraordinary development in an area larger than Switzerland where thousands of the animals have been slaughtered in recent years.
The apparent turnaround in Niassa reserve in a remote region of northern Mozambique comes after the introduction of a rapid intervention police force and more assertive patrolling and response by air, according to the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society, which manages the reserve with Mozambique’s government and several other partners.
Aggressive poaching over the years had cut the number of Niassa’s elephants from about 12,000 to little over 3,600 in 2016, according to an aerial survey. Anti-poaching strategies from 2015 to 2017 reduced the number killed but the conservation group called the rate still far too high.
Following the new interventions, the last time an elephant in the Niassa reserve was recorded killed by a poacher was May 17, 2018.
Although the low number of remaining elephants is also a factor in the decline in poaching, a year ago, it was estimated that fewer than 2,000 elephants remained in Niassa, now preliminary analysis of data from a survey conducted in October and not yet published indicated that about 4,000 elephants are in the reserve.
A year that appears to be free of elephant poaching in the sprawling reserve drew exclamations from some wildlife experts. “It is a major and very important development that poaching has ceased. This represents a major success.”
Trump Seeks Strategy Advice from Climate Change Deniers
The Trump administration sought advice from a vocal climate-change denier to help shape its environmental message, according to the Associated Press, which saw emails acquired through the Freedom of Information Act. The emails, written in 2018 and 2019, included correspondence between William Happer, a member of the National Security Council, and officials from the Heartland Institute, one of America’s most vocal climate-change challengers. The AP quotes a March 3 email exchange between Happer and Heartland adviser Hal Doiron in which the Trump official was given arguments that would help counter environmentalists’ messaging. In those emails, Happer admitted he had also discussed the issue with another Heartland adviser. “It’s the equivalent to formulating anti-terrorism policy by consulting with groups that deny terrorism exists,” Matthew Nisbet, a professor of environmental communication and public policy with Northeastern University said.
Wildfires - Oregon, Arizona USA
Scattered thunderstorms across Lake and Klamath Counties produced more than 1,500 lightning strikes Wednesday night causing at least ten small wildfires. Fire-fighting crews were on scene to quickly control the fires.
Meanwhile wildfires are continuing to burn throughout Arizona. There are currently a dozen wildfires burning in Arizona. Most notably - the Woodbury Fire northwest of Superior which has grown to more than 10,000 acres. There are now about 450 firefighters working to contain the flames. Air quality in the area has been a big issue and crews are telling hikers to avoid the area.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
6.5 earthquake hits offshore Coquimbo, Chile.
5.4 earthquake hits Vanuatu.
5.4 earthquake hits south of Sumbawa, Indonesia.
5.3 earthquake hits Guam.
5.3 earthquake hits the Kermedec Islands.
5.2 earthquake hits Tonga.
5.0 earthquake hits Coquimbo, Chile.
Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:
In the Indian Ocean: Tropical cyclone 02a (Vayu), located approximately 248 nm south- southeast of Karachi, Pakistan, is tracking west-southwestward at 04 knots.
NewsBytes:
China - At least 61 people have now been killed and 356,000 evacuated from their homes as heavy rain and floods swept through large parts of southern and central China this week, Chinese rescue authorities said. In a notice published late on Thursday, China's Ministry of Emergency Management said 9,300 homes have collapsed and 3.71 million hectares of farmland damaged during the floods.
Indonesia - Indonesian authorities warned of more flash floods and landslides after days of flooding forced the evacuation of more than 5,000 people from Central and Southeast Sulawesi, the nation’s main nickel ore producing region. Heavy rainfall may continue to lash Southeast Sulawesi and many other provinces until Saturday, the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency said on its website. Authorities evacuated 5,703 people until Tuesday after hundreds of hectares of paddy and corn fields were inundated and several houses damaged.
Arctic Permafrost Is Going Through a Rapid Meltdown — 70 Years Early
In the Canadian Arctic, layers of permafrost that scientists expected to remain frozen for at least 70 years have already begun thawing. The once-frozen surface is now sinking and dotted with melt ponds and from above looks a bit like Swiss cheese, satellite images reveal.
Permafrost is ground that remains frozen for at least two years. It underlies about 15% of the unglaciated Northern Hemisphere and serves a critical role in the transfer of carbon from living things to the atmosphere.
The researchers recorded permafrost thawing to depths that were not expected until air temperatures reached levels the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has predicted will occur after 2090, according to one of its "moderate" climate change models.
The researchers believe higher summer temperatures, low levels of insulating vegetation and the presence of ground ice near the surface contributed to the exceptionally rapid and deep thawing.
The most striking evidence is visible to the naked eye. As upper layers of permafrost thaw and ice melts, the land settles unevenly, forming what is known as thermokarst topography. Landscapes in the Canadian Arctic that had been defined by gently rolling hills are now pockmarked with ditches and small ponds. The ground at the northernmost study site sank by about 35 inches (90 centimeters) over the course of the study.
Locusts in Sardinia
Locusts are devouring crops across the Italian island of Sardinia in the worst such invasion seen there in 70 years.
While the ravenous insects are often seen on the Mediterranean island during the summer, farmers say they are now greater in number than at any time since World War II because of extreme weather swings during the past two years.
“We had droughts in 2017 and a lot of rain in 2018, the ideal climate for locusts to emerge from fallow land and then move to cultivated fields to eat,” Michele Arbau from the agricultural association Coldiretti Sardinia told Reuters.
Heat and Dust in India
A searing heat wave across India that brought Delhi its hottest ever temperature of 118 degrees F. has killed dozens of people and severely affected wildlife.
Officials say as many as 36 people have perished in the heat so far this year.
At least one troop of monkeys died from suspected heatstroke, or from violent conflicts with other monkeys over dwindling water supplies. Similar deadly conflicts among the human population have also been reported.
Tigers that are dying from thirst in parched forests have been observed moving into communities in search of water.
Plant Extinctions
After analyzing the populations of more than 330,000 seed-bearing plants around the world, the study authors found that about three plant species have gone extinct on Earth every year since 1900 — a rate that's roughly 500 times higher than the natural extinction rate for those types of plants, which include most trees, flowers and fruit-bearing plants. Unsurprisingly, human activity plays a key role in this elevated extinction trend.
The researchers found that, while roughly 1,300 seed plant species had been declared extinct since 1753, about half of those claims were ultimately proven to be false. In the last 250 years, more than 400 plants thought to be extinct have been rediscovered, and 200 others have been reclassified as a different living species. That leaves approximately 571 species confirmed extinct in the last 250 years, vanishing at a rate of roughly 18 to 26 extinctions per million species per year.
Global Temperature Extremes
The week’s hottest temperature was 122 degrees Fahrenheit (50 degrees Celsius) in Jacobabad, Pakistan.
The week’s coldest temperature was minus 116.0 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 82.2 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.
Brain Disease - India
At least 43 children have died in less than two weeks in the Indian state of Bihar from a brain disease that scientists believe could be linked to consumption of lychee fruit. The children died at two hospitals in Muzaffarpur, a region of the state that is well known for its many lychee orchards harvested throughout May and June.
The state government is yet to confirm the cause of the outbreak but is attributing most of the deaths to hypoglycaemia - low blood sugar level. But doctors said that more than 150 children under the age of 10 had been admitted with symptoms of acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) since 1 June, and that of these 43 had died. They said hypoglycaemia is one of the features of AES.
Global Volcanic Activity - Ongoing Activity for the week of 5 June - 11 June 2019
Agung | Bali (Indonesia) : PVMBG reported that at 1212 on 10 June an explosion at Agung produced a gray ash plume that rose about 1 km and drifted SE and E. The Alert Level remained at 3 (on a scale of 1-4) with the exclusion zone set at a 4-km radius.
Aira | Kyushu (Japan) : JMA reported that during 3-10 June very small eruptive events at Minamidake crater (at Aira Caldera’s Sakurajima volcano) were recorded, as well as periodic crater incandescence. The Alert Level remained at 3 (on a 5-level scale).
Dukono | Halmahera (Indonesia) : Based on satellite and wind model data, and notices from PVMBG, the Darwin VAAC reported that during 5-11 June ash plumes from Dukono rose to an altitude of 2.1 km (7,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted in multiple directions. 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 3 June that sent ash plumes up to 3 km (10,000 ft) a.s.l. The plumes drifted E. The Aviation colour Code remained at Orange (the second highest level on a four-colour scale).
Kerinci | Indonesia : PVMBG reported that at 0604 on 7 June a grayish ash emission from Kerinci rose 800 m above the summit and drifted E according to a ground observer. The Alert Level remained at 2 (on a scale of 1-4), and tourists were warned to remain outside of the 3-km exclusion zone.
Klyuchevskoy | Central Kamchatka (Russia) : On 12 June ash plumes from Klyuchevskoy rose to an altitude of 5 km (16,400 ft) a.s.l. and drifted 10 km N, prompting KVERT to raise the Aviation colour Code to Orange (the second highest level on a four-colour scale). Ash emissions continued later that day with plumes rising to 5 km a.s.l. and drifting 68 km WNW.
Krakatau | Indonesia : PVMBG reported that Anak Krakatau’s seismic network recorded one eruptive event at 0850 on 10 June. The event as not followed by visible ash emissions, though observations were hindered by weather conditions. 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.
Manam | Papua New Guinea : The Darwin VAAC reported that during 7-8 June ash plumes from Manam rose to an altitude of 4.3 km (14,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted SW, based on satellite data and weather models.
Merapi | Central Java (Indonesia) : PVMBG reported that during 3-10 June the lava-dome volume at Merapi did not change and was an estimated 458,000 cubic meters, based on analyses of drone footage. Extruded lava fell into the upper parts of the SE-flank, generating one block-and-ash flow that traveled 1 km down the Gendol drainage on 9 June. White plumes rose as high as 75 m above the summit. The Alert Level remained at 2 (on a scale of 1-4), and residents were warned to remain outside of the 3-km exclusion zone.
Rincon de la Vieja | Costa Rica : OVSICORI-UNA reported that a 10-minute-long eruption at Rincón de la Vieja began at 0343 on 11 June. Emissions were not visible due to weather conditions.
Sabancaya | Peru : Instituto Geofísico del Perú (IGP) reported that during 3-9 June an average of 12 explosion per day were recorded at Sabancaya. Ash plumes rose 2.9 km above the crater rim. On 7 June explosions generated ash plumes that drifted 30 km S and SW. The public was warned to not approach the crater within a 12-km radius.
Sheveluch | Central Kamchatka (Russia) : KVERT reported that a thermal anomaly over Sheveluch’s lava dome was identified daily in satellite images during 1-7 June. The Aviation colour Code remained at Orange (the second highest level on a four-colour scale).
Stromboli | Aeolian Islands (Italy) : INGV reported that during 3 and 6-9 June activity at Stromboli was characterized by ongoing Strombolian explosions and degassing from multiple vents within the crater terrace. Explosions from two vents (N1 and N2) in Area N (north crater area, NCA) occurred at a rate of 1-4 per hour, ejecting material 80 m high and producing ash plumes. Explosions from two vents (S1 and S2) in Area C-S (South Central crater area) occurred at a rate of 3-8 per hour, ejecting material 80-150 m high. Gas plumes rose from vent C.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
5.6 earthquake hits the southern mid-Atlantic ridge.
5.2 earthquake hits Tonga.
5.0 earthquake hits Hokkaido, Japan,
5.0 earthquake hits south of the Mariana Islands.
Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:
In the Indian Ocean: Tropical cyclone 02a (Vayu), located approximately 285 nm south- southeast of Karachi, Pakistan, is tracking north-northwestward at 03 knots.
NewsBytes:
India - Tropical Cyclone VAYU formed over the eastern Arabian Sea (Indian Ocean) on 10 June and started moving north...It could reach southwestern Gujarat State on 13 June, with maximum sustained winds up to 150-160 km/h. Heavy rain with thunderstorms and strong winds are forecast over western coastal states over the next 24 hours. A strong wind and heavy rainfall warning is in effect for Kerala, Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra States and a thunderstorm warning for Maharashtra States. Gujarat has already evacuated about 1.2 lakhs people from low lying areas to safer places and would complete the evacuation of 3 lakh people by 4 PM today. Similarly Diu has evacuated 8000 people and would complete the evacuation of over 10000 people by 4 PM.
Yemen - Torrential rain and flash flooding in recent weeks, culminating in widespread flooding in the second week of June, have affected thousands of families across Yemen. It is estimated that rains and floods have affected close to 70,000 people, including internally displaced people, in over 10 governorates. Hajjah Governorate is the most affected Governorate.
Colorado, USA - Rivers are raging at or near flood levels across Colorado, with plenty of snow yet to melt on many mountain ranges. With more runoff on the way and the rainy season approaching, communities are bracing for impact.
UK - Yellow weather warnings are in place throughout the UK until Thursday as torrential rain continues across parts of England, Scotland and Wales, and an Amber warning in the north east in place for tomorrow.
Greece - Heavy rainstorms and hail battered many parts of mainland Greece, including Attica. A sudden hailstorm that hit the rural region around Arta in western Greece in the afternoon seriously damaged kiwi and citrus crops, municipal authorities said. Though the storm lasted only half an hour, some crops were completely destroyed and next year’s produce may also be affected by the damage. Cities in central Greece were hit by hail and storms too, with roads and homes flooded. There was flooding in parts of Attica too, including Aghia Marina and Koropi.
