Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:

Etna (Sicily, Italy): Strombolian explosions and relatively strong ash emissions from the New SE crater have continued throughout yesterday and the night, and seem to be gradually becoming more intense. However, this current behavior of Etna is a quite different from the usual more or less short build-up of activity the cone showed preceding the recent paroxysms. The tremor is slowly increasing.

El Hierro (Canary Islands, Spain): Earthquake activity has remained low, but there are still a few smaller quakes scattered under the island. This could be related to residual stress release caused by the relatively strong deformation the western part of the island experienced during the recent swarm.

Sakurajima (Kyushu, Japan): Since 4 April, no ash plumes / explosions have been reported from the volcano by Tokyo VAAC. This marks one of the longest intervals of relative quiet, i.e. absence of small to moderate volcanian explosions, in a long time. However, this does not exclude that minor explosive activity could be occurring.

Bagana (Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea): More explosions have occurred. Ash emissions reached 7,000 ft (2.1 km) altitude, VAAC Darwin reported.

Manam (Papua New Guinea): An explosive eruption produced an ash plume rising to 7,000 ft (2.1 km) earlier today. The plume was observed on satellite data extending 40 nautical miles to the west (VAAC Darwin).

White Island (New Zealand): The strong volcanic tremor observed during the past days has dropped yesterday, but seems to be rising again today. GNS scientists reported that changes in water chemistry seen in recent samples from the White Island crater pool suggest that deep heat input into the volcano's plumbing system has diminished or ended. If this is right and the trend continues, White Island should return to a more stable state in the near future.

Douglas (United States, Alaska Peninsula): A series of earthquakes up to magnitude 2.6 has occurred in the past 24 hours beneath the eastern flank of the volcano at depths around 20 km.

Colima (Western Mexico): Eruptive activity continues with frequent small explosions, rockfalls, and sometimes larger pyroclastic flows.

Popocatépetl (Central Mexico): Activity has increased yesterday to about 3 emissions per hour and occasional small explosions creating plumes rising up to 500 m. Glow at the summit indicates continuing lava dome growth.

Pacaya (Guatemala): Strombolian activity continues gradually to increase, and tephra is being thrown to about 25 m above the crater rim. Inside the Mackenney crater, a small lava lake has formed at the vent at a depth of 40 m, INSIVUMEH reports.

Fuego (Guatemala): Activity has remained relatively low with only smaller strombolian explosions. At night, glowing bombs can be seen ejected to about 100 m above the crater.

Poas (Costa Rica): The seismic signal suggests increased tremor and signals of possible hydrothermal explosions. An elevated SO2 concentration above the area suggests a higher level of degassing activity.

Nevado del Ruiz (Colombia): The Manizales volcano observatory published a special bulletin because of increased activity from Ruiz. Starting at 02:18 (local time) this morning, continuous volcanic tremor has been recorded. This is similar to signals recorded between 8 and 21 March 2013, although this new episode of tremor is of lower energy level than in March. Very often, such seismicity is associated with emissions of gas and / or ash. Volcano webcams showed a steam/gas column rising 1600 m above the volcano and drifting NW, and possibly containing some ash in it.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global

5.6 Earthquake hits southern Iran.

5.2 Earthquake hits southern Iran.

5.0 Earthquake hits southern Iran.

Numerous 5- Aftershocks also hit southern Iran.

Yesterday's powerful 6.3 earthquake struck close to Iran's only nuclear power station, killing 37 people and injuring 850 as it destroyed homes and devastated two small villages.

The quake totally destroyed one village, but the nearby Bushehr nuclear plant was undamaged. Many houses in rural parts of the province are made of mud bricks, which have been known to crumble easily in quake-prone Iran. Some 700 homes were destroyed. There were around 10,000 people living in villages in the affected area.

Across the Gulf, offices in Qatar and Bahrain were evacuated after the quake, whose epicenter was 89 km (55 miles) southeast of the port of Bushehr. The early afternoon shock was also felt in financial hub Dubai. The Russian company that built the nuclear power station, 18 km (11 miles) south of Bushehr, said the plant was unaffected.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Cyclone Imelda, which has strengthened significantly east of northern Madagascar, was forecast to veer southward later in the week towards La Reunion, Rodriguez Island and Mauritius.

Tropical Cyclone Victoria forms off Western Australia

The storm system has strengthened into a massive Category three cyclone in the Indian Ocean, off Western Australia's North-West coast. Tropical Cyclone Victoria, a large system which is about 400km south-west of Christmas Island, is moving south and gathering strength.

Snowstorm Hits Denver, USA

A spring snowstorm hit Colorado on Tuesday, cancelling flights and closing schools as forecasters warned residents in the middle of the United States to brace for sleet, gusty winds, flash floods and tornadoes.

Other News:

Lightning in Brownsville, USA hits 2.

Flooding in Helmand region of Afghanistan. Heavy rainfall caused flash flooding in Sangin, Kajaki, Greskh, Marja, Nad Ali and Nawa districts of Afghanistan.

Landslide on Jammu-Srinagar highway in India has killed one.

Wildlife

Bat Populations Decimated Across North America

White-nose syndrome, a fungal disease possibly imported from Europe on the boots of spelunkers (cave explorers), hits bats at their winter hibernation roosts. It was first identified in North America in New York in 2006/2007 and has since spread to 22 states and five Canadian provinces. White Nose Syndrome has decimated bat populations with mortality rates reaching 100 percent at some sites. In the northeastern United States, bat numbers have plummeted by at least 80 percent, says the USGS, with ~6.7 million bats killed continent wide. The Centre for Biological Diversity reports that biologists consider this the worst wildlife disease outbreak ever in North America.

Bats are supremely important for farming and for food security. They eat thousands of tons of insects, including crop pests, every year.

Researchers estimate the economic value of bug-eating bats to American agriculture at $22 billion, maybe as much as $53 billion a year. Yet federal funding for White Nose Syndrome research and disease response coordination has been scarce the past several years and is likely to become even scarcer in the 2013 and 2014 federal budgets.

Wildfires

Wildfire - California

Pushed by powerful winds, a wildfire swept across orchards and open fields in Ventura County, north of Los Angeles, California, destroying two homes and threatening about 100 more.

Disease

Bird Flu Found on South African Ostrich Farm - No Chinese Link Seen

An outbreak of bird flu has hit an ostrich farm in South Africa, but authorities said it was unlikely to pose a threat to humans, though additional tests were being carried out after another strain killed nine people in China.

The outbreak has prompted restrictions on the movement of the big birds and their products in the Western Cape province.

Tests samples from an ostrich farm near Oudtshoorn, the centre of South Africa's ostrich export industry, found the presence of the H7N1 virus.

Another strain, H7N9, has killed nine people in eastern China since it was confirmed in humans for the first time last month.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:

Etna (Sicily, Italy): Relatively strong ash explosions continue to occur from the New SE crater. New activity started yesterday afternoon from the New SE crater. Several relatively intense explosive ash emissions were observed from the summit vent of the cone. They produced dense ash plumes rising about 200 m. More explosions occurred during the night, separated by intervals varying from 20 minutes to about 2 hours, during which strong degassing continued and the fumarolic area at the crater rim remained incandescent. The tremor showed a light increase during the night, but it is not clear at the moment, if this is already a precursor to yet another paroxysm.

Karangetang (Siau Island, Sangihe Islands, Indonesia): An eruption has occurred this morning. VAAC Darwin signaled a volcanic ash cloud reaching 14,000 ft (4.3 km) altitude and extending 25 nautical miles to the WNW. VSI maintains the volcano on yellow alert (since 2011).

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global

6.3 Earthquake hits southern Iran. The Earthquake occurred near the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran and initial reports indicate that at least 12 people have died.

5.2 Earthquake hits Java, Indonesia.

5.1 Earthquake hits the Kuril Islands.

5.0 Earthquake hits southern Greece.

Storms and Floods

Landslide in Umbria, Italy

Landslide in central Umbria, Italy has injured twenty five people. The train traveling towards the city of Perugia got derailed by landslide.

Tropical Cyclone Imelda

Tropical Cyclone Imelda forms in the southern Indian Ocean 490 nm west-southwest of Diego Garcia. It is forecast to cause a potential threat to Mauritius.

Other News:

Albanian authorities say continuous rainfall is hampering efforts to address severe flooding that has left hundreds of homes swamped and without electricity or drinking water for the past three weeks.

Floods sweep across several Russian regions, people evacuated. Hundreds of people have been forced from their homes, their houses ‘particularly flooded’, in a number of Russian regions where river floods have intensified over the past 24 hours due to record snowfalls.

Tornado near Denver, in Colorado, USA has destroyed one mobile house and damaged two others.

Hailstorms with hail from 1 to 2 inches diameter hit Trego, Ellis and Rush counties in northwest Kansas, USA.

Disease

Bird Flu in China - Update

China reports another bird flu death. Total now 8.

The World Health Organization has stated that the bird flu outbreak is no cause for alarm.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:

Stromboli (Eolian Islands, Italy): No significant changes have occurred recently. The seismic signal shows medium tremor levels with phases of medium to high values, and there are frequent (about 10 per hour), sometimes quite powerful strombolian explosions from the various active vents. Small amounts of lava sometimes overspill from the NE vent.

Tjörnes Fracture Zone (North of Iceland): The seismic swarm continues with a decreasing trend. "Only" 65 earthquakes have been counted so far today, the largest being a 3.3 event 14 km NE of Grímsey this morning.

El Hierro (Canary Islands, Spain): After being almost completely calm for several days, earthquake activity has again picked up during the past 48 hours (and is showing an increasing trend), but the intensity and frequency of quakes is (so far) nothing compared to the latest swarm two weeks ago. The largest event so far was a mag 3.0 quake 15 km west of the island, at 13 km depth. Inflation has halted and now shows a weak trend to deflation.

Tolbachik (Kamchatka): The eruption continues with no changes, but a weak decreasing trend in tremor levels is visible. KVERT reports no significant changes in the seismic and eruptive activity at the other 4 currently active Kamchatkan volcanoes: Sheveluch and Kizimen (lava dome building with occasional explosive/collapse events – moderate seismicity), Bezymianny (lava flow/dome extrusion – weak seismicity difficult to distinguish because of the strong signal from Tolbachik), Karymsky (occasional strombolian/vulcanian explosions - no seismic information due to technical problems), Gorely (strong degassing and hydrothermal activity, moderate seismicity).

Lokon-Empung (North Sulawesi, Indonesia): Another explosion occurred this morning just before 10:00 (local time, 02am GMT). A relatively large ash plume rose about 3 km above the crater to an altitude of 15,000 ft (4.5 km) and drifted SW. The eruption was heard up to 6 km away. The eruption was preceded by a strong increase in seismicity the volcano observatory recorded. After the main eruption, the volcano continued to produce ash venting.

Yasur (Tanna Island, Vanuatu): An increase in explosive activity has been noted since 2 April. Bombs have been ejected to the parking area below the summit cone, and the activity status (on a scale of 1-4) was raised from 1 to 2. If activity remains elevated, it will probably be further raised to 3 in the near future.

Colima (Western Mexico): The lava dome continues to grow more or less steadily and produce small explosions. Collapse of parts of the accumulating lava at the dome causes occasional pyroclastic flows (such as late on 6 April) and glowing rockfalls on the flank. Today, it has been comparably calm, though.

Popocatépetl (Central Mexico): The volcano has been comparably calm during the past days. CENAPRED reports an average of about 1 steam-gas-sometimes ash emissions per hour.

Santa María / Santiaguito (Guatemala): Activity has remained weak with infrequent, mostly small explosions from the dome, and no or little movement at the lava flows from the Caliente dome.

Pacaya (Guatemala): Weak strombolian activity continues. The seismic shows a mix of surface events (explosions) and small earthquakes ad weak tremor pulses related to fluid movements inside the volcano.

Fuego (Guatemala): Activity remains unchanged. Infrequent weak to moderate strombolian explosions (about 5-10 per day) generate ash plumes up to 1 km above the crater, causing small avalanches and light ash fall in nearby areas.

Telica (Nicaragua): Seismicity remains strong. Still there are no reports by INETER, which probably means that they do not think that an eruption could be near.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global

No Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes were recorded during this period.

Storms and Floods

Flooding in Luanda, Angola

Floods in Luanda, Angola have killed at least nine people. Four people are still reported to be missing.

The floods have damaged more than 500 homes in Samba and Coreia areas.

A road near Luanda's port has been closed due to landslide.

Other News:

Flooding in coal mine in China. Two dead and seven people are reported to be missing in a flooded coal mine in Guizhou Province of China.

Flash floods and landslide in Penang, Malaysia. Heavy rainfall caused flooding and landslide in Penang, Malaysia. About 168mm rainfall has been recorded within three hours.

Storm in Japan over weekend has claimed the lives of at least three people. Deaths occurred in Yakushima, Hokkaido and Mie prefectures. Storm wind speeds of 41 m/s in Hokkaido and 33 m/s in Wakayama prefecture were recorded. More than 200 flights have been cancelled due to the bad weather.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:

Tjörnes Fracture Zone (North of Iceland): The powerful earthquake swarm that started a week ago continues, but at reduced intensity compared to 2 April when the large magnitude 5.4 quake struck. Each day, hundreds of earthquakes have been occurring (more than 200 > magnitude 2 during the past 2 days). The earthquake swarm is the result of release of tectonic stress that has accumulated in the crust and is being released at the moment. The area is one of the main so-called transform zones,- regions where the separating Eurasian and North-American tectonic plates move sideways along strike-slip faults rather than spreading apart directly as is the case in the main rift zones, where also the main volcanoes are located, because the opening movment here allows large batches of magma to rise easily.

Bagana (Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea): A stronger eruptive phase has been occurring since last night. Several ash plumes reaching 10,000 ft (3 km) altitude have been observed drifting 45 nautical miles to the WSW (VAAC Darwin).

Batu Tara (Sunda Islands, Indonesia): Explosions continue with sometimes stronger ones that send ash to 7,000 ft (2.1 km) altitude on a daily basis now.

Paluweh (off Flores Island, Indonesia): Frequent ash emissions are being reported by VAAC Darwin. Today, ash plumes rose to 10,000 ft (3 km) altitude and drifted 45 nautical miles to the WSW.

Galeras (Colombia): Ash emissions have become more frequent since 4 April - the Pasto observatory has reported daily small explosions since then. This marks a significant increase in activity. Before, the volcano had produced such emissions only a few times per month since September 2012. No corresponding increase in seismic activity was reported and the (official) alert level remains at yellow (corresponding to "orange"="minor activity" on the scale we use).

Sabancaya (Peru): Seismic activity has decreased at the volcano, the latest press release of IGP shows. It seems less likely now that the volcano will produce an eruption soon,- as in many cases, an intrusion has happened at depth without (so far) breaching the surface (= erupting).

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global

5.5 Earthquake hits the southern east Pacific rise.

5.4 Earthquake hits the Mariana Islands region.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Kermedec Islands.

5.0 Earthquake hits the southern east Pacific rise.

5.0 Earthquake hits the South Sandwich Islands.

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

Storms and Floods

Major Sandstorm Headed to the United Arab Emirates

A major sandstorm is expected to hit the UAE this weekend. The storm is expected to create a visibility of less than 500 meters.

The sandstorm was expected to erupt in Iraq and travel through Kuwait to hit the UAE on Friday, gripping the country for two days. Wind speeds of 25-35 knots are expected. In Saudi Arabia, too, a government met centre warned that the kingdom would be hit by extreme climatic conditions over the coming three days. On an average, the UAE faces between 8 and 10 severe sandstorms each year. In many cases these sandstorms can last for several hours or sometimes even the whole day, bring traffic to a standstill, forcing places of work and school to close and significantly increasing the number of hospitalizations.

Tropical Cyclone Twenty-one was located approximately 200 nm south-southwest of Diego Garcia in the South Indian Ocean.

Global Warming

The Ocean Deeps are Absorbing Global Warming

A new study shows that the world’s oceans are warming significantly under the influence of greenhouse gas-induced climate change, especially the deeps. Scientists from the U.S. and European weather agencies reassembled data from 1958 to 2009, using all available sources to create a model of ocean temperature changes.

They found that dimmed sunlight due to massive volcanic eruptions in the early 1980s and 1990s briefly reversed an otherwise profound trend of ocean warming.

Writing in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, researchers from NOAA and the European Center for Medium Range Weather Forecasts say that the deep waters have absorbed a surprising amount of heat, and did so at an increasing rate over the past decade.

About 90 percent of the energy added to the global environment by human activities was found to have gone into the ocean.

The ocean depths absorbed a surprising amount of heat, which may be related to a cycle of ocean circulation patterns known as the Pacific Decadal Oscillation.

Once it changes, researchers believe the ocean surface temperatures will begin to warm more.

Environment

Fukushima Nuclear Plant

Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant says it is moving tons of highly radioactive water from a temporary storage tank to another because of a possible leak.

TEPCO said on Saturday about 108 tonnes the water are believed to have breached the tank's inner linings, although little is thought to have leaked into the soil. TEPCO is moving the water to a nearby tank. It is part of the water that was used to cool melted fuel at the Fukushima Dai-ichi reactors damaged in the March 2011 disaster. So much water was used that TEPCO is struggling to find storage space.

The plant is being decommissioned but continues to experience glitches. A fuel storage pool temporarily its lost cooling system on Friday, a month after a similar 30-hour outage.

Drought

Britain 'running out of wheat'

The spate of bad weather in Britain which saw the Isles suffer drought, then floods and now prolonged cold weather is expected to impact this autumn's wheat harvest. Britain will become a net importer of wheat for the first time in a decade this year because of the bad weather.

More than two million tonnes of wheat had been lost because of last year's poor summer. The prolonged cold weather would also hit this autumn's harvest. But the shortage was unlikely to affect the price of bread because of the global nature of the market and the fact that only 10% of the price of bread is attributable to wheat.

Disease

Bird Flu in China - Update

China has now confirmed 16 cases of the H7N9 strain since announcing a week ago that the virus had been found in humans for the first time. Six people have died.