Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.3 earthquake hits the island of Hawaii, Hawaii.

5.2 earthquake hits Kepulauan Barat Daya, Indonesia.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

There are no current tropical storms.

NewsBytes:

Arizona, USA - Torrents of water rushed Thursday through an Arizona canyon famous for its towering blue-green waterfalls, sending tourists scrambling to trees and caves as they sought higher ground. Rescue workers evacuated most of the 200 tourists after two rounds of flooding hit the Havasupai reservation, deep in a gorge off the Grand Canyon.

Utah, USA - Heavy thunderstorms across southwestern Utah led to widespread flooding late Thursday, swamping basements, forcing road closures and prompting major cleanup efforts in Zion National Park.

Environment

Record high temperatures around world this week

Record high temperatures have been set across much of the world this week as an unusually prolonged and broad heatwave intensifies concerns about climate change.

The past month has seen power shortages in California as record heat forced a surge of demand for air conditioners. Algeria has experienced the hottest temperature ever reliably registered in Africa. Britain, meanwhile, has experienced its third longest heatwave, melting the roof of a science building in Glasgow and exposing ancient hill forts in Wales.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said the rising temperatures were at odds with a global cyclical climate phenomena known as La Niña, which is usually associated with cooling.

Taiwan is the most recent place to report a new high with a temperature of 40.3C in Tianxiang on Monday.

Global Warming

Climate change wreaking havoc with Colombia's glaciers

Climate change has helped melt nearly a fifth of Colombia's mountaintop glacier cover in just seven years, the government has said. The surface area of its six glaciers has shrunk from 45 square kilometers in 2010 to 37 square kilometers in 2017, for a decline of 18 per cent, the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies said.

It blamed the glacier loss on "extreme events associated with natural phenomena and climate change." If things go on like this the snow and ice covering atop Santa Isabel, a volcano in the Cordillera Central mountains could vanish over the next 10 years, said Omar Franco, the head of the institute.

Disease

Dengue Fever - Reunion

Officials with Public Health France have reported an additional 158 biologically confirmed and probable dengue fever cases in one week, bringing the total laboratory confirmed or probable cases to 5,970 since the beginning of the year. Despite the entry into the southern winter, the epidemic continues at a sustained level. Moreover, there is an increasing dispersion of cases on the island, especially in the northern and southern communes.

Cholera - Central and West Africa

The Central and West African regions are under siege from a cholera outbreak that has infected over 1,300 people in Nigeria, Cameroun, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Congo-Brazzaville.

In its latest epidemiological update report for the two regions which also suffer from the impacts of ongoing civil and political strife, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said 828 cholera cases have been reported from 12 states of Nigeria while 38 cases and 4 deaths were confirmed in northern Cameroon between May 18 and July 9, 2018.

“In the Democratic Republic of Congo, more than 500 cholera cases reported were reported by Week 25 and 26, despite an overall low completeness. The Grand Kasaï region gathers almost half of the total reported cases with a high lethality,” the report said.

In the neighbouring Republic of Congo (distinctly known as Congo-Brazzaville, 1 confirmed and 5 suspected cases were under management in the Brazzaville local government area by mid-week.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity – Ongoing Activity for the week of 4 July – 10 July 2018

Aira | Kyushu (Japan) : JMA reported that there were two events and three explosions at Minamidake crater (at Aira Caldera’s Sakurajima volcano) during 2-9 July, with ash plumes rising as high as 1.3 km above the crater rim and material ejected as far as 1.1 km. Crater incandescence was sometimes visible at night. The Alert Level remained at 3 (on a 5-level scale).

Cleveland | Chuginadak Island (USA) : AVO reported that unrest at Cleveland continued during 4-10 July, though nothing significant was detected in seismic or infrasound data. Meteorological cloud cover often prevented views of the crater. Weakly elevated surface temperatures were identified in satellite images during 7 and 9-10 July; a small steam cloud was visible on 7 July. The Aviation colour Code remained at Orange and the Volcano Alert Level remained at Watch.

Dukono | Halmahera (Indonesia) : Based on PVMBG observations and satellite data, the Darwin VAAC reported that during 4-10 July ash plumes from Dukono rose to altitudes of 1.5-2.1 km (5,000-7,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted N, NE, and E.

Ebeko | Paramushir Island (Russia) : Volcanologists in Severo-Kurilsk (Paramushir Island), about 7 km E of Ebeko, observed explosions during 30 June-1 July that sent ash plumes as high as 3.2 km (10,500 ft) a.s.l. Satellite data showed ash plumes drifting 57 km SE on 1 July. The Aviation colour Code remained at Orange (the second highest level on a four-colour scale).

Fuego | Guatemala : INSIVUMEH and CONRED reported relatively quiet conditions at Fuego during 4-9 July characterized mainly by gas emissions and block avalanches on the flanks. During 7-8 July there was about one explosion detected every two hours, producing diffuse ash plumes that rose 500 m above the crater and drifted SW. Block avalanches descended the Seca (W), Cenizas (SSW), and Las Lajas (SE) drainages, while lahars were present in the El Jute (SE), Las Lajas, Cenizas, Taniluyá (SW), Seca, Mineral, and Pantaleón (W) drainages. Seismicity increased on 10 July. Explosions generated ash plumes that rose 2.3 km and drifted 12 km SE, causing ashfall in Morelia (9 km SW) and Panimaché (8 km SW). According to CONRED, as of 4 July, the number of people confirmed to have died due to the 3 June pyroclastic flows was 113, and 332 remained missing.

Kilauea | Hawaiian Islands (USA) : HVO reported that the eruption at Kilauea’s Lower East Rift Zone (LERZ) and at Overlook Crater within Halema`uma`u Crater continued during 4-10 July. Lava fountaining and spatter was concentrated at Fissure 8, feeding lava flows that spread through Leilani Estates and Lanipuna Gardens subdivisions, and built out the coastline at multiple ocean entries. Fissure 22 produced spattering 50-80 m above its spatter cone and fed short lava flows that traveled NE on 4 July; weak spattering was visible form the cone the rest of the week.

Inward slumping of the crater rim and walls of Halema`uma`u continued, adjusting from the withdrawal of magma and subsidence of the summit area. Explosions from collapse events occurred almost daily, producing gas-and-ash-poor plumes.

Fountaining at Fissure 8 continued; lava fountains rarely rose higher than the 55-m-high spatter cone. Pele's hair and other volcanic glass from the fountaining fell within Leilani Estates. The fountains continued to feed the lava flow that traveled NE, and then SE around Kapoho Crater. Occasional overflows sent small flows down the sides of the channel that did not extend beyond areas previously covered in lava in the upper part of the channel; overflows further down traveled beyond the flow-field boundary. Small brush fires were ignited from some of the overflows. A thermal map from 6 July showed that lava was not entering the ocean from the main channel and that the open channel ended about 2 km inland. Lava was flowing into the ocean at the N part of the broad flow front. Observations on 9 July indicated that a blockage had formed upstream of Kapoho Crater, and by 10 July a small lobe was moving around the W side of the crater.

Pacaya | Guatemala : INSIVUMEH reported that during 5-10 July Strombolian explosions at Pacaya’s Mackenney Crater ejected material as high as 30 m above the crater rim. White gas plumes drifted SW. A lava flow originating from Mackenney Crater traveled 500 m down the N flank during 7-8 July, reaching the volcano’s base.

Sabancaya | Peru : Observatorio Vulcanológico del Sur del IGP (OVS-IGP) and Observatorio Vulcanológico del INGEMMET (OVI) reported that explosions at Sabancaya averaged 22 per day during 2-8 July. Hybrid earthquakes were infrequent and low magnitude. Gas-and-ash plumes rose as high as 2.5 km above the crater rim and drifted 30 km S, SE, and E. The MIROVA system detected nine thermal anomalies, and on 3 July the sulfur dioxide gas flux was high at 4,715 tons/day. The report noted that the public should not approach the crater within a 12-km radius.

Santa Maria | Guatemala : INSIVUMEH reported that during 5-10 July explosions at Santa María's Santiaguito lava-dome complex generated ash plumes that rose 200-700 m and drifted SW and W. Local ashfall was reported. Avalanches of material descended the SE and W flanks of the lava dome.

Sheveluch | Central Kamchatka (Russia) : KVERT reported that a weak thermal anomaly over Sheveluch was identified in satellite images during 4-5 July. The Aviation colour Code remained at Orange (the second highest level on a four-colour scale).

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global

6.2 earthquake hits Vanuatu.

5.3 earthquake hits the island of Hawaii, Hawaii.

5.2 earthquake hits Tonga.

5.2 earthquake hits Tajikistan.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:

In the Atlantic Ocean: Post- Tropical Cyclone Chris is located about 290 mi...470 km e of Halifax Nova Scotia and about 275 mi...440 km sw of Cape Race Newfoundland with maximum sustained winds...70 mph...110 km/h. Present movement...ne or 45 degrees at 36 mph...57 km/h..

Wildlife

New Stone Age

A small group of wild monkeys on a Panamanian island appears to have entered into its own version of the stone age, scientists say.

While only a handful of the many white-faced capuchin monkeys that live on Jicarón have displayed the ability to use stones to crack open nuts and shellfish, they join only three other groups of nonhuman primates that have used stones for tools.

Other species that appear to have learned the practice by chance include chimpanzees in West Africa, macaques in Thailand and other species of capuchins in South America.

Until a few decades ago, it was believed humans were the only species to turn stones into tools.

Party Crasher

The rare sight of a southern right whale frolicking in New Zealand’s Wellington Harbor forced officials to postpone the city’s annual fireworks display. The untimely arrival of the marine mammal coincided with the Maori new year celebration known as Matariki.

Concerns from experts that the flashes and sounds of the pyrotechnics could cause the whale to harm itself or the boats in the harbor loaded with people wanting to enjoy the festivities, prompted the event to be postponed for a week.

New Bat Species

Two species of lemon-yellow bats were recently discovered in Kenya.

Global Warming

Global Warming Is Destroying Our Best-Preserved Archaeological Sites

The Arctic is like a time capsule. What dies there can be preserved, like a snapshot of our past, literally frozen in time.

Some of the greatest insights we’ve gotten into life, thousands of years ago, have come from the coldest places on earth. We’ve made incredible breakthroughs into the past through discoveries like the body of Ötzi the Iceman , the Stone Age man whose body froze 5,300 years ago.

Today, though, these archaeological sites are starting to fall apart. The 180,000 archaeological sites across Greenland, Siberia, Alaska, and Northern Canada are being torn apart by the steady rise of global warming, and archaeologists are worried that, if we don’t preserve these sites soon, they’ll be lost forever.

Environment

Global Temperature Extremes

The week’s hottest temperature was 124.0 degrees Fahrenheit (51.1 degrees Celsius) in Ouargla, Algeria.

The week’s coldest temperature was minus 112.0 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 80.0 degrees Celsius) at Vostok, Antarctica.

Temperatures were tabulated from the more than 10,000 worldwide synoptic weather stations. The United Nations World Meteorological Organization sets the standards for weather observations, and provides a global telecommunications circuit for data distribution.

Wildfires

Wildfires - Sweden

Sweden's heatwave shows no sign of ending, but there is a risk of forest fires in almost all of the country, and the drought is a problem for farmers. National weather agency SMHI currently has wildfire warnings in place in all of Sweden apart from in the mountains in the north-west. More than 2,000 calls came in to emergency services during the month of June alone about wildfires and the public is urged to respect any barbecue bans in place in their local area.

Wildfires - Siberia

Smoke created from massive wildfires more than 4,000 miles away in Siberia reached New England this week. The wildfires were burning in eastern Siberia and have lofted massive amounts of smoke high into the atmosphere. Strong winds aloft in the polar jet stream carried some of the smoke from the fires across the Bering Strait and into northern Alaska, then southeastward into central Canada and eventually across the Great Lakes and eastward into southern New England.

Disease

Cancer - Nigeria

Nigeria faces a huge cancer problem with an estimated 72,000 out of the 102,000 cases confirmed annually dying due to the lack of adequate treatment facilities. The principal causes of cancer remain smoking and alcohol consumption.

Tick-borne Disease - Zimbabwe

The Zimbabwean government says farmers have lost more than 3 000 cattle to a wave of tick-borne diseases recorded around the country between November 2017 and May 2018. Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) said farmers lost cattle to theileriosis, (also known as January disease), babesiosis, heartwater and anaplasmosis.

Legionnaires Disease - New York, USA

New York City health officials are investigating a cluster of Legionnaires' disease cases in one Manhattan neighborhood. The city Health Department said Wednesday that eleven people have been diagnosed with Legionnaires' in the lower Washington Heights area in the last week. No deaths have been reported.

Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity – New Activity for the week of 4 July – 10 July 2018

Agung | Bali (Indonesia) : PVMBG reported that the eruption at Agung continued during 4-10 July. Sulfur dioxide flux was 1,400-2,400 tons/day on 3 July and 400-1,500 tons/day on 4 July. Satellite data acquired on 4 July indicated continuing lava effusion in the crater, with 4-5 million cubic meters effused in the past week. At 1220 an ash plume rose 2.5 km above the crater rim and drifted W. An event was detected at 2216, though an ash plume was not visible possibly due to poor viewing conditions. At 0047 on 5 July an ash plume rose at least 1 km and drifted W, and an event at 1633 produced an ash plume that rose 2.8 km and drifted E and W. A small event was detected on 6 July. According to BNPB a third Strombolian event occurred at 0522 on 8 July, generating an ash plume that rose 2 km. They noted that 4,415 evacuees were housed in 54 evacuation centers. An ash plume rose from the crater at 1120 on 9 July and drifted W. The Alert Level remained at 3 (on a scale of 1-4) and the exclusion zone was stable at a 4-km radius.

Ambae | Vanuatu : The Vanuatu Meteorology and Geo-hazards Department reported that the recent eruption at Ambae’s Lake Voui was characterized by three phases of activity: Phase 1, September to late November 2017; Phase 2, late December 2017 to early February 2018; and Phase 3, February to April 2018. A fourth phase, which began on 20 June, consists of gas-and-steam emissions sometimes with ash; an ash plume on 1 July caused ashfall on the NW and W parts of the island and also on the NE part of Santo Island. The Alert Level remained at 2 (on a scale of 0-5), and the report reminded residents to stay at least 2 km away from the active crater.

Ibu | Halmahera (Indonesia) : Based on satellite images and PVMBG (a ground observer) notices, the Darwin VAAC reported that on 6 July an ash plume from Ibu rose to 2.1 km (7,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted N. The Alert Level remained at 2 (on a scale of 1-4), and the public was warned to stay at least 2 km away from the active crater, and 3.5 km away on the N side.

Karangetang | Siau Island (Indonesia) : Based on analyses of satellite imagery and model data, the Darwin VAAC reported that on 4 July a diffuse ash plume from Karangetang rose to an altitude of 3 km (10,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted ENE. The Alert Level remained at 2 (on a scale of 1-4).

Krakatau | Indonesia : PVMBG reported that during 4-5 July there were four ash-producing events at Anak Krakatau, each lasting between 30 and 41 seconds. Inclement weather conditions prevented an estimation of the ash-plume height from the event at 0522 on 4 July; ash plumes from events at 1409, 1425, and 1651 on 5 July rose 300-500 m above the crater rim and drifted N and NW. The Alert Level remained at 2 (on a scale of 1-4); residents and visitors were warned not to approach the volcano within 1 km of the crater.

Saunders | South Sandwich Islands (UK) : Satellite data acquired during 1 January-9 July periodically (a few times a month) showed volcanic plumes originating from Michael on Saunders Island. A thermal anomaly was last detected on 3 April 2018.

Sierra Negra | Isla Isabela (Ecuador) : IG reported that a new magmatic intrusion at Sierra Negra was heralded by a M 5.2 earthquake recorded at 1830 on 4 July, and followed by 68 events between M 1.1 and 3.9. Seismic tremor began to be recorded at 1700 on 7 July by a station on the NE edge of the caldera. At the same time satellite data showed an increase in the intensity of the thermal anomaly on NW flank (it had decreased the previous day). Parque Nacional Galápagos staff confirmed strong incandescence in an area near the beach. A weak plume of water vapor and ash rose as high as 3.3 km (10,800 ft) a.s.l. and drifted SW and W. Tremor continued to be registered on 8 July, though the amplitude gradually decreased. Vapor-and-ash plumes reported by the Washington VAAC rose about 2 km (6,600 ft) a.s.l. and drifted SW, and the thermal anomaly remained intense. Gas clouds drifted 115 km W. The current eruption at Sierra Negra began on 26 June and, according to news articles, prompted tourist restrictions and the evacuation of 50 residents.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.7 earthquake hits south of Fiji.

5.3 earthquake hits the south-east Indian Ridge.

5.3 earthquake hits the island of Hawaii, Hawaii.

5.1 earthquake hits the Volcano Islands off Japan.

5.0 earthquake hits the Peru-Ecuador border.

5.0 earthquake hits the Volcano Islands off Japan.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

In the Atlantic Ocean: Tropical Storm Chris is located about 245 mi...395 km se of Halifax Nova Scotia about 470 mi...755 km sw of Cape Race Newfoundland maximum sustained winds...70 mph...110 km/h. Present movement...ne or 45 degrees at 35 mph...56 km/h.

NewsBytes:

Guinea Bissau - On 27 June 2018 at around 4 p.m., Guinea Bissau was hit by violent winds of 80 km to 120 km/h, (according to the National Meteorological Agency). The storm caused the destruction of hundreds of houses, social infrastructures (schools, hospitals, roads, etc.). In Bissau the capital, about 2,000 families were affected, and 420 houses were destroyed. Three (3) deaths were also reported.

Nepal - Floods and landslides triggered by monsoon rains have killed at least 50 people in Nepal over the last two weeks, officials have said. The extreme weather affected 36 of Nepal's 77 districts.

Japan - Update - At least 179 have died so far and 80 are still missing in the worst affected areas. Local media say 10,000 people are in emergency shelters. Warm weather and severed water supplies are causing further concern for survivors.

Disease

Ukraine measles and diphtheria update

Ukrainian health officials recorded an additional 1,021 measles cases in the past week, bringing the total cases for the year to 25,008. Of this total, 10,085 adults and 14,923 children have been affected.

In addition, health authorities have reported an additional diphtheria case, the third of the year, in a 15-year-old teenager in the Kyiv region.

Measles - England - Update

Health officials in England report more measles cases in the current outbreak, 170 additional cases in the past five weeks. This brings the total to 757 laboratory confirmed measles cases in England since the beginning of the year.

Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.7 earthquake hits the south-west Indian Ridge.

5.4 earthquake hits North Island, New Zealand.

5.3 earthquake hits the south-west Indian Ridge.

Two 5.2 earthquakes hit the south-west Indian Ridge.

5.2 earthquake hits north of Ascension Island.

5.2 earthquake hits the Bougainville region, Papua New Guinea.

5.2 earthquake hits Minahasa, Sulawesi, Indonesia.

5.1 earthquake hits the south-west Indian Ridge.

5.1 earthquake hits Mindanao, Philippines.

Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms - Roundup of Tropical Storms:

In the Atlantic Ocean: Hurricane Chris is located about 315 mi...510 km e of Cape Hatteras North Carolina and about 1175 mi...1885 km sw of Cape Race Newfoundland with maximum sustained winds...105 mph...165 km/h. Present movement...ne or 50 degrees at 22 mph...35 km/h.

In the western Pacific Ocean: Typhoon 10w (Maria), located approximately 109 nm northwest of Taipei, Taiwan, is tracking westward at 19 knots.

In the eastern Pacific Ocean: Invest 98E is an area of disturbed weather in the eastern Pacific that has the potential for further tropical development.

Global Warming

Subtle Effects of Climate Change - Monarch Butterflies

Climate change could make a showy invasive milkweed called a bloodflower a menace for monarch butterflies.

Monarch caterpillars, which feed on plants in the milkweed family, readily feast on Asclepias curassavica. Gardeners in the southern United States plant it for its showy orange blooms, yet the species “is turning out to be a bit of a nightmare,” says Mark Hunter of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Monarchs (Danaus plexippus) migrating south to Mexico in the fall come across bloodflower bonanzas and don’t bother to keep on flying. Full migration normally prevents a harmful Ophryocistis parasite from building up in the insect population. Cutting the migration cycle short lets infection flourish.

In experiments, bloodflowers grown in outdoor enclosures under high carbon dioxide concentrations, around 760 parts per million, don’t make as much medicinal cardenolide as normal. Caterpillars need these compounds to help fight parasites. Levels of two particularly potent forms of cardenolide stayed low. Parasites were more damaging to caterpillars chewing through these CO2-rich flowers than to those caterpillars fattening on plants grown under current atmospheric conditions.

Higher temperatures due to climate change, however, may boost cardenolides instead of reducing them. That could turn the bloodflower species toxic to monarchs, according to a test growing milkweeds in enclosures with daytime temperatures raised some 3 degrees Celsius higher than outside air. A native milkweed, A. incarnata, didn’t get close to toxic.

Researchers don’t know how the opposing effects of CO2 and heat might act on cardenolides overall. Regardless of how further research on that question turns out, bloodflowers are already a threat to monarchs. Hunter urges gardeners who can’t resist growing the plants to at least cut them back in the fall, so that they won’t derail the monarch migration.