Month: August 2012

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Earthquakes

7.6 Earthquake hits the Philippine Islands. Residents flee the coastal areas fearing a tsunami, but the tsunami warning was cancelled.

5.5, 5.4, 5.4, 5.1, 5.0, 4.9, 4.9 Aftershocks hit the Philippine Islands.

4.9 Earthquake hits South Island, New Zealand.

4.9 Earthquake hits the central mid-Atlantic ridge.

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Storms and Floods

Widespread flooding along the Mississippi Gulf coast due to Hurricane Isaac. The storm has weakened to a tropical depression, but is still dumping rain along the coast. Isaac spawned several tornados along the coast.

Tropical storm Leslie forms in the Atlantic.

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Earthquakes

6.6 and 5.2 Earthquakes hit the Jan Mayan Islands north of Iceland.

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

5.4 and 5.0 Earthquakes hit the western Indian-antarctic ridge.

5.2 Earthquake hits the Banda Sea.

5.0 Earthquake hits the Virgin islands region.

5.0 Earthquake hits central Peru.

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Storms and Floods

Hurricane Isaac weakens to tropical storm, but still brings huge quantities of rain as it hovers over southern Louisiana moving very slowly up the Gulf coast. Flooding in numerous districts have been reported.

Tropical storm Tembin approaches South Korea while typhoon Bolaven pummels an already reeling North Korea.

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Environment

Wildlife authorities say the strong earthquake off the coast of El Salvador destroyed more than 45,000 endangered sea turtle eggs .

The director of the turtle conservation program for the El Salvador Zoological Foundation says the 7.4-magnitude undersea quake sent at least three waves at least 30 feet high up the beach and destroyed thousands of nests and just-hatched turtles.

In the last year and a half the foundation has successfully hatched and released 700,000 turtles from four species at risk of extinction.

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Drought

Drought could affect Kansas nuclear plant output.

If the current drought in the USA persists as predicted, the reservoir that feeds a lake used to cool the Wolf Creek Nuclear Power Plant in Kansas will be nearly dry, prompting concern the plant might not be able to continue to provide electricity.

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Disease

2 people have died in an outbreak of Legionnaires disease at the Chicago Marriott Hotel. 6 further people have been reported as having contracted the disease.

Authorities in Cuba have reported that the recent Cholera outbreak has run its course. 417 people were sickened and 3 people died.

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Wildfires

Wildfires that started burning in the forests and bog lands of eastern Russia at the beginning of June 2012 are still burning unabated.

Wildfires burn across Bulgaria. The State is unable to handle with large extent of the fires and has asked for international help.

Villagers and firefighters throughout southern Bosnia are wrestling with devastating wildfires in a region that has seen record high temperatures and no rain for over two months.

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Storms and Floods

Hurricane Isaac hits the USA Gulf coast, bringing welcome rain to the drought ravaged southern states. Residents in New orleans await the effect of the expected storm surge to see if the flood measures rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina hold. No mass evacuations have been ordered.

Tropical Storm Kirk forms in the Atlantic.

Tropical Ileana forms in the eastern Pacific, but is not expected to threaten land.

A fresh wave of floods hit Sonitpur, India. 5 000 people in 10 villages are affected.

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Climate Change

As expected, the amount of sea ice in the Arctic has fallen to the lowest level on record.

Satellites tracking the extent of the sea ice found over the weekend that it covered about 1.58 million square miles, or less than 30 percent of the Arctic Ocean’s surface, scientists said. That is below the previous record low, set in 2007, but with weeks still to go in the summer melting season, it is clear that the record will be beaten by a wide margin.