Indonesian volcano eruption leaves people dead and forces large-scale evacuations
The eruption of Indonesia’s Lewotobi Laki Laki stratovolcano has killed at least 10 people on the island of Flores after volcanic debris and hot ash fell and burned homes. In eastern Indonesia, the Lewotobi Laki Laki volcano erupted again on Saturday, sending a giant plume of ash reaching nine kilometres into the sky. The eruption was the latest in a series of events that began days ago, killing nine people and forcing thousands of residents to evacuate.
Kamchatka’s Shiveluch Volcano Is Active Again
To date, the Shiveluch volcano is known to have erupted in 1790, 1854, 1879-1883, 1896-1898, 1905, 1927-1929, 1944-1950, 1964, 1980-1981, 1993-1995, 2001-2003, 2008-2016. As a result of the 2004-2005 eruption, the height of the volcano decreased by 115 meters. Scientists called the eruption of the Shiveluch volcano in Kamchatka, which began on November 7, “uncharacteristic” and warned that the giant has become even more dangerous. Since the beginning of 2024, seismic and volcanic activity has been growing in Kamchatka.
Cuba hit by series of earthquakes after recent hurricanes
Two powerful earthquakes in eastern Cuba have caused landslides, damage to homes and power lines, and residents of the affected provinces of Santiago de Cuba and Granma have been advised to remain in open areas, the country’s President Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez said.
Spain suffered from DANA
The rushing water turned narrow streets into death traps and created rivers that tore through homes and businesses, sweeping away cars, people and everything else in their path. The floods destroyed bridges and left roads unrecognizable. With record-breaking temperatures across the Mediterranean and a year’s worth of rainfall in a matter of hours, Spain was hit by a weather phenomenon known as DANA. A freak weather phenomenon known as DANA caused catastrophic flooding in Valencia, Spain in late October 2024. More than 155 people were killed and dozens more were missing in what meteorologists are calling one of the worst natural disasters in recent memory.
The tsunami impacts in Russia include coastal areas of Kamchatka, the Kuril Islands, Sakhalin Island and Primorye
Climate change could trigger giant, deadly tsunamis from Antarctica, a new study warns. Sediment shifting beneath the Antarctic seabed could trigger giant tsunamis due to rising ocean temperatures. Fourteen cities and dozens of towns in Russia are vulnerable to tsunamis across three regions of the Far East, with powerful waves capable of hitting their coasts at speeds of up to 1,000 kilometres per hour.
The day before the earthquake in Primorsky Krai, the water receded from the shore by several tens of meters
Residents of Primorye noticed the strongest low tide in recent times on October 20, which is especially visible in closed bays and gulfs. An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.4 was recorded near Nakhodka, the earthquake occurred on October 21. Heavy and prolonged precipitation can intensify earthquakes.
Massive floods, fires that have killed dozens of people are caused by global climate change
Massive floods that have engulfed Poland and Central European countries and caused the deaths of dozens of people are caused by global climate change, as are other similar cataclysms around the world, said Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former adviser to the UN Secretary-General on climate change Rae Kwon Chung. Record fires have engulfed South America, bringing black rain, green rivers and toxic air to the continent. Drought and prolonged heat have caused forest fires in the Bryansk region of Russia. At least 503 people have died in Chad as a result of floods, as of September 24. Coastal flooding due to high tides is becoming an increasingly common occurrence in most parts of the United States.
Land degradation and desertification associated with climate change are observed worldwide
The Volgograd Region in the Russian Federation has been named one of the most desertified territories in Russia. In just a few years, West Africa, South Asia, and the Midwest of the United States will become dangerous to human life due to climate change. Having analyzed data on climate change and abnormal heat waves on Earth, scientists have modeled temperature fluctuations for the coming years and have come to disappointing conclusions for certain regions of the planet.
Boris and Annette caused a flood in Europe, there are victims. Unusually heavy rains are falling in the Sahara
Boris hit central and eastern Europe, bringing strong winds, heavy rain and flooding. The storm also hit parts of Austria, Hungary and Slovakia. Active Mediterranean cyclone Annet brought heavy rain and thunderstorms to central and southeastern Europe at the end of the work week. The unusual downpour hit the Sahara, one of the driest regions on Earth. It is unclear why the desert is seeing so much rain, but it may be linked to a particularly quiet Atlantic hurricane season.
Solar flares and magnetic storms pose a real danger
About once every thousand years, Earth experiences an extreme solar event that can cause severe damage to the ozone layer and increase ultraviolet (UV) radiation levels at the surface. Over the past century, the north magnetic pole has moved across northern Canada at about 40 kilometers per year, and the field has weakened by more than 6%. Geological records show that there have been periods of centuries or millennia when the geomagnetic field was very weak or even absent.
Solar flares continue to break records
NOAA Is Rewriting the Book on How to Rank Solar Storms: The Capabilities, the Science, and Our Understanding of the Science — A lot has changed in space weather in the last 25 years. Technology has improved, and scientists have learned more about extreme space weather events from historic geomagnetic storms like the Halloween solar storm of October 2003 and the Gannon Event of May 2024. Looking to the future, scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) are now looking for ways to better inform the public about space weather events that can impact Earth. That’s why NOAA is asking the public for input on how to rewrite its space weather scales.
What are Hurricanes? Rescue and Evacuation Plan. Latest Hurricane and Storm News
The shift from El Niño to La Niña has made for longer, more severe hurricane seasons. This year’s hurricane season will be stronger than average, forecasters warn. The Atlantic and Pacific hurricane seasons bring a host of dangerous weather, from blistering winds, torrential rains, power outages, and flash flooding. And with climate change linked to increased hurricane intensity, those impacts could continue to worsen.
Radioactive tritium from Fukushima found near the Southern Kuril Islands
Laboratory analyses of the first water samples obtained during the expedition of the research vessel Akademik Oparin showed elevated tritium levels in the main branch of the Kuroshio Current, which was to be expected based on the current pattern in the region, as well as elevated tritium levels in the area of the South Kuril Islands. Therefore, the goal of the new expedition is a more thorough study of the waters of the Kuril Islands and the southern part of the Sea of Okhotsk, which is the most important fishing zone in Russia, the press service of the V. I. Ilychev Pacific Oceanological Institute (TOI) of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences told TASS.
Increased number of extreme forest fires due to climate change has become a global problem
Energetically extreme fires have a huge impact on the Earth system, releasing huge plumes of smoke into the atmosphere comparable to volcanic eruptions. They release vast stores of carbon and cause severe damage to ecosystems and societies, sometimes destroying entire cities or suburbs. A new study published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution has tracked the rapid increase in energetically extreme wildfires across the planet over the past two decades.
Jet fuel and fires are new global air pollutants
Wildfires in Canada have emitted more CO2 than almost all of the world’s countries combined in a year. They have released 647 million tons of carbon atoms into the atmosphere, equivalent to 2.4 billion tons of carbon dioxide. Ultrafine particles from jet fuel pose a health risk.
The earth’s crust is unstable
The Earth is starting to shake because of global warming. Tectonic plates are moving apart regardless of warming: the giant tectonic plate under the Indian Ocean is splitting apart, the Dead Sea Fault in the Middle East is moving about twice as fast, or 0.2 inches (0.4 cm) per year, while the San Andreas Fault in California is moving about 10 times faster, about 0.7 inches (1.8 cm) per year.
Earthquakes continue to rage along the Pacific coast
A strong earthquake occurred off the coast of Sakhalin on August 10, a powerful earthquake occurred off the coast of Japan on August 8, and an earthquake occurred off the coast of the Southern Kuril Islands on July 30. A strong earthquake occurred in Taiwan on April 3, which was the most powerful on the island in the last 25 years.
Extreme heat waves cause deadly heat stress and fires around the world
Unbearable temperatures exceeding 40° and 50° are increasingly observed in many parts of the world, paralyzing society and creating a serious threat to the health and well-being of people. One of the main consequences of global warming is extreme weather events, which include, in particular, periods of abnormally high temperatures in winter, heat waves in summer. They can cause severe heat stress for the human body, against which background already existing diseases are most often exacerbated.
Tropical rains have moved north and deadly thunderstorms have become more frequent
Scientists at the University of California, Riverside, have found that carbon dioxide emissions will cause tropical rains to shift north in the coming decades. This will have a profound impact on agriculture and the economy of the Earth’s equatorial belt. Eastern China has seen heavy rains that have caused significant water levels in the Yangtze and other rivers, forcing the evacuation of nearly a quarter of a million people. In 2022, lightning strikes across India killed nearly 3,000 people. In Central America, continuous rainfall has killed at least 27 people in landslides and floods over the past week.
Mexico has recorded 48 deaths since March this year due to extreme heat
Mexico has recorded 48 deaths since March this year due to extreme heat, a government source said on May 24, 2024. Scientists warn about the possibility of setting new temperature records in the near future. In one state the temperature has already reached 49.6 degrees Celsius. Last year, the country reported a record 419 heat-related deaths in the season, which runs from March to October.
In Germany, dozens of people were injured by lightning strikes
Every minute 6 thousand lightning strikes the ground. The probability of a human being affected is approximately 1 in 600 thousand, with approximately a third of victims dying on the spot, and survivors suffering serious injuries.
Deadly tornadoes have become more frequent in the United States over the past three years
At the end of May 2024, several people were killed and more than 10 injured as a result of a tornado that hit the city of Greenfield in the state of Iowa in the United States, local police spokesman Alex Dinkla said. According to the Associated Press, a tornado hit the city of Greenfield in the southeast of the state on the afternoon of May 21, destroying a significant part of the building. Many residents of the city of 2 thousand people lost their homes, and the local hospital was also destroyed.
Over the past three years, floods have claimed victims in Central and South Asia
On May 11, the UN office announced the death of 300 people due to floods in Afghanistan. The death toll as a result of floods in Afghanistan has exceeded 300 people, more than 1,000 houses have been destroyed, the UN World Food Program (WFP) Office X in the emirate reported on social media. At the end of June 2022, 400 people were killed in Afghanistan due to floods in Kabul, Nangarhar, Khost, Paktika and other Afghan provinces. A day earlier, Khost and Paktika were hit by a devastating earthquake that killed at least 1,000 people. The AP reports that such extreme weather may be linked to climate change. Thus, in April 2024, Baluchistan (a Pakistani province) received 353% more rain than usual. Pakistani officials are calling this the wettest April in 30 years.
Catastrophic floods, fires, tornadoes in early May 2024
In April 2024, 300 tornadoes were recorded across the United States, which is the second highest number on record. Tropical Storm Hidaya hits East Africa. The death toll from persistent flooding and mudslides caused by heavy rains in southern Brazil has risen to 39. Forest fires in Chile have killed 51 people.
Microplastics have been found in the bodies of people, animals and in various parts of the world – from snow in the distant Arctic to the clouds of Mount Fuji
Researchers are already finding microplastics in all environments and organisms. There is still no clear opinion about the dangers of micro- (particles less than 5 mm) and nanoparticles (less than 100 nm) plastic to humans and to the terrestrial biota in general. Apparently, common plastics such as polyethylene and polypropylene are harmless in themselves. However, additives added by manufacturers to plastics to improve their performance properties and which are secret know-how to society and regulatory authorities can cause serious harm to the environment. And most importantly, plastic particles are adsorbents and carriers of chemical and bacterial pollution.
In the Russian city of Orsk on April 5, a dam broke, 1,121 people were evacuated, including 331 children
Water continues to arrive in Orsk. At the moment, about 600 houses on nine streets are flooded. Earlier, the Orsk mayor’s office reported that a dam that protected the city from the Ural River had broken. There is a massive evacuation of people from the Old City, where several villages are located that fell into the flood zone. Temporary accommodation centers have been prepared for those evacuated from the flooded area. The mayor’s office clarified that the protective dam in the area of Orenburgskaya Street broke through. 4,258 houses and 10,987 people fall into the flood zone. The city has prepared temporary accommodation centers for 6.5 thousand places, housing 235 people, including 73 children.
In Haiti, almost four thousand prisoners escaped from prison
According to Agence France-Presse, of the approximately 3.8 thousand prisoners held in the prison before the attack, about a hundred remain in prison at present. Armed men attacked the national prison in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince, where unrest was taking place, and released an unknown number of prisoners. Ten people died in a mass escape of prisoners from Haiti’s largest prison.
A fire tornado was recorded in the Primorsky Territory and they are fighting large-scale forest fires
A rare natural phenomenon – a firespout (tornado) – was first recorded in the Primorsky Territory of Russia, where natural fires are raging, RIA Novosti reports. The area of natural fires in the south of Primorye increased from 3.8 thousand hectares to 4.9 thousand hectares in one day.
Fires uncharacteristic for this time of year are raging in South America
The fires in Colombia this month are unusual for a country where people are more accustomed to heavy rain and landslides than fires and ash. They have been linked to high temperatures and drought, exacerbated by the climate phenomenon known as El Niño. In Brazil, fires have destroyed large swaths of rainforest in recent years. Chile has declared two days of national mourning for those killed in the devastating forest fires that engulfed the Valparaiso region. Already 112 people have become victims of the disaster.
Natural disasters change the landscape and ecology in Japan
Several teams of scientists monitored the effects of the early 2024 earthquake in Japan using satellites and found that shifting tectonic plates raised parts of the Noto Peninsula by up to 4 meters, changing the position of coastlines and leaving some ports dry.
Increased volcanic activity has been recorded in Japan and Iceland
Volcanoes in seismically troubled island states have shown increased activity. A state of emergency has been declared in the south of Iceland due to the eruption of the Fagradalsfjall volcano. Before the awakening of the giant, an earthquake occurred in the country. A volcano erupted on Suwanose Island in Japan’s southwestern Kagoshima Prefecture.
Seismic activity in Japan remains high
The death toll from earthquakes in Japan has reached 128 people, reports the Japanese newspaper Tokyo Shimbun. According to the latest data from the Ishikawa Prefectural Government, 195 people are missing. Seismic activity in the country is still high. The number of victims of the earthquakes reaches 560, more than 2,000 people are isolated due to the consequences of the tremors.
The beginning of 2024 was marked by an earthquake in Japan and the threat of a tsunami in the Primorsky Territory
Earthquake on the Noto Peninsula: Seismologists in Japan recorded more earthquakes in the first two days after the onset of 2024 than in the past three years. This is evidenced by statistics from the country’s national meteorological department. On the coast of Primorsky Krai, after a tsunami warning due to an earthquake in Japan, the maximum wave height reached 30 cm.
The operator of the emergency Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant discharges low-level radioactive water, but in very large quantities
According to the company’s materials, the concentration of tritium in the water to be discharged is 55-77 becquerels per liter, which is significantly less than the established standard of 1,500 becquerels per liter. The total volume of water released from the emergency Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant in Japan during the 2023 fiscal year, which ends on March 31, 2024, will be 31.2 thousand tons with a radioactive tritium concentration of 5 trillion becquerels.
In Turkey, a series of earthquakes killed more than 45 thousand people and created a giant tectonic fault
In Turkey, a series of earthquakes killed 45,089 people, Anadolu Agency reports, citing data from the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD). Previously, 44,374 deaths were reported.
Forest fires are raging in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, residential buildings have been damaged, there is a victim
Aviation was brought in to extinguish wildfires in the Emelyanovsky district of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, the press service of the regional Ministry of Emergency Situations reports. Emelyanovsky district is partially located in the suburbs of the regional capital, Krasnoyarsk. The department explained that at the moment many citizens have left for this territory.
New Delhi was blanketed in toxic smoke from a burning landfill amid extreme heat. The country recorded record high temperatures in more than 120 years
In India, on the outskirts of New Delhi, a landfill burned down. The flames engulfed a mountain of garbage taller than a 17-story building and covering an area of 50 football fields. The Prime Minister of India called on regional governments to pay special attention to fire safety due to the difficult climatic situation in the country.
In the Kurgan region, about 1,300 residents were evacuated from settlements affected by major fires
Together with employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, more than 1,270 citizens were evacuated from settlements threatened by a natural disaster. To eliminate the consequences of landscape fires in the Kurgan region, over 470 employees of the regional Ministry of Internal Affairs were involved, the press service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations reports.
One of the most active volcanoes in the world in Kamchatka threw out two columns of ash to a height of up to 10 thousand meters
According to seismic data, on April 20, ash emissions occurred at the Karymsky volcano to a height of 6 thousand meters. and about 10 thousand m. above sea level, respectively. As noted by the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team, the ash plume spread to the southwest of the volcano.
Bezymyanny volcano in Kamchatka continues active volcanic activity
On March 16, a powerful eruption occurred with the release of lava and ash from the Bezymianny volcano. The resulting huge cloud of ash flies to Chukotka, reports the Kam 24 news agency. Bezymyanny’s aviation hazard code is orange. This means that ash emissions from the volcano’s crater could pose a threat to local airlines.
The seismically active zone of Southeast Asia has been rocked by a series of earthquakes in recent months
An earthquake of magnitude 3.2 occurred on March 15, the epicenter of the earthquake was concentrated on land approximately 21 km from Garut district, the earthquake center was at a depth of 17 km. The second earthquake of magnitude 3.6 occurred on March 15 at 23:53 West Indonesia time, the epicenter of the earthquake was 17 km from Bandung. Strong undersea earthquakes have rocked western Indonesia and the Philippines capital region.
Malaysia and Australia have been suffering from floods all year, which have not happened for almost 50 years
In Australia and Malaysia, heavy downpours have caused the worst flooding in 50 years, there are casualties, and residents are being evacuated. At the end of February alone, floods in Australia killed more than 200 people.
Dmitry Peskov explained the military operation against Ukraine as a purge of “pro-Nazi people”
“The goals were told by the president – demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine. Actually, both of them pose a threat to our state and our people,” Peskov told reporters during a briefing, the BBC Russian news service reported.
In several European countries, 16 people died during Hurricane Eunice
In the Netherlands and Poland, four people each died, in Britain – three, in Germany and Belgium – two each, in Ireland – one, in addition, many were injured in car accidents. In northern France, 30 people were injured in a road accident.
More than a hundred people became victims of floods in Brazil
On February 15, in just 6 hours, more than a month’s rainfall fell in the city of Petropolis. At least 104 people were killed in landslides and floods caused by heavy rains.
The island of Madagascar and the southeast coast of Africa were hit by devastating cyclones
On February 6, 2022, a second cyclone, Batisirai, hit Madagascar, killing at least 10 people in southeastern Madagascar, causing floods, collapsing buildings, and knocking out power.
The coasts of Peru and Thailand have been declared environmental disaster zones
The oil slick in Thailand covers an area of about 47 square meters. kilometers, more than a million liters of oil entered the sea in Peru