Volcano erupts near Eyjafjallajoekull, Iceland

Eruption near Eyjafjallajoekull glacier first in 190 years

There were no reports of injuries or damage as a result of the  eruption, as of posting; however, a state of emergency has been declared in the townships near the Eyjafjallajokull glacier.

The towns of Fljotshlio and Markarfljot have been evacuated. NO fly zone has been imposed, covering much of Icelandic airspace.

Local experts are concerned that the eruption could trigger a larger and more dangerous eruption at Katla volcano which is located about 25 km to the east of the eruptive fissure.

Aerial photo shows molten lava venting  from a fissure near the Eyjafjallajokull glacier south of Iceland. The eruption ejected  molten lava and ash into the air early Sunday March 21, 2010. It was the first major eruption in the area in almost two centuries. (AP Photo/Ragnar Axelsson). Image may be subject to copyright. See Fire-Earth Fair Use Notice. Click image to enlarge.

“This was a rather small and peaceful eruption but we are concerned that it could trigger an eruption at the nearby Katla volcano, a vicious volcano that could cause both local and global damage,” said Pall Einarsson, a geophysicist at the University of Iceland’s Institute of Earth Science, AP reported.

“We estimate that no one is in danger in the area but we have started an evacuation plan and between 500 and 600 people are being evacuated,” Sigurgeir Gudmundsson of the Icelandic civil protections department told the AFP.

The eruption occurred about 23:30UTC Saturday (7:30 pm ET) near the Eyjafjallajokull glacier, Iceland.

The eruption was first believed to have occurred beneath the glacier, prompting fears of flooding that could potentially come from glacier melt, but aerial survey early Sunday showed that the eruption had actually occurred close to but not beneath the glacier.

Eyjafjallajoekullis is one of Iceland’s smaller glaciers

Map of Iceland with the location of Eyjafjallajoekull glacier marked. Click image to enlarge.

“The eruption is a small one,” said Agust Gunnar Gylfason at the Civil Protection Department, AP reported.

“An eruption in and close to this glacier can be dangerous due to possible flooding if the fissure forms under the glacier,” he said. “That is why we initiated our disaster response plan.”

“Ash has already begun to fall in Fljotshlid and people in the surrounding area have reported seeing bright lights emanating from the glacier,” RUV public radio said on its website.

Iceland’s Civil Aviation authorities imposed a 120 nautical miles (220km) no-fly zone away from the volcano, which covers most of Icelandic airspace.

At least 3 Icelandair flights, bound for Reykjavik from the US, were  ordered to return to Boston, RUV radio reported.

The last volcanic eruption near Eyjafjallajoekull glacier occurred 189 years ago in 1821 and again in 1823.

Freeze frame from Iceland TV footage.

Geophysics

Located on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a divergent tectonic plate boundary along the floor of the Atlantic Ocean, Iceland is geologically and volcanically active island with numerous volcanoes. Iceland has a population of about a third of a million with a total area of 103,000 sq km (39,769 sq mi).

Iceland is essentially an arctic desert dotted with with volcanoes, mountains and glaciers. A rim of agricultural areas in the lowlands sit close to the coastline. Iceland is made habitable by the Gulf Stream.

Eyjafjallajokull Glacier

Eyjafjallajokull Glacier – The glacier is located about 120km (75 miles) east of Reykjavik and covers a 1,666-m high volcano of the same name. GNU License.

Seismic Activity and Swelling observed since January

“This event has had a long prelude in earthquake activity,” Einarsson told The Associated Press. “The volcano has been inflating since the beginning of the year, both rising and swelling.

“One of the possible scenarios we’re looking at is that this small eruption could bring about something bigger.”

“This is the best possible place for an eruption,” said Tumi Gudumundsson, a geologist at the University of Iceland, relived that the Eyjafjoll volcano which is buried beneath  the Eyjafjallajoekull glacier had not erupted.

Automatic Earthquake Location Map of Iceland.  Most of the recent seismic activity has occurred near the  Eyjafjallajokull Glacier, with a few shock occurring close to the position of Katla, which is buried under the Myrdalsjökull icecap.  ©The Icelandic Meteorological Office

Explosion at Laki (Lakagigar) Volcanic fissure

A destructive eruption at Laki volcano, which occurred over an 8-month period in 1783–1784, ejected about 14 cubic km (3.4 cu mi) of basalt lava and plumes of poisonous hydrofluoric acid and sulfur-dioxide gas that lead to a famine in Iceland. About a quarter of the population and half of all livestock perished. Dust clouds covered most of Europe and parts of Eurasia and Africa for a year.

Few Facts about Icelandic Volcanoes

• Iceland is home to about 130 volcanoes, 18 of which have erupted since about 1,000 years ago.
• Eruption from Iceland’s volcanoes have produced more than 30 percent of the total lava output globally, since the 1500s.
• The Laki eruption in 1783-1784 produced he largest volume of lava in the last 500 years.
• An eruption of Eldgjá in 934 CE produced twice as much lava as did Laki.

Related Links:

• Volcanoes
• FEWW Volcano Links
• Eruption Caught on Video by Iceland Coast Guard (WMV)
• List of blog entries and other links related to Eyjafjöll Eruption

Your Worst Fears About El Niño

Worst fears about El Niño may come true

The El Niño, formally known as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation, or “ENSO” for short, is the most significant cause of large-scale climate variability in the tropics. El Niño episodes bring warmer than normal waters to the central and eastern Pacific Ocean from Indonesia in the western end to South America in the eastern end of the  ocean, helping to maintain the above-normal sea surface temperatures.

Figure below shows one of these Kelvin Waves progressing across the Pacific in February 2010.

Kelvin Wave Renews El Niño

The globes show sea surface height anomalies, which means places where the water surface is higher (red) or lower (blue) than average. A higher-than-average sea surface height at a given location indicates that there is a deeper-than-normal layer of warm water. Lower-than-average sea surface height indicates a shallower layer of warm water. The globes are based on 10 days of data centered on January 15, January 30, and February 15.

In January (left-hand globe), sea surface heights across the central and eastern equatorial Pacific were elevated (red), but not extremely so, potentially a sign that El Niño was weakening. But in early February, a strong sea level anomaly appeared northeast of Australia (center globe). This swell of deep, warm water is the start of the Kelvin wave, and by late February, it had spread eastward into the central Pacific (right-hand globe) and re-invigorated the current El Niño.

Where do Kelvin waves come from? Under normal conditions, the tropics’ prevailing easterly winds push Sun-warmed surface waters across the Pacific from the Americas toward Indonesia, creating a deep pool of warm water in the western Pacific. During an El Niño, the trade winds falter, and sometimes even reverse, for months. When the winds that maintain the warm pool falter, a large pulse of warm water from the western Pacific slides back toward the east. NASA Earth Observatory images by Jesse Allen, Kevin Ward, and Robert Simmon. Caption by Rebecca Lindsey, based on interpretation provided by Josh Willis and Bill Patzert, NASA JPL.

Related Links

• Climate Locked into ‘Unending’ El Niño?
• Imminent Flood Threat in the U.S. Midwest
• Unraveling El Niño Mysteries
• El Niño Update [15 March 2010]

• El Niño [Main Page, Links to Weekly Updates Archive]

ULUI – UPDATE – MAR 21

Cyclone ULUI brought heavy rainfall, flooding to areas between Bowen and St Lawrence, Australia.

ULUI is losing intensity rapidly and is now at tropical storm strength, with winds of about 63 km/hr (34 kt) Australia’s BOM reported.

Tropical Cyclone ULUI – Visible [postcard]  image – MTSAT 1R – Dated March 21, 2010 at 00:00UTC.   Source: Digital Typhoon.  Click image to enlarge.

“At 8:00 am EST Ex-Tropical Cyclone Ului, was estimated to be overland 120 kilometres west southwest of Bowen and 60 kilometres west of Collinsville and moving west southwest at 26 kilometres per hour.” BOM reported.

Readers who have had training as government employees and are familiar with bureaucratic cross-referencing may be able to extract more information from Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology website; however, they appear to have issued their last warning concerning ULUI.

Unless ULUI re-intensifies, this entry would be Fire-Earth’s final update on ULUI.

Related Links:

For additional images click on the following links:

• Visible
• Visible Loop
• IR
• IR Loop
• Colorized IR
• Colorized IR loop.
• Water Vapor
• Water vapor loop

How ULUI was born:

• Last 24 Hours : MPEG / WMV
• Last 120 Hours : MPEG / WMV
• Last 240 Hours : MPEG / WMV

ULUI History and Related Links:

• TC ULUI – 2nd UPDATE – MAR 20
• Tropical Cyclone ULUI – UPDATE Mar 20

• TC ULUI: Mid-air refueling
• Cyclone ULUI – UPDATE Mar 18
• TC ULUI and TOMAS – UPDATE Mar 17

• Cyclone ULUI: Enough Fuel to Land in Australia
• Cyclones TOMAS and ULUI – UPDATE Mar 16
• Tropical Cyclone TOMAS
• Tropical Cyclone ULUI

• Cyclones TOMAS and ULUI – UPDATE Mar 15
• Cyclones ULUI and TOMAS – UPDATE Mar 14
• TC ULUI and TOMAS – UPDATE Mar 13
• Tropical Cyclones Now Come in Pairs
• FEWW New Hurricane Scale

TC ULUI, ULUI,  | Tagged: Anna Bligh, Burdekin, Central Highlands, Charters Towers, Cyclone images ului, Cyclone ULUI, cyclone ului latest, cyclone , Isaac, Mackay, North Queensland coast, Queensland PM, Rockhampton, satellite images ului, TC ULUI, Townsville, Whitsunday

SW China on the precipice of catastrophe

Worst Ever Drought in SW China is Getting Even Worse!

The numbers of people and livestock short of drinking water in SW China have risen from 11 million and 2 million respectively just 5 days ago to more that 20 million people and 12 million  livestock today.

The deadly drought is now spreading to other parts of China including the northwest, north and northeast China.

Up to 60 million people throughout  China are now affected by severe drought, and experts say it can only get worse.

A massive dust storm swept across eastern China on March 12, 2010. The dust appears to have been transported by winds from the west, which is consistent with soil erosion caused by the drought. Source NASA. Click image to enlarge.

Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region in south China, one of the country’s poorest areas is suffering its worst drought in 58 years ever, with only 2.2 mm of rain since October 2009, People’s Daily reported.

“Since last September, rainfall in Guangxi, as well as neighboring Yunnan and Guizhou provinces, has fallen to the lowest levels since 1952, said the China Meteorological Administration. Coupled with persistent high temperatures, the lack of rain has resulted in a severe drought that is affecting about 11 million people.”

That report was released 5 days ago. The ongoing drought, which has lasted 3 harvests, has affected more than 6.5 million hectares of farmland across the country, today’s media report said.

“Relief work is becoming difficult because the dry conditions have lasted for such a long time, reducing available water sources.”

“Southwest China is facing the most severe situation. Nearly 90 per cent of China’s drought-affected farmland is in Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Sichuan and Chongqing. And more than half of that is in Yunnan province.” Zhang Xu, Dep. Director-General of Drough Relief HQ, was reported as saying.

“We should detail a water supply plan, consolidate water management, economize our use of water, and use every method to ensure water supply.”

Farmers in China’s Yunnan province face a bleak future, if the drought continues. Image captured from CCTV news. Image may be subject to copyright. Click image to enlarge.

The drought has affected the last three harvest seasons. Experts say the hot and dry weather will continue in southwest China for the foreseeable future.

These conditions in the region are described as the “worst  in a century.” But no one really knows how bad the worst conditions might have been then.

The government is urging people to use water sparingly. The irony of it being that there is NO water to use, sparingly or not. The authorities were also quoted as saying that the “choice of whether to use water for people or farming is becoming more difficult.”

Surely, someone must have mistranslated that last line. They couldn’t possibly have meant that. Could they?

Related Links:

• WORST EVER DROUGHT in SW China
• Disaster Calendar 2010
• Drought and Deluge

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Index of Human Impact on Nature (HIoN) March 2008
• 2010: The Year of Disasters
• Earth’s Human Induced Antiphase Nears Completion

How Could Pollution Possibly Harm You?

It’s NO longer science, NOT even common sense; it’s ‘corporment’ at its worst!

The Exponential Growth Economy Dilemma is Fast Shaping up

1. The only way to live in this world is through exponential growth economy.

2. Exponential growth economy is responsible for the deadly pollution and looming environmental collapse and extinction of human race.

Solution: Deny pollution’s role in the environmental collapse; sue EPA to prove the point.

Up to 20 states have filed suits against EPA asking U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. to review EPA’s finding that greenhouse gases endanger both human health and welfare. The finding, which was released in December 2009  (it was prompted by a 2007 U.S. Supreme Court ruling), enables the agency to regulate GHG emissions under the existing Clean Air Act.

States sue EPA to stop greenhouse gas rules

At least 15 U.S. states have sued the Environmental Protection Agency seeking to stop it from issuing rules controlling greenhouse gas emissions until it reexamines whether the pollution harms human health.

Florida, Indiana, South Carolina and at least nine other states filed the petitions in the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, states said.

They joined petitions filed last month by Virginia, Texas and Alabama.

The Obama administration has long said it would attack greenhouse gas emissions with EPA regulation if Congress failed to pass a climate bill.

The EPA is set to issue regulations later this month that would require autos and light trucks to increase energy efficiency. That would trigger rules on large emitters like power plants requiring them to get permits showing they are using the best technology available to reduce emissions.

The state petitions call for the EPA to reopen hearings on the so-called “endangerment finding” the agency issued last year declaring the emissions dangerous to people.

“If EPA doesn’t reopen the hearings we will move forward to try to stop them from regulating greenhouse gases,” said Brian Gottstein, an assistant to Virginia’s Attorney General Kenneth Cuccinelli.

The states have complained that the EPA relied too heavily from reports by the U.N.’s climate science panel which included information that exaggerated the melting of Himalayan glaciers.

The EPA said it was confident it would withstand legal challenges on the issue. “The question of the science is settled,” spokeswoman Adora Andy said. The science “came from an array of highly respected, peer-reviewed sources from both within the United States and across the globe, and took into consideration hundreds of thousands of comments from members of the public, which were addressed in the finding,” she said.

Allison Wood, a lawyer at Hunton & Williams, said the suits could push some lawmakers to support the climate bill if they oppose EPA regulation and the legislation preempts the agency from taking action.

About the same number of states support the EPA. In January, 16 states including New York and California asked the court for permission to support the EPA in industry lawsuits seeking to stop the agency from regulating the gases from stationary sources like power plants and factories.

Copyright: Reuters – http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62I4DP20100319

Make NO mistake: Preserving the lives of corporations is more important than preventing the extinction of human race! [Are they too stupid to matter?]

Related Links:

• British Govt Makes Another Straw Man

• 133,000,000 Wise Monkeys
• Google’s Top 10 List of ‘Holy Cows’
• Ten Climate Change Lies, Myths and Misconceptions

Background Links:

• EPA Declares PHE in Libby, Montana

• “Don’t worry, boss, I know what to say!”

• The things EPA capo won’t do!
• California Sues EPA on GHG Emissions
• Antienvironmental, Antisocial, Anti American!
• Friend of the Environment
• Shameful EPA slammed with yet another lawsuit

• Arnie Knows the Score!
• EPA Plays Piggy In the Middle
• The White House of Horror!!
• Disgrace, Disgrace, You’re Such an Ugly Disgrace …
• EPA official resigns citing Dow Chemical

Related EPA Links:

• Background page on Libby Asbestos Site
• Protect Your Family from Asbestos-Contaminated Vermiculite Insulation
• National Priorities List (NPL)

TC ULUI – 2nd UPDATE – MAR 20

Was it Something We Said?

ULUI Intensifies to a Category 1 Hurricane on FEWW New Hurricane Scale,and Intensifying

UPDATE on March 20 at 06:30UTC

• Position: 19.7S, 151.7E
• Max Sustained Winds: 152 km/hr (~ 82 kt)
• Wind Gusts: 200 km/hr (~ 107 kt)
• Movement: WSW (240 degrees)
• Forward Speed: ~ 24 km/hr (13 kt)
• Location: About 515 km EAST (98.5degrees) of Townsville, Australia
• Maximum significant wave height: 9m (27 feet)
• Sources: JTWC, CIMSS and others.
• Comments: The cyclone’s deep convection has developed much further. Satellite images indicate that ULUI could develop an eye before it strikes the Australian coast.  Warm coastal waters are feeding ULUI and there’s little vertical wind shear to oppose the cyclone from further strengthening. ULUI could potentially intensify into a category 2A [90 percent probability],  a Cat 2B [64 percent probability] or even a Cat 3A [~ 50 percent probability] Hurrine force on FEWW New Hurricane Scale before making a landfall.

• Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology has warned that up to 30cm of rain could fall in areas under the projected path of TC ULUI.

Cyclone ULUI IR Satellite image with GFS and CMC forecast tracks superimposed. The track marked in yellow is Fire-Earth Forecast. Source CIMSS. Click Images to enlarge.

Tropical Cyclone ULUI – Visible [postcard]  image – MTSAT 1R – Dated March 20, 2010 at 05:00UTC.   Source: Digital Typhoon.  Click image to enlarge.

On the Ground …

Meanwhile, Australia’s Queensland prime minister (they have one for each state), Anna Bligh, has declared a disaster zone across the state’s central and northern coast a day ahead of cyclone ULUI arrival.

Bligh declared the Townsville, Burdekin, Whitsunday, Charters Towers, Mackay, Isaac, Rockhampton and Central Highlands as disaster areas, local reports said.

“This declaration is in anticipation that some properties may need to be evacuated in the coming hours as Tropical Cyclone Ului approaches and then crosses the North Queensland coast,” she said.

“The declaration gives Emergency Services agencies the power of mandatory evacuations if required.”

For additional images click on the following links:

• Visible
• Visible Loop
• IR
• IR Loop
• Colorized IR
• Colorized IR loop.
• Water Vapor
• Water vapor loop

How ULUI was born:

• Last 24 Hours : MPEG / WMV
• Last 120 Hours : MPEG / WMV
• Last 240 Hours : MPEG / WMV

ULUI History and Related Links:

• Tropical Cyclone ULUI – UPDATE Mar 20

• TC ULUI: Mid-air refueling
• Cyclone ULUI – UPDATE Mar 18
• TC ULUI and TOMAS – UPDATE Mar 17

• Cyclone ULUI: Enough Fuel to Land in Australia
• Cyclones TOMAS and ULUI – UPDATE Mar 16
• Tropical Cyclone TOMAS
• Tropical Cyclone ULUI

• Cyclones TOMAS and ULUI – UPDATE Mar 15
• Cyclones ULUI and TOMAS – UPDATE Mar 14
• TC ULUI and TOMAS – UPDATE Mar 13
• Tropical Cyclones Now Come in Pairs
• FEWW New Hurricane Scale

Humongous Dust Storm Sweeps Africa

10,000-km dust storm plagues Africa

Click here to download large image (5 MB, JPEG)

A massive  dust storm stretching from the Red Sea to the Atlantic Ocean swept across the southern Sahara Desert, Africa on March 19, 2010. Composite image, spanning more than 10,000 kilometers (6,000 miles), was taken by NASA/Aqua/Terra/ MODIS and consists of 7 satellite overpasses. Gray triangular areas represent satellites blind spots. The composite also captured another dust storm blowing across Arabia (see upper right corner). Source: NASA

Related Links:

• Snow, Dust, Rain and Fire
• More Dust Storms Plague Arabian Peninsula
• Australia: World’s Smallest Continental Dust Bowl
• Could Dust Storms Bury Sydney, Australia?
• Washington: Thousands of Tons of Topsoil Lost in Dust Storm
• Australia: Uranium Dust Threat Real?
• And dust to dust …
• The Mesopotamian Dust Bowl
• Image of the Day: Sandstorm in Saudi Desert

First Search from China in 2 Years

Fire-Earth was banned by Google China about 2 Years ago

Today, the blog had a rare image search query through google.cn.

As for the rest of the world, especially in the United States, Google is heavily filtering and burying information posted on this blog that blasphemes the Internet Mafia’s most sacred cows.

Note: The above image incorporates the Google logo, which is a trade mark of the Internet Mafia corporation.

Corporate Fascism

New recommended logo for Google, Inc. Logo incorporate color combination and insignia associated with fascism.

Google is controlling the number of hits on this blog and the actual content that may or  may NOT be searched for viewing via their search engines.

No single corporation in the U.S. poses as much threat to democracy, individual freedoms and therefore the security of the country as does Google!

Related Links:

• Google-gagged
• Google’s Top 10 List of ‘Holy Cows’
• Google: A Conspiracy Against the Public
• Image of the Day: Blocked by Google

Tropical Cyclone ULUI – UPDATE Mar 20

SEE LATEST UPDATE AT >> TC ULUI – MAR 20 — 2nd UPDATE

Cyclones in NH: More Character?

TC ULUI has further weakened to a tropical storm with sustained winds of about 105 km/hr

Residents on the east coast of Australia in locations between about 17ºS and 27ºS should already be experiencing moderate to heavy winds accompanied by rain.

Cyclone ULUI  (TC 20P) Details on March 20 at 00:01UTC

• Position: 19.3S 153.8E
• Max Sustained Winds:  105 km/hr (~ 55 kt)
• Wind Gusts: 130 km/hr (~ 70 kt)
• Movement:  SW (225 degrees)
• Forward Speed:  ~ 24 km/hr (13 kt)
• Location: About 900 ESE of Cairns
• Maximum significant wave height: 7m (22 feet)
• Sources: JTWC, CIMSS and others.
• Comments: The cyclone’s deep convection has developed slightly, though  partially. ULUI is expected to weaken further before reaching ashore in about a day or so, and dissipate within a day thereafter.
• Australia’s own Bureau of Meteorology has warned that up to 30cm of rain could fall in areas under  the projected path of TC ULUI.

Cyclone ULUI Vis/IR Satellite image with GFS forecast track superimposed. Source CIMSS. Click Images to enlarge.

On the Ground …

Meanwhile, Australia’s Queensland prime minister (they have one for each state), Anna Bligh, has lost her nerve declaring a disaster zone across the state’s central and northern coast a day ahead of cyclone ULUI arrival.

Bligh declared the Townsville, Burdekin, Whitsunday, Charters Towers, Mackay, Isaac, Rockhampton and Central Highlands as disaster areas.

“This declaration is in anticipation that some properties may need to be evacuated in the coming hours as Tropical Cyclone Ului approaches and then crosses the North Queensland coast,” she said.

“The declaration gives Emergency Services agencies the power of mandatory evacuations (!) if required.”

Cyclone ULUI – 1km Visible Image. The center of ULUI appears as a slight depression near 19S, 154E on this image. Source CIMSS. Click Images to enlarge.

Tropical Cyclone ULUI – Visible [postcard]  image – MTSAT 1R – Dated March 20, 2010 at 00:00UTC.   Source: Digital Typhoon.  Click image to enlarge.

For additional images click on the following links:

• Visible
• Visible Loop
• IR
• IR Loop
• Colorized IR
• Colorized IR loop.
• Water Vapor
• Water vapor loop

How ULUI was born:

• Last 24 Hours : MPEG / WMV
• Last 120 Hours : MPEG / WMV
• Last 240 Hours : MPEG / WMV

ULUI History and Related Links:

• TC ULUI: Mid-air refueling
• Cyclone ULUI – UPDATE Mar 18
• TC ULUI and TOMAS – UPDATE Mar 17

• Cyclone ULUI: Enough Fuel to Land in Australia
• Cyclones TOMAS and ULUI – UPDATE Mar 16
• Tropical Cyclone TOMAS
• Tropical Cyclone ULUI

• Cyclones TOMAS and ULUI – UPDATE Mar 15
• Cyclones ULUI and TOMAS – UPDATE Mar 14
• TC ULUI and TOMAS – UPDATE Mar 13
• Tropical Cyclones Now Come in Pairs
• FEWW New Hurricane Scale

Open Sewer: The Primal Function of a River

“12,000 years of [alleged] human civilization and all we have to show for is Google, Facelift [Facebook] … and cluster bombs.” —JPB

Perhaps, the title of this post could also be incorporated in the above quote, which comes from an email written by one of the blog’s contributors.

12,000 years of civilization and the Neanderthals are still using rivers as an open sewer; however, the waste is getting deadlier each year.

High levels of mercury found in Cataraqui River: Queen’s study

Public release: Queen’s University, CanadaThe Inner Harbour on the Cataraqui River in Kingston, Ont., has mercury levels in sediment more than two times the Canadian government’s most severe effect limits, according to a Queen’s University study.

“Mercury levels in this part of the river have never been studied before,” says biology professor Linda Campbell. “Now we know the sources of the problem and just how widespread it is.”

Most of the western shore of the Cataraqui River south of Belle Park and above the LaSalle Causeway Bridge had levels of contamination, with the worst area around the Cataraqui Canoe Club, just south of the former Davis Tannery.

Over the past century, the area has been home to many industries, such as a coal gasification plant, tannery and lead smelter, municipal dump, textile mill and fuel depot. The report found rain is washing contaminated shoreline soil near the canoe club into the river, adding to the sediment already contaminated by decades of industry.

The mercury comes in two forms, mercury and its organic and more toxic form, methylmercury. Right now, most of the mercury around the rowing club seems to be associated with the sediment in its inorganic form, with very little if any actually being mobile in the river water.

Rower and canoeists don’t have to be too concerned about the high mercury levels because they don’t drink the water or spend a long periods of time swimming there. But more studies will be needed to determine the impact on marine life.

“People have always been worried about lead, chromium and PCBs in the Cataraqui River,” says Professor Rutter, Director of Analytical Services Unit in the Environmental Studies department who worked on the study. “This study looked at mercury. We need to know what and where the major sources of contamination are before we can make a decision on how to solve the problem.”

The findings are were just published in Science of the Total Environment. The City of Kingston and Ontario Ministry of Environment have also received the study results for consideration when making future decisions about contaminants in the river.

Related Links:

• Another Dark Day for Global Climate, Environment
• Eat S***, So Many Canadians Can’t Be Wrong!
• AVATAR !!!
• Winter Olympics: With Glowing Hearts Burning to CO2 and Soot
• Suncor lives to pollute another day!

• Large spill at Canada’s oil sands terminal
• Canada Makes Pollution Progress
• Canada: A Cesspool of Industrial Pollution
• Canada, Racism, Genocide, and the Bomb

Another Dark Day for Global Climate, Environment

Canadian ‘Regulators’ approve 3-phase Suncor oil sands expansions

Canadian regulators have approved a 3-stage expansion at Suncor Energy’s Firebag oil sands project with an additional output of 188,000 barrels of bitumen a day, said Suncor.

Oils sands in Alberta, Canada. The three largest oil sand deposits are: the Athabasca Oil Sands, Cold Lake Oil Sands, and Peace River Oil Sands.

“The production phases, given the green light by the Alberta Energy Resources Conservation Board, would follow the C$3.6 billion ($3.6 billion) phase 3 expansion being built now and scheduled to be in service next year, said Suncor, Canada’s largest oil company.” Reuters reported.

Suncor pumps steam into the earth to liquefy ans separate the extra-heavy crude from the oil sands at Firebag and then pumps the oil to the surface.

Related Links:

• Suncor lives to pollute another day!
• US Govt Sues BP America
• Large spill at Canada’s oil sands terminal
• Canada Makes Pollution Progress
• Syncrude duck deaths now triple initial tally
• Buffet the Climate!

• Disasters Caused by Oil and gas Drilling, Oil Spills, Leaks, Land, Water and Air Pollution
• Suncor website

Cyclone ULUI – UPDATE Mar 19

TC ULUI Still Moving Toward QLD

Cyclone ULUI has slowed down some, but still moving above 20ºS as previously forecast

TC ULUI – Latest Satellite image, as of posting

Cyclone ULUI – 4 km Visible/IR Image. Source CIMSS. Click Images to enlarge.

Wind Shear.  Source CIMSS. Click Images to enlarge.

Cyclone ULUI  (TC 20P) Details on March 19 at 06:00UTC

• Position: 17.6S 157.1E
• Max Sustained Winds:  120 km/hr (~ 65 kt)
• Wind Gusts: 150 km/hr (~ 80 kt)
• Movement:  SW (225 degrees)
• Forward Speed:  ~ 12 km/hr ( 6 kt)
• Location: About 920 km NE of Rockhampton;  1,090 east of Townsville, Australia; 1,200 E of Cairns
• Maximum significant wave height: 8m (24 feet)
• Sources: JTWC, CIMSS and others.

Cyclone ULUI – 1km Visible Image with Dynamical Models Superimposed. Source CIMSS. Click Images to enlarge.

According to the UKM Dynamical Model (see green line in the above image), the cyclone should have disappeared 3 days ago, strike QLD in a straight line two days ago, then completely dissipate by yesterday; however, the satellite images disagree with the model.

Cyclone ULUI: Projected Track.  Source: JTWC. According to this forecast TC ULUI would have to accelerate to speeds of about 22 km/h. Click image to enlarge.

For additional images click on the following links:

• Visible
• Visible Loop
• IR
• IR Loop
• Colorized IR
• Colorized IR loop.
• Water Vapor
• Water vapor loop

ULUI History and Related Links:

• TC ULUI: Mid-air refueling
• Cyclone ULUI – UPDATE Mar 18
• TC ULUI and TOMAS – UPDATE Mar 17

• Cyclone ULUI: Enough Fuel to Land in Australia
• Cyclones TOMAS and ULUI – UPDATE Mar 16
• Tropical Cyclone TOMAS
• Tropical Cyclone ULUI

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Flood Disaster Unfolding in Pakistan

Designer Disaster?

River turned lake in Pakistan threatening the homes, livelihood and lives of 25,000

A massive landslide which killed 19 people in Attabad, northern Pakistan early this year, also formed a natural dam blocking the fast flowing Hunza River, and creating a lake that is drowning upstream villages as it expands, AP reported.

People wait for boats at a lake created after a massive landslide block the Hunza River in Attabad, northern Pakistan. The river has now turned into a lake that is consuming upstream as it expands. If dam breaks, a flash flood could threaten downstream villages. Photo dated  Thursday March 11, 2010. (AP Photo/Shabbir Ahmed Mir). Image may be subject to copyright.

“If the dam breaks, a flash flood could threaten downstream villages too. The landslide also has blocked the Karakoram Highway, a vital trade link to China, cutting off 25,000 people in the Upper Hunza Valley.” The report said.

The accidental lake is about 11 kilometer (6.8 miles) long, and 65 meters (215 feet) deep, with the water level rising at a rate of about 0.5 m  a day, said the National Disaster Management Authority.

“At least one major bridge in the area has been submerged.”

More …

Related Links:

• Disaster Calendar 2010
• Drought and Deluge

WORST EVER DROUGHT in SW China

Image of the day:

Worst drought in a century in Guizhou province, SW China

Southwest China’s Guizhou Province is experiencing its worst drought in a
century, with nearly 90 counties affected. Source: CCTV. Image may be subject to copyright.

The drought has cut drinking water supplies to five million people, and more than two million animals. Sixty percent of agricultural land has been hit, local government said, CCTV reported.

Related Links:

• Disaster Calendar 2010
• Drought and Deluge
  

Imminent Flood Threat in the U.S. Midwest

LATEST FLOOD WARNING – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED

South and East Also at Risk: NOAA

At least a third of the contiguous United States has an above average flood risk in 2010

The highest flood threats are in the Dakotas, Minnesota and Iowa, including along the Red River Valley where crests could approach the record levels set in 2009.

Major flooding has begun and is forecast to continue through spring in parts of the Midwest according to NOAA’s National Weather Service. The South and East are also more susceptible to flooding as an El Niño influenced winter left the area soggier than usual.

US Flood Risk Map. Areas left blank on the map are at “average risk.” Sourec NOAA. Click image to enlarge.

The forecast of imminent Midwest flooding is  supported by a snowpack more extensive than in 2009, which contains more than 10 inches (25cm) of liquid water in some locations. Until early March, consistently cold temperatures limited snow melt and runoff. These conditions exist on top of: above normal streamflows; December precipitation that was up to four times above average; and the ground which is frozen to a depth as much as three feet below the surface, NOAA said. More …

Related Links:

• US Weather

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