Drought Drying Up Mongolia’s Main River

Mongolia’s Tuul River threatened by persistent drought

The 700-km Tuul River supplies water to Ulaanbaatar, the Mongolian capital, where more than half of Mongolia’s population live, and is now drying up due to ongoing severe drought in the country.

Original caption: Photo taken on April 24, 2012, shows the dry river bed of Tuul River in Ulan Bator, Mongolia. The Tuul River has partly dried up recently owing to drought, affecting the water supply of Ulan Bator, where near a half of the country’s population live. (Xinhua/Huang Longjie) 

The river, which is considered sacred by Mongols, originates in the Khentii Mountains and runs through the southern part of the capital.

Tuul has also been plagued by pollution including leaks from the capital’s sewage treatment facility and runoffs from gold mining.

• Peru. About 900 dead dolphins and porpoises have have washed ashore on the beaches of northern Peru between February and mid-April, reports said.
  • The animals may have died from an outbreak of Morbillivirus or Brucella bacteria, a type of distemper, Peru’s Deputy Environment Minister told AP.
  • The officials have denied any link between the cetaceans mass die-off and seismic oil exploration work that was carried out off northern Peru between February 8 and April 8 by BPZ Energy, a  Houston-based company.

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

Worsening Drought Chokes China’s Yunnan Province

3 years of severe drought in Yunnan affecting 6.31 million people

More than 6.31 million people in 91 counties of Yunnan province in SW China have been affected by a persistent drought, with at least 3.1 million people and 1.55 million livestock short of drinking water, according to provincial civil affairs authorities.

Disaster Calendar 2012 – February 25

[February 25, 2012]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,481 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Yunnan Province, China.  More than 6.31 million people in 91 counties of Yunnan province in SW China have been affected by a persistent drought, which has lasted for three years, leaving at least 3.15 million people and 1.55 million livestock short of drinking water, according to provincial civil affairs authorities, a report said.

Original caption:  Photo taken on Feb. 24, 2012 shows cracked land in a pond at Fanglang Village in Malong County of southwest China’s Yunnan Province. A brutal drought has wracked the province since late last year, leaving at least 3.15 million people without sufficient supplies of drinking water as of Monday, according to government statistics. (Xinhua/Lin Yiguang). Image may be subject to copyright. More Photos …

Original caption:  Pupils queue up to get water at a primary school in Luogong Village, Luliang County of southwest China’s Yunnan Province, Feb. 21, 2012. Every pupil at the school can get 1.5 liter distributed water, which is carried from five kilometers away everyday. A severe drought has lingered in Yunnan for three consecutive years, disrupting the lives of 6.3 million people in the province this year. (Xinhua/Lin Yiguang).  Image may be subject to copyright. More Photos … 

Other Global Drought Events

• Thailand.  The deepening drought in Thailand has spread to 15 of the country’s 77 provinces, officials said.
  • Ten of the drought stricken provinces are in the north:  Chiang Rai, Kampaeng Phet, Lampang, Lamphun, Nan,  Phayao, Phitsanulok, Phrae, Sukhothai and Uttaradit.
  • The other 5 province are Chanthaburi and Chachoengsao (east), Loei ( northeast), Phetchaburi and Suphan Buri (central Thailand).
  • Some 6,768 villages in 109 districts within the 15 provinces are in drought.
    
  • Some 63 districts in 11 provinces were declared drought disaster zones on February 9, 2012.

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar 

Global Drought 2012

• Worsening Texas Drought May Stay Many Years Posted on September 30, 2011
• Drought Declared in SE England‎ Posted on February 21, 2012
• HUNGER: States of Emergency Declared Across the Sahel Posted on February 20, 2012
• Ten Colorado Counties Declared Disaster Areas Posted on February 19, 2012
• Texas Drought Causes Urban Forest Die-off Posted on February 16, 2012
• Thailand Drought Deepens Posted on February 9, 2012

Drought Declared in Southeast UK

Larger areas of the UK face drought this year: DEFRA

England declares drought in more regions after months of low rainfall.  Drought is now affecting the country’s southeastern, eastern and parts of the Midlands. The river Kennet has stopped flowing near Lockeridge in Wiltshire, reports said.

Disaster Calendar 2012 – February 21

[February 21, 2012]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,485 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• England, UK.  As UK government declares drought in southeast England, the country’s top official responsible for  environment has warned that large parts of the country are facing an inevitable drought this summer even if the coming months bring heavy rainfall.
  • “Drought is already an issue this year with the south-east, Anglia and other parts of the UK now officially in drought, and more areas are likely to be affected as we continue to experience a prolonged period of very low rainfall,”  British Environment Minister has warned.
  • Meantime, the country’s Meteorological Agency has warned that ‘prolonged periods of heavy rainfall in the near future are unlikely.’
  • Groundwater levels in East Anglia are exceptionally low.
  • Rainfall in the Midlands, East Anglia and the south east in January was about 35 percent below normal.
  • East Anglia has experienced its driest-ever 5-month period from last September, the Center for Hydrology and Ecology reported.
  • The counties of Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire and large parts of Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire, as well as  west Norfolk are experiencing drought, while Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Kent, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Shropshire are extremely dry.
  • “Since June 2011, drought has affected Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, parts of Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire, and west Norfolk. In February 2012 following a dry winter, Hampshire, West Sussex, East Sussex, Kent, Surrey, London, Berkshire, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, and the east of Gloucestershire are now in drought,” Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) reported.
  • In contrast, northern England and Scotland have experienced their wettest winter in 100 years, reports said.

UK Groundwater Levels as of mid February 2012. BGS © NERC. Crown copyright. All rights reserved. Environment Agency, 100026380, 2012.

Other Global Disasters

• New South Wales (NSW), Australia.   The government in the Australian state of NSW has extended a natural disaster declarations to the northern areas of Bourke and Tamworth, a report said.
  • The disaster declarations follow widespread flooding which has substantially damaged homes, businesses and infrastructure.
  • The following local government areas have already been declared disaster areas: Walgett, Brewarrina, Liverpool Plains, Gloucester, Upper Hunter, Ballina, Gunnedah, Moree Shire, Greater Taree, Gwydir, Narrabri, Tenterfield, Bellingen, Byron, Lismore, Kyogle, Richmond Valley, Clarence Valley, Coffs Harbour, Inverell, Nambucca, Kempsey and Tweed Shire Council.
  • Flood evacuation orders may be issued later today.
• Western NSW.  Meantime, major flooding is occurring across the western portion of NSW, reports said.
  • Fooodwaters from Queensland and eastern NSW are heading west towards Brewarrina and Bourke (combined pop: ~ 4,000), where three swollen river systems converge.
• Southern NSW.   “Authorities received more than 300 calls for help as flash flooding hit Sydney and the New South Wales south coast last night,” a report said.
  • “Extraordinary rain. Terrey Hills had 61 millimeters in a hour, and Peakhurst had 26 millimeters in just ten minutes,” State Emergency Service spokesman said.

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar 

Back-to-Back Australian Disasters

• Inland sea moving across NSW, Australia  Posted on February 10, 2012
• The state government in NSW (Aus)  has declared Gunnedah a disaster area

• Flooded Australia: Thousands Evacuated in 3 States
• Back-to-Back Disasters Could Hit Australia: FIRE-EARTH Forecast
• Wildfire Consumes 1 Million Acres in WA

• Australia: 5 disaster areas declared in NSW following severe flooding

HUNGER: States of Emergency Declared Across the Sahel

10 million threatened by hunger as Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger declare states of emergency

Niger (pop: ~ 16million) is the worst affected country with almost half of its population left without enough to eat.

Disaster Calendar 2012 – February 20

[February 20, 2012]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,486 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• The Sahel, Africa. Ten million people are threatened by hunger across the Sahel, as Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger declare states of emergency.
  • “Nearly half of Niger does not have enough to eat.  The 5.4 million people struggling to stay alive are part of a wider crisis affecting at least 10 million people across the swath across Africa that borders the Sahara, known as the Sahel,” said a spokeswoman for Mercy Corps.
  • “This is the third time in the last decade the people of the Sahel have faced severe food shortages.”

Other Disasters

• Global.  Wildfires kill about 339,000 people each year, according to a new study.
  • The fires consume about 450 million hectares, an area half the size of Canada.
  • [Notes:
    •  In China alone indoor air pollution kills 2.2 million youths.
    • Urban air pollution kills about 2.4 million people globally each year, said The World Health Organization (WHO); however, the true figure may be 10 times as many.]
  • About 157,000 of the deaths caused by wildfires occur in sub-Saharan Africa, and 110,000 deaths in southeast Asia.
  • The study suggests a link between climate and wildfire mortality.
  • El Niño years, when the surface ocean temperature rises in the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean, claim an average of 532,000 lives, twice as many as the cooler La Niña years, averaging 262,000 deaths per year.

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar 

Drought: Recent Links

• Drought tightens grip on S. Mozambique Posted on January 16, 2012
• Niger Faces Food Shortages Posted on December 25, 2011
• Disaster Calendar 2011: Famine Spreads in Somalia Posted on August 4, 2011
• Worst drought in living memory gripping Horn of Africa Posted on June 29, 2011

Niger Faces Food Shortages

Poor harvests caused by prolonged drought and desertification plague Niger

Grain production in West Africa’s largest country fell by 27 percent last year, Agriculture Minister Oua Seydou has told parliament.

Disaster Calendar 2011 – December 25

[December 25, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,543 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Republic of Niger. Grain production in West Africa’s largest country fell by 27 percent last year, Agriculture Minister Oua Seydou has told parliament, leaving the people in 6,981 villages, or 58 percent of the country, with the prospect of food shortages.
• The harvest was down to 3.8 million tons, also a shortfall of 11 percent compared with the five-year average, the Minister said.
• Allowing for wastage and seed grain for next season, an estimated 3,239,825 tons would be left for consumption, compared with 3,759,464 tons needed, a shortfall of 14 percent, he added.

Other Global Disasters

• Cuba. A boat carrying Haitian migrants sank close to the eastern coast of Cuba, leaving at least 38 people dead.
• Indonesia. Continued activity at Mt Gamalama including several eruptions since December 4, has left about 2,400 people displaced, the Ternate City Disaster Management Agency.

• Philippines. At least 1,100 people are now confirmed dead and  with 1,079 others reported missing following the devastation caused by Typhoon WASHI in the Philippines, officials said.

• Lakes State, South Sudan.  At least 250 people have been killed and more than 320 others injured in South Sudan cattle raids since January 2011, the parliament of Lakes state was told.
• “In two counties alone nearly 17,000 cattle were stolen this year commissioners told a special inquiry into the practice in Rumbek, the capital of South Sudan’s central state,” a UN report said.
• Sahel Region, West and Central Africa. More than one million children in 8 countries across the Sahel belt in West and Central Africa face severe malnourishment in 2012.
• Poor harvests caused by drought, loss of top soil, sandstorms and desertification could mean food shortages occurring as early March next year.
• Melbourne, Australia. Mini-tornadoes spawned by  severe thunderstorms that pummeled many parts of Melbourne causing widespread damage across the city, reports said.
• Hailstones measuring about 4 ins (10 cm) in diameter have pelted suburbs of the city.
• Parts of Melbourne also face the threat of flash-flooding, Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology said.
• “The bureau has forecast very dangerous thunderstorms around Melbourne Airport and surrounding suburbs with severe thunderstorms in other parts of the city being accompanied by destructive winds, very heavy rainfall and hail, and flash flooding,” said the report.
• “Hailstones the size of cricket balls, flash-flooding, planes diverted and flights postponed, power lost from homes, major transport delays and a tornado to top things off – that was Christmas Day in Melbourne.”

Global Disaster Links

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities  (EDRO Forecast)
• 2011 Much More Disastrous: FIRE-EARTH Forecast
• Global Disasters in 2011 Could Impact 1/3 to 1/2 of the Human Population  (FIRE-EARTH Forecast)
• Back to the Primordial Future
• Mass Die-offs  (FIRE-EARTH Forecast)

• 2010 Disasters [Includes Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters: 2011 SIX TIMES MORE DISASTROUS THAN 2010
• 2011 Disaster Calendar

Famine Declared in 2 Somali Regions

HUMANITARIAN DISASTER

10.7 Million People Caught Between Drought and the UN Corruption

UN declares a famine in southern Somalia

Famine has been declared in two Southern Somali areas, amid the worst drought conditions in at least Half a century.

Some 10.7 million people have been affected in East Africa, with about 750,000 Somalis seeking refuge to neighboring Ethiopia and Kenya.

UN NEEDS MORE MONEY (!)

“Famine in Somalia has killed tens of thousands of people in recent months and could grow even worse unless urgent action is taken, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned on Wednesday. FAO has appealed for $120 million for response to the drought in the Horn of Africa to provide agricultural emergency assistance.”

“Hundreds of people are dying every day and if we do not act now many more will perish,” said FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf.

The famine is expected to spread throughout southern Somalia in the next couple of months, FAO said.

Prolonged severe drought has led to declaration of famine in two southern region. Image source: SAACID-ORG

Drought, Hunger and Refugees

• Somalia. The levels of malnutrition among young children fleeing Somalia’s drought are so high that they drop dead on their way to or within a day of arriving at relief camps in Ethiopia and Kenya, the UNHCR said. See Worst drought in living memory gripping Horn of Africa.
• UNHCR has estimated that more than a quarter of Somalia’s 7.5 million population are now either internally displaced or living as refugees in neighboring countries.
• “The massive influx of Somali refugees into neighbouring Kenya and Ethiopia continues unabated. Relentless violence compounded by devastating drought has forced more than 135,000 Somalis to flee so far this year. In June alone, 54,000 people fled across the two borders, three times the number of people who fled in May.” UNHCR said.
• “There are now more than 750,000 Somali refugees living in the region, mostly in neighbouring Kenya (405,000), Yemen (187,000) and Ethiopia (110,000). Another 1.46 million are displaced within Somalia.”

Drought in the Horn of Africa. Various UN agencies  have had ample time and budget to prevent (respond to) the humanitarian crisis in the drought stricken regions. So why did they fail, again?

Related Links

• Somalia Drought: Mega Disaster Threatens 2.4m People Posted on February 18, 2011
• NO CHANCE: Malnourished kids fleeing Somalia’s drought Posted on July 6, 2011

U.S. Drought Getting Deadlier

Drought Conditions to Worsen: FIRE-EARTH

Drought Conditions in the Southern U.S. Continue to Fuel Wildfires

Drought conditions are destroying or causing extensive damage to crops in the southern United States, fueling wildfires that have consumed about 8 million acres, so far this year, killing wildlife and farm animals alike, destroying thousands of homes and leaving tens of thousands of people displaced in at least a dozen states.

In the past 3 days States of Emergency have been declared in at least 87 counties spanning three states of Kansas, Oklahoma and North Carolina.

Kansas Drought

Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) designated 25 more Kansas counties as disaster areas due to crop damage caused by the ongoing drought.

Oklahoma Drought

Drought conditions and raging wildfires in Oklahoma prompted the Lt Gov to declare a state of emergency for 33 counties in that state.

North Carolina Drought

On Friday, N.C. Gov. declared a state of emergency in 29 counties due to drought conditions and raging wildfires.

• State of Emergency Declared in 29 North Carolina Counties
• State of Emergency Declared for 33 Oklahoma Counties
• Disaster Declared in 25 More Kansas Counties

U.S. Drought Map for June 21. Compared with the previous week (see below) the latest drought map show worsening drought conditions, in all categories (C0 -C4) throughout the stricken areas.

Note: US Drought Monitor defines drought as “a protracted period of deficient precipitation resulting in extensive damage to crops, resulting in loss of yield.”

U.S. Drought Map for June 14, 2011 included for comparison. (See above).

The Drought Monitor Report

According to the Drought Monitor report, 70 percent of Texas experienced “exceptional drought,” the worst level of drought, over the period June 17 – June 24, 2011.

Also 91 percent of the sate was stricken by either exceptional or “extreme” drought, the second-worst category.

Arizona was experiencing exceptional or extreme drought in 70 percent of its land up by 3 percent from the previous period.

Louisiana saw exceptional drought rising to 65 percent of the state, a near three-fold increase, and Oklahoma 35 percent, up from about 8 percent previously.

Drought Monitor Maps showing classification changes for selected time periods. Source: National Drought Mitigation Center/UNL. Click images to enlarge.

Drought Conditions to Worsen

FIRE-EARTH Climate Models show an exceptional worsening of drought conditions in the southern and western United States through October/November 2011.

External Links

• Texas Wildfires Could Cost $500 Million 
• The cost of wildfires in Arizona soars to more than $100 million
• “Right now, Georgia can’t afford any more wildfires”
• Cost to battle Duckett Fire estimated at $5.2 million

Related Links

• Massive Pender Fire Killing Many Animals
• U.S. Wildfires News and Blame Games
• WARNING: Global Disasters – June 21, 2011

• North America Fire and Smoke Hazards – June 20
• Wildfires Raging in Arizona, Alaska, NC, Georgia, Texas …
• U.S. Wildfires – June 21 Update
• U-S Drought: Mega Disaster Unfolding

• VEGETATION
• Weather
• Wildfires
• World Now

Mega Disasters:

• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• FEWW DISASTER FORECAST 2011
• 2011 Much More Disastrous
• 2011 SIX TIMES MORE DISASTROUS THAN 2010
• Megadisasters Loom

• 2010 Disasters
• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• 2010 Disaster Calendar
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Earth’s Human Induced Antiphase Nears Completion

China’s Drought Turning Critical

Drought: Turning up the heat in E China

No rain for East China anytime soon: Forecasters

Drought is wreaking havoc across Central, South and East China. Many of the vast regions lakes, stricken by the worst drought in living memory, have dried up affecting tens of millions of people and millions of their livestock. There’s no prospect for early rain, forecasters say.

The drought that has affected 35 million people across 5 provinces in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, according to the country’s Meteorological officials.

“Among them, about 4.23 million are experiencing difficulties in finding drinking water and 5.06 million are in need of assistance,” said a report.

China Drought Monitor – Worsening Drought Conditions (January 10, 2011)

Source: Division of Climate Impact Assessment/NCC/CMA

“Since early January, precipitation in Jiangsu, Anhui, Jiangxi, Hubei and Hunan provinces has been about 40 percent to 60 percent less than the same period last year, causing a 60-day drought, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.”

“China’s two largest fresh water lakes – Dongting Lake in Hunan and Poyang Lake in Jiangxi – are both drying up dramatically and, by Friday, 34.83 million people had been affected in the five provinces, the ministry said, citing reports from local civil affairs departments.” The report added.

The drought has affected about 4 million hectares (10 million acres) of crops, pushing up the vegetable prices by  “19 percent from May 23 to May 27,” according to the Baishazhou Market in Wuhan, capital of drought-hit Hubei in Central China.” The report added. 

Once A Lake!

Dried lake near Shijiao town of Qingyuan City, south China’s Guangdong Province.  (Xinhua/Li Zuomiao). Image may be subject to copyright.

The central government has ordered the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River to discharge more water to help irrigate some of the drought stricken croplands downstream; however, the  dam will run out of water if there is no rainfall before June 10, the Three Gorges Corporation has told China Daily.

Related News

• Provinces in southern China brace for drought
• No rain expected to ease China’s Yangtze drought  
• Drought hitting Chaohu Lake in E China
• China’s “land of fish and rice” parched by drought

TEXAS FIRES – April 21 Update

TEXAS BURNING FROM STEM TO STERN: TFS

Texas Totals: 828 Structures and 1,779,788 acres consumed by 6,057  fires 

Report: End of Wednesday, April 20, 2011
National Preparedness Level: 1
Southern Area Preparedness Level: 3
TFS Preparedness Level: 5

Texas Fires YTD Totals

Fires: 6,057
Acres Burned: 1,779,788
Structures Destroyed: 828
Source: Texas Forest Service (TFS)

Fatalities
Two firefighters have lost their lives, including one near Lubbock who was killed yesterday
Two sightseers were killed as their plance  circled over fires Tuesday.

Livestock
NO official figures have been released so far. However,  FIRE-EARTH estimates that up to 20,000 heads of cattle may have been killed or injured as a result of the deadly fires since beginning of the year.

Dry Conditions Decimating Texas Crops

Texas farmers produce about 100 million bushels of wheat on average each year, but they would be lucky to produce  a third of that amount this year, says Texas AgriLife Extension Service .

“This year’s crop condition ratings show about 40 percent of the Texas crop in very poor condition, which compares with 65 percent very poor in March of 2006 and 53 percent very poor in May of 2009,” said Dr. Mark Welch, AgriLife Extension economist specializing in grain marketing and policy.

Related News Links

• Agricultural Drought Task Force   
• Firefighters battle two blazes near Magnolia, Shenandoah

Related Links

• Texas Fires: More Towns Evacuated
• TEXAS ON FIRE
• Wildfires Devastating Texas; Gov. Perry Tours
• Local officials in a parched Texas county have resorted to asking their constituents to pray for rain
• Drought sears farmers’ hopes: They had wanted to take advantage of record prices for commodities
• U.S. Agrees to Help Fight Mexico Wildfires

• Global Disaster Forecast – UPDATE 17 Mar
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• Extreme fire danger, continued major flooding in the US

• US Wildfire Pattern Consistent with Drought
• National Fire Stats Falsified?
• Denver wildfire forces evacuation of 10,000 homes
• Wildfires Wreaking Havoc Across the U.S.
• World on Fire
• U-S Attacked by Continued Severe Weather

Last Updated: April 21, 2011 at 09:28UTC

US Wildfire Pattern Consistent with Drought

2011: The Worst Year for Wildfires?

Large parts of Alaskan (and Canadian) forests could be consumed by wildfires: FEWW forecast

US Drought Monitor

Click images to enlarge.

Temperature Forecast – 3 Months Outlook

Fire Information – National Fire News

Weather: Winds will weaken, but relative humidity will remain in the teens which will continue a heightened risk for large fire potential across New Mexico and west Texas today. Showers and thunderstorms will increase today in the southern United States. Scattered showers will continue from Washington and Oregon to Montana and Wyoming. Source

Click images to enlarge.

Source: NIFC

Related Links

• National Fire Stats Falsified?
• Denver wildfire forces evacuation of 10,000 homes
• Wildfires Wreaking Havoc Across the U.S.
• US Wildfires: 50-percent more fires than the 10 year average

• U-S Attacked by Continued Severe Weather
• Climate Forcing: Positive Feedback Mega Loop
• Global Climate Extremes INTENSIFYING

• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2011-2012 MegaDisasters
• Earth: Wounded and Feverish

• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• FEWW DISASTER FORECAST 2011
• 2011 Much More Disastrous
• 2011 SIX TIMES MORE DISASTROUS THAN 2010
• Megadisasters Loom
• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities

Fire Information

• Georgia Forestry Commission
• InciWeb
  
• Rocky Mountain Area Fire Center
• NIFC
• WILDFIRES Satellite Page

The World Today

Global Monitors

Global Snow and Ice Cover

• High Resolution Version

Image source: NOAA. Click images to enlarge.

Sea Surface Temperature

Land Surface Temperature

Global Average Monthly Temperature Anomalies (Base: Since 1950s)

Date Processed: Mon Feb 14 06:01:32 2011 – This image plots the temperature anomaly for the past month.

• High Resolution Version

Total Precipitable Water

Image source: NOAA. Click images to enlarge.

• High Resolution Version

Drought Risk

• High Resolution Version

Rivers Dictate Life and Death

Nile River valley and Nile Delta

Almost 99 percent of Egypt’s population lives in the Nile River valley and Nile Delta

Nile Delta. False-color image acquired by Landsat 7  on 17 September 2006. Source: NASA

ISS View: Nile River Delta at Night

An astronaut photograph of the SE Mediterranean Sea, viewed  from the International Space Station. Image taken on October 28, 2010. Astronaut photograph ISS025-E-9858 was taken on October 28, 2010. Source: NASA-EO

The light intensity show the distribution of population in Egypt as well as its neighboring countries/regions. Almost 99 percent of Egypt’s 80 million population lives in the Nile River valley and Nile Delta, in an area of about 40,000 km², or less than 4 percent of the country’s total area.

Planet of Polluted Water

Image of the Day:

The [Polluted] Water Planet

How Polluted is the Water on Your Planet?

From the space you cannot yet see how polluted the water is on the ‘Water Planet!’

Detailed, photo-like image of Earth based largely on observations by MODIS on NASA’s Terra satellite.Click Image to enlarge. Download large image (1 MB, JPEG). Image acquired July 10, 2005.

Related Links:

• The Water Cycle [NASA E/O]
• Canceling Your Life Insurance Policy with Nature
• Drying Aquifers, Sinking Cities

• Our Dying Oceans

Dry Mouth, Burning Eyes?

IT MAY BE THE DROUGHT AND AEROSOLS IN THE AIR!

Drought and Air Quality Map (August 2010)

Download large image (4 MB, PNG)

Drought and Air Quality Map (August 2009)

Download large image (4 MB, PNG)

The two maps show aerosols as measured by MODIS on NASA’s Terra satellite. Top image was acquired August 1 – 31, 2010, above image exactly a year earlier on August 1 – 31, 2009,. Source: NASA E/O. For full caption click here.

How Aerosols Penetrate Atmosphere

• Car exhausts and industrial emissions heated by high temperatures
• Fires
• Dust storms
• Volcanic eruptions
• Drought, strong winds and heatwaves accelerate formation of chemical aerosols.

Aerosol concentrations

• Are influenced by the weather
• Affect weather patterns
• Help/hinder cloud formation
• Filter light, making regional temperatures cooler
• Absorb energy, heating the atmosphere.

Worst Affected Areas in August 2010

• Russia (drought and heatwaves causing fires)
• South America (Drought over the Amazon basin causing fires; volcanic eruptions)
• Canada (wildfires caused by drought in Canada’s boreal forest)
• Central Africa (fires started by farmers to clear land for farming)
• North Africa, Arabian peninsula, and southwest Asia come (caused by dust storms)
• China, Europe, and the U.S. (industrial emissions, mainly from burning coal; vehicle exhaust)

Related Links:

• The Eight Steps that Help Kill More of Our Fish
• FIRE!
• Moscow Heat, Smog Claim Many Lives

• Humongous Dust Storm Sweeps Africa
• More Dust Storms Plague Arabian Peninsula
• S. Arabia Nets Climate Change Q3 Dividends

STOP REPRODUCTION NOTICE!

STOP REPRODUCTION UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE!

Based on what assumption are you still reproducing?

That there’ll always be food and clean water, at least for you and your family?

Menschenfresserin ["Female Cannibal"] by Leonhard Kern (1588–1662)

How will you feed your family if there were no more food in your refrigerator, at supermarkets, in fast food joints and on the farms?

Familiar with the food production cycle? Effects of drought, famine and starvation?

How long can you stay alive without food? How long can you keep your kids alive in the face of starvation?

Would you opt for cannibalism?

Eat your kids, if you had no food?

Could you bear watching your neighbors eating your kids?

How would you stop them?

Would you bring yourself to eat your neighbors’ kids?

What will you feed your kids?

If you can answer all but one of the above questions satisfactorily, if you are convinced the food supply will never run out and there’ll always be enough for you/your family, if you find the above image disturbing, it’s time you stopped reproducing.

P.S.
If you’re planning on hoarding food, don’t waste your time and energy because you can only save what you could carry on your back.