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Archive for February 5th, 2009

Volcano Watch: 3 February 2009

Posted by feww on February 5, 2009

Volcanic Activity Report: 28 January-3 February 2009

From: SI / USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report

New Activity/Unrest:

Volcano of the Week: Ubinas


Volcán Ubinas, seen here from the west, is Perú’s most active volcano. A small, 1.2-km-wide caldera that cuts the top of Ubinas gives it a truncated appearance. The upper slopes of the stratovolcano steepen to nearly 45 degrees. The steep-walled, 150-m-deep caldera contains an ash cone with a 500-m-wide funnel-shaped vent that is 200-m deep. Holocene lava flows are visible on the volcano’s flanks, but historical activity, documented since the 16th century, has consisted of intermittent minor explosive eruptions. Photo by Norm Banks, 1988 (U.S. Geological Survey). Caption: GVP

Volcano Name: Ubinas

Country: Perú
Volcano Type:  Stratovolcano
Last Known Eruption: 2008 (in or after)
Summit Elevation: 5672 m
(18,609 feet)
Latitude: 16.355°S
16°21’18″S
Longitude: 70.903°W
70°54’11″W

Based on a SIGMET notice, the Buenos Aires VAAC reported that on 31 January an ash plume from Ubinas rose to an altitude of 6.7 km (22,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted SW. Ash was not seen on satellite imagery.

Ongoing Activity:

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Australian Floods: Crocodiles Swam in the Streets

Posted by terres on February 5, 2009

Crocodiles in a Street Near You

Crocodiles have been sighted swimming in floodwaters in Australia’s north Queensland, which were partially submerged as a result of massive floods caused by torrential rains, and where more than 70 percent of the state has been declared a disaster area.

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A township in north Queensland, Australia. Photo: Live News. Image may be subject to copyright.

At least three sightings of crocodiles were reported in the in the town of Nomanton, “where children have been warned not to play in the floodwaters.”  A report said.

Forecasters predicted another cyclone and heavy rain for the rest of the week for the disaster-stricken north Queensland.

‘Dying’ Continent: Caught Between Hell and High Water

australialsta_heatwaveExceptional Australian Heat Wave. Image: Earth Observatory NASA. Caption: Rebbecca Lindsey.

This map of Australia shows how the land surface temperature from January 25 to February 1 compared to the average mid-summer temperatures the continent experienced between 2000-2008. Places where temperatures were warmer than average are red, places experiencing near-normal temperatures are white, and places where temperatures were cooler than average are blue. The data were collected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite. While southern Australia was scorching, a similarly large area of northern and central Australia was several degrees cooler than it was in the previous nine years. The cool anomaly across that region is probably linked to the above-average rainfall the area has received during this year’s wet season.

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) called this heat wave “exceptional,” not only for the high temperatures but for their duration. One-day records were broken in multiple cities, with temperatures in the mid-40s. In Kyancutta, South Australia, the temperature reached 48.2 degrees Celsius (118.8 degrees Fahrenheit). Many places also set records for the number of consecutive days with record-breaking heat.

“On the morning of 29 January, an exceptional event also occurred in the northern suburbs of Adelaide around 3 a.m., when strong north-westerly winds mixed hot air aloft to the surface. At RAAF Edinburgh [a regional airport], the temperature rose to 41.7°C at 3:04 a.m. Such an event appears to be without known precedent in southern Australia.” Bom said.

Related News Links:

Related Links:

content: 400 words, 2 images, 5 links

Posted in 'Dying' Continent, Climate Change, drought and deluge, Exceptional Australian Heat Wave, Extreme Rain Events | Tagged: , , , , | 2 Comments »