CHRISTINE Even Fiercer than She Looks

CHRISTINE Could Develop to Category 3 Severe Tropical Cyclone: FIRE-EARTH

FIRE-EARTH Models show Tropical Cyclone CHRISTINE could intensify to a Category 3 Severe Tropical Cyclone with sustained winds of 140 km/h or higher, and wind gusts in excess of 180 km/h over the next 24 -36 hours, subject to favorable conditions.

Tropical Cyclone CHRISTINE. Water Vapor [FIRE-EARTH Enhancement] Satellite Image.  Recorded at 12:32UTC on Saturday December 28, 2013. The original Image Sourced from: CIMSS/SSEC/WISC.

At 13:00UTC on December 28, 2013 CHRISTINE was located about 505km north northeast of Port Hedland, Australia moving SSW at 11 km/h parallel to the coast. Maximum significant wave hight was about 4 meters.

“Ports in Australia’s Pilbara region, through which almost half of the world’s seaborne iron ore is shipped, were sending ships out to sea on Saturday ahead of a tropical cyclone that is forecast to reach the coast by Tuesday,” reported Reuters.

More than 40 vessels in the anchorages and harbor at Port Hedland will be leaving by early Sunday, according to the port authorities.

UPDATE
Embedded Thunderstorms

“A large area of embedded thunderstorms over the Kimberley, the western Top End and waters to the north, is associated with Tropical Cyclone Christine,” said  Australian BOM.

BOM has issued a  Cyclone Warning for coastal areas from Cape Leveque to Whim Creek, including Broome and Port Hedland and a Cyclone Watch for coastal areas from Whim Creek to Exmouth, including Karratha and Onslow, extending inland to Paraburdoo, Western Australia (WA).

Significant Quake Strikes near Frontera, Canary Islands

SIGNIFICANT EARTHQUAKES 2013

Magnitude 5.4 earthquake strikes 31km NW of Frontera, Canary Islands, Spain

The earthquake, centered at 27.915°N, 18.271°W, about 31km NW of El Hierro, struck at a depth  of about 23 km [ GEOFON Program reported depth as 10km.]

El Hierro (area: 280 km², Elevation 1,500; population: 14,000) is a steeply mountainous volcanic island, which emerged from the ocean about 1.2 million year ago following three successive explosive eruptions. The only recorded eruption on the island in recent times occurred in 1793, which lasted for more than 30 days and produced lava flows, after the Volcan de Lomo Negro vented.

Earthquake Location Map

Source: USGS/EHP. Map enhanced by FIRE-EARTH Blog.

Quake Details [USGS/EHP]

• Event Time: 2013-12-27 at 17:46UTC
• Location: 27.915°N 18.271°W; Depth=22.8km [18.19°W, 27.87°N; Depth: 10km GEOFON Program]
• Nearby Cities
  • 31km (19mi) NW of Frontera, Spain
  • 89km (55mi) SSW of Los Llanos de Aridane, Spain
  • 98km (61mi) SSW of Santa Cruz de la Palma, Spain
  • 148km (92mi) WSW of Santiago del Teide, Spain
  • 507km (315mi) W of Laayoune / El Aaiun, Western Sahara

2013 Disasters Affected Third of China

GLOBAL DISASTERS 2013

Human-enhanced natural disasters affected 390 million people across China 

Some 390 million people  across the country, or about 30 percent of China’s population, were affected by [human-enhanced] natural disasters, which left at least 1,181 people dead, 431 others missing [and possibly thousands injured] and resulted in direct economic losses of about 593 billion yuan (US$98 billion), according to an annual report issued by the Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA) on Friday, Xinhua reported.

“The National Committee for Disaster Reduction and the MCA have issued 49 warning or emergency responses in response to various disasters, and a total of 10.1 billion yuan (US$1.7 billion) in disaster relief funds was allocated by the central authorities this year,” the report said.

The ministry has also promised to protect “615,000 graves of revolutionary martyrs and 12,000 memorial facilities for them,” the report quoted an official as saying.

-oOo-

China Formally Eases One Child Policy after 30 Years

China’s top legislature passed a resolution easing the country’s one-child policy on Saturday following a six-day meeting , Xinhua reported.

The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) passed a resolution allowing couples to have two children provided either parent is an only child.

NPC also adopted a proposal to abolish “re-education” through labor camps, said the state news agency.

China introduced its one-child policy in the late 1970s to curtail rapid population growth. However, the policy has reportedly become increasingly unpopular because the country’s aging population is both reducing the labor pool and burdening elderly care systems.