MEGA CYCLONE YASI CAUSING MUCH DESTRUCTION

YASI Still a CAT 2 Cyclone Leaving a Trail of Destruction in its Path

Innisfail, Mission Beach, Tully, Tully Heads and Cardwell have borne the brunt of the category five mega cyclone, early reports say.

The mega  cyclone made landfall between Innisfail and Cardwell about midnight local time. The eye took more than an hour to cross the coast.

TROPICAL CYCLONE YASI FORECAST TRACK MAP

Issued at 7:48 am EST Thursday 3 February 2011. Refer to Tropical Cyclone Advice Number 32 [mirrored below.]

Map legend. Source: BOM

The ‘Devil’ and its Tail

MEGA CYCLONE YASI QUEENSLANDING – MTSAT- Enhanced satellite image – NOAA

Australian Region Infrared Satellite Image

Source: Australia Bom

• Animation of the last 4 images (enhanced IR)
• Infrared Loop

YASI: About 14 hours after landfall …

Source: CIMSS

Infrared Image of Cyclone YASI taken by AIRS

At 03:29 UTC /1:29 p.m. Australia local time on Febr. 2 (10:29 p.m. EST, Feb. 1), the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument captured an infrared image of Cyclone Yasi as its center was just southeast of Willis Island. The infrared image showed powerful thunderstorms with strong convection and heavy rainfall (purple) surrounding a large area around a very clear eye. Image and caption: NASA

A Trail of Destruction: More, Even Bigger Disasters to Follow

“Cyclone YASI has almost wiped out Australia’s banana industry and vast tracts of caneland, with plantations flattened by the fierce winds,” a report said.

Banana crops destroyed b y YASI. Crops intended for human consumption destroyed by yet another human-enhanced disaster. The storm surge has left a vast area under water. Source: News Limited via the Australian. Image may be subject to copyright.

The Sheer Power of YASI. A freeze frame from Australian TV. Image may be subject to copyright.

IDQP0005 – Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology Queensland — Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre

Media: Transmitters serving the area from Port Douglas to Bowen and inland to Richmond and Croydon are requested to USE the Standard Emergency Warning Signal
before broadcasting the following warning.

TOP PRIORITY
TROPICAL CYCLONE ADVICE NUMBER 32 — Issued by the Bureau of Meteorology, Brisbane  —  Issued at 7:46am EST on Thursday the 3rd of February 2011

A Cyclone WARNING is current for coastal and island communities from Cairns to Ayr, extending west across the tropical interior to Mt. Isa.

At 8:00 am EST Tropical Cyclone Yasi, Category 2 was estimated to be 110 kilometres south southeast of Georgetown and 245 kilometres west southwest of Cardwell and moving southwest at 38 kilometres per hour.

YASI CONTINUES TO WEAKEN, BUT IS PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN AND DANGEROUS WIND GUSTS AS IT MOVES ACROSS THE TROPICAL INTERIOR.

The DESTRUCTIVE CORE of Yasi, with gusts in excess of 125 km/h, will weaken as it continues to move in a west-southwesterly direction. Yasi is south-east of Georgetown and will be near Mt Isa tonight as a tropical depression.

DAMAGING WINDS, with gusts above 90 km/hr, are occurring along the coast and extend inland to Georgetown and Hughenden. They will extend further west towards Richmond and Julia Creek during the day.

HIGHER THAN NORMAL TIDES and large waves will continue between Port Douglas and Ayr and sea levels may again exceed the high water mark on the morning high tide.

FLOOD RAINS will continue along the coast and ranges, with heavy rains extending across the adjacent inland.

FLOOD WARNINGS are current for a number of rivers between Cairns and Mackay.

People in the path of the dangerous cyclone should stay calm and remain in a secure shelter while the destructive winds continue.
– Do not venture outside if you find yourself in the eye of the cyclone; destructive winds from a different direction could resume at any time.
– Follow the advice or directions of Police, Emergency Services personnel and local authorities.
– For cyclone preparedness and safety advice, visit Queensland’s Disaster Management Services website [www.disaster.qld.gov.au]
– For emergency assistance call the Queensland State Emergency Service [SES] on 132 500 [for assistance with storm damage, rising flood water, fallen trees on buildings or roof damage].

Details of Tropical Cyclone Yasi at 8:00 am EST:
.Centre located near…… 19.2 degrees South 143.9 degrees East
.Location accuracy…….. within 35 kilometres
.Recent movement………. towards the southwest at 38 kilometres per hour
.Wind gusts near centre… 140 kilometres per hour
.Severity category…….. 2
.Central pressure……… 983 hectoPascals

Please ensure that neighbours have heard and understood this message, particularly new arrivals or those who may not fully understand English.

The next advice will be issued by 11:00 am EST Thursday 03 February.

This warning is also available through TV and Radio Broadcasts; the Bureau’s website at http://www.bom.gov.au or call 1300 659 212. The Bureau and the State Emergency Service would appreciate this warning being broadcast regularly.

Australia Weather Warnings:

• CURRENT WARNINGS
• TROPICAL CYCLONE | NSW/ACT | VIC | QLD | WA | SA | TAS | NT

Queensland Warnings Summary

• High Seas Warning for TC Yasi,
• East Coastal Waters issued by Brisbane for TC Yasi,
• Severe Weather Warning 1,
• Flood Warning – Coastal rivers – Cooktown to Townsville,
• Flood Warning – Johnstone River,
• Flood Warning – Tully River,
• Flood Warning – Herbert River,
• Flood Warning – Coastal rivers – Townsville to Mackay,
• Flood Warning – Haughton River,
• Flood Warning – Burdekin River,
• Flood Warning – Fitzroy River,
• Flood Warning – Condamine-Balonne Rivers,
• Flood Warning – Gulf Rivers,
• Queensland flood warning summary,
• Forecast Track Map (QLD) for TC Yasi,
• Tropical Cyclone Advice for TC Yasi.

• Tropical Cyclone Warnings and Information

Related Links:

• YASI a Mega Cyclone

• YASI Could Become Super Cyclone
• YASI: If the ‘Devil’ Were a Cyclone
• TC ANTHONY Prepares for Queenslanding, Followed by YASI
• More Australian Coal, Anyone?

• In Nature They Don’t Trust
• Vicious Storms Attacking Queensland
• Cyclone WILMA Powers Up to Cat 4 Strength
• Back-to-Back Disasters Could Hit Australia

Queensland Floods Spread to NSW

Back-to-Back Disasters Could Hit Australia

Australia: Rainfall Forecast

BOM Forecast: Total Rainfall [07 to 14 Jan 2011]

B.O.M. Product Code: IDYPME04

Queensland Flood Map

(Click images to enlarge)

NSW Flood Map

Australia Flood Map

Source: BOM

Click images to enlarge. Download large image (5 MB, JPEG) — captured January 6, 2011

Download large image (5 MB, JPEG) — captured December 12, 2010

Queensland floodwaters move south of the state border affecting the village of Goodooga in New South Wales, Australia, in early January 2011.  The two false-color images were taken by MODIS on NASA’s Aqua satellite before and after the flood waters crossed the state border. The top image was captured on January 6, 2011, and the bottom on December 12, 2010.  “Both images use a combination of infrared and visible light to increase the contrast between water and land. Water ranges in color from light blue to navy. Clouds appear light blue-green and cast shadows onto the land surface below. Vegetation is bright green. Bare ground appears in shades of pink-brown. The rectangular areas of fluorescent green and light blue south of the river belong to an irrigation station.” Source: NASA-EO.

Source: Image from Japan Meteorological Agency satellite MTSAT-1R via Bureau of Meteorology. Posted on 7 January 2011 14:08 UTC

• Latest Satellite Image.
• IR Color Animation

TOP PRIORITY  – FOR IMMEDIATE BROADCAST
SEVERE WEATHER WARNING
Heavy rainfall leading to localised flash flooding and potentially worsening the existing river flood situation
For people in the Southeast Coast and Wide Bay and Burnett districts. — Issued at 10:50 pm on Friday 7 January 2011

Synoptic Situation: At 10pm EST, an upper level low was located offshore fromthe Capricornia district while a low level trough was located near the Wide Baycoast.

Heavy rain and isolated thunderstorms are currently occurring about the southern Wide Bay and Burnett district and are forecast to develop about the Sunshine Coast during Saturday morning, and remaining parts of the Southeast Coast district on Saturday afternoon. Heavy rain may lead to localised flash floodingand/or worsen existing river flooding.

Flood warnings are current for various rivers and streams in these districts;refer to these products [www.bom.gov.au/qld] for further information.

The State Emergency Service advises that people in the affected area should:
· avoid driving, walking or riding through flood waters
· take care on the roads, especially in heavy downpours
· avoid swimming in swollen rivers and creeks

Contact the SES on 132 500 for emergency assistance if required.

The next warning is due to be issued by 5am Saturday

This warning is also available through TV and Radio broadcasts; the Bureau’s website at http://www.bom.gov.au or call 1300 659 219. The Bureau and State Emergency Service would appreciate this warning being broadcast regularly.

Queensland Warnings Summary

• Coastal Wind Warning 1,
• Severe Weather Warning 1,
• Severe Thunderstorm Warning – Queensland 1,
• Flood Warning – Fitzroy River,
• Flood Warning – Burnett River,
• Flood Warning – Mary River,
• Flood Warning – Stanley & Brisbane above Wivenhoe Dam,
• Flood Warning – Lockyer, Bremer, Warrill & Brisbane below Wivenhoe.,
• Flood Warning – Condamine-Balonne Rivers,
• Flood Warning – Macintyre/Weir,
• Flood Warning – Moonie River,
• Flood Warning – Thomson/Barcoo/Cooper Ck,
• Queensland flood warning summary.

• Tropical Cyclone Warnings and Information

New South Wales Warnings Summary

• Flood Watch 1,
• Flood Warning – Richmond/Wilsons,
• Flood Warning – MacIntyre River,
• Flood Warning – Peel and Namoi Rivers,
• Flood Warning – Castlereagh River,
• Flood Warning – MacQuarie River,
• Flood Warning – Bogan River,
• Flood Warning – Lachlan River,
• Flood Warning – Murrumbidgee River,
• Flood Warning – Murray River,
• Flood Warning – Culgoa, Bokhara, Narran,
• Flood Warning – Warrego River,
• Flood Warning – Barwon-Darling US Bourke.

Related Links:

• Australian Disasters
  

• Queensland Flooding – Satellite Images Posted by feww on January 6, 2011
• Australia: More Severe Weather Looms
• Mosquitoes Plague Flooded Rockhampton
• Queensland Flood Update – 3 Jan 2011

• Nature’s DoS Attack on Australia
• Queensland Flooding: Disaster of “Biblical Proportions”
• Australia Flood Update
• Thousands of Australians Evacuate Flood-hit Queensland

Severe Storm Batters Perth, Australia

Perth, western Australia, pummeled by torrential rains, giant hailstones, flash flooding, landslides and 125km/hour winds gusts

The storm described as a “freak storm” struck the city of Perth late on Monday local time, cutting power to tens of thousands of homes and businesses, with the cost of damage estimated at US$100m.

The force of storm destroyed many roofs including a section of  the terminal roof at Perth airport, delaying flights.

Perth is Australia’s 4th largest city with a population of about 1.7 million.

Lightning strikes a crane at a building site in Perth’s CBD. (submitted by ABC on-line reader: Mateusz Nowacki)

“More than 100 residents of an apartment block in Kings Park had to be evacuated from the building after part of the hill near Jacob’s Ladder collapsed in the storm, causing a landslide on Mounts Bay Road.” ABC online reported.

The storm downed power cables and flooded several schools and hospitals.

“From my memory this would be the most severe weather conditions we’ve had since the famous May storm in 1994, where we had very, very strong winds and a massive loss of power supply,” Western Australia premier Colin Barnett told ABC.

“Hopefully the damage to the power supply won’t be as severe but I suspect this time we’ve got a lot more damage to buildings and housing,” he said.

Barnett said although the full impact of the storm is yet to be unveiled, he feared that the damage bill could run into hundreds of millions of dollars.

“I think from my memory this would be the most severe weather conditions we’ve had since the famous May storm in 1994 where we had very very strong winds and a massive loss of power supply,” he said.

“Hopefully the damage to the power supply won’t be as severe but I suspect this time we’ve got a lot more damage to buildings and housing.”

The storm brought  havoc to the city flooding streets and causing major traffic jams, when it cut power lines that operated the stop lights. Large hailstones smashed cars windshields and dented their roofs.

According to weather reports, the equivalent of about one month’s rain fell in just over 5 minutes.

Meanwhile Australia’s BOM issued the following warning

TOP PRIORITY FOR IMMEDIATE BROADCAST SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING,
for Damaging Winds, Large Hail and Flash Flooding
For people in areas southwest of a line Lancelin, Cunderdin to Hopetoun.

Issued at 2:00pm on Tuesday 23 March 2010

People are advised that there is a risk of severe thunderstorms this afternoon and evening. Storms may be accompanied by damaging winds, large hail and flash flooding that could result in damage to property. The worst conditions are expected in the Southwest District and adjacent parts. While there is the risk
of severe storms in the Perth Metropolitan area, storms are not expected to be as intense as they were yesterday [Monday].

FESA State Emergency Services [SES] advises people to secure loose items, move vehicles under cover and stay inside away from windows. If there is lightning
unplug appliances and avoid using landline telephones. If caught outside find shelter away from trees, powerlines, storm water drains and streams. If driving
through heavy rain slow down and turn your lights on or if visibility becomes low pull over and park until it passes. For SES assistance call 132 500. For
more safety tips visit http://www.fesa.wa.gov.au.

Related Links:

• Your Worst Fears About El Niño
• ULUI – UPDATE – MAR 21

• 10 Facts on Climate Change
• Australian Coal and the Planet
• Australian fires toll may exceed 200
• The Australian Clean Energy Ruse
• A Living Hell Heated by Australian Coal

TC ULUI and TOMAS – UPDATE Mar 17

ULUI Goes to Australia

Two for the price of one cyclone!

See also:

Cyclone ULUI: Enough Fuel to Land in Australia

TC ULUI is moving slowly (6 km/hr) toward the east coast of Australia (Queensland).

Two of the available models (NGP and CMC) suggest ULUI could make landfall close to 20ºS  latitude which could mean it will strike the Australian coast as a cat 3A or 2B hurricane on the FEWW New Hurricane Scale with sustained winds of up to 180 km/hr (gusts of up to 230 km/hr).

A third model (GFS) predicts landfall south of the 20ºS latitude, which might suggest a Category 1 hurricane force, or weaker, with sustained winds of up to 150km/hr (wind gusts of about 180 km/hr).

JTWC suggest land fall south of 21.5ºS latitude with sustained winds of up to 120 km/hr (wind gusts of about 155 km/hr).

ULUI is currently located about 1,320km NORTHEAST of Townsville, and 1,300km NNE of Rockhampton, QLD, Australia.

Moderators’ forecast concurs closer with the CMC model, for now.

Dynamic Model Forecasts. Source CIMSS. Click Images to enlarge.

Tropical Cyclone ULUI showing near-perfect longitudinal symmetry – Visible image – MTSAT 1R – Dated March 17, 2010 at 00:00UTC.   Source: Digital Typhoon.  Click image to enlarge.

Two for the price of one cyclone!

Cyclone TOMAS is still going strong with sustained winds  of about 220 km/hr and gusts of up to 260 km/hr. Its currently located near 26.3S, 176.5W.

TCs ULUI and TOMAS – Visible image – MTSAT EAST (NOAA)

Other Images and Animations

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

Related Links:

• 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

Iceberg off Mertz Glacier ‘disrupt ocean currents’?

A large iceberg which calved from The Mertz Glacier Tongue in January [see Addendum] could ‘disrupt the ocean currents,’ and weather patterns globally, sensationalist scientists say.

The Mertz Glacier Tongue, which protrudes from East Antarctica, spawned the iceberg pictured below on or about January 10, 2010. The Iceberg is currently floating south of Melbourne, Australia.

The Mertz Glacier routinely spawns icebergs into the Southern Ocean, some of which drift north and disintegrate rapidly in warmer surroundings, while others circle the frozen continent and could stay relatively intact for many years, provided that they remain in cold waters.

Australian scientists have warned, however, that the 80-square-km iceberg (30 sq miles) could block a region which allegedly produces 25 percent of the world’s cold and dense seawater, BBC reported.

On January 10, 2010, the Advanced Land Imager (ALI) on NASA’s Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite captured this true-color image of an iceberg that had broken off the glacier tongue. Similar to the glacier that spawned it, this iceberg sports a rippled surface, accentuated by the Sun’s relatively low elevation in the sky when the image was collected. Measuring roughly 8.5 by 9.5 kilometers (5 by 6 miles), this iceberg is surrounded by smaller chunks of ice, which may have broken off the Mertz Glacier Tongue at the same time as the large iceberg, or after it calved.  NASA Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen, Caption by Michon Scott. Edited by FEWW. Click here for ESA image of the entire glacier tongue.

A glaciologist at the Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Research Center in Tasmania, was quoted by the BBC as saying that any disruption to the production of the super cold water – known as bottom water – in the region would be detrimental to ocean currents, and therefore the weather patterns, for many years.

“This area accounts for about 25% of the production of bottom water in Antarctica, and therefore it will reduce the overturning circulation rate,” he said.

“You won’t see it immediately, but it has downstream effects. And it will also have implications for penguins and other wildlife in the region that normally use this area for feeding.”

The iceberg is floating in a polynya, an area of open water surrounded by sea-ice.  Latent heat polynyas are responsible for high ice production and possibly dense (high salinity) water production.

“Bottom water produced by polynyas sinks to the bottom of the sea and drives the conveyor-belt like ocean circulation around the globe.” BBC claimed.

“The ice tongue was almost broken already. It was hanging like a loose tooth,”  BBC quoted a French glaciologist as saying.

“If they [the icebergs] stay in this area – which is likely – they could block the production of this dense water, essentially putting a lid on the polynya.”

This map shows the pattern of thermohaline circulation also known as “meridional overturning circulation”. This collection of currents is responsible for the large-scale exchange of water masses in the ocean, including providing oxygen to the deep ocean. The entire circulation pattern takes  about 2000 years. Credit NASA.

Climate Change is bad news of epic proportions, of course,  and the accelerating rate of calving of icebergs is very alarming, indeed. However, despite its deep injuries, planet earth and its thermoline circulation system are far more resilient than to undergo dramatic changes due to a single iceberg.

ADDENDUM [12:40 PM UTC]

Since posting the above, Fire-Earth moderators have been advised that the iceberg featured above is NOT the one which is the subject of the Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Center.

The new iceberg apparently calved off from Mertz Glacier Tongue on or about February 13, 2010.

ESA © ENVISAT ASAR image from the 16th of February 2010 showing the iceberg newly calved from the Mertz Glacier Tongue. The final separation did not simply occur along all the line of the two pre-existing rifts but sheared across some sections to produce a clean line. The iceberg is now turning about a point at its north-west corner which confirms our belief that is has been resting against a relatively shallow point of the sea-floor. Caption: ACECRC.

• See Large Image of Mertz by ESA

According to the ACECRC website the iceberg that calved from the Mertz Glacier is 78 km long and has a surface area of 2,500 square km. The new iceberg broke off the Mertz Glacier Tongue after a 97km long iceberg smashed into it.

Although the new iceberg is about 30 times larger than the one featured in NASA image (Top of the page), the Fire-Earth Moderators’ initial assessment remains UNCHANGED.

The Moderators do NOT believe the new calving would ADVERSELY affect the large scale ocean circulation, or have any significant climatic impact.

Further more, they see absolutely NO reason why the iceberg may cause significant modifications in the local marine environment.

Additional Notes:

The BBC Himalayan Straw Man?

The Moderators also note that the BBC has since changed the text of the page linked to above  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8538060.stm

However, the page was accidentally saved on disk …

BBC’s initial post, which has since been replaced by an entirely different text. Click image to enlarge. Image may be subject to copyright.

BBC’s 2nd version using the same URL was a pathetic dolphin tearjerker, which has since been removed. Click image to enlarge. Image may be subject to copyright.

Cyclones Attack Australia

TC MAGDA  Approaches, another Cyclone  Forms

TROPICAL CYCLONE MAGDA (TC 08S)

• Time/Date: 21 January 2010 – 09:00UTC
• Position: 14.5S 123.4E 
• Sustained Movement: 170 degrees
• Forward speed: 9km/hr (5 kt)

Current wind distribution:

• Maximum Sustained winds: 110 km/hr (60 kt)
• Maximum Gusts:  140 km/hr (75 kt)
• Maximum Significant Wave Height 4.75m (14 ft)
• Source: JTWC and Others

Observation:

Tropical cyclone MAGDA (TC 08S) was located about 825km (445 NM) NE of HEADLAND, AUSTRALIA, Tracking south at near 9 km/hr (5 kt). The cyclone is
forecast to intensify aided by low vertical wind sheer and warm sea surfece temperatures in the next  36 hours.

Source: Image from Japan Meteorological Agency satellite MTSAT-1R via Bureau of Meteorology. Image may be subject to copyright. Click images to enlarge and update.

Source: Image from Japan Meteorological Agency satellite MTSAT-1R via Bureau of Meteorology. Image may be subject to copyright. [Inset tags refer to the probability of Cyclone formation.]

El Niño Update [20 Oct 2009]

ENSO Cycle: Recent Evolution, Current Status and Predictions

The following UPDATE is prepared by

Climate Prediction Center / NCEP –  19  October 2009

The latest weekly SST departures are:

• Niño 4   ~ 1.2ºC
• Niño 3.4  ~ 0.9ºC
• Niño 3 ~ 0.7ºC
• Niño 1+2 ~ 0.0ºC

El Niño Map. [SOURCE: NOAA/ Climate Prediction Center / NCEP]

SST Departures (°C) in the Tropical Pacific During the Last 4 Weeks
During the last 4-weeks, equatorial SSTs were at least 1.0°C above average between 165°E and 140°W and in small areas in the eastern Pacific.

Global SST Departures (°C)
During the last four weeks, equatorial SSTs were above-average in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Also, above-average SSTs covered large areas of the Northern Hemisphere subtropics.

Weekly SST Departures (°C) for the Last Four Weeks
for the Last Four Weeks•During the last four weeks, equatorial SST anomalies strengthened across the central Pacific Ocean.•During the last month, equatorial SST anomalies decreased over parts of the eastern Pacific and increased over the central Pacific.

Atmospheric Circulation over the North Pacific & North America During the Last 60 Days
During mid August through September, an anomalous trough was prevalent in the North Pacific Ocean/Gulf of Alaska. During September, an anomalous ridge was present downstream, focused over Canada and the northern United States. The pattern also featured a weak trough over the central U.S., which contributed to below-average temperatures in the region, while the northern U.S. and Canada remained warmer-than-average. Recently, an anomalous ridge has developed in the Gulf of Alaska with a downstream trough contributing to below-average temperatures across much of the U.S. and Canada.

Pacific Niño 3.4 SST Outlook

• Most ENSO models indicate El Niño will continue through the Northern Hemisphere winter 2009-10.

• The models disagree on the eventual strength of El Niño (SST anomalies ranging from +0.5°C to greater than +2.0°C), but a majority indicate at least a moderate strength El Niño (greater than +1.0°C) during November-December-January 2009-10. Figure provided by the International Research Institute (IRI) for Climate and Society (updated 15 Oct 2009).

SST Outlook: NCEP CFS Forecast Issued 18 October 2009
The CFS ensemble mean predicts El Niño will last through Northern Hemisphere winter 2009-10.

Summary

• El Niño is present across the equatorial Pacific Ocean.
• Sea surface temperatures (SST) were at least 1.0ºC above-average across much of the central and east-central equatorial Pacific.
• Based on current observations and dynamical model forecasts, El Niño is expected to strengthen and last through Northern Hemisphere winter 2009-10.

Information and images on this page are sourced from Climate Prediction Center/NCEP/NOAA.

Related Links:

• Recognizing El Niño
• El Niño and La Niña: Tracing the Dance of Ocean and Atmosphere
• TAO Diagrams
• El Niño Forecasts

El Niño Updates:

• El Niño [Main Page and Archive]

Could Dust Storms Bury Sydney, Australia?

Yet Another Dust Storm Shrouds Australia’s New South Wales

Less than a month ago, on September 22 – 24, 2009, Canberra, Sydney, Brisbane and much of New South Wales, Australia experienced 100 kph winds whipping up heavy dust storms followed by severe  thunderstorms.

Road traffic slowed down to a crawl, ferries canceled, flights diverted or canceled as dust storm shrouded Sydney, and suffocating haze forced the residents to stay indoors.

“This is unprecedented. We are seeing earth, wind and fire together,” said Australia’s Weather Channel presenter.

The storm was one of the worst dust storms in Australia.

There were more dust storms on the following days. Four days later, on September 26, another intense storm swept eastern Australia, covering much of Queensland and New South Wales across to the Pacific Ocean in a thick blanket of dust.

The dust storms are certain to continue. As temperatures rise, more droughts set in and the winds intensify, all of which trends have long been repeated, the question becomes one of not if, but when the dust storms would bury Sydney.

The dust storm that started the previous day had intensified by the time the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite flew over on October 14, 2009. The large image, which encompasses a wider area, shows that the dust plume stretches tens of kilometers south of the area shown here. NASA Earth Observatory images courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. Caption by Holli Riebeek. [Edited by FEWW]

How Much Dust Would  it Take?

Just how much dust would it take, and under what circumstances could it make Sydney uninhabitable?

FEWW Moderators have asked their friends at EDRO to provide a realistic estimate, the details of which would be posted here.

UPDATE

Here’s a link to a reply prepared by  EDRO TEAM:

How Large Is Your Dust Storm?

Related Links:

• And dust to dust …
• Australia: Uranium Dust Threat Real?
• Australia: What can burn, will!

• Image of the Day: Human Excesses
• Australian fires toll may exceed 200
• A Living Hell Heated by Australian Coal
• Torrential Rains Flood Northern Australia

• You want to lose weight without exercise?
• Australian Coal and the Planet
• Vast swarms of locusts sweep across Australia
• Murray-Darling River Communities Are Struggling
• Hell Hath No Fury Like the Australian… Bushfire!
• The day God [sic] washed his hands off St. Andrew’s church

• The Mesopotamian Dust Bowl
• Iraq Faces Environmental Catastrophe
• Riyadh City May Collapse by 2010
• Iraq Ecocide Nears Totality
• Image of the Day: Sandstorm in Saudi Desert

• First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Future Scenarios
• Nuking Earth for Lifestyle
• World Problems: The Root Cause Matrix
• Giga Trends
• World CO2 Emissions

• Look me straight in the eye & tell me you can’t
• Protect Economy from Climate??!
• Blind scientists examining the economic elephant
• How Much Carbon Dioxide Does Your Money Make?
• Cosmic Scale Evil
• Index of Human Impact on Nature

• New York Cognitive Dissonance

• Carbon Footprint of Your Dollar
• The Billionaires’ contribution to CO2 pollution
• Stop Burning Earth
• Energy: 286W

• Failing Ecosystems

Australian Oil Disaster Links:

• Australia Fails to Plug Oil Leak in Timor Sea
• Timor Sea Oil Slick: Growing Australian Disaster
• Major Ecological Disaster Underway in Timor Sea
• Australian Oil Disaster May Get a Lot Worse

• The Australian Clean Energy Ruse
• Australia declares ‘natural’ disaster [again]
• Stick the Policies, Stop the Climate Change!

• How Much Oil Pollution Is Too Much?
• FEWW Earthquake Forecast: Timor Sea
• Magnitude 6.8 EQ Strikes BANDA SEA
• Australia hit by another man-made disaster

Australian Coal and the Planet

Australia is in the grip of a heatwave

Australia is about to experience some of the hottest temperatures anywhere on the planet!

Quote of the Day:

“Switzerland finances construction of coal plants, Sweden builds them, and Australia exports coal and sets atmospheric carbon dioxide goals so large as to guarantee destruction of much of the life on the planet.” ~ James Hansen, NASA Climatologist.

The above quote is from a letter to Michelle and Barack Obama written by Hanson on December 29, 2008.

Now the $64 trillion question

Why isn’t Hansen advocating a smart option like a low-energy path for the economy?

Related links:

• On The Way To Armageddon
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs

• Killed by Homo Economicus
• Domination by Disinformation
• Is a Future Possible?
• Exponential Growth Economy and Oil
• Where Is All the Money?
• Exporting Democracy to the Middle East

• 286W
• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities

• Carbon Footprint of Your Dollar
• How Much CO2 Are You Producing?

• Look me straight in the eye & tell me you can’t
• The Billionaires’ contribution to CO2 pollution

• Failing Ecosystems
• World Problems:The Root Cause Matrix

Amazing Images: Mandarinfish

As colorful as a butterfly!

Mandarinfish or mandarin dragonet (Synchiropus splendidus) in aquarium-Muséum Liège (Belgium). Credit: Luc Viatour. GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or later.

Native to the Pacific [an area extending from the Ryukyu Islands to northern Australia,] the tiny [6cm long] mandarinfish are reef dwellers, and feed on small crustaceans.

Related Links:

• Rising CO2 accelerates coral bleaching: study

Hell Hath No Fury Like the Australian… Bushfire!

Water, Water… My Bloody “Kingdom” for a Drop of Water

Drought-ravaged Australia recorded its sixth hottest year. Global Climate change raised the mean maximum temperature by almost a full degree above normal to 28.6 Celsius (83.5 Fahrenheit) in the heavily populated southeast.

“The standout year is 2005, which was Australia’s warmest year on record, but essentially all the warm years that we’ve had have been in recent years,” said climate analysis spokesman David Jones.
Full report: Global warming hits Australia with fires and floods

The temperatures can only go higher in 2008!

Why NASA Doctors Ozone Hole Data?

White Elephant Update:

Fire Earth has made several attempts to contact NASA to find out why they are doctoring the Antarctic ozone hole data. NASA has not responded.

There is a general consensus of opinion among the Fire Earth contributing members concerning the reasons why NASA is doctoring the ozone hole data. Here are some answers to the 64 billion dollar question why the white elephant is misbehaving:

1. White House has ordered NASA to doctor the Data. NASA is under immense political pressure to assure the world community that all is well [sic], everything is under control [sic] and there is no longer any need to worry about the ozone hole [despite all evidence to the contrary!]

2. The ozone hole phenomenon is bad news for corporate business. It flies directly in the face of technology and technological “achievements.”

3. The ozone hole is a huge burden, an undesirable “cost” that NASA and the Government won’t internalize. [Therefore it’s being swept under the rug.]

4. NASA would put itself in a bad light if it continues to report the bad news, which is getting even worse.

5. If you can’t fix it, don’t bloody well talk about it.

6. NASA is under enormous pressure to prove Montreal Protocol has been “a resounding success,” despite the fact that Antarctic ozone hole is enlarging!

7. NASA is suppressing the Antarctic ozone hole data at the behest of the Australian and New Zealand governments [and others] for political, monetary and socioeconomic reasons.

8. Hiding behind lies, disinformation and abstractions.

9. Other additional reasons.