Deadly Floods Affect Hundreds of Thousands in Sri Lanka

Hundreds of families feared buried by landslides in Sri Lanka, dozens confirmed dead

Extreme rain events have triggered large-scale landslides burying several villages in Kegalle District, about 70 kilometers (45 miles) north of the capital, Colombo.

• At least 200,000 people have lost their homes.
• Up to 60 people were confirmed dead, as of posting.
• Hundreds of families are missing, feared buried by landslides.
• More than a dozen people were killed by lightning strikes.
• At least 19 of the country’s 25 districts have experienced flash flooding.
• Severe flooding reported in several cities including Colombo.

 

Global Disasters Uprooted Tens of Millions in 2012

Floods, storms and earthquakes forced 32.4 million people to flee their homes

At least 32.4 million people were forced to flee their homes in 2012 by floods, storms and earthquakes,  according to a new report released by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center (IDMC).

8 Mega Disasters, events causing more than one million
people to lose their homes, accounted for 68% of all global
displacement in 2012. —IDMC

• Asia and west and central Africa were the worst affected regions, however, at least 1.3 million were displaced in rich countries, with the USA particularly affected, said the report.

• “98% of all displacement in 2012 was related to climate- and weather-related events, with flood disasters in India and Nigeria accounting for 41% of global displacement in 2012. In India, monsoon floods displaced 6.9 million, and in Nigeria 6.1 million people were newly displaced. While over the past five years 81% of global displacement has occurred in Asia, in 2012 Africa had a record high for the region of 8.2 million people newly displaced, over four times more than in any of the previous four years.”

Top ten countries with most displacement in 2012. Source: Global estimates 2012| People displaced by disasters

• United States was among the top ten countries with the highest levels of new displacement, with nearly one million people being forced to abandon their homes in 2012.

• Displacement in poorer countries accounted for 98% of the global five year total, the report said.

In 2012, an estimated 32.4 million people in 82 countries
were newly displaced by disasters; 144 million over five years

Top 20 countries with the most displacement over 2008-2012. Source: Global estimates 2012| People displaced by disasters – IDMC

• “In countries already facing the effects of conflict and food insecurity such as in Nigeria, Pakistan, and South Sudan, we observe a common theme” says Clare Spurrell, Chief Spokesperson for IDMC. “Here, vulnerability to disaster triggered by floods is frequently further compounded by hunger, poverty and violence; resulting in a ‘perfect storm’ of risk factors that lead to displacement.″

A villager sits in front of his destroyed house after floodwaters receded on July 22, 2012 in Beijing, China. Photo: ChinaFotoPress/ChinaFoto-Press via Getty Images/IDMC report.

The vast majority of this displacement (98 per cent in 2012;
83 per cent over five years) was triggered by climate- and
 weather-related hazards such as floods, storms and wildfires.
2012 had the lowest level of dis-placement due to geophysical 
disasters for five years; around 680,000 people were displaced
by earthquake and volcanic eruption disasters.

DISASTER CALENDAR – May 14, 2013 — 
SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,033 Days Left 

Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,033 Days Left to ‘Worst Day’ in the brief Human  History
• The countdown began on May 15, 2011 …

GLOBAL WARNINGS

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID PLANETARY DECLINE IN PROGRESS!
• Europe: The First Phase of Collapse Has Started 
• United States: The First Phase of Collapse Has Begun

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

Disaster Declared in 11 Australian Zones

NOTE: This Blog is virtually blocked in Australia, NZ, UK …

Australia: Back-to-back disasters intensify

Two Major floods in 2 months cause more disasters in NSW

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell have declared 11 areas in northern NSW as disaster zones due to severe storms and widespread flooding.

• The disaster areas are Ballina, Bellingen, Byron, Camden, Clarence Valley, Coffs Harbour, Kempsey, Kiama, Nambucca, Port Macquarie Hastings and Randwick.

• It is northern NSW’s second major flood this year.
• In southern Queensland, at least one person drowned in floodwaters north east of Brisbane.
• Kiama declared disaster zone

Related Links

• Towns Evacuated as Major Flooding Hits NSW, Australia February 23, 2013
• Wildfires Rage Across Australia February 13, 2013
• Final Eviction Notice to Australians? January 28, 2013
• Australian floods force evacuation of thousands in 2 states January 29, 2013
• Disaster declared in NSW

• Back-to-back Australian Disasters [index page for Australian disasters 2010 – 2013]

.

February 25, 2013 – DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,111 Days Left 

Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,111 Days Left to ‘Worst Day’ in the brief Human  History
• The countdown began on May 15, 2011 …

GLOBAL WARNINGS

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID PLANETARY DECLINE IN PROGRESS!
• Europe: The First Phase of Collapse Has Started 
• United States: The First Phase of Collapse Has Begun

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

Towns Evacuated as Major Flooding Hits NSW, Australia

NOTE: This Blog is virtually blocked in Australia, NZ, UK …

Australia: Back-to-back disasters intensify

Major flooding in NSW forces mass evacuations

Evacuation orders are being enforced in several towns along the northern New South Wales (NSW) coast, including Kempsey, Port Macquarie and Bellingen, and emergency services are warning people not to enter floodwaters, said a report.

Flood warnings are in effect for at least 11 rivers in NSW as floodwater from a low-pressure system continues to swamp a large region.

At least two deaths have so far been reported in the region as a result of flooding.

New South Wales Rainfall Map to 9:00am, 23 Feb 2013. Source: Australia BOM. Image may be subject to copyright.

Other Disasters/ Significant Events

The White House has declared a major disaster exists in the State of Louisiana in the areas affected by severe storms and flooding during the period of January 8-17, 2013.

The damage caused by the severe storms and flooding occurred in the parishes of Acadia, Catahoula, Concordia, East Carroll, Evangeline, Franklin, Jefferson Davis, Livingston, Madison, St. Landry, and Vermilion.

Related Links:

• Final Eviction Notice to Australians? January 28, 2013
• Australian floods force evacuation of thousands in 2 states January 29, 2013
• Back-to-back Australian Disasters [index page for Australian disasters 2010 – 2013]

Ready to Welcome Climate Refugees?

Brought to you by ‘nonnegotiable lifestyle’

Not a climate refugee yet? You’ll probably have to play host to a few, for now!

Here’s a sample of what may soon be occurring on much larger scales:

About 300,000 people living on the slopes of Mount Elgon, Bududa, Uganda, will be moved: Ugandan Government

The government says another 200,000 people who live in western Uganda, near the Ruwenzori mountains, should also be relocated, bringing the total of people at risk of floods and landslides to a whopping half a million. And that is just the beginning!

Map of Uganda. Click image to enlarge. Source: U.S. Govt. Image enhanced by Fire-Earth.

The total population at risk of landslides and floods is estimated to be 500,000,” Ugandan deputy minister for disaster preparedness, Musa Ecweru said.

He has described the recent deadly mudslide in Bududa as a “wake-up call.”

Fearing more floods and landslides, about 300,000 people have already abandoned their homes in the mountainous regions in Bududa including the districts of Budaka, Butaleja, and Tororo, he said.

His fears are compounded by recent meteorological reports forecasting above normal rainfall throughout the ongoing rainy season which ends in May [but might linger on longer this year.]

Ecweru says most of the mountainous area in eastern border of  his  country with Kenya, especially the slopes of Mount Elgon (located about  about 275km north-east of the capital Kampala), is too dangerous for human habitation.

“The Elgon region has been invaded up to very dangerous slopes and if we don’t relocate these people we are likely to witness a repeat of what we have witnessed,” he said, referring to the massive mudslide last struck the region on March 1.

A woman searches for her missing relatives on a pile of soil in Bududa village, 210 km (130 miles) east-northeast of the Ugandan capital Kampala, March 3, 2010. The landslide in eastern Uganda has killed at least 80 people and villagers are digging with bare hands and simple tools in the hope of finding survivors, a government minister and Ugandan media said on Tuesday. Credit: REUTERS/James Akena. Image may be subject to copyright. For more images click link bottom of page.

According to different reports between 82 and 106 bodies have so far been recovered from the  mudslide in the Bududa district, but the death toll is thought to be between 106 and 350. A fast-moving avalanche of earth buried homes, schools, shops and other structures, turning entire villages into instant graves.

Folks, learn to be a good host, look after any guest who comes your way. Who knows, you could be knocking on other peoples’ door before long.

AND never say, “it would never happen to us!”

Related Links:

• 2010 Disaster Calender
• Storms, Extreme Rain Events, Floods, Landslides
• 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

Related News Links:

• Floods displace over 300,000 people in Uganda
• Uganda plans to resettle 500,000 over mudslide risk
• Over 500,000 people in Uganda at risk of landslides, floods

More images of mudslides:

• Reuters photos

U.S. Weather Forecast March 4, 2010

Rain, Snow with 90 percent Probability of Coastal Flooding

Tides and onshore winds will cause flooding of low areas along the shore

US weather forecast Map  (Still Image) – Click images to enlarge.

US weather Forecast Map (regularly updated)
.

US weather Hazards Map at 13:11UTC March 4, 2010

BELOW: Current Hazard Map.

SEE Forecasts below:

Hazardous marine condition(s):
Gale Warning

ANZ094-041500-
BALTIMORE CANYON TO HAGUE LINE S OF 1000 FM
400 AM EST THU MAR 4 2010

TODAY
N TO NW WINDS 30 TO 40 KT DIMINISHING TO 25 TO 35 KT.
SEAS 13 TO 21 FT SUBSIDING TO 10 TO 18 FT. WINDS AND SEAS
BECOMING HIGHEST E. SCATTERED SHOWERS. ISOLATED TSTMS E OF 68W
EARLY.

TONIGHT
N TO NW WINDS 25 TO 35 KT EARLY…DIMINISHING TO 20
TO 30 KT LATE. SEAS SUBSIDING TO 9 TO 15 FT. HIGHEST WINDS AND
SEAS E. ISOLATED SHOWERS.

FRI AND FRI NIGHT
N TO NW WINDS 20 TO 25 KT. SEAS 9 TO 15
FT…HIGHEST E. ISOLATED SHOWERS.

SAT
N TO NW WINDS DIMINISHING TO 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS SUBSIDING
TO 6 TO 10 FT LATE…HIGHEST SE.

SUN
NW WINDS DIMINISHING TO 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS SUBSIDING TO 3
TO 6 FT LATE…HIGHEST SE.

MON
SW WINDS 10 TO 15 KT EARLY…INCREASING TO W 15 TO 25 KT
LATE. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT BUILDING TO 4 TO 7 FT LATE.
$$

###

SEAS GIVEN AS SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT…WHICH IS THE AVERAGE
HEIGHT OF THE HIGHEST 1/3 OF THE WAVES. INDIVIDUAL WAVES MAY BE
MORE THAN TWICE THE SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT.

AMZ080-041530-
SW N ATLANTIC S OF 31N W OF 65W INCLUDING BAHAMAS
430 AM EST THU MAR 04 2010

GALE WARNING N OF 27N E OF 71W

TODAY
N OF 27N E OF 71W W WINDS 25 TO 35 KT. SEAS 14 TO 20 FT
IN NW SWELL. ELSEWHERE N OF 25N E OF BAHAMAS W TO NW WINDS 20 TO
30 KT. SEAS 8 TO 16 FT IN NW SWELL. W OF BAHAMAS NW WINDS 15 TO
20 KT. SEAS 4 TO 6 FT…EXCEPT 5 TO 8 FT IN STRAITS OF FL.
ELSEWHERE W OF FRONT W TO NW WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 8 TO 14 FT
IN NW SWELL. E OF FRONT SW WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 4 TO 7 FT.
SCATTERED SHOWERS FAR SE WATERS.

TONIGHT
N OF 26N E OF 78W NE OF BAHAMAS W TO NW WINDS 20 TO
30 KT. SEAS 8 TO 16 FT IN NW SWELL. S OF 23N NW TO N WINDS 10 TO
15 KT. SEAS 7 TO 9 FT E OF BAHAMAS AND 3 TO 5 FT W OF BAHAMAS.
ELSEWHERE W OF BAHAMAS NW TO N WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 3 TO 5
FT. FROM 23N TO 26N NW WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 8 TO 11 FT IN NW
SWELL. N OF BAHAMAS W OF 78W NW TO N WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 5
TO 7 FT. SCATTERED SHOWERS FAR SE WATERS.

FRI AND FRI NIGHT
N OF 27N AND FROM 25N TO 27N E OF 73W NW
WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 8 TO 14 FT IN NW SWELL…EXCEPT 5 TO 8
FT W OF 78W. W OF BAHAMAS NW TO N WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 2 TO 4
FT. ELSEWHERE W OF FRONT NW TO N WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 7 TO 10
FT IN NW SWELL. E OF FRONT SW WINDS 5 TO 10 KT. SEAS 6 TO 8 FT.
SCATTERED SHOWERS FAR SE WATERS.

SAT
W OF BAHAMAS N WINDS 15 KT. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT. ELSEWHERE NW
TO N WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 7 TO 10 FT IN N SWELL…EXCEPT 5 TO
7 FT W OF 78W.

SUN
W OF BAHAMAS N TO NE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT IN
N SWELL. ELSEWHERE N WINDS 10 TO 15 KT…EXCEPT BECOMING N TO NE
WINDS 15 TO 20 KT S OF 22N SUN NIGHT. SEAS 7 TO 10 FT IN N
SWELL…EXCEPT 5 TO 7 FT W OF 78W.

MON
N OF 28N W TO NW WINDS 5 TO 10 FT. SEAS 5 TO 7 FT. W OF
BAHAMAS E WINDS 10 KT. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT. ELSEWHERE NE WINDS 5 TO
10 KT. SEAS 6 TO 8 FT IN N SWELL.

Related Links

• Weather
• Satellite Imagery
• World Now

US Southeast floods kill at least 10

Bury your car before it buries you!

Image of the Day: Another washed out bridge

A washed out bridge is shown Monday, Sept. 21, 2009 in Douglasville, Ga. Heavy rain caused flooding in and around the Atlanta area. (AP Photo/John Bazemore). Image may be subject to copyright.

Floods triggered by torrential rain have blocked roads, killing at least a dozen people  in the south-eastern US, including six in the state of Georgia.

One of the victims was reported to be a two-year-old boy who was swept from his father’s arms in one of the worst affected areas, Carroll County, where violent floodwaters  destroyed  the boy’s mobile home.

ANOTHER RAINY NIGHT IN GEORGIA: A motorist abandons her car on Interstate 85 near Lilburn, Ga. early Monday morning after a stalled tropical storm dumped about 60 cm (2ft) of rain in less than 48 hours in the region. (Curtis Compton /Atlanta Journal & Constitution /September 21, 2009, Via LATimes). Image may be subject to copyright.

“Hundreds of roads and bridges were under water or washed out in the Atlanta area and other parts of the state, including 17 bridges on state and interstate highways.” AP reported.

Water rose as high as window-level on some houses in North Carolina’s Polk County, forcing emergency officials to evacuate homes along a seven-mile stretch of road. Flooding in more than 20 counties in western North Carolina closed roads, delayed school and forced evacuations.

As 60cm  (2ft) of rain fell in less than 48 hours, the Governor of Georgia Sonny Perdue declared a state of emergency in 17 counties.

“We are currently focused on rescuing victims of the storms targeting Georgia and preventing further damage,” Perdue said. “State personnel and equipment are being deployed to assist effected communities.”

“Remember, flash floods are the No. 1 weather-related killer in the United States,”  AFP reported Charley English, director of Georgia’s Emergency Management Agency as saying. “Turn around when you come to a flooded area; never drive through flooded roads.”

the states of Alabama, Kentucky, North Carolina and Tennessee have also been affected by flooding, as more heavy rain and flash floods were forecast for the region.

Related News Links:

Storms Pound Southeast; Motorists Trapped In Cars Die As ‘Historic’ Rains Swamp Roads

Related Links:

• FEWW FORECAST: 2009 Likely Wettest Year on Record

• Nature Rejects More Cars
• Car burial day in S. Korea
• Nature’s Assault on Cars Continues
• Drought and Deluge
• Landslides, Floods, Extreme Rain Events

• CO2e Links Page
• World CO2 Emissions
• Carbon Footprint of Your Dollar
• New York Cognitive Dissonance
• Canceling Your Life Insurance Policy with Nature
• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities

Floods and Mudslides

More drought and deluge, more flooding and landslide, just about everywhere!

This season, the extreme weather and rain events may be worse than the previous season, and the worsening pattern is expected to continue.

Brazil

People travel by boat in a flooded street in Trizidela do Vale, state of Maranhao, Brazil, Saturday, May 9, 2009. The flooding in northern Brazil is the worst in 20 years, and experts have warned river levels including the Amazon could hit records not seen since 1953 by June. (AP Photo/Andre Penner). Image may be subject to copyright.

Residents walk on a street which was flooded by the Poti river in Teresina in the northeastern Brazilian state of Piaui May 8, 2009. According to Brazilian Civil Defense, floods and mudslides from months of heavy rains in northern Brazil have driven more than 214,000 from their homes and killed at least 38 people. REUTERS/Paulo Whitaker (BRAZIL ENVIRONMENT DISASTER). Image may be subject to copyright.

An aerial view of streets flooded by Tocantins river in Maraba, north of Brazil May 6, 2009. REUTERS/Paulo Whitaker (BRAZIL ENVIRONMENT DISASTER). Image may be subject to copyright.

Flooding in the southern part of Brazil in November and December 2008 killed about 130 people and left another 40 missing.

Philippines

The Philippines rice production could suffer by as much as 10 percent this season.

Extensive flooding caused by Chan Holm. Image from Reuters Video. Image may be subject to copyright.

Typhoon Chan-Holm, the fifth to hit the Philippines this year, battered the northern Philippines tearing roofs off houses, destroying roads, bridges, and other infrastructure, and felled power lines in several provinces on the main island, Luzon. Heavy rains triggered extensive mudslides killing at least 15 people, officials said on Friday.

“Forecast second quarter national rice production was cut by more than 1 percent after Typhoon Kujira hit the central Philippines last weekend, killing 27 people.” Reuters reported.

Related Links:

• Drought and Deluge

Floods leave 2.5% of Colombia’s population homeless

Colombia’s Rainy Season Won’t Go Away!

1 million people in 27 of Colombia’s 32 districts have been left homeless since mid-September

At least 50,000 people in northern Colombia were left homeless Monday [Dec 15, 2008] after towns and villages were flooded by Magdalena River which broke through its dikes.

In the town of Plato, 4,000 structures were flooded, and 50 houses were washed away, leaving 40,000 people homeless. Water reportedly reached the rooftops of many homes.

“Everything is collapsing — the economic system, the health system, public services,” Mayor Jose Rosales Cortina told reporters.

“We need help,” one anguished woman said on the newscast. “Don’t you see that the town is totally flooded? We don’t have anything in this town. No one helps us here.”

“The water roared. It roared,” said a resident. “The current took you away. You couldn’t hold onto anything. It took away eight houses here.”

“The furniture, the bed, the television, everything is under water,” another resident said.

The Colombian Civil Defense said about 1 million people [2.5% of Colombia’s 44.6 million population] have been left homeless since mid-September, the beginning of Colombia’s rainy season, which has lasted longer than usual.

Officials also said flooding has killed 67 people and injured 94 this year, with 18 people missing in 27 departments. Colombia has 32 Departments, or official administrative districts.

Related Links:

• Floods (Index Page)
• Earth’s Human Induced Antiphase Nears Completion
• First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Landslides (Index Page)

Heavy Rains Flood Central Japan

Heavy rains wreak havoc in central Japan

About 1.5 million people from 500,000 households in Aichi prefecture, central Japan, were ordered to evacuate as heavy rains flooded central Japan Friday, Kyodo News agency reported.

The evacuation orders were later lifted as rain abated; however, the officials warned about more rains in the area.

Cars travel down a flooded street between fields in Okazaki, 230 km (143 miles) west of Tokyo, August 29, 2008. (Credit: Reuters). Image may be subject to copyright.

“While the evacuation order was lifted, we urged residents to be cautious as we expect heavy rains tonight,” said a police official in the city of Okazaki, about 230 kilometers southwest of Tokyo.

“While the evacuation order was lifted, we urged residents to be cautious as we expect heavy rains tonight,” said Naoyuki Kato, a police official in the hardest-hit city of Okazaki, 140 miles (230 kilometers) southwest of Tokyo.

Okazaki, the worst affected city in the area, experienced a recors  downpour of about 15 centimeters per hour, Japan’s Meteorological Agency said.

A 76 year-old woman was drowned in her home, a man was in serious condition, and three others were missing in Okazaki.

Homes are seen flooded after heavy rain in Okazaki, 230 km west of Tokyo August 29, 2008. REUTERS/Kyodo. Image may be subject to copyright.

Other highlights from Asahi Shimbun report:

• The Tokai and Kanto regions were worst affected by the downpours from Thursday through Friday.

• Heavy rain caused floods and landslides across wide areas. A mudslide in Hachioji, western Tokyo, derailed a Keio Takao Line train late Thursday.

• In the 24 hours to 8:50 a.m. Friday, the rainfall had reached 302.5 millimeters.

• As of 6 p.m. Friday, a total of 829 houses in 12 prefectures, including 687 in Aichi, were flooded above floor level.

• In addition, 2,493 houses in 17 prefectures were flooded below floor level.

• In the Kanto region, heavy rain damaged points at Takao Station late Thursday, cancelling 195 train runs and affecting 130,000 people.

• On Thursday night, a Keio Takao Line train was derailed by a mudslide on the tracks.

• Thunderstorms caused power outages to 20,000 households in Tokyo as well as in Kanagawa, Tochigi and Ibaraki prefectures on Friday morning.

• Water levels were critical at six rivers in the Tokai and Kanto regions.

• Sporadic torrential rain could fall again because continued atmospheric instability was expected.

Japanese firefighters search for a missing 80-year-old woman at the Iga river near her damaged house in Okazaki, Aichi prefecture, on August 29.  (AFP/Jiji Press). Image may be subject to copyright.

Related links:

• Workers washed away by sewage inside Tokyo manhole

Stop Nature! She Is Ruining Our Lifestyles

Wildfires are an indispensable tool in Nature’s cycle-of-life toolbox. But … the fires must not be allowed to burn naturally.

If nature can’t provide us with enough rain when we need to put the fires out, or cleanse the air so that the smug doesn’t choke our kids, why should we let her go on?

Having reached the peak of Freudian Assault Against Nature Syndrome, there are only two courses of action available to humanoids:

See Main Entry: Nature Must Be Punished, Look at the Mess California!

Related Links:

• California Inferno Rages On
• The problem is they don’t understand the fires in California!

• Images of the Day: California Fires
• Lightning Safety Awareness Week: June 22-28

• A Few Extreme Events Away

• 2008: Year of the Fire
• Raging Wildfires: Mother Nature ensuring the cycle of life?

• Nature’s Defense Mechanisms

What’s a Hydrokong?

A Shrinking World Series

Is it a mega-tropical storm system, or an extra-tropical cyclone (ETC), i.e., a non-tropical, large-scale low pressure storm system like a Nor’easter?

“Hydrokong” is a colossal atmospheric phenomenon. It’s an extreme precipitation event which is enhanced by circulation changes that increase and concentrate the distribution of water vapor.

Hydrokong! The Storm System as it appeared over the central United States June 12, 2008 04:15 UTC. The still image is an aviation color enhancement of a satellite image.

Globally, as total precipitation increases, the duration or frequency of precipitation events decreases. However, warmer temperatures and regional variation can significantly affect those offsetting behaviors. For example, reduced total precipitation in one region, the Western United States, can significantly increase the intensity of precipitation in another region, the Midwest. Hydrokongs essentially create two extreme events, droughts in one region and flooding caused by mega-intense precipitation in another. As the global temperatures rise, more hydrokongs should be expected.

Another Hydrokong in the making? A new System as it appeared over the central United States June 27, 2008 04:15 UTC. The still image is an aviation color enhancement of a satellite image.

An aviation color enhancement of a floater [updated periodically] satellite image GEOS Eastern U.S. Imagery, NOAA SSD. For full size image right-click on the image and select “View Image.”

In the words of Brian Pierce, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service, describing the aftermath of flooding last week: “We are seeing a historic hydrological event taking place with unprecedented river levels occurring.”

Are Extreme Precipitation Events Earth’s Natural Defense Mechanisms?

Related Links:

• Nature’s Defense Mechanisms
• www.crh.noaa.gov/ahps2/index.php [Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service!]
  

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A Few Extreme Events Away

Our world is a few extreme events away from total catastrophe

India

Widespread flooding caused by extreme monsoon rains has claimed about 100 lives in east and northeast India and left up to a million people homeless. As many as five million people are affected.

Philippines

As Typhoon Fengshen with gusts of of about 200kph lashed across the Philippines, flash floods and landslides killed about 155 people in south of the country. Dozens of people drowned, some of them buried alive after a landslide at a municipal garbage dump.

Meanwhile a 24,000-ton passenger and cargo ferry capsized off central Sibuyan island, with 626 passengers and 121 crew. Only 4 bodies have so far been found.

Guatemala

Large landslides caused by torrential rains have killed up to 10 people and injured others scavenging at a garbage dump near the Guatemalan capital.

California

An “unprecedented” lightening storm sparked about 840 fires in Northern Calif destroying dozens of homes and forcing thousands of residents to flee the area. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered the Calif National Guard to assist the firefighters.

Mars

Meanwhile, as climate change melts the arctic ice mush faster than most scientist had anticipated, NASA reported that the Phoenix Lander has discovered ice on the surface of Mars, near its arctic circle [where else !] The discovery of ice/water on Mars is a key step in establishing whether life has ever existed on the red planet.

It really makes a whole lot of sense worrying about life on Mars as life becomes extinct on Earth! Right?

Related Links:

• Floods
• China “Frankenstein”
• Midwest Flood Victims Feel Misled by Feds
• More levees at risk from surging Mississippi as Bush tours flood areas

• I’m a War President, Not a Weatherman!

• Drought (Index Page)
• In Spain, Water Is a New Battleground
• California ‘Mojavefied’ by 2011?
  

• First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities

mars

Mississippi Levees Breached in 23 Places

A Shrinking World Series

‘We are seeing a historic hydrological event taking place with unprecedented river levels occurring.’ —Brian Pierce, meteorologist, National Weather Service.

Mississippi river surges over at least 23 levees and another 30 barriers are at risk, as the Midwest floods move south.

In 1993, devastating floods, sweeping down Missouri and Mississippi rivers, surged levees and destroyed communities from St. Louis to northern Louisiana.

Mississippi River floodwaters engulf a farm about 15 miles north Quincy, Ill. after the south portion of the Indian Graves levee breached. (Tribune photo by Michael Tercha / June 18, 2008). Image may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair Use Notice!

Midwest Flood Victims Feel Misled by Feds

“They all told us, `The levees are good. You can go ahead and build,”‘ said Parks, who did not buy flood coverage because her bank no longer required it. “We had so much confidence in those levees.”

“People put all their hopes in those levees, and when they do fail, the damage is catastrophic,” said Paul Osman, the National Flood Insurance Program coordinator for Illinois. “New Orleans is the epitome; a lot of those people didn’t even realize they were in a floodplain until the water was up to their roofs.”

“We reported to the president in ’94 that the levee system was in disarray, the levees were not high enough to take care of any potential problem. People didn’t understand their flood risk and there wasn’t good co-ordination across federal, state and local governments,” said Gerald Galloway, a professor of engineering and flood control expert.

“The same thing applies today,” Galloway said. “It’s amazing that in the face of [Hurricane] Katrina and now this particular challenge that we continue to relearn the same lessons.”

Galloway’s recommendations to improve the levee system were basically ignored. He said that he’s experiencing much the same response now from officials as in 1993.

Related Links:

• Floods
• China “Frankenstein”
• Midwest Flood Victims Feel Misled by Feds
• More levees at risk from surging Mississippi as Bush tours flood areas

• Drought (Index Page)
• In Spain, Water Is a New Battleground
• California ‘Mojavefied’ by 2011?
  

• First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities

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Mt. Kurikoma Coughs, Still Comatose!

The Year of Volcanoes, Too?

Steam, hot volcanic plumes rise near Mt. Kurikoma

Japan’s Self-Defense Forces personnel observed Monday hot volcanic plumes about seven kilometers southwest of the summit of Mt. Kurikoma, a 1,627-meter-high volcano located on the border of Miyagi, Iwate and Akita prefectures, Yomiuri Shimbun reported.

Aerial observation from a helicopter showed plumes rising from several spots near both Hanayama in Kurihara, and Yu no Hama hot-spring spa.

Sadato Ueki of Tohoku University’s Research Center for the Prediction of Earthquakes and Volcanic Eruptions said the plumes might be volcanic gases rising to the surface, or steam coming from underground hot water channels whose course was diverted by the powerful Mw 6.8 quake Saturday. The Iwate quake struck about 22km NW of the Mt. Kurikoma summit.

“There’s a possibility that volcanic gases that had been confined below ground are gushing out through fissures in the mountain created by the earthquake,” he said. However, he ruled out increased volcanic activity on Mt. Kurikoma, because the plumes were very far from the volcano’s summit.

Kurikoma volcano last erupted in 1950.

MT. KURIKOMA is a dormant stratovolcano stretching across three prefectures (states) of Miyagi, Iwate and Akita, standing high at an altitude of 1,627.7m.

Kurikoma volcano seen from the SSE with its summit at the right-center, the satellitic cone of Daichimori on the left, and Higashi-Kurikoma on the right. On the opposite side of the volcano, the summit is cut by a 4-km-wide caldera breached to the north that is partially filled by the Tsurugi-dake central cone, once mined for sulfur. (Caption: Source) Image Copyright: Shingo Takeuchi (Japanese Quaternary Volcanoes database, RIODB, http://www.aist.go.jp/RIODB/strata/VOL_JP/index.htm). See FEWW Fair Use Notice!

Coordinates: 38° 57′ 0″ N, 140° 46′ 48″ E
Decimal: 38.95°, 140.78°

Related Links:

• 2008: Year of the Expected Unknowns!
• Will 2008 be year of the tornadoes, too?
• 2008: Year of the Fire

• Volcanoes
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Tornado Kills 4 Scouts

A Shrinking World Series

Deadly twister kills 4, injures 48

A deadly twister, one of about 30 that hovered over four U.S. Midwestern states Wednesday, hit the Little Sioux Scout Ranch in western Iowa , where dozens of scouts were gathered for a “Pohuk Pride” training, killing four people and injuring about 40 others.

“We still have a threat of tornadoes, along with large hail and damaging wind gusts,” said a Storm Prediction Center meteorologist.

GOES Eastern U.S. Imagery Showing the Storm System Over the Central United States

An aviation color enhancement of a floater satellite image [this image is updated periodically.] GEOS Eastern U.S. Imagery, NOAA SSD.

The Storm System as it appeared over the central United States June 12, 2008 04:15 UTC. The still image is an aviation color enhancement of a satellite image.

Related Links:

• US Tornado Brief
• Deadly Storms Hit US Midsection
• Tornado kills four at Iowa boy scout camp

• Deadly Storms Hit US Midsection
• Powerful storms kill 8 in Iowa and Minnesota
• Will 2008 be year of the tornadoes, too?
• 2008: Year of the Fire

feww

Semeru Volcano: Alert Level III

Mount Semeru Volcano Restive, Alert Level III

May 22, 2008

Jakarta – Indonesian authorities on Thursday urged residents living around the slopes of Mount Semeru in Indonesia’s crowded East Java province to keep their distance from the active volcano, which appears to be heating up.

Vulcanologists upgraded the alert status of Mount Semeru volcano to level three, one level below a full state of alert, after the 3,676-metre-high volcano on Wednesday sent hot lava as much as 3,000 metres down its slopes.

Villagers and farmers were urged ‘not to conduct activity at a radius of 4 kilometres from the crater, especially around the south-east of the volcano’s slopes,’ said Surono, head of Indonesia’s Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation at the directorate general of volcanology.

Surono, who like many Indonesians goes only by one name, appealed to residents living on the riverbanks along three different rivers to be cautious of threats posed by lava streams.

However, no immediate evacuation is being considered for residents living in a number villages in the potential danger zone, he said, adding that a team of experts is intensively monitoring Mount Semeru’s activity round-the-clock.

The Mount Semeru volcano, 780 kilometres east of Jakarta, is a popular tourist destination, especially for hikers. Semeru is one of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes.

The Indonesian archipelago, straddling the seismically active ‘Ring of Fire,’ has the world’s highest density of volcanoes. Of its 500 volcanoes, 128 are active and 65 are listed as dangerous. (Source) Copyright respective author or news agency.

The climb to the summit of Semeru is a 2-3 day walk. The mountain stages minor eruptions (like in the photograph) every 20 – 40 minutes. The photo was taken in late afternoon (August 2003) and simply involved walking from the campsite at the base of the climb to the summit around to the west so that the sun was at my back, then waiting for the eruption to start. The most striking aspect of the photo is the colour caused by the almost perpendicular rays of the sun hitting the cloud of dust and steam escaping a couple of thousand metres into the sky from the crater. The photo typifies the fact that Indonesia sits in the middle of the “Ring of Fire”. The many spectacles presented by the landscapes, the festivals and the people of Indonesia never cease to truly amaze me. Photo and caption credit: Campbell Bridge (via Trek Earth at:http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Asia/Indonesia/photo109462.htm)

Semeru: The Most Active Volcano of Java

Semeru also Gunung Semeru is the highest and one of most active volcanoes of Java. Known also as Mahameru (Great Mountain), it is very steep and rises abruptly above the coastal plains of eastern Java. Maars containing crater lakes have formed along a line through the summit. Semeru lies at the south end of the Tengger Volcanic Complex. The steep-sided volcano, also referred to as Mahameru (Great Mountain), rises abruptly to 3676 m above coastal plains to the south. Semeru’s eruptive history is extensive. Since 1818, at least 55 eruptions have been recorded (10 of which resulted in fatalities) consisting of both lava flows and pyroclastic flows. More than 500 people have been killed by Semeru’s eruptions during the last 30 years. Semeru has been in almost continuous eruption since 1967. (Source 1 and 2 )

Semeru is one of many volcanoes in the Pacific Ring of Fire. Graphic courtesy of Darwin VAAC.

Semeru, a stratovolcano, has erupted at least 55 times since 1818. The eruptions are commonly moderate to moderately large (VEI of 2 to 3) and explosive. This photo, taken November 4, 1982, shows a small cloud associated with a Strombolian eruption (relatively low-level volcanic eruptions) . Photo by Jack Lockwood, U.S. Geological Survey. (Source)

Strombolian eruptions are relatively low-level volcanic eruptions, named after the Italian volcano named Stromboli, where such eruptions consist of ejection of incandescent cinder, lapilli and lava bombs to altitudes of tens to hundreds of meters. They are small to medium in volume, with sporadic violence. (Source). Credit: Wolfgang Beyer GNU Free Documentation license, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation.

Semeru eruptions are commonly moderate to moderately large (VEI of 2 to 3). Some of the eruptions produced lahars (a type of mudflow composed of pyroclastic material and water that flows down from a volcano). Semeru’s most recent eruption began in 1967 and has continued to the present. In August of 1994, explosions occurred at 15-20 minute intervals. In February of 1995, pyroclastic avalanches traveled about 0.6 mile (1 km) from the summit.

Semeru, 1985. A USGS Photo.

Related News:

• Indonesia raises alert level for Java volcano Radio Australia
• Indonesia Raises Alert For Volcano On Java Island Javno.hr
• Heat clouds raise Indonesian volcano alert AFP

Related Links:

• Satellite picture by Google Maps
• Smithsonian Institution Global Volcanism Program: Semeru
• Indonesia Volcanoes and Volcanics [USGS]
• Volcanological Survey of Indonesia (VSI)

• Volcanoes
• Philippines Taal Volcano Could Erupt Anytime!
• The Power of Chaitén Volcano
• Volcanoes, Santorini Eruption and Crops Failure in China

• Chaitén Volcano Still Active
• Chaitén Volcano: No End Seen to Second Massive Eruption
• Chile: Volcano activity prompts mass evacuation
• Mt Ruapehu Eruption Alert

Philippines Taal Volcano Could Erupt Anytime!

UPDATE: Latest From TAAL and other Philippines Volcanoes

Taal May Erupt at Anytime

FEWW team believes there is a strong probability that the Taal Volcano, a Pelean-type active volcano on the island of Luzon, might erupt this month. Taal volcano is designated as one of the 16 Decade Volcanoes by International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth’s Interior (IAVCEI). Located about 50 km south of the capital, Manila, Taal is surrounded by populated areas.

Taal has erupted violently several times (the last eruption was in 1977). The current death toll caused by its activities stands at about 6,000.

More seismic activities in the region should be expected.

Taal Volcano Seen through Lake Taal (Photo: Jhun Taboga)

A cinder cone in an acidic lake on Taal Volcano (Credit: JG Moore of the US Geological Survey)

Major volcanoes of the Philippines

Pacific Ring of Fire

The Pacific Ring of Fire is an area of frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions encircling the basin of the Pacific Ocean. The Ring of Fire has 452 volcanoes and is home to over 75% of the world’s active and dormant volcanoes. Ninety percent of the world’s earthquakes and 80% of the world’s largest earthquakes occur along the Ring of Fire. The Ring of Fire is a direct result and consequence of plate tectonics and the movement and collisions of crustal plates. (Source)

Plate Tectonics

World’s 14 major tectonic plates plus the Scotia plate. Mapped in the second half of the 20th century to explain the observed evidence for large scale motions of the Earth’s lithosphere. The lithosphere is broken up into tectonic plates. The surface of the Earth consists of a further 38 [40] minor plates.

The largest of the major plates are

• African Plate, containing Africa – Continental plate
• Antarctic Plate, containing Antarctica – Continental plate
• Australian Plate, containing Australia (fused with Indian Plate about 50 million years ago) – Continental plate
• Eurasian Plate containing Asia and Europe – Continental plate
• North American Plate containing North America and north-east Siberia – Continental plate
• South American Plate containing South America – Continental plate
• Pacific Plate, covering the Pacific Ocean – Oceanic plate

See also

• Plates list.
• Detailed map showing the tectonic plates with their movement vectors.
• Plate motion based on Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite data from NASA JPL

Earthquakes, volcanic activity, mountain-building, and oceanic trench formation occur along plate boundaries. The lateral movement of the plates is typically at speeds of 5 – 10 cm/yr. (Read more …)

Recent Earthquakes [Kurile through Kermadec trenches]

[Time at epicenter]

• Magnitude 4.8; Depth of 48.7 km; SOUTHEAST OF THE LOYALTY ISLANDS; Sunday, May 18, 2008 at 10:03:52 PM
• Magnitude 5.6; Depth of 35 km; SOUTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA; May 18, 2008 at 07:17:24 PM
• Magnitude 4.6; Depth of 74.1km; MINDORO, PHILIPPINES; Sunday, May 18, 2008 at 07:24:17 PM
• Magnitude 4.9; Depth of 10 km; SABAH, MALAYSIA; Sunday, May 18, 2008 at 02:26:41 PM
• Magnitude 4.9; Depth of 31.3 km; NIAS REGION, INDONESIA; Sunday, May 18, 2008 at 09:59:59 AM
• Magnitude 4.4; Depth of 242.4 km;KYUSHU, JAPAN; Sunday, May 18, 2008 at 07:15:06 AM
• Magnitude 5.2; Depth of 127.1 km, MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES, Saturday, May 17, 2008 at 10:17:30 PM
• Magnitude 5.1; Depth of 151.2 km; SOUTH OF THE KERMADEC ISLANDS; Saturday, May 17, 2008 at 02:23:17 PM
• Magnitude 5.3; Depth of 150.4 km; NEW BRITAIN REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA; Saturday, May 17, 2008 at 03:35:14 AM
• Magnitude 5.4; Depth of 35 km; SOUTH OF THE KERMADEC ISLANDS; Friday, May 16, 2008 at 11:06:51 PM
• Magnitude 5.3; Depth of 41 km; SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS REGION; Friday, May 16, 2008 at 09:19:07 AM
• Magnitude 4.9; Depth of 606.3 km; FIJI REGION; Thursday, May 15, 2008 at 10:46:02 AM
• Magnitude 5.1; Depth of 35 km; TONGA; Friday, May 16, 2008 at 03:06:15 AM
• Magnitude 5.0; Depth of 25.8 km; KURIL ISLANDS; Wednesday, May 14, 2008 at 08:20:43 AM
• Magnitude 5.2; Depth of 52.5 km; LUZON, PHILIPPINES; Wednesday, May 14, 2008 at 05:48:32 AM
• Magnitude 5.2; Depth of 40.8 km; LUZON, PHILIPPINES; Depth of 40.8 km; Tuesday, May 13, 2008 at 10:14:30 PM
• Magnitude 5.4; Depth of 35 km; NORTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA; Tuesday, May 13, 2008 at 05:29:19 PM
• Magnitude 5.0; Depth of 36.7 km; TAIWAN REGION; Tuesday, May 13, 2008 at 06:57:46 AM
• Magnitude 4.6; Depth of 509 km; SOUTH OF THE FIJI ISLANDS; Monday, May 12, 2008 at 04:34:05 AM

[Source: USGS]

Global earthquake epicentres, 1963–1998 (Image: NASA)

Philippines Other Major Volcanoes: Mayon Volcano

Mayon Volcano as viewed from Lingñon Hill in Daraga, Albay. Mayon, located between the Eurasian and the Philippine Plate, is a convergent plate boundary. It is the most active volcano in the Philippines, having erupted over 47 times in the past 400 years. Last eruption: 2006. (Copyrigh by Tam3rd via Wikimedia)

Canlaon Volcano

Canlaon, a stratovolcano, is located in the north central part of the island of Negros. Last eruption: 2006.

Weather clouds drape the sparsely vegetated summit of Kanlaon volcano (also spelled Canlaon). Kanlaon is the most active of the central Philippines and forms the highest point on the island of Negros. The massive 2435-m-high stratovolcano is dotted with fissure-controlled pyroclastic cones and craters, many of which are filled by lakes. Historical eruptions, recorded since 1866, have typically consisted of phreatic explosions of small-to-moderate size that produce minor ashfalls near the volcano. Photo courtesy of PHIVOLCS. Caption GVP

Ragang volcano

Ragang volcano (above and to the right of the center of image) is located in central Mindanao. Last eruption: 1916. Thanks mainly to the Filipino government and its education authorities, no other image of Ragnag Volcano could be found at the time of writing. NASA Space Shuttle image STS61A-40-71, 1985 (http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/).

There are 22 active volcanoes in the Philippines: Babuyan Claro, Banahaw, Bulusan, Mount Biliran, Bud Dajo, Cagua, Camiguin de Babuyanes, Didicas, Hibok-Hibok, Iraya, Mount Iriga, Mount Kanlaon, Leonard Kniaseff, Makaturing, Matutum, Mayon, Musuan, Mount Parker (Cotabato), Pinatubo, Ragang, Smith Volcano, Taal.

See also: List of volcanoes in the Philippines

Related Links:

• The Power of Chaitén Volcano
• Volcanoes, Santorini Eruption and Crops Failure in China
• Chaitén Volcano Still Active

• Parts of pyroplastic chamber fall around Chaitén volcano
• RESIDENTS IN CHILE VOLCANO ZONE WITHOUT DRINKING WATER
• CHILE VOLCANO ZONE MAY BE PERMANENTLY UNLIVABLE

• Volcano gets active, region is evacuated
• Thousands evacuated as Chile volcano spews ash
• Will one or both of New Zealand islands break up and sink in the south-western Pacific Ocean?

• Chile: Volcano activity prompts mass evacuation
• A Shrinking World: Salmon and livestock removed from Chaiten volcano range

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Ghost towns

Philippines Taal Volcano Could Erupt Anytime!

Page Updated:

Tropical storm Halong pounds northern Philippines

Halong triggers floods and landslides

Tropical storm Halong lashes northern Philippines with 95 km per hour winds on Sunday, triggering floods and landslides.

Rescuers are seen pushing their jeep through a street submerged by floodwaters in Iloilo City, central Philippines, on May 15. Tropical storm Halong battered the northern Philippines on Sunday with powerful winds triggering floods and landslides and displacing about 6,000 people, relief officials said.
(AFP/File/Tara Yap) Image may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair Use Notice!

Large areas of the northwestern coast of Luzon, the main Philippine island, experienced a blackout while about 6,000 people were displaced. Residents of low-lying areas and those living near mountain slopes throughout Luzon were urged to “take all the necessary precautions against possible flashfloods and landslides,” as the storm was intensifying the seasonal southwest monsoon winds. (Source)

Related Links:

• The Power of Chaitén Volcano
• Volcanoes, Santorini Eruption and Crops Failure in China
• Chaitén Volcano Still Active

• Parts of pyroplastic chamber fall around Chaitén volcano
• RESIDENTS IN CHILE VOLCANO ZONE WITHOUT DRINKING WATER
• CHILE VOLCANO ZONE MAY BE PERMANENTLY UNLIVABLE

• Volcano gets active, region is evacuated
• Thousands evacuated as Chile volcano spews ash
• Will one or both of New Zealand islands break up and sink in the south-western Pacific Ocean?

• Chile: Volcano activity prompts mass evacuation
• A Shrinking World: Salmon and livestock removed from Chaiten volcano range

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Ghost towns

Food: Worse times ahead

Climate Change + Higher temperatures + Droughts + Floods + Soil erosion + Loss of topsoil + Pollution + Ground-level Ozone = Much Less Food in the Future

Scientists are warning that global warming would present great challenges on the way to produce more food in the future.

“There certainly are going to be lots of challenges in the future. Temperature is one of them, water is another,” said Lisa Ainsworth, a molecular biologist with the United States Department of Agriculture.

“In Northeastern China, low temperatures, a short growing season and lack of water limit production, so rising temperatures in the future may have beneficial impacts there,” said Ainsworth.

“However, in the southern parts of the country, higher temperatures will likely cause yield losses,” she told the reporters.

Higher temperatures coupled with ground-level ozone, which is produced as a result of sunlight interacting with greenhouse gases, added to extremes of floods and droughts is a recipe for disaster.

Ozone is a growing problem in the northern hemisphere and is already costing farmers billion of dollars in crop damage.

Effect of increasing ozone concentration (left to right: about 15, 80 and 150 ppb) on growth of (A) Pima cotton and nutsedge grown in direct competition with one nutsedge per cotton; (B) tomato and nutsedge
grown in direct competition with nutsedge (two-to-one); and (C) yellow nutsedge grown in the absence of competition. (Photo and caption: David A. Grantz & Anil Shrestha, UC Kearney Agricultural Center )

“In the major rice-growing regions, which are India and China, ground-level ozone concentrations even today are very high and certainly exceed the threshold for damage. Ozone is already decreasing yield potential in many areas,” Ainsworth said.

Significant amounts of rice yield are lost annually due to various abiotic stresses (e.g., salinity, droughts). Rice is the staple diet for about half of the world population, and about 90 percent of the world’s rice is produced in Asia.

UN experts believe that in low-latitude regions, slightest temperature rises of about 1ºC could affect crop yields.

The atmospheric CO2 levels have now reached about 388 parts per million from about 280 ppm prior to the Industrial Revolution.

“There is still a lot of uncertainty in the climate modeling when it comes to the regional level,” said Reiner Wassmann coordinator of the Rice and Climate Change Consortium at IRRI. “But it was clear temperatures would rise.”

A train travels along the flooded Darbhanga-Sitamadhi railway line in Bihar in this August 2, 2007 file photo. Massive monsoon floods in eastern India damaged vast areas of corn and affected the rice crop, government officials and farm experts said on Tuesday, adding that losses are being assessed. REUTERS/Krishna Murari Kishan (image may be subject to copyright!) See FEWW Fair Use notice.

“The other mega trend we see is that we will have more climate extremes. In some places there might be more drought, in others it may be submergence, from floods, in some places it might be both,” said Wassmann.

Lake Hartwell, February 2008, western South Carolina. Photo courtesy South Carolina Department of Natural Resources staff. (Source UNL)

“That is really a new challenge for development of cropping systems and I don’t want to limit it to only plant breeding. We have to be clear that this is no silver bullet and that if we speed-up plant breeding everything will be fine. Certainly not.

“We also have to improve crop management and water saving techniques have come into the picture to cope with drought,” he said. (Source)

High ozone levels can damage leaves on trees and crops (such as corn, wheat, and soybeans), reducing growth rates and crop yields. In 1995, ground-level ozone caused $2.7 billion in crop damage nationwide, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Due to its reactive nature, ozone also can prematurely degrade and wear out rubber, paints and other materials. (Source)

Related Links:

• Food in the Future
• Farmers face climate challenge in quest for more food
• Trends in Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide – Mauna Loa
• Ozone reduces crop yields and alters competition with weeds such as yellow nutsedge

• Fueling Food Shortages
• Corn for Food, NOT for Fuel
• Food Riots Grip Egypt, Haiti, El Salvador
• Emerging Food Crisis
• World Poverty Index

-..-

Northern Ontario Flooded

Flood forces 2nd day of evacuations in northern Ontario

CBC News – As many as 2,000 people were expected to be airlifted Sunday from three communities in northern Ontario after rapidly rising water levels and melting ice prompted local leaders to declare an emergency. The rising Albany River is threatening the communities of Kashechewan [in Cree, “Keeshechewan” means “where the water flows fast”] and Fort Albany near James Bay. Rising water levels were also threatening the community of Attawapiskat.

Residents are expected to be away from home for six to eight weeks. (Source)

Bangladesh coastal population threatend by sea level rise

Country in Focus: Bangladesh

Satellite image of Bangladesh (Photo credit NASA)

Geography

• Land Area: 136,000 km² (US comparative: slightly smaller than Iowa)
  [Global rank by area: 94th]
• Water 10,325 km²
• Coastline: 580 km

Elevation extremes

• Lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
• Highest point: Peak, the Mowdok range, 1052m

Most of the country is situated on deltas of large rivers flowing from the Himalayas: the Ganges unites with the Jamuna (main channel of the Brahmaputra) and later joins the Meghna to eventually empty into the Bay of Bengal (Source: CIA, The World Factbook)

Land use

• Arable land: 55.39%
• Permanent crops: 3.08%
• Other: 41.53% (2005)

Map of Bangladesh (Source: CIA, The World Factbook)

Population

• 2007 Estimate: 150,448,340
  [Global Rank by population: 7th]
• Density: 1106/km²
  [Global Rank by population: 11th]
• The population of Bangladesh rose from 75 million in 1971, to more than 150 million in 2007.
• The population is still growing at an annual rate of about 2 percent.

Environmental issues
many people are landless and forced to live on and cultivate flood-prone land; water-borne diseases prevalent in surface water; water pollution, especially of fishing areas, results from the use of commercial pesticides; ground water contaminated by naturally occurring arsenic; intermittent water shortages because of falling water tables in the northern and central parts of the country; soil degradation and erosion; deforestation; severe overpopulation (Source: CIA, The World Factbook)

• About 10 million people are threatened by annual floods and storms.
• About 4,500 people were killed and at least two million were made homeless homeless as a result of two massive floods and a cyclone in 2007.
• Extreme climate events destroyed about 2 million tonnes of rice, the country’s main staple, in 2007.

Ganges River Delta, Bangladesh and India (Image: NASA)

Bangladesh is threatened by

• Climate Change
• Rising population
• Shrinking farmland

3/4 of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, under water (2004)
Bangladeshi Children and adults move through flood stricken areas.
[Photo Credit: University of Alabama]

Related Links:

• Sea level rise in Bangladesh threatens coastal population
• Photo Flood 2000 (15 images)
• Flood 98 – Bangladesh – Photo Gallery (57 images)
• Floods in Bangladesh photo gallery (UNICEF UK)
• In pictures: South Asia flood chaos
• Photo Gallery: Bangladesh