Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
5.4 earthquake hits Kenai peninsula, Alaska.
5.0 earthquake has North Island, New Zealand.
5.0 earthquake hits Magadanskaya Oblast, Russia.
Storms and Floods
Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:
There are currently no active tropical storm systems.
Newsbytes:
Cameroon – Powerful flash floods raced through streets in the city of Buea, the capital of the Southwest Region of Cameroon, on 18 March 2023. Dozens of buildings and homes were destroyed or damaged, leaving families homeless. One person reportedly died after being dragged by flood water. A further five people were reported injured. The city of around 300,000 inhabitants is situated on the eastern slopes of Mount Cameroon. Local observers said heavy rain on 18 March flowed down the steep slopes and into residential and business areas of the city. The city’s poor drainage infrastructure was unable to cope.
Syria – Dozens of camps for displaced people in northwestern Syria have been damaged by flooding after a heavy storm hit the region late on Saturday. Torrential rain overnight in the western countryside of Idlib province damaged hundreds of shelters, many of which were recently set up to house the survivors of two February 6 earthquakes. Roads were also impassable in some areas.
Environment
Amazon Deforestation Rises
Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest rose in February to the highest level on record for the month, preliminary official data showed on Friday, highlighting challenges the new government faces to stop the destruction.
Space research agency Inpe’s data showed 322 square km (124 square miles) were cleared in the region last month, up 62% from February 2022 and well above the average of 166 square km for the period.
Global Warming
Marine Heatwaves
Heatwaves unfolding on the bottom of the ocean can be more intense and last longer than those on the sea surface, new research suggests, but such extremes in the deep ocean are often overlooked.
Bottom heatwaves ranged from 0.5 degrees Celisus to 3C warmer than normal temperatures and could last more than six months — much longer than heatwaves at the surface. Surface heatwaves can be picked up by satellites and can result in huge algal blooms. But, Amaya said, often no one knows a bottom marine heatwave is happening until the impacts show up in commercial bottom-dwelling species like lobsters and crabs.
The ocean has absorbed about 90% of the excess heat from global warming, with the ocean’s average temperature increasing by about 0.9C over the last century. Marine heatwaves have become about 50% more frequent over the past decade. Past bottom marine heatwaves have decimated Pacific cod and snow crab populations which declined by 75% following the big marine heatwave in 2015. Warmer water, he said, can increase the energy needs of species at the same time that there’s less prey available for them to eat, leading to more deaths and fewer births.
Disease
Botulism – Europe
From late February 2023 to 10 March 2023, 67 cases of botulism, probably of iatrogenic origin, related to intragastric injection of botulinum toxin (BTX) were reported in Germany (12), Austria (1), Switzerland (1) and Turkey (53). Information currently available indicates that all patients underwent medical intervention to reduce body weight between February 22 and March 1, 2023.
Among the 63 cases with available detailed information, 60 cases are reported in an epidemiological context with treatment administered by a private hospital in Istanbul, and another three cases are related to treatment in a private hospital in Izmir, Turkey. Due to the varying severity of the clinical picture of botulism, it is possible that some cases may still be identified.