Earth Report – Global Disaster Watch
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
5.8 earthquake hits Tonga.
5.6 earthquake hits Mindanao in the Philippines.
5.2 earthquake hits the E’Entrecasteaux Islands.
5.1 earthquake hits Alaska.
5.1 earthquake hits central Peru.
5.0 earthquake hits eastern Xizang, China.
Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:
In the Atlantic Ocean: Hurricane Isaias is located about 15 mi…25 km ssw of Great Inagua island and about 385 mi…620 km se of Nassau with maximum sustained winds…80 mph…130 km/h. Present movement…nw or 305 degrees at 17 mph…28 km/h.
NewsBytes:
Niger and Mali – In Niger, 9 people have died, 20,174 people have been affected and 2,244 houses have been destroyed. The worst hit areas are the regions of Maradi and Tahoua, with respectively 13,667 and 4,173 people affected. According to the Ministry of the Interior, 17 people have been injured and 9 people have lost their lives, including five by drowning and four in the collapse of houses. Meanwhile in neighbouring Mali, floods have affected 7,648 people, including 5,406 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Mopti Region. Flooding was also reported in Gao and assessments are ongoing.
Caribbean – Thursday, Isaias slammed the Dominican Republic with heavy rainfall and strong winds. A tropical storm watch is listed for the east coast of Florida from Ocean Reef to Sebastian Inlet and for Lake Okeechobee. The center has warned of the risk of winds, heavy rainfall and storm surge this weekend along Florida’s east coast and spreading northward along the U.S. East Coast through early next week.
Global Quiet
The plunge in human activities worldwide in recent months due to the pandemic has brought the longest and most pronounced quiet period of seismic noise in recorded history. An international team of scientists write in the journal Science that the relative quiet has allowed them to detect previously concealed earthquake signals, which could help us more accurately tell the difference in the future between man-made and natural seismic noise. The typically quiet periods around Christmas, New Year’s and the Chinese New Year have been eclipsed by the decline of industrial production, transport and service industries brought on by COVID-19.
Global Temperature Extremes
The week’s hottest temperature was 123 degrees Fahrenheit (50.6 degrees Celsius) in Al Qaysumah, Saudi Arabia.
The week’s coldest temperature was minus 106.0 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 76.7 degrees Celsius) at Vostok, Antarctica.
Temperatures were tabulated from the more than 10,000 worldwide synoptic weather stations. The United Nations World Meteorological Organization sets the standards for weather observations, and provides a global telecommunications circuit for data distribution.
COVID-19
The countries with the 10 greatest number of Covid-19 cases:
Dengue Fever – Brazil
In an update on the dengue fever situation in Brazil, officials in Paraná state report 157 deaths and 217,891 confirmed cases of dengue since July 2019, when the current epidemiological period began.
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity – Ongoing Activity for the Week 22 July 2020 – 28 July 2020
Dukono | Halmahera (Indonesia) : Based on information from PVMBG and satellite data the Darwin VAAC reported that ash plumes from Dukono rose to 2.1-2.3 km (7,000-8,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted N, NW, and W during 22-26 and 28 July. The Alert Level remained at a 2 (on a scale of 1-4), and the public was warned to remain outside of the 2-km exclusion zone.
Ebeko | Paramushir Island (Russia) : Volcanologists in Severo-Kurilsk (Paramushir Island), about 7 km E of Ebeko, observed explosions during 17-24 July that sent ash plumes up to 3.5 km (11,500 ft) a.s.l. and drifted in multiple directions. A thermal anomaly over the volcano was identified in satellite images each day; an ash cloud 11×13 km in size drifted 30 km SE on 22 July. The Aviation colour Code remained at Orange (the second highest level on a four-colour scale).
Popocatepetl | Mexico : CENAPRED reported that each day during 22-27 July there were 2-107 steam-and-gas emissions from Popocatépetl, some of which contained minor amounts of ash. Crater incandescence was visible most nights. Gas, steam, and ash plumes rose as high as 2 km above the crater rim and drifted NW, WSW, and SW. Minor ashfall was reported on 23 and 27 July in areas downwind, including in Tetela del Volcán (20 km SW), Ocuituco (24 km SW), Atlatlahucán (30 km WSW), Yecapixtla (20 km W), Yautepec (50 km WSW), and Jiutepec (60 km WSW), in the state of Morelos, as well as in Tlalmanalco (30 km NW), Juchitepec, Tepetlixpa (20 km W), Atlautla (17 km W), Ozumba (18 km W), and Ecatzingo (15 km SW), in the state of Mexico. Incandescent material was ejected a short distance from the crater on 25 July and was followed by minor ashfall in Ecatzingo, Atlautla, Tepetlixpa, and Juchitepec. Incandescent material was again ejected a short distance from the crater during 26-27 July. Explosions were recorded at 1135 on 27 July and 0511 on 28 July. Minor ashfall was reported in the municipalities of Tlalmanalco (30 km NW), Ayapango (22 km NW), Temamatla (32 km NW), Ecatepec, Valle de Chalco (44 km NW), Texcoco (60 km NNW), Tezoyuca (68 km NNW), Tepetlaoxtoc, Naucalpan (80 km NW), Atizapán (90 km NW), Huixquilucan (85 km NW), Nicolás Romero (95 km NW), and Tlalnepantla (80 km NW) in the state of México. The Alert Level remained at Yellow, Phase Two (middle level on a three-colour scale).
Reventador | Ecuador : On 23 July IG reported that activity at Reventador remained high. A slight increase in surficial activity during the previous two weeks was characterized by ash emissions along with pyroclastic flows that descended the W, N, and NE flanks. Ash plumes rose 0.7-1.3 km above the crater rim and drifted several kilometers NW, W, and SW. Incandescent blocks preferentially rolled down the N and NE flanks, though sometimes material was ejected onto all of the flanks.
Rincon de la Vieja | Costa Rica : OVSICORI-UNA reported that periodic phreatic explosions at Rincón de la Vieja were recorded by the seismic network and webcams during 22-25 July. Sometimes the events were not visually confirmed due to weather conditions. Small eruptive events were recorded during 0700-0900 on 22 July, and during the first part of the day on 23 July; a minor steam plume was visible at 0536 on 23 July. An eruptive event at 0153 on 25 July produced a plume that rose 1 km above
Semeru | Eastern Java (Indonesia) : PVMBG reported that white-and-gray ash plumes from Semeru rose 300-500 m above the summit and drifted S and W during 23-26 and 28 July. Weather conditions prevented visual observations on 22 and 27 July. The Alert Level remained at 2 (on a scale of 1-4), and the public was reminded to stay outside of the general 1-km radius from the summit and 4 km on the SSE flank.
Sheveluch | Central Kamchatka (Russia) : KVERT reported that a thermal anomaly over Sheveluch was identified in satellite images during 17-24 July. The Aviation colour Code remained at Orange (the second highest level on a four-colour scale).
Suwanosejima | Ryukyu Islands (Japan) : JMA reported that nighttime incandescence at Suwanosejima’s Ontake Crater was occasionally visible during 17-24 July. An explosion at 2247 on 22 July generated a gray plume that rose as high as 1.2 km above the crater rim and ejected large rocks as far as 300 m from the crater. The Tokyo VAAC reported that during 25-27 July ash plumes rose to 1.8-2.7 km (6,000-9,000 ft) a.s.l. (1-1.9 km above the crater rim) and drifted NW, N, NE. The Alert Level remained at 2 (on a 5-level scale).
Villarrica | Chile : ONEMI reported that during 1-15 July activity at Villarrica was characterized by nighttime crater incandescence, gas emission, and sporadic tephra emissions. SERNAGEOMIN reported that a long-period earthquake associated with a moderate explosion in the summit crater was recorded at 1807 on 25 July. The Alert Level remained at Yellow, the second lowest level on a four-colour scale. ONEMI maintained an Alert Level Yellow (the middle level on a three-colour scale) for the municipalities of Villarrica, Pucón (16 km N), Curarrehue, and the commune of Panguipulli, and changed the exclusion zone for the public to a radius of 500 m around the crater.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
5.9 earthquake hits the Izu Islands off Japan.
5.2 earthquake hits the Ceram Sea, Indonesia.
5.0 earthquake hits Tonga.
5.0 earthquake hits eastern Xizang, China.
5.0 earthquake hits western Xizang, China.
Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:
In the Atlantic Ocean: Tropical Storm Isaias is located about 100 mi…165 km wsw of Ponce Puerto Rico and about 160 mi…255 km se of Santo Domingo Dominican Republic with maximum sustained winds…60 mph…95 km/h. Present movement…nw or 305 degrees at 21 mph…33 km/h.
NewsBytes:
South Korea – At least 2 people have died in South Korea in the third deadly flood event in the country this month. Torrential rain affected South Chungcheong and North Jeolla provinces and the city of Daejeon, 29 to 30 July. Flash flooding in Daejeon damaged around 100 buildings including a hospital, flooded parking lots and swamped roads and railway lines. Two flood-related fatalities were reported in the city.
Myanmar – The Ayeyarwady River burst its banks, and 6,516 locals from 1,451 households in some areas of Sagaing Region were evacuated from their homes, state media reported. Around 20,000 people have affected by flooding along the Ayeyarwady River in Myanmar, according to Red Cross reports.
Increasing Arctic freshwater is driven by climate change
New, first-of-its-kind research from CU Boulder shows that climate change is driving increasing amounts of freshwater in the Arctic Ocean. Within the next few decades, this will lead to increased freshwater moving into the North Atlantic Ocean, which could disrupt ocean currents and affect temperatures in northern Europe.
Since the 1990s, the Arctic Ocean has seen a 10% increase in its freshwater. That’s 2,400 cubic miles (10,000 cubic kilometers), the same amount it would take to cover the entire U.S. with 3 feet of water.
The salinity in the ocean isn’t the same everywhere, and the Arctic Ocean’s surface waters are already some of the freshest in the world due to large amounts of river runoff.
This freshwater is what makes sea ice possible: it keeps cold water at the surface, instead of allowing this denser liquid to sink below less dense, warm water. In this way, the Arctic Ocean is much different than other oceans. But as more freshwater exits the Arctic, this same stabilizing mechanism could disrupt the ocean currents in the North Atlantic that moderate winter temperatures in Europe.
Such disruptions have happened before, during the “great salinity anomalies” of the 1970s and 80s. But these were temporary events. If too much cold freshwater from the Arctic continuously flows into the North Atlantic, the ocean turnover could be disrupted more permanently.
COVID-19
The countries with the 10 greatest number of Covid-19 cases:
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity – New Activity for the Week 22 July 2020 – 28 July 2020
Copahue | Central Chile-Argentina border : SERNAGEOMIN and SEGEMAR reported that elevated seismicity (continuous tremor) at Copahue was recorded on 16 July and accompanied by ash emissions observed by local residents. Sulfur dioxide emissions were anomalous on 4, 6, and 20 July; values were 2,100 and 1,713 tons per day on 2 and 4 July, respectively, on the high end of normal values. On 20 July residents of La Araucanía described an odor indicating hydrogen sulfide gas emissions. On 23 July the Alert Level was raised to Yellow (the second lowest level on a four-colour scale). ONEMI raised a Yellow Alert (the middle level on a three-colour scale) for residents of the Alto Biobío municipality and access to an area within 1 km of El Agrio Crater was restricted to the public.
Nishinoshima | Japan : Based on satellite data, the Tokyo VAAC reported that during 22-28 July ash plumes from Nishinoshima rose to 2.4-5.2 km (8,000-17,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted in multiple directions.
Turrialba | Costa Rica : OVSICORI-UNA reported that during 22-23 July white steam plumes from Turrialba contained a minor amount of ash on one occasion.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
5.4 earthquake hits Alaska.
5.3 earthquake hits near the coast of southern Peru.
5.1 earthquake hits Alaska.
5.0 earthquake hits the South Sandwich Islands.
Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:
In the Atlantic Ocean: Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine is located about 55 mi…90 km wsw of Dominica and about 350 mi…560 km se of San Juan Puerto Rico with maximum sustained winds…45 mph…75 km/h. Present movement…wnw or 290 degrees at 23 mph…37 km/h.
In the Central Pacific Ocean: Tropical Storm Douglas is located about 320 mi…515 km se of Midway island and about 1065 mi…1715 km w of Honolulu Hawaii with maximum sustained winds…40 mph…65 km/h. Present movement…w or 275 degrees at 23 mph…37 km/h.
NewsBytes:
Japan – More torrential rain has caused flooding and mudslides in Japan following the disaster in southern prefectures that left over 50 dead or missing earlier this month. Heavy rain has been falling in northern area of the country since 27 July. Several locations in Yamagata recorded more than 200mm of rain in 24 hours on 28 July. The Mogami River in the prefecture broke its banks, flooding houses and roads in several areas including the town of Oishida as well as in Okura. According to prefecture officials, around 90 homes have been damaged by the flooding and nearly 2,500 people have been evacuated. One person was reported injured.
Forests Migrate — But Not Fast Enough For Climate Change
We’re all familiar with migration: Wildebeests gallop across Africa, Monarch butterflies flit across the Americas … but forests migrate, too, an agonizingly slow migration, as forests creep inch by inch to more hospitable places.
Individual trees are rooted in one spot. As old trees die and new ones sprouts up, the forest is — ever so slightly — moving. A forest sends seeds just beyond its footprint in every direction, but the seeds that go to the north — assuming the north is the more hospitable direction — thrive a little more than the ones that fall to the south. Over time, this forest would march steadily northwards.
Soil animals are getting smaller with climate change
The biomass of small animals that decompose plants in the soil and thus maintain its fertility is declining both as a result of climate change and over-intensive cultivation. To their surprise, however, scientists have discovered that this effect occurs in two different ways: while the changing climate reduces the body size of the organisms, cultivation reduces their frequency. Even by farming organically, it is not possible to counteract all negative consequences of climate change.
Largely unnoticed and in secret, an army of tiny service providers works below our feet. Countless small insects, arachnids and other soil dwellers are indefatigably busy decomposing dead plants and other organic material, and recycling the nutrients they contain. However, experts have long feared that these organisms, which are so important for soil fertility and the functioning of ecosystems, are increasingly coming under stress.
On the one hand, they are confronted with the consequences of climate change, which challenges them with high temperatures and unusual precipitation conditions with more frequent droughts. On the other hand, they also suffer from over-intensive land use.