Earth Report – Global Disaster Watch
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
5.7 earthquake hits south of Fiji.
5.5 earthquake hits the Flores Sea.
5.2 earthquake hits the Andreanof Islands in the Aleutian Islands.
5.0 earthquake hits the Balleny Islands.
5.0 earthquake hits Vanuatu.
5.0 earthquake hits the Kuril Islands.
5.0 earthquake hits near the north coast of New Guinea, Papua New Guinea.
Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:
In the Eastern Pacific Ocean: Remnants of Tropical Depression Six-E are about 615 mi…990 km wsw of the southern tip of Baja California with maximum sustained winds…30 mph…45 km/h. Present movement…w or 280 degrees at 17 mph…28 km/h.
NewsBytes:
India – Flooding caused by monsoon rainfall continues to affect over 2 million people in north eastern states of India, including Assam, Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh and West Bengal.
Bangladesh – Heavy flooding is worsening in parts of Bangladesh, with over 1 million villagers marooned or leaving their homes for higher ground along with their cattle and other belongings, officials and volunteers said Tuesday. Water levels at major rivers were rising Tuesday at around two dozen points in 20 districts. Many new areas in northern, northeastern and central Bangladesh have been affected over last 24 hours. Heavy rainfall and rushing waters from upstream India were the main reasons for the floods in the delta nation of 160 million people, which receives monsoon rains between June and October every year, often leading to flooding.
Invasive alien species may soon cause dramatic global biodiversity loss
An increase of 20 to 30 per cent of invasive non-native (alien) species would lead to dramatic future biodiversity loss worldwide. This is the conclusion of a study by the University of Vienna.
Human activities intentionally and unintentionally introduce more and more plant and animal species to new regions of the world—for example, via commodity transport or tourism.
Some of these alien species have negative consequences for biodiversity and humans well-being, for example by displacing native species or transmitting diseases.
The study shows that an increase of 20 to 30 per cent in the number of newly introduced alien species is considered sufficient to cause massive global biodiversity loss—a value that is likely to be reached soon, as the number of introduced species is constantly increasing.
Furthermore, humans are the main driver of the future spread of alien species. The experts identify three main reasons, primarily the increasing global transport of goods, followed by climate change and then the impacts of economic development such as energy consumption and land use. The study also shows that the spread of alien species can be greatly slowed down by ambitious countermeasures.
Wildfires – Utah, USA
Thousands of acres are burning in various parts of the state as more wildfires have sparked across Utah.
The Turkey Farm Fire has burned 1,644 acres three miles west of Washington County. No structures have been damaged as of Tuesday morning.
The hot and fast-moving Veyo West Fire is threatening the west side of Veyo in Washington County. Crews have reopened state Route 18 as the blaze has burned approximately 1,100 acres with zero percent containment.
COVID-19
The countries with the 10 greatest number of Covid-19 cases:
Dengue Fever – Thailand
In a follow-up on the dengue fever situation in Thailand, the Bureau of Epidemiology reported an additional 2,600 cases and five deaths in the past week. This brings the country’s total to 28,300 through July 13 from all 77 provinces. The death count from dengue has risen to 20.
Foot and Mouth Disease – China
China on Monday warned of an outbreak of highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) among pigs in the southern Guangdong province. The outbreak was detected in Leizhou, a county administered by the coastal city of Zhanjiang. Out of a herd of 131 pigs, 39 had become infected with the viral disease.