Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
6.1 earthquake hits the Babuyan Islands in the Philippines.
5.3 earthquake hits eastern New Guinea, Papua New Guinea.
Storms and Floods
Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:
In the Northwest Pacific Ocean – Tropical storm 04w (Chaba), located approximately 201 nm south of Hong Kong, is tracking northeastward at 08 knots.
Tropical storm 05w (Aere), located approximately 379 nm south-southeast of Kadena AFB, is tracking north at 06 knots.
Newsbytes:
Afghanistan – At least 19 people lost their lives after heavy rain caused flash flooding in the provinces of Kunar, Laghman, Nangarhar and Nuristan eastern Afghanistan. Flooding has damaged or destroyed over 350 homes in Kunar, Laghman and Nangarhar and impacted 1,288 people. Significant damage to infrastructure, including flood protection walls, irrigation systems and roads, was also reported. Over 300 people had to be rescued after flood damage isolated their communities in Kund and Dehgal areas of Chapadara district in Kunar province. Agriculture has also been negatively impacted, with crops and farmland damaged and over 11,400 livestock killed.
Environment
Rocket Pollution
Researchers warn that the rapidly increasing number of rocket launches threatens to alter the highest levels of Earth’s atmosphere, and perhaps the planet’s weather. The sootlike grains of black carbon produced when kerosene is burned as an oxidizer in rocket fuel can accumulate in the stratosphere, where they can trap heat from the sun and potentially damage the ozone layer.
A team from the U.S. environmental agency NOAA looked at what would happen if such launches increase by 10 times their current level by 2040, which is predicted. They found that the stratosphere could warm by up to 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit (1.5 C), with jet stream winds increasing by about 11 miles per hour.
Global Warming
Climate Disasters
Many of the extreme weather events so far this year, such as blistering heat waves and the catastrophic flooding in parts of India, Bangladesh and China, can be directly linked to global heating, scientists say.
Writing in the journal Environmental Research: Climate, an international team says that every heat wave occurring today is more intense due to climate change. The team reports that such heat waves are now five times more likely on average than in pre-industrial times. However, the World Weather Attribution group says the one in April that baked India and Pakistan was made 30 times more likely by climate change. The report says attributing drought and wildfires to a warming world is far more challenging.
Environment
Global Temperature Extremes
The week’s hottest temperature was 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees F) at Bandar-e Deyr, Iran.
The week’s coldest temperature was minus 70.0 degrees Celsius (-94 degrees F) 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.
Disease
Covid-19
The countries with the 10 greatest number of Covid-19 cases:
Anthrax – India
Several wild boars have died in Kerala’s Athirappilly forest region in the last few days due to an anthrax outbreak.
Monkeypox – Nigeria
Officials reported an additional 21 confirmed cases the week ending June 25. This bring the country total to 62 since the beginning of the year.
Volcanos
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity – Ongoing Activity for the week 22 June – 28 June 2022
Aira – Kyushu (Japan) : JMA reported that nighttime incandescence at Minamidake Crater (at Aira Caldera’s Sakurajima volcano) was visible during 20-27 June. At 1221 on 27 June an eruptive event produced an ash plume that rose 1.5 km above the crater rim.
Bezymianny – Central Kamchatka (Russia) : KVERT reported that a thermal anomaly over Bezymianny was identified in satellite images during 17-26 June.
Dukono – Halmahera : Based on satellite and wind model data, the Darwin VAAC reported that during 22-25 and 27 June ash plumes from Dukono rose to 2.1 km (7,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted N, NW, and W.
Great Sitkin – Andreanof Islands (USA) : AVO reported that the eruption at Great Sitkin continued during 21-28 June. Elevated surface temperatures were identified in satellite images during 26-27 June; weather clouds obscured satellite and webcam views on the other days. Seismicity was low.
Karymsky – Eastern Kamchatka (Russia) : KVERT reported that a thermal anomaly over Karymsky was identified in satellite images during 17 and 19-23 June.
Kilauea – Hawaiian Islands (USA) : HVO reported that lava continued to effuse from a vent in the lower W wall of Kilauea’s Halema`uma`u Crater during 22-28 June, entering the lava lake and flowing onto the crater floor. The lake remained active all week, and nearly continuous breakouts occurred along the margins.
Krakatau – Sunda Strait : PVMBG reported that at 1712 on 25 June an eruptive event at Anak Krakatau produced a dense black ash plume that rose 400 m above the summit and slowly drifted SW.
Lewotolok – Lembata Island : PVMBG reported that the eruption at Lewotolok continued during 22-28 June. An eruptive event was recorded at 2235 on 24 June by the seismic network, though the event was not visually observed.
Merapi – Central Java : BPPTKG reported that the eruption at Merapi continued during 17-23 June. The heights and morphologies of the SW lava dome and the central lava dome were unchanged from the previous week, and seismicity remained at high levels. As many as 70 lava avalanches traveled down the Bebeng drainage on the SW flank, reaching a maximum distance of 1.8 km. Seismicity remained high.
Ontakesan – Honshu (Japan) : Inflation and increased seismicity were detected at Ontakesan in February, causing JMA to raise the Alert Level. Inflation ceased in late February and deformation rates had stabilized. Seismicity continued to fluctuate, but decreased in mid-March and volcanic tremor ceased on 19 March. No changes in emissions were observed on 4 June.
Pavlof – Alaska Peninsula, Alaska : AVO reported that the eruption at a vent on Pavlof’s upper E flank was ongoing during 21-28 June, and seismic tremor persisted. Daily elevated surface temperatures identified in satellite images were consistent with the continuing effusion of short (615 m or less) lava flows.
Ruang – Sangihe Islands : An increased number of deep volcanic earthquakes at Ruang in April prompted PVMBG to raise the Alert Level to 2 (on a scale of 1-4). A total of 232 deep volcanic earthquakes were recorded by the seismic network during 1 April-22 June, with just over half of them occurring in early to mid-April. No data was recorded from 18 April through 11 May due to technical difficulties. The network recorded 6-20 events during 11-31 May and just 1-2 events during 1-21 June.
Ruapehu – North Island (New Zealand) : On 28 June GeoNet reported that it had been 10 days since the last notable tremor at Ruapehu and the level remained weak. Lake water temperatures declined to 21 degrees Celsius on 14 June from a high of 40 degrees Celsius recorded in early May; temperatures had increased to 25 degrees Celsius during the previous two weeks. Gas emissions continued to fluctuate based on data collected during overflights and were about 10% less on 23 June than on 13 May, though the sulfur dioxide rate during 24-25 June was comparable to those recorded in mid-May, based on gas measuring equipment recently installed at the volcano. The emission, water temperature and seismic data together indicated continuing moderate levels of unrest. The Volcanic Alert Level remained at 2 (on a scale from 0-5) and the Aviation Color Code remained at Yellow.
Semeru – Eastern Java : PVMBG reported that the eruption at Semeru continued during 22-28 June. Weather clouds prevented visual observations on most days; at 0628 on 24 June an eruptive event produced an ash plume that rose 700 m and drifted SW.
Semisopochnoi – Aleutian Islands (USA) : AVO reported that low-level eruptive activity at Semisopochnoi’s North Cerberus cone continued during 21-27 June. Periods of low-amplitude tremor and a few small low-frequency earthquakes were recorded by the seismic network. Weather clouds often prevented satellite and webcam views; sulfur dioxide emissions were detected in satellite images during 23-24 June and a robust steam plume was visible in webcam images during 25-26 June.
Sheveluch – Central Kamchatka (Russia) : KVERT reported that a thermal anomaly over Sheveluch was identified in satellite images during 17-23 June and the eruption characterized by explosions, hot avalanches, and lava-dome extrusion continued. Webcam images recorded explosions on 19 and 21 June that sent ash plumes to 7 and 5 km (23,000 and 16,400 ft) a.s.l., respectively. The ash plumes were visible in satellite images drifting 255 km ENE and 70 km SW during 19-20 and 21 June.
Suwanosejima – Ryukyu Islands (Japan) : JMA reported that the eruption at Suwanosejima’s Ontake Crater continued during 20-27 June. Emissions rose as high as 2 km above the crater rim and material was ejected as far as 200 m from the vent.
Whakaari/White Island – North Island (New Zealand) : On 28 June GeoNet reported that activity at Whakaari/White Island had remained at a low level. Observations during an overflight the week before showed that fumaroles active on the crater floor did not contain ash. Gas emission rates had decreased compared to the last observations from mid-May, and the temperature of fumarolic emissions was low at 170 degrees Celsius on 22 June. Visual observations and data collected during the flight, coupled with data from automatically collected monitoring instruments, indicated almost no changes at the volcano in the previous few weeks.