Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
5.5 earthquake hits the Andaman Islands off India.
5.2 earthquake hits the Kashmir-Xinjiang border.
5.1 earthquake hits the Babuyan Islands, Philippines.
5.0 earthquake hits Malta.
Storms and Floods
Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:
There are no current tropical storm systems.
Wildlife
The world’s smallest porpoise is on the brink of extinction
The world’s smallest porpoise is on the edge of extinction – but an environmental group has successfully reduced fishing in the protected areas it calls home. The tiny vaquita is the ocean’s rarest marine mammal.
The creatures – which never grow to more than 150cm in length – number between six and 20 in the wild, down from 200 in 2012. The protected species often become entangled and die in fishing nets cast to catch shrimp, finfish or totoaba. But a year of enforcement efforts have significantly reduced fishing in their habitat, the Mexican sea of Cortez. So far, it is unclear whether the efforts have increased vaquita population numbers.
Environment
Israel Refills Sea of Galilee
When the floodgates are open, a torrent of water gushes into a dry river bed and races to the shore of the Sea of Galilee, a biblical lake in northern Israel that was being lost to drought and the growing population around it. The water is fresh, high-quality, expensive. Desalinated from the Mediterranean Sea and transported across the country where it awaits the order to replenish the lake should it start to shrink again. Israel built a chain of desalination plants along its Mediterranean coast putting it in the unlikely position of having a surplus of water, a bright spot in an arid region extremely vulnerable to climate change.
Disease
Covid-19
The countries with the 10 greatest number of Covid-19 cases:
COVID-19 was the top infectious disease killer for kids and teens in the U.S. between August 2021 and July 2022, a new analysis shows. It also ranked among the leading causes of death for any reason for U.S. children and teens in the same time period, the researchers determined.
Leprosy – Paraguay
In Paraguay, from 2017 to 2021, 1,493 new cases were registered in the country, an average of 298.5 cases per year. It is worth mentioning that, from 2016 to 2021, a higher proportion of new cases was observed in males.
Dengue Fever – Bolivia
The Bolivia Ministry of Health and Sports reported Sunday an additional 353 dengue fever cases, bringing the country total for the year at 2,221. Authorities deployed more than 5,000 people on Sunday in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, resulted in out of 188,660 mosquito breeding sites and intervened in 5,386 apple trees which host the mosquitoes.
Earthquakes
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
5.9 earthquake hits southern Xinjiang, China.
5.0 earthquake hits the Molucca Sea.
5.0 earthquake hits Mindanao, Philippines,
5.0 earthquake hits the Kermedec Islands.
5.0 earthquake hits the southwestern Ryukyu Islands, Japan.
Storms and Floods
Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:
In the Southern Hemisphere: Tropical cyclone 08s (Cheneso), located approximately 881 nm southeast of Europa island, is tracking southeastward at 21 knots. This is the final warning for this system.
Newsbytes:
Zambia – Wide areas of Southern and Central Provinces in Zambia are underwater after long-term rainfall caused rivers to overflow. Disaster authorities in Zambia have described it as a “catastrophic situation”. Authorities report widespread damage to homes, farmland and livestock. Many communities are isolated leaving them without access to healthcare and education. Furthermore, sanitation facilities have been completely submerged, exposing the population to a high risk of waterborne diseases. Heavy rains and flash floods have caused damage to homes and livelihoods in the country since mid-January.
Indonesia – At least five people died after flash floods swept through areas of Manado City in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, on 27 January 2023. Disaster authorities in the country reported heavy rain and the overflow of the Tondano watershed inundated around 400 homes. Flood waters were up to 3 metres deep in some areas. A total of 1,021 people were displaced. One person died in the floods and a bridge was severely damaged. Furthermore heavy rain in the area caused multiple landslides in the area, severely damaging over 50 houses and public buildings. Disaster authorities reported 4 people lost their lives as a result.
Disease
Lassa fever – Nigeria
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) reported an additional 77 confirmed Lassa fever cases the week ending January 15, bringing the cumulative confirmed cases to 105 in 2023 to date.
Dengue Fever – Bolivia
Health officials in Bolivia reported 228 new dengue fever cases Saturday, bringing the cumulative total for the year to 1,856.
Trichinosis – Argentina
The Ministry of Health of the province of Santa Fe, issued an alert to a recent outbreak of trichinosis in various locations in the territory. So far, 26 suspected and 8 confirmed cases of this parasitic disease have been registered. At the same time, the provincial health officials asked the population to avoid sausage foods.
Nipah Virus – Bangladesh
The Bangladesh Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Zahid Maleque, announced that Nipah virus cases in the country have risen to eight, including five fatalities, according to a local media report. This is more than the three cases that were reported in all 0f 2022.
Earthquakes
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
5.6 earthquake hits the Turkey-Iran border.
5.3 earthquake hits Halmahera, Indonesia.
5.1 earthquake hits the Banda Sea.
5.0 earthquake hits Mindanao in the Philippines.
Storms and Floods
Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:
In the Southern Hemisphere: Tropical cyclone 08s (Cheneso), located approximately 386 nm south-southeast of Europa island, is tracking southeastward at 17 knots.
Global Warming
Winters Growing Shorter Due To Global Warming
Due to climate change, the winter in the Netherlands is becoming almost one day shorter every year, according to the meteorological institute KNMI.
The meteorological institute looked at average temperatures in the climate periods 1961-1990 and 1991-2020. It found that temperatures in the Netherlands were higher in every month of the latter period. The average monthly temperature in 1991-2020 was 1.1 degrees Celsius higher than in 1961-1990.
The temperatures in the coldest quarter of the year (91 days) in the 1961-1990 climate period only occurred on 63 days in the 1991-2020 climate period. In 30 years, the period with winter temperatures has, therefore, become 28 days shorter, almost one day a year.
Disease
Leprosy – Brazil
Preliminary data from the Ministry of Health indicate that, in 2022, more than 17,000 new cases of leprosy were diagnosed in Brazil. In 2021, the number of records reached 18,000 cases, with 11.2% of patients considered as grade 2 of physical disability – when injuries considered serious are identified in the eyes, hands and feet.
Earthquakes
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
5.4 earthquake hits Leyte in the Philippines.
5.2 earthquake hits the southwest Indian ridge.
5.0 earthquake hits Guam.
Storms and Floods
Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:
In the Southern Hemisphere: Tropical cyclone 08s (Cheneso), located approximately 135 nm south-southeast of Europa island, is tracking southward at 9 knots.
Newsbytes:
New Zealand – A state of emergency has been declared in Auckland, New Zealand after record rain caused widespread flooding on 27 January 2023. Major roads have been blocked by flooding, landslips or stranded vehicles, causing severe traffic disruption across the Auckland Region. Auckland Airport’s international terminal has been closed due to flooding. Homes were flooded in areas of West Auckland, prompting evacuations. In a period from 03:00 to 21:00, the Auckland Albany weather station recorded 260.6 mm of rain; Auckland Motat 238.4 mm; and Auckland Māngere 242.0 mm. This is approximately an entire summer’s worth of rain in one day and represents an all-time record. Two deaths have been reported, while two persons are still missing.
Global Warming
How Much the Oceans are Warming
The annual average temperature of ocean surfaces has been diverging from the 20th century (1900-1999) average more and more since the 1980s. In 2022, global ocean surface temperatures were 0.69 degrees Celsius higher than that century’s average, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
