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Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

6.4 earthquake hits Jujuy, Argentina.

5.9 earthquake hits Tajikistan.

5.7 earthquake hits near the north coast of New Guinea, Papua New Guinea.

5.6 earthquake hits the Babuyan Islands in the Philippines.

5.5 earthquake hits the Kermedec Islands.

5.4 earthquake hits Jujuy, Argentina.

5.3 earthquake hits central Turkey.

5.2 earthquake hits the Santa Cruz Islands.

5.1 earthquake hits the west Chile rise.

5.1 earthquake hits the Flores region, Indonesia.

5.1 earthquake hits northern Iran.

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Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:

There are currently no active tropical storm systems.

Newsbytes:

Brazil – Thousands of people have evacuated their homes after flooding and landslides in several northern states of Brazil. At least 6 people have lost their lives in the state of Maranhão and 3 in in the state of Ceará. Authorities in the state of Maranhão report that multiple municipalities in the state have declared a state of emergency in response to the recent heavy rainfall. Around 800 households have been displaced. The municipalities of Marabá and Itupiranga in Pará State, Brazil, declared an emergency on 21 March 2023 due to rising levels in the Tocantins and Itacaiúnas rivers. Local authorities in Marabá said more than 400 households were displaced. The two rivers have been rising for some time in the state but reached danger levels over the last few days.

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Disease

Typhoid Fever – DR Congo

Since the beginning of 2023, a total of 1,800 suspected cases of the typhoid fever epidemic, including 12 deaths, have been notified in the Panzi health zone in Kwango province, DRC media reports.

New invasive mosquitoes descend on Florida, USA

An invasive mosquito species from Central and South America, Culex lactator, has taken root in South Florida, raising concerns that the pests might spread dangerous viruses, like West Nile and St. Louis encephalitis virus. The mosquitoes, which physically resemble many others in Florida, may have already seeded populations in additional counties. It’s likely that the pest will continue to spread to more locations in the state.

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Volcanos

Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity – New activity for the week 15 March – 21 March 2023

Merapi – Central Java : BPPTKG summarized the eruption at Merapi (on Java) during 10-16 March, including the collapses at the SW lava dome that began on 11 March and continued through the week. A total of 68 pyroclastic flows traveled as far as 4 km down the Bebeng and Krasak drainages on the SW flank. The largest pyroclastic flows were recorded during 11-12 March, which caused ashfall of varying intensity in areas to the W, NW, and N including in Dukun District, Sawangan, Magelang Regency; Magelang City; Selo District, Boyolali Regency; Ambarawa, Jambu, Sumowono, Pringapus, Banyubiru, Bawen Districts, Semarang Regency. Morphological changes to the SW lava domes were evident in webcam and drone images. The volume of the dome before 11 March was 2,759,100 cubic meters and by 13 March the dome volume had decreased to 1,686,200 cubic meters, with an estimate volume loss of 1,072,800 cubic meters. The volume of the summit dome remained unchanged and was estimated at 2,312,100 cubic meters. According to the Darwin VAAC ash plumes were visible in webcam images on 15 and 17 March rising as high as 1.2 km above the summit and drifting S and W, respectively. On both days weather conditions prevented satellite image views. During 16-20 March BPPTKG reported 14-38 daily counts of lava avalanches with material descending the SW flank as far as 1.8 km. Daily counts were not available for 17 March, though incandescent avalanches were visible in webcam footage; rainy weather sometimes prevented visual observations.

Nyamulagira – DR Congo : An 18 March satellite image of Nyamulagira showed a large thermal anomaly, possibly 600 m wide, in the summit crater, indicating that the eruption that had begun on 14 March was continuing.

Semisopochnoi – Aleutian Islands (USA) : AVO reported that low-level ash emissions from the N crater of Semisopochnoi’s Mount Young were observed in several web camera images during 18-19 March. Small explosions and volcanic tremor had also resumed. Ash emissions were not detected in satellite images, though on 18 March a robust steam-and-gas plume was visible drifting 150 km from the N crater. Low-level seismicity continued during 20-21 March and one small explosion was detected in seismic and infrasound data. Clouds obscured webcam and satellite views.

Takawangha – Andreanof Islands (USA) : AVO reported that earthquake activity near Takawangha had decreased in both rate and magnitude from the peak of the swarm recorded during 9-11 March. More than 800 earthquakes, including multiple M2 and above events, were detected beneath Tanaga Island at depths less than 9 km below sea level during 11-17 March. The decline in activity decreased the potential for an eruption. Earthquake activity persisted through 20 March.

Tanaga – Andreanof Islands (USA) : AVO reported that earthquake activity near Tanaga had decreased in both rate and magnitude from the peak of the swarm recorded during 9-11 March. More than 800 earthquakes, including multiple M2 and above events, were detected beneath Tanaga Island at depths less than 9 km below sea level during 11-17 March. The decline in activity decreased the potential for an eruption. Earthquake activity persisted through 20 March.

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Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

6.5 earthquake hits the Hindu Kush, Afghanistan.

5.8 earthquake hits Valparaiso, Chile.

5.4 earthquake hits the northern mid-Atlantic ridge.

5.4 earthquake hits near the east coast of Honshu, Japan.

5.3 earthquake hits the South Sandwich Islands.

5.0 earthquake hits Magadanskaya Oblast, Russia.

Two 5.0 earthquakes hit the northern mid-Atlantic ridge.

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Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:

There are currently no active tropical storm systems.

Newsbytes:

New Zealand – South Islanders woke to damage caused by a small tornado, floods, slips and buckets of rain on Tuesday. The West Coast, Otago and Southland bore the brunt of the damage, and warnings remain in place for Canterbury. Canterbury High Country and the Canterbury Plains have been issued heavy rain and strong wind watches, and the Banks Peninsula area are under a strong wind warning until 11pm Tuesday. The storm lifted roofs, damaged cars knocked out power to several thousand homes.

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Wildlife

Millions of Fish Die – Australian River

Contractors are being hired to remove millions of rotting fish from a river in the Australian Outback after a unprecedented die-off following floods and hot weather, police said on Monday.

The fish started dying in the Darling River near the New South Wales town of Menindee on Friday. Officials say the die-off likely occurred because fish need more oxygen in hot weather, but oxygen levels in the water dropped after recent floods receded. Mass fish kills have been reported on the Darling River in recent weeks. Tens of thousands of fish were found at the same spot in late February, while there have been several reports of dead fish downstream toward Pooncarie, near the borders of South Australia and Victoria states.

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Disease

Marburg Virus – Tanzania

In a follow-up on the outbreak of unknown etiology in Tanzania, health officials announced today the cause of the outbreak that killed five people and hospitalized three others in Kagera province is Marburg virus disease (MVD).

Chickenpox – Hanoi, Vietnam

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in Hanoi, the city recorded 70 cases of chickenpox this week, a slight decrease compared to the previous week when Hanoi saw 112 cases of chickenpox. Since the beginning of the year, Hanoi has recorded 548 cases of chickenpox, while during the same period in 2022, 4 cases were recorded.

Leptospirosis – Vanuatu

The Vanuatu Ministry of Health reports 32 cases of Leptospirosis and one death since the start of the year. This has prompted health officials to issue a red alert. The outbreak was exacerbated by the two tropical cyclones in March. From the 6 to 16 March, there were 10 new cases confirmed clinically.

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Earthquakes

Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global

5.5 earthquake hits Costa Rica.

5.3 earthquake hits the South Sandwich Islands.

5.2 earthquake hits Taiwan.

5.2 earthquake hits Romania.

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Storms and Floods

Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:

There are currently no active tropical storm systems.

Newsbytes:

Brazil – At least 5 municipalities in Ceará State in northeastern Brazil have declared a state of emergency after days of heavy rain triggered flooding and landslides. Dozens of people have been displaced and at least 3 fatalities reported. Three people from the same family died after heavy rain triggered a landslide which destroyed their home in Aratuba on 16 March 2023. A further 15 homes were damaged or deemed unsafe by authorities, forcing around 50 people to evacuate. Elsewhere in the state, over 30 families were pre-emptively evacuated from homes in neighbourhoods of Itapipoca City on 17 March due to flood and landslide threats.

California, USA – Swaths of California still saturated by ruthless storms will get walloped by another atmospheric river, spawning fears of renewed flooding and forcing some residents to flee. The state has already been hammered by at least 11 atmospheric rivers this season. An atmospheric river is like a fire hose that carries saturated air from the tropics to higher latitudes, dumping relentless rain or snow. The last, which struck California last week, left soil overly saturated and vulnerable to new flooding and rapid runoffs, the National Weather Service said. The next atmospheric river is expected to slam California from late Monday night through Wednesday.

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Global Warming

UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report

The UN’s final IPCC report warns that drastic action must be taken immediately, but staving off disaster is within humanity’s grasp. The world needs immediate action now to defuse a “climate time bomb” that will unleash catastrophic environmental effects and climate breakdown, United Nation (UN) scientists have said in the last of its four major assessment reports to governments on Monday (March 20).

Governments must make “rapid, deep and immediate” cuts to global carbon dioxide emissions, a greenhouse gas that is the largest contributor to human-caused climate change, in order to start to decrease annual emissions by 2025 and halve them by 2030, according to the final summary report by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). These carbon dioxide cuts must be made globally and across all industries if temperature changes are to remain at or below the dangerous threshold of 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit (1.5 degrees Celsius) above pre-industrial temperatures, the IPCC said.

Scientists have warned that crossing this 1.5 C threshold greatly increases the risks of encountering tipping points that could unleash irreversible climate breakdown — such as the total collapse of most of the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets; extreme heat waves; severe droughts; water stress; and extreme weather across large parts of the globe.

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Disease

Rift Valley Fever – Uganda

In a follow-up on the confirmed Rift Valley Fever (RVF) outbreak in Mbarara District, Uganda, the outbreak has increased to 20 human cases, including four fatalities.

Monkeypox – Japan

The Japanese Ministry of Health reported Monday that the Tokyo, Osaka, and Ibaraki Prefectures reported 13 cases in men have been confirmed as monkeypox (mpox) as a result of laboratory tests.

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Earthquakes

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.

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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.

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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.