Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes – Global
6.7 earthquake hits near the coast of Ecuador.
5.1 earthquake hits Mendoza, Argentina.
5.0 earthquake hits Antofagasta, Chile.
Storms and Floods
Tropical Storms – Roundup of Tropical Storms:
There are currently no active tropical storm systems.
Newsbytes:
California, USA – Large swaths of the Central Valley face elevated flood risks as rivers have swelled from melting snowpack after record storms hit California this winter. Flooding has spurred evacuation orders and warnings from the National Weather Service, with still more rain forecast for early next week. Evacuation orders have been issued for residents in Porterville, California, due to fast rising floodwaters. Water levels are quickly rising at Lake Success, forcing water to flow down to the Schaffer dam, creating dangerous conditions along the Tule River.
Global Warming
A Devastating Toxin Is Bubbling Up From the Permafrost
Trapped in all the permafrost encircling the northern reaches of the globe is an estimated 30 billion tons of carbon. It’s an unfathomable amount. But there’s something else lurking in the permafrost that has the potential to be more immediately dangerous to the people and wildlife living in the area: mercury.
Wildfires and volcanoes belch mercury, and, since the Industrial Revolution, so do coal-burning power plants and factories. Warm-air currents carry mercury in its inorganic heavy-metal form to the Arctic, where it settles into the soil and vegetation before being safely locked away in the deeply frozen permafrost.
In its inorganic form, mercury is less threatening to people. But as the permafrost thaws, mercury is finding its way into the soil and the region’s many ponds, rivers, and lakes. Once there, certain microbes can convert inorganic mercury into the form to be concerned about: neurotoxic methylmercury.
Disease
Diphtheria – Nigeria
In a follow-up on the diphtheria outbreak in Nigeria, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) reports a total of 377 suspected cases from seven (7) states across the country. Cumulatively, between week 19 (mid-May) of 2022 and week 9 ( end of February) of 2023, a total of 1,064 suspected cases were reported from 21 states.