Avalanche in Napal

Avalanche on Mount Manaslu in Nepal

 

On Sunday September 23, 2012 around 5:00 a.m. an avalanche on the mountain of Manaslu located in Kathmandu, Nepal killed at least 8 people. Three people are still missing and many others are injured. The avalanche struck two camping areas for mountaineers taking out 25 tents in one area and another 12 tents.  The mountain is 26,780 feet high and the two camps it hit were at 21,650 feet and 1,640 below. The avalanche was caused by a piece of ice, the size of 6 or 7 footballs fields, that fell from a glacier above them. Avalanches like these are known as objective hazards - a risk that cannot be controlled and one that climbers must accept.  Climbing season in the fall is more popular due to monsoon season covering the mountains in a lot of snow. Nepal has 14 of the highest peaks in the world which makes tourism for this popular sport bring in a lot of money for the country’s economy.  In the recent years the mountains have become somewhat crowded and more deaths are taking place due to amateur climbers and cheap climbing gear.  This incident was not connected to the number of climbers on the mountain but due to the amount of snowfall and the temperature of the ground. This natural hazard turned into a disaster due to the climbers present on the mountain at the time of the incident.

 

This is an image of rescuers and climbers preparing survivors for evacuation for the debris field of the avalanche.

 

Article Sources:
http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/24/world/asia/nepal-avalanche/index.html?hpt=wo_bn4
http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/24/world/asia/nepal-mountains-crowding/index.html

Image Sources: http://thumbnails.cbc.ca/maven_legacy/thumbnails/16/161/nepal-avalanche-brown-092412_lead_media_image_1.jpg
http://www.firstpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/NepalAvalanche_AP.jpg

 

Global Hawk Hurricane Hunter

This is an image of a Global Hawk plane

 NASA is using new technology to gather information and data from hurricanes to better understand and predict deadly storms. They are using planes which are referred to as Global Hawks and are flown unmanned, unlike the more commonly used manned hurricane hunter planes. Global Hawks have a wingspan of 116 feet, can stay in the air for up to 30 hours, and travel up to 11,000 miles. With these planes they will be able to use high altitude, long distance drones that can “spy,” or collect data, on the evolution of tropical storm intensity. These planes allow them to collect data that they aren’t capable of getting with manned aircrafts. The endurance of the drones is the difference between flying over and visually seeing the storm and the ability to monitor behavior, activities, and other changing information. NASA and others in collaboration with the project hope to document entire lifecycles of tropical storms in hopes to refine hurricane prediction and reduce the costs associated with both storm damage and evacuation.

This is an image of Tropical Storm Frank taken by a Global Hawk

 

Article and Images Source: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/09/pictures/120921-hurricane-drones-nasa-usgs-environment-science/

 

Air Pollution in Europe

A new study released by the European Environment Agency (EEA) found that most residents of European cities are breathing toxic pollutants that are exceeding international health standards. Air found to be the most toxic is located in the eastern countries of Bulgaria and Romania; however, most urban areas contain unhealthy levels of pollutants like ozone, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter. The main source of these pollutants stems from the transportation, energy, and agriculture. The unhealthy levels of pollutants can have widespread effects on both human and ecological health. Reports show that one third of city dwellers are exposed to excessive levels of airborne particulate matter. Reports also show that breathing unhealthy air may be the cause of nearly 500,000 premature deaths. Air pollution also has damaging effects on plants and can contribute to the corrosion of buildings. Reducing pollution in Europe has been an issue the country’s been working on; however, air pollution is still a major problem. This is causing some environmental and health advocacy groups to demand stricter regulations for air pollution which would make the EU standards sync with World Health Organization standards.

 

 

This image shows one of the many causes of pollution in Europe. This industrial plant is one of the many sources contributing to pollution in Europe. These plants affect almost every aspect of the biosphere, including: the atmosphere, land, rivers, and seas.

Article Source: http://www.enn.com/pollution/article/44995

Image Source: http://www.hardrainproject.com/thumbnail.php?im=SP1108575.011.jpg&type=U

Landslides in India

Landslides are the cause of up to 45 deaths so far in India. The region in India that was affected the most by this natural hazard was the northern Himalayan state of Uttlarakhand.  The heavy rainfall started Wednesday (Sept 12, 2012) and by Saturday (Sept 15, 2012) 17 more bodies had been found in the debris putting the death total to 45. Most of the bodies were discovered Friday morning in the Rudraprayag and Bageshwar districts. Every year the 4 month period between June and September is prone to deadly landslides and flash floods since it’s the regions Monsoon season. This 4 month season accounts for 75% of India’s rainfall. Most of the rain falls within the first two months of this season. It is also the cause of 34 deaths that occurred prior to this in August.

 

This is an image that was taken on Friday September 14, 2012 northern India’s Rudraprayag and Bageshwar districts. This disaster was caused by landslides and flashfloods that were triggered by heavy monsoon rains.

Article Source:  http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/india/120915/india-landslide-kills-at-least-45

Image Source: http://images.thenews.com.pk/updates_pics/9-14-2012_67670_l.jpg

Coral in Caribbean, Florida in sharp decline, ‘no signs of slowing,’ reports find

Over the last couple decades coral reef population has declined significantly and shows no signs of slowing down. In the 1970’s approximately 50% of reefs had living coral on them. Today that number has been reduced to a staggering 8%. Although this number is not uniform for all reefs around the world it is a wakeup call that some serious action needs to be taken immediately in order to restore the coral population. Areas where the reefs are being affected the most are ones who are influenced more by human impact. For example, the Florida Keys, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico has had a progressive decline in coral from 25-35% in the ‘70’s to 15% today compared to the islands of Curacao and Bonaire (located just north of South America) who have declined a little slower leaving them with 25-30% today.
 
Although there are many reasons for the degeneration of the reefs the main cause is ocean warming, which is caused by the increase of greenhouse gas emissions. Other sources include human sewage, disease, pollution, overfishing, hurricanes, and coral bleaching. In an effort to stop this from continuing the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) is urging nations to step up efforts to reduce fossil fuel reliance, thereby reducing greenhouses gases. It is also urging nations with coral reefs in their water to limit fishing through catch quotas, create or extend marine protected areas, and control or stop the runoff from sewage and fertilizers infested land.
Coral reefs are important because they provide habitat for many fish and other types of food. They are also important to economic growth through fisheries, diving, and tourism. They are also significant for their natural beauty.

 
Currently coral “nurseries” are one approach being used to recolonize coral on Florida’s reefs and other parts of the world.

 

This is an image of a coral nursery like the ones being used to rehab the reefs in Florida and the Caribbean

Article source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/07/13707186-coral-in-caribbean-florida-in-sharp-decline-no-signs-of-slowing-report-finds?lite#

Image Source: http://alistairdove.com/storage/CoralNursery01.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1292213323029

 

Wildfires Roast Western States

As of August 15, 2012 more than 70 wildfires swept through the US burning in at least 13 states west of the Mississippi River, according to the National Interagency Coordination Center. As scorching temperatures and low humidity refuse to give in potential for these fires to continue out of control is favorable. The National Weather Service said a weather pattern developing in parts of Oregon could produce "explosive fire growth". Also, thunderstorms could form at any time having the ability to create new fires due to lightning strikes sparking new flames. Thousands of firefighters along with the Marines, U.S. Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard due all the can to fight the fires that had already burned through 6.47 million acres. According to the National Interagency Fire Center these fires surpassed the 6.36 million acres that burned through the western US at this time last year. Overall, the wildfires are only 3.4 million acres short of the record amount of acres burned which took place in 2006, burning a total of 9.87 million acres.

 Many speculate that global warming due to human activity, such as deforestation, is the culprit for these wildfire tragedies. Others say at this point it’s time to put the blame game away and take action, meaning the leadership of the president and congress. They need to step up and work on rebuilding our country instead of worrying about everyone else. Issues that could be addressed to help this type of tragedy include water management, fire protection-more aircraft, manpower, and flood control.

The image to the left shows one of the many wildfires burning out of control in Colorado (2012).




Article source: http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/16/us/western-wildfires/index.html
Image sources: http://assets.inhabitat.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2012/07/2012-US-Wildfires-Google-Crisis-Response-4-537x357.jpg
http://img.ibtimes.com/www/data/images/full/2012/06/11/280898-colorado-wildfire-2012.jpg