Neil Young
LARGEST QUAKES -
This morning -
5.1 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS.
5.0 PAGAN REG., N. MARIANA ISLANDS
Yesterday -
8/19/10 -
5.1 SOUTH OF JAVA, INDONESIA
5.0 ANDAMAN ISLANDS, INDIA REGION
5.1 PAGAN REG., N. MARIANA ISLANDS
5.0 GUATEMALA
5.1 SOLOMON ISLANDS
TROPICAL STORMS -
No current tropical cyclones.
EXTREME HEAT / WILDFIRES / DROUGHT / CLIMATE CHANGE -
BOLIVIA - A state of emergency has been declared in Bolivia as forest fires spread across the country. Almost 25,000 fires have destroyed about 1.5m hectares (3.7m acres) of land and more than 60 houses. The worst of the destruction has taken place in Bolivia's Amazon and eastern regions, close to the country's border with Brazil. Smoke from the fires has also delayed numerous flights and forced several airports to close for short periods.
The President described the fires as "a natural phenomenon", despite explaining that they were mostly caused by farmers clearing land ahead of the planting season. He said they had lost control of them and the fires had spread rapidly. Indigenous people and small farmers in the Amazon region have traditionally burnt large tracts of land to increase areas of cultivation. But this year, insufficient rainfall and strong winds have made the fires very difficult to keep under control. The government can not fight the fires adequately because it lacks water-bombing aircraft.
Many villages and small towns are at risk from the fires, as well as parks. Many people have been trying to tackle the fires with buckets of water. Bolivians were praying for rain. However, forecasts do not indicate rain in the next few days.
ARCTIC - In mid-August 2010, the northern route through the Northwest Passage was nearly free of sea ice, although some ice remained in McClure Strait. Even more ice remained in the southern route (through Amundsen’s Passage) of the Northwest Passage in mid-August. Nevertheless, the ice content in the northern route was not only well below the 1968–2000 average, but also nearly a month ahead of the clearing observed in 2007, when Arctic sea ice set a record low. As of mid-August 2010, however, overall sea ice extent was higher than it had been at the same time of year in 2007. (satellite image)
HEALTH THREATS -
THE LARGEST EGG RECALL IN RECENT HISTORY - the company linked to clusters of Salmonella illnesses in several states has expanded its recall to include about 380 million eggs.
