Rising Tide Warning
Sea level around the world could be boosted by 13 to 20 feet by
the year 2100 as global warming melts the Arctic, Greenland and
Antarctic ice sheets, according to a U.S. study.
– Steve Newman
Rising Tide Warning
Sea level around the world could be boosted by 13 to 20 feet by the year 2100 as global warming melts the Arctic, Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, according to a U.S. study. Scientists from the National Center for Atmospheric Research wrote in the journal Science that the rise would bring the oceans to levels not seen in nearly 130,000 years. “The warmth needed isn’t that much above present conditions,” said researcher Bette Otto-Bliesner. The scientists made the prediction based on models that simulate past, present and future climates, and by analyzing records of previous temperature rises indicated in samples of ice and coral.
Tropical Cyclones
Australia’s northwest coast was battered by high winds and torrential rains as Category-5 Cyclone Glenda roared ashore in the Pilbara region. The storm produced winds as high as 165 mph and dangerous storm surge tides.
Remnants of Cyclone Wati drenched much of northern New Zealand and generated the highest surf to pound the beaches of Sydney, Australia, in more than 10 years. Waves as high as 26 feet crashed onto the beaches of Bondi and Coogee ó 1,250 miles from the storm’s center.
German Twister
Two people were killed and 80,000 homes lost power in northern Germany when a tornado struck the city of Hamburg. The two victims died when the construction cranes on which they were working were toppled by the whirlwind. The storm also ripped the roofs off buildings, uprooted trees and overturned several cars.
Seagrass Decline
One of the key elements of the maritime ecosystem is disappearing, according to a University of New Hampshire scientist who monitors the world’s seagrass beds. “Almost everywhere we start monitoring seagrass, it’s declining,” said Frederick Short. He warns that where the shallow water seagrass disappears, so do waterfowl, fish and the quality of water. Short is founder of the global monitoring program SeagrassNet, and works with teams of researchers from 17 nations to monitor the marine plants. He and his colleagues say they haven’t ruled out climate change as part of the reason for the decline, but it appears mainly due to human activity onshore that is increasing the runoff of sediment into the marine environment.
The One and Only
The giant tortoise estimated to have been 255 years old died at a zoo in the Indian city of Kolkata (Calcutta). The reptile was brought to India from the Seychelles in the 18th century as a gift from British seamen to Robert Clive of the East India Company. “Adwaitya (The Only One) spent his early days in Clive’s garden,” said zoo director Subir Chowdhury. The Aldabra tortoise was later transferred to the zoo when it opened in 1875. It began declining in health several months ago when a crack developed around a wound on his chest.
Eruptions
Officials in Costa Rica closed the area around Poas Volcano due to the mountain’s new emissions of water and wet sediment. They advised that while the activity does not present an immediate risk, there is a threat of explosions in the future.
Colombia’s Galeras Volcano produced increased activity that prompted the government to initiate emergency plans to evacuate nearby residents. The mountain, located near the city of Pasto, killed nine people during a 1993 eruption.
Earthquakes
One person was killed when a magnitude 6.0 temblor struck a rural area of southern Iran’s Hormuzgan province. Landslides triggered by the shaking blocked mountain roads and disrupted electric power in some areas. Only minor damage was reported to buildings.
A sharp quake in Japan’s remote Izu island chain was felt widely on the main island of Honshu.
Earth movements were also felt in northern Japan, southern Japan, Taiwan, the central Philippines, central New Zealand, northwestern California and California’s Mojave Desert.
Ramblin’ Robin
English ornithologists flocked in amazement to see an American robin that was apparently carried by strong winds across the North Atlantic from Canada. The well-known harbinger of spring in North America took up residence in a backyard of the southeast London neighborhood of Peckham, making it only the 23rd such bird ever observed in England. Royal Society for the Protection of Birds spokesman Tim Webb told reporters that while the bird isn’t likely to make it back home, it could have wound up in a worse place. “It’s a nice and leafy garden, and it’s alive and well,” said Webb.
