War Zone Refuge
The conflict between Pakistan and India in Kashmir during the
last decade has taken a large toll on human life, but it has also
allowed increasing numbers of migratory birds to flourish.
War Zone Refuge
The conflict between Pakistan and India in Kashmir during the last decade has taken a large toll on human life, but it has also allowed increasing numbers of migratory birds to flourish. Fear of being caught in the crossfire scared away most of the poachers who once roamed Kashmir’s forests to hunt the birds. Mohammad Shafi Bacha, head of the wildlife protection department in the Kashmir Valley, estimates that the number of migratory birds visiting the region from Siberia and other parts of Asia has increased from just over 25,000 in 1992 to around 400,000 today. Witnesses said that during the initial years of the conflict, birds used to get disturbed by recurring gunfire and explosions. But they later adapted to the noise and barely moved during battles.
Killing Cold
One of the coldest weather patterns North America can get during the winter months brought frigid air deep into Mexico, killing at least 26 people. Some of the victims died from hypothermia, while others were killed from carbon monoxide generated by makeshift heaters in poorly ventilated homes. The cold snap also brought record cold temperatures across a wide area of the United States, and snow as far south as the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Tropical Cyclone
Tropical Storm Noru brought heavy rains and gales to the Northern Mariana Islands as it brushed the eastern shores of the U.S. Pacific territory. The storm was mainly a threat to maritime navigation before it weakened over the cooler waters of the North Pacific.
Exploding Meteor
Two powerful explosions and fiery streaks in the sky above Jakarta are believed to have been caused by a meteor breaking up in the atmosphere above the Indonesian capital.
The blasts came as the country was in a heightened state of alert from terrorist attacks, and caused a brief alarm among the population.
No debris from the meteor was found on the ground, but observers said the object appeared to be falling toward an area just west of Jakarta.
The Indonesian fireball, and a large meteor that crashed into the ground in China’s Gansu province the previous week, occurred on the fringes of the annual Geminid meteor shower.
It produces vivid displays of “shooting stars” when Earth passes through the path of a fragmented asteroid instead of debris left by a comet, the most common source of meteor showers.
Earthquakes
Residents on Panama’s Caribbean coast were awakened by a magnitude 5.4 quake that was centered just offshore. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
Earth movements were also felt in northern and southern New Zealand, Taiwan, Japan’s Hokkaido Island, western Sri Lanka, northeastern Iran and western Turkey.
Japan’s Hottest Year
The Japan Meteorological Agency reported that 2004 is turning out to be the hottest year on record for the east of the country, including the capital of Tokyo. The agency said this year’s warmth has been due to global warming, urban development and a strong Pacific high-pressure area that caused warm air to blow into the country from the south. The average temperature in eastern Japan so far this year has been 1.3 degrees Celsius higher than normal. That breaks the previous record set in 1889 and reached again in 1998 when it was 1.1 degrees warmer than normal.
Summertime Snow
Residents of New Zealand, enjoying the summer holidays during the closing days of the year, were hit by an Antarctic blast that brought snow and hail to several areas.
Hailstones the size of mothballs pounded the city of Auckland, while snow fell in the middle of the North Island as well as parts of the south. Ski resorts were able to extend their operating season into early January due to a fresh blanket of snow on the slopes.
Jellyfish Slumber
The small and highly poisonous box jellyfish, which lives in the waters off Australia’s Queensland coast, has been found to take a daily nap, according to a team of marine biologists. Researchers from James Cook University say it is the first time that any jellyfish has been found to slumber. The team made the discovery after placing small ultrasound transmitters in the bells of five jellyfish and following the creatures with a microphone while filming them for up to 36 hours. That revealed the jellyfish typically go to sleep about 3 p.m. and continue napping well into the evening on the ocean floor. If disturbed, the “jellys” would swim around angrily for three to four minutes before going back to sleep, said researcher Jamie Seymour.
