Friedrich Nietzsche
LARGEST QUAKES -
This morning -
5.1 OFF EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
Yesterday -
4/2/11 -
5.1 SOUTH OF FIJI ISLANDS
5.0 ALASKA PENINSULA
5.8 TARAPACA, CHILE
5.5 NEW IRELAND REGION, P.N.G.
5.0 EASTERN HONSHU, JAPAN
5.2 NEAR EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
4/1/11 -
5.4 SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION
5.0 WESTERN INDIAN-ANTARCTIC RIDGE
6.0 CRETE, GREECE
5.0 EASTERN HONSHU, JAPAN
5.6 OFF EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
5.4 NEAR EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
5.0 NEAR EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
6.0 EASTERN HONSHU, JAPAN
5.0 EASTERN HONSHU, JAPAN
5.0 OFF EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
Psychological strain showing in Japanese quake survivors - Psychological strain has begun to show in Self-Defense Force troops as activities related to supporting survivors of the earthquake and tsunami stretch into a third week.
The town of Yamada in Iwate Prefecture has yet to grasp the whereabouts and fate of more than 14,000 people, or nearly 80% OF THE POPULATION. Search operations are being led by SDF members usually based in Hokkaido. Their work involves manually sifting through tons of rubble. As they were searching through the debris of an elementary school on Wednesday, the troops found the body of a fifth grade girl. A member said he did not want to find the body of a girl. He says he has a child of a similar age.
In Fukushima, Iwate, Ibaragi and other affected prefectures, SDF members had recovered a total of around 4,500 bodies by Wednesday. Commanders are making sure they talk with troop members of their units at the end of every day. A commander asks one man if he's okay after finding a body in the debris. The man says he couldn't stop thinking: "What if this happened to my child?" A SDF Company Commander says the troops won't say it, but their hearts are breaking. He says he's telling them to express their feelings, because there`s nothing to be ashamed of. More than 16,000 people remain unaccounted for in the stricken region.
HAWAII - Earthquake cluster spurs questions of another quake soon. All the huge earthquakes in recent years have sparked debate. Are they related? Are we seeing an UNUSUAL cluster of earthquakes and does it mean another is likely to happen soon in the Pacific Basin that could send a tsunami to Hawaii?. "Now that we've had this magnitude 9 earthquake in Japan, is that earthquake itself going to cause other big earthquakes to occur say other places around the pacific?"
"In the middle of the last century there were a lot of great earthquakes."(Magnitude 8's and above.) A 9 magnitude quake rocked Kamchatka in 1952. It was followed by the most violent quake ever recorded, the 9.5 magnitude quake that shook Chile. There was an 8.5 magnitude quake near the Kuril Islands in 1963, a 9.2 magnitude quake in Alaska in 1964, and an 8.7 magnitude quake near Rat Island in the Aleutians in 1965. "Then following that, for about 35 or 40 years, the rate of great earthquakes dropped off substantially."
But in December, 2004 the earth roared again. A 9.1 magnitude earthquake off Sumatra produced a tsunami that killed more than 225,000 people. Since then there have been several great earthquakes, including the Tonga Trench quake that swamped Samoa in 2009, the February 2010 quake off Chile that measured 8.8 magnitude, and, of course, the recent Japan quake (9.0 magnitude). Every one of these earthquakes is similar in that each happened because plates on the earth's crust were colliding, building stress that released with an earthquake.
The experts tell us it is very possible the quake along the Japan Trench off Northern Honshu March 11 will increase tension and contribute to another large quake, but only along that same trench within about 250 miles of the March 11 quake. "When you get to another area around the Pacific, for instance beyond that length, it is probably not going to trigger any kind of big earthquake. If you are saying, you know, seeing an event in Japan, and that potentially means that there might be an event in another part of the Pacific, that clear relationship has not been established." So why the recent cluster of big quakes? No one can say for sure, but some theorize all the quakes are the norm and that lull from the late 1960's until 2004 was an aberration.
VOLCANOES -
PHILIPPINES - Taal carbon dioxide deadly. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology urged the public Friday to stay away from the main crater of Taal Volcano as it spews deadly carbon dioxide. Inhaling carbon dioxide can be lethal at worst and could cause dizziness, muscular weakness, and fainting. The number of volcanic quakes also rose to 14 a day, with intensity ranging from 1 to 3, with hypocenters placed from a shallow one kilometer to 1.5 km.
Occasional intensification of steam was observed at the northern portion of the Main Crater Lake and at the upper Daang Kastila. Increased steaming and bubbling at the 1998 reactivated thermal vent were also noticed. Gas measurements at the Taal Main Crater Lake last January and March showed carbon dioxide emission increased from 2,250 tons per day (tpd) to 4,670 tpd. The REMARKABLE INCREASE in carbon dioxide concentration indicates an anomalous gas release from the magma at depth. "Precise leveling measurements conducted last February around the flanks of Volcano Island showed that the volcano edifice is slightly inflated as compared with the December, 2010, survey. Since last June, 2010, the volcano has exhibited a general inflationary trend." Alert Level 1 is up at Taal Volcano even as they see no imminent eruption. The main crater is strictly off-limits since sudden hazardous steam-driven explosions may occur and high concentrations of toxic gases may accumulate.
TSUNAMI / FREAK WAVES / ABNORMAL TIDES -
Debris from Japan tsunami, quake to reach U.S. in 1 to 3 years - The floating debris will likely be carried by currents off Japan toward Washington, Oregon and California before turning toward Hawaii and back again toward Asia, circulating in what is known as the North Pacific Gyre.
In Japan on Friday, Japanese and U.S. military ships and helicopters trolled the tsunami-ravaged coastline in an all-out search that could be the last chance to find the bodies of those swept away nearly three weeks ago. More than 16,000 are still missing after the disaster, which officials fear may have killed some 25,000. On the outskirts of Sendai, near the Japanese military's Kasuminome air base, a constant stream of helicopters roared overhead throughout the afternoon, shuttling to and from the more remote coastal regions. Planes and boats were dispatched from other bases near the city. Altogether, 25,000 soldiers, 120 helicopters and 65 ships will continue searching through Sunday. If U.S. forces spot bodies, they will point them out to the Japanese military rather than trying to retrieve them. So far, more than 11,700 deaths have been confirmed. "Unfortunately we've come across remains over the scope of our mission, so it may be more likely than you think" to find bodies at sea so long after the disaster." The Japanese military stopped short of saying the search would end for good after Sunday, but a public affairs official said activities will be limited.
TROPICAL STORMS -
-TROPICAL DEPRESSION 01W was LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 315 NM EAST-SOUTHEAST OF HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM.
-TROPICAL CYCLONE 20S was LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 760 NM EAST-NORTHEAST OF LEARMONTH, AUSTRALIA.
Tropical cyclone season may be beginning to heat up as several tropical low pressure systems linger well east of the Philippines. These areas will be watched for further development over the next few days. Meanwhile, the remnants of Tropical Depression One will provide scattered showers and thunderstorms to the northern part of Indonesia and southern Philippines.
EXTREME HEAT & DROUGHT / WILDFIRES / CLIMATE CHANGE -
COLORADO - Wildfires erupt across state as HEAT RECORD SHATTERED. The heat moved into Colorado from the southwest where Arizona and New Mexico were having RECORD-BREAKING WEATHER. Temperatures are expected to drop dramatically Sunday and Monday as a front moves in from the Gulf of Alaska.
TEXAS - Very Windy Sunday InThe Borderland Forecast. They had RECORD-BREAKING HEAT in El Paso Saturday. They broke their record of 87 degrees set back in 1946. El Paso hit a high of 90 degrees at the El Paso International Airport Saturday at 1:02 pm.
Scientists give chilling warnings on climate. - New Zealanders have been issued with a stark warning to expect "SURPRISES" by scientists who say they CANNOT KEEP UP WITH EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS linked to climate change. Scientists opened a climate change conference in Wellington Friday by stating that changes in climate being experienced around the globe were BEYOND THEIR WORST-CASE SCENARIOS.
The founding director of the Climate Change Research Institute said policy-makers needed to stop waiting for scientists to come up with answers about trends for the future, or definite measurements for how much sea levels or temperatures would rise by. Almost simultaneously, devastating floods battered Sir Lanka, Brazil and Queensland earlier this year. Policy-makers should start getting prepared for greater risks, instead of waiting for the lengthy process of scientists linking events together.
Extreme rainfall around the world had been more than scientists had been predicting from climate models. "Society needs to take over from science when we're talking about global risk management. We can't wait till the scientists understand everything." In New Zealand, there was too much inertia in dealing with the risk, and settlements continued to be built on low-lying coastal land – as did transport corridors. "I'm not saying it's catastrophe looming. I'm saying it's uncertainty."
"Recent observations confirm that the science is changing rapidly and the observed climate change is happening at about the worst-case IPCC scenario trajectories." A global reduction in greenhouse gas emissions 75 per cent below 1990 levels by 2050 is needed, and though the technology exists to move towards zero carbon emissions, the political willias not there. The New Zealand Government is delivering on its 2008 election promise and gazetting a target of a 50 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels by 2050. Halving emissions would require significant changes in the economy, and the Government's existing programme included the emissions trading scheme, support for home insulation, biofuels, and major research initiatives.
New Zealand's contribution to global emissions is small. "It has New Zealand doing our fair share and is comparable with the targets set by our major trading partners." However, the Green Party co-leader said the announcement was green-washing and the Government, as well as weakening the ETS, was not taking steps to achieve the target. "They are subsidising irrigation schemes to enable even greater expansion in intensive industrial dairy, which will increase our greenhouse gas emissions."
HEALTH THREATS -
RECALLS & ALERTS:
-The Smokehouse LLC of Mamaroneck, New York, is recalling PORTIER FINE FOODS Norwegian Smoked Salmon of various size packages due to potential contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.
-Arko Foods International of Los Angeles, CA is recalling Angelina Brand Smoked Roundscad, 8oz packs, because it has the potential to be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum.
-Frankly Fresh, Inc. of Carson, CA. Is recalling its seafood line of products, because it has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
-Louie Foods International of Fresno, California, is voluntarily recalling all Louie's brand sprouts with a "Use By" date on or before 4/14/11, because they may be contaminated with Salmonella.
